US396197A - Chain conveyer for unloading cars - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

J. M. DODGE.

CHAIN GONVEYER FOR UNLOADING CARS.

No. 396,197. Patented Jan. 15, 1889.

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UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

JAMES M. DODGE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE DODGE COAL STORAGE COMPANY, OF NAUGATUOK,

CONNECTICUT.

CHAIN CONVEYER FOR UNLOADING CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 396,197, dated .Ianuary 15,1889.

Application filed July 23, 1888. Serial No. 280,701. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES M. DODGE, of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improved Chain Oonveyer for Unloading Cars; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this application.

My invention relates to an improvement in that class or species of chain-conveyer apparatuses which is usually employed for taking the coal which is discharged successively from the cars of a coal-train through a suitable spout or chute into a pit and conveying the same obliquely upward to a given'point of elevation, from which the coal is destined to descend by gravity to fill or supply locom0- tive-engines or other receptacles. In this class or species of contriva-nces, as is well known, it is customary to have an endless chain conveyer with the lower end of its trough located in the pit in such manner as to have the trough feed or supply coal through asuitable spout or chute, into which the coal is dumped from dumps or cars which travel on surface railway, a portion of which is located immediately over and transversely of the 0 pit, into which the lowermost portion of the conveyer-trough descends, and as heretofore constructed or arranged both runs of the endless conveyer-chain have been located at the lower end of the conveyer within the pit and 3 5 beneath the track on which the dump or car has to stand to discharge its contents into the feed-spout of the conveyer. This usual construction involves a certain depth of pit and a certain amount of ground-room in order to get the proper degree of inclination to the ascending trough of the conveyer with a given elevation from the upper end or point of discharge, and, furthermore, involves the (lischarge of the coal fed to the conveyer in contact with the upper run of the flighted chain, in order to feed the trough with which the lower run of the chain co-operates. Not only is the depth of the pit and the ground-space thus rendered necessar *greater thanis oftentimes desirable or convenient, but, furthermore, considerable wear and tear in the machinery and sometimes clogging of the chain and other difficulties arise from the feeding of the coal onto and through the upper run of the chain in order to fill the conveyor-trough in combination, with a suitable pit and feedspout located immediately beneath the track upon which the surface cars or dumps to sup ply the coal are to be run, of an ordinary 7o trough chain conveyerhaving its lower run and trough located at the lowermost portion thereof in the pit and beneath the car-track, but having the upper run of its tlighted chain pass round about and over both the track and the car or cars to be run thereon to supply the coal, or, in other words, havin its endless chain arranged in a circuit which completely encompasses the surface railroad and coal car or dump necessary to be used thereon for Sothe supply of coal, all as will be hereinafter more fully explained, and as will be more particularly pointed out in the claim of this specification.

To enable those skilled in the art to which my improvement relates to perfectly under-- stand and practice the same, I will now proceed to describe my invention, referring by letters to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, and in which I have shown my improved apparatus or contrivance in vertical sectional elevation at Figure '1, and at Fig. 2 in an end- "iew or elevation looking in the direction indicated by the arrow at Fig. 1.

In both figures the same parts will be found designated by the same letters of reference.

C is a pit for the accommodation of the lowermost portion of an ordinary trough chain conveyor, by which the trough B of said eo11- veyer extends, as shown, from the bottom of said pit obliquely upward to an y desired point or elevation at which the material is to be discharged into a suitable trough or chute, from which it may descend by gravity into any desired receptacle or receptacles. This conveyer-trough l3, as well as the chute 1), into which the material is discharged from the upper end of the conveyer-trough, is properly secured to and supported. by a suitable franm-work, (seen at A,) which framework also properl y supports at the different localities shown a series of shafts, upon which are mounted the series of chain-wheels or sprocket-witeels c, f, g, and 71, which operate to support and over or around which "runs the endless comever-chain l, which is supposed to be driven by any suitable motive power applied to any desirable one of said sprocket-w!ieels.

The endless ctmveyer-chain l is provided in the usual manner with flights I, which during the lower run of said chain co-operate in the manner shown and well understood with the floor or bottom of the conveyer-trough l5.

Innnediately over the bottom of the pit and running transversely thereof, is located the usual surface t racl; or rail\\'a v,'n, on which travel the car or cars .l, which ln-ing the coal to be elevated, and from which the coal is dumped or discharged in the usual and welll nown manner into the feed-spout 0, which supplies it to the lower portion of the trough B of the chain conveyor.

In the operation of the contrivance or apparatus the coal discharged from the dumpor i ear .T directly into the feed-chute o descends by gravity into the lower port ion of the trough 13 of the chain eonveyer, from whence it is contimu'msly carried or fed oblitpiely upward within said trough B, in the usual and wellknown manner, by the flights of the eonveyer-chain, the material being discharged, as clearly illustratta'l at Fig. '1, in the usual manner, into the chute D or any other desired receptacle; but, unlike t rough conveyors with endless ti ighted chains, as heretofore employed in connection with such t'eed'spouts and ears as l have shown, the c'nveycrapparatus in my case has the endless chain ar-g ranged, as shown, to make a complete circuit round about the ear and feed-spout 0, so that, as clearly illustrated, there is never any interference of the coal being ln'indled with the upper run of the tlighted chain. Furthermore, by reason of having only the lower run of the chain and the trough of the conveyor located beneath the car and within the pit '0, this pit may be made much more shallow than it was heretofore possible to make it with a given degree of inclination to the conveyor-trough l3 and a given height of elevation of the upper discharge end of said. trough, all of which is of great advantage, both with. reference to economy in originally constructing the apparatus and as to durability, econonly of power in running the chain. conveyer, and non-liability of derangement of the conveyer by clogging of any portion of the upper run of its chain with particles of coal.

Of course the precise arrangement of the circuitous endless chain passing around or (.mcompassin the car and the surface track and the exact proportitnls ot the parts shown are not material to my invention, the pith or of which lies in such a combination or arrangement of the endless tlightet'l chain of the trough chain conveyer with the supply ear and the track on which it is to be supported as brings only the lower run of the endless chain and the trough of the conveyer beneath the car, while the upper run of the chain passes round about andover the car and the surface railroad.

\Vhat I therefore claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In an apparatus or (O1lllll'vfi lltle for translating coal from the dnmping-ears of a surface railroad to a higher elevation, the combination, with the usual pit located beneath the surface track and adapted to aceon'nnodate the lowermost portion of the chain-coir veyer trough and to receive the coal as discharged from the dum 'ling-cars located on said track, of first, the obliquely-arranged eonveyer-trough having its lowermost end located within said pit and its upper end at, a higher elevation, and, second, the tligl'ited endless coliveyer-ehain lntving its lower run arranged to operate in conjunction with said trough, and having its upper run arranged to encompass the track and the dumping-ear which may be located theretm, the whole constructed and operating in substantially the manner hereinbefore described, for the purposes set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto setmy hand this liith day of July, 1858.

JAM ES M, DODGE.

in presence elf- E. R. Lownnnn, JOHN DUNN.

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