Friction-reducing high speed chain guides

A guide assembly for defining a curved path for a link type conveyor. The guide assembly includes individual curved guides having flanges defining support and guide rails for link elements of the conveyor. The guide rails are mounted in pairs and include an inner guide rail and an outer guide rail. At least the inner guide rail is provided with closely adjacent rollers against which the conveyor links ride and which rollers primarily define the path of movement of the conveyor around the curve. Each roller is carried by one rail of its respective guide and is mounted on a removable shaft in the form of a threaded fastener. The other rail of the guide is provided with an access opening, which access opening also provides for the ventilation of the roller so as to cool the roller.

This invention relates in general to new and useful improvements in 
conveyor assemblies, and more specifically to a guide assembly for guiding 
a link type conveyor around a curved portion of its travel. 
In the prior devices, no simple satisfactory arrangement has been 
heretofore provided for guiding a conveyor around a turn at a high speed. 
This is particularly true in conjunction with conveyors for moving 
containers such as cans. 
Various complex devices have been used, including the addition of such 
supplementary devices as lubricants and large horsepower motors, to reduce 
friction. One problem is that as the conveyor speed increases, the 
friction also increases, requiring additional energy in the system to 
perform the function. Conveyors for containers are constantly increasing 
in speed, and at the present conveyors are moved at a rate approximating 
2,000 containers per minute. This increase in friction, and thus in the 
additional energy required, clearly indicates the need for a friction 
reducing guide assembly. 
This invention particularly relates to the mounting of a table-top chain 
conveyor particularly adapted for the conveying of containers, such as 
cans. Such conveyors not only include flexible chain links, but carried by 
the links are support elements which are engaged with the guide assembly 
and which, in combination with one another, define a substantially 
continuous supporting surface which may be considered to be a table. 
This invention particularly contemplates providing horizontal runs of a 
link type conveyor with guide assemblies so as to facilitate the movement 
of the conveyor along a curved path with a minimum of resistance, 
friction, and resultant heat. This would reduce the amount of costly wear 
and tear and resultant down time. The result would be an increase in 
productivity, especially in the food and beverage industries. 
Most particularly, this invention relates to a guide assembly which 
includes a pair of guides which together define a curved path for a 
conveyor. The guides also include rails which are engaged by the support 
defining links so as generally to determine the curved path of the 
conveyor. Further, at least an inner guide of the guide assembly is 
provided with adjacent rollers which engage the inner surfaces of the 
supporting links and thereby provide for a greatly reduced antifriction 
guiding of the conveyor links. 
In a preferred embodiment of the guide, the guide is a structural shape, 
preferably channel, and includes upper and lower rails with one of the 
rails carrying the rollers. Each roller is carried by a stub shaft defined 
by a shoulder fastener which is threaded into the respective rail so as to 
be removable. The other rail of the guide is provided with an aperture 
aligned with each threaded fastener to facilitate the replacement of a 
roller and the openings serve the dual purpose of functioning as vents so 
that air may be circulated within the guide and effect cooling of the 
rollers. 
With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, the 
nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to 
the following detailed description, the appended claims, and the several 
views illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be seen that there is 
illustrated in FIG. 1 a conveyor assembly in accordance with this 
invention, the conveyor assembly being generally identified by the numeral 
10. The conveyor assembly 10 includes a conventional link type conveyor 
which is generally identified by the numeral 12. The conveyor 12 is 
composed of an endless chain 14 having links interconnected so that they 
may not only pass around drive and idler sprockets in the normal manner, 
but are also so interconnected that the chain is flexible in a transverse 
direction so that a horizontal run of the chain, for example, may pass 
around a horizontal curve. At least certain of the links of the conveyor 
chain 14 carry support forming links or elements 16 which will be 
described in more detail hereinafter. The links 16, as shown in FIG. 1, 
are disposed closely adjacent one another so as to form a substantially 
continuous table for supporting containers or the like while at the same 
time are configurated for freedom of relative turning movement so that 
they may traverse a horizontal curve in addition to a vertical curve about 
a sprocket. 
The conveyor 12 has straight runs 18, 20 joined by a curved run 22. The 
manner in which the conveyor is supported and guided along the straight 
runs 18, 20 is not a part of this invention and no attempt will be made to 
describe the same here. On the other hand, the conveyor 12 is supported 
for guided movement along its curved run 22 by a guide assembly 24 which 
is the subject of this invention. 
The guide assembly 24 may include any satisfactory support frame 
arrangement. However, in the illustrated embodiment the support frame 
includes a lower support member 26 in the form of an upwardly opening 
channel having a horizontal web 28 and upstanding flanges 30. Carried by 
the flanges 30 at spaced intervals are uprights 32. These uprights are 
joined together at spaced intervals by a pair of horizontal support bars 
34, 36. The horizontal support bar 36 is removably secured to the uprights 
32 by means of mounting plates 38 so that access to the lower part of the 
guide assembly 24 may be available. 
Each support bar 36 carries a pair of upstanding supports 40, 42. The 
supports 40, which are disposed innermost, carry an inner guide member 
which is generally identified by the numeral 44. A similar outer guide 
member, generally identified by the numeral 46, is carried by the outer 
support 42. The guide members 44, 46 are concentrically arranged and 
generally define a curved path for the conveyor 12. 
Each support 34 has depending therefrom a pair of supports 48, 50. The 
supports 48 are disposed innermost and carry an inner guide member 52 
while the supports 50 are disposed outermost and carry an outer guide 
member 54. The guide members 44 and 52 may be identical, and the guide 
members 46 and 54 may be identical. It is further to be understood that 
the guide members 44, 46, 52 and 54 will be removably secured to their 
respective supports by suitable fasteners such as the bolts 56 illustrated 
in FIG. 3. 
The guide member 44 is typical of the guide members and thus will be 
specifically described here. The guide member 44 is in the form of a 
structural shape which is preferably a channel and includes a web 58 and a 
pair of rail forming flanges 60, 62. The guide member 44 is preferably 
formed of a non-magnetic metal, such as #304 stainless steel. 
A plurality of antifriction rollers 66 are disposed below the flange 60 and 
project radially outwardly thereof, as is clearly shown. The rollers 66 
are conventional and each is mounted on a stub shaft 68 which is defined 
by the shank of a shoulder bolt 70. The shoulder bolt 70 has a short 
threaded end portion 72 which is threaded in an internally threaded bore 
74 in the flange 60. The head of the bolt 70 may be of any type, although 
the illustrated bolt is of the Allen head type. The roller 66 is 
preferably spaced from the underside of the flange 60 by a spacer or 
washer 76. 
At this time the construction of a support forming link 16 is described 
with reference to FIG. 2. Each link 16 includes an outermost support 
element 78 which has depending from the central portion thereof two spaced 
webs 80. The ends of the webs 80 remote from the support element 78 carry 
oppositely directly flanges 82 which are parallel to the support element 
78. It is to be noted that the support element 78 is of a length so as to 
extend beyond the webs 80 sufficiently to define a supporting portion 84 
at each side thereof for engagement with a respective guide member. 
Referring now most specifically to FIG. 3, it will be seen that when the 
supporting element 16 is engaged with the guide member 44, the portion 84 
thereof overlies and rides on the rail defined by the flange 60 with the 
flange 60 forming the primary load bearing support for the one side of the 
support link 16. The flange 82 underlies the flange 62 and vertically 
stabilizes the mounting of the support link 16. 
The webs 82 are secured to the links of the chain 14 in a conventional 
manner with at least the innermost web 80 engaging the rollers 66. 
From the foregoing, it will be seen that the friction normally resulting 
from the drag of the conveyor 12 around an inner guide is greatly reduced 
in that the radial supporting and guiding is accomplished entirely by the 
rollers 66. This is the primary source of friction in the conveyor 
assembly 10. While there is some friction between the supporting elements 
78 and the flange 60, this is minimal and is acceptable at the present 
speeds. 
At this time it is pointed out that although the outer guide members 46 and 
54 have also been illustrated as having guide rollers, it is to be 
understood that such guide rollers are not absolutely necessary in that 
all radial forces on the conveyor 12 are inwardly directed forces and all 
guiding in a radial direction is effected by the roller 66 of the inner 
guide members. 
It is also pointed out here that substantially all of the wear is in the 
upper guide members 44, 46 with there being minimal wear in the lower 
guide members 52, 54. Therefore, at least the inner guide members 44 and 
52 should be identical and thus interchangeable. 
Referring once again to FIG. 3, it is to be noted that the flange 62 is 
provided with an aperture 86 therein in alignment with each of the 
fasteners 70. This aperture facilitates the installation and removal of 
the roller 60. It has been found that the cooperation of the flanges 82 
with the flange 62 and the apertures 86 therein provide for a pumping 
action and a circulation of air within the guide member 44. This 
circulating air serves to ventilate and cool the roller 66. 
Any suitable upper guides may be provided for the articles to be conveyed 
by the conveyor 12. In the illustrated guide assembly 24, there are upper 
and lower sets of guide rails 88 which are arcuate in accordance with the 
curved path of the conveyor. The guide rails 88 are carried by suitable 
supports 90 which project in opposed relation from the uprights 32. 
Although only a preferred embodiment of the invention has been specifically 
illustrated and described herein, it is to be understood that minor 
modifications may be made in the guide assembly and its relationship to 
the conveyor without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention 
as defined by the appended claims.