Panelized leg and scale tower

A panelized leg and scale tower is disclosed which is secured to a suitable foundation and which extends upwardly therefrom around the elevator legs. The tower is comprised of a plurality of curved panels which are bolted together to form a cylindrical tower extending for substantially the entire height of the elevator leg. A plurality of horizontal braces are provided within the tower at a predetermined spacing to maintain the cylindrical integrity of the tower when exposed to wind loads. The tower eliminates the need for guy wires or a lattice-type support structure normally used to support the elevator leg.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Bucket elevators are normally employed to elevate grain or the like to a 
substantial distance above the ground where the grain is then distributed 
by means of spouting to various storage bins or the like. The height of 
the bucket elevator can exceed 110 feet. An elevator leg can be 
self-supporting, theoretically, at any height provided no lateral forces 
such as wind are allowed to act on the elevator leg. 
There are presently available two primary methods of supporting elevator 
legs against lateral forces. One method of supporting the elevator leg is 
to secure guy wires to the elevator along the height thereof and extend 
the same distance outwardly from the leg and secure the wire to the ground 
by means of anchors or the like. For example, some guy wires to be 
effective should be anchored as far as 200-300 feet from the elevator leg. 
The guy wires can be hazardous when machinery is being operated near the 
base of the elevator leg. If a guy wire or wires were struck by a car or 
tractor, the elevator leg could collapse and fall causing injury to those 
persons nearby. Further, the guy wires themselves produce considerable 
stress on the elevator leg, and unless the guy wire support foundation is 
carefully designed and placed, movement can occur, causing the elevator 
leg to move out of plumb. Also, in many instances because of surrounding 
structures, guy wire systems are many times not feasible. 
A second method of supporting elevator legs is by means of a lattice-type 
support structure. One disadvantage of the lattice-type support structure 
is that the structure may have considerable lateral movement under wind 
loads which adversely affects the operation of the elevator leg. For 
extremely tall elevator legs, the lattice-type framework is not feasible. 
Therefore, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a new means 
for supporting an elevator leg. 
A further object of the invention is to provide a means for supporting a 
bucket elevator which eliminates the need for guy wire supports or 
lattice-type supports. 
A still further object of the invention is to provide a panelized leg and 
scale tower which shields the elevator leg from lateral forces such as 
wind or the like. 
A still further object of the invention is to provide a means for 
supporting a bucket elevator which also provides an enclosed work area for 
facilitating maintenance work on the elevator itself. 
A still further object of the invention is to provide a panelized leg and 
scale tower which is easily asembled. 
A still further object of the invention is to provide a means for 
supporting an elevator leg which is easily erected. 
A still further object of the invention is to provide a panelized leg and 
scale tower which is economical of manufacture and refined in appearance. 
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A panelized leg and scale tower is disclosed comprised of a plurality of 
curved metal panels bolted together to create a cylindrical tower which 
extends around a vertically disposed elevator leg. The tower isolates the 
leg from lateral forces such as wind or the like. A plurality of 
horizontal braces are provided within the tower to maintain the 
cylindrical integrity of the tower when subjected to wind loads. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
FIG. 1 illustrates a typical elevator leg 10 of the bucket type. Elevator 
10 includes bucket elevator legs 12 and 14 which extend upwardly from a 
suitable foundation 16 as best illustrated in FIG. 1. Elevator legs 12 and 
14 have an elevator head 18 secured to the upper ends thereof which is in 
communication with a distributor apparatus 20. The numeral 22 refers 
generally to a receiving area through which the grain or the like is 
dumped onto the conveyor 24 which supplies the grain to the elevator leg 
12. All of the structure just described relating to the bucket elevator is 
conventional. 
The numeral 26 refers generally to the tower of this invention. Tower 26 is 
comprised of a plurality of curved metal panels 28 which are bolted 
together so as to form a circular ring referred to generally by the 
reference numeral 30. The rings 30 are bolted together to form the desired 
height of the tower. The construction method is primarily that of bolting 
standard curved metal panels together which can be done without skilled 
labor. The thickness of the metal panels will depend on the height of the 
tower and the diameter of the tower. At predetermined intervals, 
horizontal bracing 32 is provided as best seen in FIG. 2. The purpose of 
the bracking 32 is to permit the tower to retain its circular shape when 
subject to wind loads. The elevator legs are tied to the tower only at 
points where it is deemed advisable to facilitate plumbness and any needed 
repairs or replacements of elevator leg components. As seen in FIG. 2, 
cross bracing 34 and 36 extends from the tower between the elevator legs 
12 and 14. The cross braces 34 and 36 are bolted to the bracing 38 and 40 
of the elevator 10 as also seen in FIG. 2. 
The tower disclosed herein is ideally suited for use with scales or the 
like but it should be understood that the tower may be used in conjunction 
with any type of elevator legs extending upwardly from a supporting area 
where it is desired to eliminate guy wire supports or lattice-type 
supports. The leg and scale tower 26 not only protects the elevator from 
wind loads but may also support the weight of the distributor and down 
spouting which may be considerable. By supporting these loads by the tower 
rather than by the elevator leg, a significant reduction in stress in the 
elevator leg can be achieved which will make normal repair and maintenance 
of the elevator leg a much easier task. 
The leg and scale tower provides a completely enclosed working area for 
maintenance and reapir of the elevator leg. If desired, a ladder or the 
like may be secured to one of the elevator legs and such ladder will be 
enclosed within the tower, hence providing for a much safer access to the 
top of the elevator leg to perform normal maintenance. The leg and scale 
tower provides for a completely waterproof and dustproof working area 
within the tower if the upper end of the tower is closed. The enclosed 
tower completely isolates the elevator leg from the elements thereby 
minimizing repair and maintenance cost. 
Although the tower 26 is preferably of the cylindrical type, it should be 
understood that the tower 26 could also have other cross-sectional 
configurations such as triangular, hexagonal, octagonal, etc. 
As stated, the tower resists the wind load through the structural action of 
a thin-walled panelized cylindrical tube. The principal function of the 
tower is to provide an economical means of isolating the elevator leg from 
lateral forces. Thus, it can be seen that the tower of this invention 
accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives.