A CONVEYOR CHAIN OF THE BOTTLE CONVEYOR TYPE HAVING SHEET METAL LINKS WITH FIXED LATERAL GUIDING MEMBERS

Abstract: For the provision of simple and robust lateral guiding members on the underside of conveyor chain links of sheet metal a pair of small angularly bent plate elements (4) are secured by spot welding to each link plate, these elements having a depending lateral support flange (8) and a foot flange (6) projecting along the underside of the link plate. Near its outer end the foot flange (6) is secured to the link plate by simple spot welding, and the elements (4) are additionally secured to the link plate by welding adjacent the upper areas of the support flanges (8). Hereby the elements (4) are fixed in a very safe manner whilst they are produceable from a minimum of raw material.

Description: A conveyor chain of the bottle conveyor type having sheet metal links with fixed lateral guiding members. The present invention relates to a conveyor chain, e.g. for,bottle conveyors, and of the type consisting of cohinged chain links made from metal, preferably stain¬ less sheet steel, these links being adapted to be moved and supported on parallel rails, which may be horizontal¬ ly curved, the underside of the links being provided with depending lateral guiding members, which, in such curves, form a sliding lateral chain link support by slidingly contacting inner side portions-of the guide rails, said lateral guiding members being separate metal elements, which are secured by spot welding to the underside of the chain links. The USA Patent Specification No. 3,512,627 discloses a conveyor chain of this type, in which the guiding mem- bers at each side of the chain links consist of a U-bent metal plate strip, which is edgewise welded to the under¬ side of the link plate in such a manner that the bottom ^ portion of the U-bent strip member forms a laterally ex¬ posed, depending slide plate portion, which is at both ends bent slightly inwardly towards the middle of the link plate. The member is welded to the link plate adjacent the bent end portions of the U-strip, such that the welding areas are slightly retracted from the active lateral con¬ tact portion of the member. When the chain is drawn through horizontal curves considerable pressure forces may occur on the guiding members, all according to the load on the chain, and'the guiding members, therefore, should be fixed by welding in a very resistant manner. The prior art chain as here discussed, if ever having been in production, has not gained success in practice, because the guiding mem¬ bers would be liable to be broken off about the longitudi- O PI nal line through the welding areas, since these areas should take up the entire break torque on the guiding members, just as the inwardly bent end portions, upon advanced wear down of the lateral slide plate portion, would appear as sharp-edged plane irons, which would damage the guiding rails. According to a further developed chain as disclosed in the USA Patent Specification No. 3.513.964 these problems are sought to be counteracted by arranging for the opposed slide plate portions at each chain link to be constituted by downwardly bent end portions of a strip member, which is mounted crosswise along the underside of the chain link and is fixed thereto by spotwelding just inside the downwardly bent end portions. This chain as well known from practice, however, is not either satisfactorily resistant against considerable lateral forces, because the downwardly bent end portions are - found to be bent both rearwardly and further downwardly and inwardly about the respective spot welded areas of the strip inside the respective end portions. Such further bending of the slide plate portions could presumably be avoided with the use of a metal strip of increased thick¬ ness, but chain links are " mass articles, so it is im¬ portant to use elements dimensioned as weakly as possible. Besides, a generally increased thickness of the said metal strip would manifest itself not only outside the spot welding areas, but even along the central cross portion therebetween, where the increased thickness would involve entirely futile extra costs. It is the purpose of the invention to provide a chain, the links of which may be provided with the said guiding members in a both effective and cheap manner. According to the invention the single chain links are designed as stated in the characterizing clause of claim 1. The single slide plate portions will hereby occur as downwardly bent flange portions of small size members, "BVJRE OMPI which shall not have to be interconnected by any trans¬ verse material portion. For the resistibility of the flange portion against being bent downwardly and inwardly when exposed to a strong, sliding side pressure it will be essential that the flange portions are welded to the underside of the link plate substantially in their own planes and not only considerably behind these planes. It is also essential that the inwardly projecting foot flange portion will support the guiding member against inward bending action, because the outer welding areas shall not hereby take up any combined displacement and breaking forces, but only a mere lifting force, as the entire ele¬ ment will tend to rotate about the free end of the foot flange portion. Moreover, the latter may even be indivi- dually welded to the link plate in a simple manner and therewith contribute to the taking up of the relevant displacement forces. In the following the invention is described in more detail with reference to the drawing, in which:- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a couple of chain links as provided with guiding members according to the invention, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a single of these members, Fig. 3 is a lateral sectional view of a chain link plate, and Figs. 4-6 are perspective views of modified guiding members. In Fig. 1 is shown from below a couple of interhinged metal chain links having link plates 2, to the underside of which lateral guide members 4 are fixed by welding. These members are constituted by separate, angularly bent sheet metal elements each comprising an inwardly project¬ ing foot flange 6 and a downwardly projecting lateral support flange 8. The foot flanges 6 consist of inwardly bent flaps projecting from a central area of the support . flanges 8, such that the top sides of the foot flanges are substantially flush with the upper edges of " the near¬ by upper portions 10 of the support flanges 8, this being more clearly shown in Fig. 2. It also appears from Fig. 2 that the upper ends of these portions 10 are bent slightly rearwardly. The guide members 4 are secured to the chain link plates 2 by way of a conventional and real pressure point or spot welding of the foot flange 6 to the link plate 2, as indicated by pressure areas 12, also in Fig. 3, as well as by welding of the upper edge portions 10 of the support flanges to the link plate 2 in areas 14 (Fig. 3), whereby these areas will be located very close to the outer side surface of the lateral support flange 8. It has been found that this latter welding may be effected by means of a welding electrode which is forced against the free outer edge of the support flange 8, whereby the upper side portions 10 thereof will be welded to the plate 2 along their entire length. Each lateral guiding member 4 will thus be welded to the link plate 2 in three points or areas 2,14, and it will be appreciated that the guiding member will hereby be particularly well stabilized against being torn off or deformed by a side pressure P (Fig. 3) on the flange portion 8, since such a pressure or momentum will result in the free end of the foot flange portion 6 being forced against the link plate, while the support flange 8 will tend to be drawn downwardly from the welding area 14 adjacent the link plate 2, i.e. this or these welding areas 14 will not be subjected to any breaking action, but merely to almost pure pulling forces, to which they are highly resistant. Also displacement forces will occur, but these will be taken up equally by all three welding areas. By the welding of the areas 14 the molten metal will tend to buckle outwardly, whereby it might be displaced to beyond the outer surface plane of the support flange 8. This would be undesirable, because the outside of the support flange should cooperate with a guiding rail as projecting up to the underside of the link plate 2. How- ever, the slight rearward bending of the portions 10 provides for some space for the flowing material, and besides care can be taken to remove or limit the material outflow, e.g. by means of a pressure rail as shown in dotted lines at 16 in Fig. 3. On the rearmost chain link of Fig. 1 is shown that the lateral guiding members may be of the known type as comprising lower, outwardly projecting flaps 18 operable to engage under a guiding rail for counteracting the chain being forced upwardly from the guiding rail system. Fig. 4 shows an embodiment in which the support flange 8 is shaped with laterally projecting base flaps 20 having a height corresponding substantially to the plate thickness of the guiding member, whereby the weld¬ ing may be easier to accomplish, because the welding electrodes as real spot welding tools may work by a pressure on these flaps shortly spaced from the very welding area. This embodiment may be preferred in case of guiding members having lower outwardly projecting holding flaps 18 (Fig. 1), as such flaps may make it difficult to secure a well defined engagement with the welding electrode for the fixing of the support flange 8. In Fig. 5 it is shown that the welding of the support flange 8 may take place in an indirect manner by means of projecting side portions 21 of the foot flange 6, while it is shown in Fig. 6 that the welding may be effected by means of laterally projecting portions 22 of the foot flange 6. The latter embodiment, however, is not directly preferred, because the welding areas should be located as closely as possible to the outside plane of the support flange 8. The guiding members as here discussed should not 'Bϋ Ri i A t OMPI necessarily be produced by forging, casting or sintering, whereby further degrees of design freedom are achievable. OMPI

Claims: CLAIMS : 1. A conveyor chain, e.g. for bottle conveyors, and of the type consisting of cohinged chain links made from metal, preferably stainless sheet steel, these links be¬ ing adapted to be moved and supported on parallel rails, which may be horizontally curved, the underside of the links being provided with depending lateral guiding mem¬ bers, which, in such curves, form a sliding lateral chain' 1 link support by slidingly contacting inner side portions of the guide rails, said lateral guiding members being separate metal elements, which are secured by welding to the underside of the chain links, characterized in that the lateral guiding members at each side are constituted by a depending flange portion (8) of an angular plate mem¬ ber (4) , the other flange portion of which forms an in- wardly projecting foot flange (6), which supportingly abuts the underside of the chain link plate (2) and is preferably welded face-to-face thereto, while the depend¬ ing flange portion (8) adjacent its upper edge at both sides of the foot flange (6) is welded to the chain link plate (2) near the transition area between the outer side of the flange portion (8) and the chain link plate. 2. A conveyor chain according to claim 1, characterized in that the depending flange portion (8) is shaped with laterally outwardly projecting base flaps (20) of a height of the same magnitude as the thickness of the flange portion itself, these base flaps being secured to the chain link plate by pointwelding. - 3. A conveyor chain according to claim 1, characterized in that the foot flange portion is shaped with projecting portions (22) , which near the depending flange portion are located immediately adjacent and outside the side edges thereof, and that the said projecting portions (22) are JUREA OMPI secured to the chain link plate by spotwelding. 4. A conveyor chain according to claim 1, characterized in that the foot flange portion (6) is bent outwardly from the depending flange portion (8) , from a middle area thereof and with reduced width, such that the top side of the foot flange portion (6) is substantially flush with the adjacent top edge portions (10) of the depending flange portion (8), said top edge portions (10) being fixed to the chain link plate by welding. 5. A conveyor chain according to claim 4, characterized in that the upper end ( 0) of the depending flange portion (8) is designed so as to show a break inwardly from the plane of the outside of the flange portion (8) . IjUREA OMPI

Inventors: DAMKJAER POUL ERIK, DAMKJAER, POUL, ERIK
Applicants: DAMKJAER POUL ERIK, DAMKJAER, POUL, ERIK
Application year: 1983
Main classification: B65G17
IPC codes: B65G17