Abstract:
A side wall and cover system for conveyor assemblies for containing particulates during conveyor operation. The invention utilizes rollers that are centrally positioned on corresponding support members which support a pair of angled wings the roller sides. These angled wings support impact bars that are aligned in the direction of conveyor movement and support a troughed conveyor belt. Side walls are secured to the angled wings and include an upper surface to which a cover is releasably secured. Seals and gaskets are positioned between confronting surfaces of these components to prevent dust particulates from emanating between the surfaces. The side walls permit additional conveying volume at the sides of the conveyor and a roller hanger is also provided to facilitate the servicing of such rollers without the need to lift the conveyor belt. Plural side wall/cover systems can be releasably secured together using side wall-projecting flanges and interlocking tabs.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This non-provisional application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of Application Ser. No. 61/858,994 filed on Jul. 26, 2013 entitled SIDE WALL AND COVER SYSTEM and whose entire disclosure is incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to conveyor assemblies and, more particularly, to a side wall and cover system for using with conveyor assemblies. 
       FIG. 1  shows a conventional endless conveyor belt assembly generally designated  10 . The endless conveyor belt assembly  10  includes an endless troughing conveyor belt  11  extending around a head pulley  12  and a tail pulley  13 , providing a carry side  11   a  and a return side  11   b  for the belt, which is supported by a belt support frame  14 . There is provided along the belt support frame  14 , a plurality of belt supports  19  supporting the conveyor belt  11  between the head pulley  12  and the tail pulley  13 . The conveyor belt  11  is designed to transport aggregate or particulate material that is loaded onto the conveyor belt through a chute  15  in a loading zone  16 . An impact bed  20  supports the belt  11  in the loading zone  16 , in a manner as described above. The conveyor belt  11  carries the material away from the loading zone  16  and discharges the material at the head pulley  12  area. 
     When aggregate and particulate materials (e.g., coal, ore, precious metals, cement, minerals, grain, etc.) are loaded onto the conveyor belt  11 , the impact of such materials tends to cause significant airborne dust. Such dust is particularly concentrated in the vicinity of the impact bed  20 , where materials deposited thereon through the chute  15  hits the impact bed  20  with significant force, causing considerable amounts of dust. Dust also tends to be concentrated around the loading zone  16  in general, but can also be present around any point along the carry side  11   a  of the conveyor belt  11  while materials are being transported. Dust can be hazardous to the health of people who are in the vicinity of the loading zone  16  and conveyor belt  11 . In addition, dust can damage or otherwise interfere with the proper and efficient operation of conveyor equipment. 
     Thus, there remains a need to minimize the dispersion of dust that tends to concentrate around conveyor equipment when aggregate or particulate materials are deposited onto and transported by a conveyor belt. One way to minimize the dispersion of dust around conveyor equipment is to provide a cover and walls respectively over and around the carry side of the belt  11 , to contain such dust. 
     All references cited herein are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A containment system for minimizing the dispersion of dust from the depositing of aggregate or particulate materials onto and transported by a conveyor belt is disclosed. The system comprises: a plurality of support members each comprising a corresponding roller, centrally located and upon which the conveyor belt rides, and wherein each support member comprises an angled wing on each side of the corresponding roller; at least one impact bar located on each side of the conveyor belt and supported upon the angled wings and wherein the plurality of support members, rollers, angled wings and impact bars cooperate to form a trough configuration for conveying the deposited aggregate or particulate materials; a side wall coupled to each angled wing on each side of the conveyor belt; and a lid that is releasably secured to both side walls to form a cover over the conveyor belt, and wherein the lid and side walls act to contain and minimize the dispersion of dust around the conveyor belt. 
     A method for minimizing the dispersion of dust from the depositing of aggregate or particulate materials onto and transported by a conveyor belt is disclosed. The method comprises: forming a trough configuration, with the conveyor belt located at the lowest central portion thereof, for confining the conveyance of the deposited aggregate or particulate materials within the trough configuration; coupling a side wall along the sides of the trough configuration; and releasably coupling a lid to both sides of the trough configuration along the side walls to contain and minimize the dispersion of dust around the conveyor belt. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a prior art endless conveyer assembly for conveying material; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective exploded view of a side wall and cover system and a slide-n-roll bed of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2A  is an enlarged view from  FIG. 2  showing a partial view of the cover interlock tab; 
         FIG. 2B  is a partial side view of the interface between the uppermost impact bar, the angled wing and the side wall flat projection depicting how all three components are secured together; 
         FIG. 3  is a first perspective exploded view of a slide-n-roll bed and the walls and gasket of the side wall and cover system shown in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a second perspective exploded view of a slide-n-roll bed and the walls and gasket of the side wall and cover system shown in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4A  is an enlarged view of a portion of the slide-n-roll bed and the walls and gasket of the side wall and cover system shown in  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 5  is an overhead view of the side wall and cover system and slide-n-roll bed shown in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an assembled side wall and cover system and slide-n-roll bed shown in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of the assembled side wall and cover system and slide-n-roll bed shown in  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  is an end elevation view of the side wall and cover system and slide-n-roll bed shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 ; 
         FIG. 8A  is an enlarged view of a portion of the side wall and cover system shown in  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a wall of the side wall and cover system shown in  FIGS. 2-11 ; 
         FIG. 10  is an end elevation view of the wall shown in  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 11  is an end elevation view of the assembled side wall and cover system; 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view of a center roll hanger of the present invention; 
         FIG. 12A  is an end elevation view of the center roll hanger shown in  FIG. 12 ; 
         FIG. 12B  is a front view of the center roll hanger of  FIGS. 12 and 12A ; 
         FIG. 12C  is an enlarged view of the end elevation view of the center roll hanger shown in  FIG. 12A  and an end elevation view of a roller being inserted therein; and 
         FIG. 13  shows two side wall/cover systems aligned for securing together. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to the figures, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts throughout the several views, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail. Throughout this description, various components may be identified having specific values, these values are provided as exemplary embodiments and should not be limiting of various concepts of the present invention as many comparable sizes and/or values may be implemented. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2-11 , there are shown various perspectives of an embodiment of a side wall and cover system  100  of the present invention that form a containment system. The side wall and cover system  100  as shown is installed onto a SLIDE-N-ROLL CONVEYOR SLIDER BED  102  (hereinafter, “slide-n-roll bed”), manufactured by ASGCO®. However, a person of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that the side wall and cover system  100  could be installed onto other apparatuses that provide a troughing configuration for the carry side  11   a  of a conveyor belt  11 , including, but not limited to, impact cradle beds, roller cassette conveyor belt impact beds and sliders, SLIDE-LERS™ (such as those made, e.g., by ASGCO®), and the like. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the slide-n-roll bed  102  includes support members  104 , which are longitudinally spaced from each other and are secured to the belt support frame (not shown). A horizontally oriented conveyor roller  108  is centrally positioned on each support member  104 . On either side of each conveyor roller  108 , resilient impact bars  110  are secured to and extend across the support members  104  on angled wings  112 , running lengthwise in what would be the conveyor belt travel direction. The impact bars  110  are oriented at an angle on either side of each conveyor roller  108  to create a troughing angle for the carry side  11   a  of the conveyor belt  11 . By way of example only, these angled wings  112  comprise an angle of approximately 35°, although various wing configurations could be used in the range of 20°-45°. 
     Through use, impact bars  110  and rollers  108  can become worn and in need of replacement. To replace or service the impact bars  110  or rollers  108 , it is preferred that the wings  112  are releasable and outwardly slideable along the length of the support member  104 , so as to render these components accessible for servicing or replacement. 
     The side wall and cover system  100  shown in  FIGS. 2-11 , includes a lid or cover  114  affixed to vertical walls  216  on either side thereof. The walls  216  are secured to the wings  112  of the slide-n-roll bed  102 . The cover  114  is preferably made of a light material capable of maintaining structural integrity under its own weight, such as aluminum. In the embodiment shown, the cover  114  is gable-shaped, e.g., at an angle of 20°, although other angles and shapes (e.g., rounded) are contemplated. The exact shape of the cover  114  is less important than the fact that it allows for clearance of materials being transported on the belt  11  below. Thus, a portion of the wall  216  slides under wings  112  and is fastened via top bar bolts, as is discussed in more detail below. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 8A ,  9  and  10 , each wall  216  includes a preferably vertical wall portion  218 , a preferably horizontal inwardly projecting ridge  220  ( FIG. 10 ) extending from the top of the wall portion  218  and flat projection  224  extending inwardly at a downward angle from the bottom of the wall portion  218  (as used “inwardly” refers to a direction towards the center of the slide-n-roll bed  102 .). The angle of the flat projection  224  conforms to the angle of the angled wing  112 . This side wall configuration, i.e., the vertical wall portion  218  with the horizontal inwardly projecting ridge  220 , provides additional conveying volume at the sides of the conveyor, as can be mostly clearly seen from  FIG. 8A . On either side of the cover  114  is a flat lip  124  ( FIG. 2 ). The lip  124  of the cover  114  is adapted to rest above the ridge  220  of the wall  216 . Preferably, a gasket  126  ( FIG. 2 ) is positioned between the ridge  220  and the lip  124 . The lip  124  of the cover  114  is secured to the gasket  126  and ridge  220 , thereby securing the cover  114  to the wall  216  via hand knobs, bolts or other fasteners  117  ( FIGS. 2 and 11 ) that may be inserted through holes  128 ,  130  and  132  respectively (see  FIG. 2 ) located in the lip  124 , gasket  126  and ridge  220 . Thus, the lid  114  is attached to walls  116  via hand knobs  117  and the wall  116  is flanged outward. As can be most clearly seen in  FIG. 11 , corresponding cinch nuts  117 A are press fitted into the ridge holes  132  for receiving the hand knobs  117  therein. 
     The projection  224  preferably slides under an upper/outer portion of each wing  112  to enable securing the wall  216  to each wing  112 . To secure the projection  224  to each wing  112 , bolts or other fasteners located in the back side of the uppermost impact bar  110  are used to pass through apertures in the angled wing  112  and the projection  224 . In particular, top bolts or other fasteners  111  ( FIG. 2B ) have their heads trapped within a channel  113  on the back side of the uppermost impact bar  110 . When the uppermost impact bar  110  is brought into the vicinity of the angled wing  112 , the shank of the fastener  111  is inserted through the slot  136  of the angled wing and through the aperture  134  in the projection  224  ( FIG. 4A ). The slot  136  allows for adjustment during this securing process. A nut can be secured to the shank of the fastener  111  ( FIG. 2B ) to lock the components together. Preferably, rubber pads  140  are positioned on the upper side of each projection  224  and adjacent to each wing  112  so as to provide a seal between the wall  216  and each wing  112 . The rubber seal  140  is secured (e.g., adhesively secured) to the projection  224  and overlaps a section of the belt  11  so as to prevent dust and particulate from escaping the confines of the side wall/cover system  100  and spreading over the side and underneath the belt  11 . 
     An inside seal element  230  ( FIG. 11 ) is secured to the flat projection  222  of wall  216  also to prevent dust and particulate from escaping the confines of the side wall/cover system  100  and spreading over the side and underneath the belt  11 . This inside seal element  230  comprises a rubber material and is secured to the projection  222  using wedge clamps  232  that secure a seal bar  233  (e.g., an aluminum panel) and the inside seal element  230  to the projection  222 . As shown most clearly in  FIG. 2 , the seal bar  233  prevents the wedge clamps  232  from distorting the upper edge of the inside seal element  230  as the wedge clamps  232  are tightened against the projection  222 . 
     The cover  114  preferably includes an interlock tab  142  ( FIGS. 2-2A ) positioned respectively on near and/or far edges thereof (as used herein, “near edge” of the cover  114  refers to a first edge under which the belt  11  runs while “far edge” of the cover  114  refers to a second edge under which the belt  11  runs). It is contemplated that the cover  114  can be part of a modular set, i.e., adapted to mate with and create a seal between other cover sections over a determined length of the belt  11 . Modular compatibility of covers with one another is advantageous in that it allows a user to remove only a single cover from a plurality of covers when necessary, e.g., to gain access to the area directly below a specific cover. The interlock tab  142  is adapted to secure each cover to an adjacent cover. 
     Furthermore, in order to permit a series of side wall/cover systems  100  to be releasably coupled together, each side wall  216  comprises fore and aft flanges  234 A/ 234 B that project outwardly from the wall. See  FIG. 13 . These flanges  234 A/ 234 B are preferably welded to the vertical wall portion  218 . The fore flange  234 A comprises a pair of vertically-oriented holes while the aft flange  234 B comprises a pair of vertically-oriented slots. A second side/cover system  100  can be located in front of and behind another system  100  as shown in  FIG. 13 . The slots in the aft flange  234 B of a first side wall/cover system  100  allow a bolt (not shown) to be adjustable which then passes through a corresponding hole in the fore flange  234 A of the adjacent side wall/cover system  100 . 
     Removing or replacing a roller  108  can be time consuming and inconvenient. Accordingly, there is shown in  FIGS. 12-12C , a center roll hanger  400  that may be used to retain a roller  108 , e.g., in the slide-n-roll bed  102 . The advantage of this embodiment of the center roll hanger  400  is that it does not require a user to remove a sidewall and cover system  100  to remove or replace a roller  108  therefrom/thereto. 
     The center roll hanger  400  includes flanges  402 , each of which has a horizontally-oriented notch  404  adapted to receive a hexagonal roller protrusion  406 , which extends outwardly from each side of the roller  108 . The horizontal-orientation of the notch  404  enables the roller to be inserted in and removed from the center roll hanger  400  in a horizontal direction. The  404  preferably includes a slight vertical indent  408  (e.g., ¼ of an inch deep, as shown in  FIG. 12C ) adapted to mate with the hexagonal roller protrusion  406 . The roller  108  may be secured via a clip attachable to the side of each flange  402 . 
     This configuration of the center roll hanger  400  avoids the need to lift the belt  11  much, if at all, and enables a user to remove/replace the roller without having to remove the sidewall and cover system  100 . It should be understood that while a hexagonal mating configuration between the notch  404  and roller protrusion  406  is preferred, other interlocking geometric configurations are contemplated, including, but not limited to, square, triangular, rectangular, trapezoidal, pentagonal, heptagonal, octagonal, interlocking teeth or bumps, and the like. 
     Accordingly, in one aspect, the present invention comprises a novel sidewall and cover system  100 . In another aspect, the present invention includes a novel center roll hanger  400  having flanges  402 , each of which comprises a horizontally-oriented notch  404 . This configuration permits the removal and replacement of rollers from a slide-n-roll bed  102  or the like, that avoids the need to remove a sidewall and cover system  100 , if such system is secured to a slide-n-roll bed  102  (or the like). Thus, the center roll hanger  400  allows the roller  108  to be removed/replaced without having to slide out a wing  112  and center slide assembly. 
     While the invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific examples thereof, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.