Patent GB-960461-A (GB)
Title: Overhead conveyer system
Inventor: HUBERT JEAN MARIE AMEDEE
IPC: B61B13/04
Filed: 1961-01-10
Abstract: 960,461. Overhead conveyers; suspended railway vehicles. SOC. D'ETUDES ET D'EXPLOITATION POUR LE TRANSPORT CONTINU PAR CANALISATION MOBILE. Jan. 10, 1961, No. 970/61. Heading B7L. In a conveyer system comprising one or more conveying elements supported by carriages movable on outward and return tracks the tracks are supported by the lower limbs of an X-section girder. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 5, the conveyer elements m, which may be in the form of flexible, elongated or articulated troughs or tubes, are supported by hooks n secured to a vertical part n 1  which is bifurcated at its upper end n 2  and provided with a pair of rollers g engaging opposite sides of a guide rail k which may be in the form of a tube, round rod or flat strip, Fig. 3. Secured to a collar on the rising part n 1  is a, journal p on which is mounted a flanged roller o engaging the rails j supported on the lower limb of an X-section girder. The drive is imparted to the conveyer elements by providing one of the carriers with an electric motor supplied with power by way of slider contacts. In an alternative arrangement, Fig. 6 (not shown), the conveyer elements m are supported above the track j and below the guide k. The girder, Figs. 3 and 4, supporting the outward and return rails j is of lattice construction of X-section and comprises upper longitudinal members a 1 , a of angle section and lower longitudinal members b 1 , b 2  of angle section. The guides k and rails j may be secured to the members a 1 , a 2  and b 1 , b 2  or alternatively they may constitute the longitudinal members. The longitudinal members are trussed at spaced points by main transverse frames comprising an upper cross member c 1  interconnecting the upper members a 1 , a 2  and lower cross members c 2  interconnecting the lower members b 1 , b 2  and two diagonal members d 1 , d 2 . Interspersed and equally spaced between the main trusses are similar lightweight trusses comprising upper and lower cross members e 1 , e 2  and diagonals f 1 , f 2 . Crossbracing diagonals g 1 , arranged in zig-zag pattern, interconnect the upper members a 1 , a 2  and cross-bracing diagonals g 2 , arranged in zig-zag pattern but crossing the pattern of the other diagonals g 1 , interconnect the lower members b 1 , b 2 . Further bracing is provided by cross-diagonal members h 1 , h 2  which extend between one end of the lower cross member c 2  and the remote end of an adjacent upper cross member c 1 . The members h 1 , h 2  are disposed so as to be stressed in tension under bending loads applied to the girder and can be in the form of round or flat strip members. At the end of each free span of the girder the upper cross member c 1  is in the form of a heavy and large member D serving to couple adjacent sections of the girder and to support such sections. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 3, the girder may be supported by the member D resting on two posts E or a single centrally disposed post E 1 . In an alternative arrangement shown in Figs. 7 and 9, the X-section girder is supported from a pair of catenary cables 32, attached to the tops of upwardly-diverging masts 29, by means of pairs of sling cables 27a, 27b and 28a, 28b. The projecting ends of the member D may be of unequal length with the shorter end being on that side supporting the empty conveyer elements and the longer ends on that side supporting the loaded conveyer elements. Three phase power supply lines U are suspended by insulators V from pivotal connections of interpivoted links w 1 , w 2  having their outer ends attached to the tops of the masts 29 and their mid-point attached to a cable 30 interconnecting the tops of the masts 29. Stay cables attached to the tops of the masts 29 and the nearest cross members D prevent longitudinal swinging of the X-section girder.