Patent GB-189920142-A (GB)
Title: Hoisting and Travelling Gear for use in Charging Blast and Cupola Furnaces, and for Loading an Unloading Boats and the like.
Inventor: DAWSON FRANK
Filed: 1899-10-07
Granted: 1900-11-07
Abstract: 20,142. Dawson, F., and Kuhr, J. Oct. 7 Loading and unloading.-Relates to hoisting and other apparatus for use in charging blast and cupola furnaces or for loading and unloading boats. A carriage a is mounted upon rollers r, h, which travel along rails s, supported bv a framing u, w above the furnaces A hoisting-chain b passes over a sprocket-wheel k, and is wound upon one of the drums of a winding-engine situated in a central position between two of a series of blast &c. furnaces. During the operation of raising the truck containing coal, ore, &c. towards the level of the rails s, the carriage a is held, as shown in Fig. 1, by a pair of forks e, which embrace an axle i<1> of the carriage and are fixed upon an axle z ; this axle z carries toothed wheels m, which are held firmly by pawls l mounted upon studs i. When the truck in its ascent approaches the carriage, the wheels m are released from the pawls l by means of levers d, which are mounted upon the pins i and engage with a projection c on one of the links of the chain. By this means' the forks e are free to swing over to the right, so as to release the axle i<1> and allow the carriage to be drawn along the rails, towards the furnace, by means of the projection c which engages with horns f on the carriage. The sprocket-wheel k is prevented from rotating, during the traverse of the carriage, by a pawl carried by a brake block g, which is loosely mounted on the axle i<1> and has bearing-surfaces which slide along a bar t. The pawl falls freely into engagement with the teeth of a ratchet-wheel on the sprocket-wheel, and is released by means of a fixed stop, as the carriage returns to its original position, shown in Fig. 1. The levers d are jointed so as to allow the unobstructed passage of the projection c, during the descent of an empty truck. A chain or rope p serves for drawing the carriage back along the rails s. Fig. 14 shows the way in which the trucks are connected to the hoisting-apparatus, and the means for opening the counterweighted truck doors 25. A chain 22 suspends the truck from the hoisting-chain b, and the doors 25 are held in a closed position by means of pins 26, which engage with the hooked ends of levers 28, pivoted to the truck ; these hooked ends are connected by links 38 to counterweighted bell-crank levers 23, which are attached by means of a chain 21 to a rope passing over a pulley integral with the sprocket-wheel k, and kept tight by means of a strong spring. After the truck has been discharged by pulling the above mentioned rope, the doors close automatically, the hooked ends of the levers 28 being forced beneath the pins by the weight of the levers 23. An endless travelling chain, provided with vertically-projecting pusher-bars, may be employed for moving the trucks along lines of rails arranged near the boats, and, during the operation of switching a truck from one line of rails to another, the corresponding pusher-bar may be forced out of engagement with the truck by a horizontal bar actuated by means of a hand lever.