Patent GB-427102-A (GB)
Title: An improved method and means for placing a load-carrying frame upon a vehicle undercarriage
IPC: B60P3/40
Filed: 1933-10-07
Abstract: 427,102. Handling transferable vehicle bodies; cranes; load-handling machines. CHANDLER, J. H., 43, Templars Avenue, Golders Green, and LLOYD, G. E., 60, Pownall Road, Dalston, both in London. Oct. 7, 1933, Nos. 27671 and 32637. [Classes 78 (iii) and 78 (iv)] [See also Groups XVIII and XXXII] In loading-apparatus in which load-carrying platforms or frames can be raised from the ground by lifting-means on wheeled carriages brought adjacent to them, and are then supported and guided by the carriages during transportation, the carriages are provided with jibs and hoisting-gear so arranged that the suspended frame will not rise or fall as the carriages are moved towards it. In use for transporting frames in the direction of their length, provision is made for running the carriage right underneath the suspended frame to act as a bogie and thus shorten the wheelbase of the latter, but for transporting frames transversely to their length, the carriages can act as wheeled trucks on either side of the raised frame without passing under it. In one example a pair of bogies carrying pivoted bifurcated crane arms tied together, are applied to raise and support the load-carrying platform. The lifting-ropes, chains, or the like pass to the middle points of the jibs and are hauled in until the points of attachment are at the same level as the jib pivots. In this position the carriages can be moved towards one another under the frame without affecting the height of the latter. In another example, a frame is moved transversely of its length by carriages acting as wheeled trucks external to the lifted frame, the load being suspended so that the carriages can move laterally towards or away from it without affecting its height. In a third example, one end of a cable-drum frame is provided with a permanently-attached bogie and the other end is raised and supported by the crane-carrying undercarriage acting as a bogie. In this case the top of the jib is tied by an inclined rod to the pivot of the permanent bogie, which necessitates a slight variation of the height of the rope pulley on the jib in order to secure that the frame shall not rise or fall while the truck runs under it. In a still further modification the top of the jib is guided in a vertical slotted bar fixed on the end of the load container. A construction is also shown for attaching a two-wheeled carriage to the frame. The tie-rod is continued beyond the jib and connected by a link to a point on the carriage. To deal with load-frames that are of the full width of, or wider than the carriages, so that the bifurcations of the jib will not pass over them, arrangements are made to transfer the support of the jib from the carriage to the raised frame during the period that the carriage is completely under the frame. Figs. 7, 9, 10 and 14 show a detailed construction of a complete apparatus in which a pair of turntable carriages 2 acting at opposite ends of the load-carrying frame 1 have the upper ends of their bifurcated jibs connected by the members 6a which are pinned detachably at 6d to a central tube 6<b>. The jibs are pivoted at 3 to framings 25 mounted on a turntable so that they can be set and locked in two positions at right angles to one another. Commencing from the point where the carriages are outside the ends of the frame, the links 7<a> are engaged with the frame at 9 to raise the latter when the cables 7 passing over the pulleys 19 are hauled by traversing nuts along screws 21. When the frame is raised to the height of the pivots 3, the carriages are run in until the ends of the frame members 1<a> rest on flanged wheels 14 on the carriage. At this point bell-crank levers at right angles to the plane of the paper are moved angularly one at a time by hand-operated screwmechanism until hooks at their forward ends engage eyes 17<a> on the jibs and support them on the frame so that the pivot pins 3 can be removed prior to hauling the carriages completely under the frames by winding up the anchored cable 63 on the drum 86 by means of hand-operated ratchet gear 85. Each screw 21, Figs. 7 and 14, is driven by a sprocket wheel 41 carrying a driving-bracket 44 having a pin-and-slot connection with a member 45 which in turn has a driving-connection 21<a> with the end of the screw, adapted to permit angular variation in the position of the screw. The member 45 is normally maintained in engagement with the member 21a by a spring 75, but can be lowered out of engagement when the spring is turned through a right angle. The sprockets are driven by belt or chain gear from a driving-shaft 34, Fig. 9, which actuates driving-sprockets through skew gears 35, 37, an intermediate shaft 38 being used in the latter case. The sprockets are also carried on movable frames so that they can be moved completely within the confines of the ring 2 when not in use. The chains are opened and rejoined as shown in dotted lines when the jibs are moved to the alternative position at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the frame. The nuts are mounted on spherical seatings in casings 23, Fig. 7, guided by a 3-point roller support in tubes 4<a> on the jib frame. The operating-gear may be replaced by a hydraulic ram, rack-and-pinion gear or a screw-and-nut gear acting directly on the load frame instead of indirectly through a pulley and a rope or chain. The carriages are connected to the framing in their running position by flanged rollers 47, Fig. 10, which are swung up from the inoperative position shown at the right-hand side of the Figure into the acting position on the left-hand side, in which they engage the inner periphery of a ring 46 on the load frame. The rollers are carried in frames pivoted at 49 to a square frame 50 which in turn is pivoted centrally on the carriage frame at 51 so as to allow the latter to pitch relatively to the load frame during transport. The rollers are raised by levers 52 pivoted on a sliding nut 53 actuated by the screw 55 rotated by a hand-operated worm. By acting in conjunction with springs 59, the levers 52 have angular movement during their initial rise to raise the rollers rapidly, and then they act as struts during the upper part of their movement. The sliding nut is guided by four inclined struts 62. For weighing the suspended load, a link 78, Fig. 16, is attached to the upper end of each link 7<a> and is tied horizontally by a link 77. A crossshaft connecting the upper ends of a pair of links 78 is connected centrally to a weight or spring-balance through a lever 79 working on knife-edges 81. Specification 309,462, [Class 79 (iii)], is referred to.