Patent GB-190424993-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in Apparatus for Conveying and Piling Timber and for like purposes.
Inventor: SOUTHERN JAMES
Filed: 1904-11-17
Granted: 1905-10-12
Abstract: 24,993. Southern, J., Wintringham, T., and Wills, S. H. Nov. 17. Loading and unloading; conveyers.-An apparatus for conveying and piling timber and the like, of the type described in Specification No. 6992, A.D. 1903, comprises an adjustable roller conveyer having three tracks side by side. In the initial or feeding section of the apparatus, single rollers may, if found desirable, extend across the three tracks, which at this point are all at the same level. In succeeding sections, the rollers of the centre track are lower than those of the side tracks and not in alignment with them. All the roller shafts are preferably driven directly from the main shaft by helical gearing. Alternate rollers of the side tracks are adapted to be tilted and also rotated in either direction in a horizontal plane, thus acting as delivery rollers to deliver the timber to different points. Figs. 3 and 4 show this type of apparatus with the ordinary forwarding-rollers h fixed in pairs upon one shaft, and the adjustable rollers i coupled to shaft n by ball joints of the type described in Specification No. 4590, A.D. 1900, [Abridgment Class Mechanism &c.], or by other universal joints. The central track may be extended beyond the side tracks and fitted with delivery rollers. The apparatus for moving the rollers into the inclined positions is shown in Figs. 6 and 7, where the outer ends of the shafts are carried in bearing-blocks p which are adapted to slide on arc-shaped inclined guides q. Pivoted handles r are provided to move the rollers and also to lock them in position by engaging notches in the guide. The bearing-block p engages the pin or roller v, when the roller i is moved to its inclined position, and forces this pin and the plate y to rotate about the pivot w until a recess in the latter plate engages the top and bottom sides of the bearing-block. By this means, the pin or roller v is locked in a vertical position, and forms a fulcrum against which the diverted lengths of timber may swing round. Fig. 4 also shows a method of delivering the timber from the central track to either of the side tracks by gradually raising the central track to the level of the side tracks and then diverting the timber by means of the adjustable roller z, which is at the same level as and of similar construction to those on the side tracks and is driven by chain gearing 2 from one of the fixed roller-shafts. An additional guideroller 6 may be used to assist the latter operation. The fences at the sides of the tracks and at other desirable places are formed by vertical rollers or bobbins 7 having conical or dome-shaped tops and rotatably mounted at short intervals ; or a continuous hinged fence may be used which can be turned down on one side for discharging and other purposes. Side rollers 8, driven by helical gearing at a less peripheral speed than the conveying- rollers, are arranged at the side of the tracks to assist the delivery of the timber at any point. To break the force of discharge, an outrigger 11, Fig. 3, is hinged to the framework at 13 and provided with guide-pins 12. Platforms 15 carried by iron hangers 16 are also provided. Fig. 12 shows an arrangement which may be used for driving the side-track rollers in cases when a direct drive from the main shaft is inconvenient. Short secondary shafts 17, which are slightly inclined, are driven by helical gearing from the lower central-track roller shaft 22, the latter shaft being also driven by helical gearing from the main shaft e. The inner end of the roller shaft 18 is connected to a movable bearing-block 19, which is pivoted on the shaft 17 and thus allows the roller shaft 18 to be moved to an inclined position without throwing the helical wheels 21 out of gear. Fig. 11 shows a ball joint of the type described in the prior Specification, with one half of the socket removed, the joint being used for connecting the sections of the main shafting together. In this case, the socket 24 on the one section has a groove 25 partially surrounding the ball on the other section. Modifications in regard to the general arrangement of the tracks and in regard to the arrangement and position of the diverting and forwarding-rollers and other details are described.