Abstract:
An assembly to connect a main conveyor body to a discharge end of the conveyor including: a basic frame of the discharge end mountable to platform, and an adjusting frame of the discharge end pivotably attached to the basic frame and including a mounting bracket configured to attach the main conveyor body to the basic frame, wherein the adjusting frame pivots with respect to the mounting bracket to establish a selected set angle β between the basic frame and the main conveyor body.

Description:
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to an apparatus for transferring loose material, especially to a large-sized belt conveyor for transferring wood chips. Belt conveyors are commonly used in chip transfer e.g. at a wood processing yard when storing chips in an open storage in form of a pile. The invention is exquisitely applicable for transporting/transferring wood chips, but it is also applicable for use in connection with other loose materials, such as wood bark, coal, corn or other granular material. 
       PRIOR ART AND PROBLEMS RELATED THERETO 
       [0002]    Conveyors are used in many kinds of applications and due to various transportation needs the sizing of the conveyors and the angle of elevation, i.e. the angle at which the conveyor transfers material in relation to horizontal level, vary case by case. The angle of elevation may also be negative, whereby the transfer takes place to a level lower than the feed level. 
         [0003]    In view of the designing of the hopper installed to the discharge end as well as the designing of the working platform, the discharge end should be possible to arrange to be settling at the horizontal level, especially in large conveyor solutions with a belt width of over 650 mm. For this reason, in known solutions the fixing of the discharge end construction to the conveyor&#39;s frame construction has required case-specific design due to different angles of elevation of the conveyors. It has not been possible to start the designing of the discharge end construction before the equipment engineering, in which the angles of elevation are determined, which has increased the total design time of the process, and simultaneously the implementation period. Further to that, this kind of case-specific construction is expensive to build. 
         [0004]    Currently, the delivery dead lines have been shortened, which often causes haste in the design and construction of a project. This, in turn, increases the costs because the design and production have to be made in a rush. 
         [0005]    The present solutions for discharge ends used in large elevating or descending conveyors have not had any standardized construction that would not require separate design according to the angle of elevation. The discharge end has often been mounted at the same angle as the conveyor itself, whereby the design of the discharge end&#39;s frame has required less work, but simultaneously the design work for the hopper installed to the discharge end and the working platform surrounding the discharge end has increased. 
       The Purpose and Solution of the Invention 
       [0006]    A purpose of the invention is to provide a solution for these problems, which is as wide and versatile as possible. The purpose is achieved such that the apparatus and/or the method defined in the preamble of the independent claims are implemented as defined in the characterizing part of the claims. Preferred embodiments of the invention can correspond to the appended dependent claims. 
         [0007]    The frame parts standardized in accordance with the invention are arranged in a desired position in relation to each other, which position usually corresponds to the angle of elevation of the conveyor, and joined to each other not until at a latest possible assembling stage prior to surface treatment. This allows minimizing, and even completely avoiding project-specific designing of the discharge end, the hopper and the maintenance platform, when the construction is completely standardized. 
         [0008]    A completely novel type of discharge end construction for conveyors has been developed. According to the invention, the discharge end is formed of two parts: an adjusting frame and a basic frame. These parts of the discharge end frame can be produced as standard parts and there is no need to design them anew for each supply. The adjusting frame and the basic frame most preferably have curved surfaces matching to each other for implementing the angle between them. 
         [0009]    The developed discharge end construction and production method essentially accelerate the design process and enables to start the machine shop fabrication already when the output and capacity calculations have been performed and thus the width of the belt conveyor that has an impact on the width of the frame parts has been chosen. This can be made already prior to starting the equipment design. Longitudinal frame parts and frame parts applicable for most commonly used conveyor belt widths can be produced with the advantages of recurrent production even earlier than that. In production stage the parts of the discharge end frame are joined to each other in a desired angle of elevation e.g. by means of welding or bolting. If a scale is integrated in the frame construction, the angle between the frame parts can easily be set as desired. 
         [0010]    In practice, a precondition for the use of a scale is that the frame parts have a certain pivot point or surface at their both sides. The pivot point does not have to be a mechanical construction, such as a hinge, a stopper or a spin axis for a curved surface, but it can be just a position mark on the parts. The pivot point can preferably be implemented e.g. by making holes in the frame parts, such that by setting into the holes a temporary or permanent bolt, shaft or pipe, the pivot point can be defined for at least the alignment and joining period. Then the surfaces to be joined need not be curved, but e.g. the overlapping surfaces of the frame parts are joined to each other by means of bolts or welding. This kind of pivoting assists the assembling also in other ways. For instance, a temporary shaft put at the place of axis of the end roller shaft is handy to use as a pivot point. Additionally, the pivot point can be implemented in form of holes or corners in the construction and protrusions pointed thereto. 
         [0011]    For components that are installed to the basic frame, and for implementing a later change of angle it is preferable that the pivoting surfaces or pivot points between the basic frame and the adjusting frame guide the adjusting frame will rotate in relation to the basic frame such that the reversal point of the set angle between the basic frame and the adjusting frame is located approximately at the same point as the central axis of the end roller. Thereby e.g. the position of the hopper in relation to the end roller or the position of the end roller in relation to the frame of the conveyor does not change substantially as the angle of elevation changes. 
         [0012]    Since the angle of elevation normally sets between +25 and −5 degrees due to the functional limitations of a belt conveyor, only a fairly reasonable range of variation in the angle between the adjusting frame and the basic frame is to be expected in the designing and constructions of the frames. If the frame parts were to rotate e.g. more than by a quarter of a circle, they could become too expensive to produce or otherwise unsatisfactory. This limitation could be avoided by dividing the adjustment range for various frame parts suited for limited angle ranges. 
         [0013]    Additional advantages of the invention include e.g. the following:
       production of the frame parts can be started at the latest when the width of the conveying belt is known,   labor costs decrease, because standard parts can produced for storing,   shorter delivery time,   cheaper designing costs, since the case-specific design related to the angle of elevation of the conveyor is avoided and   the angle of elevation can be readjusted, which allows moving the conveyor to a new location where the height difference of the feed end and the discharge end, and thus the angle of elevation is substantially different.       
 
     
    
     
       LIST OF DRAWINGS 
         [0019]    In the following, the invention is disclosed in more detail with reference to the appended drawings, of which 
           [0020]      FIG. 1  illustrates a prior art construction of the discharge end of a belt conveyor, 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  illustrates a construction of the discharge end of a belt conveyor according to the present invention, 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  illustrates a belt conveyor&#39;s discharge end construction according to the invention with the protective cover open and showing the belt pulley with its hub and 
           [0023]      FIG. 4  illustrates an example or a solution implemented using mating surfaces that are overlapping in the vertical direction. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0024]      FIG. 1  illustrates a prior art construction of the discharge end  20  of a belt conveyor. In this solution the discharge end  20  is mounted horizontally. The upper edge of the discharge hopper  30  located below the discharge end  20  is straight, but a separate adjusting piece  50  has be be arranged in the discharge end between the discharge end  20  and the belt conveyor for ensuring that when the belt conveyor  40  is mounted in a suitable angle of elevation α, the discharge end will nevertheless settle in a horizontal level. 
         [0025]    In accordance with prior art, the discharge end  20  could also be mounted so that it is in relation to horizontal level at the same angle as the belt conveyor  40 . In that case the upper edge of the discharge hopper  30  has to be designed project-specifically according to the angle of elevation α of the conveyor. Further, the design and implementation of the working platform would become difficult. In practice, the discharge end is always preferably horizontal, whereby also the discharge hopper  30  is always settled in the same position below the discharge end  20 . 
         [0026]      FIGS. 2 and 3  illustrate a solution according to a highly preferred embodiment of the invention, where the discharge end  20  is positioned horizontally in accordance with the invention. The frame  160  of the discharge end is formed of two parts that are aligned to each other and pivot in relation to each other by means of mating surfaces  190  and  191 . The parts are a basic frame  170  and an adjusting frame  180 . 
         [0027]    Components typically installed to the discharge end  20 , such as maintenance platform  150  and hopper  30  are usually installed to the basic frame  170 . The end roller  140  is also installed to the basic frame  170 , but it can be mounted on bearings to either one frame part, depending on the construction. 
         [0028]    From the adjusting frame  180 , the frame  160  of the discharge end is installed to the end face of the belt conveyor  40  frame. The purpose of it is mainly to allow changing the set angle β, but devices in conjunction with the belt conveyor can be installed thereto. Also the end of the frame of the conveyor  40  can act as adjusting frame  180 , whereby it is not a separate part, but with its joint surfaces, and most preferably being pivoted, can be joined in accordance with a varying angle of elevation a in different set angles β in relation to the basic frame. The adjusting frame  180  can be comprised of two separate, even identical parts located on both sides of the conveyor  40 , if they are not joined to each other by means of a transverse intermediate part. 
         [0029]    In the solution of  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the mating surface  190  of the basic frame  170  and the mating surface  191  of the adjusting frame  180  have the same radius of curvature R, so that they match together and act as pivoting surfaces when the frames are rotated and aligned in relation to each other. The adjusting frame  180  and the basic frame  170  are joined to each other e.g. at these mating surfaces  190  and  191  to a desired set angle β e.g. by means of welding, bolts or other suitable connection. The joining can be done after the angle of elevation α is known and most preferably at the last assembly stage prior to surface treatment. 
       Other Preferred Embodiments of the Invention 
       [0030]    A scale  120  can be integrated in the basic frame  170  and/or the adjusting frame  180  e.g. in form of cuts, grooves or by painting. By means of the scale the set angle β can easily be set to correspond to the angle of elevation a when joining the frame parts to each other. 
         [0031]    Preferably the curved pivoting surfaces  190 ,  191 , a pivoting shaft or pivoting points between the basic frame  170  and the adjusting frame  180  guide the parts to be settled such that the adjusting frame  180  can turn in relation to the basic frame  170  so that the turnaround point of the set angle β between the basic frame and the adjusting frame, i.e. in accordance with  FIG. 3  in this case the turnaround point of the radius of curvature R of the mating surfaces  190  and  191 , is located approximately at the same point as the middle shaft A of the end roller. 
         [0032]    Also, the mating surfaces can be straight and overlapping in accordance with  FIG. 4  and not curved in the end direction as in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . In that case, the reinforcements  250  of the adjusting frame  180  cannot as easily act as joining surfaces during welding, but they have to be directed to the other side at the mating surfaces. In the overlapping joining it is preferable to use at least in the assembly stage special pivoting points or a pivoting shaft for aligning the frame parts in relation to each other. A well applicable way of pivoting the frame parts is to put a temporary shaft  210  in the bearing housings  200  of the end roller  140 , which bearing housings are fasted to the basic frame  170 , upon which shaft  210  there is an adjusting sleeve  220 , whereto a hole  230  of the adjusting frame  180  or its curved or notched end face is focused and thus defines the rotation of the adjusting frame in relation to the basic frame  170  with the middle shaft A of the end roller as the central point. After boring holes for the bolts  20 , the basic frame  170  and the adjusting frame  180  can be bolted together. They can also be joined e.g. by means of welding. 
         [0033]    Although the above description relates to embodiments of the invention that in the light of present knowledge are considered the most preferable, it is obvious to a person skilled in the art that the invention can be modified in many different ways within the broadest possible scope defined by the appended claims alone.