Improvements in the Method and Mechanical Arrangements for Loading Trucks with Hand Placed Coal.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 18th July, 1892
Complete Specification Left. 18th Apr., 1893-Accepted, 27th May, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method and Mechanical Arrangements for
Loading Trucks with Hand Placed Coal.
I, WILLIAM HAY, the Younger, of Stanton Colliery, Burton-upon-Trent, in
the County of Stafford, Colliery Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
:-
My invention relates to the method of, and mechanical arrangements for loading
coal into trucks by hand placing, and its object is to so modify the method of
loading and so dispose of the various mechanical arrangements, that the coal may
be directly placed in the trucks from the conveyor or band, by men stationed in or
on the trucks. By this I am enabled to dispense with the intermediate men usually
employed to lift or pick the coal from the conveyor or moving band.
In carrying my invention into, effect I arrange a movable band or conveyor upon
a suitable frame, and I actuate this band by power and cause it to carry coal at a
convenient rate of movement past a number of trucks. The band is preferably
composed of a number of plates pivoted and mounted upon endless chains driven by
pitch wheels or other gear. The chains are arranged to slide over rails or rollers
or girders for the whole length covered or loaded with coal, and so the coal moves
past the trucks at a uniform pace.
The band is constructed to pass along the sides of the trucks as close as possible
and at a level near that of the upper part of the trucks. Men are stationed in the
trucks and each man standing in the truck, selects from the moving coal on the
band the particular quality with which his truck is to be loaded. He then places
the coal by hand into position in the truck and builds up the truck towards one
corner, which corner affords him standing room till the truck is nearly filled.
When the said corner is to be filled he steps upon a movable board or platform
placed upon the buffers between the trucks, and selects his coal and fills the
remaining corner of the truck from that position.
To enable the workman to get at the coal on the moving band, the band and its
framing are placed parallel to the trucks and as close as possible at a convenient
level. As the moving band is necessarily somewhat wide and the workman in
front in the direction of motion will naturally pick the coal from the band at the
nearest position, I provide incline surfaces or any similar contrivances so attached
to the fixed frame that the coal is wedged or forced to the edge of the band next
the trucks and so the said coil is brought within reach of the workman in the
trucks along the whole range of the band.
By my arrangement of band or conveyor and trucks, and my method of operation,
I am thus enabled to dispense with the intermediate hands at present employed to
hand coal to men in the trucks. By my method the men in or on the trucks pick
the coal from the travelling band and place it in position in the trucks.
Dated this 16th day of July 1892.
CLERK & MARKS,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method and Mechanical Arrangements for
Loading Trucks with Hand Placed Coal.
I, WILLIAM HAY, the Younger, of Stanton Colliery, Burton-upon-Trent, in
the County of Stafford, Colliery Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:—
My invention relates to the method of, and mechanical arrangements for loading
coal into trucks by hand placing, and its object is to so modify the method of
loading and so dispose of the various mechanical arrangements, that the coal may
be directly placed in the trucks from the conveyor or band by men stationed in or
on the trucks. By this I am enabled to dispense with the intermediate men usually
employed to lift or pick the coal from the conveyor or moving band.
Referring to the accompanying sheet of drawings :-
Figure 1 is a plan showing the arrangement of trucks and conveyor band in
accordance with my invention.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the trucks part in section showing my movable
platform between the trucks.
Figure 3 is an end elevation of a truck with the conveyor band and framework
in section.
Figures 2 and 3 are drawn to the same scale, but the plan Figure 1 is on a smaller
scale.
In carrying my invention into effect I arrange a movable band or conveyor D
upon a suitable frame D', and I actuate this band by power and cause it to carry
coal at a convenient rate of movement past a number of trucks such as A B C
The band D is preferably composed of a number of plates pivoted and mounted
upon endless chains driven by pitch wheels or other gear. The chains are arranged
to slide over rails or rollers or girders as F F for the whole length covered or
loaded with coal, and so the coal moves past the trucks at a uniform pace.
Any conveyor band may be used composed of material such as leather, rubber,
cotton or other substance used for such purposes; the band herein before described
is preferred, however, as being of usual construction.
The band is preferably arranged to run in angle guide plates as E E, to form a
trough to retain the coal.
Men are
The band is constructed to pass along the sides of the trucks as close as possible
and at a level near that of the upper part of the trucks. By the arrangement of
band and frame shown at Figure 3 the truck A is only 2 inches distant.
stationed in the trucks as A, B, C, and each man standing in the truck selects from
the moving coal on the band G the particular quality with which his truck is to be
loaded. He then places the coal by hand into position in the truck and builds up
the truck towards one corner, such as indicated at K Figure 1 surrounded by dotted
lines, which corner affords him standing room till the truck is nearly filled. When
the said corner K is to be filled he steps upon a movable board or platform I, I,
placed immediately above the buffers between the trucks B C, and selects his coal
and fills the remaining corner of the truck from that position.
The platforms I, I, are made very light and portable and each is attached to
the end of the truck by hangers H, H, which are firmly clamped to the truck by
screws. The planks forming the platforms are fixed to the hangers by bending
over as shown, or by bolts. As shown the arrangement is very portable, as the
planks may be readily pulled out and slipped in again. The operation of attaching
and detaching is very rapid.
To enable the workman to get at the coal on the moving band D, the band and
its framing are placed parallel to the trucks and as close as possible at a convenient
level as shown. As the moving band is necessarily somewhat wide and the workman

page_text: in front in the direction of motion will naturally pick the coal from the band at the
nearest position, I provide incline surfaces as G, Figure 1 or any similar contrivances
so attached to the fixed frame D¹ that the coal is wedged or forced to the edge of
the band next the trucks and so the said coal is brought within reach of the workman
in the trucks along the whole range of the band. The band D, travels in the
direction of the arrow shown in Figure 1 and so the coal is forced over to the edge
nearest the truck by the incline surface or pusher G.
The incline pusher G, is constructed in any convenient way; as shown in the
drawing it consists of a wood wedge block faced with steel.
By my arrangement of band or conveyor and trucks, and my method of
operation, I am thus enabled to dispense with the intermediate hands at present
employed to hand coal to men in the trucks. By my method the men in, or on
the trucks pick the coal from the travelling band and place it in position in
the trucks.
It is obvious that trucks may be arranged on each side of the band without
departing from my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The arrangement of conveyor band and trucks hereinbefore described by
which a man in each truck both selects coal from the moving band and loads it
into the truck.
2. The arrangement of conveyor band with fixed incline pusher to bring
coal within reach of a man stationed in a truck, or on a platform between
trucks, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
3. The method of loading a truck from a moving band by combining the
operations of sorting and loading so that one person selects coal from the said band,
loads the truck up to one corner, then moves to a platform between the trucks, and
loads up the corner, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 17th day of April 1893
CLERK & MARKS,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents.