Improvements in Apparatus for Transferring Coal and other Materials from One Level to Another.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Mar., 1887
Complete Left, 15th Dec., 1887
Complete Accepted, 17th Feb., 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Transferring Coal and other
Materials from One Level to Another.
I, PERCY GRAHAM BUCHANAN WESTMACOTT of the Elswick Works, Newcastle
upon Tyne, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
The object of this invention is to prevent breakage.
Coal is now commonly shot from a truck or otherwise down a fixed inclined shoot.
Sometimes it is allowed to fall freely over the end of the shoot and sometimes the
end is closed by a stop, but in either case a considerable amount of breakage ensues.
According to my invention in place of having the shoot fixed I pivot it, and I put
the coal upon it whilst it is still in an approximately horizontal position. The shoot
is then gradually inclined' so that the coal in place of rapidly falling down flows
gradually in a stream. If necessary a door may be provided at the bottom of the
shoot to prevent the coal from being delivered too soon.
This description of shoot is very suitable for transferring coal from railway trucks
into boxes. In this case an empty box is placed in one end of the shoot when standing
in a vertical position. The shoot is then tilted into an approximately horizontal
position and receives the coal from the truck. It is then gradually retilted into the
vertical position during which operation the coal slides into the box, which can be
hoisted clear and lowered into the ship's hold where it is emptied and brought back
gain to the shoot for refilling.
This description of shoot may also very advantageously be used in connection with
n apparatus by which the coal is tipped from a truck down the shoot and delivered
nto a box having a moveable bottom which at first is raised to the top of the box so
s to prevent the coal from leaving the shoot making it collect at its lower end until
he moveable bottom is gradually lowered so as to allow the box to fill.
This apparatus even when the shoot is fixed to a great extent prevents the breakage
of the coal, nevertheless I find that it suffers injury by falling violently down the
hoot and being suddenly arrested by the moveable bottom of the box.

page_text: By the use of the pivoted shoot I obviate this objection, the coal gently flowing on
to the moveable bottom of the box as the shoot is gradually tilted.
A convenient way of actuating the pivoted shoot is as follows :-
A lift or cradle with a truck of coal upon it is raised until it comes to the end of
the shoot which is in an approximately horizontal position, the truck is then tipped till
its contents slips on to the shoot, the lift or cradle is then raised somewhat higher
and now carries with it the end of the shoot which is thereby gradually tipped so that
the coal flows down it as before described.
Dated this 15th day of March 1887.
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Transferring Coal and other
Materials from One Level to Another.
I, PERCY GRAHAM BUCHANAN WESTMACOTT of the Elswick Works, Newcastle
upon Tyne, Engineer, 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 :-
The object of this invention is to prevent breakage.
Coal is now commonly shot from a truck or otherwise down a fixed inclined shoot.
Sometimes it is allowed to fall freely over the end of the shoot and sometimes the end
is closed by a stop, but in either case a considerable amount of breakage ensues.
According to my invention in place of having the shoot fixed I pivot it, and I put
the coa! upon it whilst it is still in an approximately horizontal position. The shoot
is then gradually inclined so that the coal in place of rapidly falling down flows
gradually in a stream. If necessary a door may be provided at the bottom of the
shoot to prevent the coal from being delivered too soon.
This description of shoot is very suitable for transferring coal from railway trucks
into boxes. In this case an empty box is placed under the opposite end of the shoot
to which the coal is received in trucks. The shoot being brought into an approxi-
mately horizontal position receives the coal from the truck. It is then gradually
tilted to an inclined position during which operation the coal slides into the box, which
can be hoisted clear and lowered into the ship's hold where it is emptied and brought
back again to the shoot for refilling.
This description of shoot may also very advantageously be used in connection with

page_text: an apparatus by which the coal is tipped from a truck down the shoot and delivered
into a box having a moveable bottom which at first is raised to the top of the box 50
as to prevent the coal from leaving the shoot making it collect at its lower end until
the moveable bottom is gradually lowered so as to allow the box to fill.
This apparatus even when the shoot is fixed to a great extent prevents the breakage
of the coal, nevertheless, I find that it suffers injury by falling violently down the
shoot and being suddenly arrested by the moveable bottom of the box.
By the use of the pivoted shoot I obviate this objection, the coal gently flowing on
to the movable bottom of the box as the shoot is gradually tilted.
A convenient way of actuating the pivoted shoot is as follows:-
A lift or cradle with a truck of coal upon it is raised until it comes to the end of
the shoot which is in an approximately horizontal position, the truck is then tipped
till its contents slips on to the shoot the lift or cradle is then raised somewhat higher
and now carries with it the end of the shoot which is thereby gradually tipped so that
the coal flows down it as before described.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a complete apparatus constructed according to this
invention.
Figure 2 is a plan of hydraulic apparatus for actuating the same.
a is a platform which is pivoted at a¹ to a frame 6 which is shown attached to the
head of a hydraulic ram c, so that it can be raised or lowered. The platform is
provided with rails so that a truck of coal can be run on to it and there are stops to
prevent the truck running too far and to hold it when tilted. Preferably the full
trucks are run on at one level and are run off at another level as shown. is another
hydraulic ram by which the platform a with the truck upon it can be tilted into the
position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1. e is a shoot, one end of which receives
the end of the truck. This shoot is pivoted at e' as shown. When the operation
commences the shoot is approximately horizontal as shown, in full lines, but as the
truck is tilted and the coal runs out on to the shoot, the ram c continues to rise and
the shoot is thereby gradually tilted into the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1
and the coal runs down the shoot and is delivered either direct into the hold of the
ship or preferably into the box f. This box hangs from the jib of a crane which is
not shown in this position. The box is shewn to a larger scale in Figures 3, 4 and 5.
Figure 3 being a plan and Figures 4 and 5 side views at right angles to each other.
The box is provided at its bottom with doors gy, to prevent the escape of dust or
small coal during the filling of the box, these doors are made to open outwards, as
shown in Figure 4, these doors are operated by a single chain g¹ which branches at
its lower end the box is also provided with a movable bottom or slide h, which is
operated by the chains h¹. This slide is for the purpose of preventing breakage
of the coal. When the coal first begins to enter the box the slide is at the top and it
descends as the box fills the descent being governed automatically or otherwise.
ог
When this slide is at the bottom of the box it is tilted by slacking one
other of the chains as is shewn in Figure 4. The box also has attached to it
chains (Figs. 4 & 5) by which it is raised or lowered during which movements
the chains and move all together.
In the apparatus shown the chains are operated by the hydraulic cylinders k, l, m
and o see Figures 1 and 2 and they pass together over a set of pulleys at the
head of the jib of the crane. k is the cylinder by which the box is raised and
lowered all the chains also passing around the pulleys ' carried by its ram. The
chains j also pass round the pulleys upon the cylinder k. The cylinder is for
working the slide h. It is mounted on the base of the cylinder k and its ram carries
pulleys. The chains h¹ pass around the pulleys but when the box is being
raised or lowered the rani remains stationary, so that the pulleys
work as
fixed pulleys the chains h¹ being operated together with the chains g¹ and j entirely
by the ram k. When it is desired to lower the slide in the box water is allowed

page_text: to escape from the cylinder and the chains are thereby slacked. The ends of
the chains are attached to the pistons of the two cylinders m m. When the
box for the slide h is being raised or lowered the pistons m remain stationary
and the chains are worked by the ram k with the chains gl and, but when the
slide has reached the bottom of the box and it is desired to tilt it, water is allowed
to escape from one or other of the cylinders m. so that the chain attached to its
piston is slacked.
o is the cylinder for operating the doors g of the box; its ram
carries a pulley o' and the chain g¹ passes around this pulley as well as around the
pulleys k¹ k.
When the box is being raised or lowered, the ram o remains stationary,
so that the pulley o acts as a fixed pulley. When it is desired to open the doors
water is allowed to escape from the cylinder o and the chain g₁ is thereby slacked.
n is a hydraulic cylinder for raising and lowering the jib of the crane; this is done
by the chain n which passes around pulleys carried by the cylinder n and its ram.
It will be understood that all my improvements need not necessarily be used in
connection with each other for example the tilting shoot may be used to fill a box with
a fixed bottom or the box with a sliding bottom may be filled from a fixed shoot.
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 pivotted shoot to receive the coal or other materials whilst in an approxi-
mately horizontal position to be afterwards tilted to deliver it.
2. The combination of a pivotted shoot such as is claimed under the first claim with
a lift for a railway truck in such manner that the shoot is tilted by the lift or by the
truck as they are raised.
3. The combined apparatus substantially as shown in Figure 1.
4. A slide in the box which descends as the box fills and thus prevents breakage.
5. The method of emptying the box by releasing one or other side of a slide such
as is claimed in the 4th claim.
6. The box substantially as shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5.
7. Hanging a box such as is shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5 by chains or the like
which all pass over common pulleys so that in lifting or lowering all the chains move
together and providing mechanism by which one or more of the chains can be pulled
held or let go independently of the others in order to work the slide.
8. The apparatus for working the box substantially as shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4
and 5.
Dated this 10th day of December 1887