Improvements in Machinery and Arrangements for Unloading, Heap. ing, Stocking, or Storing, and Loading Coke, Coal and other Materials.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in Machinery and Arrangements for Unloading, Heap.
ing, Stocking, or Storing, and Loading Coke, Coal and other Materials.
I, JOHN WOODWARD, of 4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention to be as
follows:-
The object of my invention is a combination of mechanism and arrange-
ments by which coke, coal and other materials may be unloaded from vehicles
or vessels carrying the same, and heaped, stocked or stored in large quantity in
the least area of surface, and by the same means may be loaded from the
heap into vehicles or vessels or loaded into boxes, receptacles or shoots so as
to be readily discharged into carts or other vehicles which are to convey it away.
My invention is designed more especially for use in gasworks for storing or
stocking coke, but may also be used for coal, ores and other materials.
My invention consists in a single line, by preference, of railway, arranged in
a circle of any desired diameter, these rails being by preference beams, the
vertical web of which is straight by preference, and its upper straight edge forms
the bearing or rail surface, each beam thus forming one side of a polygonal
figure forming the circular single line railway. The adjoining ends of each two
beams rest upon and are secured to the upper ends of pillars arranged to extend
to any desired height above the floor or surface upon which the coke or material
is to be heaped or stocked.
At the centre of the circular railway there is a pillar or other support, the
upper end of which is to form the pivot to carry a triangular frame or platform,
the apex of this triangular platform is on the pivot, and its base extends a short
distance on the outside of the circular railway and is long enough so that
two rollers each on an axis having bearings in the platform near its two side
edges come under it and rest always upon two of the beams forming the rail,
and thus support the platform which can thus travel all round the railway, the
axis of each roller (long enough to rest upon the rail in all positions) being in
a radial line from the pivot in the centre of the railway.
On a centre on the platform, the platform of a crane is or may be placed that
will swing completely round, 'one end of this crane platform has a boiler and
engine upon it connected with gearing for hoisting and lowering or turning the
platform of the crane and for causing the triangular platform to move upon
the circular railway.
The crane has the usual overhanging jib having the pulley at its upper end
for the rope or chain from the crane barrel to go over. The end of this chain
can be hooked upon the boxes or receptacles for coke or material which receptacles
in gas-works are placed in wagons and brought to the place for storage on a
railway, but when required, the end of the chain may be connected with well
known grabbing apparatus by which the coke, coal or other material may be
readily picked up.
a
With the mechanism as above described and arranged, the coke or material

page_text: may be heaped up all round the railway on both its exterior and interior and
when it attains the level of the railway, it may by starting from a point be
heaped up all round above the level of the rails.
In some cases there may be if desired a circular line of railway for wagons
concentric with the circular railway at a distance therefrom, on the level of the
ground surface.
The motor for working the crane above referred to is supposed to be a steam
engine, but there need not be a steam boiler on the crane platform, as steam may]
be conveyed to a steam engine on the crane platform from a stationary boiler
in any convenient position by a pipe to the pillar (which in this case is hollow)
for the pivot of the triangular platform at which point the pillar may be coupled
with one end of a pipe like the joint of a folding gas bracket, which pipe
is connected with the hollow pivot or axes round which the crane turns in like
manner and from thence to the cylinder of the engine. Or instead of steam,
gas may be conveyed in like manner to a gas engine on the crane platform.
Or instead of a motor on the crane platform, motion may be taken by gearing
from any stationary engine to a vertical shaft in the central or pivot pillar
of the railway, and then by a shaft having its bearings in the triangular plat-
form to another vertical shaft on the axis upon which the crane platform turns,
and then to the gearing for lifting and lowering and turning the platform
and traversing the shafts being geared together by bevel wheels.
Or instead of gearing, or steam or gas motors, there are or may be one or
more electro-motors on the crane platform supplied by current from any con-
venient dynamo or other source through conductors passing first to the pivot
pillar of the railway and then along the triangular platform to the pivot or
centre on which the crane platform furns and from thence to the electro-motor
or motors, as two or three may be used, one for hoisting and lowering, another
for traversing the crane round its own centre and another traversing the tri-
angular platform on the circular railway.
In some cases there may be two triangular platforms with cranes on the same
circular railway, the apex of both triangular platforms being upon the pivot
on the central pillar.
Dated this Twenty-ninth day of November 180s
PETER J. LIVSEY,
Agent.
Improvements in Machinery and Arrangements for Unloading, Heap-
ing, Stocking, or Storing and Loading Coke, Coal and other Materials.
I, JOHN WOODWARD, of 4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, 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 my invention is a combination of mechanism and arrange-
ments by which coke, coal and other materials may be unloaded from vehicles
or vessels carrying the same, and heaped, stocked or stored in large quantity in
the least area of surface, and by the same means may be loaded from the
heap into vehicles or vessels or loaded into boxes, receptacles or shoots so as
to be readily discharged into carts or other vehicles which are to convey it away.
My invention is designed more especially for use in gasworks for storing or
stocking coke, but may also be used for coal, ores and other materials.

page_text: My invention consists in a single line by preference, of railway, arranged in
a circle of any desired diameter, these rails being by preference beams, the
vertical web of which is straight by preference, and its upper straight edge forms
the bearing or rail surface, each beam thus forming one side of a polygonal
figure forming the circular single line railway. The adjoining ends of each two
beams rest upon and are secured to the upper ends of pillars arranged to extend
to any desired height above the floor or surface upon which the coke or material
is to be heaped or stocked.
At the centre of the circular railway there is a pillar or other support, the
upper end of which is to form the pivot to carry a triangular frame or platform,
the apex of this triangular platform is on the pivot, and its base extends a short
distance on the outside of the circular railway and is long enough so that
two rollers each on an axis having bearings in the platform near its two side
edges come under it, and thus support the platform which can thus travel all
round the railway, the axis of each roller (long or wide enough to rest upon the
rail in all positions) being in a radial line from the pivot in the centre of the
railway.
On a centre on the platform, the platform of a crane is or may be placed that
will swing completely round, one end of this crane platform has a boiler and
engine upon it connected with gearing for hoisting and lowering or turning the
platform of the crane and for causing the triangular platform to move upon
the circular railway.
The crane has the usual overhanging jib having the pulley at its upper end
for the rope or chain from the crane barrel to go over. The end of this chain
can be hooked upon the boxes or receptacles for coke or material, which receptacles
in gas-works are placed in wagons and brought to the place for storage on a
railway, but when required, the end of the chain may be connected with well
known grab apparatus by which the coke, coal or other material may be readily
picked up.
With the mechanism as above described and arranged, the coke or material
may be heaped up all round the railway on both its exterior and interior and
when it attains the level of the railway, it may by starting from a point be
heaped up all round above the level of the rails.
In some cases there may be if desired a circular line of railway for wagons
concentric with the circular railway at a distance therefrom, on the level of the
ground surface.
The motor for working the crane above referred to is supposed to be a steam
engine, but there need not be a steam boiler on the crane platform, as steam may
be conveyed to a steam engine on the crane platform from a stationary boiler
in any convenient position by a pipe to the pillar (which in this case is hollow)
for the pivot of the triangular platform at which point the pillar may be coupled
with one end of a pipe like the joint of a folding gas bracket, which pipe
is connected with the hollow pivot or axis round which the crane turns in like
manner and from thence to the cylinder of the engine. Or instead of steam;
gas may be conveyed in like manner to a gas engine on the crane platform.
Or instead of a motor on the crane platform, motion may be taken by gearing
from any stationary engine to a vertical shaft in the central or pivot pillar
of the railway, and then by a shaft having its bearings in the triangular plat-
form to another vertical shaft on the axis upon which the crane platform turns,
and then to the gearing for lifting and lowering and turning the platform
and traversing the shafts being geared together by bevel wheels.
Or instead of gearing, or steam or gas motors, there are or may be one or
more electro-motors on the crane platform supplied by current from any con-
venient dynamo or other source through conductors passing first to the pivot
pillar of the railway and then along the triangular platform to the pivot or
centre on which the crane platform turns and from thence to the electro-motor
or motors, as two or three may be used, one for hoisting and lowering, another

page_text: for traversing the crane round its own centre, and another traversing the tri-
angular platform on the circular railway.
In some cases there may be two triangular platforms with cranes on the same
circular railway, the apex of both triangular platforms being upon the pivot
on the central pillar.
Fig. 1, is an elevation, and
Fig. 2 a plan view illustrating one mode of carrying out my invention.
a, are pillars or columns upon suitable foundations, to the upper ends of which
the adjoining ends of beams b, are bolted, which form the circular railway, or
more correctly a polygonal figure, as the beams b, are by preference in straight
lines between one pillar and another, as they are thus more able to bear the
weight with less metal without causing a twisting action or strain upon the beams
and pillars which would take place if their bearing surface were curved to the
circle of the railway.
The beams are by preference made of cast iron with flanges at the ends and
each pair of beams abutting against each other are bolted together at the ends
and to the top of the pillar upon which they rest.
The beams may be made of wrought iron or steel, but are more conveniently
made and are less costly if formed of cast iron.
c, is a pillar in the centre of the railway which may be formed of stone or
brickwork, and has a bed plate e¹, bolted to its upper end which bed plate has
a pillar or stud formed upon or secured to it, upon and around which the apex
of a triangular platform , can rotate: bearings being formed at the end of the
apex of the platform to fit a journal in the vertical stud or pillar from the
bed plate cl
Instead of a stone or brick pillar e, there may be a pillar secured to a suitable
foundation or a pillar or pier may be formed by lattice metal work.
The triangular platform d, at its outer or wide end is of sufficient width to
give stability on the rails and may extend over and a little beyond the circle
of the railway (b).
This triangular platform d, is or may be formed of a framework of suitable
metal beams properly braced together, and underneath its wide end it has
bearings for two axles or shafts one near each side of the platform, and upon
each shaft or axle, there is a wheel 2, that carries the platform, the wheels
being wide enough to rest upon the upper surface of the beams 7, forming the
railway, whether these wheels are over the pillars or midway between them.
When over the pillars, the rails are at the outer edge, and when at the middle
of the beams the rails are at the inner edge of the broad wheels, that is, nearest
the centre c².
The axles, of these wheels point to the centre, of the railway and the
wheels d, if desired may be coned to the slight extent required to agree with
lines radiating from the centre 2, of the railway.
The axles, have each a bevel wheel upon it, but one on one axle is reversed
to the other, which bevel wheels each gear with a bevel on a shaft in bearings on
the frame d, extending between the two axles d', driven as hereinafter explained,
to traverse the platform d, to and fro along the railway.
About the middle of the platform, but near its broad end, a central vertical
pillar el, is secured to it, and upon this pillar the crane e, can swivel entirely
round it.
The crane preferred is the ordinary traversing steam engine crane, which
has a platform e², upon which the steam boiler e³, is mounted at one end, and
acts as a counter-weight to the load being lifted, and at the other end there
is the jib, which carries the pulley over which the hoisting chain passes from
the winding barrel of the crane.
As before said this crane (except in its combination with the triangular
platform ) is an ordinary well known steam engine travelling crane, and can
rotate round its central pillar e', and hoist and lower, slew round its central

page_text: pintar e, and traverse on the railway (6) and it is arranged, actuated, put in and
out of gear, stopped and started in the ordinary manner.
The traversing movement of the platform d, on the railway is by a shaft in
gear with the crank shaft of the engine, which is a vertical shaft in the centre of
the pillar e, upon which the crane is slewed round, and the lower end of this
shaft has a bevel wheel upon it that gears with one on the cross shaft having
bearings on the platform hereinbefore mentioned, which has bevel wheels
that drive the carrying wheel axles d', of the platform d.
This mode of gearing is similar to that for driving the four wheels on two
axles of a traversing crane, working on two lines of railway, but in this case it
is only required to drive two axles having only one carrying wheel on each
axle.
It will thus be seen that arranged as described, the crane can hoist and lower,
slew round, or travel upon or round the circular railway.
If preferred the fuel for the boiler fire may be carried on the platform d, and
the furnace may be fed from the platform the opening or door to the furnace being
placed conveniently for this purpose, when the crane is slewed round to bring
the boiler furnace door to the required point on the platform d.
Figs. 1 and 2 show part of the walls and buildings of a supposed gas works,
near which the central railway (b) is erected-f, being a supposed boundary wall
of the ground upon which the circular railway is placed, and f¹, part of some of
the buildings of the supposed gas-works near which a pit g, is formed for con-
venience below the level of the surface of the adjoining ground into which
large receptacles or buckets h, are placed so that they can be conveniently filled
with coke by barrows from the gas-works.
These buckets may be large enough to hold one or one and a half tons of
coke more or less as desired, and are or may be arranged to be tilted over when
to be emptied of their contents, or made with an opening bottom, in any well
known manner to allow the material to drop out when required.
The hook upon the hoisting chain is hooked to the loop which passes across
the bucket h, when it is to be lifted, and it is hoisted to any desired height,
and the crane is slewed round, and the platform (d) traversed to bring the loaded
bucket over the part inside or outside the circular railway within the range of
the slewing movement of the crane where the material is to be deposited.
The irregular dotted line i, on Fig. 1, shows the height to which the coke or
material can or may he heaped, and the boundary wall f, in the plan Fig. 2, and
the irregular dotted line i, the limit to which the coke or material may be
heaped or fall to an inclination when discharged from the bucket.
If the coke or material is to be heaped above the level of the railway-the
heaping is commenced at the furthest distance away from the point where the
buckets are first lifted, and gradually approach that point on each side as the
material is stacked.
Instead of discharging the coke or material upon the heap, it is in some cases
discharged into a bunk k, a square receptacle standing on a frame work elevated
sufficiently high above the ground.
The upper part of the bunk k, forms a box, and its lower part a hopper through
which the material is discharged on to the upper end of a sloping chute ¹,
the bottom of which is formed by bars with spaces between them to act as a
screen and allow the small coke or breeze to pass through in descending the
sloping chute, and pass into a box or receptacle below the chute the large
coke or material being discharged from the spout at the lower end of the
chute A, into a wagon, cart or other receptacle.
In Figs. 1 and 2 a wagon 2, on a railway 13, is shown under the end of the
spout and receiving the material therefrom. There are two horizontally
sliding doors or bottoms in the bunk k. one under the bottom of the upper
hopper and the other under the bottom of the hopper from the box receiving the
small coke, and the underside of the bottom of this latter is high enough above

page_text: the surface or roadway to give space for a cart or wagon to pass under so that
the small coke may be discharged into it.
Each sliding door is or may be actuated by a toothed rack secured to the
door with which a toothed pinion gears that is on a shaft in suitable bearings
on the framework of the bunk and each of these shafts and , has a grooved
pulley secured at one end for an endless rope to work upon, by pulling at one
or the other side of which endless rope, the shafts and, may be conveniently
rotated either way, one way to open the doors when material is to be dis-
charged, or the other way to close them when not to be discharged.
The doors may be actuated by screws instead of racks and pinions if desired.
For loading from the heap the coke or material may be filled into empty
buckets which will then be lifted by the crane to be discharged into a wagon,
cart or other vehicle, or into the bunk or other receptacle as required.
Or the well known "grabs" may be used connected with the chain of the
crane for picking up the coke or material from the heap or stock and taking
it to the point required, and the "grabs" may be also used for taking up the
coke, or other material and carrying it to the heap or stock.
In some cases there may be an ordinary circular railway on the level of the
ground within the range of the crane and wagons, (or carts or vehicles not using
the railway) may be brought to receive the coke or material filled into the
buckets or lifted by the grabs and deposited directly into the wagon, cart or
other vehicle.
As hereinbefore stated I prefer the steam engine travelling crane, as the
simplest and most convenient, the next to it electricity in which case the electric
motor could take the place of the boiler upon the crane, and drive by a belt or
otherwise a shaft corresponding to the crank shaft of the steam engine crane,
the gearing and arrangements for hoisting, slewing and traversing being the
same as for the steam engine crane.
The current for the electric motor could be taken to the rails properly insulated
or from a wire from a pole or pillar in the centre of the railway to the crane,
or in any other convenient manner.
When two platforms d, with cranes are employed on the same circular railway,
the platform, of one of them may be made sufficiently high above the other to be
clear of each other at the central pillar, as they need not come quite close
together in working.
The platforms d, of both cranes may be on the same level at the crane end,
if the narrow end of the frame of the platforms are bent or cranked one downwards
and the other upwards so that they will not come in contact with each other when
as close together as they need work.
According to a modification of my invention, there are or may be two parallel
lines of rails on one or two sets of pillars or columns formed of straight beams
and secured to the tops of the pillars as described in reference to Figs. 1 and 2:
One line of rails is parallel to the other and at any desired distance apart and
the pillars for the inner line of rails are by preference in a radial line from
the centre of the railway, and the adjoining pillars of each line are or may
tied together with cross bars to make them firm and steady.
Upon these two lines of rails forming a circular railway, an ordinary steam
engine travelling crane is arranged to run, except that the two carrying axles
have each two broad wheels to run upon the upper flanges of the straight beam
railways and the axes of these carrying axles point to the centre of the railway
and the broad wheels are slightly coned, those nearest the centre of the railway
being proportionately smaller in diameter.
The upper flange of the beams are also slightly inclined from the horizontal to
suit the cone of the broad wheels.
The broad wheels have flanges at one edge to come against a guiding flange
formed on one edge of the straight beams, this guiding flange being by preference
slightly below the flange forming the rail surface upon which the broad wheels

page_text: railway.
If the guiding flange is to be in the inside of the rails, its curve will be convex
on one line and concave on the other.
But instead of flanges on the broad wheels, four wheels are to be preferred
on vertical shafts or axles in bearings on the frame or platform of the traversing
crane one say at each corner.
The wheels on these vertical axles have or may have each a flange on their
lower edges, which flange on the wheels comes under the guiding flange, the
peripherial faces of the wheels coming against the curve of the guiding flange.
Thus arranged the traversing crane will work on the circular railway quite
smoothly and the flanges upon the four guiding wheels will prevent the crane
from tilting from any unexpected cause. An ordinary steam travelling crane
may be used except as above described, but an electro-motor may be conveniently
substituted in place of the steam boiler, and the current may be conveyed to it
from any suitable source in any convenient manner.
Fig. 3, is an elevation of a part of a circular railway formed by two lines of
rails, one annular to the other.
Fig. 4, is a plan view.
Fig. 5, a detached enlarged view of the carriage of the traversing crane.
Fig. 6, is a detached view on an enlarged scale of a beam forming part of the
railway.
Fig. 7, is an end view or elevation of the beam rail in section.
In Figs. 3 and 4 about one fourth of the circle of the supposed railway is
represented.
The beams forming both the inner and outer lines of railway are constructed,
secured together and carried by pillars same as the single line of railway herein-
before described and shown by Figs. 1 and 2.
b, outer line of rails; 6, inner line of rails; «, pillars supporting each line.
The rails and pillars may be made secure laterally by lattice bars a', extending
across the guage of the railway between the pillars of one line and those of the
others as shown in Fig. 3-but when bolted together at the ends and to the
pillars as hereinbefore described they are sufficiently rigid.
e, is the ordinary traversing steam engine crane; d, is its carriage supported
on axles, each having two broad cone wheels .
There is or may be a flange on each broad cone wheel, to come against a
guiding rail or flange, but wheels on vertical axles in bearings on the carriage
are preferred fo run against the guiding rail, which may be on the outside or the
inside of the beam rails and b.
In Fig. 4, the guiding wheels d, are supposed to be acting against a guiding
rail on the inside of the rails, and in Fig. 5, the guiding wheels are supposed to
be acting on guiding rails on the outside of the rails.
In Fig. 6, a plan view of one beam rail is shown and the guiding rail may be
either on the inside or outside of the rail as shown in dotted line 2, but their
is only one guiding rail or surface on each beam rail and its curve in plan view
is convex when on the outside of the outside rail and concave when on the
outside (the side nearest the centre of the railway) of the inside rail.
Fig. 7, shows the vertical section of the beam rail at the centre and dotted
flanges are shown on each side of the rail b, or surface on which the cone wheels
run, and the guiding wheels are shown coming against the edges of the guiding
rail or surface, the flange on these guiding wheels, coming below the edge of
the guiding rail as shown in Fig. 7.
The guiding rail is by preference a little below the surface on which the
broad cone wheels run so that they have no weight of the cone wheels upon
them.
In Figs. 6 and 7 the guiding rail or surface is shown on both sides of the
same beam rail, but it will be understood that while it may be on either side

page_text: as arranged, it is only required on one side of each beam rail, except it is decided
to have both guiding rails or surfaces upon the same line of beam rails though
one on one line of beam rails and the other on the other line is to be preferred.
The point, represents the centre of the railway, the axles of the crane
carriage d, having the cone wheels upon them pointing as shown in dotted line in
Fig. 4 to that centre.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. The construction of a circular railway by means of straight beams extending
between one support or pillar and the adjoining one, substantially as and for
the purpose hereinbefore described.
2. The combination of a platform with a circular railway, the inner end of
which platform is carried on a central pillar and its outer end upon broad wheels
to run upon the railway formed by straight beams substantially as and for the
purpose herein before described.
3. The combination of a crane with the platform arranged as referred to in
Claim 2, which can hoist and lower, and which can slew round, the crane being
traversed with the platform substantially as and for the purpose. herein before
described.
4. The combination of a crane driven by a steam engine or other motor, mounted
on a platform that can traverse round the circular railway substantially as and
for the purpose hereinbefore described and illustrated by Figs. 1 and 2 of the
drawings.
5. The combination and arrangements of mechanism for stocking or heaping
or conveying coke or other material into bunkers for filling into wagons, carts
or other vehicles and for loading or removing from the heap or stack substantially
as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and illustrated by Figs. 1 and 2
of the drawings.
6. The combination of two circular lines of beam railway formed of straight
beams hereinbefore described with a crane, that can hoist or slew round and
which can be traversed on the circular railway, substantially as and for the
purpose hereinbefore described and illustrated by Figs. 3 to 7 inclusive of the
drawings.
7. The combining of circular railways formed of straight beam rails with
guiding rails or surfaces substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore
described and illustrated by Figs. 3 to 7 inclusive of the drawings.
8. The combination of circular beam railways formed of straight beams with
the carriage for the traversing crane having broad cone wheels for running on.
the straight beam rails in a circle and having guiding rails or surfaces and
flanges or guiding wheels on the carriage of the crane on vertical axles sub-
stantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and illustrated by the
drawings Figs. 3 to 7 inclusive.
Dated this Thirty-first day of July 1899