Buckets, or Skips.
Year: 1885

page_text: Buckets, or Skips.
I HENRY JAMES COLES of 89 Sumner Street Southwark in the County of
Surrey Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DISCHARGING DREDGER GRABS BUCKETS OR
SKIPS to be as follows:-
My invention relates to apparatus for sustaining dredger grabs, buckets, or skips
during the process of discharging and consists of a combination of catches with a
weight or weights whereby the grab, bucket, or skip will be sustained during the
operation of discharging and when this operation is completed, by slightly lifting
the grab, bucket, or skip off the said catches, the weight or weights cause the
catches to open automatically and allow of the grab, bucket, or skip being lowered
clear of them to take a fresh charge.
For this purpose I suspend a frame or series of bars from the head of the crane
or apparatus working the grab, bucket, or skip in such a manner that the lifting
chain shall pass centrally through it.
L
At the lower extremity of this frame or series of bars, two or more catches are
fitted (hereinafter called the sustaining catches) which engage with a suitable
projection on the grab, bucket, or skip and sustain it during the operation of
discharging. On these sustaining catches a projection is formed on which the
weight or weights (hereinafter called the disengaging weight) can rest and be
supported as long as the grab, bucket, or skip rests on the sustaining catches but
when by lifting the grab, bucket, or skip its weight is taken off the sustaining
catches the disengaging weight will cause the catches to move backwards and
maintain them in that position while the grab, bucket, or skip is lowered
past them.
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0
The disengaging weight may be carried on the upper part of the grab, bucket, or
skip and substantially form part of such grab, bucket, or skip, or it may be made
to slide up and down in the suspended frame and remain in such frame after the
grab, bucket, or skip has been lowered free from it.
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The sustaining catches may be simple or compound to suit the kind of grab,
bucket, or dredger employed.
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page_text: Buckets, or Skips.
HENRY JAMES COLES, Mechanical Engineer, of 89 Sumner St. Southwark in the
County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN AUTOMATIC APPARATUS FOR SUSTAINING & RELEASING DREDGER GRABS &c,
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 automatic apparatus for sustaining and releasing
dredger grabs, buckets, skips & and consists of a combination of catches with a
weight or weights, whereby the grab, bucket, skip & will be sustained during the
operation of discharging its contents, but when this operation has been completed,
by lifting the grab, bucket, skip &, the said catches will open automatically by the
action of the weight or weights and allow the grab, bucket, skip & to pass clear of
them when it is lowered.
For this purpose I hinge two or more catches to a frame or arrangement of bars
which frame is suspended from. the head of the crane or apparatus used to work
the grab, bucket, skip & (hereinafter called the grab) in such a manner that the
chain lifting or lowering the grab shall pass centrally through it. These catches
(hereinafter called the sustaining, catches) are so placed at the lower part of the
frame that when the weight or weights (hereinafter called the disengaging weight)
is not resting on them they will engage with suitable projections formed on the
grab and will thus sustain the grab during the operation of discharging and
opening the grab, when however this operation is nearly completed the disengaging
weight is so situated and arranged that it will rest on suitable projections on the
sustaining catches though it will not cause them to open and release the grab
owing to its weight and the form of the engaging parts of the sustaining catches
of the grab, but on slightly lifting the grab so that it no longer rests on the
sustaining catches they will immediately fly open by the action of the disengaging
weight and the parts of the grab formerly engaged by them can be lowered
past them.
The disengaging weight may be carried by and slide on the upper part of the
grab or be carried by the suspended frame and slide between its bars.
The sustaining catches may be made to take any required position by means of
springs or weights attached to or formed on them.
In the drawings, Fig. 1 shews. an arrangement of the above apparatus with the
disengaging weight carried by and sliding on the upper part of the central guide
or frame of a Coles' patent dredger grab Ñ° 11247, 1884.
Figs. 2 & 3 shew the combination with the disengaging weight carried by and
sliding between the bars of the suspended frame.
In Fig. 1 A A are the sustaining catches, B is the disengaging weight, C is the
crosshead of the grab with its flange projection D.
The method of working this arrangement is as follows. When raising the grab
with its contents it of course being closed the disengaging weight B is considerably
bigher than the flange D as shown by the dotted lines Fig. 1 and therefore after

page_text: the weight B has passed the catches A A they resume their original position from
which however they are moved by the flange D until it has passed them, the
lifting motion is then reversed and the grab lowered until it is sustained by the
catches A. A engaging with the flange D as shewn, by continuing the lowering
motion the disengaging weight B will rest on the projections F F of the sustaining
catches A A but will not open them as long as the weight of the grab is sustained
by the catches A A but on slightly lifting the grab the disengaging weight will
slide down the central guide of the grab and force the catches A A apart until the
flange D is quite disengaged from them when the grab may be lowered away.
In Figs 2 and 3 the same operation as the above is shewn, only in these Figs the
disengaging weight B¹ is shewn sliding between and carried by the bars of the
suspended frame.
In Fig. 2 the dotted lines shew the disengaging weight raised by the central
guide of a Cole's patent dredger and the full lines shew the position of this
weight B¹ when resting on the projections F¹ F" of the sustaining catches A¹ A¹
but not opening these catches because the weight of the grab rests on them.
Fig. 3 shews the relative positions of the disengaging weight B¹ the sustaining
catches A A¹ and the flange D' of the grab after the catches A' A¹ have been
relieved of the weight of the grab and while the grab is being lowered clear
of them.
The method of working with the arrangement shewn in Figs. 2 and 3 is identical
with that given for working with the arrangement shewn in Fig. 1.
In fig. 1 for the purpose of illustration the catches A A are shewn with springs
attached and in Figs 2 & 3 with counterbalance weights cast on or attached to
them to cause them to promptly assume a position suitable for engagement, but
the weights or a weighted form of catch may be used in the arrangement Fig. 1
and also the springs may be used with the arrangement Figs 2 and 3.
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
1st The combination of two or more catches with a weight or weights sliding on
and carried by the upper part of the frame of a grab substantially in the manner
and for the purpose herein set forth.
2nd The combination of two or more catches and a weight or weights sliding
between and carried by the bars of the suspended frame substantially in the
manner and for the purpose herein set forth.