Improvements in and relating to Coal Conveyers.
Year: 1889

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Coal Conveyers.
We, EVAN POWELL, of Llanidloes, Wales, Surveyor, and SYDNEY PITT, of Sutton,
in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, (a communication to us from abroad by
William Nelson Page, of Powellton, in the County of Fayette, and State of West
Virginia, United States of America, Civil Engineer,) do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be perforined to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention is especially designed for conveying coal or other material from
railway cars to barges, or other similar vessels. It is desirable that the railway
track should be located above the water-level, so as to be protected from freshets and
other like troubles, and that conveniently adjustable apparatus should be employed
for conveying the load from the cars to the barges below. It is also desirable that
the conveyer should be arranged to convey the coal as gently as possible, to guard
against breakage; apparatus which will carry the coal along with it, instead of allowing
it to slide upon it, is therefore to be preferred.
The object of our invention is to provide apparatus possessing these advantages,
and also to construct the apparatus at as small a cost as possible, consistent with
strength and durability.
In the accompanying drawings, illustrating our invention-
Fig. 1 is a side elevation, with some of the parts broken away, and some in
section, of the upper end of my improved coal-conveyer.
Fig. 2 is a similar view of the lower end.
Fig. 3 is an isometric view of a section of the conveying-belt or apron.
Fig. 4 is an elevation, showing-in detail- -one of the sprocket-pulleys and means
for adjusting it.
Fig. 5 is an end view of the supporting-frame, and showing also-in transverse
section the conveying-belt or apron and its supporting devices, and
Fig. 6 is a detail end view of the lower sprocket-wheels and their adjusting
devices.
The framework A, on which the railway track B, is mounted, and which supports
the conveyer, is preferably constructed by forming a bed-work C, of timbers,
arranged in any preferred form to afford strength and durability, and gradually
inclining from the water-level, X, upwardly. The top-beams D, are arranged nearly
in a horizontal plane and on them the platform is mounted, which carries the tracks B.
The beams D, are supported on uprights or standards E, firmly embedded in the
bed-work C, and each connected by a cross-piece F, between which and the beams D,
Braces H, connect with the
are preferably interposed supporting bolsters G.
beams D, centrally between the posts E, and are also secured to the posts E, at e,
to render the frame strong and rigid. A bumper I, is mounted on the top of the
framework at the end of the track B, to limit the movement of the car J. The car J,
is preferably made with a hopper j, having at the bottom a door j¹ adapted to deliver
the load to a hopper K, at the upper end of the framework. The hopper K, is
provided, at its lower end, with a chute L, hinged at 1, and provided with an adjusting-
chain P, which passes over a pulley 12.
An engine M, of any suitable construction, is located at the upper end of the
framework, in a compartment M', the floor or bottom of which is preferably
constructed of masonry m. A driving-wheel N, mounted in suitable bearings, carries
a bevel-wheel n, which gears with a pinion n¹, on a shaft n², connected with the
engine M. A belt n³, passing over the wheel N, leads to the capstan nt. The
conveyer may however be run by gravity without the aid of the engine when the
incline is sufficient.

page_text: The upper sprocket-wheels O, one of which is shown on an enlarged scale in Fig. 4,
are carried by a shaft o, having bearings in blocks o', free to slide in guide-straps o². The
straps o² are firmly bolted in the girders P', which extend the entire length of the frame-
work. The blocks o' are connected with adjusting-serews o³-as shown in Fig. 4-by
means of which they may be slid along in the straps and thereby adjust the shaft o,
longitudinally, relatively to the girders. A cog-wheel O' on the shaft o is geared
with cog-wheels o*, carried on the shaft of the wheel N by which means the
sprocket-wheels are driven. The girders P are jointed at intervals, by fish-plates 2,
and, at their lower ends, are secured to blocks p, in which is journalled the shaft Q¹,
of the lower sprocket-pulleys Q. The girders carry, on their upper sides, rollers R
-shown in detail in Fig. 5, and arranged at intervals apart as shown-Figs. 1
and 2.
An endless apron, or conveying-belt S, traverses the sprocket-wheels O and Qat
each end of the apparatus. The belt or apron is preferably constructed as shown in
Fig. 3, being formed of sheet-metal plates, having side flanges s, and overlapping
at s¹ to form a strong and rigid connection. To the under side of the apron are
secured chains S', preferably formed of hinged double links s². The links are
provided with laterally projecting lugs or ears s with perforations through which
extend the rivets or bolts for securing the apron to the chain. The links are
arranged a suitable distance apart, and are secured to the adjacent links by bolts so.
The adjacent links are formed with notches s', and inclined ends so to conform to the
under side of the belt. The teeth of the sprocket-pulleys extend through the links,
and engage with them, so that, as the pulleys revolve, the chain-and consequently
the apron is carried along correspondingly.
The lower portion of the endless belt or apron S, is supported by wheels or
rollers T, arranged on a shaft T', having bearings in links T secured at their upper
ends to the girders P, and at their lower ends t, secured to braces T3, attached to
the under sides of the girders, at t', on that side of the rollers towards which they
revolve. The links T2 are preferably constructed as shown in Fig. 5, in two
parts and y, embracing the girders at 2 and secured to them by bolts or
rivets z¹.
The shaft R¹ of the rollers R rests in boxes on the girders P. To the upper ends
of the links T are flexibly connected pulleys U, over which extend adjusting-
chains U, connected with differential pulleys V, at the top of the framework.
Similar adjusting-pulleys and connections are located at intervals along the
conveyer; in the drawings I have shown four, but a greater or less number may be
employed.
At the lower end of the framework are secured vertical guide-bars W curved as
shown, and secured to the end standards R, by braces w. The guide-bars W, are
provided with guide-rails w¹ curved in the arc of a circle, from the shaft o, of the
upper sprocket-pulleys, as a center.
The boxes y, of the pulleys Q, are grooved, and fit over the guide-rails w¹, on
which they are free to slide. On the outer end of the shaft Q', of the sprocket-
pulleys, are connected pulleys Q2, over which pass chains Q³, passing also over
differential pulleys Q, suspended from the top beams D.
A chute Y, hinged at y, at the lower end of the conveying-apron, is adapted to
extend into a barge or similar vessel Y', and, at its outer end, is connected with a rope
or chain Y², which extends over a pulley Y³ at the top of the framework, and may
also carry a dead weight to, in a measure, counterbalance it. The chute Y near its
lower end is provided with an opening, opened and closed by a supplemental chute Y*,
raised and lowered by a chain Y³.
As the upper sprocket-wheel O, is driven from the engine M, the endless belt or
apron S, will be carried along in the direction indicated by the arrow, and the load
delivered through the hopper K, and chute L, will be carried to the barge Y¹,
below.
To provide for variations in the water-level, the endless apron is adjusted by
means of the chains U¹ and Q³, and their connecting mechanisms. The chain Q³ is

page_text: first operated to raise or lower the lower end of the conveyer, and then the chains U¹,
are similarly operated, the joints of the girders P, being sufficiently flexible to allow
of such adjustment; or, if preferred, all the adjusting chains may be operated simul-
taneously. Differential pulleys being employed, the conveyer will remain in the
position to which it is adjusted. The chute Y may be adjusted correspondingly with
the adjustment of the conveyer.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is
1. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the framework, the
endless apron or conveyer, the end wheels over which it traverses, the girders
extending longitudinally beneath the upper side of the apron, the links secured to
the girders, the supporting wheels journalled in the lower ends of the links, and the
adjusting devices connected with the upper ends of the links, for the purpose
specified.
2. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the framework, the
endless apron or conveyer, the upper end wheels over which it traverses, the lower
end wheels, the vertical guide-rails, curved in the arc of a circle, from the upper end
wheel as a center, and the grooved bearing blocks of the lower end wheel, adjustable
vertically on the guide-rails.
3. The herein described apparatus comprising the bed-work, the uprights or
standards, the top-beams carried thereby, the tracks mounted on the top-beams, the
hopper at the upper end of the frame-work, the adjustable chute at its lower end, the
inclined vertically adjustable conveyer extending under the top-beams from which it
is suspended at each end and intermediately.
4. The herein described apparatus comprising the frame-work, the endless apron
or conveyer, the wheels at each end thereof which it traverses, the longitudinal
girders, the shafts R¹ mounted in bearings on the girders, the rollers carried by the
shafts and on which the apron is supported, the links T2, secured to the girders, and
suspended from pulleys on the frame-work, the shaft T', mounted in the lower ends
of the links and wheels T, thereon for supporting the endless conveyer or apron on
its lower or returning side.
5. The herein described apparatus comprising the frame-work, the endless apron or
conveyer, the upper end wheels over which it traverses, the girders, the lower end
wheels, the vertical guide-rails at the lower end of the frame-work and means sub-
stantially such as described, for adjusting the lower end of the apron and the girders
along the guide-rails and from the axis of the upper end wheels as a centre.
Dated this 3rd day of September 1889.
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicants.