Year: 1885

page_text: I THOMAS SCHOFIELD, of N° 5, Beaumont Place, Vanbrugh Hill, Greenwich, in
the County of Kent, Boiler Maker and Iron Shipbuilder do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to that class of elevator apparatus in which grab buckets
or grab forks are used for elevating and discharging grain, ballast and other
materials.
The object of my invention is to construct grab buckets having the maximum
of efficiency combined with simplicity of construction and the minimum number of
working parts also to particularly admit of using them in combination with any
kind of crane or derrick without requiring alteration or addition to be made to the
crane or derrick.
In carrying out my invention I use a grab bucket of suitable shape and number
of sections but I prefer to use a bucket that is semi-circular in shape at the bottom
and made in two halves; I provide the bucket with upwardly projecting parts to
allow of the bucket containing more material than usual and to prevent the material
spilling. I mount the bucket in a vertical casing or framing having parallel sides
and this casing contains all the parts of the apparatus. The two halves of the
bucket are pivoted in the casing which is provided with vertical parallel guide
pieces in which travels a horizontal cross piece (or pieces) having a vertical bar the
upper end of which works through a hole in the top of the apparatus and serves
for connecting with the crane chain. Closing chains (or their equivalents) are
connected to the cross piece and to each part of the bucket for the purpose of
closing the bucket in the operation of grabbing and elevating;
lowering tripping hook or hooks is or are mounted upon an axis in the casing;
an uprighting and
this tripping hook is brought to and held in the upright position by the bucket
coming in contact with it when the bucket is closing.
The operation of grabbing and elevating is as follows:
On lifting the apparatus by means of the crane, the bucket will open to its
fullest extent because the whole weight of the apparatus is upon the cross piece
27

page_text: and tripping hook which are in connection; on arriving at the material to be
elevated the whole weight of the apparatus will rest thereon and the tripping hook
being released from the weight it will fall to one side leaving a clear path for the
vertical bar and cross piece to ascend and close the bucket thereby grabbing and
elevating the material to be raised. The operation of discharging is as follows: on
arriving at the place where it is required to discharge the material the improved
bucket and its contents must be lowered and the vertical bar and cross piece
will descend and engage the tripping book; then by again lifting the apparatus
(the cross piece and hook being again in connection) the bucket will open and the
material will be discharged therefrom leaving the apparatus in the proper position
for grabbing and elevating another load.

page_text: Аррагани for. Gevaung and Disonarging
Grain, Ballast, and other Materials.
I THOMAS SCHOFIELD, of N° 5 Beaumont Place, Vanbrugh Hill, Greenwich, in
the county of Kent, Boiler Maker and Iron Shipbuilder 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 :-
'
This invention relates to that class of elevator apparatus in which grab-buckets
or grab-forks are used for elevating and discharging grain, ballast and other
materiala.
The object of my invention is to construct grab buckets having the maximum of
efficiency combined with simplicity of construction, and the minimum number
of working parts, also to particularly admit of using them in combination with
any kind of crane or derrick without requiring alteration or addition to be made
to the crane or derrick.
J
In carrying out my invention I use a grab-bucket of suitable shape and number
of sections but I prefer to use a bucket that is semi-circular in shape at the bottom
and made in two halves. I provide the bucket with upwardly projecting parts to
allow of the bucket containing more material than usual and to prevent the
material spilling. I mount the bucket in a vertical casing or framing having.
parallel sides and this casing contains all the parts of the apparatus. The two
halves of the bucket are pivoted in the casing which is provided with vertical
parallel guide pieces in which travels a horizontal cross piece (or pieces) having
a vertical bar, the upper end of which works through a hole in the top of the
apparatus and serves for connecting the apparatus with the crane chain. Closing
chains (or their equivalents) are connected to the cross piece and to each part
of the bucket for the purpose of closing the bucket in the operation of grabbing.
and elevating; an uprighting and lowering tripping, hook or hooks is or are
mounted upon an axis in the casing; this tripping hook is brought to and held in
the upright position by the bucket coming in contact with it when the bucket is
closing.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1 is a central
vertical section of an apparatus constructed according to my invention for elevating
and discharging grain, ballast and other materials the parts being shewn in the
position they occupy when the bucket is open; figure 2 is a sectional plan on
line A, B of figure 1; figure 3 is a similar view to figure 1 but shewing the parts>
of the apparatus in the position they occupy when the bucket is closed; figure 4
is an end view of figure 3. Similar letters in all the figures represent similar parts..
a, a', represent the bucket formed semi-circular in shape and in halves as shown;
b, b, are the upwardly projecting parts to allow of the bucket containing more
material than usual and to prevent the material from spilling; d, d, are the parallel
sides of the vertical casing or framing and e, e, are the ends of the same; f is a

page_text: cross piece connecting the sides d, d, at the top of the apparatus; g, g, are the
pivots of the two halves a and a¹, of the bucket, the said pivots being fixed in the
sides d of the casing; h, h, are the vertical parallel guide pieces with which
the sides d, of the casing are provided, and i, is the horizontal cross piece which
travels in the same; j, is the vertical bar of the horizontal cross piece i, k, being
the hole in the cross piece f, through which the bar j, works; the bar j, is provided
with an eye or loop 7 for connecting the same to the crane chain; m, m, m, m, are
the closing chains connected to the horizontal cross piece at n, n as shewn in
figure 4, and to each part of the bucket a, a', at o, o, as shewn in figures 1 and 3
the said chains serving to close the bucket a, a, in the operation of grabbing and
elevating; the uprighting and lowering tripping hooks are constructed of two
tumbling pieces p, p, turning on the axis q, fixed to the sides d, d, of the apparatus
and. formed with vertical projections r, r, carrying hooks 8, 8, pivotted at t, and
counterweighted as shewn at u; the projecting pieces r,,r, are connected by a
plate v, which when the tripping hooks are allowed to fall as shewn in dotted lines
in figure 1, rests upon a fixed inclined plate w, secured to the axis q, and thereby
limits the downward movement of the tripping hooks, and holds them in position
ready for the part a', of the bucket to raise them when the bucket is closed; the
upper edge of the plate v, serves as a bearing or stop for the rear part of the
hooks 8, whereby the said hooks are held rigid to sustain the weight of the appa-
ratus when suspended in the position shewn in figure 1.
The operation of grabbing and elevating (the parts being in the position shewn
in figure 1) is as follows:-
:-
On lifting the apparatus by means of the crane, the bucket a, a, will remain
open to its fullest extent because the whole weight of the apparatus is upon the
cross piece i, and tripping hooks, which are engaged by the former bearing under
the hooks 8, of the latter; on arriving at the material to be elevated the whole
weight of the apparatus will rest thereon and the bar j, and cross piece i, will
descend, the latter taking the position shewn in dotted lines in figure 1; the trip-
ping hooks being released from the weight and being no longer supported by the
cross piece i, will fall down on one side into the position shewn in dotted lines in
figure 1, leaving a clear path for the vertical bar j, and cross piece i, when the crane
chain is hauled in, to ascend, and by means of the chains m, to close the bucket a, a¹,
into the position shewn in figures 3 and 4, thereby grabbing and elevating the
material to be raised. As the part a', of the bucket is raised a flange c¹, thereon
comes against the tumbling piece p, and thereby raises the tripping-hooks again
into the upright position ready to again engage with the cross piece i.
The bucket a; a¹, having been filled in the manner described, the operation of
discharging the material is as follows:-on arriving at the place where it is required
to discharge the material, the improved bucket a, a¹, and its contents, must be
lowered so that the bucket shall rest on the said place, and the crane chain being
continued to be lowered out, the vertical bar j, and cross piece i, will descend, and
the latter will depress and pass by the counterweighted hooks 8, of the tripping
hooks; then by again hauling in the crane chain to lift the apparatus the cross-
piece, and hooks 8, will be again engaged and the bucket a, a, being no longer
held up by the chains m, will open and the material will be discharged therefrom
leaving the apparatus in the proper position for grabbing and elevating another
load, as represented in figures 1 and 2, and so on.
Although I have shewn my improved apparatus provided with buckets, it will
be obvious that where required by the nature of the material to be raised and
discharged, forks can be employed in place of the said buckets.
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. An apparatus for elevating and discharging grain, ballast and other materials
in which the grab bucket (or grab forks) formed in two parts is opened and closed

page_text: automatically by means of a tripping hook or hooks such as those herein described
operated by the bucket and adapted, and operating in such a manner as to engage
with a cross piece or its equivalent, the said hooks and cross piece supporting the
weight of the apparatus when open and the cross piece alone supporting the said
weight when the apparatus is closed substantially as and for the purposes herein-
before described.
2. Forming the buckets or forks of apparatus such as that herein described with
upward extensions such as b, 61, substantially as and for the purposes herein before
described and represented in the accompanying drawing.
3. In apparatus for elevating and discharging grain, ballast and other materials
the combination of the vertical bar j, and horizontal cross piece i, arranged to slide
in guides h, with a tripping hook such as that described and shewn adapted to
engage with the said cross piece and to be raised by the buckets (or forks) of the
apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described and represented in the accom-
panying drawing.
4. The improved apparatus for elevating and discharging grain, ballast and
other materials hereinbefore described and represented in the accompanying
drawing.