Improvements in Excavating Machines and Elevators.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd June, 1897-Accepted, 31st July, 1897
Improvements in Excavating Machines and Elevators.
I, WILHELM PAULITSCHKE, of Moedling, Lower Austria, Austria Hungary, Officer,
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 excavating machines designed for the removal of large
quantities of snow on railway tracks or other roads, and for removing sand, grain,
or the like.
The machine comprises a frame carried by a steam locomotive or other motor
vehicle, guide-rollers mounted on the frame, endless elevator chains guided over the
rollers and provided with a set of buckets, a snow plough arranged in front of the
elevator chains, dividers extending between the chains up from the plough along an
incline over which the upper portions of the chains pass, and a transverse conveyor
which is arranged at the upper part of the endless elevator chains for delivering the
material excavated to one side, as will be described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a steam locomotive with an excavating machine
according to this invention applied thereto;
Fig. 2 is a plan, some parts being removed,
Fig. 3 is a front view,
Fig. 4 is a rear view.
Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are respectively a vertical transverse section, a longitudinal section
and a plan of one of the elevator-buckets.
Figs. 8, 9 and 10 are respectively, a vertical transverse section, a plan and a front
view of the cutter which co-operates with each bucket.
Figs. 11 and 12 are respectively transverse vertical and horizontal sections of a
co-operating bucket and cutter.
Figs. 13 and 14 show different forms of a drum or guide casing arranged at the
front end of the incline.
Figs. 15, 16 and 17 are longitudinal and transverse sections of a modified form of
elevator mechanism.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.
The frame of the excavator has mounted on it three sets of rollers b over which
are trained parallel endless elevator chains a (of which four are shown) forming a
number of elevating surfaces. Buckets or shovels c are connected to the links of
the chains, their construction being shewn in Figs. 5, 6 and 7.
Each bucket is of a scoop or hood shape open at its front and lower sides; its
rear wall c' is separated from the top and sides by a U shaped slot a¹ so that, the
rear wall c¹ acts as an elastically yielding blade.
The top has a slot a2 along its middle.
These buckets, at suitable intervals apart, travel along with the chains over, an
incline e extending from a point close to the front guide rollers up to a point g some
distance below the upper rollers b, so that there is an opening between the incline
and these rollers.

page_text: Near the upper rollers b and at points above g are mounted snow cutters k one for
each chain, each of these cutters being so formed that it can pass through the
slots a a² of the buckets, its shape being, as shewn in Figs. 8, 9 and 10, a U having
its front edge bevilled to act as a cutter, and on its top a T shaped shank k¹.
The U shaped part of the cutter k passes through the U shaped slot al of the
bucket c, while the shank ¹ passes through the slot a². The manner in which the
buckets and cutters co-operate is shewn in Figs. 11 and 12.
On the incline e are mounted parallel to one another a set of dividers or
separator-boards & arranged between the adjacent chains.
The lower open sides of the buckets c at the front part of the excavator, pass over
a rotary drum f, as shewn in Fig. 13, or slide over a stationary cylindèrical surface f¹
terminating the incline, as shewn in Fig. 14, and the open lower sides of the buckets
then slide along the incline e.
In front of for f¹ and under the ends of the dividers d, is a snow plough h,
having at its rear a trough i which is filled with a suitable liquid, preferably salt
water, into which the chains dip so that the ice formed on them is dissolved.
Under the opening at the upper end of the incline e is an endless conveyor / which
extends across the whole breadth of the excavator, and a little beyond at each side.
The direction of movement of this conveyor may be altered by means of bevil
pinions, on the drive-shaft of the conveyor, either of which can be engaged,
with a bevil wheel on the driving shaft R. The shaft R is driven by a steam
locomotive m or other suitable motor vehicle having a seat n for the engineer
whence he can see the track in front of the excavator and can control the driving
mechanism.
In Figures 15, 16 and 17 a modification of the elevator mechanism is shown.
The side walls of the brackets are in this case narrow, forming as it were, snow-
breaking cutters o whilst the rear walls p, are formed as shovels or blades which, as well
as the cutters o are provided with tail pieces q for keeping them in operative position,
by travelling along the incline e. The side walls of the dividers d are so narrow
that they form between them, and above the incline e, guide channels in which the
cutters o and the shovels p carry the snow or sand up along the incline.
The apparatus is operated as follows:-
When the engineer drives the engine in the forward direction along a track impeded
by snow, the snow is ploughed up by the plough h, divided by the dividers d and
deflected upon the elevator chains. The buckets c, or the cutters o in conjunction
with the shovels 2 loosen and pick up the snow, and carry it along the incline e.
The adhesion of the snow to the incline is prevented by reason of the springy
nature of the blades p or the rear walls c¹ of the buckets c. When the buckets
reach the snow-cutters k, they slide past them in succession and thus the snow in
the buckets is cut out in the form of blocks and separated from the sides of the
buckets. The springy rear-walls c¹ or blades p being somewhat deflected by the
action of the cutters k, as soon as they pass, spring forward causing the snow to
fall out of the buckets and down upon the endless-conveyor l; which transport it to
the side of the excavator where it falls at the side of the track, or it might be into
trucks on the adjacent track. At the top of the divider d across the whole breadth,
extends a roof 8 which presses the irregular masses of snow into the buckets or on
to the shovels, by which it is with greater certainty carried to the endless-conveyor l.
The roof s also prevents the snow from being carried beyond the point g. As the
roofs is inclined to the line of travel of the chain the snow is effectively guided
downwards by it. For transporting sand or grain, the apparatus operates in a
similar manner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. An excavating machine arranged and operating, substantially as described and
illustrated be the de

page_text: 2. In an excavating machine such as is referred to in the preceding claim the
combination of the plough, trough for liquid and the endless elevator chains, having
buckets which dip into the trough, substantially as described.
3. The construction of each bucket of scoop-shape provided with a springy rear-
wall and having a U shaped slot around its rear wall and a central slot along its top
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
4. The construction of the cutter of U shape with T shaped shank, and its front
edge bevelled to form a cutting-edge, substantially as described.
5. The modified appliance instead of buckets, consisting of breaking cutters, and
elastic shovels having tail-pieces to travel along the incline substantially as described.
6. The roof arranged across the upper parts of said elevator chains to press the
snow into the buckets, substantially as described.
Dated this 2nd day of Tune 1907
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.