Loading and Unloading Vessels by Conveying Belting and by Machinery in Combination therewith.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Dec., 1897--Accepted, 16th Apr., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Loading and Unloading Vessels by Conveying Belting and by
Machinery in Combination therewith.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD KOCHS, Civil Engineer, of Foster's Buildings, High Street,
Sheffield, in the County of Yorkshire, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion 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 the various applications of my own, already patented
conveying, so called carriage belting to the loading and unloading of coals, ores
and other goods into and out of the holds of vessels and the said applications and
details are shewn in Figures 1: 15 on the by following Sheets 1, 2 and 3. The belt
was patented in the year 1896 No. 18459 and is an endless chain of a peculiar
construction, as seen in Figs. 5 and 6, also in Figs. 1, Plan 2, Fig. 3 and in other
figures on Sheets 1, 2 & 3; it being composed of trucks, or of wheel carriages con-
nected together by links and bolts, all of which form a continuous train, travelling
on rails and on longitudinal bars, fixed within such framework of the belting. The
belt plates are curved and form segments bent to the radius of the circle described
by the plates on passing over the revolving tooth wheel, which propells the train
of belting forwards; the curving is for the purpose of placing a receiving plate or
shoot in continuous contact with the belt plates as they form a cylinder so that
coals or other goods, which are convoyed forward over the belt for loading into the
vessel are, on arrival at the end of the belting, not subjected to a fall on to an
inclined shoot plate, but are made to slide from the belt on to the shoot without any
fall. The receiving plate, which lays with its edge close on to the curved belting
plates at the forward end, prevents anything falling through. A receptacle for
small coal is however arranged below this shoot to receive any small coal, and also
that, which falls through a screen fixed in the inclined shoot, over which the coal
passes. Another advantage of the curving of the belt plates is their greater
strength for transporting heavy weights. The travelling wheels are placed under
the single link plates rivetted or bolted under them and their spindles are supported
by these links. The propelling teeth place themselves successively between the
spaces of the double links and behind the single links and thus drive the belt for-
ward. The present invention relates however more particularly to the use of this
belting in combination with, on the one hand, the arrangement of apparatus for
the discharging the contents of one, or of two railway trucks in succession on to the
belting at the shore end, such discharging always taking place entirely or, as near
as possible, on the same level, independent of the higher or lower position of
the vessel and the height of the tide, and on the other hand, it relates to the com-
bination of the conveying belting and its loading shoot with the telescopic loading
tube of a novel construction for transmitting the coal or other goods into the hold
of a vessel on the anti-breakage plan. This telescopic tube is provided at its
lower end with a discharging cylinder, or mantle, which can be lifted or lowered
for opening or closing the bottom outlets of the tube, and by either lifting or
lowering the lower end of the telescope or the mantle (the upper end or portion of

page_text: the telescope being securely held in position by a soparate chain arrangement,)
the whole loading tube is kept continually full of coal, thus by manipu-
lating tube and mantle, the discharging at the lower end and the filling in at the
top are taking place at the same ratio, so that the coal at the top does not fall at all
into the tube. Both the lifting and lowering of the telescopic tube and mantle
and the holding of the upper end of the tube are done by separate hydraulic engines
fixed in the framework and all 3 are at the command of the loader of the vessel.
The trimming of the vessel can be very much assisted by moving the whole
apparatus to and from the shoro and by constructing the whole apparatus on wheels
to run parallel to the dock wall.--The plan of unloading coals and ores out of
vessels by means of the same class of belting &c. is shewn in Fig. 14 on Sheet 3.
By referring to the various drawings and figures on Sheets 1, 2 and 3, Fig. 1
shews the longitudinal section of the conveying or loading belting A, hinged at
the shore end by means of a transverse shaft 1) to the carriage framework 3 of a
travelling crane, which by means of four wheels can be moved backwards and
forwards on rails fixed on longitudinal beams at tho inner side of the framework
or gantry C, the hinge bolt D allowing the frame E, Fig. 6 and plun Fig. 3, of
the belting and the belting itself, which moves or revolves within the framework,
to work radially up and down and to follow the vessel when rising or sinking
according to the state of the loading or height of the tide, the hydraulic ram and
cylinder M below, causing both to be lifted and adjusted to the required height for
loading. Fig. 6 shews the section of the conveyor belt, also the upper end of the
supporting arms and guide wheels of the hydraulic ram, the wheels moving
between upright guides of a fixed separate iron frame, and glide under the belt
framework in its way towards and from the vessel as well as up and down. W is
the cast iron balance weight, by means of which the overhanging crane-framework,
the telescope, belting &c. are kept in balance. This weight W forms the back of
the whole carriage and can be held down during the operation of loading to the
main gantry framework by one or two anchor bolts, passing through a transverse
beam reaching across under the gantry beams. F is the loading shoot plate with
its perforated plate or bar screen for screening out small coal and its upper and
lower hinged shoot plates, the lower one to lift up for the purpose of allowing the
telescopic tube or other apparatus to pass up and down. G is the telescope stretched
out to its full length in Figs. 1, 5 and 8 and drawn in to its shortest compass in
Fig. 7 with its mantle lowered down; in Figs. 1 and 8 it is loaded full to the top.
The bottom of the telescope is here shewn conical and fixed but it may be made to
open downwards by flat hinged plates lowered by chains. Fig. 2 shews the travel-
ling-crane carriage, drawn back towards the shore end of the framework to clear
the vessel. The telescope is here shewn drawn in and the belt lifted
to its horizontal position, but it may be kept in its lowest position,
ready to be lifted at any moment. In Fig. 1 the railway truck H
to be discharged is shewn arrived on the tipping platform I of the gantry and
is slowly tipped by the hydraulic ram or rams K, one on each side, the coal falling
on to a shoot which conducts it on to the lower or hinged end of the conveying
belting. The movement of the belt uear the hinge being small, the truck can here
be emptied on the same level, the platform and gantry rails remaining at a per-
manent level. Directly a railway truck is emptied, it runs down and back to the
empty siding and a full one is drawn in and tipped, thus an almost continuous
loading of the vessel is effected. The belt A transports the coal forward, while the
truck is being changed; Fig. 3 shews the general plan of the belting, the frame-
work, siding and railway gantry. Fig. 4 shows an arrangement for unloading a
railway truck side on to the belting and from an ordinarily constructed coal tip.
The latter is however erected further from the dock wall so as to discharge at the
hinged end of the belting. In this case the railway wagon may be lifted from
the dock wall level, or also from the gantry. In the latter case the platform would
be provided with a turntable, to turn the truck to a right angle. Figures 8, 9

page_text: and 10 are 1) a longitudinal section through belting and telescope, shewing double
side tipping arrangement for railway trucks, 2) transverse section through belting,
shewing the double tipping or revolving cradles and Fig. 9 is the plan of the
whole. Fig. 10 shews the two cradles, the one at the gantry level and the other
lifted to the tipping level. The tipping is done by a hydraulic engine driving a
pinion in gear with a tooth wheel of the cradle frame, the engine being continually
in gear is fixed on and lifted with the platform. At the moment when tipping is
being done the motion of the hydraulic engine is slackoned, so as to retain the
coal on to the shoot plate, but when all the coal is discharged, the engine works
at full speed to bring the wagon to its normal position. A screen is arranged in
the tipping shoot, the small coal is collected in a box below the screen and is later
on emptied into a fixed shoot to be let into trams. The general plan shows belt-
ing A, two tipping cradles T and T", the hinged shaft D, shoot F, telescope G,
balance weight W with two bolts, gantry C. Fig. 11 and plans 12 and 13 shew
the side tipping of a railway wagon at the foot of the shore end of the conveying
belting; Fig. 12 shewing how the railway trucks pass from the full siding into the
cradle of the tipping line, they pass through the revolving tippler and then into
the siding for empties. This ensures an almost continuous loading of a vessel.
Fig. 13 shews plan of the arrival and departure of the trucks at right angles to
the cradle, the railway wagon runs on to a turntable, is turned and then runs into
the revolving tippler. After the tipping it is moved on to the second turntable, is
turned and runs by itself on to the siding for empties.
Fig. 14, Sheet 3, shews the arrangement of unloading coal, ores &c. out of a
vessel and their loading into coal and ore railway wagons. N being for coal and O
for ores.
The buckets P and P' are filled and then lifted to the height of the
shoot at the upper end of the conveying belting, the pulley of the bucket is then
drawn in towards the belting and then tipped on to the belting. An almost
continuous unloading takes place. The general construction of the belting and
its framework, the hydraulic ram for lifting same, the crane framework and other
details, as described in the cases of loading into the vessels are similar, or may be
the same.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1) The conveying belting as described in detail and the same in combination
with, on the one hand, the various arrangements of machinery described in the
drawings for unloading railway trucks on the shore end of the belting and on the
other hand, in combination with the telescopic tube with discharging bottom
mantle for depositing coal or other goods into vessels, as described in detail in
the foregoing.
2) The loading and unloading of vessels, by means of a hinged conveying or
loading belting, its framework being hinged to a travelling crane carriage, moving
on gantry beams and rails, substantially as described.
3) The moving of the whole belting, machinery and crane carriage towards and
from the vessel, the dock end of the belting being lifted and lowered to suit the
position of the vessel and the difference in the height of the tide in the dock.
4) The unloading of railway trucks on to the hinged end of the belting, where
its movements are small, the discharging platform, or rail level remaining thereby
as near as possible the same.
5) The loading of the vessel on the anti-breakage plan by a telescopic tube and
mantle, substantially as described above, the tube being kept always full and the
coal &c. is preserved from falling and breaking.
6) The lifting of the belting and framework by a hydraulic ram as described, the
ram being below, when the whole loading or unloading apparatus is stationary as
above described, but if erected on wheels and it be a moveable tip Fig. 15 then ia

page_text: the hydraulic cylinder above the frame, or also below, fixed in the frame, and
moving in a channel.
7) The unloading of two railway trucks on the shore end of one conveying belt-
ing, one on each side, Figs. 8, 9 and 10, the wagon to be revolved in a circular
cradle, by pinion and spur wheel, actuated by a hydraulic engine, fixed to the
lifting platform or elsewhere.
8) The unloading of railway wagons as shewn in Figs. 11, 12 and 13 and as
described.
9) The unloading of coals, orcs &c. out of vessels, by the same class of belting
and machinery, as shewn in Figs. 14, Sheet 3.
29th November 1897.
WILLIAM EDWARD KOCHS,
Foster's Buildings, High Street, Sheffield.