IMPROVEMENTS IN STAITHS OR APPARATUS FOR RAISING, LOWERING AND TILTING COAL WAGGONS FOR THE PURPOSE OF LOADING VESSELS
Year: 1884

page_text: "
I GEORGE TAYLOR of Penarth in the County of Glamorgan, Gentleman, do
hereby declare the nature of the said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN STAITHS
OR APPARATUS FOR RAISING, LOWERING AND TILTING COAL WAGGONS FOR THE
PURPOSE OF LOADING VESSELS," to be as follows:---
My Invention relates to the particular construction and arrangement of the
framework and of the hoisting, lowering and tipping machinery and gear of fixed
and portable staiths or tips for use in the shipment of coal from railway waggons
into vessels.
.
The Invention is in general an improvement on the staith described in the
specification of a former Patent granted to me and dated May 30th 1883, N° 2696.
The framework of the staith is constructed specially in view to keep the weight
of the staith as near as possible to the back thereof also to accomodate hydraulic
hoisting and tilting machinery whereby the waggon is hoisted and tipped without
the use of special tipping chains. The rear framework of the staith is accordingly
constructed of two vertical rectangular frames each composed of four upright
corner members of L section suitably braced and strutted, and connected together
at the base and likewise at the top and intermediate points by horizontal girders
the weight of the whole back frame being supported in the case of a portable
staith by four pairs of wheels running on a railway of the ordinary gauge. This
frame is constructed with an opening at back to allow the waggons to be run into
it between the two vertical rectangular frames and over the lowermost pair of
girders, and the upper girders may be so spaced as to admit of the passage of the
waggon in or out of the staith at different levels. The side frames which connect
the front and back frames of the staith together are somewhat similar to those of
the staith described in my aforesaid patent being adapted to straddle a line of
railway and afford a through passage for waggons. The front frame is also
somewhat similar except that it is constructed of two pairs of upright members of
box section supported by two pairs of struts instead of a pair of single legs and
struts as in the case of the staith described in the aforesaid Letters Patent. The
top of the staith comprises two pairs of horizontal girders extending from front to
back and arranged with sufficient intervening space to allow the waggon to rise
between them when required for the purpose of being tilted. The top of the staith
supports guide sheaves over which the four chains from the waggon platform pass

page_text: on their way to the rams. The hydraulic hoisting and tipping cylinders are
'contained entirely within the two vertical rectangular frames at the back of the
staith.
The hoisting cylinders stand in an upright position one on the base of each
rectangular frame and the tilting cylinders are supported at the upper parts of the
rectangular frames in an inverted position the two hoisting chains from the rear of
the waggon platform passing under sheaves carried by the rams of the tilting
cylinders, on their way to the sheaves of the hoisting rams and the two chains
from the front of the waggon platform passing under guide sheaves direct to the
sheaves of the hoisting rains the arrangement of the gear being such that whilst
each hoisting ram acts on all four chains each tilting ram acts independently of the
hoisting rams on the two back chains only.
For low level staiths the hydraulic hoisting gear will be connected with gear
and weights for counterbalancing to the necessary extent the waggon and waggon-
platform and the hoisting rams with a view to reduce the expenditure of power in
hoisting.
The framework of this staith is particularly well adapted for the use of counter-
balance weights for lowering and tilting the waggons when they enter the staith
at a high level. The counterbalance machinery and gear for this purpose would
be similar to that described in the Specification of former Letters Patent granted
to me dated June 1st 1883 N° 2738. When it is desired merely to lower and tilt
the waggons the hydraulic cylinders and rams are not required and the counter-
balance weights would take their place, but when it is desired that the staith shall
be capable both of lowering and tilting and of raising and tilting the waggon the
staith would be furnished with a combination of counterbalance apparatus and
hydraulic raising and tilting machinery and gear.
1
Or the hydraulic machinery may in all cases be used instead of counterbalance
weights to control the descent of the loaded waggon the cylinders acting as
hydraulic brakes and being supplied with water not under pressure from a cistern
on the staith, the water being forced out of the cylinders and returned to the
cistern for use again by the descent of the rams under the weight of the loaded
waggon. The empty waggon, waggon platform and rams would be raised 'by
suitable counterbalance weights.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION..
I, GEORGE TAYLOR, of Penarth in the County of Glamorgan, Gentleman, do
hereby declare the nature of my invention for ." IMPROVEMENTS IN STAITHS OR
APPARATUS FOR RAISING LOWERING AND TILTING COAL WAGGONS FOR THE
PURPOSE OF LOADING VESSELS," 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 the particular construction and arrangement of the
framework and of the hoisting, lowering and tipping machinery and gear of fixed
and portable staiths or tips for use in the shipment of coal from railway waggons
into vessels.
The Invention is in general an improvement on the staith described in the
specification of a former Patent granted to me and dated May 30th 1883 N° 2696.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part.
of this
specification wherein figure 1 shows a rear elevation of a portable staith or tip
provided with hydraulic hoisting and tipping gear. Figure 2 is a side elevation of
the same the hoisting and tipping platform being in its lowest position in both
figures. Figure 3 is a top plan and figure 4 a horizontal section of the staith.
Figure 5 is a rear elevation (in outline) of the staith as adapted for receiving
waggons from a high level line and lowering them by counterweights to the
tipping point. Figure 6 is a horizontal section of the rear legs of the same
showing the position of the counterweights and figure 7 is a top plan showing the
positions of the pulleys and chains.
The framework of the staith is constructed specially in view to keep the weight
of the staith as near as possible to the back thereof and in the case of staiths
receiving the loaded wagons from a low level the framework is also constructed to
accomodate hydraulic hoisting and tilting machinery, whereby the waggon is hoisted
and tipped without the use of special tipping chains.
Referring to Figures 1 to 4, the rear framework of the staith is accordingly.
constructed of two hollow uprights A of rectangular box section, each composed of
four upright corner members a of L section suitably braced together by plates
rivetted thereto. The two uprights A. may be strutted by struts al and connected
together at the base and likewise at the top and intermediate points by horizontal
girders BC and D. The weight of the whole back frame A A may be supported
(in the case of a portable staith) by four pairs of wheels E running on a railway of
the ordinary gauge, or when it is not essential to distribute the weight, each
upright A might be supported on a single wheel or pair of wheels, and in that case
the struts a would be dispensed with. This back frame A is constructed with an,
opening to allow the wagons to be run into it between the two uprights A and
over the lowermost girder B which is made of the cranked form shown so as to
bring it as low as possible. The girders and bracings which connect the front and
back frames of the staith together are somewhat similar to those of the staith.
described in my. aforesaid, patent, being adapted to straddle a line of railway and

page_text: afford a through passage for waggons. The front frame is also somewhat similar,
being constructed of upright members F of box section, supported by struts G each
constructed of a pair of channel irons bolted together and extending from the base
to the top of the staith. The uprights F are connected together at top and bottom
by girders K and I respectively. Upon the back and front top girders C and K.
are supported two pairs of horizontal girders H extending from front to back there
being preferably sufficient space between the two pairs to allow the wagon to be
"raised therein when required for the purpose of being tilted. Upon each pair of
girders Hare mounted guide sheaves L M over which the four chains from the
waggon platform pass on their way to the rams. The hydraulic hoisting cylinders N
are placed inside of the bollow uprights A and the tipping cylinders O are placed
in the space between the said uprights.
¬
The hoisting cylinders N stand in an upright position one on the base of each
upright A and the tilting cylinders are supported in an inverted position at the
upper part of the back framing of the staith. The two hoisting chains P are
attached to the rear of the waggon platform R and starting from opposite corners
thereof they pass respectively over a sheave M at the top of the staith then under
a guide sheave Q, then over one of the sheaves on the adjacent, hoisting ram
then under a sheave on the adjacent tilting ram, then over a guide sheave S, then
under a sheave on the other tilting ram, then over a sheave on the other hoisting
ram, the end being secured to a fixed point, the course of the two chains being
similar but in opposite directions. The two chains T are attached to the front of
the waggon platform and starting from opposite corners they respectively pass over
guide sheaves L at the top, then under guide sheaves U, over a sheave on the
adjacent hoisting ram, then under two guide sheaves V to a sheave on the ram of
the other hoisting cylinder the end being secured to a fixed point and the course
of the two chains being similar but in opposite directions. The arrangement of
the gear is such that whilst the hoisting rams act on all four chains the tilting
rams act on the two back chains only.
The tilting rams are guided by guides o and the hoisting rams are guided by
the corner members a of the uprights A.
The platform R may be constructed of two longitudinal girders framed together
by transoms upon which the platform rails r are laid.
The platform is guided in upright channel iron girders W alongside of the front
uprights. In the case of a fixed staith the construction would be the same except
that the travelling wheels E and the rear base girder B would be dispensed with,
the uprights A resting directly on a suitable foundation and the front bottom
girder being packed up at the ends or made of full depth throughout.
To the bracket in which are mounted the sheaves of each hydraulic hoisting ram
will be connected a chain passing over a pulley at the top of the staith and having
attached to it a weight, the two weights serving to counterbalance, to the necessary
extent, the wagon and wagon platform and the hoisting rams, with a view to
reduce the expenditure of power in hoisting.
The framework of this staith is particularly well adapted for the use of counter-
balance weights for lowering and tilting the wagons when they enter the sṭaith at
a high level. The counterbalance machinery and gear for this purpose would be
similar to that described in the specification of former Letters Patent granted to
me dated June 1st 1883, N° 2738. This arrangement is represented in Figures 5
to 7 in which the hydraulic cylinders and rams are dispensed with, the superposed
counterbalance weights X and Y extending between and working within the
uprights A. The chains from the front of the platform after passing up to the top
of the staith and over guide sheaves at the front pass over a pair of cupped
sheaves a fast on the same shaft x¹ and are attached to the upper counterweight X
which is the heavier of the two. The chains from the back of the platform pass
up over a pair of cupped sheaves y fast on the same shaft y¹ then over guide
sheaves loose on shaft and through holes in counterweight X to counterweight Y.
By this arrangement simultaneous action of the two front or back chains, as the
•

page_text: case may be, is ensured. The action of this staith is as follows:-The loaded
wagon enters upon the platform at the upper part of the staith and being heavier
than the counterweights, the platform and wagon descend under the control of a
suitable brake (not shown) operating on the counterweight ✗, or the chains
attached thereto, whereby both pairs of chains are controlled, the tipping being
effected by arresting the other counterweight or the chains attached thereto. The
staith shown in figures 5 to 7 may also be used, either as a fixed or portable one.
The hydraulic machinery before described may be used in a high level staith to
control the descent of the loaded wagon, the cylinders acting as hydraulic brakes
and being supplied with a head of water from a cistern at the top of the staith
towards the back, the water being forced out of the cylinders and returned to the
cistern for use again, by the descent of the rams 'under the weight of the loaded
wagon. The empty wagon, wagon platform and rams would be raised by the head
of water from the cistern aided by suitable counterbalance weights.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed; I declare that what
I claim is
1st The general construction and arrangement of the staith, whether fixed or
portable, substantially as shown and described.
2nd In a fixed or portable staith the arrangement herein described of the hoisting '
and tipping hydraulic cylinders and running gear whereby the tipping is effected
by the hoisting chains instead of by special tipping chains.
3rd The combination of the framework constructed and arranged as herein shown
and described with hydraulic cylinders disposed at the back of the said framework,
and with running gear so arranged as to enable the tipping to be performed by the
back hoisting chains, as herein described.
4th The combination with the framework of the staith constructed as herein
described of counterbalance weights arranged to work within the uprights, and of
running gear for lowering and tipping as herein described and shown in the
drawing.
5th In a high level staith the method herein described of counterbalancing the
weight of the platform and unloaded wagon by a column of water as herein
described.