Ships or other Receptacles, and in the Machinery Employed therefor.
Year: 1885

page_text: Ships or other Receptacles, and in the Machinery Employed
therefor.
I ALFRED GEORGE BROOKES of the firm of Wm Brookes & Son of 55 & 56
Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex Fellow of the Institue of Patent
Agents do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
UNLOADING GRAIN OR OTHER ARTICLES FROM SHIPS OR OTHER RECEPTACLES AND
IN THE MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREFOR, to be as follows :—
The invention relates to improvements in disembarking unloading or transferring
grain, coals and similar material from ships and other vessels, wherein such material
has been shipped or placed in bulk; and the object of these improvements is first
to facilitate such unloading or transferring by making use of a new or improved
manner of raising the material from the ships' hold, and second to employ for such
process, suitable machinery which may be easily set up and taken away and driven
by any suitable motor.
According to this invention a scaffold or framework is placed above the hatch way,
which is fixed by means of forks and set screws to the coamings of the hatchway,
or other suitable part and which is provided with suitable connecting rods allowing
the scaffold or framework to be taken down or set up very quickly and to be
adjusted for any height required. Suitable bearings are provided in such scaffold,
wherein the shaft for driving an endless belt is running.
A suitable number of cups or scoops or such like parts are fixed to such belt or
strap, which is supported by two drums. One of them is placed upon the said
driving shaft; the other one rests in bearings placed at the extremity of a frame
which is suspended at the driving shaft. The bearings for the lower drum may
be arranged in such a manner that the belt can be stretched; preferably windlass-
ends are fixed for that purpose to the drum axle and a rope is drawn around both
windlass-ends and over the end of the frame; thus the belt with its receptacles
Price 1171

page_text: will be expanded when it is rotated, as the belt will turn the drum and the drum
the windlass-ends, whereby the axle is drawn towards the end of the frame.
The two cheeks of the elevator frame are connected together by a fixed cross,
the arms of which bear against suitable projections of the cheeks; thus the frame
can be easily taken apart in order to remove it from the driving shaft.
The free end of such elevator, viz. the one which is not suspended at the driving
shaft, is placed upon the material to be discharged; by the rotation of the driving
shaft and the running of the scoop belt this end digs into the grain etc, which
partly slips down from the sides of the dug groove to fill it up and partly must be
shovelled towards the elevator.
The shaft of the driving drum is rotated by means of a chain or belt connecting
the pulley or chain wheel fixed thereon with a steam windlass or other suitable
motor. For driving the elevator by a steam windlass a pulley or chain wheel is
attached to the windlass end by means of a disc provided with radial slits and
sliding chucks like the surface plate of a lathe.
When the elevator has digged itself down from a situation very little inclined
to a vertical or nearly vertical position, it is replaced by a second one of greater
length, which beginning with little inclination works itself down to a nearly
upright position by transporting the grain etc. from the ships' hold to the deck or
above deck. If the loading goes beyond the reach of the second elevator, a third
one may be used, by increasing the length of the frame and the scoop belt; and
so a fourth or fifth one may be provided if the third one does not suffice.
By working with two elevators simultaneously at the same hatchway the one
working forward and the other one aft, or each towards opposite sides, the
unloading of a vessel may be greatly expedited.

page_text: therefor.
I ALFRED GEORGE BROOKES of the firm of W Brookes & Son of 55 & 56
Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
UNLOADING GRAIN OR OTHER ARTICLES FROM SHIPS OR OTHER RECEPTACLES
AND IN THE MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREFOR, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The invention relates to improvements in disembarking, unloading or trans-
ferring grain, coals and similar material from ships and other vessels, wherein such
material has been shipped or placed in bulk; and the objects of these improve-
ments are first to facilitate such unloading or transferring by making use of a new
or improved manner of raising the material from the ship's hold, and second to
employ for such process suitable machinery, which may be easily set up and taken.
away and driven by any suitable motor.
I attain these cbjects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings
in which-
Figure 1 is a vertical section of a hatch-way of a ship's hulk showing the manner
of unloading; Figure 2 is a back view of an elevator and its supporting scaffold or
frame employed by the unloading process; Figures 3 and 4 are side elevation and
front view of the elevator; Figures 5 and 6 are side elevation and top view of the
supporting scaffold or frame, showing its connection with the motor; and Figure 7
is a detailed view of the driving pulley of the motor.
Figures 8 to 10 show a modification of my said invention as the material is raised
by means of an extensible elevator, Figures 8 and 9 being vertical sections of a part
of a ship's hulk the first as seen from larboard to starboard and the latter from the
stem to the stern; Figure 10 is a top view of the elevator as applied to the ship.
Figures 11 and 12 are detailed views of the scaffold or framework of which I make
use preferably in connection with the extensible elevator.
Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.
According to that part of my invention as illustrated by figures 1 to 7 there is
placed above the hatchway a scaffold or framework, which is composed in the
following manner. The fork shaped ends of the columns h engage around the
coainings and are fixed thereon by means of set screws; on the columns h are
adjustably arranged the pillow-block-bearers k The connecting rods pivoted at
the forks i engage with their free ends into sockets m of the discs h¹ in such a
manner that the rod of the one fork i slides in the socket m of that disc h¹,
which is ivoted to the bearer k of the opposite column h; thus cross stays are

page_text: produced which adjust automatically the inclination of the rods ¹ to any suitable
height of the pillow-block-bearers k.
Stays are pivoted to the bearers k; they slide with their free ends in the
Bockets of the discs attached to the saddles l. These saddles are fixed by
means of set screws to the coamings in that direction, where the driving motor is
placed.
The shaft b, whereon the main drum b¹ is fixed, runs in the bearings 63. The
shaft of the smaller drum c rests movably in slits at the lower end of the elevator-
frame or scaffold, the two cheeks a a¹ of which are connected together by a fixed
crossf; the arms of such cross bear against the projections e of the cheeks; thus the
frame can be easily taken apart by unscrewing the bolts g, which connect both
cheeks.
The elevator frame, the cheeks of which are provided with suitable notches, is
suspended at the shaft b, and a driving belt d, provided with a suitable number of
cups or scoops d¹, is drawn over both drums b¹ and c. In order to stretch the belt 1
or strap d windlass ends may be fixed to both ends of the shaft of the drum ċ and
a rope may be drawn around both windlass ends c¹ and over the lower end of the
frame; thus the belt d with its cups will be stretched when the drum b¹ is rotated,
as the belt d will turn the drum c and the windlass ends c¹, whereby the shaft of
drum c is drawn towards the end of the frame by means of the rope slung around
the windlass ends.
The shaft b of the driving drum is rotated by means of a chain or belt connecting
the pulley or chain wheel + fixed thereon with a steam windlass or other suitable
motor. For driving the elevator by a steam windlass (figures 3 and 5) a pulley or
chain wheel q is attached to the windlass-end by means of a disc p provided with
radial slits and sliding chucks o like the face-plate of a lathe (figure 6).
The free end of such elevator viz. the one which is not suspended at the driving
shaft is placed upon the material to be discharged; by the rotation of the driving
shaft and the running of the scoop belt this end digs into the grain or other
material to be disembarked from the ships hold, which partly slips down from the
sides of the dug groove to fill it up and partly must be shovelled towards the
elevator.
When the elevator has dug itself down from a situation very little inclined to a
vertical or nearly vertical position, it is replaced by a second one of greater length,
which beginning with little inclination works itself down to a nearly upright
position by transporting the grain et cetera from the ships' hold to the deck or
above deck. If the loading goes beyond the reach of the second elevator a third
one may be used, by increasing the length of the frame and the scoop belt; and so
a fourth or fifth may be provided if the previous one does not suffice (figure 1).
Instead of replacing the short elevator frame by a longer one and so on I some-
times make use of an extensible frame as illustrated by figures 8 to 10. The
cheeks of the said extensible frame are composed of a number of pieces sliding
telescopically one in the other and forming a solid structure by connecting the
opposite cheeks by means of a flat cross. This frame is extended according to the
depth, wherefrom the grain etcetera is to be raised.
As such extensible frame in most cases is heavier than the fixed ones it will be
advantageous to support the driving shaft 6 not only at both ends but also between
them as shown.in figures 11 and 12. I therefor employ an extensible stay com-
posed of two rods and ¹, of which the latter is hinged to the fork i. Both
rod and are provided at their ends turned towards each other with an internal
thread, into which fit the right and left handed screw thread of the screw-spindle a².
A chain holds the upper end of the piece which is pivoted to the travelling-.
bearing b³.
By working with two elevators simultaneously at the same hatchway the one
working forward and the other one aft or each towards opposite sides the unloading &
of a vessel may be greatly expedited.

page_text: 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. In a device for unloading, disembarking or transferring grain or other articles.
from ships or other receptacles the combination of a frame-work or scaffold to be
attached to the coamings and to be adjusted according to the size of the hatchway
the driving shaft b and the working-drum b' with the elevator frame of adjustable
length, the lower drum c.and the transporting belt & substantially as and for the
purpose specified.
2. In a device for unloading, disembarking or transferring grain or other articles
from ships or other receptacles the combination of the columns h provided with
fork shaped ends i with the hinged rods k¹, the sockets n, the discs ♬ and the
forks I, substantially as set forth.
3. In a device for unloading, disembarking or transferring grain or other articles
from ships or other receptacles the combination of the driving shaft b, the main
drum b¹ and the cup belt d with the lower drum c, the windlass ends c¹ and a rope
to be wound around the said windlass ends, substantially as and for the purpose
specified.