Improved Arrangement for Sorting, Loading, and Conveying Coal or other Mineral.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Apr., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 20th Dec., 1892-Accepted, 18th Mar., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Arrangement for Sorting, Loading, and Conveying Coal or
other Mineral.
HENRY STEVENSON Portland Collieries Kirkby-in-Ashfield near Nottingham
Mining Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to an improved method of delivering coal or other mineral
after being screened, sorted picked or cleaned into railway trucks or other vehicles
in such a manner as to avoid the breakage and dispensing with some of the labour
required by methods at present in use; but is more especially applicable to
travelling bands or conveyors on which the coal or other mineral is prepared before
loading.
Hitherto large lumps of coal after being picked cleaned dressed or sorted on
travelling bands or conveyors have been removed by band from the travelling band
carried and deposited in the truck or vehicle placed for their reception the truck
or vehicle in this case running on rails parallel to the sorting travelling band:-
the labour for which is very costly and the process of loading is slow. In other
arrangements the endless travelling bands are placed at right angles to the line of
rails on which the truck or vehicle runs and at such a height that the lower or
return side of the band is higher than the side of the truck into which the lumps of
coal are delivered and in this case the breakage is so considerable that the
arrangement is not generally adopted for screened coal.
To avoid these defects my invention is designed and it is applicable to sorting
bands now in use with only slight modifications by reason of existing bands for
hand conveyance and loading being placed at a lower level than my invention
requires when carried out in the way most approved.
When the endless sorting band runs parallel to the line of railway, I form
openings in the guards or frames at the sides of the band adjacent to the railway
on which railway run the trucks or vehicles to be loaded these openings being cut
down to the level of the travelling sorting band and fitted with curved shoots or
spouts the bottoms of which spouts are level with the sorting band at their junction
with the framework and more or less inclined according to the height available;
and these shoots are so formed in place that ccal or other mineral removed from
the sorting band at right angles to the line of railway is curved round so as to
enter the truck or vehicle in the direction which the truck usually runs this curved
and inclined shoot being fixed to the framework of the band at one end and carried
by a fixed support at the other end these supports being in the case described about
at right angles with each other, and so that the coal or other mineral may be
pushed or descend by gravity from the band towards and over the truck or other
vehicle into which the coal is to be loaded.
The distance apart and number of these openings with shoots are regulated by
the available room and the quantity of material to be dealt with.
To the lower fixed end of the curved inclined shoot I attach by hinges a movable
vibrating shoot forming an extension of the curved fixed shoot and to the free or
vibrating end of the movable shoot are chains passing over pulleys above with
weights to counter balance the movable shoot and a portion of the weight of coal
or other mineral passing over it.
The operation is as follows-The coal after being sorted, cleaned dressed or
picked is deflected from its position on the travelling sorting band on to the fixed
curved and inclined shoot this shoot being preferably set at a gradient of about 1 in 2
so that the coal will slide to the bottom point where the vibrating shoot is hinged..

page_text: This vibrating shoot is held up by the balance weights until sufficient coal has
accumulated at or on the fixed shoot when the moveable shoot is lowered and the
coal gently deposited in the truck or vehicle into which the coal or other mineral
has to be loaded.
When the travelling sorting band moves in an opposite direction to the trucks
being loaded the fixed shoot is curved in plan to a quadrant and this shape is also
suitable when the sorting band is placed at right angles to the railway to which
arrangement of sorting & loading my invention is also applicable. But when the
sorting band travels in the same direction as the trucks that are being loaded the
form of the fixed curved shoot in plan may be conveniently altered to one of
S shape formed by two opposite arcs of circles each subtending an angle of
about 45°.
For existing sorting belts when the height above the rails is insufficient for the
inclination necessary for the coal to descend by gravity: the fixed shoot may be
horizontal or slightly inclined and the coal pushed along instead of being lifted as
in methods of loading hitherto used, and the moveable shoot can be employed as
before described for depositing the coal or other mineral into the trucks or vehicle
without undue breakage.
-:1 1005
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Arrangement for Sorting, Loading, and Conveying Coal or
other Mineral.
HENRY STEVENSON Portland Collieries Kirkby-in-Ashfield near Nottingham
in the County of Nottingham Mining Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to an improved method of delivering coal or other mineral
after being screened, sorted, picked, or cleaned, into railway trucks or other
vehicles in such a manner as to avoid the breakage, and dispense with some of the
labour required, by methods at present in use; but it is more especially applicable
to travelling bands or conveyors on which coal in large lumps or other mineral is
prepared before loading.
The accompanying five sheets of drawings shew three modifications of my
improved apparatus as applied to loading railway trucks with' material taken from
moving endless bands or conveyors; but it is obvious that other vehicles, or barges,
may be loaded by the same or similar apparatus without departing from the said
invention. The same letters denote the same parts on each sheet.
Hitherto large lumps of coal after being picked, screened, dressed, or sorted,
on travelling bands or conveyors, moving parallel to a railway, the coal has been
removed by hand from the travelling bands and deposited in the truck or vehicle
running on the said railway the labour for which work is very costly and the
process of loading slow. In other arrangements the endless travelling bands are
placed at right angles to the railway and project over the side of the truck so as
to deliver the coal or other mineral in the centre of the truck for which purpose
the lower or return side of the travelling band has to be high enough to clear
the side of the truck thus causing the coal to fall at the commencement of
loading through a distance equal to the depth of the truck. plus the height of
the upper or delivery side of the band above the top of the truck, and in this
case the breakage of the mineral is so considerable that the arrangement cannot
be generally adopted for screened or hand picked coal..
a
To avoid these defects my invention is designed as shewn on. Sheets 1 to 5 and
it is applicable to sorting bands now in use with only slight, modifications by
reason of existing bands for hand conveyance and loading being placed at a

page_text: lower level than my invention requires when carried out in the way most approved
and shewn on the drawings.
When the endless sorting band B (Sheets 3 & 4) runs parallel to the line of
railway as shewn by the arrows >> I form openings in the guards or frames g
(Sheets 1 to 4) at the side of the band B adjacent to the railway on which railway
runs the truck R to be loaded, these openings being cut down to the level of the
sorting band B (Sheets 1 to 4) and fitted with fixed curved shoots or spouts S the
bottom of which spouts are level with the sorting band B at their junction with
the framework g and more or less inclined according to the height available;
and these shoots S are so formed in plan that coal or other mineral removed
from the sorting band B at right angles to the line of railway is curved round so
as to enter the truck R in the direction in which the said truck usually runs,
this curved and inclined shoot being fixed to the framework g of the band B at
its upper end and carried by a fixed support S, at the other or lower end; and so
that the coal or other mineral may be pushed or descend by gravity from the band B
towards and over the truck R into which the coal or other mineral is to be loaded.
The distance apart and number of these openings with shoots S are regulated by
the available room and the quantity of material to be dealt with, and for travelling
bands arranged as shewn on Sheets 3 & 4 the distance apart should not be less
than about one and a half times the length of the trucks to be loaded.
To the lower fixed end of the curved inclined shoot S I attach by hinges a
movable vibrating shoot S₁ (Sheets 1 to 5) forming an extension of the curved fixed
shoot S, and to the free or vibrating end of the shoot S₁ are chains S. (Sheets 1
& 2) passing over pulleys above with weights S. (Sheet 1) to counterbalance the
weight of the movable shoot and a portion of the coal or other mineral passing
over it.
The operation is as follows: the large coal after being sorted, cleaned, dressed,
or picked, is deflected from its position on the travelling sorting band B
(Sheets 3 & 4) on to the fixed curved and inclined shoot S, this shoot being
preferably set at an inclination not greater than 1 (vertical) to 2 (horizontal) so
that the coal will slide to the lower point of the shoot S where the vibrating shoot S,
is hinged. Referring to Sheet 1, this vibrating shoot S. is held up above the
normal position as shewn by dotted lines S₁ by the chains S, and weights S. until
sufficient coal has accumulated near the hinge or on the fixed shoot when the
movable shoot is lowered to the position shewn by full lines S, or further lowered
to some other position such as S₁b (Sheet 1) and the coal gently deposited in the
truck R or other vehicle or vessel into which the coal or other mineral has to be
loaded.
Usually the empty trucks are delivered into the sidings at one end of the
travelling band and are removed when loaded at the opposite end so that whilst
passing the travelling band B (Sheets 1.3 & 4) the trucks R move in the direction
of the arrows >>>>>>>> so as to avoid accident in the event of the vibrating
spouts S, not being raised clear of the trucks R when the said trucks are moving.
When the travelling band B moves as shewn by the respective arrows on Sheet 3
in an opposite direction to that of the trucks R being loaded, the fixed shoot S is
curved in plan to a quadrant of a circle as shewn by Sheet 1, and this form is also
suitable for the arrangement shewn in plan on Sheet 5, where the sorting band B
is placed at right angles to the railway, to which arrangement my invention is also
applicable in the former case several trucks are being loaded simultaneously, but
in the latter case (see Sheet 5) only one truck is being loaded at once from the
same travelling band. When the sorting band B travels in the same direction as
the trucks R that are being loaded the form of the fixed curved shoot S in plan
be made of the form shewn on Sheet 4, the path of the mineral over the shoot
being that formed by two reversed curves or arcs of circles each subtending an
angle of about 45º.
may
For existing sorting bands placed at such a height above the railway that the
inclination of the spout S (Sheets 1 & 2) is insufficient for the coal to slide down

page_text: the spout S by gravity, the curved fixed shoot S may be horizontal or slightly
inclined and the coal pushed along instead of being lifted and carried by hand as in
some methods of loading hitherto used, and the movable shoot S₁ employed as
before described for depositing the coal or other mineral without undue breakage.
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. For the purpose of loading coal or other minerals from sorting bands running
parallel to a railway and depositing the mineral into trucks or vehicles, the fixed
curved inclined shoot attached to the framework of the sorting band and combined
with a movable vibrating shoot as shewn by Sheets 1, 2, 3, and 4, and described.
2. For the purpose of loading coal or other minerals from sorting bands running
parallel to a railway, and for cases where the height from rail level to top of sorting
band is insufficient for an inclined shoot as last described, a fixed curved horizontal
shoot combined with a movable vibrating shoot.
3. For the purpose of loading coal or other minerals from sorting bands running
at right angles to a railway, the curved fixed shoot combined with a movable
vibrating shoot as shewn by Sheet 5 and described.
Dated this Nineteenth day of December 1892.