US1656616A - Loading machine - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 17, 1928. 1,656,616

F. N. WILSON LOADING MACHINE Filed Sept. 5. 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 17, 1928. 1,656,616

F. N. WILSON LOADING MACHINE Filed Sept. 5. 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 yzzz/ezzfifx ji'arzfl il z'laviz.

Jan. 17; 1928.

F. N. WILSON LOADING MACHINE 4 SheetsSheet Filed" Sept. 5. 1924 F. N. WILSON LOADING MACHINE Filed Sept 5. 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Jan. 17, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOADING MACHINE.

Application filed September 5, 1924. Serial No. 735,984.

My present invention relates to loading machines such as described in my U. S. Letters Patent Number 1,467,700 and my pending application, Serial Number 573,428 now Patent 1,517,812, December 2, 1924, such as used in coal mines for conveying coal-shot from; the face, or breast of the coal vein to pit cars for transportation from the mine, but not limited thereto as itcan be used for rock as well, and it pertains more particularly to picking, tearing, down and loosening mechanism more commonly known to me as pick bars, which are operatively associated with conveyor blades movable laterally in an arcuate path belowv the pick bars for collecting and moving to pit cars, or other vehicles, the material loosened by the pick bars as well as that not affected by the pick bars.

This patent application is a continuation in part of the pending patent application bearing Serial Number 573,428 now Patent 1,517812, December 2nd, 1924, and includes subject matter disclosed in Figs. 4 and 10 of that application.

The object of my present invention is to rovide a perfect picking, tearing down and oosening mechanism which picks at and tears down to loosen the coal after being shot and prepares the blasted coal to be collect- 36 ed by laterally directed conveyor arms moving under the pick bars and transported to pit cars thereby for transportatlon from the mine.

A further object of the invention is to 55 provide means for adjusting the pick, tearmg down or material loosening bars so as to impart thereto and to limit partial rotary movement of the pick bars and to cause the pick bar oints to penetrate between lumps 40 of blaste coal or rock early, or late in their forward laterally directed arcuate path of travel and to retract themselves by backing out and raising from the lumps of coal, or rock picked down and loosened in the pile and from which loosened pile of coal or rock, the conveyor blades transport the loosened material to pit cars, or the like, by moving the machine up to the loosened coal, or rock, at which point the conveyor blades collect w the loosened material for transportation from such point to a suitable depository.

A still further object of the invent-ion is to provide means whereby the forward ends or points of the pick, tearing down or loosening bars will continue to scribe an arc, but in the opposite direction and position when the pick points have started to raise to a vertical position through an arcuate path in their return or nonactive movement.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means to agitate coal, or other material, such as rock, in a pile suflicient to loosen the material to be in such a loosened, or torn down state as to be readily collected and moved first laterally by conveyor blades and then longitudinally of a machine bed plate, thereby to pit cars, other vehicles. or into a pile.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter more fully described and finally pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, wherein like characters of reference denote similar parts throughout the several views:

Fig. 1, is a planview of a loader embodying the features of my invention and constructed in accordance therewith.

Fig. 2, is a front elevation of one side of the loading machine, showing the pick bar in its outermost side position, which corresponds to the dotted lines A shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3, is a front elevation of one side of the loading machine, showing the pick bar moved to its forward extended position, which corresponds to the dotted lines B shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4, is a front elevation of one side of the loading machine, showingthe pick bar in its innermost position, which corresponds to the dotted lines 0 shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5, is a front elevation of one side of the loading machine, showing the pick bar in its rearward extended position, which corresponds to the full lines shown on the left side of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6, is a view inperspective of one of the plck bars.

Fi 7, is a side elevation of the left hand ick ar and its associated parts, the pick ar being shown in the position illustrated in dotted lines B in Fig. 1, and the bed plate being shown in sectional elevation.

Fig. 8, is a view similar to Fig. 7, except the pick bar is shown in the osition illustrated in full lines shown on t e left side of Fig. 1.

Fig. 9, is a perspective view of the rear end of one of the pick bars, slidably and rotatably mounted in a pivotally mounted adjustable bearing.

Fig. 10, is a longitudinal sectional view of the pick bar bearing with the pick bar shown mounted therein infull lines.

Fig. 11, is a transverse sectional view of the pick bar bearing sleeve and pick bar.

Fig. 12, is a perspective view of the camrooved pick bar member and associated hearing, as illustrated in Fig. 10 of the drawing in my aforesaid co-pending application, Serial Number 573,428 Patent 1,517,- 812, December 2, 1924.

In carrying out the aim of my present invention, I employ a suitable inclined load' ing machine bed-plate 1. Rotatably mounted at the forward end ofv the bed-plate 1 are a pair of suitable front sprocket wheels 2 arranged in opposed and suitably spaced relation. A pair of suitable rear, sprocket wheels 3 are rotatably mounted at the rear end of the bed-plate 1 and they are arranged in longitudinal alignment with the front sprocket wheels 2.

A suitable endless conveyor chain 4 rides over each pair of sprockets 2 and 3. Each conveyor chain 4 is provided with a plurality of suitable laterally directed con veyor blades, or arms 5 which are arranged in'suitable spaced relation, as more fully described hereinafter in their timed relation with the partial rotary movement of the picking, tearing down or material loosening bars to be hereinafter'described.

Fixedly connected to the upper ends of each shaft 6 to which shafts 6 the front sprocket wheels2 are fixed, is an eccentric plate 7 having a fixed upwardly directed eccentric pin 8. Loosely mounted at one end upon each pin 8 is a two piece or split hearing 9 which is held from upward displacement by means of a securing nut 10. The two piece or split bearing 9 is provided with a longitudinally disposed bearing opening 11 and the bearing is also provided with a bolt 12 and a securin nut 13 at its end opposite the eccentric pm 8. Briefly, the bearin 9 is oscillatingly supported by the eccentric pin 8, as will be apparent hereinafter.

Conveyor cover plates are represented by the reference numerals 14 and adjustably mounted upon each of these plates 14, is a plate 15 having a pair of opposed longitudinally directed slotted openings 16 through which pass bolts 17 provided with securing nut 18 for locking the plates 15 against displacement upon the conveyor cover plates 14; and yet permitting lon 'tudinal adjustment of the plates 15. T e plates 15 are also provided with transverse slots 19 to receive the bolts 17 when desired to permit lateral adjustment of the plates 15, the ob ject of which will be apparent hereinafter.

An oscillating bearing 20 is suitably supported, or carried by the slotted plate 15 and is provided with a longitudinally directed opening 21 carrying a sleeve 22 which is provided with opposed openings 23 through which pass suitable set screws 24 provided with lock nuts 25. The sleeves 22 extend forwardly a suitable distance beyond the front face of each oscillating bearing member 20.

A coal, or other material picking, tearing down or loosening bar 26 is reciprocatingly and rotatively mounted at its rear end in each bearing sleeve 22, and, journally at its forward reduced wrist end, or section 27 in the split bearing 9. Extending forwardly from the wrist portion 27 of the pick bar 26 is the curved pick section 28 having a pick point 29 which lies in substantial alignment with the longitudinal axis of the bar 26. The rear end of each bar 26 is preferably cylindrical in shape, or circular in cross section, and, is rovided with a pair of opposed longitudina ly directed cam grooves 30 which co-operate with the inner ends of the set screws 24:. The cam grooves 30 are cut so as to make a quarter turn, thus providing the straight rear groove sections 31, the inclined central groove sections 32 and the straight forward groove sections 33. The forward straight groove sections 33 lie substantially at a right angle to the rear groove sections 31.

The straight rear cam groove sections 31 permit the front end of the pick bar to move in a laterally directed forward arcuate path from the outside position to inside position in its pickin tearing down, or loosening movement, whereas the central, or inclined cam groove section 32 causes the desired partial rotative movement of the bar for lifting or raising the forward curved end of the pick bar, and the straight forward grooved sections 33 cause the forward end of the bar to permit of its movement in return direction from its inside position, or point of travel, to its outerside position, or point of travel at a substantially right angle to the position assumed by the forward end of the pick, tearing down and loosening bar while in its picking operation at the pile of blasted coal. The pitch of thegroove of the cam groove section 32 determines the len h of time at and in which the partial rotation of the pick bar takes place, thus determining the time within which the forward pick end of the bar will move from its horizontal position to its vertical position for picking down and loosening the coal in the pile especially, and vice versa.

The movements of the pick bars 26 are timed with the conveyor blades 5 in such a manner that the conveyor blades will start to collect a load, or, in other words, start to enga e the loosened material just as the forwar ends of the pick bars start to rise through rotation and return movement to their initial, or outside starting point, thus causing one of the conveyor blades to move to a sition directly under the forward curved zends of the pick bars 26 b the time the curved pick ends have assume a vertical osition in their rearward extendedposition y partial rotation thereof in their return movement. It will be here observed, that the forward pick ends of the bars 26 are suitably curved, or shaped so that during the partial rotation movement, the pick ends of the bars will retract upwardly and rearwardly from the material collected by the active conveyor blade, thus forming an arch over the load so as not to engage or interfere in any way with the load passing under the curved front ends ofthe 10k bars which loosen the coal in the pile an' tear, or tumble it down so that theconve or blades when moved up to the loosened pile of material, will collect the loosened material and transport it to bedplate 1 for transportation to pit cars, or other suitable vehicles, preferably disposed at the rear end of the loader, as is manifest, but not shown in drawings of this application.

The set of pick bars 26 are preferably timed to work alternately, that is when the curved forward end, or pick point section of one bar 26 is in its rearwardly extended, arched or vertically disposed position, illustrated in full lines and represented by the reference character D in Fig. 1, the pick point section of the other bar will be in its forwardly extended horizontally disposed position, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1 and represented by the reference character B, and, when the pick point of one pick bar 26 is in its outside or starting to pick position, the other pick bar is in its inside position just ready to rotate a quarter turn to allow the load collected by the active moving conveyor blade to pass under the pick point section of the pick bar on its way to a pit car, other vehicle, or dump.

By reference to Fig. 1, of the drawings, it will be apparent that the conveyor blade 5 shown in position E which is next to collect a load, is approaching the position to start around the front sprocket 2, as the pick point section of the pick bar is starting to move in its icking action in an arcuate path from position designated A. to position designated C, during which movement the pick point section assumes a horizontally disposed or laying down position, as clearly shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. When the pick point section has moved to the forwardmost osition designated B, the conveyor collecting the load is just about to start to move around the front sprocket 2 and by the time the pick point section has reached its inward position designated C, the conveyor blade has already started to move around the sprocket collecting its load. This movement of the pick point section scribes the are F which completes its pick ing action and from this position C of the pick point section, the pick point section moves in a'rearward direction to rearward position D. By the time the pick point section has reached this position, the con veyor blade has moved with its collected load to a position directly below the pick point section in position D, which is its rear, rotated raised, or arched position, which permits of the load collected by the conveyor blade 5 to pass undisturbed under the pick point section of the pick bar and start to carry the load to the inclined bed p!a te 1, while the pick point section is being moved from position D to position A, in an arcuate path. From position C to position D, the pick bar rotates a quarter of a turn in a direction to raise the curved pick point sec tion to assume an arched position and from position D to position A, the pick bar ro tates in the opposite direction so as to lower the pick point section to its horizontally disposed or picking position.

Moving the bearing sleeve plate 15 l'orwardly upon the cover plate 14, will. cause the pick point section of the pick bars to assume a horizontally disposed picking position sooner and continue in this horizontally disposed position longer than when the plate 15 is moved in the opposite direction. In other words, in the latter position of the plate because the set screws engage the inclined cam grooves of the pick bar sooner thus making the horizontal sweep of the pick point longer than in the forward posi tion of the sleeve plate 15.

In Fig. 12, I have shown the modified arrangement for. imparting to the pick bar 26 a partial rotar movement, as in Fig. 10, of my aforesai Patent1,517,812. The general construction of the pick bar is the same, as before described, but instead of two opposed cam grooves, I use only one -lon itudinal cam groove. Also, the hearing or the pick bar is rovided with a lug 34 which co-operates wit the cam groove instead of the two set screws 24 to produce the desired artial rotative movement of the pick ars 26.

From the foregoing description, it is'evident that I provide a loading machine which is simple in construction, durable, strong and which in actual work has proven very highly efiicient for the purpose intende whether loading coal or rock.

The many advantages of the herein described invention will readily suggest themselvesto those skilled in the art to which it appertains.

I do not wish to be understood as having limited myself to the details of construction shown and described, but desire to have it understood that the invention I have shown in the drawings is merely illustrative, as it is manifest that various minor changes may he made in the exact construction and particular arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of my invention, hence I reserve the right to make any such changes, or modifications as may fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims when fairly construed.

\Vhat I claim is:

1. In a loading machine structure having conveyor chains provided with laterally directed load engaging blades, a pick bar, means for moving the forward end of said pick bar in a continued orbital path, means for partially rotating the pick bar to raise the forward end of the pick bar free from a load passing under the same and adjustably mounted means for causing/the pick bar to start to rotate at any predetermined time in the return orbital movement of the forward end thereof.

2. In a coal loading machine, a pick bar, means to oscillateand simultaneously efi'ect longitudinal movement of the pick bar,

means operable by and upon longitudinal movement of the pick bar to automatically impart turning'movement to the pick bar and adjustably mounted means whereby the timing of the turning movement of the pick bar may be varied.

3. In a loading machine, an inclined plate a pair of endless conveyors having 5 ace laterally directed load engaging bla es, 9. pair of pick bars, means to oscillate and simultaneously efiect longitudinal movement of the pick bars, means operable b and upon longitudinal movement of the pic bars to' automatically impart turning movement to the pick bars and adjustably mounted means whereby the timing of the turning movement of the pick bars may be varied.

4. In a loading machine, an inclined plate, an endless conveyor having spaced laterally directed conveying blades, a pick bar, means to oscillate and simultaneously effect longitudinal movement of the pick bar, means operable by and upon longitudinal movement of the pick bar to automatically im part turning movement to the pick bar to raise the forward end of the pick bar free from coal torn down and moved by the forward end of the pick bar toward and into the path of the conveying blades and adjustahly mounted means whereby the timing of the turning movement of the pick bar may be varied.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name to the specification.

FRANK N. WILSON

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