US2017044A - Sheet piler - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 15, 1935. J, E. GRAF Er Ar. 2,017,044

SHEET PILER Filed June 25, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 [Qwedoms:

oct. 15, 1935. E GRAF Er AL 2,017,044

SHEET PILER 'Filed June 25, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 15, 1935.

J. E. GRAF ET AL 2,017,044

SHEET PILER Filed June 25, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 ZW W Oct. l5. 1935. J. E. GRAF Er ALy SHEET PILER lwezos:

. GEF/F and Oct. 1.5, 1935. 1 E. GRAF E1- AL 2,017,044

SHEET PILER Filed June 25, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 figa Patented Oct. 15, 1935 PATENT oFr-icE SHEET PILEB Julius E. Gru, Avalon, and william A.

Marshall,

Sharon, Pa., asaimors to American Sheet and Tin Plate Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application :une z5, 1932, serial No. 619,324

12 Claims.

This invention relates to sheet pilers and particularly to those having a support which receives the sheets and descends as the pile increases. These have not been generally satisfactory when handling metal sheets because the increment of weight of the adding load results in avery irregular descent, one 'of the objects of the present invention being to improve the operation of such pilers in this respect. An-

other object is to pile sheets or plates so as to enable easy inspection of the top ones at all times. Other objects may be inferred from the following disclosure of one specific form of the invention, which is particularly intended for use at the delivery of a tin plate cleaning and polishing machine.

The accompanying drawings illustrate this specific form as follows:

Figure 1 is a front elevation.

Figure 2 is a cross-section from the line II--II in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an end elevation. Figure 4is a detail of the braking mechanism.

Figure 5 is a side view of an inching switch controlling the mechanism shown in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is an end view of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a wiring diagram.

Figure 8 is a vertical longitudinal cross-section of a power device for moving the piled sheets from "the piler.

Figure 9 is a top plan of Figure 8 showing the various power connections, and

Figure 10 is an end elevation of Figure 8.

This piler isl constructed for use with a double plate cleaning and polishing machine and comprises duplicate co-related units. Each consists ofl a pair ofl vertical channel bars I having their open faces mutually opposed to form a vertical guideway. Parallel horizontal shafts 2 and 3 arecarried on plates 4 arranged to run vertically in these channel bars on wheels 5 fixed on the shafts. 'Ihe upper shaft 2 carries horizontal arms 6 which have depending ends 'l contacting the shaft 3. vThese armsform the descending pile support which receives the tin plate from the delivery rolls 8 of a cleaning and polishing machine 9.' I

This support is controlled by cables I0 which are wound on drums II passing down beneath the shaft 3 and are fixed through the medium of an adjustable rod I2 to brackets I3 fixed to and near thetops of the end plates 4. The' driving shaft I4 is journaled near the tops of thechannels but out of the path'of the rollers 5, it being possible to raise the support above this shaft because the cables I0 will be lifting from the axis of the shaft 3. Rotation o1' the shaft I4 is controlled as follows.

'Ihe shaft I4 carries a gear I5 on its outer end, which is meshed with a pinion I6 xed on a 6 shaft I'I. This shaft has a squared end, so a crank may be applied to manually raise the support, and turns a ratchet wheel I8 which drives a gear I9 through a pawl 20. This ratchet and ypawl drive is arranged so that when the shaft 10 I1 is turned in support raising direction the gear I9 will be free, and when the shaft turns in descending direction the gear I9 is driven. The gear I 9 is meshed with a pinion 2| xed on a shaft 22.

Rotation of the shaft 22 is controlled by an electromagnetic brake 23. 'Ihis brake is controlled by an electromagnet 23B and is novel inthat its operating armature 24, which is normally urged by a spring 24a to apply pressure to the 20 band 24", carries an arm 25 which strikes a lever 26 the moment the brake is released by energization of the magnet. The illustrated braking mechanism is purely diagrammatical and may be substituted by the conventional commercial 26 product. The lever .26 is really a switch and carries a contact 21 which rises from a contact 28. These contacts 21 and 28 are connected in series with the solenoid of the brake'so that as soon as the brake .is released its circuit will 30 be broken and it will immediately reapply brak ing i'orce to the shaft 22. The lever 26 and the two contactsl are carried on a bracket 29 which may be raised and lowered by a screw 30. This last enables some adjustment of the brake re- 35 leasing period. This brake construction is pro- I vided to prevent release ofthe shaft 22 except for a very short period or periods.

The above brake construction is important because it prevents the free drop of the load through 40 any great distance. Therefore, when the support is heavily loaded it will be impossible for it to drop a distance suflicient to produce a velocity factor where kinetic energy resultsr which the brake 23 cannot control. On the other hand, 45 when the support is but lightly loaded the drop is still free and permits proper descent. Of course, it may be necessary to energize the brake 23 several times when the support is only lightly loaded to produce the lsame result which one 50 energizing may produce when it is heavily loaded. Energizing as here used is intended to mean a single impulse to the solenoid of the electromagnet which, as stated, is very shortly or practically immediately broken by separation of the 5B contacts 21 and 28. It is believed that this method of controlling the descent of a loading piler by means of a series of very short unit distance drops or jerks is new, that is, the control of the velocities of the descending load to factors preventing excessive energy.

The channels I support horizontal bars Il which may adiustably carry side and front guides 32 and 33 and a catcher 34 which may be swung down to receive the sheets being delivered from the cleaning machine when the load on the support is being removed. This catcher is a pair of Y-shaped arms mounted on a shaft 35 whose rotation is controlled by a small hand catch 3S. It is to be noted that the front guide 33 depends directly from the catcher 34 so that when the latter is swung horizontally the guide will be swung out of the way and permit removal of the piled sheets.

Oneof the side plates 32 of each unit carries an inching switch 31 constructed to close the circuit to the solenoid of the electromagnet 23 each time the sheet pile rises. Preferably, this switch consists of a swinging non-magnetic bracket 38 which carries a solenoid 39 and a mercury switch 40. This mercury switchis the one controlling the electromagnet. 'I'he solenoid 39 is arranged to create a flux path through pole pieces 4 I whose faces oppose the sheet pile. When this pile is below these pole pieces their ilux path is open and the bracket 28 swings so that broken and the bracket 38 swings to switch-opening position.

The arms 6, which constitute the sheet pile support, are arranged so that when in their lowermost position they straddle a raised platform 42 'on a buggy 43. This platform then receives the weight of the pile and the buggy 43 may be rolled away from the piler. The arms of a lifttype tractor may then be run under the platform 42 and it and the pile carried to its destination. Another platform is then substituted for the one removed and the buggy-43 back into the piler. During this operation the c tcher 34 is utilized to catch the tin plate which may nowA be removed manually and placed on the top of the new pile. Also, during this time the shaft i1 was manually rotated so that the arms 0 were raised to their uppermost position so that the pile could be started. 'Ihese arms may, of course, be raised, while the buggy 43 is still away from the piler awaiting the arrival ofthe tractor,`

necessary to operate the electromagnetic brake. In addition. a limit switch 44 il supplied to break the circuit to the brake, this being arranged in the path of the pile support to prevent its descent beyond the point where its load is depositl edonthebusgy. Theswitchesl and44and the contacts 2l and 28 are all in series with the magnet 23'* of the brake 23.

If desired, power apparatus may be provided to roll the buggy 4I away from the piler. For lo instance, a cylinder 4| may be nxed to the piler beneath the buggy. This cylinder contains a plunger 4`| fixed to a connecting rod 4l which passes through a stuffing box4l in the front end of the cylinder. This connecting rod is mountis ed to a carriage l0 which runs on ,the floor and carries a cross-head il. This cross-head is removably fixed to the carriage by a pin I2 and has hooked ends lt. Thebuggy is provided with depending arms 54 which are-journaled to swing 2o outwardly on shafts l5 and positioned for engagement by the hooked ends of the cross-head.

Air is supplied to both ends of the cylinder by means of a four-way valve and suitable connecting pipes. 'Ihe pipeA connecting the valvez to the front end of the cylinder is provided with iiow restricting valves il and "e, the latter valve being arranged Ito exhaust directly to the at-y mosphere. In operation, the valve Il is first turned to admit air to the front end of the cylinder. It is then turned to admit air to the rear end of the cylinder, and the cross-head Il moves the buggy. Because of the air compressed in the front end of the cylinder, which must exhaust slowly through the valves Il and Il., rapid acceleration is prevented. When the plunger 4l reaches the end of its stroke the valve u is again turned to admit air to the front end of the cylinder so that the` plunger 41 returns to its original position, the inclined locks of the hooked 4o 4 ends 53 forcing the rear pair of depending arms 54 outwardly and allowing them to gravitaliy drop inwardly for engagement. The four-way valve 56 is again turned to admit air to the rear end of the cylinder 40, and the buggy is rolled 45 entirely clear from the piler. After the buggy is relieved of the pile the cross-head Il is removed from its carriage and replaced in Aa reverse position. 'I'hen by proper reverse manipulation of the valve 58 the buggy can be rolled back to its 50 pile receiving position. l

Although a specific form ofthis piler has been shown and described in accordance with the patent statutes, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention exactly thereto, except as de- 85.

ilned by the following claims.

rWe claim:

1. A sheet piler including a descending pile support, releasable means arranged to control the descent of said support, a solenoid'arranged 00 to release said means, and contacts constructed and arranged in series with said solenoid's energizing circuit and to separate when said means -is released.

vertical channel bars, a pile support including horizontal roller-ended shafts running in said channel bars and respectively positioned by supporting plates and having horizontal arms extending from the upper one of these shafts, drums arranged adjacent the top of said channel bars, cables wound on said drums and liftingly connected to said pile support at points beneath said upper shaft thereof, means for turning said drums in support raising direction, means for braking or allowing said drums to intermittently turn in support lowering direction, and means for causing said last named'means to allow said turning movement when the pile on said support rises above a predetermined level.

4. A sheet piler including a catcher for holding sheets while the piler is being unloaded, said catcher comprising vertically swinging allned Y-shaped arms opening toward the delivering direction of the sheets being piled. and releasable means for holding said arms in horizontal or vertical positions.

5. A sheet piler including lateral guides, an end guide and a sheet catcher, said catcher including vertically swinging alined Y-shaped arms opening towards the delivering direction of the sheets being piled and said guide being carried by said catcher in alinement therewith.

6. A steel sheet piler including a gravity operated descending pile support, an electromagnetically operated brake arranged to control the descent of said support and a switch arranged to control said brake, said switch including means for creating a magnetic lux path at a podtion where the edges of sheets on said support are in the same and means for electing its operation by an increase or decrease in the density of said lux path caused by the number of said sheets.

'1. A steel sheet piler including a gravity operated descending pile support, an electromagnetically operated brake arranged to control the descent of said support and a switch arranged to control said brake. said switch including means for creating a magnetic lux path at a position where the edges of sheets on said support are in the same and means for electing its operation byanincreaseordecreaseinthedensityofsaid 4ilux path caused by the number of said sheets.

and said brake being associated with means for limiting its operation to a series of momentary releasals regardless of the controlling operation of said switch.

8. A steeLsheet piler including a pile support.

means for guiding moving-sheets to said support. said support and said means being relatively' movable so that the latter may guide sheets to the top of an increasing pile of the same on the vfox-mer. means for electing relative movement betweensaidsupportaudtheilrstnan'lcdmeansy and a switch for controlling the second named means, said switch including means for creating a magnetic iiux path at a position where the edges of sheets on said support are in the same and means for electing its operation'by an in- 5 crease or decrease in the density of said ilux path caused by the number of sheets in the same.

9. A sheetpiler including a sheet-pile support, means for mounting said support for free descent, a brake for restraining descent of said 1o support, said brake being releasable so that said support can descend through distances sumcient to accommodate increases in the height of a sheet-pile thereon, and means for retarding the otherwise free descent of said support through l5 said distances.

l0. A sheet pilerv including a sheet-pile support, means for mounting said support for free descent, a brake for restraining descent of said support, means automatically responsive to in- 20 creases in the height of a sheet-pile on said support for electing releasals of said brake so that said support can progressively descend through distances sulicient to accommodate said increases and means for retarding the otherwise 25 free descent of said support through said distances, the third named means functioning independently ofthe second named means' responses to said increases.

il. -A sheet piler including a sheet-pile support. means for mounting said support for free descent, a brake for restraining descent o! said support, means automatically responsive only to increases in the height of a sheet-pile on said support which are equal to the thickness of a plurality of the sheets, for electing releasals of said brake so that said support can progressively descend through distances approximately equaling said increases and means functioning independently of the second named means responses to said increases for retarding the otherwise free descent of said support through said distances.

l2. A sheet piler including a sheet-pile support, means for mounting said support for free descent, a brake for restraining descent of said support, means automatically responsive only to increases in the height of a sheet-pile on said support which are equal to the thickness of a plurality of the sheets, for electing releasals of said brake so that said support can progressively descend through distances approximately equal-l ing said increases and means functioning independently of the second named means responses to said increases for electing quickly repeated reapplications and releasals of said brake during Il the otherwise free descent of said support through said distances.

JULIUS E. GRAF. WILLIAM A. MARSHALL.

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