US1732207A - Bucket and boom conveying and distributing mechanism - Google Patents

Description

' Oct. 1929. s, SHAFER, JR 1,732,207

BUCKET BOO CONVEYING AND DISTRIBUTING MECHANISH Filed Aug. 17,1926 I 2 sheets-sheet 1 ttoz nag Odi. l5, 1929. -v 5, SHAFER JR A '1,732,207

BUCKET AND B00 ll CONVEYING AND DISTIIBUTING MEGHANISM Filed Aug. 17. 192e z sneexssneeft 2 Patented @et 15, 1929 NrrED STATES PATENT OFFICE SAMUEL SI-IAFER, JR., OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO CHAIN BELT COM- IPANY, OF MILW'AUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN BUCKET AND BOOM CONVEYING AND DISTRIBUTING MECHANISM Application filed August 17, 1926. Serial No. 129,813.

My invention relates to conveying and distributing apparatus oi the bucket and boom type such as now is commonly used upon paving machines, and it has Afor its object to improve such apparatus Y in particulars to be hereinafter pointed out. In Patent 1,290,537 dated January 7, 1919, to Donald Fraser, there is illustrated conveying and distributing apparatus of the specific type to which my invention relates. While my invention is particularly intended for use in connection with paving machines, it is not necessarily limited in its useful applications to machines of that character.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of apparatus embodying my invention. o

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional View on the-line II-II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional viewpon the line III-III of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is aside elevatio-n 'showing a different adustment of parts from what is illustrated in Fig. 1. v

In the drawings 2 indicates in outline the discharge end oie a concrete mixing drum that is supported in a framework 3 constituting part of a road-paving machine. There is supported by the framework adjacent to the delivery end of the concrete 'mixer a bracket 4 in which is mounted the vertical pivot 5 of a horizontally adjustable boom 6, that constitutes a. track or way along which travels Y a carriage or trolley 7 from which is suspended a bucket 8 that is adapted to receive the mixed concrete from the drum 2 through a discl'iar'ge or delivery chute 10. The bracket 4 is constructed with two rather widely separated bearings 19, 19 for theyvertical pivot 5 of the boom. There are severaladvantages incident to thus constructing the bracket as will be pointed out. It is now recognizedthat it is desirable to rigidlyattach the carriage or trolley 7 to the upper forward or outer end of the bucket, as represented at 37 in the drawings, in order that the bucket may run up close under the delivery chute 10.k This arrangement makes it necessary that the portion of the carriage 7 that carries the inner trolley wheels l2 shall overhang the bucket. By dividing the bracket 4 to form the two separated bearings 19, 19 there is provided an ample space for the inwardly extending, o-verhanging por-y tions of the carriage and the trolley wheels 12 to enter, when the bucket comes to its inner loading position. Further by forme ing the bracket as described, the vertical pivot of the boom is supported infwidely separated bearings, which is of great practical advantage, as is apparent. The pivot 5 is represented as being provided with a pair of ianges or collars 40, 40 which are spaced apart so as to respectively engage with the inner surfaces of the bearings 19 thus insuring that the pivot shall be properly posi-Y tioned and supported and that the bearings shall be held and supported at proper distances apart without undue strain being placed upon them.

The track portion of the boom is extended inwardly beyond the vertical pivot 5 and into the space between the two separated parts of the bracket 4, as clearly represented in Fig. 1, so that the innermost trolley wheels ..12 and the overhangingjportions of the carriage maybe supported by the track when they enter the space between the separated' parts of the bracket, as has been described. There is loosely supported upon the pivot 5, preferably near its upper end, and above the upper bearing 19, a disk or plate 25. This disk carries a segmental gear 26, with which Vengage-s a pinion constitutingv part of the mechanism 27 by which the plate 25 is rotated and the boom adjusted horizontally. This mechanism 27 is conveniently supported upon the bracket 4, as represented. The plate 25 carries the mechanism 28 by which the boom isadjusted vertically about its pivot 29.

30 are arms secured to the vertical pivot 5 and extending outward therefrom close to one face, preferably the upper one, of the disk or plate 25. Coiled springs 31 engage with the arms 30 near their outer ends, being located between the arms and projections 32 on the disk or plate 25. It will be understood that when the mechanism 27 is operated and the disk 25 turned, one of the springs 31 will be compressed, the other one expanded before -action of the springs, without imparting shocks and strains to the adjusting gearing, either when such gearing is started in its movements or when ceasing to move.

The means, for causing the traverse of the bucket along the boom, are not illustrated be'- l yond the cable 15 and the pulleys 13 about which the cable passes, as such means may be of any usual or preferred character.

rllhe bucket 8 is of the bottom-discharge type and is provided with a pair of closing doors 9, connected by gearing 14 so as to operate together, and preferably provided at their meeting edges with angle .strips 38. The doors are preferably of the self-closing type, arranged, when left free, to fall into a central position closing the bucket, under the influence of gravity. It will be understood that springs might be employed to supplement the action of gravity for this purpose, should this be found desirable.

rThe construction of the doors, as represented and described, and their connection,

serve to lock them when in closed position, against the weight of the material delivered to the bucket and until the doors are positively opened. l

For automatically opening the doors to permit the discharge of the bucket l employ mechanism, manually controlled, of the general type illustrated in the aforesaid Fraser patent.

11 represents a link connecting one of the doors 9 with a sheave or pulley 16 supported in a bracket or other suitable mounting 22 carried by the bucket. To this sheave is connected, preferably by being wound about its periphery, a free ruiming endless cable 17 that extends outwardly from the sheave and passes around a pulley 18 at the forward end ofthe boom, whence it turns and passes to and about another pulley 18 at the rear end of the boom, whence it returns to the sheave 16. The link 11 is preferably extensible, being formed of a lower section 33 connected with one of the doors and an upper section 311 connected with the sheave or pulley 16. The upper section is preferably formed of two parts which together constitute a yoke that straddles the wheel or pulley, as shown in Fig. 2, being pivotally connected to the latter at rlhe two sections of the link are united bybolts 36 and one, or both, of the sections are provided with a plurality of perforations for the bolts, permitting the adjustment of the link as represented in Figs. 1 and 4.

1 indicates a brake arranged to bear upon the pulley 18 at the inner end of the boom. This brake is arranged to be manually controlled, it being represented as being connected with an operating handle 24; by a cable 23 suitably supported and directed by a pulley or pulleys.

The operation of the apparatus described will now be setforth. lt has been stated that in the art, causes the cable 15 to be moved ,I

which in turn drags the bucket and its carriage along the boom. As these move outwardly, the free ruiming cable 17, which 1s connected with the bucket through the wheel or pulley 16, moves freely over its supporting pulleys 18. But as the place forthe delivery of the material `within the bucket is approached the operator'euts off the power that` is causing the outward movement of the bucket, and applies the brake 21 to the pulley 18, and this latter retards the free movement of the cable 17, with the result that as the bucket completes its outward movement under inertia there is a pull upon the pulley 16 Vtending to move it in the direction of the arrow a in Fig. 1. The parts of the apparatus are adjusted so that this pull is of sufficient force to open the doors 9. The lpulley or wheel 16 is a convenient means for applying power to rotate the shaft 39 on which it is i supported and it also serves as a crank arm for the attachment of the upper end of the link 11, which, as the shaft is turned, moves from the position represented in fulllines in Fig.

l-the position occupied when the doors are closed-to thevposition indicated by dotted lines in said figure-the position occupied when the doors are open--allowing.the load to be discharged.

J ust as the parts come to the positions indicated inv dotted lines the upper section EA of the link comes into engagement with the projecting ends of the shaft 39, arresting its further movement, but not until the` pivotal connection, 35, between the link 11 and the wheel or pulley 16 has passed beyond the projected line uniting the axis of shaft 39 and the pivotal connection of the link with the door, thus locking the doors in open position. VBy reason of the doors being geared together at 14- the two are correspondingly opened and closed. The doors 9 being opened as described and the load delivered, the operator now causes the return traverse of the bucket to the position shown in Fig. 1 to be recharged. I prefer that the lock which has been described for maintaining the bucket in open position shall be suiiciently rigid to cause a synchronous movement of the cable 17 with the return of the bucket, although the lock might be so slight that the' friction and inertia of the cable would cause the pivotal point 35 of the link to be moved over its dead center when the return movement of the cable is started, whereupon the doors would close automatically by gravity and in so doing move the pulley 16 to the position represented in Fig. l, as soon as the return movement of the bucket commences. lWhen, however, the parts are regulated so that the return movement of the bucket does not of itself cause the closing of the doors, then this is effected by the operator applying the brake and retarding the free movement of the cable 17 whenever he desires the doors to be closed,

which would usually be just before the bucketr reaches its inner loading position ready to be charged. Y

The angular strips 38 atthe edges of the doors may be utilized as spreading means for the charge of material which has been delivered from the bucket. When they are to be so used the operator causes the doors to be closed and then moves the bucket over the mound of material just delivered one or more times as may be required to effect the desired spreading.

By making the link 11 extensible the doors of the bucket may be opened to a greater or less extent, as may be desired. For instance, if it should be desiredto gradually discharge the load of the bucket rather than dumping practically the entire load at once the link is lengthene-d, as indicated in Figa, with the result that the wheel l0 turns a shorter distance before being arrested by the engagement of the upper portion of the link with the shaft 39, as compared with the distance it turns when the link is shorter as in'Fig. l, and the result is that the doors are not so widely separated. When the material is to be delivered slowly, through opening the doors but a short distance, the brake 2l should be applied before the power that causes the outward traverse ofthe bucket is cut off, thus permitting the desired discharge of the material.

What I claim is:

1. The combination of a boom supported on a vertical pivot to permit it to swing horizontally, a plate member supported concentrically relative to the vertical pivot of the boom and free to move rotatively relative to the latter, arms projecting outwardly from the axis of the pivot and connected with the boom so as to turn therewith, resilient means between the arms and the plate member through which movements imparted to the plate member are transmitted to the boom,

' and means for rotatively moving the plate member to cause horizontal swinging-of the boom.

2. The combination of a boom supported on a vertical pivot to permit it to swing horizontally, a plate member supported upon the vertical pivot of the'boom and free to turn relative thereto, arms projecting outwardly in opposite directions from the vertical pivot, springs interposed between the arms and the plate member through which relative movements between these parts are transmitted one to the other, and gearing for causing rotative movements to be imparted to the said plate member.

3. In a concrete mixing apparatus the combination with the mixing drum, supporting frame work at the discharge end of the latter, a boom extending awa-yl from the mixing drum, a bucket adapted for receiving and conveying away the product of the mixing drum, and a carriage movable along the boom, of a vertical pivot for supporting the boom and permitting it to swing horizontally, and a bracket secured to the framework and formed with widely separated bearings in which the vertical pivot for the boom is supported, there being a free open space between the parts of the bracket carrying the bearings in-to which the carriage supporting the bucket may extend as the bucket comes to position to receive a charge from-the mixing drum.

4. In a concrete mixing apparatus the combination of a swinging boom adapted to support a delivery distributing bucket, a vertical pivot for supporting the boom formed with spaced-apart collars and a bracket secured to the framework of the apparatus, formed with widely separated bearings in which the vertical pivot is supported, there being a free open space between the parts of the bracket carried by the bearings, and the collars on the vertical pivot. being disposed to engage respectively with the inner surfaces of the bearings.

5. In a concrete mixing apparatus the combination with a mixing drum, supporting4 framework adjacent to the discharge end of the drum, a distributing boom, a bucket adapted for receiving and conveying away the product of the mixingdrum, and a carriage movable along the boom and supporting the bucket, of a vertical pivot supporting the boom and permitting it to swing horizontally, the pivot being provided with spaced- A apart collars, a bracket secured to the framework and formed with bearings widely separated from each other in which the vertical pivot of the boom is supported, the collars on the pivot bearing respectively against the inner faces of the bearings and there being a free open space between the parts of the bracket carrying the bearings into which the carriage on the boom may extend as the bucket comes to position to receive a charge from the mixing drum, and means for swinging the boom upon its pivot supported by the portion of the bracket carrying the upperl pvot bearing.

6. In a concrete mixing apparatus the cornbination of a swinging boom carrying tracks, a carriage the Wheels of Which run upon the said tracks, a distributing bucket supported by the carriage, a vertical pvot for Supporting the boom, and a bracket in which is supported the Vertical pivot, formed with widely separated bearings in which the pivot is mounted, there being a free open space be-` tween the separated parts of the bracket, the track portions of the boom extending inward 1y beyond the vertical pvot and into the space between the separated parts of the bracket, permitting the Wheele of the carriage that supports the bucket to pass into the said space.

SAMUEL SHAFER, JR.

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