Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor section – Bucket
Patent
1997-06-09
1998-11-10
Bidwell, James R.
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor section
Bucket
198712, 198713, B65G 1736
Patent
active
058330470
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to an apron conveyor whose elements--which consist of plates with perpendicularly adjoining lateral walls and which overlap one another--are arranged on ladderchains and have a pitch which corresponds to the chain pitch. In order to minimise wear to the plates, contact-free overlapping of the plates is provided. For sealing, in the overlapping region of the plates the transverse edges of the latter are provided on the one hand with a leg directed upwards from the plate plane and on the other hand with a roof-shaped arch which spans the upwards-directed leg of the adjacent plate and from which there issues a leg which is directed downwards towards the plate plane and together with the roof-shaped arch and the upwards-directed leg of the adjacent plate forms a pocket and thereby a type of labyrinth seal of the overlap. The roof-shaped arches can serve as a retaining strip when the apron conveyor is used for steep-gradient conveying. An apron conveyor of this type is for example known from DE-C2-34 38 231.
To connect the plates to the chains, in each case one of the side bars of each side-bar pair is provided with a moulded-on, bent flange whose bent part is provided with holes and is connected to the associated plate by means of screw or rivets. The screw or rivet heads resting on the plates are in contact with the material to be conveyed, are thereby subjected to wear and--depending on the nature of the material to be conveyed--form corrosion centres. The connection of the chain side bars to the plates and the form of the plates with regard to the design of the roof-shaped arch are contradictory and a compromise is required. It is also necessary to keep the connection at a distance from the lateral walls of the plates. This results in a comparatively small distance between the two chain strands, this comparatively small distance having an unfavourable effect with regard to the bending moment acting upon the plates through the weight of the chains--the weight of the chains lies in the order of magnitude close to the weight of the material to be conveyed--and with regard to the bending moment acting on the chain wheel shaft. Moreover, the chains are also arranged at a relatively great distance from the lateral walls so as to have space for axle pin holders which are secured to the underside of the plates and receive the axle pins of the bearing rollers of the apron conveyor.
It is the object of the invention to eliminate the above-mentioned disadvantages of the apron conveyor through a design which copes with stresses better.
This object is accomplished in that with an apron conveyor of the construction described above and outlined in accordance with the preamble of claim 1, at the elements formed from the plates with the perpendicularly adjoining lateral walls, in extension of the lateral walls there are, in accordance with the invention, provided flanges which are connected to the lateral walls or are formed by the lateral walls, the chain side bars being connected to the flanges with lateral contact. Aside from the fact that use can be made of standardised ladder-chains with which only one side bar of each side-bar pair has to be provided with two holes (in particular threaded holes) for connection to the flanges of the elements, the chains can be arranged at the outermost edge of the plates, at the greatest possible distance from one another, whereby the chains move into the immediate vicinity of the rollers supporting the apron conveyor and the elements are subjected to minimal bending stress. The arrangement of the chain wheels in the immediate vicinity of the shaft mounting is likewise possible, so that bending stressing of the chain wheel shaft can also be kept low.
In a further development, in accordance with a further feature of the invention, together with the chain side bars, axle pin holders--lying opposite the chain side bars at the flanges of the lateral walls--can be connected to the flanges, so that separate axles or axle pin holders separately secured to the plates and
REFERENCES:
patent: 565334 (1896-04-01), Dodge
patent: 4325478 (1982-04-01), Richard
patent: 4503971 (1985-03-01), Larchmann
patent: 5143203 (1992-09-01), Hinner
Bidwell James R.
Howe Michael
Malek Alfons
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