Buckles – buttons – clasps – etc. – Clasp – clip – support-clamp – or required component thereof – Having gripping member shifted by operator
Patent
1996-06-17
1998-07-07
Sakran, Victor N.
Buckles, buttons, clasps, etc.
Clasp, clip, support-clamp, or required component thereof
Having gripping member shifted by operator
24522, 24571, 1988361, A44B 2100, B65G 4700
Patent
active
057749515
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to clamps and more specifically to clamping devices for securing skirts to skirt plates in position along the edge zones of a conveyor belt.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is well-known, particularly with so-called volume conveyor belts in mining, to provide upright wear plates above the usually-upturned side strips of the belt. Such plates act as guides or doctors to contain the flow of, for example, coal which is being conveyed. The wear plates terminate a short distance above the belt and, to counter the inevitable migration of smaller coal particles, it is also known to provide outer skirt plates which are mounted on the wear plates and carry usually resilient skirts to more-or-less engage the (moving) conveyor belt near its outer edges. Particularly in cases where high volume flow is not required and/or when the material conveyed is not very abrasive, wear plates may not be necessary and all the necessary containment can be effected by skirt plates and skirts. One problem associated with conveyor belt skirts which, acting almost as scrapers, require periodic adjustment and/or replacement, lies in the difficulty of removable attachment to the skirt plates. Various clamping systems have been employed, but none has been very satisfactory for reasons including high cost, complexity and the inclusion of separable parts such as wedges which, if not tethered, can readily be lost in the often dimly-lit and usually hazardous environment of a mine gallery.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a flexible skirt may be releasably and adjustably clamped to a conveyor skirt plate by driving a locking member with a hammer to cause an inclined ramp surface in an elongated slot in the locking member to slide along a stationary pin of a clamp body. As the locking member slides along the pin in the clamping direction, it exerts a force on a clamp plate that has an abutment surface abutting the skirt and exerting a clamping force to clamp the flexible skirt against the skirt plate. To release the clamping force in order to adjust the position of the skirt relative to the conveyor belt, the locking member is driven in the opposite direction with the ramp surface sliding along the pin and decreasing the force applied by the locking member to clamp member and from the clamp member to the flexible skirt.
Preferably, the position of the clamp member, the clamp body and the locking member may be shifted longitudinally along skirt plate to exert a clamping force at different locations longitudinally with respect to the conveyor belt. To this end, a channel is mounted on the skirt plate above the flexible skirt, the clamp body, and blocking member are slidable along the channel when the locking member is in its release position. Preferably, the clamping member has a bore in its large enough to permit the locking member to pass therethrough when the clamp member is pivoted to a position at right angles to the clamping plate. Thus, the clamping member may be removed for installing or when replacing a flexible skirt. The pin retains the locking member on the clamping body because the pin is in the elongated slot which is a closed slot. Thus, the locking member will not be separated from the clamping body and become lost.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a half sectional view of a conveyor belt system incorporating wear plates and also skirt plates and skirts clamped in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view on a larger scale, of the system shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a side elevation of a clamp;
FIG. 4 is a plan view of one type of clamp plate;
FIG. 5 is a side elevation, partially sectioned of a clamp as used in a right angle relation to a conveyor belt;
FIG. 6 is a side elevation, partially sectioned, of a clamp used vertically with a conveyor belt;
FIG. 7 and 8 show a clam
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Close Brian
Hart Bruce
Flexible Steel Lacing Company
Sakran Victor N.
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