Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor section – Bucket
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-04
2003-09-09
Hess, Douglas (Department: 3651)
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor section
Bucket
C198S706000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06615974
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates to a flexible chain serving as the conveyor chain for a cell-type or bucket conveyor system. The endless conveyor strand having the chain supports a multitude of conveyor buckets successively secured in a row, one after the other, and travels around at least two reversing chain wheels disposed at the ends of the conveyor line. One of the reversing wheels is a driven wheel, and the other wheel functions as a tensioning wheel. A chain bucket conveyor system, in particular, a single or double bucket system, has a central chain arranged in the center in relation to the buckets. It has a multitude of inside flat-iron link plates that are arranged in pairs, parallel with each other, with a mutual crosswise spacing that are disposed parallel and symmetrically relative to the longitudinal axis of the chain. The flat iron inside link plates are connected to each other by two chain bolts extending at a right angle in relation to the longitudinal axis of the chain in one plane, forming an inside chain link in the area of their end sections. Each bolt extends through the two inside link plates of a pair of inside link plates associated with them, as well as through two outer link plates with a substantially L-shaped cross section. Each end of the outer link plate flexibly connects to two inner chain links disposed adjacent to each other, in the longitudinal direction of the chain. The outer link plates form fastening angles for securing the chain on a back wall of the conveyor buckets, or on a holding plate that may replace this back wall. The chain has to be connected by fastening means to the back wall of the conveyor buckets. One leg of each outer link plate extends parallel with the inner link plates, and is penetrated by two chain bolts of two inner chain links. The chain bolts are disposed adjacent to each other, and the two inner chain links are also disposed adjacent to one another. In the installed or assembled condition, the other fastening leg of the outer link extends parallel with the outside of a conveyor bucket back wall, and is then connected using a fastening means such as screws. If, however, only each nth (e.g. each second) potential conveyor bucket location is occupied by a conveyor bucket, it has to be connected with a holding plate or the like, so that each center bolt section of a chain bolt extending between the two inner link plates, and engaging the chain under high load as it runs up on the reversing wheels, has a greater diameter than the two end sections of the bolt disposed in the area of the outer link plate. This center enlargement of the diameter serves not only to reduce the area pressure applied to the highly stressed contact areas (and serves to increase the moment of resistance and thus the bending stiffness as well), but also forms ring-shaped stops of each bolt, against which the respective inner link plates can be placed from the outside during installation, so as to maintain their spaced apart position.
The term “cell conveyor” used above relates to a chain bucket system referred to also as an elevator system, and thus is one of the oldest continuous vertical bucket conveyor systems, or inclined bucket conveyor systems, or horizontal swinging bucket conveyor systems for the transport of bulk materials, whose conveying cells or carrying elements are designed as buckets for the bulk material to be conveyed. These buckets are usually made of steel and have a welded or deep-drawn type construction, or of gray cast or aluminum cast, plastic or rubber. They may have different shapes, depending on the type of bulk material to be transported, the shapes being flat, flat rounded, medium-deep, or deep with a plane or curved back wall (see, for example—DIN 15231-15235; 1541-15245; 2220-12223; 22211-22213). The vertical bucket system has the largest widening (see, e.g., VDI guidelines 2324 for “vertical bucket conveyor system”), which is indispensable, for example, as a continuously operating, vertical conveyor for transporting cement clinker in modern cement production plants.
Central chain-type bucket conveyor systems are designed as single-bucket systems, with a strand or line of buckets. However, they may also be designed as double-bucket conveyor systems. Here, two single-strand central chains, each having buckets, are disposed in a common bucket system housing. Each is jointly driven by only one drive by a driving wheel, mounted on a common shaft, whereas the tensioning wheels are generally mounted on separate shafts because the elongation of the two central chains may vary from one chain to the other, so that the tensioning distances that are independent of each other, are extremely useful for a double-bucket conveyor system.
Chains or belts (ropes, also in the past) are used as elements for pulling the bucket systems, whereby chains or ropes may be arranged in a single, or double strand. If a single strand is used as a central chain, it is arranged in the center, in relation to the bucket back wall. A two or double strand design, in a mirror-symmetrical arrangement relative to the center of the buckets, may be designed either on the bucket back wall, or on their side walls.
The pulling elements are made endless and are guided at the ends of the conveyor line. Thus at the head and foot of the bucket system are rollers, or wheels in the form of chain sprocket wheels, or profiled wheels or drums, and reversed at the head and foot. The bucket conveyor system is generally driven at the head, and the required pre-tensioning of the pulling element takes place at the foot. The reversing elements are generally referred to as reversing wheels, a driving wheel, or a tensioning wheel, regardless of what their fixed design is.
The bulk material to be transported is loaded in the buckets by loading or charging devices, such as feed chutes of swing conveyors or a loading bucket system. It can also be scooped up by the buckets at the foot of the bucket system from the so-called “sump” (scooping bucket system), preferably using scooping bucket systems for finely granular bulk materials because the scooping forces, and thus the strain acting on the pulling element and the buckets become very high if bulk material with coarser pieces is transported.
The buckets are emptied either by the force of gravity (slow runner) or by centrifugal force (fast runner), whereby the material is emptied from the buckets by the force of gravity.
Chain bucket conveyor systems have link or flexible chains serving as the pulling elements, whereby the link chains may be designed as chains with round links (round steel chains) or bridge-type chains, which, in conveying technology, are generally employed as hand or load chains on lifting equipment. The link chains, which are known in various designs of construction, are generally considered as being transmission chains, or load chains, as well as conveying chains for chain conveyors.
Bolt chains have the simplest and least costly type of construction of the jointed or flexible chains. As a rule, their link plates (or shackles) directly revolve on chain bolts that are secured (for example by rivets or splints) against displacement in the longitudinal direction.
Bolt chains include roller chains (see, for example DIN 8150) having a plurality of inner and outer link plates per link. Flyer chains (see, for example DIN 8152), as well as draw bank chains without bushings (DIN 8156), or with bushings can be used, (DIN 8157), wherein the flyer chains have a constant diameter throughout, and the diameter of the bolt of the other bolt chain types is generally smaller in the center area of the bolt extending between the inner link plates.
The present invention relates to a flexible chain for a chain bucket system, and in turn, to a single-strand bucket system with a central chain arranged in the center in relation to the buckets. Furthermore, it relates quite generally to cell conveyors even if the cell conveyors are not referred to as “bucket systems” in the narrower definition used in conveying technology. This
Beumer Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG
Collard & Roe P.C.
Hess Douglas
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