Material or article handling – Marine loading or unloading system – Marine vessel to/from shore
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-14
2002-01-22
Ellis, Christopher P. (Department: 3651)
Material or article handling
Marine loading or unloading system
Marine vessel to/from shore
C414S140800, C198S588000, C198S594000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06340278
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an improvement of a granule transfer apparatus and a granule spreading method, used to transport and place fresh concrete for dams, building structures, etc., transport and spread mortar, or transport and spread earth and sand for reclamation.
BACKGROUND ART
A transfer apparatus for fresh concrete or the like, which comprises a tower mast, a stage, a boom body formed of two or more boom components, etc., is a generally known apparatus described in an international application (WO96/16242) that is subjected to international publication, for example.
Referring now to
FIG. 17
, there will be described an outline of this conventional concrete transfer apparatus.
A tower mast TM contains therein a vessel-shaped carrier CV for pulling up fresh concrete F (concrete not hardened) from a concrete plant or the like onto an elevator body portion EL through the space under the tower mast TM. The vessel-shaped carrier CV is pulled up by means of a lift winch
171
with the aid of a wire rope
170
. The lift winch
171
is fixed to a stage body portion
172
that constitutes the elevator body portion EL.
Supported on the stage body portion
172
is a boom body portion, which is formed of a first boom component C′ and a second boom component C″.
The fresh concrete, pulled up to the upper part of the tower mast TM by means of the vessel-shaped carrier CV, is fed onto a conveyor for fresh concrete transportation (belt conveyor G′), which is provided on the first boom component C′ on the stage body portion
172
, via fresh concrete delivery means
173
and
173
′.
The proximal end of the second boom component C″ is connected to the distal end of the first boom component C′, and these boom components C′ and C″ are arranged continuous with each other, in front and in rear, on a straight line. The first boom component C′ is provided with pulleys
174
and
175
on its opposite ends, individually, and the first belt conveyor G′ is stretched between the pulleys
174
and
175
. The first belt conveyor G′ is driven by a belt conveyor drive motor
176
that is placed on the first boom component C′. The second boom component C″ is provided with pulleys
177
and
178
on its opposite ends, individually, and a second belt conveyor G″ is stretched between the pulleys
177
and
178
. The second belt conveyor G″ is driven by a belt conveyor drive motor
179
that is placed on the second boom component C″.
The fresh concrete F, which is fed onto the first belt conveyor G′ via the fresh concrete delivery means
173
and
173
′, is transported away from the stage body portion
172
by the first belt conveyor G′ and delivered onto the second belt conveyor G″. The fresh concrete on the second belt conveyor G″ is further transported away from the first belt conveyor G′ and dropped onto the ground through the distal end of the second belt conveyor G″.
An upper lift frame
180
is fixed to the stage body portion
172
, while a lower lift frame
182
is fixed to a mast frame
181
of the tower mast TM. A hydraulic cylinder
183
is interposed between the upper and lower lift frames
180
and
182
so that the upper lift frame
180
or the stage body portion
172
can be lifted or lowered with respect to the lower lift frame
182
or the tower mast TM.
The first boom component C′ can be turned on a substantially horizontal plane with respect to the stage body portion
172
by means of a boom turning device
184
. Further, the drawn-up length of the second boom component C″ from the first boom component C′ is adjustable so that the overall transportation length that combines the first and second belt conveyors G′ and G″ can be changed. Accordingly, the point on which the fresh concrete drops through the distal end of the second belt conveyor G″ is settled depending on the angle of turn of the first boom component C′ (and second boom component C″) with respect to the stage body portion
72
and the drawn-up length of the second boom component C″ from the first boom component C′.
If the drawn-up length of the second boom component C″ from the first boom component C′ is reduced, however, the position of the distal end of the second belt conveyor G″, from which the fresh concrete drops, gets nearer to the tower mast TM, but, it never gets beyond the position of the distal end of the first boom component C′ as it approaches the tower mast TM. Thus, the fresh concrete cannot be dropped on any region near the tower mast TM by only making a combination of the first and second boom components C′ and C″ turnable on a substantially horizontal plane with respect to the stage body portion
172
and making the substantial length of the combination of the first and second boom components C′ and C″ changeable.
To solve this problem, a tripper device H is provided on the first boom component C′ so as to be movable with respect to the first boom component C′. The tripper device H enables the fresh concrete, delivered thereto by means of the first belt conveyor G′ on the first boom component C′, to be taken out sideways and dropped on the way. If the tripper device H is situated on the distal end of the first boom component C′, the fresh concrete delivered thereto by means of the first belt conveyor G′ is fed onto the second belt conveyor G″ on the second boom component C″ without being taken out sideways. Accordingly, the point on which the fresh concrete drops from the tripper device H is settled depending on the angle of turn of the first boom component C′ with respect to the stage body portion
172
and the position of the tripper device H on the first boom component C′.
Thus, the conventional fresh concrete transfer apparatus shown in
FIG. 17
has the following problems.
(1) Since the first and second boom components C′ and C″ turn on the horizontal plane with respect to the stage body portion
172
in a manner such that they are arranged continuous with each other, in front and in rear, on a straight line. It is necessary, therefore, to secure a wide area around the tower mast TM that is free from obstacles.
(2) The fresh concrete can be dropped in zigzags onto the ground by gradually moving in the distal end of the second boom component C″ in the dropping position or the tripper device H on the first boom component C′ in a certain direction while alternatingly turning the stage body portion
172
itself that is fitted with the first and second boom components C′ and C″. However, the heavyweight structure that includes the first and second boom components C′ and C″ and the stage body portion
172
has a great inertial mass, so that there is a problem on response when its movement is controlled for fine operation, in particular.
(3) Further, the structure in which the second boom component C″ is connected to the distal end of the first boom component C′ in a straight line requires the structure of the second boom component C″ to be designed for lighter weight. Accordingly, the second boom component C″ or the junction between the first and second boom components C′ and C″ is liable to suffer a problem in rigidity.
In order to solve this problem, the boom on the distal end side (second boom component C″) may be suspended from the tower mast TM in a manner such that one and the other ends of a suspension rope are fixed to the boom on the distal end side and the upper part of the tower mast TM, respectively. Since the boom components are contractible as mentioned before, however, the length of the suspension rope cannot be fixed. It is necessary, therefore, to change the length of the suspension rope as the boom is extended or contracted or give up attaching the suspension rope itself. In
Ellis Christopher P.
Kabuki Construction Co., Ltd.
Staas & Halsey , LLP
Tran Khoi H.
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