EP0062557A1 - Device for enwrapping very long articles, especially conveyor belts - Google Patents

Abstract

Device for enwrapping very long articles to be delivered in rolls and, more especially, flexible conveyor belts, characterised in that it comprises - a rigid frame (1) comprising two spaced lateral supports (5) integral at their lower part with a horizontal chassis (3) and each having at their upper part a bearing (8) which opens in order to receive and wedge end bearing surfaces of the hub (12) of the roll, - a horizontal palette (2), on which the chassis of the frame is fixed, of the type comprising longitudinal members (16) which are perpendicular to the vertical plane of the axis of the roll and raised off the ground to provide a passage for the fork of a lifting truck, at least laterally in the direction parallel to the axis of the roll. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a device for packaging articles of great length delivered in rolls and more particularly flexible conveyor belts for industrial conveyors of goods or materials.

The very long conveyor belts delivered in rolled form give rolls often having from 1.5 to 3 m in diameter and weighing of the order of 3 to 10 tonnes. For this we generally use large wooden drums comprising a cylindrical core and two circular side cheeks. These drums are hardly satisfactory for several reasons. First of all, they are expensive and difficult to recover when they are shipped far from the factories producing the tapes. They are difficult to load on trucks or wagons where they must be carefully chocked. Their maritime transport is often penalized because they are not stackable and do not lend themselves to optimum occupancy of the volume of the holds of ships. On loose ground, the side cheeks sink and can allow the reels to tilt or deform, thus hampering the subsequent unwinding of the tape.

Another known shipping method is to secure the strip, which is wound on a core, on a simple pallet with wedges or a cradle. The system is less expensive, more stable on the ground and can be handled with standard forklifts, but it cannot be stacked.

On the other hand, both of these systems do not lend themselves well to the operations of winding and unwinding the strip which require, both in the manufacturing plant and on the receiving site, the use of apparatus special reels or unwinders suitable for receiving and supporting the winding core of the roll, as well as the use of significant lifting means, such as cranes or lifting bridges, to allow the mounting or dismounting of the roll on these devices. All these materials are expensive, they are not always immediately available, especially at the places of reception and use of the tapes, which increases the costs and times of commissioning of the tapes, with moreover risks of false operations and tape deterioration.

The invention aims to avoid these various drawbacks and to offer a cheaper device, easier to handle, capable of benefiting from more advantageous shipping rates and which, in addition possibly making it possible to conveniently wind the strips in the manufacturing plants and especially their unwinding on reception sites even little equipped with handling equipment.

• - un chavalet rigide comprenant deux supports latéraux écartés solidaires à leur partie inférieure d'un chassis horizontal et ayant chacun à leur partie supérieure un palier ouvrant pour la réception et le calage en rotation des portées d'extrémités du noyau d'enroulement du rouleau,
• - une palette horizontale sur laquelle est fixée le chassis du chevalet du type comprenant des longerons qui sont perpendiculaires au plan vertical de l'axe du rouleau et surélevés du sol par des traverses espacées pour offrir un passage à la fourche d'un chariot élévateur, au moins latéralement dans le sens parallèle à l'axe du rouleau.

To this end, the invention relates to a device for packaging articles of great length to be delivered in rolls and more particularly flexible conveyor belts, characterized in that it comprises:

• - a rigid chavalet comprising two side supports separated apart at their lower part from a horizontal frame and each having at their upper part an opening bearing for the reception and the rotation setting of the ends of the roll winding core,
• - a horizontal pallet on which is fixed the chassis of the easel of the type comprising longitudinal members which are perpendicular to the vertical plane of the axis of the roller and raised from the ground by spaced cross members to provide passage to the fork of a forklift, at least laterally in the direction parallel to the axis of the roller.

Thanks to this combination of easel and pallet, the assembly made up with the roller on its core can be easily handled by means of a simple common type forklift generally available both in the factory as well as on shipping sites and on construction sites. or the tape should be used. In addition, by simply loosening the bearings receiving the spans of the winding core, it can be rotated both to proceed with the winding of the tape to be shipped and to unwind it to put it in place on the installation of the conveyor having to use it and without the need to use special unrolling devices, or the lifting means they require.

More advantageously still, the pallet constituting the base of the device is arranged so as to be flush with or slightly beyond the circumference of the frame of the easel so as to itself form the bottom of a packaging box enclosing the roller, this box being built on the pallet.

This packing case protects the roll during shipping and constitutes a stackable assembly likely to benefit from more advantageous shipping rates. Once returned to the destination, this box can be opened on one side to allow passage to the strip to be unrolled. This packing box can also be openwork, that is to say formed from boards spaced from each other which can allow on the one hand the passage of the strip to be unrolled, on the other hand the access to the opening bearings in order to loosen them to allow the rotation of the roller during the unwinding.

Optionally, the box can be constructed in a rustic manner, sufficiently resistant for transport (for example sawn wood) so as to constitute an inexpensive packaging which can be destroyed on receipt. The remaining easel or easel-pallet assembly thus forms an article which is less bulky than the shipping packaging, so that recovery can often be envisaged by return to the sender or the manufacturer.

In addition to the setting of the roller by tightening the opening bearings of the easel, the packing case may also include internally setting means, such as crosspieces or rails, resting on the roller to keep it in the axial direction and / or in the rotary direction.

• - les fig. 1, 2 et 3 sont des vues en élévation, de côté et en perspective de l'ensemble chevalet-palette,
• - la fig. 4 est une vue en perspective de cet ensemble chargé d'une bande transporteuse et emballé dans une caisse d'expédition.
• - les fig. 5 et 6 sont des vues en coupe de face et de profil montrant un autre exemple de réalisation.

An embodiment of the device according to the invention is now described below with reference to the attached drawings in which:

• - figs. 1, 2 and 3 are elevation, side and perspective views of the easel-pallet assembly,
• - fig. 4 is a perspective view of this assembly loaded with a conveyor belt and packed in a shipping crate.
• - figs. 5 and 6 are sectional front and side views showing another embodiment.

As can be seen more particularly in FIGS. 1 to 3 the device essentially comprises an easel 1 mounted on a horizontal pallet 2.

The bridge itself includes a rigid horizondal chassis 3 in the form of a frame made of metal profiles. On the longitudinal members 4 of this chassis are fixed two lateral supports 5 each formed by two oblique uprights 6 and a vertical strut 7 fixed to the lower bearing 8 of an opening bearing which is completed by a semi-circular stirrup 9 tightened by means of bolts 10. L 'assembly, made for example of metal profiles and / or welded tubes constitutes a rigid support for the conveyor belt 11, which is wound on a cylindrical core 12 which has end bearing surfaces 13 protruding on each side of the roller.

These ranges 13 are received in the bearings 8 which are closed by means of the stirrups 9 to immobilize the core 12 in rotation. Preferably the bearing surfaces 8 of the bearings are completed on the outside by side plates 14 immobilizing the core 12 in the axial direction. These plates are notched to clear the axial recess 15 of the core 12, for example for the passage of an axis or a lifting sling.

Pallet 2 is a conventional type pallet, with two longitudinal members 16 and two wooden cross members 17, but it is arranged relative to the bridge 1 so that its longitudinal members 16 are located under the longitudinal members 4 of the latter's chassis, to which they are fixed (that is to say perpendicular to the vertical plane of the axis of the roller) while the crosspieces 17 are located under the side members 16 to raise the latter relative to the ground. In this way the pallet 2 can be taken by the fork of a conventional type forklift this fork being engaged laterally along the arrow F1, that is to say parallel to the axis of the roller. This arrangement makes it possible to lift the assembly in better balancing conditions on the carriage. As a variant, provision could also be made, under the crosspieces 17, to support pads on the ground parallel to the side members 16 and raising these crosspieces in order to allow the pallet to be taken also in the front direction by the fork of the carriage introduced along the arrow F2.

We also note that the pallet 2 is arranged to be flush with or overflowing the chassis of the easel 1 so that this pallet can be used conveniently to constitute by itself the bottom of a packing case 18 which encloses the easel assembly- pallet and roller. The device obtained is illustrated in FIG. 4 which shows a skeleton type box formed of spaced wooden planks.

This box further comprises at its upper part, under its cover, two crosspieces 19 which are applied against the cylindrical surface of the roller 11 and which form friction pads opposing the rotation of the roller during shipping, completing in celà the immobilization action due to the tightening of the stirrups 9. For a similar purpose the box may also include two side members 20 ensuring the setting of the roller and supplementing if necessary its setting in rotation by friction on the circular lateral faces of the roller. These crosspieces 15 and longrons 20 are assembled so that they can be easily removed.

This box is preferably rustically constructed of sawn wood so that it can be easily opened, or even destroyed at the reception to release the strip to be unrolled. After unrolling the remaining easel-pallet can possibly be recovered by return to the sender.

Naturally, in addition to the possibility of handling by forklift, the entire body can also be lifted by conventional means, for example by slings 21, in particular for maritime loads.

Figures 5 and 6 show another arrangement applicable when it is desired to use a pallet bridge for the transport of a narrower strip than the width for which it is normally provided. We have seen above that the winding core 12 of the strip is itself axially wedged in the bearings 13 but it may be desirable in addition to laterally maintain the wound strip 11 when it is narrower. In this case, two collars 22 are provided axially adjustable on the core 12 and can be tightened on the core to ensure the axial setting of the strip. These collars 22 are preferably in two semicircular opening parts tightened by bolts, each comprising radial arms 23 for the lateral retention of the wound strip 11 during its transport.

Claims (9)

1) Device for packaging articles of great length to be delivered in rolls and more particularly flexible conveyor belts, characterized in that it comprises: - a rigid easel (1) comprising two separated lateral supports (5) integral at their lower part with a horizontal frame (3) and each having at their upper part an opening bearing (8) for the reception and the setting in rotation of the bearing ends of the winding core (12) of the roller, - a horizontal pallet (2) on which the chassis of the easel is fixed, of the type comprising longitudinal members (16) which are perpendicular to the vertical plane of the axis of the roller and raised from the ground by spaced crosspieces (17) to provide a forklift truck passage, at least laterally in the direction parallel to the axis of the roller. 2 °) Device according to claim 1 °, characterized in that the receiving bearings (8) of the winding core (12) comprise means for axially wedging the core, such as lateral abutment plates (14). 3 °) Device according to claims 1 ° or 2, characterized in that the pallet (2), flush or overflows the periphery of the frame (3) of the easel so as to be able to form the bottom of a packing case (18 ) enclosing the roller and whose side walls are fixed to the sides of the pallet. 4 °) Dispositieelon one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the box (18) has internal crosspieces (19) parallel to the winding axis and forming friction pad resting on the roller to complete the setting in the rotary direction during shipping. 5 °) Device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the box has inner beams (20) applying to the end faces of the roller to complete the callage in the axial direction during the expedition. 6 °) Device according to one of claims 4 or 5 and characterized in that the crosspieces (19) and / or the setting beams (20) are easily detachably attached to the upper part of the body, under its cover. 7 °) Device according to one of claims 3 to 6 and characterized in that the packing box) lage is a crate leaving access to the bearings opening the easel and possibly allowing the passage of the strip to be unrolled. 8 °) Device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the winding core (12) of the band supports two collars (22) axially adjustable can be tightened on the core for the axial setting of the strip wound on the core. 9 °) Device according to claim 8 °, characterized in that the clamping collars (22) consist of two opening parts each comprising radial arms (23) for the lateral support of the strip wound on the core.

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