US1704917A - Dewatering vehicle - Google Patents

Description

E. w, MCCULLOUGH ET AL March 12, 1929.

" DEWATERING VEHICLE Filed May is INVENTORS. fRw/v n4 M-Guzmmm Tel/4r NOLEM A TTORNEYJ.

Patented Mar. 12, 1929.

' UNITED STATES rarer DEwArnRINe VEHICLE.

Application filed May 15,

This invention relates to a dewatering device for garbage hauling vehicles and the like.

The chief object of this invention is to improve vehicles for hauling garbage and the like by providing the sainewit'h suitable n'icans for permitting the water and the liquids to be separated frompthe garbage solids and-be maintained separate following separation.

'The chief feature of the invention consists in providing a compartment forming construction adjacent the bottom, which CO1DPfill3111611tf01'111l11gCOHStlLlClLlOH is adapted tosustain a part of the load of the vehicle; and in so sustaining said load automatically separate from the same the liquid content and permit its collection in the lower compartment formed by said construction, from which the liquid can be readily removed without the simultaneous removal of thesolids content. 7

The full nature of the invention will be. understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims: I

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a garbage collection vehicle. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view with the invention incorporated therein and is taken in the plane of line 22 of Fig. 3 and in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the vehicle body and is taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2 and in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 4 is a diagrainniatic view of a portion of the vehicle bottom and the compartment-forming construction showing the same in the loaded and unloaded positions, Fig. 5 is a view similar to F1 8 and of a modified form of the b invent1on. 1mg. 6 1s a view similar to Fig.

. l and of the modification shown in Fig. 5.

It has been experimentally determined that themost economical way of handling garbage or similar material is to separate the water content from the solids content, following which separation the solids content may be subjected to any desired form of treatment for garbage disposal purposes. The most etlicient method of such separation is to cause the separation of the liquid from the solids content substantially at the time that the material is collected. When asufficient quantity of liquid content has been separated, the vehicle may be positioned adjacent any convenient manhole or sewer and 1924. Serial No. 713543. f

the liquids discharged therein, following which additional material may be supplied viously. or if it has been discharged and additional liquid hasbeen separated fromthe Price.

garbage material, the vehicle when received at the plant is permitted to discharge said liquid contents prior to the discharge of, the solids content. One'form ofthe invention is convention ally illustrated herein and con sists of a vehicular framework 10 provided with the supporting wheels 11 and with other usual vehicular parts. The vehicle herein illustrated. may be adapted foranimal. or power-draft purposes and also may be of the trailer type, without departing in any way from the invention herein disclosed. The vehicle frame loadjacent the rear end is provided with a pivotl2 which pivotally supports upon-a horizontal axis the vehicle body which herein is shown comprised of an end wall 18, a pair of side walls ll which may or may not be parallel and a bottom 15, which see Fig. 3 is disclosed as pitched or inclined toward the center for drainage pur poses. The .side walls 14. instead of being parallel as herein .illustrate .l may be also pitched inwardly toward the bottom or in any other way. The back of the body thus formedis closed by a suitable plate or end 16, which herein is shown positioned at an angle to thevertical, andtheangle is such that when the body is appropriately tilted upon the pivot 12, the end 16 is inclined downwardly from the horizontal equal to an angle sufficient to permit the ready. discharge of the garbage material. All of the foregoing is old in the art and forms no part. of the present invention. 7 I v The body previously describedv is prefer,-

ably relatively non leakable, and within said therein. If desired, the plate may be suitably reenforced by longitudinal braces or transverse braces orribs, but herein the same is not illustrated. The plate compartment forming member is adapted to be hinged along one longitudinal edge by a plurality of hinge. means, such as the hinges 20. Herein three of such hinges are illustrated, but the number may be increased or decreased at Will. The other 'or opposite end of the V-shaped plateis adapted to bear upon the bottom 15 on a linesubstantially opposite the hinge axis. The dotted lines in Fig. 3 illustrate one position of the compartment-forming member when tilted into cleaning position. It Will be noted that the hinge axis is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body, but transverse to the pivotal axis of the body.

The compartmentiorming construction previously described may extend from the front end 13m the rear end 16 of the body and forms a covered trough having any desired capacity. This trough constitutes also a collection compartment for the liquid and it has been experimentally determined that the capacity ofone barrel for the average vehicle capacity of the type of vehicle herein disclosed is sufficient. Itwill, of course, be readily understood that a compartmentforming construction is not to be necessarily restricted to the V-shaped or angular outline but a curved, corrugated or other conformation could be readily substituted for that herein disclosed and function substantially as Well. The V-shaped plate herein dis-- closed, however, constitutes the simplest type of construction, for nothing more is required than the hinges and the plate. No bearing flanges are necessary, although the same may be provided at the free end of the compare ment-liorming construction or at the hinge edge or at both edges. It will, of course, be understood that any suitable mechanism may be provided :tortilting the body from the full line position shown in Fig. 2 into the dotted line position.

Reference Will now be had to Figs. 3 and 4, In these figures there is illustrated one form of a load-sustaining compartment forming construction, and the same is illus trated as a V-shaped perforated plate. PS shown clearly in Fig. 4 the full line position indicates the normal or non-loaded position of the construct-ion when the vehicle contains little or no load. The dotted line indicates a possible position of the compartment-forming construction When the vehicle is fully or heavily loaded and the plate is yieldablc. It Will be readily apparent that there inay be relative movement between the plate and the body of the vehicle, which valve is closed under all conditions.

movement varies with the vehicular vibration and bumping. Thus, the volume and the shape of the compartment formed by the loadsustaining construction may vary from time to time. Such vibration will cause an automatic separation of the liquids from the solids content of the garbage material or the like. V

The liquids separated from the garbage material leaving the solids content positioned Within the main; portion of the vehicle body is trapped in the liquids compartmentso "formed, and provision is herein madefor releasing said separated liquid by providing a valve. The valve is herein indicated by the numeral 21, and the same is of the molasses-cock type, "for it has been found that this is substantially the only type of valve which will permit the discharge of liquid from the compartment formed Within the vehicle body and substantially seal the outlet therefrom when the The general run of valves Will not always suhstantially sealythe outlet from drippage. This drippage not only is u sanitary but causes complaints from the householders by reason of the odor of the drippage, discharged upon the roadway and fly nuisance resulting therefrom. i

From the foregoing desc iption, it will be apparent that the load-supperting screen forms t-vt'o co;npartments, the larger being the upper compartment and the smaller bethe lower compartment and adapted to contain the solids and the liquid contents respectively upper and lower referring to the load centers. With this automatic sepe-- ration there secured increased capacity for the vehicle body, for the solids material may be piled in the center eta body to a height greater than the top Wall or edge of said body. "his heaping, therefore, permits the collection and transportation of a renter amount of material than lwretollcre' :1

has been possible. It desired, such heaping can be substantmlly g irevented by providing suitable coveis tor the body. These covers are old in the art and also form no part of the present invention.

i nether advantage of the use of the invention consists in the automatic separation of the licp (ls from the solids so that when the garbage is discharged into the vehicle by the collector, the same is not discharged into a water mixture, but is discharged upon a relatively solid mass. splashing, and spillage is substantialy eliminated, and the public health is safeguarded from these unsanitary conditions.

Another advantage of the use'of the invention is' that the separation of the liquids contentt'rom the solids content reduces or secures the practical elimination of fBllIlGllpossible.

tation and decomposition of the garbage material. Thus little offensive odor is created. 1 v Another advantage of the use of the invention consists in the separation of the liquids from the solids, and in such separation a greater amountof free grease is recoverable with the liquor than ordinarily is recoverable from the usual garbage material without reduction treatment. Increased grease yield is due to other causes, such as the elimination or reduction of splashing and due to the decreased fermentation.

Another, and perhaps the most important feature of the invention, consists in the sep aration of the solids from the liquid and the, retention of the solids material in a form that is in better condition for subsequent garbage reduction than heretofore has been All of the foregoing results, therefore, as well as many others which have not been enumerated are due directly or indirectly to the automatic separation of the liquid content from the solids content of the garbage material or the like, which occurs substantially at the timeof the col-- lection. I

In Fig. 5 there is illustrated a modified form of the invention, and in this form the bottom 115 is shown flat, altl'iough it may be otherwise formed and connected thereto are the sides 114. Due to the peculiarities of thechassis upon which this relatively nonleakable body has been mounted. and of theshape of the body, it has been difficult to retain a valve in position centrally of said body. Therefore, there has been provided two plates, one indicated by the numeral 117 and the other by the numeral 118. The plate 117 is anchoredby hinge means 119 and the plate 118 is anchored by hinge means 120, thereby forming two compartments which may be parallel with each other, and each of which is provided with a valve 121, a

though if desired the two compartments may be suitably joined and one valve control the common discharge. The action of this modification is identical with the first modification previously described. The preferred construction is that illustratedparticularly in Figs. 2 to 4, because said modification re quires a minimum number of parts.

\Vhile the invention has been described in great detail in the foregoing specifications, the same is'to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character. Many modificat ons of the specific form of the foregoing invention will undoubtedly suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, but all of these 'modificatons are considered to bewlthin the broad purview of the invention, reference being had to the leakable elongated body having a load receiving and discharge mouth and tiltably supported upon an axis transverse to the body axis and tilt-able for discharge of the tank contents from the mouth and including an opening in its lowest portion constituting the sole liquid discharge therefrom,

and a load-sustaining compartment-forming screen positioned within the body and extending longitudinally thereof substantially from end to end and having its longitudinal edges associated with the body and constituting the sole supportfor said screen, said screen being'hingedly supported upon an axis transverse to the body pivot axis and forming a compartment drained by said opening. 1

2. In a dewatering vehicle," abody, ascreen plate bent at substantially right angles longitudinallyto provide a load-sustaining member of substantially V-shape arranged in inverted position upon the bottom of said body and extending at right angles to the tilting direction of the latter, said plate being of narrow width so as to expose a relatively great area of the bottom to the load, and hinges connecting one longitudinal edge of said plate with the bottom of said body.

A device of the character defined by claim 1, characterized by the body bottom being relatively flat and the screen plate bein hinged to the bottom of saidbody so as to leave a relatively large area of said flat bottom exposed to the load and having portions of said plate'disposed at an angle to said bottom to. form a free channel therewith.

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