US1812040A - External counterweight for car dumpers - Google Patents

Description

June 30, 1931. w. E. ERICKSON 1,312,040

v EXTERNAL COUNTERWEIGHT FORUAR DUMPERS Filed Jan. 8, 192;"! 5 SheetsSheet 1 Z/EZiard Z [2764 5011 I F y I fizz/0150;"

June 30, 1931. w. E. ERICKSON 1,812,040

EXTERNAL COUNTERWEIG HT FOR CAR DUMPERS Filed Jan. 8, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2" g,

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June 30," 1-931. w. E. ERICKSON 1,

E XTERNAL COUNTERWEIGHT FOR CAR DUMPERS Filed Jan. 8. 1927 s Sheets-Shet s Patented Juneiao, 1931 UNITED: STATES. ;;iPAT N T-j;QFFIcE WILLARD E. ERICKSON, oFcHIcAGo, iLtiivorsyassre-lvon T LINK-BELT COMPANY, or cine-Ase, immerse CORPORATION or rumors Ex'rERNAL coUN'rEn EIsH'r iron CAR nUMPEns-Y Application filed; January 8, 1927. Serial no. 159,802

w tion, all said counterweights being removed from the cradle so that the cradle may be of lighter and simpler construction. Another object of my invention is to provide a rotary car dumpingcradle wherein the car may be rotated about a. longitudinal axis passing I through the car and heldvin placefonr the car by counterweights which are not mounted on the cradle. 'Another object is to provide a car dumper wherein the car is given arotary so movement for dumpingwithout any lateralv movement and wherein the car ishel'd in place by clamps which-control by clamp counterweights supported on .the main structure and not on the cradle Other 'ob-.

. jects will appear from time to time throughout tl1e. specification= and claims. I Myinventionis illustrated; more. or less diagrammatically in the"accon1panying drawings, wherein' a V Figure 1 is a crosssection throughthe'apparatus. i i 'Figure 2 isa side elevation of the right hand side as viewed in Figure 1; Figu e'. is a viewsimilar to Figural showing parts in dumping position; a

Figuref is' a-section along thejllnltlr i Figurel. v V i 1 Like parts are indicated byl'ike characters throughout the specification and drawings.

-49 A is a supporting structure includingva I hopper A a counterweight 'frame, A

cradles supportingrollersAi a. cradle made up of roller rings A, girders A A, a'floor 1 beam A, a driving; cable A wound about one. of the rings A anda driving drum-Aiwhere by the cradle may be rotated. l 5

B is a transfer t ble mounted on a plural ity of rollers B B on the supporting frame A." being adapted to have a slight transverse 1. inc emen i t e cradle, 13 B? smear tion shown inthe drawingsifor dumping and on the lifting counter weight' G and thence back to the top of'the counterweight frame tracks'on the transfer'table and B is a car on the tracks. This caris adapted to be run V onto the transfer table when-the cradle is in the upright position, the transfer table beingcentered in thecra'dleby' any suitablemeans not; here shown as they form no vpart ofmy present invention. Thefcradle is rotated in V a counterclockwise direction from the posiis returned in a clockwise direction to the 6Q position shown in the drawin g sfafter the cai'l is dumped. During such movement the car, preferably has at the, beginning of the dump ing movement, a slight movement to the left sothat thecar will. engage the abutment B before the car clampsgo into operation.

' B is a car clamp held at the top of its excursion away from thecar'untilthe clump-U ing movement starts. This car clamp is mounted for vertical movement in the. era: dletoward and from the top 0f the car and it isnecessary toprovidemeans for controlling-this clamp, lifting it away from the car as-the cradleapproaches the upright .Posi tion and lowering it to the car as the cradle starts toward the dumping position. i

C is the clamp lowering cable. It is-dead ended on the clamp base up over a sheave f C at the top of the cradle, extends thence laterally across'the cradle to a sheave C2, thence dOWIl '21l)O1lt a sheave C? toward the bottom of the cradle and then out over a sheave ctgon the counterweight frame YA?- This cable extends down around a sheave C5 where it is dead ended at C 'll1e lift ing Y counterweight is mounted to slide vertically in the counterweight frame. In the position there shown it is held against a stop C? 99 'which limitssits upward movement.

thecradle is rotated from the position showni'in Figure 11in a counter I clockwise die rection, the distance between the sheaves .G?

aand Q 'iwill decrease, The -weight, of the 9g clamp is greater than. the. weight of the lift; I ing counterweight C and the lifting eamen. weight will remain in contact with thes top Cuntil the slack in the cable between the Sheaves 0 aud t? hasbcen paid out enough 9 to permit the clamp to travel down to rest against the top of the car. Further rotary movement of the cradle will then result in allowing the lifting counterweight to travel downward in its path away from the stop thereby keeping a tension on the cable C. After the car is dumped the cradle will return toward its upright position raising the clamp counterweight without lifting the clamps from the car until the clamp counterweight engages the stop. When the counterweight engages the stop further movement of the cradle will exert a sufiicient tension on the cable to lift the clamps away from the car and permit the car to run oft the cradle and its place be taken by another.

I) is the clamp holding rope. It is dead ended at one side. of the cradle at a point below the top of the lowest car. It extends up over a sheave D on the clamp B thence across the clamp to a second sheave D thence down over a third sheave D approximately opposite to the end where the cable is dead ended so that the clamp is held between the bight end of the cable between the dead end oint and the sheave D. From the sheave 3 the cable extends over a sheave D on the cradle frame and thence to a sheave ID at the top of the counterweight frame. From here it extends down around a sheave D on the lowering counterweight D and thence up to the top of the counterweight frame where it is dead ended. The lowering counterweight D is free to move vertically in the counterweight frame. It is associated with a holding counterweight D also free to move vertically in the counterweight frame, the relation between the two counterweights being such that the lowering counterweight has a certain degree of freedom of movement without picking up the holding counterweight.

With the parts in the position shown in Figure 1, the lowering counterweight is suspended by the holding rope. The holding counterweight is resting at the bottom of its excursion. When the car dumper cradle rotates in a counter clockwise direction, it will tend to increase the distance between the sheaves D and D and therefore pull out on the cable D. This will pull down on the clamp B and since at the same timethe clamp lowering cable C is paid out, this tension on the rope D exerted by the lowering counterweight D will insure that the clamp will be drawn down on the car. As the. distance between the sheaves D and D is increased after the clamp has settled down on the car, the lowering counterweight will be raised to a point where it picks up the holding counterweight, then further rotation of the cradle will cause both the lowering and the clamp holding counterweight to be raised in bight of the cable between the dead end on the counterweight frame and the sheave'D s0 that the two counterweights are available to hold the weight of the car as the cradle rotates the car into the upside down or dumping position.

Reverse movement of the cradle of course tends to lower these counterweights and as the car comes back into the upright position on the cradle the holding counterweight will be settled down to the bottom end of its excursion and the lowering counterweight will then travel down after the holding counterweight has been released and will hang somewhere between a position where it would rest on the framework and a position where it would pick up the holding counterweight exerting a tension in the cable I) such that when the lowering cable is paid out the clamps will be positively drawn down by such tension against the car.

It will be noted that the clamp comprises a slide H traveling along the vertical member H The cable C engages this slide. This slide has a car engaging shoulder H pivoted on it is the clamp body 13, which at its other end has a car engaging shoulder H The slide H has a stirrup H adapted to be engaged by the inner end of the clamp B to limit its downward movement, the arrangement being such that the shoulder H is appreciably lower than the shoulder H when in the inoperative position. As the clamp is lowered, the shoulder H first engages the car, then the slide goes on down the clamp B rotating with respect to the slide until the shoulder H rests on the car. From then on the clamp is at rest. In the reverse movement as the clamp is raised the slide I-I first comes up, the shoulder H remaining in contact until further rotation of the clamp bar with respect to the slide H is stopped, when the clamp travels on away from the car. Thus with the clamp guide at only one end there is no possibility of binding or locking of the. parts.

It will be noted that the cradle is built up of a lattice structure with two roller rings one located at either end. This structure is conventional and there may be two or more clamps as the case may be. Each clamp preferably being associated with its separate set of counterweights as indicated.

I claim:

1. A clamp for cardumpers and the like comprising a vertical. track, a carriage adapted to slide vertically therealong having a car engaging shoulder, a clamp beam pivoted on the carriage extending across the car and having a shoulder adapted to engage the opposed side of the car, positive means for limiting the rotary movement of the clamp beam with respect to the sliding carriage to permit the car engaging shoulder on the end of the beam when in the inoperative position to occupy a position below the car engaging shoulder on the carriage, means for raising 7 comprising a cable and sheaves over which the remain and lowering the clamp connected directly to the carriage and means for locking the clamp cable travels one on the end of the beam, the other on the carriage. I

2. In a car dumper, a cradle, a car holding clamp, means for rotatingthe cradle about a longitudinal axis passing therethrough a plurality of counterweights, cables between said counterweights and the clamp and sheaves on the cradle over which the cables travel whereby one of the counterweights raises the clamp, another counterweight lowers the clamp and a third counterweight holds the clamp in-lowered position and supports the weight of the car when the car is being dumped, all the elements forming the com-' pound counterweight being so related and so supported by the cable that the tension available to hold the clamps in'seated position when the counterweight parts are all in operation is the total sum of all the counterweight elements. v I V 3. In a car dumper, a cradle, acar holding clamp, means for rotating the cradle about a longitudinal axis passing therethrough, a plurality of'counterweights, cables between said counterweights and the clamp and sheaves on the cradle over which the cables travel whereby one of the counterweights raises the clamp, another counterweight lowers the clamp and athird counterweight holds the clamp in lowered position and supports the weight of the car when the car is being dumped, the clamp lowering counterweight and the clamp holding counterweight being inter-related sothat the weight of both is sus. pended and cooperates to hold the car in posi tion when it is being dumped, all the elements forming the compound counterweight being so related and so supported by the cable that the tension available to hold the clamps in seated position when thecounterweight parts are all in operation is the total sum of all the counterweight elements.

4. In a car dumper the combination with a rotary cradle and a car'holding clamp ther'eon,'of a lifting counterweight removed from the cradle, a lifting cable between the counterweight and the clamp and a positive stop in the path of the counterweight whereby rotation of the cradle into the upright position brings thecounterweight 'into engagement with the stop and'positively raises the clamp out of contact with the bar the counterweight itself being the sole clamp lift.- ing element. V i

5. In a car dumper the combination with a rotary cradle and a car holding clamp thereon, of a lifting counterweight removed from the cradle, a lifting cable between the counterweight and the clamp and a positive stop in the path of the counterweight whereby rotation of the cradle into the upright position brings the counterweight into engagement with the-stop nd: positively raises the clamp out Jet contact withth ear, the

counterweight being freely suspended weight into engag'ement withthe stop and positively raises the clamp out of contact with the car, the counterweight itself beingithe sole clamp lifting element. Q 1 I 1-. In: a car; dumper the combination with a rotary cradle and a car holding clamp there; on, of. a lifting counterweight" a li ftingccable "between the counterweight and" the: clamp and apositive stop in the path of the c'ounter weight whereby rotationof the cradle into the upright position brings theicounterweight I into engagement with the stopand positively raises the clamp out of contact with the car,

the counterweight being. freely suspended i from the cable to maintain: tension'th'erein While the cradle moves from the uprighttoiward the dumpinglposition' and returngithe. counterweight itself being the sole clamp liftingelementg 8.5In a du arotary cradle and ca'r holding; clampthere on of a compound counterweight comprising clamp lowering and clamp holding elementsremoved from the cradle, a holding, cable between the counterweight and the clamp,.

per 1 the combination "with sheaves on the cradle and the counterweight I I support so positioned that rotation of the, cradle toward the dumping position increases the distancebetween them to raise the clamp lowering counterweight-element to lower the clamp;theclamp holdingelement being inter; posed in the 1 path of the damp lowering ele'- rn'ent whereby further irotation of the cradle after the clamp has seatedsuspends the'holding element on the cable to exert acar holdingte'nsion on the cable; 7 i

9. In a car d-uinper the combination with azrotarycradle 'and car holding clamp thereon' of a compound counterweight "comprising clamp lowering and clamp holding elements, a holding-table between, the eounterweight and the clamp, sheaves on the cradle and the counterweight support so positioned that, ro-

tation of the cradle toward the dumping position increases the distance between them to raise the clamp lowering counterweight element to lower the clamp, the 'clamphold- .ing element being interposed in the ath of the clamp lowering element where y further rotation of the cradle afterthe clamp has seated suspends the holding element on the cable to exert a car holding tension on the cable. V 10. In a car dumper the combination with 5 a rotary cradle and a car holding clamp thereon of a lifting counterweight and a compound clamp lowering and holding counter- Weight removed from the cradle, a cable between the lifting counterweight and the clamp and a positive stop in the path of the lifting counterweight whereby rotation of the cradle into the upright position brings the counterweight into engagement with the stop and positively raises the clamp out of contact with the car, a holding cable between the clamp and the compound counterweight, sheaves on the cradle and the counterweight support so positioned that rotation of the cradle toward the dumping position increases the distance between them to raise the clamp lowering counterweight element to lower the clamp, all the elements forming the compound counterweight being so related and so supported by the cable that the tension available to hold the clamps in seated position when the counterweight parts are all in operation is the total sum of all the counterweight elements.

11. In a car dumper the combination with a rotary cradle and a car holding clamp thereon of a lifting counterweight and a compound clamp lowering and holding counterweight removed from the cradle, a cable between the lifting counterweight and the clamp and a positive stop in the path of the lifting counterweight whereby rotation of the cradle into the upright position brings the counterweight into engagement with the stop and positively raises the clamp out of contact with the car, a holding cable between the clamp and the compound counterweight, sheaves on the cradle and the counterweight support so positioned that rotation of the cradle toward the dumping position in creases the distance between them to raise the clamp lowering counterweight element to lower the clamp, the clamp holding element being interposed in the path of the clamp lowering element whereby further rotation of the cradle after the clamp has seated suspends the holding element on the cable to exert a car holding tension on the cable.

Signed at Chicago, county of Cook and State of Illinois, this 28th day of December WILLARD E. ERIGKSON.

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