US1554383A - Self-loading concrete mixing and distributing mechanism - Google Patents

Description

sept. 22,1925.` 1,554,383

' H. O. STAMP A SEIJI LOADING CONCRETHMIXING .AND DXSTRBUTING MECHANISM und sept. a. 1919 e sheetssheet 1 NVENTOR. afa Jig/@0 Sqn. 22, 192s.

H. O. STAMP SELF LOADINGCONCRETE MIXING AND DISTRIBUTING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 8. 1919 IN1/EN TOR. 5% .Q d Si WITNESS n sleptyzz; 1925.

' H. O. -.S1-AMF SLF LOADING CONCRETE MIXING AND DISTRIBUTING MECHANISM' Filed Sept. 8. 1919 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 NVENTOR y l 'A {JZ/72'@ W Y ATTORNE sept. 22, 1925. f I .1,554,383

' O. STAMP .SELF LOADING CONCRETE HIKING AND DISTRIBUTING IBGHANISI Filed sept. 1919 e spera-sneif;

sept. 22,. 1925. r l A1,554,383 H. O. STAMP Y SELFLOADING GQNCRETE MIXINGAND DISTRIBUTING MEGHANIsu Filed sept. a. 191s sheets-sheet 5 H. o. STAMP SELF LOADING CONCRETE MIXING AND DXSTRIBUTING- MEGHANISM Sept. 22,v

Filed sept. a. 1919 s sheets-sheet 'e Patented Sept. 22, 1925.

s 11NfrriEc Sfmt-rss 1,554,583 LP ATENT i oni-'i1 en.

MILWAUKEE, `WISCONSIN, AssIeNon 'ro THE STAM? MACHINE colarANY,` or MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

SELF-mimmo conc-RETE ia'IXING ANn'DIsTRIBUTINe M'ECHANISM.

i Application :filed September To @ZZ ccf/120m t malfyiconcern: Y

Be it known that "E T., HUGO 1O. SfrAMr, a citizenolj 'theUn-ited Sta-tes, and resident of il' :lwaulee '1in the lcounty-ofA Mi'hvanheer and f ite of Vilisconsinyhave invented certain new and nsegtul Improvements.in Self-Loading Concrete Mixing and Distributing Mech- .aaiism :and Ldo 'hereby ldeclare' that the fol-- lowing `is a full, clear, and exact description thereo. y Y

y inventionyaelates to new and 'useful improvements iin machines dior use in connection with 4concreting operations, and it' is morevr partici-larly dineoted to `the provision'` of' a seit-,loading `concrete mixing and distributing, machine ot' the general type, embodied in application tor ,patent tiled by me May 6, 1918, Serial No; 232,785, now Patent 1,349,231, Aug. i0, 21920, and adapted for laying .concrete roadways. Y

It is in general the object- 'ot my invenytion to improve 4the yconstruction and to increase the economic etiiciency oi :machines of this character particularly with respect to .adapting the machines for continued operation with a minimum expenditure oi manual labor, under the widelyv varying, conditions encountered in laying concrete roads.

Numerous difficulties are encountered in mechanically conveying the concrete aggregate to the mixer 'from piles arranged along the A.roadway in advance o'livthe initier, sach diliiculties arising from the economic necessity ot a practically continuons operation of the mixer and from the large volume and delinite proportions of the yaggregate constituents which must be ted to the mixer. The mechanisms for mechanically conveying and mixing the aggregate .material must be readily transportable in nature to adapt them for movement in thev road-laying joh and for travel J,from onejohto another, and they must be reliable 'in operation since they constitute one link of a chain of operations rwhich ninst be kept continnously., in action ,under the economic conditions imposed, and which extends in its ramifications even to railway vtransportation conditions. The vpiles Vot aggregate along rthe roadway are deposited by trucks orf wagons from the ase oli' supply. The chief dilficnlty inmechanically conveying the mateil'ialiresides in the variation of relativevolumeof the agv gregate material laid along the various sections ,of the roadway, and to meetthis diffi- 8, 1919. Serial No.,322,393.

vcnlty in the present machine and in my previous machines, I provide 1an elongated conveyer travelingin advance ot the mixer and or' maXiminn length Aconsistent with practicability of transportation, the length 'ot this rconveyer :mechanism being thns ap iroximately forty feet.. Road-laying operations yhave heretofore been carried ont by shifting the vminer in Asimcessive steps over the sec-v ptions ot roadway for distances ot approxi-4 mately twenty feet, a series 'off mixes being `effected ybetween each shitting oliemtionr sufiicient to providea mined concrete tor the section' ot. roadway over which the mixer e and loading conveyer mechanism has 'previously advanced, the mixer f and v'loading mechanism fleeing advanced 'over the succeeding section of roadway at the termination ot each series of mixes. rlhe disadvantages y which are present in this :operation are, lirst, Athe loss Ol'f operative time incidental to the steps of Yshifting the mixer, and second, in the use of my loading mechanism, 'the invariation capacity of the loading conveyer mechanism, since, 'at and adjacent 4Jdie termination of a series ot mixing steps for a section 'of roadway-,the aggregate along the roadway must necessarily be nsed 'up a distance approximately 'ecpial to the 'length of the laid section of roadway, and hence a.

limited stretch ofthe conveyer mechanism equal to the ydifterence between its length and vthe sectionof roadway, or about (nrehall et the length oi the conveyor mechavnism, lalone caribe used to compensate for the variation of the volumes in which the 'piles oi aggregate material are laid ont. r

'movement zi.ppi'oxzi1iiately equal to the rate of progression of the concrete laying operaf tion, this nfiovement 4beingV automatically keffected andthus' avoiding the necessity ot stops forshifting the conveyer and utilizing all times t ie entire length of the conveyor mechanisn to compensate' for variations oi" the volume (if the laid-out ypiles of aggregate- Since the rate" of progression ot the concrete laying operation varies from fifty to one hundred feet per hour under different conditions, it is seen that my novel operation of advancing the mixer is entirely distinct from any other hertofore conteniplated arrangement for propelling the mixer, or mixer and conveyer, wherein it' the mixer is propelled even at an exceedingly slow speed of one-half mile per hour, such speed would be from twenty-five to fifty times faster than my rate of continuous movement of the mixer, and it would be impossible in any existing mechanism to throttle or slow down the speed of movement to my requirements.

It is further my object to provide a simple and effective mechanism for procuring this slow inching movement within certain variable limits to provide for different desired rates of progression o-f the laying operation, and it is more part-icularly my object to provide, in this connection, means operative independently of said inching means for procuring a normalvrate of travel of the apparatus to make up for lost space incidental to advance of the rate of progression of the laying operation with respect to the rat-e of inching propulsion of the apparatus, and to adapt the apparatus for transportation generally.

Another and important object of my invention resides in the provision of an arrangement whereby the measuring, mixing and discharge of the batches of concrete may be carried out in an entirely automatic manner in regular cycles.

A more detailed object in this connection resides in the provision of means for varying the relative lengths of time elapsing between the steps of the cycle to thus provide for differingmixing conditions, as it is desirable at times to vary both the amount of aggregate in the mix, and the length of time which the aggregate is mixed.

A further important object resides in the provision of a lateral conveyer mechanism operable in conjunction with a main longitudinal conveyer of the load conveyer means, which may be automatically moved along the main conveyer structure at a variable speed.

Another object in connection with the lateral conveyer resides in the provision of an arrangement whereby said lateral conveyer mechanism is wholly supported by the main longitudinal conveyer structure and whereby said lateral conveyer mechanism receives the power from the traveling portions of the main conveyer structure.

lVith the above and other objects and advantages in view, my invention resides more particularly in the novel combination, formation and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

ln the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a side elevational view of the truck portion of a concreting machine embodying my invention, portions being removed as indicated in general by the line 1 1 of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse seetional view on planes indicated by the broken line 2 9 of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view through the automatic operating mechanism on the line of Figure 2.

Figure sl. is a detail sectional view through the propelling or inching mechanism on the line 4 4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the lateral conveyer and a portion of the main longitudinal conveyer of the feeding conve-yer mechamsm.

Figure 6 is a detail sectional view on the line'6 6 of Figure 5, showing the adjustable support for the lateral conveyer.

.Figure 7 is a partly diagrammatic elevational view of the lateral conveyer on a plane indicated by the line 7 7 of Figure 5.

Figure S is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 8 8 of Figure 5.

Figure 9 is a transverse sectional view on the line 9 9 of Figure 5.

Figure l0 is an elevational view of the longitudinal conveyer.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, certain salient features of the machine which constitute one embodiment of my present invention are shown in detail in my said co-pending application and hence the specific showing of such features is avoided in the present instance. The main frame of my machine comprises side sills 2O and cross sills 2l and is supported at its forward end by wheels 22, the rear end of the truck being supported by traction wheels 23 mounted on a shaft 2-1- which is journaled in bearings depending from the side sills S50 and which carries sprocket wheels 25 driven from similar sprocket wheels 26 mounted on a shaft 2T journaled in the rear of the axle shaft. framework 28 is carried by the truck sills and a cylindrical separator screen 29 is carried by the upper intermediate portion of the said framework, one end of the screen carrying a shaft 30 -iournaled in a bracket 31 on the framework and driven from a transverse shaft 32 also journaled in said bracket. The other upward end of the screen rides on rollers carried by the framework. Disposed under this screen is a storage hopper 34 which receives sand discharged through the screen and at the rear end of this hopper is disposed a second storage hopper 35 which receives the material which passes through the screen and is discharged from the end thereof. A cement storage hopper 36 is preferably disthestereee hepeele, .eetl le the present 11-- Vbeleg ,trained .sheet a fdriie roller shaft ell` at its forward end and Yahoiit 4an idle roller at its yrear end this A heit con- '1 Neyer is .ade ete/.d .to .eleehelrse into mixing drinn jvlriicli is rotatably nioiinted lo n roll-A ers siipporxted lgythe main'trrrck sills.

les lil my etereleetltineel appli'ee'tieri Lfef petet .a feeding weve-ref yQelee 45 le l mettete@ et tlie fetter@ eed 0f the mattine, Lea-trl 'yoke hee/mg asleeve, fl@ et lts per eedeefeeletl elle ,elette theft e177 lwltieh ie @Quilted is .e bracket 48, .extending fore 'tvelzfll ifreletlte iflemeverls while tlief ,lei-eel' ,elle fe the relie is riveted et .4,9 oln. vthe tritelt treme," '.lllisyolge Carries e beet 5.0 tier re-4 eeivne fllsehege pf iielmeterlel liteit ,the feedis 'eeevlevel and .discharging sei', metetisl "into: e elle@ .ac/which' feds @1eitltef-eeeteeti-elly .shew .alt al @ad talented by upper ,treHSverseel-rire Shaft legend a ee-pen'dms eiilleetien- Telreerheiv tile. @eene .fer .drittes the variete meelieaiems eet tette., .en engine ,te

le meente@ en the tutele Wheels ptelfelzelely the 'melee @rele and' 4this .einef'he hee srleelet feetlrieetien ,5,5 with@ loneltildeel ellett 5,6 'eefleeled .et the side et' the tremeivork. T e rear end A of shaft carrilesa l 0 P 4 l. v l Y. 1 F, l mures ,5,1 meshing Wltli ,e gest uns .f2.8 Q11 the Pei-'lieber The wllfifritld"llfl ll 'the 5@ het dbfeiel sfeer feeplieete rxtll e erster-11, t, G0 l'eittneled ttenvereely et the ,fetivarl end loll-aon 'the ferez The weee. 1er-ive Sheltie? ie eivefii tem this eeiiiiterfelteft by ehiee' meelzeiilsm leterte lie 'desee ell- The eeenter-[Slieftl eetl'ee et 'elle eetl e sprocket 'Wheel 6l which is y a conventionally yshoyyn (clutch 1,62 .iii-id which etelslng to a sp eelet Wheel .64 .es e ,eeiwter'eheft t5 which jeumeleltl there' the 'reke e trying theft il?! end ha'elbevel .geef .emleetetl 5,6 .the ivitlif l alee'eerres asear'ivlieel 67 ier driving oke carried conveyer nischen- 1 pr .1 1st es Shows sete el eeseel Petentf The( .the mixer ,drinn 'mieles ,elreni te ,t-.lsle provide for continuous rotation of the drum.-

The shaft.

y in In a ore einA has spr k ic-1get lchain collinection 68 with rthe elevator drive shaft and said elevator drive shaft 5 2 in turn -has sprocket .chain connection G9 with the drive counter shaft ofthe screen. Thus, the clutch` 62 controis simultaneous continuous Kooperation of adapted 'to shift a batch receiving conveyer becket ,76 `which is suspended troni the ihooiin, the shaft ,l losing driven by clutch :gear connectiogi T? with ka shaft 7K8 which is in gear connection with the gear ringS of veyer nieclialiisni is shown inore particularly inni,Y said co-pending application forpatent, tie boom 73 being' supported vat its outer end (not shoyyn) by a cable 7:9 extending freni the ripper rear portion o f the truck z mypreeent leszeetlen- The loading conoci/er means.

.ifelse 1 les in my teet-itl @perdiste eppleetien, the loading conveyer means 1o my machine inhaving ,Lipper and loiver trackways for the ,stretches ,of the main coiiveyer buckets, the

loyverti'ackway comprising ,angle plates 80 liayiiig their upper edges yturned inwardly and donf'iiivardly to provide 4deflecting portions 5l, These track plates are connected by ppright side hars 82 with upper ltrack plates 83 which are Z-shape in 7cross section, ,the bars and lower track plates 8,() being 'fin-ther connectedhy transverse brace sills 84;. The. tracl frame is connected with the vta-lie hv uieeferflly neltied track here 85 laevis?? their llPPl ,ends riveted itl? 86st@ the ainisoi tlieyole l5 and having their lower ends' secured to the lower trac-k plates V18,0, To providea Wheeledsupport for the outer end portion Of the covnv'eyer traine, pairs oteuperpesed levers S7 ere pivot-.ed to md-ettead eiitwerdly in narellelem t leem enter portion of the conyeyer ranie, said levers Tbeing pivotally connected with trans ix'erse barsSS in Which are journaled the standards 89, of a pair ofgrgund Wheels 9,0, 'zsta" ,desde lagging connected together as in 1315/' 'CQfl-)lgltlg This distributing con-` 1 ti-I Cil

anisin 91 to produce a sinniltaneous turning movement. It is thus seen that in vertical relative movement with respect to the wheels and conveyer frameT to either raise or lower the conveyor frame with respectl to the ground, the standards S9 of the wheels areV maintained in vertical position whereby a proper travel of the wheels is assured in whichever direction they are turned. This relative movement of the wheels and con- 'veyer frame is etliccted in the present instance by an angle lever 92 which is pivoted to the rear end of the iframe and which carries a roller 93 on ont` arm engaging' a lower lever Si'. The other arm of the lever 92 eX- tends upwardly and has secured thereto a cable 98 which extends rearwardly of the conveyer frame and is trained about a roller 1 at the rear portion of the conveyer frame and secured to a main hoist cable 95. This main hoist cable Vis secured to the upper portion of the main truck frame and is extended downwardly therefrom and through a pulley 96 to which is secured a cable 97 extending to the inner portion of the conveyor frame. The main cable 95 is extended rearwardly from this pulley 9G and trained about a pulley 9S and thence extended to a hoist drum 99 operated by the gear 72. Thus, upon drawing' on the cable 95, both end portions of the main conveyer frame will be simultaneouslyv lifted.

The conveyer buckets 100 of the main longitudinal conveyer are carried by endless side sprocket chains 101, each bucket being secured to said sprocket chains at two adjacent corners, and sprocket rollers 102 are carried by the chains at the liunctures of the links. The chains are trained about conventionally shown idle sprocket wheels 103 at the outer end portion of the frame and are trained about drive sprocket wheels 1041 carried by a transverse shaft 105 of the yoke 45, said shaft being' driven from the aforementioned gear wheel G7 in the manner of my said previous application for patent. The buckets travel rearwardly on the lower trackway with their months disposed upwardly and with their ends which are free from the sprocket chain disposed rearwardly. The buckets are supported in this travel by wheels 106 at their free ends which ride on the track plates 80, the secured ends of the buckets having ledges 107 which seat on the ends of the preceding' buckets. s the buckets move about the drive sprockets 104tthey discharge into the boot 50 and said buckets are returned in inverted position on 'the upper trackway of the conveyer frame,

said buckets riding' in this return movement on the sprocket rollers 102 of the chain, said sprocket rollers engaging' the inturned lower portions of the Z-shaped track plates 83.

In the present embodiment of my invention, I employ in connection with this main conveyer structure, a lateral conveyor mechanisin which is carried wholly by the track frame of the main conveyor structure, and which, lo this end, includes a carriage coinprising the side sills 108 and front end sill 109, the ends of the side sills terminating in bearings for axles 11.0 on which are mounted tlanged wheels 111 riding on the out-turned upper portions of the Z-shaped upper track plates S3. A power shaft 112 is transversely journaled in the rear portion of the carriage and the shaft carries sprocket wheels 113 which mesh with the upper return stretches of the bucket conveyer chains 101. An arm 114 extends outwardly at substantially right angles from one side of the convcyer and is connected at its outer end with a second arm 115 which extends obliquely from the end portion of the carriage adjacent the shaft 112. A conveyer drive shaft 116 is journaled in the inner portion of the oblique arm 115 and is driven from the shaft 112 by bevel gears 117. A conveyer support bar 11S has its inner end pivotally mounted on the shaft 116, and also carried on the shaft in fixed relation thereto is a sprocket wheel 119 around which is trained a chain 120 which is also trained about a sprocket wheel 121 on the outer end of the support bar, and which carries a series of buckets 122. rllhe lateral conveyer extends obliquely downwardly and laterally from its connection with the main conveyer structure and the lateral conveyor is afforded and adjustable support for its outer portion by a yoke 123 which has its depending arms in pivotal connection with arms 1211 extending' laterally from the intermediate portion of the conveyer support bar 118, said yoke being suspended from a screw 125 which is passed through the juncture of the carriage arms 114 and 115 and which carries a nut 126 which may be rotated to vary the suspension of the lateral conveyor. This lateral conveyer discharges. into a chuteway 127 which is carried by the conveyer carriage at the side of the main conveyer frame to thus direct the material conveyed between the trackways and into the buckets on the lower trackwayr an inclined guide plate 128 beine' preferably secured to the adjacent side of the main conveyer frame and co-operating with the deliecting portion 81 of the adjacent track plate 80 to direct the material into the buckets.

For gradually advancing' the carriage along' the main conveyor frame at a variable speed, a transverse shaft 129 is journaled transversely in the forward portion of the carriage and has fixed thereon at one end a gear wheel 130 which meshes with rack teeth 131 cut into the upper out-turned portion of the adjacent Z-shaped track plate 83. A ratchet wheel 132 is fixed 0n the intermediate portion of the shaft 129, and a crank arm is journald lii1 thv'fshaftadjacent the ratchet wheel and is connectedby Va pit* man 134 witha cam ring 135,Y mounted on a4 loose cam sleeve 136 onthe shaft 112|. This Y cam sleeve is'engagable by V,a clutch .member y splined onthe shaftand controlled by a Spann@ 1W??? 138. Thusrwhenthe Cam sleeve -isv vclutched jtoV the shaft, thecrank;

, arm is reeiprocated andj this reciprocatingV movement is translated intol rotation of? thefv shaft 129 to advancethe carriage by a pawl 139 pvoted on the crank armandengag-ing' thel teeth 'of the ratchet wheel 132 Variar tion oipthe speedof propulsion effected by 'this driveiarrangement '.isprojc11red byvia li'''ting vdog 146 which4 iscarriedlon a rock arm 141 pivoted on the shaft 129, said dog, being insertible be-tween thepawl 139 `andt the ratchet wheel to liftthepawl in its idle, stroke and thus control' the-engagement of. the pawl with-the teeth of the ratchet'wheel. The positionoi the dog 140 is" controlled by l a turn buckle link 142 ipivotally connectedY with rockarm 141 and `with the front, sill 109 'of the carriage.` The shaft 129v carries a crankhandlelll whereby itmay be rof VJcated manually t omove,the ylateral coni-l veyer rearwardly, itbeingunderst'ood that Y the pawl 1,39 could be -disengagedfrom the` ratchet wheel, and "under'certain1 conditions the carriage maybe simply pushedreab, wardly. To provide for arapid forward movement of the lateral conveyer mechanism, as in moving between twospaced piles of aggregate, a-brake drum 144is mounted Y on one end of theshjait 112"and'fcarries a" brake band' 145 which isvsecured to a lever 146 pivoted `to the carriage.f Thus, by ap-Vv plying brakingipressureito the shaft 112, the' sprocket wheels'f11*3-will be locked aga-inst` rotation and the lateral ,conveyer ,carriage will lbe advanceda't the speed ofinovement of *the* main conveyer chains 101 by the.'

interlocking engagement of ,the sprocket wheels 113l`therewith. It will, however, particularlynoted that irrespective offthe various positive forward feeds which I'liave y described, the direction Aof movement of the*v 1 sprocket chains e101 and their drive connections with.V the `lateral oonveyer mechanism exert/a positive tendency to` advance the latf f eral conveyer mechanism, and -.ma`y under certain conditions serve to provide the means for urging the lateral conveyer into'v piles of aggregateas it is beingdug.

The propelbiag mechanism.-

The pro'pellingmejchanism of mymachine" is adapted( toadvance the machinev at exceedingly slow rate. of movement corre, sponding to the rate oi' progression 'of a road-y laying operatiomand also to advance? the machine at anormal speediof. travel, the mechanism for 'effecting the slow or rinch! ing advancing movement being operable structure, oi' the machine between'tlie power` 70 shaft 6 0jand tlieaxle .drivesliaft 27^ and this 'Shaft s driven by, sprocket L.,01.1nec; tn 14810m,the shaft, @a said sproiken connection being controlled,` a clutch Pefageers .1.50 and 15.1,; ,are .mounted 'con the axle drive shaft 27, the gear 150 mesh-` ing with an idle pinion 152,l andV the pinion andthqgear 151l areselectively engageable of-a ratchet wheel154 yfixed on, the shaft 85 14g/Tand engageable by a'pawl 155fica'rried on', olne'yarm oi' an angle lever 156,' the otherA arm of said,k angle lever being* connected byV a Apitman 157 .withi a ring mounted onfal cam collar158` which is'loose onthe shaft= 90 y which is engageable by a clutch lgmspllined on thleshaft 60. This driving meohanismv is Y, similar .toA the Adriv= ing; ,means @fille .1ate1ta1-lorvnau Carriage beinggrendered,adjiistablewin nature by a dogf160'carried on anl ,arm 161 pivoted on the,shaft 147 said dog being` movable be- Ween ftlieratehet `Wheel. and the path. Qf the Paal 15.5 anatema cplitrelled in. its .Position a turn buckle linlrr162 pivoteduto the arm .1671,and toga portion of theltruck, frame. ,it will however, be 4appreciated that other slow drive. means ,maybe employed, such las Aa ,worm drive, the particular value oil ythe presentL drive means l being its 'readi ness of= adjustment to meet they different rates of progressionof concrete laying operations.

Toi controliiow oflaggregate materia-l froineac'li .of `the storage hoppers vinto the corresponding' measuring hopper, each stor-i age-hopper isprovided with an apertured bottom over which isslidable a` valve plate 163fhaving gear and ratchet Aconnection 164 with va controlshaft 165 yjournaled at one side oi the storage: hopper structure. Ths upon slidingfthe'valve plate Vto open position,the proper proportions of aggregate 1 and'cement will flow by. gravity into thev "measuring hoppersfy Flow of* aggregate?" from the. measiiringfhoppers onto the'con# tinuously :operative conveyer V'40' extending tothe mixer, is controlled by a valve plate 166 slidable overV the apertured bottom of each measuring fhopper and connected by a `crank 167 with a shaft 168 journaled at tlief side-` ofthe ,measu'ring;A hopper structiire. Discharge of material, from the mixer drum which extends a supply pipe 173. A pipe 174 also extends from the valve and is dif rected into the inlet mouth ol the mixing `tudinal power shaft 56.

drum.

To operate all of these control means successively in cycles to thus etlnecta series ot automatic mixing operations, anv endless chain 175, carrying an actuator 176, has its paths ot' movement so arranged with respect to various trip levers connected with the control means as to etlect a complete mixing` cycle. This chain is mounted on an outstanding vertically elongated bracket 177 carried by the truck trame. A shaft 178 is journaled at the top of the bracket and 4carries a sprocket wheel 179 around which is trained a chain 180 driven from a'sprocket wheel 181 on the main longi- The shaft 178 also carries a sprocket wheel 182 around which is trained the upper portion ot the actuator chain 175. A pair of idle sprocket` wheels 188 are disposed at the outer side stretch ot' the actuator chain, and said chain is trained about these sprocket wheels and extended therebetween to torm an adjuste ment loop 17 5a intermediately of its outer side stretch which is trained about a sprocket wheel 184 adjustably carried by an outwardly extending slotted bracket 185. The lower portion otl the actuator chain is trained about an idle sprocket wheel 186 also adjustably carried by a depending slotted bracket arm 187. A pair o't idle sprocket wheels 188 are disposed at the inner side stretch ot the chain and the chain is trained about these sprocket wheels and extended therebetween to form a second adjusting loop 189 also trained about an adjustably mounted idle sprocket 190. rlhe length of the chain may thus be varied at dilterent points to vary the length ot time which is consumed by the actuator 176 carried by the chain in traveling from point to point.

The tirst step in the automatic cycle is to close the valve plate 168 of the main hopper structure, and this is accomplished by a lever 191 pivoted at the outer side ot the chain bracket 177 and having one arm ex tended toward the actuator chain and hav- .ing a fork 192 engageable by the actuator to rock the lever. An upstanding arm ot the lever is connected by a link 193 with Ya crank arm 194 on the valve control shatt 165.

The next step, of opening the valve plate ot the measuring hopper, is effected by a lever 195 pivoted also at the outer portion ot the bracket 177 and carrying a fork 196 engageable by the actuator', the forks ot both ot' these levers being engaged by the actuator at the lowerV portion ot the outer stretch ot the chain. The lever 195 is connected by a link 197 with a crank arm 198 depending from the control shaft 168.

rEhe next two steps are to successively close the valves ot the measuring and storage hoppers after sutlicient time has elapsed to permit complete discharge of the measuring hoppers onto the eonveyer- L10,. this is accomplished by fork extensions 199 and 200 on thelevers 195 and 191 respectively which are engageable by the actuator in traveling upwardly at theV lower portion ot' the inner stretch otE the chain 175. The adjustment afforded by the sprocket wheel 180 serves to vary the time allowed tor emptying the measuring hoppers, variation ot this time being necessary on account of ditlering measuring loads o1 the hoppers, and other conditions. To elfeet the initial step ot rocking the chute 169 to discharge the mixing drum, a lever 201 is pivoted at the outer upper portion oit the bracket 177 and is engageable'by the actuator 176 in traveling down the upper outer stretch of its chain to rock said lever, this rocking motion being transmitted through a link 202 to a crank 203 on one end ot a longitudinal sha'tV 208 having a crank ,208b on its other end trom which a second link 20stv extends to a crank arm 205 on the pivot shaft 170 ot the chute. The lever 201 is rocked in a reverse direction to swing the chute back to closing position by a link 206 pivoted to its outer portion and connected with an arm 207 pivoted adjacent the lever 195 which controls the valve means ot the measuring hoppers. The arm 207 carries a laterally extending pin 208 whereby, as the valve means ot the measuring hoppers is opened, the arm 207 will be rocked to close the chute. The water supply valve 172 is controlled by a lever 209 intermediately pivoted adjacent the lever 195,`this lever being connected at its outer end by a link 210 with a crank 211 on one end ot a longitudinal shaft 211 have ing a crank 211b on its other end which is connected by a second link 212 with a crank arm 218 on the stem ot the valve 172. The lever 209 is rocked to open the valve upon rocking movement oit the lever 191 in closing the valve ot the storage hoppers, by a slotted link 214 extending from the lever 191 and receiving in its slotted portion a pin 215 on the outer portion of the lever 209. Said lever 209-is rocked to close the valve by a pin 216 on its inner portion extending into the path of valve opening movement ot the lever 19T. The adjustment afforded by the shit'table sprocket wheel 190 provides fora 'variable *length of time which the mixingoperationV is `rpermitted, in accordance with differentV mixing requirements. The adjustments afforded by the shiftable sprocketwheel 1811y and the adjustment 'loop along the road by the-@inching Yor slow ad-l vancing mechanism 'described at va rate ofrv speed approximately equal vto the ratev of progression of the concrete laying action, t,ln.isniai1itaining' the distributing conveyer mechanismat all timesinproper relationr for thef progressive distribution of 'concrete e on the roadway, and inasmuch as the rate of progression variesin accordance with the width of the* roadwayand 'other Conditions, the inching'inechanism lof the machine is adjusted accordingly; "Should, however, the rate ofjprogression cf th'e'laying operation advance upon orlag behind'thev rate of'inching movementl of the machine, saidmachine may be halted or 'speedfed` up'in travel at intervals :to compensate' for this difference. The necessity-ofh'alting the'operation at short fintervals to "shift "the machine is avoided, andfit is particularly 'noted' that in my improvedmethod of 'layingthe roadway the actual4 pointof depositof the mixed concrete on the roadway may beV maintained ajsuflicient distance"rearwardly of the machine so as to'L provideaccess at 'all times to the sub-grade or concrete receiving surface, to smooth over any portions thereof which may` have become disturbed incidental to travel `of trucks thereover in depositing material, or from other cause. The continuous advancing movement of the machine also utilizes at alltimes the full lengthk of the main loading conveyer to compensate for variation in the manner in which the piles of aggregate are laid out along the roadway, thus insuringan adequate supply of aggregate to the storage hoppers 34 and 35 of the machine, and inasmuch as the aggregate is usually laid out approximately in uniformity, the continuous advancement of the machine maintains the gathering and conveying mechanism, constituted by the main and lateral conveyers, in operative relation to the work material., The feeding movement of the lateral conveyer on the main conveyer is utilized to compensate for variations in the amount of laid out piles of aggregate with respect to the rate of progression, the operation of said lateral conveyer may be supplemented by manual shoveling directly into the lower stretch of the main conveying buckets, and adjustment of the speed of feeding movement of the lateral conveyer compensates for different degrees of variation of the supply of aggregate material, thus adapting'the machine for eiiective and economical operation under exceedingly wide variations of operative conditions. 7

Several batches of aggregate material normally are maintained in the storage hoppers 311% and 35 at all times, and as themachine progresses, properly Aproportioned batches of materialare measured from this storage supply and discharged into the mixdrum, which is subsequently automatically' discharged into the bucket 7G to thus procure progressive automatic cycles of the mixing operation. Ineach of the cycles, the flow control means of the storage lioppers is open to discharge-into ythe measuring hoppers 38 and- 39 and simultaneously the previously mixed batch inthe mixer L13 is discharged by rocking the discharge chute 169 the mixer. vThe flow control means of the storage v"hoppers is thenv closed, the How v tions `'of use, withoutideparting in any manner r-from'the spirit ofmy invention.

That is claimed is:

1. In a machine of the class described, a main longitudinal conveyer including an elongated frame, a truck carried byk and movable along said frame, and a lateral conveyer wholly supported by said truck and extending obliquely downward and forward from its point of discharge on the main conveyer. p

2. In a machine of the class described, a

ymain longitudinal conveyer including an elongated frame, a truck carried by and movable along said frame, a lateral conveyer wholly supported by said truck and extending obliquely downward and forward from its point of discharge on the main conveyer, and means for adjusting the vertical angularity of the lateral conveyer.

3. In a machine of the class described, a longitudinal conveyer mechanism including traveling stretches, a lateral conveyer movable along the longitudinal conveyer, means operable by the longitudinal conveyer mechanism for moving the lateral conveyer along the longitudinal conveyer at a speed of movement less than the speed of movement of the traveling stretches of the longitudinal conveyer, and means for securing the lateral conveyer to one of the traveling stretches of the. longitudinal conveyer for travel therewith at the speed of said traveling stretches.

4. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a truck portion, a longitudinal conveyer frame, a lateral conveyer movable along said longitudinal conveyer frame, a drive cable for said lateral conveyer, the driving strand of said cable moving forwardly whereby to urge the lateral conveyer into engagement with the material piles, and power driven means for feeding said lateral con veyer forward.

5. A machine of the class described including a main longitudinal conveyer, a lateral conveyer movable along the longitudinal conveyer and arranged to discharge on the longitudinal conveyer, means operable by the longitudinal conveyer for driving the lateral conveyer, and means for varying the speed of the said drive means of the lateral conveyer.

G. In a machine of the class described, a longitudinal main conveyer frame, a conveyer carried thereby and including a sprocket chain, a carriage longitudinally movable on the frame, a lateral conveyer carried by the carriage, means for driving the lateral conveyer operable from the sprocket chain, and means for moving the carriage operable from the sprocket chain.

'7. In a machine of the class described, a longitudinal main conveyer frame, a conveyer carried thereby and including a sprocket chain, a carriage longitudinally7 movable on the frame, a lateral conveyer carried by the carriage, a shaft on the carriage, a sprocket Wheel on the shaft meshing with the main conveyer sprocket chain, a drive connection between said shaft and the lateral conveyer, and means driven from said shaft for propelling the carriage.

8. In a machine of the class described, a longitudinal main conveyer frame, a conveyer carried thereby and including a sprocket chain, a carriage longitudinally movable on the frame, a lateral conveyer car d by the carriage, a shaft on the carriage, a sprocket Wheel on the shaft meshing fit-h the main conveyer sprocket chain, a drive connection between said shaft and the lateral conveyer, a second shaft, means cooperating with said second shaft for moving said conveyer along said main conveyer frame, and a reducing drive connection between the said shafts.

9. In a machine of the class described, a longitudinal main conveyer frame, a conveyer carried thereby and including a sprocket chain, a carriage longitudinally movable on the frame, a lateral conveyer carried by the carriage, a shaft on the carriage, a sprocket Wheel on the shaft meshing with the main conveyer sprocket chain, a drive connectionbetween said shaft and the lateral conveyer, a second shaft, means HUGO O. STAMP.

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