US2646602A - Molder's sand treating and conveying apparatus - Google Patents

Description

July 28, 1953 P. s. HARDY MOLDERS sans TREATING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 20, 1950 ZSnventor Jeler J 1%,? y W M attorneys July 28, 1953 P. s. HARDY 2,646,602

MOLDERS SAND TREATING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS Filed May 20, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet '2 i any Zmventor Gttornegs July 28,- 1953 P. s; HARDY MOLDERS SAND TREATING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 20, 1950 wi U Zmventor (Itt ornegs Patented July 28, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MOLDERS SAND TREATING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS Peter S. Hardy, Bridgeport, Conn.- Appl ication May 20, 1950, Serial No. 163,119

9 Claims. 1

This invention relates to foundry equipment and particularly to mold and sand handling equipment for foundry use, and is a continuation in part of my copending applications Serial No. 765,476, filed August 1, 1947, now abandoned, and Serial Number 49,230, filed September 14, 1948, now Patent No. 2,577,891, issued December 11, 1951.

An object of the invention is to provide a foundry layout for handling molds and sand in a minimum of space and with the least amount of manual labor possible.

The foregoing object is attained by arranging a hopper, a molders bench, a mold handling track and a sand treating and conveying machine in a particular relationship to each other in order that the sand may make a complete circuit with a minimum of handling.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method and apparatus for handling sand from molds which are to be broken up, whereby the sand is redivided into its separate granules or small particles and delivered and stored above the molders benches so as to be readily available with a minimum of time and heavy labor being required.

Heretofore, particularly in small foundries with low roof trusses, it was the practice to remove the mold parts from the castings and cutor break up the formed sand of the molds manually until all lumps were removed and the sand was again in condition for use. After the formed sand had been properly cut or granulated, it was carried back to the molders benches and shoveled into hoppers at the benches so as to be convenient for the molder' to use. These operations required a great of hard labor, not only in cutting or breaking up the lumps of sand but also in transporting it, and as a result foundries required workers having physical strength and stamina, to withstand the labor.

According to the present invention, the amount and severity of the labor involved in handling the sand after the casting operation and prior to its subsequent use is greatly reduced. In the overhead tracks to enable it to be shifted bewith the foundry operations, and comprises a bucket-type conveyor wholly supported by and depending from the tracks, the lower end of the conveyor carrying a sand receptacle, vibrating screen or riddle, and a crushing mechanism. At the upper end of the conveyor a sand discharge mechanism is provided, including a conveyor belt having a relatively high linear speed whereby sandgranules and particles which have been lifted by the bucket conveyor are forcefully thrown outwardly from the handling mechanism' into and against the overhead hoppers at the molders benches, further refining the subdivision of the sand particles and collecting the sand where" it will be readily available without requiring a great deal of effort.

In accordance with the invention, sand is withdrawn from the hopper and formed as a mold on the molders bench, the mold is lifted to the adjacent horizontal mold track where it is easily displaced along the same as subsequent molds are formed and placed. When a row of molds is completed, they can be poured rapidly one after the other While in position on the mold tracks, the first formed then being near the remote end of the mold track and adjacent the lower end of the sand. handling machine. Upon the completion of a casting operation, the mold is deposited in the receptacle carried by the lower end of the bucket conveyor. Here the mold and castings are subjected to a vertically vibrating action of a shake-out screen or riddle, whereby the mold is broken up and the sand therefrom screened to separate the completed metal casting therefrom. The sand is then subjected to a crushing device whereby it is further-cut or broken up and granulated, and generally reduced to small particles which are readily cooled due to the separating air passages formed therebetween. These particlesand granules are then lifted slowly by the bucket conveyor and cooled at the same time, and are then forcefully thrown into and against the inside of the overhead hoppers by the highspeed conveyor, further break ing up any remaining lumps or particles and fiufiin'g the now relatively cool sand into a completely reconditioned state.

The entire crushing, granulating and conveying device carried by the overhead tracks may be readily swung from operative .to transport position to clear the mold tracks and shifted from one operating or casting station to another so that it can take care of handling the sand from a plurality of molding stations and can deliver the sand to any one of the overhead hoppers requiring a new supply. The mold shake-out and sand treating apparatus is entirely power driven, and therefore eliminates to a great extent the heavy labor heretofore required in foundry operations, and considerably reduces the time required.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved elevating conveyor structure mounted for swinging movement to transport position on its support so as to clear mold tracks or other interferences near the floor which would otherwise prevent its movement from station to station, in combination with a particular arrangement of sand handling equipment so arranged at either end of the conveyor as to contribute to the balance of the same for easy swinging movement.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a transportable sand conveying and treating machine including a mold shake-out riddle in which provision is made for mechanically operating the riddle by means on the frame of the machine, but in which means is provided for effecting the protection, to a large degree, of the machine frame and its supporting structure from degrading effects of the vibration of the riddle and weights supported thereon. The foregoing object is effected by providing an auxiliary floor engaging foot which supports the riddle when the machine is in operating position, and transmits the main vibration stress thereof to the floor of the building, but which is automatically disabled and lifted into noninterfering relationship when the conveyor is moved to transport position.

Additional features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation of the foundry equipment of this invention including a hopper, a molders bench, a mold track, and a sand handling and treating machine.

Fig. 2 is a plan on a smaller scale of the foundry layout showing several stations each including a hopper, molders bench and mold track, the sand handling and treating machine being shown at one of the stations, and the overhead rails and supporting portions of the machine being omitted for purposes of clarity.

Fig. 3 is an elevation to a larger scale showing the sand handling and treating machine in operating position, transport position thereof being indicated in broken lines. 1 v r Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevation, partially in section, of the riddle, lump-crushing mechanism and lower portion of the conveyor means of the equipment, shown to a still larger scale.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken approximately on line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevation to a large scale illustrating the means for latching the ma.- chine in operating osition.

Fig. '7 is a perspective view on substantially the same scale as Fig. 4 illustrating the floor supporting foot for the riddle in detail. 7,

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the foundry equipment of this invention comprises essentially a plurality of molders benches [0, a plurality of overhead hoppers il, one for each bench [0, a plurality of parallel mold tracks 15, preferably of the roller conveyor type as shown, one for each bench to, extending from adjacent the bench H) on a gradual slope towards a point remotefrom the bench. The free ends of the tracks 15 are adjacent passageway 20 providing access for pouring equipment to any one of the tracks 15. A power driven travelling sand conveyor and lump-crushing device 12 is so organized as to receive sand and sand lumps from molds near the level of the conveyor l5 adjacent the outer end thereof, to break up the mold and cut and crush the sand lumps, and convey the sand overhead in a sloping path and to deposit the sand in any one of the hoppers ll above its corresponding bench ill in position for use adjacent the first end of the conveyor l5.

With the foregoing arrangements, molders standing at the benches l0 operate the closures 2| at the bottoms of the hoppers H to provide sand for the making of molds on the benches. As each mold is completed the molder lifts it from the bench i0 onto the adjacent end of the corresponding mold track I5. He repeats this process and places a'second mold behind the first, urging the group along the track [5. The row of molds moves readily along the track l5 due to the roller surface and the slight slope thereof. As a row of molds is formed on each track #5, pouring means containing molten metal is brought up by way of the passage 20 and a series of the molds are poured at whichever of the tracks 55 pouring is appropriate. After the castings have been allowed to cool somewhat, the sand conveying and treating device 12 is brought to a position at one side of one of the tracks (5 and in line with the corresponding hopper l i as illustrated in the third station from the top in Fig. 2. A worker merely lifts th end mold of the series from the end of the track l5, swings it to the adjacent sand receiving portion of the machine I2 where the sand is removed and the casting may be lifted 01f. Operation of the machine causes the sand to be treated and conveyed on an upward slope into the hopper H above the bench Hi, completing the cycle of sand travel.

By the foregoing arrangement, the greater portion of heavy labor heretofore required in handling sand molds, breaking up the molds and lumps, and in transporting the sand back to the molders benches is eliminated, relieving the foundry personnel of strenuous physical labor heretofore involved in foundry operations and also shortening the time involved.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3 the sand treating and conveying devic 12 is carried by a pair of parallel overhead rails 13 on which it is supported, and along which it may be moved so as to enable any one of the stations including a hopper H and mold track IE to be serviced by the machine for transforming the sand of the molds 0n the track 15 into granular condition for reuse and for transporting the same back into the hopper into useful position so as to be readily available to the molder at the corresponding bench in.

At the lower end of the machine 12 which extends towards th passageway 20, a sand receptacle or riddle id is provided, carried by the machine and so positioned that a mold to be broken up may be easily swung from the track I5 thereto with little lifting or transportation.

Receptacle i4 is shown in detail in Fig. 4 and may be in the form of a shallow rectangular box having flat sides 22 and sloping bottom plates 24 forming a transverse truncated pyramid, with a substantially rectangular discharge opening 26. Across the interior of the receptacle M a sturdy screen 28 is provided supported by a plu ra-lity of spaced parallel angle irons 28a secured to opposite bottom plates, one of said bottom plates having an upturnedportion 30 functioning as a rear wall for the receptacle I4 and the other bottom plate having a downturned portion 32 in.

members 34 is an electric motor 42 which drives.

the shaft 36 through the belt 44. Eccentric portions 38 of the shaft 36, therefore, form a pivotal supporting means for one end of the riddle i4, and when the shaft 36 is rotated by motor 42 the eccentric portions 38 also serve to vibrate the riddle vertically with a rapid motion in order to shake apart a sand mold placed thereon, to remove the sand from the casting, and reduce the same to lumps of a size which can be readily handled by the treating mechanism.

' Except for the eccentric portions 38 of the shaft 36, the riddle I4 is'not directly mounted on the frame of the machine I2. All other support therefore is provided by a pair of resilient rubber mounts or shock absorbers 4%, one on each side of the riddle. The upper end of the mount. $6 is pivotally connected to a projection 48 on the riddle, and the lower end thereof has a piv otal connection 49 with a foot member 50 which. is shown in detail in Fig. '7.

The foot member comprises two spaced arms 52, 54 lying in parallel planes, one on either side of the machine I2. A boss 53 on each of the arms is pivotally connected to the outer end of one of the lower frame pieces 34; the other ends are connected by a bar 58 having a central pad 60 for engagement with the floor of the building. Intermediate the ends of thearms 52, 54 is. a cross bar 62 which overlies the frame pieces 34 and by which the foot member 50 is raised when the machine i2 is moved to dotted line position in Fig. 3. When the machine is in the full line position of Fig. 3, however, the dimensions of foot 56 are such that the bar 62 is released from contact with the frame members 34. The lower ends of resilient rubber supports 46 areconnected by pivots 43, one to each of the side bars 52, 54

between the boss 53 and the connection of: the

cross bar 62 thereto. Therefore, when the machine i2 is in a full line position of Fig. 3 orin theposition of Fig. 4, with the bar 62 lifted from the upper edge of frame members 34., a large share of theweight of the foot member 50, the riddle l4, and. the material carried thereby, is bornev by the floor 64 of the building through the foot member 50, and stresses dueto the vibration of the riddle will be transmitted to the floor 64' through the members 45, 5B.

In accordance with the invention, below the hub 38 a strong semicyclindricaltrough,1.4 iSg'IDIZOB- vided following in general the. path of travel of the ends of the plates I2 at the underside of the hub 68, and connected with the upper edge of the trough I4 is a chute 'lfi, which extends between the frame members 34 and guides sand emerging from the discharge opening'26 to the breaker plates 12. The shaft I3 is driven in clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 4 by a sprocket 18 (Fig. 3) and chain receives power from a driving sprocket 82 secured to a tail spindle 84 at the lower end of the lifting conveyor. This lifting conveyor comprises a chain 86 having buckets. 88, the chain passin around tail sprockets 93 on the tail spindle 84 and the buckets 88 sweeping past through a trough-like extension 74a on. the trough 14. The sprockets 90, it will be noted, are the equivalent of the tail pulley of a belt conveyor, and hereinafter where the terms.

tail pulley and head pulley are used, it will be understood that. in the broader sense they may refer to. pulleys, sprockets or the like serving the same function. The chain 88 passes upwardly along and between the main frame uprights 92 and passes over head sprockets 94 on a head spinr dle 96 at the upper end of the conveyor. The

head spindle 96 carries a large sprocket 98 driven by a chain I33 from an electric motor I02 mounted on the upper edges of a pair of upper spaced frame members I34 which are mounted on the upper extremities of the main frame uprights 92.. The caring is such that the head sprockets 94. and tail sprockts rotate at a speed consider.- ably less than that of the motor I02.

A second or hopper-loading conveyor I36,

hich is of relatively high speed is. mounted at the upper or discharge end of the lifting conveyor and is arranged to receive sand from the latter and to carry and throw the sand with considerably velocity into side openings I Ia in any one of the overhead hoppers II with which the machine. I2. is align-ed. By virtue of the high speed of the.

conveyor I06, any small lumpsv of sand which it may carry will be thrown into the hopper II and against the opposite wall thereof with considerable velocity, and will thereby be broken up, so that the sand carried in the hopper II will be reduced to ultimate powder form ready for use. The conveyor I156 comprises a pair of pulleys I98, I68 carrying a conveyor belt H3, one of the pulleys I68 being driven through a direct, high speed belt drive II: from the motor I322. The belt Ill! and pulleys I98. are arranged so that the belt slopes upward and extends from the discharge p-oint of the lifting, conveyor toa point which may be brought adjacent the opening IIa of any of the overhead hoppers II by travelling the entire machine I 2 along the rails I3. Thelifting conveyor is enclosed at its. sides by plates I ltyand a hopper-loading conveyor I06 is housed in any suitable manner by plates attached tothe upper parallel frame members I 04 so as to confine the sand within the conveyor structure and prevent spilling the same on the foundry floor.

The main upright frame members 92 of the machine It are supported from the rails I3 by means of a carriage and tilting mechanism 4, formed of angle irons or similar elements, and the carriage has. U-shaped brackets H6 mount-- ing the wheels H8 which ride in the. rails, I3.

While only two sets of brackets H6 and corresponding wheels H8 are shown in the, drawing? for. simplicity of illustration, itwill be understood that there are at least four sets. twosets being. on each rail-I3; and that all. of thefoun brackets IIS and the wheels H8 carried thereby are mounted on thezcarriage I I4, the latter being rectangular in configuration as viewed from above. The carriage II4 may be made in any desired manner and as shown comprises bars formed of iron angles I located back-to-back, each pair of angles constituting transverse structural members extending between the rails I3. The iron angles I20 at their extremities are connected together by longitudinally extending angles I22 which constitute the front and rear structural members of the carriage.

A first plurality of angle bars I24 extends angularly downward from the left-hand ends of the transverse members I20 of the carriage H4, and a second plurality of angle bars I26 extends angularly downward and to the left from the right-hand ends of the transverse members I20, the lower extremities of the members I24 and I26 of each pair being connected together by a pintle ,bar I28 which passes through brackets I30 secured to the upright frame members 92 of the machine I2 by which organization a pivotal connection is provided between the depending structural members I24, I25 (at the lower extremities thereof) and the machine I2 intermediate the ends of the latter. This pivotal connection enables the machine I2 to be swung about the pivot I28 to a position (shown in broken lines) wherein the lower end of the machine is raised a substantial distance above the floor surface 64.

In accordance with the invention, novel, simplified locking and actuating mechanism is provided as a part of the supporting means II4, whereby the machine I2 may be quickly and securely located and rigidly held in the upwardly sloping operative position shown in solid lines in Fig. 3, and whereby the machine may yet be easily and quickly released and shifted to elevate the lower end thereof to clear objects supported on the floor. This means comprises a toggle joint I36 consisting of a plurality of iron angle bars I32 pivotally connected to the machine frame members 92 by means of brackets I34 and pivots, and further consists of aplurality of iron angle bars I36 pivotally connected to the upper right-hand portions of the carriage at I38, the bars I32 and I36 being pivotally connected together by pins I46 at their adjacent ends.

The angle bars I36 are connected together by a cross member I42 adjacent their lower extremities, the cross member being also in the form of an angle bar. Actually the toggle joint I38 is thus constituted of a plurality of parallel members disposed in a plane perpendicular to the drawing of Fig. 3 and interconnected to act simultaneously as a single toggle joint.

The pivot pins I40 are located a short distance from the lower extremities of the angle bars I36, by which organization the cross member I42 at the lower extremities of the bars I36 is engageable with the upper portions of the toggle bars I32 to cooperate therewith and function as stops. It is thus seen that the pivotal connection between the toggle bars I32 and I35 is in the form of a knee joint in that the toggle bars may be swung to the left from the broken line position shown in Fig. 3 to the full lines positions shown (wherein they are aligned with each other) but may not be swung further to the left beyond the said aligning positions.

By the present invention a novel latch is provided whereby the toggle joint may be automatically locked when the bars thereof are shifted into alignment with each other, and may be easily and quickly released and the toggle bars simultaneously shifted to cause a raising of the lower end of the machine i2. This latch is particularly shown in Fig. 6 and comprises a plurality of latch arms I44 pivotally carried by plates I46 secured to the toggle bars I32 adjacent their opposite extremities. The latch arms I44 are connected together by a cross bar I48, and having camming surfaces I50 engageable with the cross member I42 of the upper toggle bars I45 whereby the latch arms are cammed downwardly when the toggle bars are shifted towards their aligned positions. The toggle bars I32 have stops I52 against which the latch arms I44 are normally held by helical extension springs I54 when not locking the toggle members I32 and I36.

To swing the machine I2 from the solid line position in Fig. 3 to the dotted line position with the lower end raised above the floor, there is provided a power operating device consisting of a pneumatic cylinder I53 and piston I58, the cylinder being pivotally attached as by pin I60 to a suitable cross bar I6I mounted on that portion of the carriage frame consisting of angle bars I26, and the piston being pivotally connected by means of pin I62 to a cross bar I53 on the upright machine frame 92 between the pivot brackets 30 and I34. Conventional valve means (not shown) are provided for admitting the air under pressure to one side or the other of piston I58 and for simultaneousl exhausting the opposite side. When the latch I44 is released and air is admitted to the underside of piston I58, the piston is drawn into the cylinder I56 and raises the machine I2 tov the dotted line position breaking the toggle formed by bars I32 and I36. Admission of air under pressure to the top of piston I58 automatically lowers the machine I2 to operating position, straightening the toggle I32, I36, and automatically operating the latch I44 to retain the parts in the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 3. Since the machine I2, as mounted at the pivot I28, has a slight tendency to swing to the operative or solid line position in Fig. 3 acounterbalance spring 164 is connected to the toggle bars I32 and I36 across the toggle joint to help equalize the lowering and raising loads which occur during operation of the device.

The operation of the sand handling machine I2 of the invention is as follows: the latch I44 is operated to release the toggle I32, I36, the air valve is operated to admit compressed air under the piston I58 and to move the machine I2 to dotted lines as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The machine I2 can then be easily moved along the rails I3 on wheels H8 in either direction to position it opposite the desired hopper I I and adjacent a corresponding mold track I 5 upon which is found a number of molds ready for dismantling. When the machine I2 is in position the air valve is again operated to introduce air above the piston I58 to lower the machine I2 into full line position as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 with the riddle I4 adjacent the outer end of the track I5 and the emission opening of conveyor I08 adjacent the fillingopening IIa of the corresponding hopper While the machine I2 is still in dotted line position and during its transport from one station to another it will be seen that the bar 62 of the foot member 50 rests upon the upper edges of the lower parallel frame members 34 so that the foot member 50 is carried thereby, but when the machine I2 reaches the desired station and is moved to operative position as shown in solid lines, the floor engaging elements of the foot member 50 is allowed to come into contact with the floor, simultaneously raising the bar 62 out of contact with the lower fram members 34 and transferring a large portion of the weight of the foot member 55) and riddle [4 to the foundry floor 64.

A workman standing before the riddle M turns to the mold track, picks up the end mold with its completed casting and swings it into the riddle l4. Thereupon switches are closed to energize the motors 42 and I02. The motor 42 rapidly vibrates the riddle l4 shaking loose the sand and allowing the metal casting to remain on the coarse screen 28 of the riddle I4. The sand in small chunks passes through the opening 2% and is guided by the plate i6 into the nip of the crusher formed between the plates l2 and trough H, where the sand is broken up into still smaller chunks.

As the sand proceeds from the breaker 12, it it is comminuted sufiiciently to permit air to reach the particles somewhat for cooling. More important, however, is the fact that the sand is thoroughly intermixed by the breaker so that extremely hot grains or chunks which were near the casting are placed in intimate engagement with cooler grains from the outside of the mold. The motion of the plates 12 is such that the material issuing from the breaker is urged into the buckets 83 of the upward conveyor as the same swing around the tail sprockets so. The slow upward movement of the conveyor buckets 88 provides opportunity for the comminuted and aerated sand discharged by the breaker it, it to become reasonably cool, by providing time for the interchange of heat between the hot and cool granules, so that when the head sprocket Q4 of the upward conveyor is reached, the sand has all reached an average temperature and is cool enough to be in condition for further pulverizing or fluifing treatment to reduce it to its original powdered form suitable for mold making. This final treatment of the sand results from the operation of the hopper-loading conveyor wt for, as the upward conveyor buckets 88 discharge onto the belt Ht of the conveyor Hit, the sand is engaged thereby and projected at high speed up wardly and to the left as viewed in Figs. 1 and 3,

While the exact speed at which the conveyor )6 projects the sand is not sharply critical, the speed should be as high as convenient and consistent with other design considerations. As an example of appropriate speeds for the conveyors,

it may be stated that about twenty feet per minuteis suitable for the upward conveyor, while the conveyor Hi should travel at least ten times as fast. It will be seen that the speed of the conveyor N35 is determined particularly by the necessity for treating the sand rather than by the necessity for accommodating the discharge of the upward conveyor, and any conveyor speed which will throw the sand chunks with a low trajectory against thehopper wall with force enough to reduce them to their individual grains will serve the l9 purpose. For brevity and convenience the speed of movement of the sand particles which has this effect is hereinafter referred to as projectile velocity.

It will be understood from Fig. 1 that overhead rails I3 are perpendicular to the mold tracks l5 so that the machine l0 may be moved from one mold track [5 to another and properly disposed beside the track 15 where molds to be broken up are standing in readiness, and also into alignment with the corresponding sand hopper ll.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that this invention provides a foundry layout organization which largely eliminates manual labor in the handling of the molds and of the sand, and includes a sand. treating and conveying machine which provides for the reconditioning of the sand and the return thereof to usable position with little manual interference from the operator. The improved machine of this invention is likewise provided with a convenient overhead suspension and tilting means which makes it extremely mobile and convenient, and at the same time is-arrangedto provide fioor support and vibration resistance for the vibrating riddle in order to offset the effects of the vibration on the machine and supporting mechanism. In addition, the parts of the machine are arranged to provide for full treatment of a large quantity of sand by a device with minimum height dimension capable of use in low foundry buildings. Furthermore, the arrangement of the operating parts of the machine is such as to divide the weight between the ends of the elongate upward conveyor wherebysubstantial balance is achieved so that swinging of the machine between operating and transport positions is easily performed by hand if necessary, and if power equipment such as pneumatic cylinder 1 56 is employed, the same can be of extremely smallsize and power capacity without impairing performance.

- Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of the claims and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

1. In a foundry, overhead tracks, a conveyor supported on and depending from said tracks and movable to different locations for lifting sand overhead from pointsadjacent the floor; a sand receptacle connected with and located at the lower end of the conveyor'for feeding sand thereto;

a vibrating sand screen mounted at the lower end of the conveyor and carried thereby from one location to another and operatively associated with said receptacle and disposed at the mouth thereof; and means mounted at the lower end of the conveyor and carried thereby from one location to another and. connected with said receptacle and including a rotary member having a plurality of projections, including means cooperable with said projections, for crushing lumps of sand leaving the receptacle prior to the sand being carried by the conveyor.

2. In a foundry, a conveyor movable to different stations for lifting sand overhead from points adjacent the fioor, said conveyor having a tail pulley at its lower end; a sand receptacle mounted on and carried by the lower end of the conveyor adjacent said tail pulley for feeding sand .to the conveyor; and means mounted at the lower end of the conveyor and carried thereby from one location to another and connected between said receptacle and tail pulley for crushing lumps of sand leaving the receptacle, said means including a rotary member turning on a horizontal axis and having a plurality of projections, and including means cooperable with said projections, said tail pulley and rotary member turning in opposite directions and the projections at the underside of the member sweeping toward the tail pulley to move sand thereto.

3. In a foundry the combination with a plurality of molders benches defining molding stations; overhead hoppers, one for each bench and each with its discharge above the corresponding bench; parallel mold tracks, one for each bench, and each with one of its ends adjacent the corresponding bench and its other end remote therefrom; means including an upwardly sloping conveyor for conditioning sand and for conducting the same from a point adjacent one of said tracks and remote from the corresponding bench, upwardly, and into the corresponding hopper; means suspending said conditioning and conducting means from an elevated support with the conditioning and conducting means projecting downwardly so that a por tion thereof is presented between adjacent mold tracks during use, said suspension means also providing for lateral movement of the conditioning and conducting means from station to station; and means, forming a part of said suspension means, for effecting swinging of said conditioning and conducting means from operating position to transport position with the lower end thereof higher than the mold tracks to permit said lateral movement.

4. In a foundry the combination with a plurality of molders benches defining molding stations; overhead hoppers, one for each bench and each with its discharge above the corresponding bench; parallel mold tracks, one for each bench and each with one of its ends adjacent the corresponding bench and its other end remote therefrom; means including an upwardly sloping conveyor for conditioning sand and for conducting the same from a point adjacent one of said tracks and remote from the corresponding bench, upwardly, and into the corresponding hopper; means suspending said conditioning and conducting means from an elevated support with the conditioning and conducting means projecting downwardly so that a portion thereof is presented between adjacent mold tracks during use, said suspension means also providing for lateral movement of the conditioning and conducting means from station to station; means, forming a part of said suspension means, for effecting swinging of said conditioning and conducting means from operating position to transport position with the lower end thereof higher than the mold tracks to permit said lateral movement, said conditioning and conducting means including a vertically vibrating riddle mounted at the lower end of said conveyor; and floor support means for said riddle operative to support the same when said conditioning and conducting means is swung to operative position, and automatically swung away from the floor to clear the mold tracks when said conditioning and conducting means is swung to transport position.

5. In a foundry the combination with a plurality of molders benches defining molding stations; overhead hoppers, one for each bench and each with its discharge above the corresponding bench; parallel mold tracks, one for each bench, and each with one of its ends adjacent the corresponding bench and its other end remote therefrom; means including an upwardly sloping conveyor for conditioning sand and for conducting the same from a point adjacent one of said tracks and remote from the corresponding bench, upwardly, and into the corresponding hopper; means suspending said conditioning and conducting means from an elevated support with the conditioning and conducting means projecting downwardly so that a portion thereof is presented between adjacent mold tracks during use, said suspension means also providing for lateral movement of the conditioning and conducting means from station to station; and means, forming a part of said suspension means, for efiecting swinging of said conditioning and conducting means from operating position to transport position with the lower end thereof higher than the mold tracks to permit said lateral movement, said conditioning and conducting means including a high speed conveyor and an electric drive motor for both of said conveyors mounted at one end of said upwardly sloping conveyor, and a shake-out riddle and lump-crushing means mounted at the other end thereof, said conditioning and conducting means being swingably suspended at a point intermediate the ends of said upwardly sloping conveyor.

6. A sand handling and conditioning machine comprising an elongate slow speed conveyor; mold shake-out means and rotary lump-crushing means mounted on one end of said conveyor and arranged to discharge sand into the same; a high speed conveyor mounted at the other end of said slow speed conveyor for receiving sand discharged therefrom and projecting the sand outwardly at high velocity; a movable overhead carriage; and means pivotally engaging said elongate conveyor at a point thereon intermediate its ends for swingably supportin the same beneath said carriage.

7. A sand handling and conditioning machine comprising an elongate slow speed conceyor; lump-crushing means mounted on one end of said conveyor and arranged to discharge sand into the same; a high speed conveyor mounted at the other end of said slow speed conveyor for receiving sand discharged therefrom and projecting the sand outwardly at high velocity; a movable overhead carriage; means pivotally engaging said elongate conveyor at a point thereon intermediate its ends for swingably supporting the same beneath said carriage for movement between operating position and transport position; a vertically vibrating riddle mounted on said one end of said elongate conveyor and arranged to discharge into said lump-crushing means; a floor supporting foot for said riddle pivotally connected at one end to said one end of said elongate conveyor and engageable with the floor at said other end, and resilient shock absorbing means connected at one end to said riddle and at the other end to said foot intermediate its ends.

8. In a sand handling and conditioning machine, an overhead carriage; a depending support member connected to said carriage and movable between positions remote from and closely adjacent the floor; a vertically vibrating riddle and means for vibrating the same carried by said depending support member; a floor supporting foot for supporting a portion of the weight of said riddle and for transmitting the vibratory shock thereof to said floor when said support member is adjacent the floor, said foot being pivotally connected at one end to said support member and having floor engaging means on its other end; and resilient shock absorbing means connected at one end to said riddle and at the other end to said foot intermediate its ends. 4

9. In a sand handling and conditioning machine, an overhead carriage; a depending support member connected to said carriage and movable between positions remote from and closely adjacent the floor; a vertically vibrating riddle and means for vibrating the same carried by said depending support member; a floor supporting foot for supporting a portion of the weight of said riddle and for transmitting the vibratory shock thereof to said floor when said support member is adjacent the floor, said foot being pivotally connected at one end to said support member and having floor engaging means on its other end; resilient shock absorbing means connected at one end to said riddle and at the other end to said foot intermediate its ends; and interengaging means on said frame and said foot 14 for raising said foot bodily with said frame after a slight initial relative travel.

PETER S. HARDY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 752,646 Boughton Feb. 23, 1904 1,323,641 Ervin Dec. 2, 1919 1,478,812 Barene Dec. 25, 1923 1,748,124 Goldberg Feb. 25, 1930 1,841,729 Hauge Jan. 19, 1932 1,860,481 Royer May 31, 1932 2,020,131 Behnke Nov. 5, 1935 2,488,381 Davies Nov. 15, 1949

Images