US2864514A - Ore reclaiming machines - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 16, 1958 R. BARTRAM 2,864,514

ORE RECLAIMING MACHINES Filed Oct. 26, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet l 36 a5 55 Saz 1 -l fr N mwN-'UR l=2 Dec. 16, 1958 R. BARTRAM ORE RECLAIMING MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 26, 1955 INVENTDR Fl TTORNEY Dec. 16, 1958 R, BARTRAM 2,864,514

ORE RECLAIMING MACHINES Filed Oct. 26, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VENTOR Pwqu, Qumran r11-Tenney Dec. 16, 195s R BARTRAM 2,864,514

ORE RECLAIMING MACHINES Filed Oct. 26, 1955 5 SheetS-SheetI 4 Fig. s

INVENTGR Pan/L9 BHRTRWM Dec. 16, 1958 R. BARTRAM ORE RECLAIMING MACHINES Filed Oct. 26, 1955 5 Sheetfsx-Sheet 5 nuvENvol BHPTRHM 2,864,514 Patented Dec. 16, 1958 tice ORE RECLAIMING MACHINES Ronald Bartram, Bexley, England, assignor to The General Electric Company Limited, London, England Application October 26, 1955, Serial No. 542,999

Claims priority, application Great Britain November 4, 1954 7 Claims. (Cl. 214-10) This invention relates to machines for reclaiming ore and the like bulk material and of the kind comprising a bridge carried at each end on bogie arrangements adapted to run on a rail or rails, the distance between the bogie arrangements being greater than the width of a pile of material against which the machine is adapted to operate, and a harrow adapted to agitate the face of the pile so as to loosen the material on the face of the pile and cause it to fall onto a transverse conveyor running along the length of the bridge and adapted to deliver the material onto a longitudinal conveyor by the side of the pile of material, the harrow and the transverse conveyor being carried by the bridge. Reclaiming machines of this kind are described in United States Letters Patent Nos. 2,171,528 and 2,423,279, and in machines of this kind, the bridge usually carries power means for driving the bogie arrangements so as to advance the harrow and transverse conveyor slowly forward against the pile and for retracting the harrow and transverse conveyor rearwardly to say its starting point, when the pile of material has all been transferred to the longitudinal conveyor. In the said Patent 2,423,279, it is proposed that the harrow and transverse conveyor are rotatable about a horizontal axis so as to permit the bottom of the transverse conveyor to be raised above the position it occupies in normal operation, so enabling the bridge to be run backwards without fear of the bottom of the transverse conveyor being jammed against material which may have been left behind during the forward run.

In the reclaiming machine described in Patent 2,423,279, the bridge is supported from the bogie arrangements at each end by hinge pins at the rear about which hinge pins the bridge rotates, and lifting rams are provided at the front with a clamping system which ensures that the lifting rams can only be used when the machine is inoperative. The said machine possesses some disadvantages such as undesirable movement of the bridge frame being present and one object of the present invention is the provision of an ore reclaiming machine which has a stable bridge. Another object is to reduce the number of driving motors necessary on the bridge and to provide a machine of increased etliciency at lower cost.

According to the present invention, in a machine for reclaiming ore and the like bulk material and of the kind specified, the bridge is arranged as a single unit integral with the rear wheels of the bogie arrangements and the front wheels of the bog'e arrangements are capable of movement relatively to the bridge, the arrangement being such that the bottom of the transverse conveyor can be raised above its normal operative poistion by rotation of the bridge about the axis of the rear wheels of the bogie arrangements.

The bogie arrangements at each end of the bridge may comprise three wheels, a single rear wheel integral with the bridge and two front wheels carried by a compensat- 70 ing bogie, the three wheels being in line and arranged to run on a single rail.

The drive from power means on the bridge for moving the machine backwards and forwards, may be to the pairs of front wheels of the bogie arrangements and would be through universal couplings to permit relative movement between the bridge and the compensating bogies.

A single. motor may drive the transverse conveyor and the harrow, the motor being connected through suitable gearing to the conveyor and harrow. A separate motor may be provided for hoisting and lowering the harrow to regulate the angle it makes with the horizontal and a further motor may be provided on the bridge for driving both compensating bogies for traversing the bridge, the motor driving lineshaft through a change speed gearbox to enable the bridge to be driven forwards slowly into a pile of material and retracted at a higher speed.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood, one construction of a reclaiming machine in accordance with the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to Figures 1 to 7 of the accompanying drawings in which Figure l shows a plan at floor level of the machine which although capable of operating with a fixed longitudinal conveyor at each side of the pile of material, is shown as operating with a single fixed longitudinal conveyor, Figure 2 is a section on the line lI-II in Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a section on the line III-Ill in Figure 1. Figure 4 shows a detail and is an elevation of the frame of the machine at its connection to one of its bogie arrangements, Figure 5 is a plan View, with gear covers removed of the front or driving end of a bogie arrangement, Figure 6 is a section on the line VI-VI in Figure 5, and Figure 7 is a section on the line VII-VII in Figure 6. Figures 8 and 9 show part side views, in part section, of the delivery end of a modified machine arranged to operate with a pile of material on a site where the fixed longitudinal conveyor is situated above ground level and for simplicity, the same reference numerals have been used in these figures for parts similar to those shown in Figures 1 to 7. The two Figures 8 and 9 are parallel sections displaced, as will be appreciated, a short distance one from the other.

Referring now to Figures 1 to 4 of the drawings, the reclaiming machine comprises a bridge 1 carried at each end on a bogie arrangement 2 comprising three wheels, a single rear wheel 3 (see Figure 4) and two front wheels 4 carried by a compensating bogie 5. The bridge 1 is arranged as a single unit integral with the rear wheels 3 so that it may rotate about a horizontal axis to enable a transverse conveyor 39 feeding a longitudinal conveyor 34 to be raised and lowered and, as will be appreciated, this axis is the axis off the rear wheels 3. The two fro-nt wheels 4 at each end of the bridge 1 are housed in their compensating bogie 5 which is (see Figures 5 and 6) also attached to the bridge by a compensating pin 24 and the compensating bogies 5 are provided with guide plates 6 (see Figure 7) which work in conjunction with similar plates 7 (see Figure 4) on the bridge 1. Between the guideplates 6 of the compensating bogies and the guideplates 7 of the bridge are four pairs of cooperating thrust pads S4, the two pads of each pair being attached to the guideplates 6 and the guideplates 7 respectively. By means of these thrust pads any transverse forces acting on the bridge are taken directly into the compensating bogies whether the bridge be in its raised or lowered position.

The drive to the compensating bogies 5 for traversing the bridge 1 is by means of a single motor 8 through a variable speed gearbox 9 and a change speed gearbox 10 equipped with a slow speed reduction for travel into the pile and a high speed reduction for reverse travel, the box 10 being provided with suitable clutches interlocked to provide choice of speed of travel. The drive from the change speed gearbox is to a lineshaft 11 (see Figure l) running the length of the bridge 1 and may be directly connected as shown in the drawings to a shaft 12 at each end fitted with universal joints 13, 14, the outer end of each of these shafts 12 being connected directly to a wormgear 15 (see Figures 5, 6 and 7) attached to the compensating bogie 5 and driving a worm wheel 16 mounted on a shaft 17 parallel to the plane containing the two front wheels 4 and itself provided with two wormgears 18 and 19, each wormgear 18 or 19 driving a wormwheel 2i) or 21 mounted on the shaft 22 or 23 carrying one or the other of the front wheels. This drive arrangement to the front wheels 4 by way of the universal joints 13, 14 permits the front of the bridge 1 to be raised and lowered without interfering with the drive from the single motor 8 to the bogie arrangements for traversing the bridge.

in order to lift the front of the bridge 1 when it is required to run the bridge 1 away from the pile, each end of the bridge 1 is provided with an hydraulic piston and cylinder 25 (see Figure 6) the piston 26 being attached to the compensating pin 24 of the associated com pensating bogie 5 and the cylinder 27 to the bridge struc ture by a cross pin 28 (see also Figure 4). above, each compensating bogie 5 is provided with guide plates 6 between itself and the bridge structure and the whole of the weight of the bridge 1 at the forward end is carried by the compensating pins 24 making clamping arrangements unnecessary. Additionally,

when the bridge 1 is lifted, the full lengths of the piston heads 26 are retained in their cylinders 27, thereby providing transverse stability. Moreover, any transverse thrust due to the action of the transverse conveyor 39 is taken up into the compensating bogies by the thrust pads 54. The compensating pins 24 are connected with cross pins 29 supported in bridge extensions 30 (see Figure 4) which are slotted to carry bearings 31 for the cross pins 29 and so arranged that the limit of the upward travel of the bridge 1 is determined by the botl toms of the slots in the extensions 30 coming into contact with the compensating bearings 31. When the front of the bridge 1 is lifted, the whole bride 1 hinges about the rear wheels 3. of the machine relative to the compensating bogies 5 carrying the front wheels 4 and such movement does not interfere with the driving arrangements to the compensating bogies 5. Each hydraulic piston and cylinder 25 is supplied by a common hydraulic pump 32 (see Figure l) mounted on the bridge 1 and driven by an electric motor 33 and suitable control means will be provided for the motor and pump.

The transverse conveyor 39 which delivers material to a longitudinal conveyor 34 (see Figure 2) and which is usually referred to as a plough conveyor, is required to operate in either direction depending upon the location of the longitudinal conveyor 34. As mentioned above, a single motor may be provided for the plough conveyor and harrow drive and this motor 35 (see Figures 1 and 2) is located approximately at centre of the bridge 1 and is connected to a further lineshaft 36 running the length of the bridge 1, by means of a rope, chain or other gear unit 37. The ends of this further lineshaft 36 are connected to gearboxes 38 at each end which comprise a combination of spur and wormgears which are in turn connected to sprockets 40 of the transverse conveyor 39 by means of ratchet couplings 41 (see Figure l). These couplings 41 automatically drive the desired sprocket 40 according to the direction of rotation of the motor 35 and retain the tension in the bottom length of the plough or transverse conveyor 39. From the gearbox 38 at the left hand end in Figure 1, a further gear reduction is added which operates the horizontal movement of a barrow 42 through a crank, disc, crank and connecting rod mechanism 43, thus dispensing with the usual separate barrow drive motor and gear unit.

As described 4.- A harrow hoist motor 55 is provided and the general operation of the machine is similar to those described in the said patent specification.

Referring now to Figures 8 and 9 which show the delivery end of a machine adapted to operate with a pile of material on a site where the fixed longitudinal conveyor 34 is situated above ground level, braced distance pieces 44 are inserted between a bogie unit 5 and the bridge structure toprovide suitable elevation of the transverse conveyor 39 above ground. In this case, the traverse lineshaft 11 running the length of the bridge 1 is provided with a spur gear 45 (see Figure 9) driving another gear 46 mounted on the bridge 1 and connected by way of a shaft 47 having universal joints 48 at each end to an elevated extension Shaft 49 attached to the compensating unit 5. A chain drive 50 is connected between the extension shaft 49 and the single wormgear shaft 51 of a compensating bogie 5, the chain drive 50 being suitably chosen in dependence upon the size of the distance pieces 44. The introduction of the chain drive 50 allows a limit to be set upon the movement permitted by the universal joints.

In the case of this machine operating with the fixed longitudinal conveyor 34 above ground level, the side supports of the pile would be so arranged that the material being collected by the plough conveyor 39 is fed directly onto the longitudinal conveyor 34 via a hopper 52 (see Figure 8) without the need of lifting the material or directing the material into enclosed troughs. Wear and stretch in the plough or transverse conveyor 39 may be taken up in known manner by means of a tension sprocket 53 at each end of the machine, or alternatively by providing a bedplate and adjusting screws for one of the gear bo-x units 38 as shown in Figures l and 2 to enable the whole unit to be moved outwardly.

in such a case, the relative movement between the gearbox and the motor 35 may be obtained by the use of a long splined mutf coupling.

If the transverse or plough conveyor 39 is only required to be driven in one direction to supply a fixed longitudinal conveyor 34 on one side only of the pile, the said logitudinal conveyor being either below or above ground as previously described, then the arrangement of machine described above can be simplified by providing a single conveyor and harrow gear box at one end and omitting the gearbox at the other end for the plough or transverse conveyor. The ratchet coupling, elevated tension sprockets, line shafting and other mechanism associated with this gearbox will also not be required. in this instance the stretch or wear in the plough conveyor will be accommodated by means of a tensioning device on the plough tail sprocket.

Fro-m the above description, it will be appreciated that a reclaiming machine in accordance with the invention includes traversing equipment considerably superior to that used on existing machines and that a simple means is provided for lifting the front of the machine bridge. A simple driving arrangement is provided for the transverse or plough conveyor with means for adjustment of the conveyor and the machine may be used either with a xed longitudinal conveyor or conveyors below ground level or with a longitudinal conveyor or conveyors above ground level. An important advantage of operating the longitudinal conveyor or conveyors above normal ground level is that a large saving in the cost of foundations is achieved compared with a reclaimer where the longitudinal conveyor or conveyors is or are below ground level.

claim:

l. A machine for reclaiming ore and like bulk material disposed between a pair of parallel rails, said machine comprising a pair of bogies each having a single rear wheel and a plurality `of front wheels and each of said bogies running along `a different one of said rails, a bridge carried at each end on a` different bogie, said bridge constituting a single unit integral with the rear wheels of said bogies, compensating bogies disposed one at each end of the bridge and carrying the front wheels of said `bogies, said compensating bogies being attached to said bridge by means permitting relative movement between said compensating bogies and said bridge, lateral thrust-absorbing pads on said bridge and on said compensatingbogies, means carried by said bridge for driving said bogies in either direction along said rails, a harrow carried by said bridge and adapted to agitate the face of a pile of material against which the machine is adapted to operate so as to loosen the material on the face of said pile, a transverse conveyor carried by, and running along the length of said bridge and adapted to deliver the loosened material onto a longitudinal conveyor by the side of said pile, and means for rotating said bridge about the axis of said rear Wheels whereby the said transverse conveyor can be raised or lowered with respect to its normal operating position.

2. A reclaiming machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the bogies comprises three wheels, these including a single rear Wheel integral with the bridge and two front wheels carried by one of the compensating bogies, the three wheels being in line and adapted to run on a single rail.

3. A reclaiming machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drive from the means carried by the bridge for driving the bogies is to the front wheels of the bogies through universal couplings.

4. A reclaiming machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means carried by the bridge for driving the bogies comprises a single motor, a variable speed gearbox, a

change speed gearbox, a line shaft and universal couplings, said motor being adapted to drive said line shaft through said gearboxes, and said line shaft being coupled with the said front Wheels of the bogies through said couplings, the arrangement being such that the bridge may be driven forwards slowly into the pile of material an'd retracted at a higher speed.

5. A reclaiming machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the compensating bogies is attached to the bridge by means comprising a hydraulic piston movable vertically in a cylinder, said piston and -said cylinder being pivotally attached one to the said compensating bogi'e and the other to the said bridge, lan'd wherein the means for rotating the bridge about the axis of the rear wheels are adapted to deliver iluid under pressure to said cylinders for rotating the bridge as aforesaid. A

6. A reclaiming machine as claimed in claim 1, which includes a single motor adapted to drive the said transverse conveyor in either direction, the said motor being adapted also to drive the harrow.

7. A reclaiming machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the compensating bogies include lateral guide plates arranged to cooperate with lateral guide plates on the bridge.

References Cited in the ile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,423,279 Wren July 1, 1947 2,475,443 Bill July 5, 1949 2,694,581 Helmle Nov. 16, 1954 2,740,213 Barrett Apr. 3, 1956

Images