US3744164A

US3744164A - Transportable conveyor for clearing surfaces

Info

Publication number: US3744164A
Application number: US00133159A
Authority: US
Inventors: J Harrison
Original assignee: Dunlop Holdings Ltd
Current assignee: Dunlop Holdings Ltd
Priority date: 1970-04-17
Filing date: 1971-04-12
Publication date: 1973-07-10
Anticipated expiration: 1990-07-10
Also published as: CA938944A; DE2118576A1; FR2086165A1; FR2086165B1; NL7105185A; DK128945B; NO132057C; GB1310531A; SE391760B; NO132057B

Abstract

A towable device for clearing surfaces of mud and the like including a collector means, a pickup zone and a transporter means, extending from the pickup zone. A floor member is provided in the pickup zone onto which the collector means spills the material being collected. Blades are provided in part of the collector means for chanelling the material inwardly and then outwardly prior to meeting the collector means.

Description

United States Patent 11 1 Harrison [4 1 July 10, 1973 1 TRANSPORTABLE CONVEYOR FOR CLEARING SURFACES [75] Invent John L. Harrison, near Liverpool,

England [73] Assignee: Dunlop Holdings Limited, London,

England 221 Filed: Apr. 12, 1971 211 App]. No.: 133,159

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Apr. 17, 1970 Great Britain 18,363/70 [52] US. Cl. 37/108 R, 37/8, 37/42 VL, 15/93 R, 198/7 [51} Int. Cl E021 5/00 [58] Field of Search 198/7; 37/5, 28, 37/101, 108, 42 VL, 49, 32-34, 98, 8, 48; 15/4, 93

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,206,819 12/1916 Davis 37/8 1,269,016 6/1918 Staszko 37/42 VL 150,057 4/1874 Kimbal1.... 37/32 1,142,197 6/1915 Murphy 37/8 3,263,257 8/1966 Stapleton, Sr... 15/93 B 3,465,456 9/ 1969 Meyer 37/42 VL UX 2,695,466 11/1954 Porter 37/98 3,049,817 8/ 1962 MacDonald. 37/ 108 R 3,449,780 6/1969 Juno 15/4 1,017,092 2/1912 Gardner ..37/8 3,232,408 2/1966 Asbury 198/7 R Primary Examiner-Robert E. Pulfrey Att0rneyStevens, Davis, Miller & Mosher [57] ABSTRACT A towable device for clearing surfaces of mud and the like including a collector means, a pickup zone and a transporter means, extending from the pickup zone. A floor member is provided in the pickup zone onto which the collector means spills the material being collected. Blades are provided in part of the collector means for'chanelling the material inwardly and then outwardly prior to meeting the collector means.

10 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PAIENIEp JUL 1 01m mmaurq Pmcmznw 5.74416 1 FlGb. H61

FIGJO.

TRANSPORTABLE CONVEYOR FOR CLEARING SURFACES This invention relates to portable conveyors and in particular to such conveyors adapted for clearing mud, snow, sand or the like from substantially flat surfaces such as roads or pavements.

Mud is a particular problem on roads on or near building sites and contractors have previously had to employ machines of the type used for road sweeping to clear the roads. Such machines are costly and complex as they are primarily designed for clearing dust and general litter from roads and thus utilize rotating brushes of various forms to clean the road. Furthermore, such machines are not usually adapted to deal with the substantial volume of mud which may accumulate, it being common to find the mud several inches in thickness.

It is an object of the invention to provide a simpler and cheaper road-clearing machine suitable for towing behind any vehicle having a suitable container.

According to one aspect of the present invention a portable conveyor for clearing surfaces comprises a pickup zone, collector means for channeling material into the pickup zone during forward movement of the collector means and transporter means for conveying the material from the pickup zone such that material channeled into the pickup zone is picked up by the transporter means.

Another aspect of the invention provides resilientlymounted scraper means in front of the collector blades for loosening the material.

Yet another aspect of the invention provides resiliently-mounted blades for displacing the material inwardly of the conveyor and outwardly prior to the inward displacement by the collector means.

Another aspect of the invention provides a floor member, for the pickup zone, extending over at least part of the area in the horizontal plane of the pickup zone such that material channeled into the pickup zone moves onto the floor member and is picked up from the floor member by the transporting means.

The transporting means is preferably in the form of paddles mounted on an endless belt which moves the paddles up a trough such that they propel material along and up the trough.

Other aspects of the invention will be made apparent from the following description of some embodiments of the invention, by way of example, only, read in conjunction with the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a conveyor.

FIG. 2 is a plan of the conveyor sectioned on the line 11-" of FIG. 1.

FIG. shows the clearing action of the blade memher.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 a conveyor comprises a generally rectangular frame 1 of angle section and rectangular section steel girders. Wheels 2, 3 mounted on side of the frame 1 and a draw bar 4 provide, respectively, support means and towing means for the frame. Further girder members 5, 6, 7 and an extension 8 are also attached to the basic frame 1 for reasons to be explained.

At the rear of the frame 1 is mounted a collector blade 9. The blade is curved in plan and extends across the full width of the vehicle such that the outer limb portions l0, 11 are angled in plan, inwardly towards the rear of the frame 1. The blade 9 comprises a steel backing member 12 and a replaceable larger blade 13 of polyurethane mounted to the backing member 12 such that the blade 13 projects over the edges. Forwardly extending radius arms 14 extend from the frame 1 and the extension 8 to the backing member 12 and are pivotally mounted at each end. The radius arms serve to locate the blade 9 and springs 15 mounted on guide rods act vertically between the frame and the backing member 12. The guide rods have stop means 16 to limit the possible spring extension.

At the central region 17 of the collector blade 9 is positioned in a substantially horizontal plane a floor member in the form of a sheet 18 of flexible reinforced sheet material such as conveyor belting sheet. The floor member 18 is attached to the lower end of an upwardly extending transporter 20 and extends generally horizontally towards the blade 9 bearing upon the ground surface.

The transporter 20 (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3) comprises a supporting framework 21 and a pair of end rollers 22, 23 each mounted on bearings attached to the framework 21. A drive belt 24 and engine 25 are provided for the lower roller 22. The framework is supported at an angle of approximately 45 by a pair of adjustable supporting legs 26 extending upwardly from the front of the frame 1. The upper roller 23 has provided adjustment means 27 so that it may be moved away from the roller 22 to tension an endless belt 28 which runs on the rollers 22, 23. A series of curved section paddles 29 each extending transversely of the belt is attached at spaced-apart intervals along the belt 28. On the lower run of the belt the paddles move in a sheet metal trough 30 comprising a flat floor 31 and vertically-extending sides 32 arranged so that the paddles 29 sweep substantially the whole cross-sectional area of the trough 30. The lower end of the floor 31 is connected to and supports the sheet 18 and the sides 32 extend for a short distance along the sides of the sheet as shown in FIG. 2 so that the trough at its lower end has the sheet 18 for a floor.

At the front of the frame 1 two

scraper blades

33, 34 are provided. These are constructed and are of the same materials as the blade 9 and are located by rearwardly extending arms 35 pivotally-connected at their ends to the frame 1 and the scraper blades. The blades are pushed downwardly by springs 36 each of which are mounted on guide rods each having travel limiting means as used on the collector blades 9. The scraper blades are angled inwardly towards the center of the frame 1 and extend outwardly to a similar width to that of the collector blade 9.

A parting blade 37 comprising two

blades

38, 39 connected to form a V-shape in plan is mounted in front of the transporter trough 30. The parting blade is of the same construction and materials as the other blades, is located by rearwardly-extending radius arms 40 and is spring-loaded downwardly by springs 41 between the

frame members

1, 5, v6, and 7 and the blade. The springs 41 once again are mounted on guide rods provided with end stops to limit the spring extension.

The vehicle wheels 2, 3 are each further provided with an adjustable-height suspension unit 42 to allow raising and lowering of the whole conveyor on its frame 1. (The transporting portion of the wheels being shown chain dotted in FIG. 1).

In use the conveyor is towed by a dumper truck, tipper-truck or the like by means of the tow-bar 4. The conveyor is driven by means of the engine 25 such that the paddles 29 move over the sheet 18 and up the trough 30. The suspension units 42 are adjusted so that the scraper, parting, collector blades and also the sheet 18 bear on the road surface with the blades being held there by the springs. The conveyor is then towed over the surface to be cleared, which, if it is covered with hard, dried mud may be water-sprayed before clearing to soften the mud.

As illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 10 the

scraper blades

33 and 34 loosen the mud from the surface and channel it towards the longitudinal center-line of the vehicle. The mud is then displaced to either side of the conveyor pickup zone by the centrally mounted parting blade 37 which also clears the central area of the area swept by the conveyor. The following collector blade 9 gathers up the mud and channels it inwardly. The increasing volume of mud at the center of the blade is churned forwardly and projected onto the floor member 18 which is trailing upon the ground a short distance dependent on the material being cleared, from the collector blade 9. The moving paddles 29 collect the mud and propel it along the trough 30 up to the top of the transporter trough whereupon it passes into the hopper (not shown) of the vehicle towing the conveyor.

The

front scraper blades

33 and 34 may be replaced by steel bars positioned at or near the surface to be cleared in which case they simply loosen the mud which is then channeled and collected by the parting and collector blades.

The blades may be of a material other than polyurethane dependenton the strength and wear resistance required' in service. Reinforced rubber sheeting as used for conveyor belting is suitable and'if sufficiently flexible allows curved road surfaces to be satisfactorily cleared. Alternatively metallic blades such as steel may be used.

The floor member 18 may be of a material other than rubber conveyor belting (for example polyurethane) in which the choice of material again would be dependent on wear resistance and abrasion due to the trailing action and the effect of the material being collected. The floor member 18 may be reinforced internally or externally for example by steel ribs attached to the lower surface. Furthermore the floor member may be maintained in contact with the ground.

The paddles 29 may be of various forms and shapes as shown in FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7 in which the direction of movement is shown by the arrows. The paddles may be internally reinforced and/or externally braced. In all cases the construction and angle of the paddles is determined by the material to be moved and the upward angle of the transporter.

The collector blade shape in plan may be varied from the curve shown in FIG. 2. Constant and variable curvature blades may be utilized as well as blades comprising two or more substantially straight sections. Similarly the scraper and parting blades may be curved or straight.

An alternative form of pickup is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. The collector blade 9 curved in plan has provided an upwardly extending portion 43 which has a curvature such that it is swept by the paddles 44. In this arrangement the paddles 44 are moved upwardly on the upper run of the transporter and are mounted on a continuous flat belt 45 running on the end rollers 22, 23 as before. The paddles collect material to be cleared and carry the material up the conveyor as shown in FIG. 8.

The transporter may be driven by a petrol or diesel engine or provision may be made for power to be transmitted from the towing vehicle. Alternatively the wheels supporting the conveyor may be utilized to provide the required power for the transporter. The speed of the transporter is determined by the amount of material being cleared, the width of cut and the forward speed of the vehicle.

More than one pickup zone may be utilized together with suitably arranged blades. Such an arrangement allows a wider area to be swept without overloading the central collecting zone of the collector blades or the capacity of the transporting means.

The passage of the material into the hopper may be assisted by the paddles projecting it forwardly. The hopper may be used as a temporary store for the material. In the case of snow-clearing the snow may be melted in the hopper by heat or chemical means in which case only limited storage volume need be provided.

What I claim is:

l. A portable conveyor for clearing surfaces comprising a pickup zone, collector means for channeling ma terial into the pickup zone during forward movement of the collector means, said collector means being located rearwards of the pickup zone in the direction of said forward movement, transporting means for conveying the material from the pickup zone such that ma terial channeled into the pickup zone is picked up by the transporting means, and aparting blade member provided in front of the pickup zone, wherein the parting blade member is arranged to deflect material to the collector means.

2. A conveyor as in claim 1 having scraper means in front of the collector means in the direction of forward movement of the collector means, said scraper means comprising scraper blade members resiliently mounted so as to scrape the surface being cleared to loosen the material prior to it being met by the collecting means.

3. A conveyor as in claim 1 wherein a pair of resiliently-mounted scraper blade members is provided one in front of and to either side of the parting blade member so constructed and arranged that the scraper blade members deflect material towards the parting blade member which subsequently deflects the material to either side of the pickup zone for collection by the collector means and guidance into the pickup zone.

4. A conveyor as in claim 1 wherein the transporting means comprises a series of paddles adapted to be driven along a channel member having a cross-section substantially similar to the shape of the paddles such that material within the channel is propelled along the channel by the paddles.

5. A conveyor as in claim 1 wherein the pickup zone has provided a floor member extending over at least part of the area in a horizontal plane of the pickup zone such that material channeled into the pickup zone moves into the floor member and is picked up from the floor member by the transporting means.

6. A conveyor as in claim 5 wherein the transporting means comprises a channel member which is substantially rectangular in section having a substantially flat lower surface and wherein the floor member of the pickup zone comprises an end portion of the lower surface such that the paddles propel material from the pickup zone along the transporting means.

7. A conveyor as in claim 5 wherein the floor member comprises a forward extension from the collector means and the collector means has provided a center region which is curved in section and is further provided with an upward extension having a similar curvature said curvature of the center region and the upward extension being such that they lap the paddles of the transporting means so that the paddles pick up material from the floor member and propel it upwardly around the curved center region and upward extension whereupon the material falls onto the transporting means.

8. A conveyor as in claim 1 wherein the collector means comprises a resiliently mounted blade member.

9. A conveyor as in claim 1 wherein the collector means comprises a blade member which is flexible so that it may conform to the surface being cleared.

10. A conveyor as in claim 1 wherein said parting blade member is resiliently mounted.

Claims

1. A portable conveyor for clearing surfaces comprising a pickup zone, collector means for channeling material into the pickup zone during forward movement of the collector means, said collector means being located rearwards of the pickup zone in the direction of said forward movement, transporting means for conveying the material from the pickup zone such that material channeled into the pickup zone is picked up by the transporting means, and a parting blade member provided in front of the pickup zone, wherein the parting blade member is arranged to deflect material to the collector means.

7. A conveyor as in claim 5 wherein the floor member comprises a forward extension from the collector means and the collector means has provided a centre region which is curved in section and is further provided with an upward extension having a similar curvature said curvature of the centre region and the upward extension being such that they lap the paddles of the transporting means so that the paddles pick up material from the floor member and propel it upwardly around the curved centre region and upward extension whereupon the material falls onto the transporting means.