US894133A - Coal pocket or bin. - Google Patents

Description

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PATENTED JULY 21, 1908-. l G. W. PRBELAND.

COAL POCKET 0R BIN. y PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP ov. 3o, 1907.

No. 894,133. vvIA'I`EI\ITE.D JULY 21, 1908.

G. W. PREBLAND.

COAL POCKET OR BIN. APPLIGATION FILED Nov. so, 1907. 3 SHEETS SHEET 2' X llm.

@fda/rume PATENTED JULY 21, 1908.

G. w. PREBLAND. COAL POCKET 0R BIN.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 30, 1907.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIOE.

GEORGE W. FREELAND, OF MOLINE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAMS, WHITE & COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

COAL POCKET OR BIN.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Juiy 21, 190s.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. FREELAND, of Moline, county of Rock Island, and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Coal Pockets or Bins, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to coal pockets or bins used for the storage and loading of coal into locomotive tenders, which bins are usually arranged at the side of the track and sustained with their bottoms somewhat above the level of the top of the tender, so that the coal may flow by gravity into the same. Such pockets are usually equipped with a door or gate to control the How of the coal therefrom, and are provided beyond this gate with a chute or apron for directing the coal into the tender, Which parts are adapted to be operated by the engineer or other attendant; whereby when the tender arrives opposite the bin, it may be quickly and conveniently filled with coal therefrom.

My invention is directed particularly to the gate or door, and to the apron or chute, the invention consisting in an improved construction of these parts and the mechanism Y by which they are operated, having in view simplicity of construction and ease and effectiveness in operation.

In the accompanying drawings z-Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pocket or bin provided with my improved gate and apron, the gate being in open position, and the apron extended. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the gate closed and the apron folded to vertical position. Eig. 3 is a front elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the gate removed. Fig. 5 is a transverse section through the front portion of the bin, showing how the apron is sustained and guided to permit of its being folded when not in use. Eig. 6 is a side elevation of the apron extended for use. Fig. 7 is a similar view of the apron folded when not in use.

Referring to the drawings 2-1 represents a coal pocket or bin consisting of the side walls 2, the front wall 3, and the inclined bottom 4, which bin is sustained by a suitable framing consisting of the two vertical uprights -or beams 5 at the front, the two vertical beams 6 at the rear, and the horizontal transverse beams 7 and 7 a extending beneath and giving support to the inclined bottom at the front and at the rear.

The front wall 3 terminates some distance above the bottom, leaving an opening 8, forming a mouth through which the coal is discharged, which mouth, as shown in Eig. 3, is contracted transversely so that the side walls 9 of the same extend some distance inwardly of the main side walls 2 of the bin.

The mouth is adapted to be closed by a gate 10, of the form represented in Eig. 4, consisting of a segmental section 11 of sheet iron riveted-at its ends to curved angle irons 12 and having its upper edge bent outwardly and downwardly, forming a lip 13, the purpose of which will presently appear. The curved angle irons have firmly riveted to them at their ends, forked plates or frames 14 which extend parallel to each other and terminate in arms 15, provided each with a counterweight 16, which frames are pivoted to the side framing of the bin by means of` pivot bolts 17, so that the gate may rock on a transverse horizontal axis, whereby the segmental section 11 may be moved in front of and close the mouth 8 of the bin, or may be lowered free of said mouth, as shown in Fig. 1.

The weight and disposition of the counterweights on arms 15 are such that the gate will be balanced on its pivotal axis, so that but little labor will be required to operate the same in shifting it from open to closed posi tion, or vice versa.

The operation of the gate is eected by means of two ropes 17 and 13, the rope 17 being connected to the upper end of a vertical arm 19, Jiixed at its lower end to a hori- Zontal rock shaft 20, mounted in bearings 21 on the front of the coal pocket. This rock shaft is provided on its end opposite where the arm 19 is connected, with a right angularly extending arm 22, which is jointed, by means of a link 23, to the side of the gate. A second link 24 is jointed at its lower end to the opposite side of the gate and at its upper end to the arm 19 at a point axially in line with the pivotal connection of the arm 22 with the other link. As a result of this construction, the gate is suspended by means of the two vertical parallel links 23 and 24, from the arms on the rock shaft 20, so that when said shaft is rocked forward to lower the arms, the gate will also be lowered .from in front of the mouth, and the coal will be free to flow from the pocket; and when said shaft is rocked in the opposite direction, the links will be raised and the gate will be lifted and will close in front of the mouth. The lowering of the gate to open the mouth is effected by pulling on the rope 17, which will draw the arm 19 forwardly and rock the shaft so as to lower the suspending links. The gate may be raised to closed position by pulling on rope 18, which passes over a pulley 25 sustained by the framing at the top of the bin, and which is connected with the arm 19, with the result that said arm will be drawn upwardly, will raise the links, and thereby pull the gate upwardly in front of the mouth. `-`Sustained by the framing of the pocket in position to receive the coal when the gate is opened, is an apron or chute 30, so mounted that it may be folded up vertically when not in use, as shownin Fig. 2. rlhis chute comprises side walls 30a and the bottom 30h, and it is mounted at its rear end so that it may slide vertically at this point and also rock on a transverse horizontal axis so that it may be folded. In order to permit of these movements, the side walls are provided near their upper and rear ends with laterally extending studs 31, which studs extend loosely, so as to slide freely, in vertical guides or slots 32, formed in the inner faces of vertical bars 33 fixed to the front timbers 5 of the framing. The apron is guided in its movements and suspended, when in extended position, by means of two vertical links 34, pivoted at their lower ends, as at 35, to the side walls of the apron, and pivoted at their upper ends, as at 36, to the timbers 5 of the framing. In its folded upright position, as shown in Fig. 2, the studs 31 extend in the lower portions of the guiding slots, with the delivery end of the apron resting against the front of the bin. To extend the apron to operative position, the delivery end is drawn downwards by means of a rope 36a connected to the under side of the same, which will causethe receiving end of the apron to move upwardly, with the studs 31 sliding upwardly in the guiding slots; at-the same time, the lower ends of the links 34 will swing outwardly and support the apron in the position shown in Fig. 1, the movement of the inner end of the apron upwardly beyond the proper point being checked bymeans of a chain 38 connected with the side of the apron and with the front of the framing. The relation of the suspending links 34 and the studs 31 to the other parts is such that the apron will be balanced in its movements, so that there will be little or no force required to shift the same from its operative to its inoperative position, or vice versa. l

On reference to Fig. 6, it will be observed that when the apron is lowered for use, and the gate also lowered to open the discharge opening, the flange 13 on said gate will overlap the rear receiving end of the apron, so that the ange serves to close the space between the forward face of the gate and the rear edge of the apron, and by contacting with said apron, it acts to limit the downward opening movement of the gate.

In order that the coal as it flows from the end of the apron into the tender may be distributed therein from one side to the other, and this without shifting the position of the apron, I provide at the delivery end of the apron an adjustable hood 40, consisting of a segmental shield or plate 41, carried by parallel arms 42 pivoted to the sides of the apron on a transverse axis as at 43. In the position of the hood shown in full lines in Fig. 6, the coal flowing from the apron will be deflected by the hood downward vertically, so that it will be directed to the near side of the tender. By shifting the hood vertically on its axis to the position shown in dotted lines in said figure, the flow of the coal will be unobstructed, and it will consequently flow in a direction more nearly approaching the horizontal and will fall in the tender towards its opposite side. So by intermediate adjustments of the hood, which may be effected by the engineer or other attendant on the tender, the distribution of the coal from side to side may be accurately controlled, and thetender loaded in a uniform manner. In order that the hood may be held in its adjusted positions, l provide the same with a notched strap 45, which is adapted to engage over a fixed pin 46 on the side of the apron, and to thereby hold the-hood in its adjusted position.

It will be observed that when the gate is in closed position, the points of pivotal connection of the links 23 and 24 with the arms 19 and 22, will be to one side of the axis of the rock shaft 20, the result being that the weight of the parts will tend to hold them locked in this position, with the gate closed, the effect of pulling on the rope being to shift the pivotal points to the other side of the axis of the shaft and thus release the parts and permit the gate to be opened. It will also be observed that by reason of the location of the point's of pivotal connection of the suspending links 34 with the sides of the apron 30, said points of connection being nearer to the bottom of the apron, the preponderance of weight, when the apron is suspended by the links in vertical position, as shown in Fig. 7, will hold the parts locked in this position, the effect of pulling on the rope 36 being to shift the upper or delivery end of the apron with reference to the suspending pivotal points, with the result that the parts will be unlocked and the apron permitted to be turned downwardly to operative position.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is .Y

1. In combination with a coal pocket provided at its front with a discharge opening, a gate shiftable vertically across said opening on a horizontal transverse axis situated in sans?? the rear of the same, vertical links connected at their lower ends with the sides of the gate at its front, and means connected with the upper ends of said links for raising and lowering them; Whereby the gate is suspended at its front by means of the links and may be moved on its axis to open or close the disphslirge opening by raising and lowering the 2. In combination with a coal pocket having a discharge opening, a gate for closing said opening shiftable vertically on a horizontal transverse axis, a horizontal rock shaft above the gate, arms on said shaft, vertical links jointed to said arms and to the sjldefs of the gate, and means for rocking the s a t.

3. In combination with a coal pocket having a discharge opening, a segmental gate therefor shftable on a horizontal transverse axis, a'horizontal rock shaft above the ate, arms extending transversely from said shaft, links jointed to the arms and to the sides of the gate, an extension on one of said arms, a rope connected with said extension; whereby the shaft may be rocked forwardly to lower the gate, a second rope connected with said extension to rock the shaft in the opposite direction to raise`the gate, and a guide over which the second rope asses.

4. In combination with a coal ocket having a discharge opening, a vertica ly shiftable gate therefor, an arm mounted to rock on a horizontal transverse axis, and a link pivoted at its upper end to the arm and at its lower end to the gate and adapted by the rocking movements of the arm to raise and lower the gate respectively to closed and open positions, the relation of the parts being such that when the arm is in an upright position with the gate raised, the ivotal connection of the link and arm will e to one side of a line passing through the axis of the arm and throu h the pivotal connection of the link with t e gate; whereby the parts will be held locked with the gate in closed position.

5. In combination with a coal pocket formed with a discharge opening, an apron to receive the coal from the pocket, said apron being mounted at its receiving end to move vertically and to rock on a horizontal transverse axis at its point of vertical movement that it may be folded in an upright position, and suspending links pivoted at their upper ends to the bin and at their lower ends to the apron forward of said transverse axis.

6. In combination with a sustaining framing, a coal pocket or bin supported thereby and provided with a discharge opening, an apron to receive the coal fr om the bin, said apron being provided at its receiving end with lateral studs extending in vertical guideways in the framing, whereby the apron may move vertically in said guideways and rock at its point of vertical movement on a horizontal transverse axis, and suspending links pivoted at their upper ends to the framing and at their lower ends to the apron forward of said transverse axis` 7. In combination with a coal pocket formed with a discharge opening, an apron to receive the coal therefrom, said apron being mounted at its receiving end to move vertically and to rock on a horizontal transverse axis situated at its point of vertical movement that it may be folded in an upright position, suspending links pivoted at their upper ends to the bin and at their lower ends to the apron, forward of its axis and means for limiting the vertical movement of the receiving end of the apron; Whereby the sustaining links and limiting means will conj ointly sustain the apron in position to receive the coal from the discharge opening.

8. In combination with a coal pocket or bin provided with a discharge opening, an apron to receive the coal from the bin, said apron being mounted at its receiving end to move vertically and to rock on a horizontal transverse axis that it may be folded in an upright position, and suspending links pivoted at their upper ends to the bin framing and at their lower ends to the sides of the apron on an axis located nearer the bottom of the apron; whereby the preponderance of weight, when the apron is in an upright position, will hold the parts locked.

9. The combination with the pocket having a discharge opening, a gate movable upwardly across the o ening to shut off the flow, arms connecte at their forward ends with said gate and extending rearwardly alongside the discharge opening and pivoted between their ends to the pocket, counterbalancing weights on the inner ends of said arms, a horizontal rock shaft above the discharge o ening, laterally projecting arms connecte with said shaft, and links connected at their upper ends with said arms and at their lower ends with the forward ends of the gate-carrying-arms, said links being ada ted to swing inwardly towards the front o the pocket past the rock shaft when the ate is raised; whereby the gate will be held ocked in closed position.

l0. The combination with the coal pocket having a discharge opening, of a vertically swinging gate having an outwardly projecting flange at the upper end, and a vertically swinging apron overlapped at its inner edge by said ange when the gate and apron are lowered, and means for operating the gate and a ron; whereby the flange closes the space hetween the rear end of the apron and the gate and acts to limit the downward movement of the gate.

11. The combination with the apron, of a 1. at their lower ends to said arms, and pins on In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand this 12th day of November, 1907 in the presence of two attesting witnesses.

GEORGE W. FREELAND. l/Vitnesses:

C. R. RosBoRoUGH, AL. B. LINDBURG.

hood in advance ofthe discharge end thereof, arms on said hood extending rearwardly along the sides of the apron and ivoted at their rear ends thereto, notched lin s pvoted the side of the apron ada ted to he engaged by the notches in said lin (s.

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