Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Background of the Invention
Many varied arrangements have been provided in the
prior art for mounting conveyor belt cleaners on a support member
mounted transverse to the direction of conveyor belt travel. All
of these arrangements have presented certain problems with respect
to repair or replacement of individual blade elements.
Sometimes the wiper blades are carried on one end of
a torsion spring. The other end of the spring is affixed to a
transverse support. Such an arrangement is illustrated in U.S.
Patent 3,342,312. As the wiper blades wear, periodic replacement
is required. Occasionally a wiper blade becomes damaged during
regular use and the individual blade must be replaced. In
either of these situations the conveyor belt must be shutdown
and one of two alternatives is presented to the belt operator.
If access permits, the operator may be able to disconnect the
individual wiper blades from the support shaft and replace them
as needed. In the majority of situations however, access to the
underside of the conveyor belt is limited and the entire support
shaft must be removed from the side of the conveyor housing.
This is often difficult to accomplish because of limited space.
The time lost for conveyor shutdown due to wiper blade replacement
is a critical factor to be considered.
Summary of the Invention
The present invention is defined as a mounting
arrangement for conveyor belt cleaners including a linearly
extending support member positioned transverse to the direction
of conveyor belt travel; at least one sleeve member adapted to be
concentrically mounted on the support member, the sleeve member
extending laterally substantially the width of the conveyor belt
and covering and protecting the support member from deposits of
material dropped from the belt being cleaned, and the sleeve
member being slidably carried on the support member for movement
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linearly along the support member in a direction parallel to
a central axis of the support member; means adapted to allow
sliding of the concentric sleeve member linearly along the support
member but adapted to prevent rotation of the sleeve about the
central axis of the support member, and mounting means on the
sleeve member adapted to support a belt cleaner blade.
In a specific form of the invention described
hereinafter, there is provided a track mounted conveyor belt
cleaning arrangement whereby one or all of the wiper blades
can be replaced without requiring conveyor belt shutdown. The
operator merely lowers the support shaft by means of an adjust-
ing mechanism and pulls on a flexible
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able causing individual wiper blades and the sleeves on
which they are mounted to slide along the support member to
one side or the other. Individual sleeves are removed from
the shaft, the wiper blades are replaced, the sleeves are
mounted back on the support member and the wiper blades
returned to their operative positions. Such an arrangement
eliminates removal of the entire support shaft from the
conveyor housing, provides for easy blade replacement,
requires minimum access space and greatly speeds the replace-
ment process eliminating conveyor belt downtime.
Description of the Drawings
Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the belt
conveyor and cleaning and mounting arrangement of the present
invention.
Figure 2 is an end view taken along the lines 2-2 of
Figure 1 showing one portion of the mounting arrangement.
Figure 3 is a side view of the embodiment shown in
Figure 2.
Figure 4 is an end view in detail showing a portion of
the mounting arrangement.
Figure 5 is a side view of -the embodiment shown in
Figure 4 taken from the left side thereof.
Figure 6 is a side view showing a modified form of a
portion of the mounting arrangement.
Figure 7 is a side view showing another modified form
of the mounting arrangement.
Description of the Preferred Embodiment
Figure 1 shows, in perspective, the discharge end
portion of a conveyor belt 20, here selected as represen-
tative of typical conveyors, having an upper or delivery run
22 and a lower or return run 24, the belt being trained as
usual about a drum or roller 26 conventionally carried in a
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frame (not shown) within a housing 28. The housing is
provided with an access opening 30 which allows the operator
to inspect the belt cleaning operation. Frequent in-
spection is important to insure continuous operation of the
belt cleaner.
A belt cleaner assembly 32 is provided including a
linearly extending support member 34 which is disposed below
and substantially transverse to the direction oE travel of
the return run 24 as indicated by the arrow.
As best illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 the support
member 34 consists of a tubular hollow shaft with a radially
extending projection 36 extending from beneath its lower
surface along substantially the entire length of the shaft.
Slidably carried on the shaft 34 are a plurality of sleeve
members 38. For purposes of illustration three such sleeve
members 38A, 38 and 38B are shown in Figure 4 but the number
will vary depending upon the width of the belt to be cleaned,
the width of the scraper blades and a number of other factors.
As shown in Figure 5 each of the sleeve members 38 is
formed of a generally circular hollow body 39 having an in-
ternal diameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of
the support shaft 34. The sleeve member 38 defines a
channel 40 àt its lower end having a width slightly greater
than the width of the projection 36. Affixed to the upper
end of the sleeve is a mounting bracket 42, here shown as a
pair of linearly extending flange sections 44 and 44A. An
aperture 46 is provided on both of the flange sections.
Disposed between the flange sections is a belt cleaner blade
48 which defines an aperture 50 therethrough. The wiper
blade 48 is positioned such that the aperture 50 is aligned
with the apertures 46 and a fastener 52 is inserted therethrough.
In Figure 5 the fastener is illustrated as a bolt with a nut
and lockwasher but any suitable fastening arrangement can be
used to secure the wiper blade to the mounting bracket.
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As best shown in Figure 4, the individual sleeve members
38 are connected together for simultaneous movement along
the support shaft 34, thus substantially enclosing and pro-
tecting the support 34 for the width of the belt 24. This
is accomplished by pins 54 which extend outwardly from the
flange section 44 and links 56 which overlie and interconnect
the pins 54 of adjacent sleeve members.
The sleeve members 38 and support shaft 34 are designed
such that the sleeve members and the wiper blades connected
thereto may freely slide along the shaft from one end to the
other. Rotation of the sleeves with respect to the shaft is
revented by contact between the sides of the sleeve 38
which form the channel 40 and the sides of the projection
36. This is important to insure that the operative face of
the wiper blade 48 contacts the lower face of the return run
24 at the predetermined angle. ~erticle movement between
the sleeve 38 and the support shaft 34 iS also prevented by
this design. This arrangement also prevents cocking of the
blade 48 with respect to the shaft 34.
The sleeve members 38A and 38B which are to occupy the
outermost positions on the support shaft 34 are each provided
with an aperture~. 58A and 58B respectively. A flexible
cable 50 is shown extending through the hollow center of the
support shaft 34. The cable 60 includes snap hooks 62A and
62B affixed at each end thereoffor engagement with the
apertures 58A and 58B respectively.
The details as to the mounting of the shaft 34 with
respect to the housing 28 are best illustrated in Fiaures 2
and 3. AS ~reviously indicated an access opening 30 is
~rovided in one side of the housing 28. A mounting plate 64
is releas bly affixed to the housing 28 by means of four
fasteners 66 which extend through slotted apertures 68
defined in the plate 64. The plate also defines an internal
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pening 70. A pair of outwardly extending, inwardly curved
channel members 72 are disposed on the face of the plate 64
parallel to the side edges of the opening 70. A lateral
support 74 is connected at each end to the channel members
72 at their lower end. The lateral support includes an
opening 76 extending therethrough. A hex nut 78 is welded to
the support on its lower surface and a threaded shaft 80
with a handle 82 at one end extends through the nut 78 and
the opening 76.
A second lateral support 84 is positioned parallel to
and displaced upwardly from the support 74. The support 84
has end flanges 86 which slide within the channel members 72
A support plate 88 is also designed with end flanges 90 to
slide vertically within the channel members 72. The plate
includes at its lower end a pair of projections 92 which
extend outwardly from the face thereof and define an opening
therethrough. A pair of nut and bolt fasteners 93 extend
through support 84 and projections 92 with a pair of coil
springs 94 disposed between. A bearing support 96 is affixed
to the plate 88 and includes a semi-circular collar section
98 extending outwardly from the plate and defining a groove
99 therein. The support 96 has a pair of threaded bores 100
one disposed on each side of the collar section 98. Another
plate 101 is slidably disposed within the channel members 72
and includes a mating collar section 102 extending outwardly
therefrom adapted to be secured to the support 96 by bolts
104.
Figure 6 illustrates a modified embodiment of the
invention in which each wiper blade is carried on a torsion
spring arm as opposed to being mounted directly to the
sleeve. A plurality of arms 106 radiate from the axis of
the support 34. Each arm carries a scraper blade 108 at
its outer end. A mounting bracket 110 is secured to the
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sleeve member 112 which is axially slidable on the support
34 as previously described for the embodiment illustrated in
Figure 4. The bracket 110 includes integral apertured ears
114 through which a bolt 116 passes to receive a nut 118.
Each arm 106 is referably in the form of an ordinary
bolt, threaded at one end so as to receive the blade 108
locked in place between a pair of nuts 122. The bolt is
headed at 124 at its other end to provide an enlargement
which is welded or otherwise rigidly attached to a tubular
part 126. An elastomer element 128 is interposed between the
bol't 116 and the tubular part 126.
Figure 7 illustrates a modified embodiment of the
invention in which the configuration of the sleeve is
altered. The suoport member 130 is tubular in shape and
extends transverse to the direction of travel of the con-
veyor belt. Secured to the member 130 on its upper surface
is an angle section 132 which extends over substantially the
entire length of the support member and sleeve members 134,
also in the shape of an angle, are adapted each to overlie
a portion of the angle section 132 and to slide linearly
along the central axis of the support member. The sleeves
134 each include a pair of inwardly turned end flanges 136
which prevent rotational movement or vertical displacement of
the sleeves 134 with respect to the support member 130 and
substantially enclose and protect the support angle 132 while
permittin~ the axial sliding movements required. A mountinq
bracket 138 is provided identical in structure to the mounting
bracket 42 illustrated in Figure 5. The bracket 138 is
rigidly secured to the sleeve 134 and is adapted to support
a wiper blade.
The operation of the embodiment of the invention illus-
trated in figures 1 through 5 is as follows. The structural
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arrangement for mounting the support shaft 34 with respect
to the conveyor housing 28 has been described and illustrated
in Figures 2 and 3. This description refers only to the
mounting arrangement for one side of the support shaft 34,
however the same identical structure is provided on the
opposite side of the housing 28. When the shaft 34 is first
installed in the conveyor housing the shaft is inserted
either through the access door 30 or the door 101. Prior to
this operation the plates 64 have been attached to the
conveyor housing 28 on each side thereof. Also the plate 88
has been mounted with its end flanges 90 slidably received
within the channel members 72. At this time the plate 101
and the upper collar section 102 have been removed, The
support shaft 34 is received at each end within the collar
section 98 of the bearing support 96 such that the projection
26 lies within the groove 99 and a clearance is provided
between the outer diameter of the shaft 34 and the collar
section 98. As seen in Figure 2 the shaft 34 extends out-
wardly from the bearing support.
Next the individual sleeve members are slid onto the
shaft from one end such that the groove 40 is oriented to
straddle the projection 36. The actual number of sleeves
and wiper blade members which are mounted on the sup2ort
member will vary depending upon the width of the sleeves and
the width of the conveyor belt to be cleaned. The individual
sleeve members 38 are arranged such that a sleeve member 38A
having an aperture 58A is inserted onto the shaft first.
One or more sleeve members 38 are installed on the shaft and
finally the sleeve member 38B including an aperture 58B is
installed on the shaft. The plate 101 is then inserted into
the channel members 72 such that the collar section 102 is
positioned overlying the shaft and is then secured to the
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bearing sup~ort 96. The individual sleeve members 38 are
arran~ed such that each sleeve abuttingly engages the adjacent
sleeve member. Links 56 are next inserted over the pins 54
to connect adjacent sleeve members for simultaneous movement
along the support shaft 34. The flexible cable 60 is posi-
tioned such that it extends through the hollow center of the
support shaft 34. The end including snaD hook 62A is connect-
ed to the sleeve 38A through the aperture 58A and the end in-
cluding snap hook 62B is connected to sleeve 38s through the
aperture 58B. As illustrated in Figure 4 some slack remains
in the cable 60 which extends outside the conveyor housing.
By means of the cable 60, the connected sleeve members and
wiper blade elements 48 are positioned laterally with respect
to the return run of the conveyor belt 24 so as to cover sub-
stantially the entire width of the conveyor belt.
Next the support member 34 is adjusted vertically with
respect to the return run of the conveyor belt 24 such that
the blade elements 48 are biased into engagement with the
lower surface of the return run. This operation is accom-
plished by rotating the threaded shaft 80 in a clockwise
direction which urges the lateral support 34 upwardly as viewed
in Figure 3. The adjustment procedure is performed on both
sides of the housing 28 so asto keep the axis of the support
member 34 parallel with the plane of the conveyor belt. The
coil springs 94 bias the projections 92 and the plate 88 to
which they are connected away from the lateral support 84.
Consequently, by raising the support 84 the plate 88 is also
raised which raises the bearing member 96 and the support mem-
ber 34 which is cradled therein. The threaded shafts 80 on
each side are rotated until the wiper blades 48 evenly contact
the conveyor return run 24. The conveyor is then ready
for operation.
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After some time period of conveyor belt operation, re-
placement of the wiper blades will become necessary due to
normal wear. This replacement is greatly simplified and the
time required drastically reduced by the mounting arrangement
of the present invention. Further,conveyor belt shutdown is
eliminated.
While the conveyor belt continues running the support
member 34 is lowered at both ends such that the wiper blades
48 no longer engage the return run 24. The collar section
102 on each side of the housing is then unbolted from the
bearing support 96 and the plate 101 is raised and removed.
The operator then pulls cable 60 in a manner such that all
of the connected sleeve members 38 slide along the support
and through the opening 70. The individual sleeves and
wiper blades are removed from the shaft one by one after
removing the connecting links 56 and disconnecting the cable
60. A corresponding number of sleeves and new wiper blades
are~ then slid onto the support member 34, are connected
together by links 56 and are attached to the cable 60. The
cable is then energized to position the wiper blades as
desired and the plates 101 are replaced and collar sections
102 on each side are bolted to the bearing supports 96. The
support member 34 is then raised until the wiper blades 48
contact the return run 24. In a short time and in a relatively
simple manner the wiper blades have been replaced without
necessitating removal of the support member 34 or shutdown
of the conveyor belt.
Various features of the invention have been particularly
shown and described in connection with the illustrated
embodiments of the invention, however, it must be understood
that these particular arrangements merely illustrate and
that the invention is to be given its fullest interpretation
within the terms of the appended claims.
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