Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The present invention relates to a trimming and emptying
device for bulk material in a cargo or storage room, comprising
at least one raking device which is arranged to move the bulk
material in one of the main directions of the room and which
is movable vertically and transversally of the direction of motion
ofthe bulk material.
A device of this type is shown for instance in French Patent
Nos~l 343 751 and 911 594. By the use of such devices, for
instance in a ship, for unloading the ship, it will be necessary
to move the bulk material up an inclined plane to one or more
band conveyors running transversally of the direction the
bulk material is being moved by the raking devices. The band
conveyors take up space and tllus reduce the net cargo volume
of the room. Besides, since the band conveyors are placed near
the bottom of the ship, access for repair and maintenance work
is difficult.
In certain shipboard uses, especially in larger ships,
frames, reinforcing plates and webs often protrude into the
cargo room, thus making it impossible for the raking devices
to remove the bulk material adjacent to the outer walls
of the room. Furthermore, the raking devices will not be
able to cover the entire cross section of the room should the
room have varying width in the vertical direction since the
guiding beams of the raking devices are dependent upon vertical
guides.
The object of the invention is to provide a trimming and
emptying device of the above type which remedy some of the
deficiencies and drawbacks mentioned above.
This is obtained according to the invention by a device
having the features set forth in the main claim. Further
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advantageous features of the invention are set forth in the
dependent claims.
For improved understanding of the invention it will be
described with references to the examples shown in the drawings.
Fig. 1 shows a cross section trough the cargo room of a
ship where a trimming and emptying device according to the
invention is installed without a bulky horisontal band conveyor
in the lower part of the cargo room.
Fig. 2 shows a cross section of a ship cargo room having
warying width in the vertieal direction.
Fi~. 3 shows a longitudinal cross section trough a eargo
room of the ship with a deviee aecording to the invention.
Fig. 4 shows a part of the device according to the invention
from Fig. 1 at a larger scale, while
Fig. 5 shows the device in Fig. 4 viewed in the direetion
of the arrows V-V.
In Fig. 1 is shown a eross section of a ship hull 1 with
a eargo room 2 in which is installed a raking device 3. The
raking device is able to move bulk cargo in the longitudinal
direetion of the ship, i.e. perpendieular to the plane of the
ship, and is transversally moveable to the longitudinal diree-
tion of the ship along guiding beams 4 which in turn is move-
able vertieally in guides (not shown) at its ends. Furthermore,
at one end of the raking deviee 3 a similar raking deviee 5
is arranged e~tending at an angle with the raking deviee 3,
preferably transversally of the latter. The transverse raking
device 5 is able to move the bulk cargo towards a vertical
transporting deviee 6 placed for instance near one side of the
~argo room. In the embodiment shown, the vertical transporting
3Q device 6 takes the form of bucket conveyor delivering bulk
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cargo to a band conveyor 7 on the deck of the ship. Instead
of a bucked conveyor, ascrew conveyor or any other suitable
vertical transporting device may be used. The transverse raking
device S may be devided in two or more raking devices delivering
bulk cargo to the same or separate vertical transporting devices.
ThetranSverSe raking device is moveable vertically, for in-
stance by means of suspension members ~ of variablelength. The
transverse raking device is preferably held at a somewhat
lower level than the main raking device 3 so that a certain
~0 slip angle is obtained from the latter. Thus the material
falls under the acti~on of gravity, resulting in energy savings.
By using a transverse raking device together with a
vertical transporting device, a higher degree of filling of
the cargo room is obtained since the dead volume beneath inclined
planes leading to the transverse band conveyors, is avoided.
Furthermore, repair and maintenance work becomes easier because the
rakes at all times may be situated above the cargo.
Fig. 2 shows how a raking device is installed in a cargo
room 2 with substantially varying width in the vertical
~0 direction. The raking device 3 with the guide beam generally
designated,4 are shown in solid line in the upper position
and in broken line in a lower position. The lower position
illustrates how the guide beam 4 i5 constituted by two outer
sections 4' telescopicly arranged in middle section 4". The
~5 outer sections 4' of the guide beam are intheirouter extension
equipped with rollers 9 or the like gliding in guides 10
which generally follow the sidewalls of the cargo room. The
middle section 4" of the guide beam is shorter than the smallest
distance between the guides 10.
The middle section 4" of the guide beam may alternatively
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be arranged floating on the two outer sections 4' in order
for it to be moveable with the raking device 3 all the way out
to the guides 10 even when the guide beam is located in a
lower position. Thereby, possible problems are avoided since
the raking device 3 does not have to be moved from the middle
section 4" to one of the outer sections 4', or vice versa.
Fig. 3 shows a longitudinal cross section through the
cargo room 2. It is furnished with a main rake 3 which moves
bulk material in the longitudinal direction of the cargo room,
a transverse rake 5 and a vertical transporting device 6. The
main rake 3 is equipped with an excavating arm means 11 which
is moveable and pivotably arranged on the rake. By means
of the e~cavating arm, bulk material may be extracted from
between frames 12 and stiffening plates 13 so that the main
rake 3, resp. the transverse rake 5 may move the material
towards the vertical transporting device. Since the excavating
unit is movable on the rake, it is able to reach all re-
maining material between or on protrusion so that the vessel
in most cases may be completely unloaded without further
equipment.
Fig. 4 shows in greater detail an especially suitable
embodiment of the transporting device 6. It is constituted
by a band conveyor with buckets 14 attached to a number of
endless chains 15 running over upper and lower driving and
turning wheels 16,of which only the lower one is shown.
That part of the bucket conveyor which at any time lies
below the level of the surrounding bulk materiaL is protected
by plates 17 which are attached to chains which run over lower
turning wheels 19. The plates 17 and the chains 18 together
forma roll-.ront type devicewhose upper edge 20, as is best shown
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in Fig. 5, may be withdrawn to expose the bucket conveyor
as the level of the bulk material is reduced. The upper edge
20 of the roll-front device is at all times held somewhat
lower than the transverse rake 5 so that the bulk material
may slide from the end of the rake down into the buckets 14 of the
conveyor.
The expression "vertical transporting device" used in the
preceding description and in the following claims is not
meant to be restricted to a transportingdevice arranged absolutely
vertically in the room, but may comprise any suitable
transporting device able to move the bulk material from a
lower to a higher level. Furthermore, more than one vertical
transporting device may be arranged in a single room where
this may be deemed expedient.
