CONVEYOR FOR HANDLING FREE-FLOWING MATERIAL

TRANSPORTEUR DE MATERIAUX EN VRAC

English Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

An improved conveyor for handling free-flowing
material wherein the conveyor includes an endless chain
with flights thereon or a screw. The conveyor having a
metal round bottom trough receiving a "U" shaped liner
contoured to fit on top of the trough. A plurality of
resilient pressure blocks butting against the edges of
the liner to allow the liner to contract and expand
transverse the length of the liner on top of the trough
without causing the liner to buckle or become distorted.
The liner is replaceable and greatly increases the wear
life of the trough. The liner reduces drag and wear of
the flights or screw and reduces the horsepower require-
ments in the conveying of the free-flowing material.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. In a conveyor having a round bottom trough for receiving
free-flowing material therein, the conveyor having an endless
chain with flights thereon or a screw for moving the free-flowing
material along the length of the trough, the improvement comprising:
a "U" shaped liner contoured to fit on top of the round
bottom trough and extending along the length thereof; and
first attachment means for securing said liner to the sides
of said trough and providing means for expansion and contraction
of said liner on top of the round bottom trough; said first
attachment means comprising at least one resilient pressure block
mounted along each side of the trough adjacent the respective
edges of said liner, said pressure blocks having apertures there-
through for receiving bolts therethrough, said bolts received
being through apertures in the sides of the trough and attached
thereto, said pressure blocks allowing said "U" shaped liner to
expand and contract on the round bottom trough.


2. A conveyor as claimed in claim 1, further including a
plurality of "U" shaped liners contoured to fit on top of the
round bottom trough, said liners being placed end to end on the
top of the round bottom trough with sufficient space placed
between the ends of said liners to allow for lengthwise expansion
of said liners.


3. A conveyor as claimed in claim 1, further including seals
extending along the sides of the round bottom trough and attached
thereto, said seals disposed above said pressure blocks and along

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the edges of said liner for preventing the free-flowing material
from falling between said liner and the sides of the trough.


4. A conveyor as claimed in claim 2, further including seals
extending along the sides of the round bottom trough and attached
thereto, said seals disposed above said pressure blocks and
along the edges of said liner for preventing the free-flowing
material from falling between said liner and the sides of the
trough.


5. A conveyor as claimed in claim 3 or 4, further including
seal retainers extending along the length of the sides of the
trough and attached to said pressure blocks, said seal retainers
compressing said seals and said pressure blocks against the sides
of the trough and holding said seals in place.


6. A conveyor as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, further
including a plurality of bolts received through apertures in the
sides of said liner and in a spaced relationship along the length
of said liner, said bolts also received in apertures in the sides
of said trough, said apertures in the sides of said trough having
a diameter greater than the diameter of the bolts so that the
bolts may move therein when said liner expands and contracts on
the round bottom trough.


7. A conveyor as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein
said "U" shaped liner is made of UHMW polyethylene material.



8. A conveyor as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein
said first attachment means is a continuous resilient pressure

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block mounted along each side of the trough and adjacent the
edges of said liner, said pressure block having apertures there-
through for receiving bolts, said bolts received through apertures
in the sides of the trough and attached thereto, said pressure
block allowing said "U" shaped liner to expand and contract on
the round bottom trough.


9. A conveyor as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein
said first attachment means comprises a plurality of resilient
pressure blocks mounted along each side of the trough in spaced
relationship to each other and adjacent the edges of said liner.


10. A conveyor as claimed in claim 2, and including an endless
chain for moving the free-flowing material, wherein the endless
chain has V-shaped flights attached thereto, the width of the
flights being greater than the space between the ends of the
bottom liners.


11. A conveyor as claimed in claim 10, further including:
a plurality of conveyor side liners positioned along the
inside of the side portions of said conveyor housing, said side
liners being disposed adjacent the ends of said flights as said
endless chain and said flights ride on top of said bottom liners,
said side liners being laid end to end with a space therebetween
sufficient to allow the side liners to expand lengthwise, and a
space between the sides of said side liners and the bottom portion
of said housing to allow said side liners to expand laterally; and
second attachment means for securing said side liners to
the inside of the side portions of said conveyor housing and

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providing means for expansion and contraction of said side liners
on the inside of the side portions of said housing.


12. A conveyor as claimed in claim 11, wherein said bottom
liners and said side liners are angular sheets made of UHMW
polyethylene.


13. A conveyor as claimed in claim 11, wherein said second
attachment means includes:
a plurality of slots through side portions of said housing
and disposed in a spaced relationship to each other; and
a plurality of bolts received through apertures in said
side liners indexed with said slots, the ends of said bolts
received through said slots, said slots having a width greater
than the diameter of said bolts so that said bolts may move in
said slots as said side liners expand and contract on the side
portions of said housing.


14. In a conveyor having a round bottom trough for receiving
free-flowing material therein, the conveyor having an endless
chain with flights thereon or a screw for moving free-flowing
material along the length of the trough, the improvement
comprising:
a "U" shaped liner contoured to fit on top of the round
bottom trough with the sides of the liner extending upwardly along
the sides of said trough and extending along the length of the
trough;
a plurality of resilient pressure blocks mounted along the
sides of the trough in a spaced relationship to each other and

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disposed adjacent the edges of said liner, said pressure blocks
having apertures therethrough for receiving bolts, said bolts
received through apertures in the sides of the trough and attached
thereto, said pressure blocks allowing said "U" shaped liner to
expand and contract on the round bottom trough;
seals extending along the sides of the round bottom trough
and attached thereto, said seals disposed above said pressure
blocks and along the edges of said liner for preventing the free-
flowing material from falling between said liner and the sides of
said trough; and
seal retainers extending along the length of the sides of
the trough and attached to said pressure blocks, said seal
retainers compressing said seals and said pressure blocks against
the sides of the trough and holding said seals in place.


15. In a conveyor having a round bottom trough for receiving
free-flowing material therein, the conveyor having an endless
chain with flights thereon or a screw for moving the free-flowing
material along the length of the trough, the improvement comprising:
a plurality of "U" shaped liners contoured to fit on top
of the round bottom trough, said liners placed end to end on top
of the round bottom trough with sufficient space placed between
the ends of said liners to allow for lengthwise expansion of said
liners; and
a plurality of resilient pressure blocks mounted along the
sides of the trough in a spaced relationship to each other and
butted against the edges of said liners, said pressure blocks
having apertures for receiving bolts therethrough, said bolts





received through apertures in the sides of the trough and
attached thereto, said pressure blocks permitting said "U"
shaped liners to expand and contract transverse to the length
of said liners.




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Description

iZ3

~-lC~le _ vcntlo

The sub~ect invention reIates f~eneIally to a round
!¦ ~ottom conve~or an~ ~ore p~rticularl~ but not by way of limi-
1 tation to a roun(l bottom conveyor havin~ a U shaped liner
;, mounted thereon for increaslng the ~Y~ar li~e o~ the convcyor.
j IIeretoforc there havc been various types of material
jl h~n~lin~ conve~ors and transfer system~ u.~ g round bottom
I conveyors havil~g an endless chaiIl with fll~hts mounted thereon
or auger type scre~s for movin~ the free-flo~in~ ~aterial alon~
j the l~ottom of the trough. Thesc conveyors have used metal liners
~10 ~ and oth~r types of material to reduce ~tear on the bottom of the
,I trougll. Also recelltly conveyor nlallufacturers have used fligllts
i~ made of ultralli~h molecular weigllt polymers or con~nonly called
U}lblW polyethylene linin~ material. l`llese flights reduce wear
~ and drag on the trough. The UIIMW lining matcrial has beeD
tried ln thc bottom of rowld bot~ol~ trou~l~ conveyors wi h l~ttlc
success s-inc~ prior to the sul~ject inveJItiOn no means has been
~rovi~cd to allo~ for ~xpaltsioll and contraction of tllc
linin~ material. Tlie l;I~?~IIq linin~ ml~tc:~ri-11 o7~fers a~roximatel~
seYen time~ lncreasec~ ;ear lifc ~YhCIl comlnred to standard slleet
steel material use~ i 31 the trou~h hollsinl~. IIo~ever the inherent
prol)lem with the UIL~ liner matcrial ls that lt expands nnd
contracts ~ith cllarlges in the aunl71cnt tcmperature approximatcly
tell time~ n~ore tllan thc stalldard slleet ;steel material. This
problem of expan;ion an~ ccntr~ction o~ the trou6h llner
2J mat~rial ls solve~ by the subject inYention.




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~ ccording to the present invention there is pro-
vided in a conveyor having a rounded bottom trough for
receiving free-flowing material therein, the conveyor having
an endless chain with flights thereon or a screw for moving
the free-flowing material along the length o~ the trough,
the improvement comprising:
a "U" shaped liner contoured to fit on top of the
round bottom trough and e~tending along the length thereof;
and
first attachment means for securing the liner to
the sides of the trough and providing means for expansion and
contraction of the liner on top of the round bottom troughj
said first attachment means comprising at least one resilient
pressure block mounted along each side of the trough adjacent the
respective edges of said liner, said pressure blocks having
apertures therethrough for receiving bolts therethrough, said
bolts received being through apertures in the sides of the
trough and attached thereto, said pressure blocks allowing said
"U" shaped liner to expand and contract on the round bottom
trough.
Also according to the invention there is provided
in a conveyor having a round bottom trough for receiving free-
flowing material therein, the conveyor having an endless chain
with flights thereon or a screw for moving free-flowing material
along the length of the trough, the improvement comprising:
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a "U" shaped liner contoured to fit on top of the round
bottom trough with the sides of the liner extending upwardly
along the sides of said trough and extending along the length of
the trough;
a plurality of resilient pressure blocks mounted along
the sides of the trough in a spaced relationship to each other
and disposed adjacent the edges of said liner, said pressure
blocks having apertures therethrough for receiving bolts, said
bolts received through apertures in the sides of the trough and
attached thereto, said pressure blocks allowing said "U" shaped
liner to expand and contract on the round bottom trough;
seals extending along the sides of the round bottom trough
and attached thereto, said seals disposed above said pressure
blocks and along the edges of said liner for preventing the free-
1~ flowing material from falling between said liner and the sides of
said trough; and
seal retainers extending along the length of the sides of
the trough and attached to said pressure blocks, said seal
retainers compressing said seals and said pressure blocks against
the sides of the trough and holding said seals in place.
Further, according to the invention there is provided in
a conveyor having a round bottom trough for receiving free-flowing
material therein, the conveyor having an endless chain with flights
thereon or a screw for moving the free-flowing material along the
length of the trough, the improvement comprising:
a plurality of "U" shaped liners contoured to fit on top
of the round bottom trough, said liners placed end to end on top
of the round bottom trough with sufficient space placed between
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the ends of said liners to allow for lengthwise expansion of
said liners; and
a plurality of resilient pressure blocks mounted along
the sides of the trough in a spaced relationship to each other
and butted against the edges of said liners, said pressure
blocks having apertures for receiving bolts therethrough, said
bolts received through apertures in the sides of the trough and
attached thereto, said pressure blocks permitting said "U"
shaped liners to expand and contract transverse to the length
of said liners.




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Sumlnary of the Invention

The subject invention provides a "U" shaped liner which
is replaceably mounted in a round bottom trough for greatly
increasing the wear life of a conveyor and reducing drag on the
endless chain and flights or screw used in conveying
free-flowing material in the conveyor.
The invention allows the liner to expand and contract
with the change in ambient temperature so that the liner does
not buckle or become distorted when attached to the round bottom
tough.
The liner material may be made of UHMW polyethylene
which when compared to metal lining material eliminates
potential sparks from metal to metal contact which could cause
fire or explosion. Also the UHMW material reduces noise
normally caused by the flights or screw dragging on the bottom
of the metal trough housing.
The liner material because it reduces drag on the
flights or screw, reduces horsepower requirements in driving the
endless chain witll the flights or the screw, thereby improving
the efficiency of the conveyor.
The improved conveyor for handling free-flowing
material and having a trough for receiving and endless chain
with flights or a screw therein, includes a "U" shaped liner
contoured to fit on top of the round bottom trough and extending
along the length thereof. The liner is attached to the sides of
the trough by pressure blocks disposed adjacent the edges of the
liner and secured to the trough. The ?ressure blocks allow the
liner to expand and contract on top of the trough.




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The pressure blocks may be held in place by an elongated seal
retainer which extends along the sides and the length of the trough.
A rubber seal also may extend along the length of the trough and
be attached to the sides of the trough for preventing the free-

flowing material from falling between the sides of the metaltrough and the liner.
The advantages and objects of the invention will become
evident from the following detailed description of the drawings
when read in connection with the accompanying drawings which
illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention.




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Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a round bottom
conveyor having an endless chain with flights mounted thereon
with the "U" shaped liner mounted on top of the trough of the
conveyor.
Figure 2 is a top view of the conveyor with the endless
chain and flights removed.
Figure 3 is a side sectional view of the round bottom
conveyor taken along lines 3-3 shown in Figure 2.
Figure 4 is an end sectional view taken along lines 4-4
shown in Figure 2.
Figure 5 is a perspective view of a portion of the side
of the conveyor trough illustrating a pressure block, and seal
retainer for securing the liner on top of the round bottom
trough and appears on the same sheet of drawings as Figure 1.


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~etailed Description of the Drawings

In Figure 1, a perspective view of the improved
conveyor for handling free-flowing material is shown and
designated by general reference numeral 10. The conveyor 10
includes an endless chain 12 llaving flights 14 mounted thereon.
The chain 12 and flights 14 are received in a "U" shaped trough
16 having a roof cover 18 mounted over the open top of the
trough 16. The conveyor 10 further includes an intake port 20.
The discharge port~for the conveyor 10 is at the far end of the
trough 16 and is not shown in the drawings. The endless chain
12 is mounted on an idle sprocket 22 attached to an idle shaft
24. At the opposite end of the chain 12 is a drive sprocket
which cannot be seen in the drawings mounted on a drive shaft
26. The drive shaft 26 is attached to a drive motor, which also
is not shown in the drawings.
The improved conveyor 10 is adapted for receiving a "U"
shaped liner 28 which is contoured to fit on top of the round
bottom trought 16 with the sides of the liner 28 extending
upwardly along the sides of the trough 16. Upper edges 30 of
the liner 28 are attached to the sides of the trough 16 by
attachment ~eans which is discussed under the description of
Figure 4. In this view elongated seal retainers 32 can be seen
extending along the length of the sides of the trough 16. The
seal retainers are part of the attachment means for securing the
liner 28 to the trough 16.




While the endless chain 12 and flights 14 are shown for
handling free-flowing material in the trough 16, it should be
appreciated that an auger type screw could also be used in place
of the endless chain 12 and flights 14 for handling the
free-flowing material and work equally well with the improved
conveyor lO as desribed herein.
In Figure 2 a top view of the improved conveyor 10 is
seen with the endless chain 12 and flights 14 removed. In this
view the "U" shaped liner 28 can be seen with an aperture 34 in
the conter of the liner 28 having a bolt 36 extending through
the aperture 34 and secured to the bottom of the trough 16. By
having a single bolt 36 in the center of the liner 28, the liner
28 is free to expand and contract in all directions therefrom.
Also seen in this view is a partial view of an adjacent
liner 28 disposed at one end of the liner 28 in the trough 16.
It should be noted that a space 38 is provided between the ends
of the two liner 28 and so that room is provided to allow for
expansion and contraction at the ends of the liners 28. Angular
shaped bar 40 is attached to the bottom of the trough 16 and
extends into a portion of the ends of the liners 28. This bar
40 may be made of metal or may be UHMW liner material. The bar
40 provides a bridge to prevent the flights 14 from dropping
into the space 38 between the liners 28 as the flights 14 ride
along the bottom of the trough 16.
In Figure 3 a side sectional view of the conveyor 10 is
taken along lines 3-3 shown in Figure 2. In the view a
plurality of apertures 42 can be seen in a spaced relationship
to each other and along the length of the sides of the liner
23. The apertures 42 receive bolts 44 therethrough and through
apertures in the sides of the trough 16. This attachment can

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be seen more clearly in Figure ~. Also seen in Figure 3 is the
seal retainer 32 extending along the length of the trough 16 and
having a plurality of apertures 46 therethrough. Shown in dotted
lines behind the retainer 32 are angular shaped pressure blocks
48 which again can be seen more clearly in Figure 4.
In Figure 4 a side sectional view of the conveyor 10 is
seen taken along lines 4-4 in Figure 2. The "U" shaped liner 28
can be seen more clearly received on top of the "U" shaped trough
16 and extending upwardly along both sides of the trough 16.
The edges 30 of the liner 28 are received against pressure blocks
48. The pressure blocks 48 are made of a resilient rubber or
the like and have an aperture 49 therethrough for receiving bolts
50. The bolts 50 are also received through apertures 46 in the
seal retainer 32. The ends of the bolt 50 are attached to nuts
52. As the retainer plate 32 is tightened against the pressure
blocks 48, the pressure blocks 48 are compressed and expand
outwardly against the edges 30 of the liner 28, thereby rigidly
securing the liner 28 against the sides and top of the round
bottom of the "U" shaped trough 16. Also because the pressure
blocks 48 are compressible as the liner 28 expands, the pressure
blocks 48 are compressed by the edges 30 of the liner 28, thereby
allowing the liner 28 to expand and contract against the pressure
blcoks 48 without causing the liner 28 to buckle or to become
distorted on top of the trough 16.
While individual pressure blocks 48 are shown in the
drawings, it should be appreciated that continuous resilient
pressure blocks could be used equally well extending along the
sides of the trough 16. The continuous pressure block would
serve the same function as the blocks 43 and also serve as a
seal to prevent material from dropping between the sides of the
trough 16 and the liner 28. Such an arrangement is shown in
ghosted outlin in Figure 5 and includes a strip 51 with a number
of spaces apertures 55 to receive bolts 50.

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To prevent the edges 30 of the liner 28 from adhering
to the pressure blocks 48, a small metal spacer 53 is provided
therebetween. While the metal spacer 53 is preferable, it
should be appreciated that the pressure block could be used
equally well without it.
To prevent the free-flowing material handled by the
conveyor 10 from dropping between the inside of the liner 28 and
the sides of the trough 16, a soft sponge-like rubber seal 54 is
provided along the length of the sides of the trough 16. The
seal 54 is disposed above the top of the pressure blocks 48 and
held in place and compressed between the sides of the seal
retainer 32 is tightened against the sides of the trough 16 by
the bolts 50.
The liner 28 is also held in place against the sides of
lS the "U" shaped trough 16 by a plurality of the bolts 44 shown in
Figure 3. The bolts 44 are in a spaced relationship along the
sides of the liner 28 and are received through the aperture 44
in the liner 28. It should be noted that the bolts 44 are free
to move on the sides of the trough 16 by providing an aperture
60 which is greater than the diameter of the bolts 44. This can
be seen in the enlarged view of the bolt 44 which has a spacer
62 along with a washer 64 and a nut 66 attached to the threaded
portion of the bolt 44. The enlarged aperture 60 in the sides
of the trough 16 allow movement in all directions of the bolt 44
so that as the ambient temperture changes and the liner 28
expands and contracts, the liner 28 can move on the top of the
trough 16 without buckling or becoming distorted.




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i23
In Figure 5 a perspective view of a portion of the side
of the trough 16 can be seen. This view is shown to illustrate
more clearly the pressure block 48 riding on top of the edge 30
of the liner 28 and and the seal 54 extending along the length
of the side of the trough 16 and disposed above the edge 30 of
the liner 28. Also the seal retainer 32 can be seen in a
cut-away section showing how it rides against the sides of the
seal 54 and compresses the seal against the side of the trough
16 to prevent the free-flowing material in the conveyor 10 from
dropping on top of the edge 30 of the liner 28 and becoming
: lodge between the inside of the liner 28 and the sides of trough
16.
Changes may be made in the construction and arrangement
of the parts or elements of the embodiments as described herein
without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention
defined in the floowing claims:




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