Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
21~8668
I
S~ARTT,T7;TNG DEVICE
The present invention relates to stabilizing
devices and more particularly, relates to stabilizing
devices for use with power equipment in association with
railroad cars.
A particular problem which occurs in mining and
similar operations is the transfer of material from one site
to a different site. An example of such a transfer would be
material which either must be loaded onto a railroad car or
unloaded therefrom and where specialized equipment is not
available or the situation is suitable for automatic
operations such as dumping and the like. In such
arrangements, it is conventional to bring in heavy equipment
such as a power shovel to load and/or unload the material as
required .
A particularly awkward situation arises when it is
required to unload the material or contents from a railroad
car and frequently, the equipment required is that of a
power shovel or eYcavator or the like. In order to gain
access to all the contents, the power shovel will typically
be loaded via a ramp to straddle the side walls of the
railroad car to permit operation of the shovel. This is
naturally somewhat of a precarious situation for the power
shovel with the treads sitting on the upper surfaces of the
side walls.
The type o~ railroad car being loaded/unloaded is
frequently referred to as a gondola car and specifically
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refers to one wherein material is loaded in bulk and which
car usually has an open top. There have been various
proposals in the art for means to unload bulk cargo. Iior
example, U. S. Patent 4,830,562 discloses an apparatus
wherein roller6 are utilized for supporting the tracks of
the excavator. A different approach is utilized in U. S.
Patent 5, 066 ,188 wherein a completely separate support
structure is utilized to which the excavating equipment is
secured .
It is an object of the present invention to provide
a stabilizing device for use with power equipnent, which
stabilizing device is adapted to be used with a railroad
gondola car, and which device is simple and easy to oper~te.
According to one aspect of the present invention, it
i5 provided a st~h;l;7ing device for ufie with power
eguipment having a pair of parallel tracks in
loading/unloading railroad cars which have a pair of
parallel side walls and have upper free marginal edges. The
stabilizing device comprises a longitudinal stabilizing
assembly which is adapted to extend transversely of the
direction of travel of the parallel tracks of the power
equipment. The stabilizing assembly includes a pair of
notches or recesses formed in the lower surface thereof
adjacent opposed ends of the ~itabilizing assembly. The
notches are spaced apart a distance equivalent to a distance
between the free upper marginal edges of the side walls of
the railroad car. The notches are adapted to receive the
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upper marginal edge of the walls to stabilize the power
equipment. There are also provided means for securing the
stabilizing assembly to a frame portion of the power
equipment along with means for raising and lowering the
stabilizing assembly to engage and disengage the
notches/recesses with respect to the free upper marginal
edges of the walls.
In greater detail, the stabilizing assembly of the
present invention may be used in conjunction with
conventional material handling ~q li such as are
commonly known in the art as tractors, power shovels,
hydraulic excavators, etc., wherein the equipment is mobile
and generally runs on a pair of parallel spaced apart tracks
and is utilized for loading/unloading material. The
structure
of such devices is well known in the art and need not be
discussed in greater detail herein.
The present invention contemplates the use of
preferably two st~h;li71ng assemblies, one at the front of
the vehicle, the other at the rear thereof. However, in
certain situations, it is possible that only one such
stabilizing assembly could be utilized.
The stabilizing device includes an assembly which,
in an overall configuration, has a generally longitudinally
extending form and which extends longitudinally in a
direction transverse to the direction of travel of the
vehicle - i. e. also transverse to the length of the typical
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gondola car. The stabilizing assembly includes recesses or
notches formed adjacent to it's longitudinal ends to receive
the free upper marginal edges of the parallel walls of the
gondola car. The notches or recesses are adapted to guide
the vehicle and provide a stabilization force.
The size and conf iguration of the notches may vary .
Thus, normally the free upper marginal edges of the gondola
car have a substantially f lat upper sur~ace and
perpendicularly extending walls. It suffices to say that
various shapes of recesses or notches may be utilized
including those having tapered side walls and the like such
that guiding of the upper marginal walls may be achieved.
Similarly, the particular sizing of the notches/recesses
will be evident to those knowl ~Sq~:~h1~ in the art.
The stAhi 1 i 7inq assembly itself may take various
different aLL~llly. Ls including means for adjusting the
relative positioning of the notches or recesses. In its
simplest form, the stabilizing assembly may include a
s~h~1i7ing memher in the form of a rectangular bar having
on its bottom surface the notches or recesses formed
therein. In this instance, the member would be of a fixed
size .
In alternative embodiments, means may be provided
for adjusting the location of the recesses or notches. To
this end, there may be provided stabilizing extension
members which are mounted in a sliding relationship with the
stabilizing member such that they may be adjusted inwardly
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or outwardly to a particular size. In such an ~mh~;r-nt,
manual adjustment may be provided for or alternatively, as
will be ~licCI~qq~l in greater detail hereinbelow, hydraulic
means may be employed in conjunction with a double acting
cylinder .
rrhe s~Ahil;~;n~ assembly is attached to the frame of
the power equipment and may be done 50 in any number of
suitable manners. It is mounted so as to be pivotable with
respect thereto such that means may be provided for moving
the StAh;1;7;n~ assembly upwardly or downwardly into and out
of operative relationship with the walls of the gondola car.
Having thus generally described the invention,
reference will be made to the accompanying drawings
illustrating /~mhorl;r Ls thereof, in which:
Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a power
shovel utilizing the stabilizing device of the present
invention;
Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the power
shovel moving onto a railroad car;
Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 illustrating
movement of the power shovel as it ascends onto the railway
car;
Figure 4 is a side elevational view similar to
Figures 2 and 3 illustrating the power shovel in one
position on the railway car;
.
2148~
Figure 5 ls a side elevational view
illustratlng .,. ~ of the power shovel between
lllLeLcolllle~;L~d rallway cars;
Figure 6 ls a further slde elevatlonal vlew
lllustratlng positloning of the power shovel between two
railway cars;
Flgure 7 ls a front elevatlonal vlew showlng
the treads and attachmen~ of a stflh~ ng member;
Figure 8 is a front elevational vlew of one
~- L of a sti~h1~ n~ member;
Figure 9 ls a front elevatlonal vlew of a
second: ' -'1 L of a stablllzlng member;
Flgure 10 ls a front elevatlonal vlew of a
stlll further ~ 1 L of a stablllzlng member;
Flgure 11 ls a front elevatlonal vlew of a
further embodlment of a st;~hf 1 i 7:1n~ member;
Figure 12 ls a perspectlve vlew of the left
hand portlon of the st~h~ l ~ 71 ng member lllustrated ln
f lgure 11;
Figure 13 is a perspective vlew of the left
hand portlon of the st?hll17:1n~ member of figure lO, and
Flgure 14 ls a perspectlve vlew of an adapter
part of a st~h1117:1ng member.
Referring to the drawings in a greater detail
and by reference characters thereto, there is illustrated
a conventional power shovel generally designated by
reference numeral 10. Power shovel 10 may be of any
conventlonal type and thus 1 nrl ~ e~ a plvotably mounted
boom 12 havlng at one
2148668
end thereof an arm member 14 pivotably mounted to a boom 12.
A bucket 16 i8 mounted at one end of arm 14 . A f irst
hydraulic cylinder 18 functions to operate arm 12; a second
hydraulic cylinder 20 is operative to move arm 14; and a
third hydraulic cylinder 22, in combination with linking
arms 24 and 26, moves bucket 16.
Referring to Figure 7, which is a front elevational
view of a portion of the frame structure of the power shovel
10, there is provided a central frame member or base means
28 having an extension 30 and 32 at either end secured
thereto by bolts 34. At the extremities there are provided
conventional tracks 3 6 and 38 .
The present invention includes the use of a
stabilizing device preferably both at the rear and forward
ends of the power shovel and which stabilizing devices are
illustrated in Figures 1 to 6 inclusive and generally
designated by reference numerals 40 ' and 40 respectively.
As aforementioned, a stabilizing device 40 is preferably
mounted at the front and an identical stabilizing device 40 '
is mounted at the rear of the tracks. Only one of the
stabilizing devices (40) will be described in detail with it
understood that the other device 40' is substantially
identical .
Stabilizing device 40 can be formed in several
different configurations and its several different
embodiments are illustrated in Figures 8 through 11 and will
now be ref erred to .
21~8668
In the embodiment of Figure 8, there is provided a
stabilizing member 42 which has a pair of notches or
recesses 44 and 46 formed in a lower marginal edge proximate
each extremity thereof.
In the ' -~i t of Figure 9, there is provided a
stabilizing member 48 having a hollow interior and having
mounted interiorly thereof a double acting cylinder 50
(shown in dotted lines). Drive means comprising a double
acting cylinder 50 which has pistons 56 and 58 mounted to
sl-z~h;1i7in~ member extensions 52 and 54. Extensions 52 and
54 fit interiorly in a sliding relationship with respect to
stabilizing member 48. Each stabilizing member extension 52
and 54 has a notch or reces6 (60 and 62 respectively) formed
in a lower marginal edge proximate the extremity thereo~.
Turning to the ' '; r --lt of Figure lo, there is
shown a st~hili7in~ member 64 which, like the embodiment of
Figure 9, is also of a hollow configuration and has mounted
interiorly thereof stabilizing member eYtensions 66 and 68.
As in the previously described embodiment, each of
stabilizing member extensions 66 and 68 has a notch or
recess 70 and 72 respectively. As may be best seen in
Figure 13, stabilizing member extension 66 has an aperture
74 extending th~LhLuuu,~-. A pair of C.~LLULtS 76 and 78
are provided in the side walls of stabilizing member 64.
Thus, stabilizing member extension 66 may be locked in one
of two positions by means of nut 80 and bolt 82 arrangement.
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Figure 11 illustrates an ~ nt wherein
stabilizing member 84 is in the form a conventional I-beam.
Each end is substantially identical and one end is
illustrated in greater detail in Figure 12 and will now be
referred to. As may be seen therein, extending downwardly
from I-beam stAhil;7in~ member 84 is a downwardly extending
element 86. ~he I-beam is formed to have an extension
which is generally designated by reference numeral 88 and
which has a flange 90 extending downwardly therefrom.
Defined between flange 90 and element 86 is a notch or
recess 92. Extending upwardly from flange 90 is a guide
member 94.
Figures 1 to 6 will now be referred to and which
show the operation of the stabilizing device 40. As shown
in these drawings, sfAh;l;7;n~ device 40 includes a
stabilizing member which will be designated by reference
numeral 98 and which stAh;l;7;n~ member could assume any of
the ~mho~l;r ~s ~l;qrllqc~,1 with respect to Figures 8 to 11.
Stabilizing member 98 extends transversely with respect to
the direction of movement of tracks 36 and 38. Preferably,
stabilizing member 98 is secured to the central frame member
28 by means of a pair of arms, one such arm 102 being
illustrated. Arm 102 is secured to stabilizing member 98
and is pivotably secured to frame member 28. }~ovement of
stabilizing member 98 is achieved through the use of an
hydraulic cylinder generally designated by reference numeral
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104 and which has one end secured to stabilizing device 40
with the other end being secured to the frame of the power
shovel 10. Thus, movement of cylinder 104 will cause upward
and downward movement of the stabilizing member 98.
As shown in Figure 2, when it is desired to move the
power shovel 10 onto a railroad car 108 by means of a ramp
106, both the bucket 16 and front and rear stabilizing
devices (40,40') are moved upwardly as indicated by the
arrows. When the power shovel is in a position to move
forwardly onto the side walls of the railroad car 108
(Figure 3) the front 6tabilizing device 40 is moved
downwardly as shown by the arrow whereby the upper wall of
the railroad car 108 will fit within the notches of the
stabilizing member. The power shovel can then move
forwardly to the position as shown in Figure 4 with the
stabilizing device acting as a guide for the shovel. After
clearing ramp 106, the rear stabilizing device 40' may also
be moved downwardly.
Figure 5 illustrates the use of the stabilizing
device6 when making the transition from one size railroad
car to further size wherein the side wall is higher. Flgure
6 illustrated thc position wherein the power shovel 110 may
be required to operate with the rear st~h~l;zin~ device
being in a lower position than the front stabilizing device
(or vice versa).
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I~
It will be understood that the use of the
stabilizing devices permits a higher degree of security
during the movement and operation of the power shovel 10.
