Improvements in or relating to endless conveyors

摘要

733,714. Endless belt conveyers. PREPARATION INDUSTRIELLE DES COMBUSTIBLES. March 12, 1953, No. 6867/53. Class 78 (1). An endless conveyer belt a is normally held suspended in trough formation by a support b, formed by a network of cables, which is provided at spaced points along the length of the belt with pairs of chains c, d secured to spindles e1 of pairs of wheels e propelled along a track by driving means such as an endless chain. The upper end of each chain d terminates in a hook g normally engaging a hook f on the spindle e1, whilst each chain c is connected. directly to the spindle. Rollers h on the hooks g engage rails i provided at the loading and unloading stations. At a loading station these rails are shaped so that the rollers h on engaging them are first moved upwardly and then outwardly whereby the hooks g are disengaged from the hooks f and the chains d move away from the chains c so as to open the belt. At an unloading station, the rails i are shaped so that after the rollers h run on to them, they are moved first upwardly to disengage the hooks g from the hooks f and then outwardly and downwardly whereby the edge of the belt attached to the chain d falls below the opposite edge and the material slides off the belt. The rails may be shaped whereby the detached edge of the belt is raised to effect discharge. When the loaded or unloaded belt has passed the loading or unloading station the rails i return the conveyer parts to the condition shown in Fig. 1. In a modification, Fig. 4, each pair of chains are connected to a hook-shaped member p carrying a pulley wheel p1 adapted to run on a rail n which is suspended by members m from a suspension system comprising cables k1, k2 connected by rigid members l. Resilient cushioning members may be provided between the wheels e and the edges of the belt, for example, at either end of the chains c, d. The driving means may be protected from the weather by a tubular shield. The conveyer belt may be arranged to have increased flexibility in its edge portions and its loadsupporting surface to include resilient pads to protect it against the action of sharp-edged material being conveyed. Furthermore, one edge of the belt may include a portion of extended width which overlaps the other edge of the belt except during loading and unloading so as to protect the conveyed material from the effects of weather.