FLEXIBLE RAILWAY HOPPER CLOSURE OPERATING MECHANISM

• US 3,712,249 A
• Filed: 05/20/1970
• Issued: 01/23/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pullman Standard, Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ernest J. Nagy, William R. Shaver
• Inventors: Nagy, Ernest J., Shaver, William R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Forlenza, Gerald M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Beltran, Howard
• Application Number:
  US05/039,682
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 105/247,282R,282A,282P,292,295,300,306 214/83.2 242/117 298/27
• US Class Current: 105/282.1
• CPC Class Codes: B61D 7/20 sliding

Abstract

A hopper discharge outlet arrangement including a frame and a sectional closure member slidingly movable horizontally relative to a hopper discharge opening, the closure member being moved by the rotation of an operating rod having reels connected thereto on which flexible members are wound and unwound and are so anchored and positioned on the frame that in response to rotation of the reels the closure member is moved between open and closed positions. Certain of the reels are provided with a spiral groove on which the flexible members are wound, the initial winding taking place on the smallest diameter portion of the groove and subsequent winding occurring on increased diameter groove portions of the total groove which in effect provides a high torque and low speed initial operation during the opening of the gate and which upon continued opening provides for a decrease in torque and a higher speed of opening. A modification of the invention includes reels in the form of pulleys and flexible elements comprise chains which are wound around the pulleys and upon themselves so as to achieve the desired torque and speed operation.

Claims

1. An outlet arrangement for the discharge end of a hopper having a frame including vertical walls connected to said discharge end to form a discharge opening, a closure member slidably positioned on said frame for movement between a position closing said opening and an open position wherein said closure member is disposed to one side of said opening, for the improvement comprising:

actuating means including reel means rotatably mounted on said closure member for moving the same, flexible means connected to said frame, and said reel means, means for rotating said reel means to wind and unwind said flexible member on and off said reel means thereby moving said closure member to between open and closed positions, and means associated with said reel means for initially applying a maximum torque for opening said closure member at a certain speed, said torque decreasing and said speed increasing and said speed increasing during continued rotation of said reel means and opening movement of said closure member.

2. The invention in accordance with claim 1, said means for applying a maximum torque comprising a spiral groove on said reel means said flexible means being connected to the small end of said spiral groove.

3. The invention in accordance with claim 2, said actuating means further comprising a second reel means responsive to said rotating means and including a second spiral groove, second flexible means connected to the large end of the second reel spiral groove to be wound upon said second reel thereby movIng said closure member to a closed position, said second reel means providing initially a certain torque and a certain speed of movement of said closure member to a closing position, said torque increasing and said speed decreasing during continued rotation of said second reel means and closing movement of said closure member.

4. The invention in accordance with claim 1, said reel means including a rotatable shaft, and said associated means including a pulley, said flexible means being windable onto said pulley and around itself.

5. The invention in accordance with claim 4, said flexible means comprising a link type chain.

6. The invention in accordance with claim 4, including a second pulley connected to said shaft, and second flexible means connected to said frame and to said second pulley, said second flexible means extending longitudinally in an opposite direction with respect to said first flexible means, and being adapted to be wound onto said second pulley and onto itself for closing said closure member.

7. The invention in accordance with claim 6, said flexible means each comprising a link chain.

8. The invention in accordance with claim 1, said closure member comprising a plurality of sections movable in sequence during actuation of said actuating means.

9. An outlet arrangement for the discharge end of a hopper having a frame including vertical walls connected to said discharge end to form a discharge opening, a closure member slidably positioned on said frame for movement between open and closed positions relative to said opening, the improvement comprising:

an actuating member rotatably mounted on said closure member, first and second reel means connected to said actuating member for rotation therewith, each of said reel means including first and second spiral grooved reel elements, a first pair of flexible elements connected to the larger end of said first spiral grooved elements and extending horizontally in one direction and having end portions connected to said frame, a second pair of flexible elements connected to the smaller end said second spiral grooved elements and extending horizontally in an opposite direction and having end portions connected to said frame, and means for rotating said actuating member in clockwise and counterclockwise directions, one pair of said spiral grooved elements being arranged during each said rotation to gather one pair of said flexible elements thereon while the other pair of flexible elements is unwound from said other pair of spiral grooved elements thereby moving said closure member between said open and closed positions.

10. The invention in accordance with claim 9, each said reel element having an outer conical wall in which each said spiral grooved element is disposed, said spiral grooved element being connected to said flexible members whereby upon rotation of said reel elements in a first direction a maximum torque is initially applied to open said closure member at a certain speed movement with said applied torque decreasing and said speed of movement increasing as said closure member continues to be moved to its open position, and rotation of said reel elements in the opposite direction initially applies a low torque at a higher speed of movement with said torque increasing and said speed of movement decreasing as said closure member is moved to its closed position.

11. The invention in accordance with claim 10, further comprising a stop element supported on said frame, and releasable latch means on said closure member engageable with said stop element for releasably connecting said closure member in the closed position.

12. The invention in accordance with claim 9, said closure member comprising a plurality of sections, said sections being movable in sequence during rotation of said actuating member.

13. The invention in accordance with claim 12, said sections being positIoned in superposed relation and in said closed position one section sealingly overlapping the other.

14. An outlet arrangement for the discharge end of a hopper having a frame including vertical walls connected to said discharge end to form a discharge opening, a closure member slidably positioned on said frame for movement between a position closing said opening and an open position wherein said closure member is disposed to one side of said opening, the improvement comprising:

first and second rotatable members supported on said frame, first and second flexible members each having one end fixed to said frame and its other end connected to a respective one of said rotatable members and adapted to be wound around said rotatable member and onto itself during rotation of said rotatable member to effectively vary the diameter of said rotatable member, said rotatable members and said flexible members being arranged to move said closure member between open and closed positions during said winding whereupon initially a maximum opening torque is applied to open said closure member at a certain speed of sliding movement and as said flexible member is wound upon itself a progressively lower torque is applied at a higher speed of sliding movement and the reverse is the case for the closure movement.

15. The invention in accordance with claim 14, wherein each said rotatable member comprises a pulley and shaft arrangement rotatably connected to said closure member to move therewith.