Non-linear sided trailer with continuous conveyor bed

• US 6,623,234 B1
• Filed: 03/20/2000
• Issued: 09/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Highway Equipment Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: DAN Hill & Associates Incorporated
• Inventors: Griffis, David N., Herring, Robert S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Walsh, Donald P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RODRIGUEZ, JOSEPH C
• Application Number:
  US09/528,957
• Time in Patent Office: 1,282 Days
• Field of Search: 414/528, 296/181, 296/184
• US Class Current: 414/528
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 1/286 Loading buckets
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 1/36 using endless chains or belts thereon

Abstract

A trailer for use on standard highway systems and having a hopper with a central conveyor belt system forming the floor and two independent, non-linear sides is disclosed for transporting particulate materials such as asphalt, gravel, or low-slump concrete and delivering such materials in a controlled manner to the point of use. The sides of the hopper are formed as segments having a conic section geometry, i.e. circle, ellipse, hyperbola, or parabola. Such hopper sides have different tangential angles for all points on the surface and different rates of change of said angles per unit distance along the side, depending upon the conic segment selected. This design has the novel and unexpected result of producing a vortexing, or mixing, effect on the particulate material, both when it is loaded into the hopper and during transport.

Claims

1. A trailer for removable connection to a fifth wheel on a tractor for transportation, said trailer comprising:

a. a hopper having a forward end and an delivery end and comprising;

(1) two opposed side walls, each said side wall of a conic shape in cross section that is discontinuous of and independent of the conic shape of the opposed side wall, each said side wall having a top edge, a bottom edge, and an outer surface;

(2) a parallel pair of upper beams, each said upper beam extending longitudinally along said upper edge of said side wall; and

(3) a parallel pair of main beams, each main beam having a top side and a bottom side, the main beams extending longitudinally along the bottom edges of the two opposed side walls;

b. a plurality of generally parallel transverse support structures spaced along the length of said hopper to provide support for said side walls and secured to the outer surfaces of said side walls, each said support structure comprising;

(1) two opposed coaming stiffeners, said coaming stiffener fixed to said outer surface of each said side wall, the coaming stiffener with a top end and a bottom end, the coaming stiffener connected at its top end to the upper beam extending longitudinally along said upper edge of the said side wall and connected at its bottom end to the said main beam extending longitudinally along the said bottom edge of said side wall, the coaming stiffeners being of a minimum depth at its top end and being of a maximum depth at its bottom end, the depth measured in a direction perpendicular to the said outer surface of the said side wall;

(2) a bottom support member extending between and connecting said bottom ends of the opposed coaming stiffeners; and

c. a conveyor means disposed between the main beams and below the bottom edges of the side walls to function as a floor for the hopper, the conveyor means with a receiving zone for receiving particulate material for movement towards the delivery end of the hopper for the purpose of discharging particulate material from said hopper.

2. The trailer recited in claim 1, further comprising a sealing edge longitudinally extending along each of said bottom edges of said side walls, said sealing edge making brushing contact with said receiving zone of said conveyor means, said sealing edge being composed of rigid abrasive-resistant material.

3. The trailer recited in claim 2, wherein the sealing edge is composed of AR235 steel.

4. The trailer recited in claim 2, wherein the sealing edge is composed of aluminum.

5. The trailer recited in claim 1, further comprising a means for enabling a horizontal component of gravitational force to assist movement of particulate material by said conveyor means from said receiving zone towards said delivery end.

6. The trailer recited in claim 5, wherein the means for enabling a horizontal component of gravitational force to assist movement is provided by elevation of the forward end by an angle of elevation above the horizontal, the elevation accomplished by mounting a tractor towing means to the bottom of the at least one main beam.

7. The trailer recited in claim 6, wherein the tractor towing means comprises a bolster assembly fixedly attached to the bottom of the at least one main beam and a downwardly directed king pin connected to the bolster assembly.

8. The trailer recited in claim 6, wherein the angle of elevation is between 2°

and 7°

.

9. The trailer recited in claim 1, further comprising a front hopper wall positioned at the forward end of said hopper and interposed between the two said side walls, and a discharge door positioned proximate to said delivery end of said hopper.

10. The trailer recited in claim 1, wherein each of said sides of said hopper are formed as a segment of a circular conic section.

11. The trailer recited in claim 1, one or more said support structures further comprising a transverse beam connecting said top ends of said two coaming stiffeners.

12. A trailer for removable connection to a fifth wheel on a tractor for transportation, said trailer comprising:

a. a conveyor means for transporting particulate material from a receiving zone to a delivery end spaced from the receiving zone;

b. a hopper means disposed above said receiving zone of said conveyor means and comprising a pair of side walls of a conic shape in cross section, each side wall having a bottom edge and disposed along the sides of said conveyor means, and an end wall disposed across the end of said conveyor means remote from said delivery end, said side walls extending beyond said receiving zone toward said delivery end of said conveyor means; and

c. said hopper means having an open delivery end whereby the particulate material will tend to shear longitudinally along the length of the receiving zone and will be delivered from the receiving zone to the delivery end at a volumetric rate determined by the speed of the conveyor means; and

d. a sealing edge longitudinally extending along each of said bottom edges of said side walls, said sealing edge making brushing contact with said receiving zone of said conveyor means, said sealing edge being composed of rigid abrasive-resistant material.

13. A non-linear sided hopper for carrying and discharging particulate material, said hopper with a forward end, a delivery end spaced from said forward end, and a receiving zone between said forward end and said delivery end, said hopper comprising:

a. two opposed side walls in spaced relationship with one another, each said side wall of a conic shape in cross section, each said conic shape being discontinuous of and independent of said conic shape of opposed said side wall, each said side wall having a bottom edge, an upper edge, and exterior surface;

b. a floor proximate to said bottom edges of said side walls, said floor having a conveyor means positioned below said bottom edge of said side walls for moving particulate material loaded into said receiving zone to said delivery end through said discharge door;

c. a front wall proximate to said forward end; and

d. a discharge door positioned proximate to said delivery end and remote from said forward end;

e. a sealing edge longitudinally extending along each of said bottom edges of said side walls, said sealing edge making brushing contact with said receiving zone of said conveyor means, said sealing edge being composed rigid abrasive-resistant material;

whereby particulate material loaded from above into the receiving zone of said hopper is removed from said receiving zone at said delivery end through said discharge door.

14. The hopper recited in claim 13, wherein each of said sides of said hopper are formed as a segment of a circular conic section.

15. The hopper recited in claim 13, further comprising:

a. a parallel pair of upper beams extending longitudinally along said upper edge of each said side wall;

b. a parallel pair of longitudinally extending main beams each having a top and a bottom, the top of each said main beam supporting one said side wall a distance from its said bottom edge along its said exterior surface.

16. The hopper recited in claim 15, further comprising a plurality of generally parallel support structures spaced along the length of said hopper to provide support for said side walls and secured to said exterior surface of said side walls of said hopper, each said support structure comprising:

a. a coaming stiffener fixed to each said exterior surface of two said opposed side walls, said coaming stiffeners being in opposed relationship with one another and each having a top end and a bottom end, each said coaming stiffener connected at its top end to said upper beam and connected at its bottom end to the said main beam, each said coaming stiffener of a minimum depth at its said top end and of a maximum depth at its said bottom end, each said depth measured in a direction perpendicular to said exterior surface of the said side wall; and

b. a bottom support member positioned beneath said main beams and connecting said bottom ends of the two said opposed coaming stiffeners.

17. The hopper recited in claim 16, wherein said floor comprises a conveyor means positioned between said main beams and below said bottom edges of said side walls, whereby said conveyor means moves particulate material loaded into said receiving zone to said delivery zone.

18. The hopper recited in claim 17, one or more said support structures further comprising a transverse structure connecting said top ends of said coaming stiffeners, thereby restraining outward movement of said top ends of said coaming stiffeners.

19. The hopper recited in claim 17, further comprising a means for enabling a horizontal component of gravitational force to assist movement of particulate material by said conveyor means towards said delivery end.

20. The hopper recited in claim 15, further comprising a means for enabling a horizontal component of gravitational force to assist movement of particulate material towards said delivery end.

21. The hopper recited in claim 20, wherein the means for enabling a horizontal component of gravitational force to assist movement is provided by elevation of the forward end by an angle of elevation above the horizontal, the elevation accomplished by mounting a tractor towing means to the bottoms of the main beams, the tractor towing means suitable for removable attachment to a fifth wheel mounted to a rear deck of a tractor.

22. The hopper recited in claim 21, wherein the angle of elevation is between 2°

and 7°

.

23. The hopper recited in claim 21, wherein the tractor towing means comprises a bolster assembly fixedly attached to the bottoms of the main beams and a downwardly directed king pin connected to the bolster assembly, whereby the ends of the main beams extend over the rear deck.

24. The hopper recited in claim 13, said hopper in combination with a trailer for removable connection to a fifth wheel on a tractor for transportation.

25. The hopper recited in claim 13, said hopper in combination with a vehicle for transportation.

26. A trailer for removable connection to a fifth wheel on a tractor for transportation, said trailer comprising:

a. a hopper having a forward end and a delivery end and comprising;

(1) two opposed side walls, each said side wall of a conic shape in cross section which is discontinuous of and independent of the conic shape of the opposed side wall, each said side wall having a top edge, a bottom edge, and an exterior surface;

(2) a parallel pair of upper beams, each said beam extending longitudinally along said upper edge of said side wall; and

(3) a parallel pair of main beams extending along said side walls, each said main beam positioned on said exterior surface of said side wall;

b. a conveyor means positioned between said main beams and below said bottom edges of said side walls and having a receiving zone positioned between said forward end and said delivery end of said hopper, whereby said conveyor means moves particulate material loaded into said receiving zone to said delivery zone;

c. a sealing edge longitudinally extending along each of said bottom edges of said side walls, said sealing edge making brushing contact with said receiving zone of said conveyor means, said sealing edge being composed of rigid abrasive-resistant material;

d. one or more generally parallel transverse support structures spaced longitudinally along said hopper, one or more of said support structure s encompassing said top beams, said main beams, said side walls, and said conveyor means, each said support structure comprising;

(1) two opposed coaming stiffeners, said coaming stiffener fixed to said outer surface of each said side wall and having a top end and a bottom end, each of said coaming stiffeners being connected at its top end to the said upper beam extending longitudinally along said upper edge of the said side wall and connected at its bottom end to the said main beam extending longitudinally along the said bottom edge of said side wall, each of said coaming stiffeners being of a minimum depth at its said top end and being of a maximum depth at its said bottom end, each said depth being measured in a direction perpendicular to the said outer surface of the said side wall;

(2) a bottom support member connecting said bottom ends of said coaming stiffeners, and;

(3) a transverse beam connecting said top ends of said coaming stiffeners;

e. means for enabling a horizontal component of gravitational force to assist movement of particulate material by said conveyor means towards said delivery end.

27. A non-linear sided trailer for carrying and discharging a selected range of particulate materials, the trailer with a forward end, a delivery end in spaced relation to the forward end, and a receiving zone between the forward end and the delivery end, each particulate material within the selected range having an angle of repose, the trailer comprising:

a. two opposed side walls in spaced relationship with one another, each side wall having a bottom edge, an upper edge, an exterior surface and an interior surface, each side wall of a conic shape in cross section, each side wall disposed so that for each point along the interior surface a tangential angle is greater than the angle of repose for particulate materials in the selected range, each conic shape being discontinuous and independent of the other shape;

b. a conveyor means proximate to the bottom edges of the side walls;

c. a front wall proximate to the forward end;

d. a discharge door positioned proximate to the delivery end and remote from the forward end; and

e. a sealing edge downwardly and tangentially extending along the bottom edge of each side wall to make brushing contact with the receiving zone of the conveyor means;

whereby particulate material loaded from above into the receiving zone is removed by the conveyor means from the receiving zone at the delivery end through the discharge door.

28. The trailer recited in claim 27, wherein the sealing edge is composed of a rigid abrasive-resistant material.

29. The trailer recited in claim 27, wherein the rigid abrasive-resistant material is AR235 steel.

30. The trailer recited in claim 27, wherein the trailer is supported by a frame comprising:

a. a pair of upper beams extending longitudinally along the upper edge of each side wall;

b. a pair of main beams, each main beam extending longitudinally along the lower edge of the side wall, the conveyor means disposed between the main beams;

c. a plurality of support structures, each support structure comprised of two opposed coaming stiffeners each with a top end and a bottom end, a bottom support member connecting the bottom ends of the coaming stiffeners and maintaining the bottom ends in spaced relationship along the bottom support member, and a transverse beam connecting the top ends of the two coaming stiffeners and maintaining the top ends in spaced relationship;

wherein each coaming stiffener is fixed to the outer surface of the side wall, each coaming stiffener is connected at its top end to the, upper beam and at its bottom end to the main beam, the coaming stiffener has a minimum depth at its top end and a maximum depth at its bottom end, each depth measured in a direction perpendicular to outer surface of the side wall, and the support structure contains the side walls and the conveyor means within its extent.

31. The trailer recited in claim 30, wherein the transverse beam is shaped to prevent accumulation of particulate material entering the receiving zone.

32. The trailer recited in claim 30, wherein the upper beam is shaped to prevent accumulation of particulate material entering the receiving zone.

33. The trailer recited in claim 30, wherein at least one transverse beam has a shock absorbing means, whereby the side walls are allowed to flex in response to road vibration during transportation.