The Mechanical Handling and Storing of Material

GRAVITY BUCKET CONVEYORS ]35 levers h (one at each side of the chain). The illustration shows one of the buckets just at the point of contact with the levers h, and therefore beginning to open slide s for charging the next following bucket. As soon as the levers h have reached the position marked by the dotted line, the levers are released by the rollers, and the springs f and dashpot p close the slide again gently. The tipping device is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 187. Such devices may be used either at one or more predetermined points, or they may be mounted on wheels and rails, so that they can be used at any point of the horizontal strand of the conveyor running over the bunkers. The diagram shows the tipping device in two posi- tions, the first in action and the second out of it. a is the trip- per ; it engages with the small rollers on each of the buckets which it tilts up to empty. To put the tripper into action the chain z is pulled, which by levers a, b, c raise the tripper a into position, where it is retained by the catch h, levers e and f and Fig. 185. Driving Terminal of Schenck Conveyor with Motor. weight G. All passing buckets are now emptied until the bunker is nearly full and the coal reaches flap K, when any further coal arriving pushes this flap in the direction of the arrow. I his motion of the flap releases catch h by levers c d and e f so that the next bucket pushes the tripper Fig. 186. Feeding Device for Schenck Conveyor. a over into the second position, and the buckets pass full to the next point of delivery. A number of Schenck coaling plants have been erected in recent years, and some of these have con- veyors of over 1,000 ft. in length, with a capacity of 35 tons per hour. ■ Fig. 188 illustrates part of a com- plete installation, which gives a good idea of the flexibility of the conveyor. The two bottom or loading terminals are for coal or ashes, as the case may be. The outward extension about half-way up shows how the discharge may be effected at an intermediate point, and at the upper portion of the illustration the main delivery into the bunker is shown; here the conveyor runs at an angle of 90° to the portion receiving the load at the lowest end of the conveyor. Prevailing conditions have often made gravity bucket conveyors with universal movements indispensable, as with them a whole coaling installation can be served by one conveyor, instead of several conveyors and elevators. The Bleichert Conveyor.—In this conveyor flexibility in all planes is achieved in an entirely different manner. In the first place, the double rail track is dispensed with,