The Mechanical Handling and Storing of Material

368 THE MECHANICAL HANDLING OF MATERIAL which is a triangular plough, runs on three wheels, two behind and one in front; the latter is controlled by steering wheel g. The two lines run. into one at the extreme end of the hearth, so that by running the plough first on the front rails, disposing of the coke in front, and then on the back rails, the coke is pushed from the back forward, to be finally- loaded by a second journey of the plough along the front rails. In order to negotiate Fig. 512. Section through Gregoire’s Coke Loading Device. Fig. 513. The Oldest Form of Quenching Device for Coke. these points and rather sharp curves more easily, one of the back wheels is loose on the axle, but can be coupled up by the hand lever h. The carriage is protected by iron plates attached to the frame Z, and the oblique ploughing plate is bent at the bottom similar to a ploughshare, so as to lift the coke, and it reaches to within an inch of the hearth plates. At the base of this triangular carriage is a plate k, which can be lifted or lowered by hand lever I. The wheels are pro- tected by guards m, and in addition to this, there are sweepers provided to keep the track clear from coke. Along the front edge or the hearth are a series of hopper shoots to corre- spond with the truck into which the plough pushes the coke, and as this plough does not come close down on the hearth, the breeze is left, and can be collected on the return journey of the plough, by the plate k, which can be lowered right down on to the hearth plates. As far as the writer is aware, this machine has not been tried in practice, and there are several obvious objections, one being that conditions as shown in Fig. 511 will probably never ob- tain, as some of the coke may not be ready in the rotation in which the machine can move it. The description has, however, been given as a link in the chain of possible development on an entirely different principle. Quenching by mechanical devices is now largely used in modern installations, and they consist generally of a framework constructed of pipes perforated on the side towards the coke; these frames are moved in front of the oven door so as to drench the coke as it is forced out by the coke pusher. The oldest form of quenching device, which forms the basis for all further improve- ments, is shown in Figs. 513 and 514. In an installation of this kind a framework a is