Patent Application
20060056942
NOT APPLICABLE
NOT APPLICABLE
NOT APPLICABLE
The present invention relates to an improved apparatus for building up and discharging bulk material.
The prior art apparatus for handling bulk material as located at a storage site have several versions of the well known stacker-reclaimer apparatus. Many of these apparatuses, as shown in
Another version of the stacker reclaimer apparatus as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,060 uses an incline column to replace the central column and torque arm. In this configuration there is only one stacker bearing as the stacker weight is carried by the incline column. An additional incline column, however, substantially raises the cost of the apparatus.
In another embodiment, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,244,463 uses a fixed center column attached to a foundation. In this apparatus, the stacker, reclaimer and wing feeder unit each have one bearing which are stationarily mounted to the fixed column to permit all three units to rotate independently.
The present invention provides an improved stacker-reclaimer apparatus wherein only one stacker bearing separates the stacker machine from the reclaimer machine. This is accomplished by applying the end of a torque reaction member at the column as a loose member around the upper stacker column. More specifically, a stacker-reclaimer apparatus is provided which is made of a stacker machine having an upper column and a lower column, wherein the upper column and lower column are connected through a stacker bearing. The apparatus is also made of a torque reaction member rotatably connected to the stacker upper column. A torque reaction member is rotatably connected to the upper stacker column via a torque arm bearing frame. The torque arm bearing frame is connected to a plurality of rollers. The vertical rollers contact on a circumferential support member which is fixedly attached to the stacker upper column. The horizontal rollers contact the outer periphery of the circumferential support member. In an alternative embodiment, plastic slides can be used instead of rollers. The slewing motion can be controlled by a rotational drive assembly connected to the torque reaction member. Additionally, the apparatus is made of a reclaimer machine positioned to support the stacker lower column.
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A torque reaction member 21 is made of an arm portion 18 and a torque arm bearing frame 19. The torque arm 18 projects perpendicularly away from the stacker upper column 12 and can be attached to an external support leg 28. A torque arm reaction member 21 functions to support and counteract the torque reaction generated when stacker machine 10 is rotated. Typically referred to in the art of stacker-reclaimers as a torque arm, a torque reaction member 21 connects a portion of the stacker-reclaimer apparatus 1 which should be prevented from rotating to a fixed point relative to the ground. Since large torques can be generated in the operation of the machine, a long torque reaction member 21 is usually required. A torque reaction member 21 in the context described herein provides a stationary mount for the stacker rotational drive assembly 25 so that rotational commands can be imported to the stacker upper column 12 and stacker boom 10 without rotational motion being transferred from the stacker lower column 14 or reclaimer 16 or vice versa. Alternatively, torque arm 18 and torque arm bearing frame 19 can be made as one unit rather than as two distinct pieces.
The torque arm bearing frame 19 is sized to surround and is applied as a loose member around the stacker upper column 12. The term sized to surround the upper stacker column means that the torque arm bearing frame 19 surrounds the upper stacker column 12 but does not contact it. This is accomplished in the preferred embodiment by providing a circumferential support member 29 attached to the stacker upper column 12 fixedly disposed below the torque arm bearing frame 19. Circumferential support member 29 is a substantially horizontal surface fixedly attached to a stacker upper column 12. In a preferred embodiment circumferential support member 29 is a metal plate stiffened with gussets (not shown) underneath the plate to support the weight of the torque arm 18 and torque arm bearing frame 19 (which encircles the stacker column 12). Further to the preferred embodiment, the circumferential support member 29 is constructed of two plates with gusset plates arranged in between the plates to form a stiff structure. Yet further to the preferred embodiment, circumferential support member 29 contains bull gear 31 along its circular periphery.
The torque reaction member 21 is rotatably connected to the stacker upper column 12. In the preferred embodiment, this rotatable connection is achieved by using a plurality of vertical rollers 38 connected to the torque arm bearing frame 19. The plurality of vertical rollers 38 are connected to the torque arm bearing frame 19 by means of brackets 39. The brackets 39 are sized and positioned to provide support for the plurality of vertical rollers 38 as they contact circumferential support member 29. The vertical rollers 38 rest on the top surface of circumferential support member 29. In this embodiment, there are at least two vertical rollers. Additionally, a plurality of horizontal rollers 35 are connected to the torque arm bearing frame 19 and roll horizontally on the periphery of circumferential support member 29. The plurality of horizontal rollers 35 are connected to the torque arm bearing frame 19 by means of brackets or adapter blocks 40. The brackets 39 are sized and proportioned so as to position the plurality of horizontal rollers 35 to contact the portion of the outer periphery of the circumferential support member 29 on which the plurality of horizontal rollers 35 roll.
The circumferential support member 29 may have a step or shoulder on which the plurality of horizontal rollers 35 make rolling contact that is either larger or smaller in diameter than the exact outer periphery of the circumferential support member 29. More specifically, the torque arm bearing frame portion 19 supports a plurality of vertical rollers 38 and a plurality of horizontal rollers 35 in positions concentric with stacker upper column 12. The plurality of vertical rollers 38 allow the torque arm 18 to sit on the circumferential support member 29.
In this invention, the torque arm 18 also functions to support stacker rotational drive assembly 25 made up of motor and brake 22, speed reducer 24 and pinion gear 30. The end of the torque arm 18 is attached to a support leg 28, which typically supports the bulk material infeed conveyor, not shown in detail. The bull gear 31 of circumferential support member 29 is attached to the upper column 12 and is in mesh with pinion gear 30. Thus, to control the stacker upper column 12, a motor assembly including a motor and brake 22, speed reducer 24 and pinion 30 are mounted on the torque arm bearing frame 19 in the preferred embodiment. The driver pinion 30 is operably connected to the bull gear 31 of the circumferential support member 29 to power the rotational movement of the stacker upper column 12 and stacker machine 10. The horizontal rollers 35 function to keep pinion gear 30 in proper mesh with the bull gear 31 of circumferential support member 29. The vertical center axis 11 of the upper stacker column 12 and the vertical center axis 23 of the stacker drive assembly 25 are parallel.
The torque arm 18 does not move since the far end is attached to a support leg 28 which typically supports the infeed conveyor (not shown). However, the stacker rotational drive assembly 25, which is made of the motor and brake 22, and speed reducer 24 and pinion gear 30 are fixedly attached to the torque arm 18 so that torque from the pinion gear 30 can be applied to the bull gear 31 which connected to the stacker upper column 12, resulting in rotation of stacker upper column 12 and hence the stacker conveyor boom 10.
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The improvement achieved by this invention is that the stacker machine 10 and the reclaimer machine 16 can operate independently. The upper 12 and lower stacker 14 column being separated by a single stacker bearing 20. The lower column 14 being mounted to the reclaimer machine 16 and reclaimer framework resting on the reclaimer bearing which results in a stacker machine 12 that can rotate independently of a reclaimer machine 16. The reclaimer bearing 16 is mounted to the foundation supporting the total machine. The lower 12 and upper stacker 14 column vertical axes being substantially the same vertical axis of the stacker-reclaimer apparatus 1. Additionally, the reclaimer apparatus can be mounted on wheels on a circular rail, and in combination with the reclaimer bearing connected to the foundation of the stacker-reclaimer apparatus 1 or without the reclaimer bearing and corresponding foundation (with just the wheels on circular rails).
Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, it will be obvious that certain changes and modifications can be made which are within the full scope of the invention.
