Aerial conveyor system

An aerial conveyor system comprising:

• a cable extending from a material receiving zone over an open area to a material discharge zone;
• a plurality of conveyor support frames each comprising a pair of elongate members extending substantially parallel to the cable, hook roller means for supporting the elongate members on the cable, and roller means supported by and extending transversely between the elongate members;
• the conveyor support members engaging one another end to end to define a substantially continuous array extending from the receiving zone across the open area to the discharge zone;
• an endless conveyor belt supported on the conveyor support rollers for movement around a course extending from the receiving zone over the open area to the discharge zone;
• drive means mounted at the discharge zone end of the array of support members for driving the conveyor belt around the course;
• means mounted on the conveyor support frames and extending from the receiving zone end of the array to the discharge zone end for supplying operating power to the drive means;
• means securing the discharge zone end of the array of conveyor support frames to the cable to prevent relative movement therebetween;
• means securing a portion of the array of conveyor support frames for relative axial movement with respect to the remainder thereof whereby the distance between the receiving zone end and the discharge zone end of the array is variable;
• a lever mounted at the receiving zone end and having upper and lower ends;
• means pivotally supporting the lever at a point intermediate between the upper and lower ends;
• means connecting the cable to the upper end of the lever;
• and
• means connecting the receiving zone ends of the elongate members of the conveyor support frames to the lower end of the lever and thereby varying the tension in the conveyor belt in accordance with the weight of material carried by the conveyor system.

An aerial conveyor system comprising:

• at least one elongate cable extending across a material receiving zone, across an open area comprising a substantial portion of the length of the cable, and across a material discharge zone;
• a first vehicle supporting the receiving zone end of the cable and including material delivery means;
• a second vehicle supporting the discharge zone end of the cable;
• a plurality of substantially rigid conveyor support frames each comprising parallel elongate tubular members extending substantially beneath the cable, a plurality of hook rollers for supporting the elongate tubular members on the cable, and a plurality of substantially transversely disposed conveyor support rollers each rotatably supported on the elongate tubular members;
• said elongate tubular members being connected together end to end to form passageways extending continuously from the receiving zone to the discharge zone through the elongate tubular members;
• said conveyor support frames engaging one another at the ends to form an array of conveyor support frames extending substantially continuously from the receiving zone across the open area to the delivery zone;
• an endless conveyor belt mounted for movement around a course defined by the conveyor support rollers of the conveyor support frames;
• means mounted at the discharge zone end of the array for driving the conveyor belt around the course and thereby transporting material from the receiving zone across the open area to the discharge zone;
• and
• means extending through at least one of the passageways extending through the elongate tubular members of the conveyor support frames for supplying operating power to the conveyor driving means.

An aerial conveyor system comprising:

• at least one elongate cable extending across a material receiving zone, across an open area comprising a substantial portion of the length of the cable, and across a material discharge zone;
• a first vehicle supporting the receiving zone end of the cable and including material delivery means;
• a second vehicle supporting the discharge zone end of the cable;
• a plurality of substantially rigid conveyor support frames each comprising parallel elongate members extending substantially beneath the cable, a plurality of hook rollers for supporting the elongate members on the cable, and a plurality of substantially transversely disposed conveyor support rollers each rotatably supported on the elongate members;
• said conveyor support frames engaging one another at the ends to form an array of conveyor support frames extending substantially continuously from the receiving zone across the open area to the delivery zone;
• an endless conveyor belt mounted for movement around a course defined by the conveyor support rollers of the conveyor support frames;
• conveyor driving means including a drive roller mounted at the discharge zone end of the array of conveyor support frames and defining the discharge zone end of the course of the conveyor;
• a drive motor for actuating the drive roller to move the endless conveyor belt around the course and thereby transporting material from the receiving zone across the open area to the discharge zone;
• means extending along the array of conveyor support frames from the receiving zone to the discharge zone for supplying operating power to the drive motor;
• a frame member suspended from the cable at the discharge zone end of the array of conveyor support frames for supporting the drive roller and the drive motor and secured against movement relative to the cable;
• means supporting the frame member for axial movement relative to the array of conveyor support frames whereby the length of the course of the conveyor is variable;
• a roller mounted at the receiving zone end of the array of conveyor support frames for defining the receiving zone end of the course of the endless conveyor belt;
• and
• a tensioning device pivotally supported on the first vehicle at a point between its ends and connected at its upper end to the cable and at its lower end to the elongate members of the array of conveyor support frames and thereby functioning to vary the tension in the conveyor belt in accordance with the weight of the material being transported by the conveyor system.

An aerial conveyor system comprising:

• a first vehicle situated in an excavation zone and comprising material delivery means;
• a second vehicle situated at a point separated from the excavation zone by an open area of substantial size;
• a pair of spaced apart, substantially parallel cables both suspended between the first and second vehicles and extending from the first vehicle through a material receiving zone, across the open area, and through a material discharge zone to the second vehicle;
• a plurality of conveyor support frames each comprising:
• a plurality of hook rollers engaging the cables at spaced points therealong,
• a pair of spaced apart elongate tubular members suspended from the cables by the hook rollers and extending substantially parallel to the cables,
• a plurality of substantially transversely disposed conveyor support rollers extending between the elongate tubular members and positioned at spaced points lengthwise thereof;
• the ends of the elongate tubular members of the conveyor support frames being interconnected to form an array of conveyor support frames extending substantially continuously from the receiving zone across the open area to the discharge zone and to form passageways extending continuously from the receiving zone to the discharge zone through the elongate tubular members;
• a drive roller mounted at the discharge zone end of the array of conveyor support frames;
• a drive motor mounted at the discharge zone end of the array of conveyor support frames for actuating the drive roller;
• means extending along the entire length of the array of conveyor support frames from the receiving zone end to the discharge zone end and through at least one of the passageways extending through the elongate tubular members for supplying operating power to the drive motor;
• and
• an endless conveyor belt mounted for movement around a course defined by the conveyor support rollers and the drive roller under the action of the drive motor for receiving material from the material delivery means of the first vehicle in the receiving zone, for conveying the material across the open area and for discharging the material in the discharge zone.

An aerial conveyor system comprising:

• a cable extending from a material receiving zone over an open area to a material discharge zone;
• an endless conveyor belt supported substantially parallel to and beneath the cable for movement around a course from the receiving zone over the open area to the discharge zone;
• means for maintaining a predetermined minimum tension in the cable;
• a plurality of conveyor belt support rollers each positioned below and extending transversely with respect to the cable, the plurality of conveyor belt support rollers defining the course of the conveyor belt;
• means for supporting each of the conveyor support belt rollers from the cable;
• means for establishing a predetermined spaced apart relationship between the endmost conveyor belt support rollers;
• the means for establishing a predetermined spaced apart relationship between the endmost conveyor belt support rollers having a predetermined maximum strength in the axial direction which is substantially less than the reactive force resulting from the tension developed in the conveyor belt by its entrainment around the end rollers and therefore being axially collapsible inwardly under the tension of the conveyor belt;
• means for applying axially outwardly directed forces in response to cable tension to opposite ends of the means for establishing a predetermined spaced apart relationship between the endmost conveyor belt support rollers and thereby relieving the establishing means of any reactive compressive forces that would otherwise be applied to it by the tension in the belt and cause its collapse;
• and
• drive means including one of the end rollers for driving the conveyor belt around the course defined by the support rollers.

An aerial conveyor system comprising:

• a cable extending from a material receiving zone over an open area to a material discharge zone;
• a plurality of conveyor belt support rollers defining a course from a material receiving zone over an open area to a material discharge zone;
• means for interconnecting the endmost conveyor belt support rollers;
• means securing a portion of the interconnecting means for relative axial movement with respect to the remainder thereof, permitting the distance between the endmost support rollers to be variable;
• means securing one endmost roller to the cable to prevent relative movement therebetween;
• an endless conveyor belt entrained around the endmost conveyor belt support rollers and adapted for movement around the course defined by the plurality of conveyor belt support rollers;
• means for supporting each of the conveyor belt support rollers from the cable whereby the weight of the material being carried by the conveyor belt is applied directly to the cable;
• drive means acting through one of the end rollers for driving the belt around the course;
• means for applying axially outwardly directed forces to opposite ends of the interconnecting means to tension the belt;
• the force applying means being connected to the cable to adjust the axially outwardly directed forces in response to variations in the load on the conveyor belt, the force applying means increasing the axially outwardly directed force as the load on the conveyor belt is increasing, and decreasing the axially outwardly directed force as the load on the conveyor belt is decreased thereby increasing the traction between the belt and the driven endmost roller.

An aerial conveyor system comprising:

• a cable extending from a material receiving zone over an open area to a material discharge zone;
• an endless conveyor belt supported substantially parallel to and beneath the cable for movement around a course extending from the receiving zone over the open area to the discharge zone;
• means for maintaining a predetermined minimum tension in the conveyor belt;
• a plurality of conveyor belt support rollers each positioned below and extending transversely with respect to the cable, the plurality of conveyor belt support rollers defining the course of the conveyor belt;
• a plurality of conveyor support frames for supporting each of the conveyor support belt rollers from the cable, each of the conveyor support frames comprising a pair of elongate members extending substantially parallel to the cable and means for supporting the elongate members from the cable;
• the elongate members engaging one another end to end to define a substantially continuous array extending from the receiving zone to the discharge zone, the array having a predetermined maximum strength in the axial direction which is substantially less than the reactive force resulting from the predetermined minimum tension in the conveyor belt and therefore being axially collapsible inwardly;
• means for applying axially outwardly directed forces to opposite ends of the means for normally maintaining a predetermined spaced apart relationship between the conveyor belt support rollers, the force applying means including
• (a) coupling means securing the discharge zone end of the array of conveyor support frames to the cable to prevent relative movement therebetween;
• (b) means securing a portion of the array of conveyor support frames for relative axial movement with respect to the remainder thereof whereby the distance between the receiving zone end and the discharge zone end of the array is variable;
• (c) a lever mounted at the receiving zone and having upper and lower ends;
• (d) means pivotally supporting the lever at a point intermediate between the upper and lower ends;
• (e) means connecting the cable to the upper end of the lever;
• and
• (f) means connecting the receiving zone ends of the elongate members of the conveyor support frames to the lower end of the lever,
• the means for applying axially outwardly directed forces being directed to the lever supporting means and the coupling means to maintain the elongate means in tension, whereby the pivotal movement of the lever resulting from the movement of the belt and elongate member support means under the weight of material carried by the conveyor system varies the tension in the conveyor belt;
• and
• drive means for driving the conveyor belt around the course.

An aerial conveyor system comprising:

• a cable extending from a material receiving zone over an open area to a material discharge zone;
• a plurality of conveyor belt support rollers each positioned below and extending transversely with respect to the cable;
• means for supporting each of the conveyor support rollers from the cable, the plurality of conveyor belt support rollers supported to define a course from the material receiving zone to the material discharge zone;
• means for normally maintaining a predetermined spaced apart relationship between the conveyor belt support rollers;
• an endless conveyor belt supported substantially parallel to and beneath the cable for movement around the course defined by the plurality of conveyor belt support rollers;
• means for maintaining a predetermined minimum tension in the conveyor belt;
• the means for normally maintaining a predetermined spaced apart relationship between the conveyor belt support rollers comprising an array of tube members, the tube members being engaged end to end with means for permitting axial movement of the receiving zone end of the conveyor belt relative to the discharge end of the conveyor belt thereby providing for tensioning of the belt, having a predetermined maximum strength in the axial direction which is substantially less than the reactive force resulting from the predetermined minimum tension in the conveyor belt and therefore axially collapsible;
• means for applying axially outwardly directed forced on opposite ends of the means for normally maintaining a predetermined spaced apart relationship between the conveyor belt support rollers and for applying axially outwardly directed forces on said dable extending from the material receiving zone to the material discharge zone;
• means for adjusting the axially outwardly directed force means in relation to the load on the conveyor belt, the adjusting means increasing the axially outwardly directed forces as the load on the conveyor belt is increasing and decreasing the axially outwardly directed force as the load on the conveyor belt is decreased;
• drive means for driving the conveyor belt around the course;
• the conveyor drive means comprising a drive roller mounted at the discharge zone end of the array of conveyor belt support rollers and defining the discharge zone end of the course of the conveyor, a drive motor for actuating the drive roller to move the endless conveyor belt around the course, and means for supplying operating power to the drive motor, with the traction between the drive roller and the belt being increased as the force adjusting means increases the outwardly directed force in response to increased loading on the belt;
• coupling means securing the discharge zone end of the array of tube members to said cable to prevent relative movement therebetween;
• a lever mounted adjacent the receiving zone end of the conveyor belt and having upper and lower ends;
• means pivotally supporting the lever at a point intermediate between the upper and lower ends;
• means connecting the cable to the upper end of the lever;
• and
• means connecting the receiving zone ends of the tube members to the lower end of the lever, the means for applying axially outwardly directed forces being directed to the lever supporting means and the coupling means to maintain the tube members in tension, whereby the pivotal movement of the lever, resulting from the movement of the belt and conveyor roller support means under the weight of material carried by the conveyor system varies the tension in the conveyor belt.

An aerial conveyor system comprising:

• a cable extending from a material receiving zone over an open area to a material discharge zone;
• an endless conveyor belt supported substantially parallel to and beneath the cable for movement around a course extending from the receiving zone over the open area to the discharge zone;
• a plurality of conveyor belt support rollers each positioned below and extending transversely with respect to the cable, the plurality of conveyor belt support rollers defining the course of the conveyor belt;
• conveyor support frames depending from the cable for supporting each of the conveyor belt support rollers;
• means defining a substantially continuous, axially collapsible array extending from the receiving zone to the discharge zone for maintaining a spaced apart relationship between the conveyor belt support rollers;
• coupling means securing the discharge zone end of the array to the cable to prevent relative movement therebetween;
• a lever mounted adjacent the receiving zone end of the conveyor belt and having upper and lower ends;
• means pivotally supporting the lever at a point intermediate between the upper and lower ends;
• means connecting the cable to the upper end of the lever;
• means connecting the receiving zone end of the array to the lower end of the lever;
• means coupled to the lever pivotal support means for applying through the lever and the coupling means axially outwardly directed forces to maintain the conveyor belt in tension and thereby relieve the array of any reactive compressive forces that would collapse the array.