Material conveying system with a pneumatically or mechanically operated substantially upright conveyor provided with a device for loosening and transporting the material to the upright conveyor

A material conveying system, especially for unloading of ships, comprising substantially upright support means;

• an adjustable jib connected to the bottom end of said upright support means, extending transverse to the latter and being provided at the upper side thereof with an elongated material inlet opening;
• means turnably mounted about said tubular jib and extending substantially over the whole length thereof for loosening material and for transporting the loosened material through said inlet opening into the interior of said jib, said material loosening and transporting means including a drum provided over the whole length thereof with circumferentially uniformly spaced shovels;
• drive means connected to said material loosening means for rotating the latter about the axis of said tubular jib;
• a driven endless band conveyor provided with a plurality of plates projecting uniformly spaced from each other in the direction of the band of the conveyor substantially normal therefrom to form a succession of material receiving cells which are open at the sides thereof opposite from said band, said band conveyor having a first portion extending beneath the material inlet opening through said jib to directly receive the material from said material loosening means and a second substantially vertical rising portion extending through said upright support means to uninterruptedly transport the material loosened by said material loosening means to a material receiving station;
• and a driven cover band extending parallel to said rising portion of said conveyor and covering the open sides of cells, said drum having a front end distant from said upright support means, and including a frustoconical head member coaxially connected to said front end of said drum for rotation therewith and provided on its outer surface with a plurality of uniformly displaced reaming plates to facilitate penetration of the outer end of said jib into a heap of material to be transported.