Apparatus for loading powdered or granular material

An apparatus for loading a powdered or granular material, comprising:

• an apparatus body;
• a cylindrical chute mounted to said apparatus body in a manner to be movable in a vertical direction and having an upper open portion through which a powdery or granular loading material is supplied into said chute and a lower open portion for releasing the loading material from inside the chute;
• means for driving the chute in a vertical direction;
• means mounted within the chute for extruding downward the loading material in the chute for releasing the loading material from inside the chute, the released loading material being accumulated below the chute to form a stock;
• means for driving said extruding means;
• means for detecting an amount of change in a thrust which said extruding means has received from the stock;
• and
• means for controlling said chute driving means based on the amount detected by said detecting means wherein said apparatus body comprises a support plate having a chute driving means mounted thereon, an upper frame fixed to said support plate, and a lower frame swingably attached to the support plate and said chute being mounted thereto.