Conveyor mechanism

A conveyor system for transferring a load from a load carrying hopper and comprising in combination:

• a hopper structure having an open top with front, back and side walls terminating in a bottom opening of a given length and width,
• a conveyor mechanism positioned just below the hopper bottom and having a width which is about the same as the given width,
• the conveyor mechanism having a chain drive and support including a plurality of drive chains distributed across the width of the conveyor and tensioned about chain transition rollers positioned near the front and back of the hopper,
• the chain transition rollers defining an upper chain flight and a lower chain flight with the upper chain flight being positioned just below the bottom of the hopper,
• an endless belt positioned around the chains and having upper and lower runs separated by belt transition rollers which are separate from the chain transition rollers, the belt transition rollers being positioned outboard of the chain transition rollers so that the upper run of the belt follows a plane defined by the upper chain flight of the chains which continues from the chain transition rollers to the belt transition rollers the upper run of the belt covering all of the upper chain flight for being driven thereby and closing the bottom opening of the hopper,
• the respective transition rollers being positioned so that the transition of the belt from the upper to the lower run occurs when the belt is out of contact with the chains,
• a plurality of guide tracks, one for each upper flight and underlying the upper flights to support each chain during the majority of its travel along the upper flight, thereby to assist in carrying a load imposed by material in the hopper carried on the belt,
• a drive for the chains which causes the chains to rotate in a first direction to carry the upper run of the belt in such a direction as to convey material in the hopper toward the back of the hopper for unloading,
• the endless belt having an undersurface opposite the load carrying surface, the undersurface being formed with at least one guide ridge running longitudinally of the belt intermediate the belt edges, and
• the transition rollers each having at least one circumferential groove sized and positioned to engage the at least one guide ridge on the belt for resisting lateral mistracking of the belt as it is driven by the chains to convey material in the hopper.

A conveyor system comprising in combination:

• a support structure,
• a power driven chain drive carried by the support structure and including a plurality of drive chains tensioned around a pair of transition rollers to define upper chain flights and lower chain flights joined at the transition rollers,
• a load-carrying endless belt disposed around the chains and having an upper run overlying and supported by the upper chain flights, and a lower run underlying the lower chain flights,
• guide rollers for the belt positioned outboard of the chain transition rollers for transitioning the belt between the upper run and the lower run, the belt guide rollers being positioned outboard of the chain transition rollers so that the belt is out of contact with the chains during the transition from the upper run to the lower run,
• a plurality of rigid guide tracks one for each drive chain, the guide tracks being fixed to the support structure and positioned to guide and support the upper flights of the chains, whereby a load placed on the belt is driven by frictional contact between the belt and chains,
• the endless belt and guide rollers having interfitting lateral stabilizing guides constructed and arranged to oppose lateral mistracking of the belt as it is driven by frictional contact between the belt and chains.