Automatic manhole cover for bulk trailers

Abstract

The invention relates to a manhole cover (A) which can be opened and closed automatically on the tank (T) and which enables filling of bulk trailers used for the transport of powdered or granulated products on highways.

Description

[0001]DESCRIPTION AUTOMATIC MANHOLE COVER FOR BULK TRAILERS Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a manhole cover which can be opened and closed automatically on the tank and which enables filling of bulk trailers used for the transport of powdered or granulated products on highways. State of the art Bulk trailer (trailer) is a pressurized type vehicle with top filling used for the transport of powdered cement, powdered lime, powdered ash, soda powder, marble powder, coal powder, flour, grain, animal feed, calcite, silicon sand, chemical powders and similar powder or granular products. In order to fill the tank in bulk trailers, structures called manhole covers are used on the tank depending on the size of the tank. These manhole covers are used to balance the pressure between the internal environment of the tank and the external environment and also to prevent the materials from overflowing or flowing out of the tank during transport. Manhole covers used in existing applications generally consist of a manhole neck connected to the tank body by welding and a cover closed with clamping arms on the manhole neck. In order to open the manhole covers used in the above-mentioned existing applications during the filling process, it is necessary to climb on the trailer tank by means of a ladder and open the manhole cover by manually opening the mentioned clamping arms. Similarly, in order to close the manhole covers after the completion of the filling process, it is necessary to climb on the trailer tank by means of a ladder and close the manhole cover manually by tightening the clamping arms. The cover opening and closing operations applied in the filling and unloading processes are the operations performed before and after the bulk trailer enters the filling point. Therefore, the vehicle operator stops the vehicle, opens the cover, enters the filling point and after the filling is done, after leaving the filling point, stops the vehicle again, closes the cover and then carries out the transport of the loaded material. This type of application causes loss of time during the filling process and requires the operator to climb on the tank since the manhole cover is manual. The filling process with manual manhole covers, which requires the operator to climb on the tank, brings occupational accidents. In the research conducted in the literature, the document numbered TR2017 / 20457 can be shown as an example of the improvements made in manual manhole covers. The mentioned document is related to the casting manhole neck. The present invention relates to a manhole neck made of cast iron, which includes improvements for the elimination of quality problems arising from product accumulation due to level differences caused by the thickness of the manhole neck and the leaning of the clamping arm against the tank body. Another example of improvements to manual manhole covers in the state of the art can be seen in document numbered TR2018 / 05849. The mentioned document relates to the manhole clamping arm. This invention relates to a manhole clamping arm for securing the cover closed on the manhole neck and including improvements for removing abrasions on the cover surface. As can be understood from the examples given in the existing literature, manhole covers are configured in a design that requires manual opening and closing. As a result of the aforementioned issues and the limited supply of available solutions, it became necessary to carry out an improvement in the relevant technical field. Aim of the Invention The present invention relates to automatic manhole cover which eliminates the abovementioned disadvantages and brings new advantages to the relevant technical field. The main aim of the present invention is to perform the opening and closing of the manhole cover automatically by means of a pneumatic piston. Another main aim of the present invention is to eliminate the process of climbing on the tank by automatically opening and closing the manhole cover and to prevent occupational accidents. Another main aim of the present invention is to realize the filling process more quickly and reliably. In order to fulfil all the above-mentioned aims and all the aims that may arise from the detailed description, the present invention relates to a manhole cover which can be opened and closed automatically on the tank and which enables filling of bulk trailers used for the transport of powdered or granulated products on highways. The invention is characterized by comprising the following; - lower body having a body arm with a structure projecting outwards on one side and a body connection hole for fixing the upper cover to the lower body, - upper cover, which is connected to said lower body in such a way that it can make free rotational movement and has a cover arm extending outwards on one side and has a structure suitable for the form of the lower body, - limiter which is connected by means of fasteners to the connection holes on said lower body and has intermediate ties between it and the lower body, - pneumatic piston which is connected to said lower body at one end by means of a body piston connection hole on the lower body and to said upper cover at the other end by means of a cover piston connection hole on the upper cover, which allows the upper cover to be opened and closed on the lower body and which is connected to a control panel, - said sealing air-inflated gasket with a gasket nozzle located in the gasket groove under the upper cover, - flange which is connected to the lower surface of the lower body and the bulk trailer tank and which is suitable for the form of the lower body. The structural and characteristic features of the present invention will be understood clearly by the following drawings and the detailed description made with reference to these drawings. Therefore the evaluation shall be made by taking these figures and the detailed description into consideration. Figures Clarifying the Invention Figure 1: A perspective view of the automatic manhole cover of the present invention in disassembled form. Figure 2: A perspective view of the top cover of the automatic manhole cover of the present invention from below. Figure 3: Sectional view of the automatic manhole cover gasket of the present invention. Figure 4: Sectional view of the upper cover of the automatic manhole cover according to the present invention. Figure 5: A perspective view of the automatic manhole cover of the present invention with the upper cover open. Figure 6: A perspective view of the automatic manhole cover of the present invention with the upper cover closed. Figure 7: A side view of the automatic manhole cover of the present invention on a bulk trailer tank. Description of the Part References 10. Lower body 11. Body arm 12. Body piston connection hole 13. Body connection hole 14. Slit 15. Connection holes 20. Upper cover 21. Cover arm 22. Cover connection hole 23. Cover piston connection hole 24. Gasket groove 25. Pin hole 30. Pin 40. Limiter 50. Intermediate tie 60. Connection element 70. Pneumatic piston 80. Gasket 81. Gasket nozzle 82. Corner 90. Flange 91. Fastening element 100. Control panel A. Automatic manhole cover T. Bulk trailer tank Detailed Description of the Invention In this detailed description, the preferred alternatives of the inventive automatic manhole cover (A) are described only for clarifying the subject manner such that no limiting effect is created. Figure 1 shows a general view of the automatic manhole cover (A) of the present invention in disassembled form. Accordingly, the automatic manhole cover (A) basically comprises a flange (90) connected to the bulk trailer tank (T), a lower body (10) connected to said flange (90) by means of fasteners (60), and an upper cover (20) connected to said lower body (10) at one end and capable of opening and closing by means of a pneumatic piston (70) on the lower body (10). The lower body (10) is made of aluminum and is generally in the form of a circle. On one side of the lower body (10), the body arm (11) is formed in a structure extending outwards as a projection. On the said body arm (11), there is a body connection hole (13) for fixing the upper cover (20) to the lower body (10). On the general form of the lower body (10), there are two slits (14) in the form of an inward recess, and connection holes (15) for fixing the flange (90) on the lower surface of the lower body (10) and the limiter (40) on the lower body (10). The upper cover (20) is made of aluminum and has a circular structure in accordance with the form of the lower body (10). On one side of the upper cover (20), the cover arm (21) is formed in a structure extending outwards as a projection. On said cover arm (21), there are cover connection holes (22) for fixing the upper cover (20) to the lower body (10), cover piston connection hole (23) for fixing the upper cover (20) with the pneumatic piston (70), and pin holes (25) on the upper cover (20) where the pins (30) are fixed to ensure that the upper cover (20) is securely closed on the body (10). The upper cover (20) is closed on the lower body (10) and the upper cover (20) is fixed on the lower body (10) in a free rotational movement by means of a fastener (60) fitted to the cover connection hole (22) on the upper cover (20) and the body connection hole (13) on the lower body (10). As shown in Figures 2 and 4, a gasket groove (24) is formed on the lower surface of the upper cover (20). Said gasket groove (24) is in the form of a straight groove with the inner corners chamfered inwards in order to ensure that the gasket (80) swells properly on the lower surface of the upper cover (20). The gasket (80) provides a seal to prevent the pressure applied during the emptying of the bulk trailer tank (T) from escaping. As shown in Figure 3, said gasket (80) is generally "S" shaped on both sides, and the corners (82) of the lower surface, which is located in the gasket groove (24), have rounded lines. In this way, the gasket (80) is secured by fitting into the gasket groove (24). Furthermore, said gasket (80) is provided with a gasket nozzle (81) to be inflated with air from the trailer after the upper cover (20) is closed, and said gasket nozzle (81) is connected to the upper cover (20). A quarter-moon shaped aluminum limiter (40) is fixed to the connection holes (15) on the lower body (10) by means of fasteners (60). Intermediate ties (50) are placed between the limiter (40) and the lower body (10) so that the said limiter (40) stands above the lower body (10) at a certain distance. By means of the limiter (40), it is ensured that the upper cover (20), when in the closed position, enters under the limiter (40) and its movement is limited under the pressure applied by the gasket (80). The pneumatic piston (70) is fixed at one end to the lower body (10) through the body piston connection hole (12) on the lower body (10) and at the other end to the upper cover (20) through the cover piston connection hole (23) on the upper cover (20). In this way, the opening and closing movement of the pneumatic piston (70) provides movement drive between the lower body (10) and the upper cover (20). The pneumatic piston (70) is connected to a control panel (100) positioned outside the vehicle and receives the air required for its operation from the vehicle. The flange (90) for fixing the lower body (10) to the bulk trailer tank (T) is made of iron alloy soft material and is generally circular in shape in accordance with the form of the lower body (10). The flange (90) is surrounded by fixing elements (91) and the flange (90) is fixed to the lower surface of the lower body (10) by means of these fastening elements (91). The installation of the automatic manhole cover (A) was carried out on the bulk trailer tank (T) by means of flange (90) as shown in Figure 7, in the desired number according to the size of the bulk trailer tank (T). The flange (90) is connected to the bulk trailer tank (T), preferably by welding. Figure 5 shows the automatic manhole cover (A) subject to the invention in its open state and Figure 6 in its closed state. Accordingly, the working principle of the automatic manhole cover (A) is as follows; When the automatic manhole cover (A) is in the closed position, the upper cover (20) is in the closed position on the lower body (10) and the gasket (80) is inflated. When the bulk trailer reaches the loading point, the air in the gasket (80) is first evacuated with the command given from the control panel (100) to open the upper cover (20), which is in a closed position and by means of the opening movement given to the pneumatic piston (70), the upper cover (20) is opened by rotating on the lower body (10) and the material to be transported to the bulk trailer tank (T) is loaded. After loading into the bulk trailer tank (T), the upper cover (20) is closed by rotating on the lower body (10) by means of the opening movement of the pneumatic piston (70) with the command given from the control panel (100) and the edge of the upper cover (20) is positioned under the limiter (40). Meanwhile, the pins (30) in the pin holes (25) on the upper cover (20) are inserted into the slits (14) on the lower body (10), so that the upper cover (20) is securely closed on the lower body (10) on the same axis. After closing the upper cover (20), the gasket (80) is inflated and the upper cover (20) is sealed. During inflation of the gasket (80), the movement of the upper cover (20) under the upward pressure exerted by the gasket (80) is limited by means of the limiter (40).

Claims

CLAIMS 1. Manhole cover (A) of the present invention that can be opened and closed automatically on the tank and allows filling of bulk trailers used in the transport of powdered cement, powdered lime, powdered ash, marble powder, coal powder, flour, grain, animal feed, calcite, silicon sand and similar powdered or granular products on highways, characterized in that; the present invention comprises; - lower body (10) having a body arm (11) with a structure projecting outwards on one side and a body connection hole (13) for fixing the upper cover (20) to the lower body (10), - upper cover (20), which is connected to said lower body (10) in such a way that it can make free rotational movement and has a cover arm (21) extending outwards on one side and has a structure suitable for the form of the lower body (10), - limiter (40) which is connected by means of fasteners (60) to the connection holes (15) on said lower body (10) and has intermediate ties (50) between it and the lower body (10), - pneumatic piston (70) which is connected to said lower body (10) at one end by means of a body piston connection hole (12) on the lower body (10) and to said upper cover (20) at the other end by means of a cover piston connection hole (23) on the upper cover (20), which allows the upper cover (20) to be opened and closed on the lower body (10) and which is connected to a control panel (100), - gasket (80) with a gasket nozzle (81) located in the gasket groove (24) under said upper cover (20), - flange (90) which is connected to the lower surface of the lower body (10) and the bulk trailer tank (T) and which is suitable for the form of the lower body (10).

2. A manhole cover (A) according to claim 1, characterized in that; it comprises pins (30) which engage in the inwardly recessed slits (14) in the lower body (10) and are located in the pin holes (25) in the upper cover (20), so as to ensure that the upper cover (20) is closed on the lower body (10) in the same axis.

3. A manhole cover (A) according to claim 1, characterized in that; it comprises a flange (90) connected to the lower surface of said lower body (10) by means of fastening elements (91) located in its periphery.

4. A manhole cover (A) according to claim 1, characterized in that; it comprises a quarter-moon-shaped limiter (40) having intermediate ties (50) between it and the lower body (10) to enable said upper cover (20) to be positioned by engaging its lower surface when it is in the closed position and to limit the movement of the upper cover (20) under the pressure exerted by the gasket (80).

5. A manhole cover (A) according to claim 1, characterized in that; it comprises a gasket (80) located in the gasket groove (24) on the lower surface of said upper cover (20), which is inflated with air by means of a gasket nozzle (81) to fit into the gasket groove (24), which is "S" shaped on both sides and has rounded corners (82) on the lower surface.

6. A manhole cover (A) according to claim 1, characterized in that; it comprises an upper cover (20) having on its lower surface a gasket groove (24) in the form of a straight channel with the inner corners chamfered inwards.

7. A manhole cover (A) according to claim 1, characterized in that; said lower body (10) is made of aluminum.

8. A manhole cover (A) according to claim 1, characterized in that; said upper cover (20) is made of aluminum.

9. A manhole cover (A) according to claim 1, characterized in that; said limiter (40) is made of aluminum.

10. A manhole cover (A) according to claim 1, characterized in that; said flange (90) is made of a soft iron alloy material.

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