Conveyor Apparatus Moveable Frame Tripper Alignment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional material handling systems, particularly those using mobile bridge conveyors with tripper and cross conveyors, face challenges such as misalignment issues, high weight and cost, limited design flexibility, and inefficiencies in adjusting stacking capacity and height, leading to increased downtime and restricted applicability.
Innovation Solution
A conveyor apparatus with a moveable frame and cross conveyor, featuring rotatable members and a telescoping discharge structure, allows for adjustable positioning and alignment with the tripper conveyor, reducing the need for heavy and costly infrastructure, enabling quicker adjustments and increased stacking capacity without requiring auxiliary systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a mobile bridge conveyor includes a tripper conveyor affixed to the cross conveyor, then the structural support is improved, but the weight increases to over one million pounds
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor system is divided into separate functional modules: a mobile bridge conveyor unit and a separate cross conveyor unit. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, reducing the overall weight while maintaining structural integrity through modular connections rather than a single heavy integrated frame.
Solution Approach 2:
The cross conveyor is made moveable relative to the mobile bridge conveyor, transitioning from a static affixed structure to a dynamic, reconfigurable system. This allows the cross conveyor to be positioned only when needed for stacking operations, reducing the permanent structural weight requirement while maintaining support strength during operation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the tripper conveyor and cross conveyor are moveably supported on the mobile bridge conveyor, then the alignment flexibility is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs dynamic positioning mechanisms that allow the cross conveyor to move along the mobile bridge conveyor frame. This dynamic capability provides alignment flexibility for different stacking locations while using standardized motion mechanisms that do not significantly increase overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile bridge conveyor frame serves multiple functions: it supports the tripper conveyor, provides a track for the cross conveyor movement, and acts as the primary structural element. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional specialized components, maintaining device complexity at acceptable levels while achieving alignment flexibility.
3Strength
If numerous segments of the mobile bridge conveyor frame are configured to support the tripper and cross conveyors, then the load distribution is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The frame is divided into standardized segments that can be manufactured independently and assembled. This segmentation allows for optimized manufacturing of each segment using cost-effective processes while distributing the load across multiple standardized components rather than requiring a single complex heavily-engineered structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame segments are designed with standardized dimensions and load-bearing parameters that can be adjusted based on specific application requirements. This standardization enables economies of scale in manufacturing while maintaining the ability to distribute loads appropriately across the segmented structure.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the conveyor system is designed with heavy components, then the stability is improved, but the adjustment time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cross conveyor is designed as a moveable component rather than a fixed heavy structure. This allows the system to achieve stability during stacking operations when the cross conveyor is positioned and supported, while enabling quick repositioning and adjustments by moving the cross conveyor to new locations without requiring heavy structural modifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile bridge conveyor is pre-configured with support structures and tracks that anticipate future cross conveyor positions. This preliminary preparation allows the cross conveyor to be quickly moved and stabilized at different locations without requiring time-consuming structural modifications, reducing adjustment time while maintaining stability during operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A conveyor apparatus is provided that includes a frame and a cross conveyor. The cross conveyor has a moveable belt sized and configured to receive and move material. The cross conveyor is supported by the frame. The frame has a base and a plurality of rotatable members attached to the base. The rotatable members are configured to rotate to move the frame. The frame is sized and configured to be positionable adjacent to a mobile bridge conveyor having a tripper conveyor device such that a portion of the cross conveyor is positionable under an upper end portion of the tripper conveyor device to receive material from the tripper conveyor device and move the material to a storage area or stacking area for stacking the material. The tripper is preferably constrained to the frame of the mobile bridge conveyor.