Portable Drive-Over Conveyor for Highway Truck Unloading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drive-over conveyor systems are not designed for highway transport and are primarily suited for agricultural use, lacking the necessary features for efficient unloading of particulate materials like sand from highway trucks at high speeds.
Innovation Solution
A portable drive-over conveyor system featuring a center frame structure with pivotal ramp assemblies, a conveyor belt, and a wheel and axle assembly designed for highway travel, allowing trucks to drive over the system without grounding and incorporating a low-profile grate and suspension for smooth operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a drive-over conveyor system is designed for agricultural field use with fixed ground-based support, then it provides stable material unloading capability, but it cannot be transported efficiently on highways and requires extensive setup time
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor system is divided into modular sections including a center frame structure with conveyor, removable ramp assemblies, and wheel/axle assemblies that can be independently attached and detached. This segmentation allows the system to be transported in manageable pieces on highways while quickly reassembled for high-speed material unloading operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates movable wheel and axle assemblies that can be raised and lowered, and ramp assemblies that can be attached and detached, transforming the system from a static ground-based structure to a dynamic, transportable configuration. This enables the conveyor to adapt between highway transport mode and operational unloading mode.
2Reliability
If the conveyor system is designed with a high profile for stable operation, then it provides better structural stability, but it cannot accommodate trucks with low belly discharge openings on highways
Solution Approach 1:
The ramp assemblies are designed to be removable and adjustable, allowing the system to lower its profile when attached to highway trucks with low belly discharge openings. The ramps can be detached or repositioned to accommodate varying truck heights while maintaining structural stability during operation through proper anchoring to the center frame structure.
3Reliability
If the conveyor system uses fixed ground-based support structures, then it ensures stable operation during unloading, but it requires extensive setup time and cannot be quickly deployed at various locations
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into a center frame structure with integrated conveyor and separate removable ramp assemblies with wheel/axle components. This modular design allows rapid attachment and detachment of ramps, enabling quick deployment at different locations while ensuring operational stability through secure connection points on the center frame structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The center frame structure with conveyor serves as a universal base that can work with different ramp configurations and truck types. The standardized connection interfaces allow various ramp assemblies to be attached to the same center frame, reducing setup time while maintaining operational reliability across different applications.
4Productivity
If the conveyor system is designed as a complete fixed structure, then it provides comprehensive material handling capability, but it cannot be easily transported to different locations along highways
Solution Approach 1:
The complete conveyor system is segmented into a permanent center frame structure containing the conveyor mechanism and separate removable ramp assemblies with wheel/axle components. This segmentation enables the core material handling capability to remain intact in the center frame while the removable ramps facilitate easy transport to different highway locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The ramp assemblies incorporate wheel and axle components that allow the system to transition between a ground-based operational configuration and an elevated transport configuration. This dimensional change enables the system to be towed on highways while maintaining its complete material handling capability for when it is deployed.
Data Source
AI summary
A drive-over conveyor for unloading fracking sand is designed to be towed as a highway semi-trailer includes a center frame structure containing a conveyor belt with two pivotal ramps on each side to be moved to a raised position standing upwardly and a lowered position extending outwardly. The ramps have sufficient length and the center structure has a low height to allow a highway semi-trailer to pass over a grate in the center structure. A platform is attached at the forward end with a king pin on the underside for engaging a towing platform of a highway tractor. A wheel and axle assembly including suspension of the axle for highway travel is mounted on a sub-frame pivotal relative to main rear frame for movement relative to the center frame structure from a lowered road position to a raised position allowing the center frame structure to rest on the ground.