Truck-Mounted Bulk Material Transfer Unit with Foldable Conveyor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bulk material handling machines are limited in their ability to transfer materials to inaccessible locations and are typically too large to be legally driven on roadways, restricting their operational flexibility and accessibility.
Innovation Solution
A truck-mounted material transfer unit with a foldable hopper and conveyor system, including a catch section and a head section, that allows for the extension and retraction of the conveyor to facilitate the transfer of materials to inaccessible areas, with hydraulic adjustments for precise placement and a secondary conveyor for enhanced delivery capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If bulk material handling machines are designed to transfer materials to inaccessible locations, then the ability to reach inaccessible areas is improved, but the device size increases making it illegal to drive on roadways
Solution Approach 1:
The bulk material handling machine is divided into separate functional modules: a conveyor module with adjustable conveyor belts, a hopper module for material storage, and a truck mounting interface. This segmentation allows each module to be independently sized and configured, enabling the system to reach inaccessible locations while maintaining a compact overall footprint that fits legal roadway dimensions when not in use
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor belts are designed with adjustable positions and angles, allowing dynamic reconfiguration to reach various inaccessible locations. The conveyor modules can be extended and repositioned during operation, providing adaptability to different job sites while retracting to a compact configuration for legal roadway transport
2Adaptability or versatility
If bulk material handling machines are designed with extended reach capabilities, then accessibility to remote areas is improved, but the machine cannot be legally driven along roadways
Solution Approach 1:
The machine features dynamically adjustable conveyor belts that can be extended and repositioned during operation to reach inaccessible areas. When not in use, all components retract to a compact configuration that meets legal roadway transport dimensions, allowing the same machine to perform both extended reach operations and legal road transport
Solution Approach 2:
The truck-mounted bulk material handling machine is designed as a multi-functional system that combines material transfer capabilities with legal road transportability. The same apparatus serves dual purposes: extending reach to inaccessible locations during operation and conforming to legal dimensions for roadway transport, eliminating the need for separate specialized equipment
3Ease of operation
If standard trucks are used for material transport, then legal road access is maintained, but the ability to elevate and redistribute material to inaccessible locations is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the functions of a standard legal-road truck with bulk material handling capabilities by mounting conveyor modules and hoppers onto the truck. This combination allows the vehicle to maintain legal road access while gaining the ability to elevate and redistribute materials to inaccessible locations, effectively integrating transport and material handling functions into a single apparatus
Data Source
AI summary
A material transfer unit is described that includes a truck, a hopper configured for mounting proximate a rear of the truck, and a conveyor comprising a catch section, a head section and a conveyor belt extending therebetween. The catch section is configured for placement under the hopper and the head section is configured for placement proximate a front of the truck. The head section is further configured for movement with respect to the truck for placement of transferred material.