AU713274B2 - Press assembly - Google Patents

Description

Ft- i V -1- "PRESS ASSEMBLY" This invention relates to a press assembly.

This invention has particular application to a press assembly (sometimes called a "tramper" or "monkey") utilised in a cotton module builder and for illustrative purposes reference will be made to such application.

The presently available cotton module builders typically utilise a press head which is raised and lowered by a vertically mounted hydraulic ram. In operation, the cylinder of the ram necessarily extends above the module chamber by its full length typically about three metres. Consequently the total height of a typical module builder when in operation is in the order of 6 metres to 7 metres. In order to limit the overall height of the module builder when in operation to the top of the ram, the press assemblies are often limited in downstroke to a lowest position of the press head of 800mm to 900mm from the ground. Effectively, the first layer of cotton which can be compressed by such press assemblies is this greater than 800mm to 900mm thick such that optimum compression of the cotton is not achieved and as a consequence cotton modules may not reach maximum allowable trucking weight or may be formed to a greater height than is desirable to achieve the maximum allowable trucking weight.

*In order to safely move a known cotton module builder to a 25 different site or to transport it to a shed for storage or repair, the hydraulic ram must be disconnected from the press head so that the cylinder can be lowered into the module chamber for safe transport. Such disassembly is time consuming and difficult and in many instances the module builder is moved to 30 other sites without repositioning the hydraulic ram in its transport position. Consequently, accidents frequently occur wherein the cylinder fouls in the overhead powerlines or the roof of a shed causing damage to the powerlines or the shed as well as to the module builder. Moreover, there have been cases in which the operator has been seriously injured. Furthermore, although lowering of the cylinder into the chamber reduces the overall height of the module barrier significantly, the cylinder 4 does still extend above the chamber by an undesirable amount.

-2- The present invention aims to alleviate at least one of the aforementioned disadvantages and to provide a press assembly which will be reliable and efficient in use.

With the foregoing in view this invention in one aspect resides broadly in a press assembly for a cotton module builder of. the type having a module chamber in which cotton may be pressed to form a bale or stack including: a support frame adapted for travel along the length of the module chamber; a press rod mounted to said support frame for up and down pressing movement relative thereto; a press head on the lower end of said press rod; a drive motor mounted to said support frame and a rotary drive member operatively connected to said drive motor for rotation therewith; elongate flexible drive means secured at one end to the 9* press rod at or near its upper end and at the other end to the press rod at or near its lower end, and being arranged in driving engagement with said rotary drive member; 20 holding means for holding the flexible drive means in driving engagement with the rotary drive member, whereby rotation of the rotary drive member in one direction causes upward movement of the press rod and rotation in the other direction causes downward movement of the press rod.

25 In another aspect this invention resides broadly in a cotton S. module builder of the type having a module chamber in which cotton may be pressed to form a bale or stack and a press e assembly supported for horizontal travel relative to said chamber i and adapted to sequentially press predetermined portions of cotton contained in said chamber, said press assembly including: a support frame adapted for travel along the length of the module chamber; a press rod mounted to said support frame for up and down pressing movement relative thereto; a press head on the lower end of said press rod; 0 1 a drive motor mounted to said support frame and a rotary drive member operatively connected to said drive motor for rotation therewith; elongate flexible drive means secured at one end to the press rod at or near its upper end and at the other end to the press rod at or near its lower end, and being arranged in driving engagement with said rotary drive member; holding means for holding the flexible drive means in driving engagement with the rotary drive member, whereby rotation of the rotary drive member in one direction causes upward movement of the press rod and rotation in the other direction causes downward movement of the press rod.

Preferably, the holding means is arranged to ensure a predetermined amount of wrap-around of said flexible drive means about said rotary drive member.

Preferably, the rotary drive member is a sprocket (or gear) and the elongate flexible drive means is a chain adapted for driving engagement with the sprocket or gear. It is also preferred that said holding means is another rotary drive member 20 and that said predetermined amount of wrap around is about 180 degrees on each of said rotary drive members.

Preferably, said drive motors are hydraulic motors.

In another aspect this invention resides broadly in a press 2 assembly including: 25 pressing means; supporting means for supporting said pressing means for substantially vertical movement relative thereto; and moving means adapted to move said pressing means relative .to said supporting means between a retracted position and an extended pressing position, characterised in that the moving means includes a substantially horizontally disposed hydraulic ram assembly. Preferably the hydraulic ram assembly is a double shafted hydraulic ram assembly each shaft of which is connected to the pressing means via respective flexible connecting means adapted to pull the pressing means upwardly or downwardly according to the direction of movement of the ram shaft. Alternatively, a pair of oppositely acting hydraulic ram assemblies could be utilised if desired. In a preferred form each flexible connecting means is a chain which passes over a sprocket pivotally mounted to the supporting means and secured to the pressing means, one to the upper end and the other to the lower end. However, a cable or the like could be utilised :i passing over pulleys if desired. Suitably, such arrangements allows the hydraulic ram assembly to selectively apply a lifting force or a downward pressing force to the pressing means whereby cotton contained in a cotton module chamber can be pressed to form a module. Furthermore, the pressing means "can be quickly and easily lowered and the overall height of the module builder is not defined by a hydraulic ram extending vertically above the module chamber.

In order that this invention may be more readily understood and put into practical effect reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein: 25 Fig. 1 is a pictorial representation of a prior art press assembly adapted for attachment to the carriage of a cotton module builder.

Figs. 2a and 2b are pictorial representations of press assemblies according to the invention adapted for attachment to a cotton module container.

Fig. 3 is a pictorial representation of a cotton module builder according to the invention.

The prior art press assembly 10 illustrated in fig. 1 includes a hollow press rod 11 formed from square hollow section steel tubing and having a press head 12 extending outwardly from the lower end thereof.

The press rod 11 is slidably received in a complementary square aperture 13 formed in a carriage 14 which is adapted to extend across the module chamber of a cotton module builder for movement relative thereto along substantially its full length on tracks such that the press rod can sequentially press predetermined portions of cotton contained in the module chamber.

The press rod is supported in the aperture 13 between upper and lower rollers 24 which extend horizontally through the carriage 24 both longitudinally and laterally to the chamber to prevent frictional contact between the four side 0 walls of the press rod 15 and the corresponding side walls defining the aperture 13.

A hydraulic ram assembly 16 including a cylinder 18 which is mounted to the carriage 14 and a ram shaft 17 mounted to the press head is configured to move the press head upwardly and downwardly relative to the carriage in order to press cotton contained in the module chamber. It will be appreciated that the cylinder 18 extends above the chamber by a distance approximately equal to the depth of the chamber.

The press assembly 110 illustrated in fig. 2 includes a hollow press rod 111 formed from square hollow section steel tubing and having a press head 112 extending outwardly from 25 the lower end thereof.

The press rod 111 is slidably received in a complementary square aperture 113 formed in a carriage 114 which is adapted to extend across the module chamber of a cotton module builder for movement relative thereto along substantially its full length on tracks such that the press rod can sequentially press predetermined portions of cotton contained in the module chamber. The carriage can be formed in any suitable manner such as from sheet steel or RHS steel tube members as is presently known in relation to presently known carriages.

The press rod is supported in the aperture 113 between upper and lower rollers 124 which extend horizontally through the carriage 124 both longitudinally and laterally to the chamber to prevent frictional contact between the four side walls of the press rod 111 and the corresponding side walls defining the aperture 113 similar to that described in relation to Fig. 1.

A drive assembly 116 including two synchronised hydraulic motors 117 and 118 is mounted inside the press rod 111 as shown in Fig. 2a or to a side face of the carriage 114 as shown in Fig. 2b and includes sprockets 117a and 118a extending inwardly towards a face 112a of press rod 111 for engagement with a chain 121 which is fixed to the press rod 111 at both the upper and lower ends by fixing bolts 122.

The sprockets 117a and 118a are spaced apart in both the vertical plane and the horizontal plane such that the chain 121 substantially wraps around the respective sprockets 117a and 118a and the upwardly extending portion 121a and the downwardly extending portion 211b of the chain 121 may remain substantially vertical for all positions of the press rod 111. In this embodiment both hydraulic motors 117 and 118 Sare bi-directional. However, in other embodiments one bidirectional motor and an idler sprocket may be utilised.

Furthermore, in other embodiments another drive assembly may be included on the opposite face of the press rod 111 if 25 desired.

The carriage 114 is mounted on the wheeled module container 130 as illustrated in Fig. 3 in known manner, for travel backwards and forwards along the longitudinally extending upper edges 131 and 132 of the opposite side walls 133 and 134 of the container wherein the press assembly can sequentially press predetermined portions of cotton contained therein to form a cotton module.

In use, harvested cotton is placed in the module chamber in known manner. Subsequently the hydraulic motor 117 is activated to run in the anti-clockwise direction and the motor 118 is activated to run in the clockwise direction wherein the sprockets 117a and 118a pull the chain 121 and move the press rod 111 downwardly to press the cotton. After the pressing action is completed the hydraulic motors are reversed and the sprockets pull the chain in the other direction to move the press rod 111 to the raised position wherein the carriage 114 may be moved longitudinally along the side walls of the module container to press an adjacent portion of cotton. It will be appreciated that the press head can travel almost to the ground when the module container is in the pressing attitude wherein the press rod does not extend beyond the top of the carriage by any significant amount such that effective compression of the cotton module can be performed.

The press assembly may be automated wherein the 15 hydraulic motors 117 and 118 may run in a forward or reverse direction according to a time sequence or some other parameter. Furthermore, movement of the press rod 111 may be coordinated with horizontal movement of the carriage 114 such that movement of the carriage occurs while the press head 112 is in the raised position.

In order to move the module builder to a different site the press head 112 is moved to the lowered position as previously described wherein the upper end of the press rod 111 will be at substantially the same level as the top of the S 25 carriage 114 typically in the order of 3 metres. It will be appreciated that transporting of the module builder in the press head lowered position is a relatively safe exercise and that the press head can be lowered quickly and efficiently.

It will of course be realised that the above has been given only by way of illustrative example of the invention and that all such modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the invention as is defined in the appended claims.

Claims (3)

1. 4. A press assembly according to Claim 2 or Claim 3, wherein Ssaid rotary drive members are driven by hydraulic motors. -9- A press assembly according to Claim 4, wherein said predetermined amount of wrap-around is about 180 degrees on each of said rotary drive members.
2. 6. A press assembly as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 2a, 2b and 3.
3. 7. A cotton module builder of the type having a module chamber in which cotton may be pressed to form a bale or stack and a press assembly according to any one of Claims 1 to 6 supported for travel along the length of the chamber and being adapted to sequentially press predetermined portions of cotton in said chamber. Dated this 20th day of September, 1999 ANTHONY LESLIE MILLER by his Patent Attorneys .:...AHEARNS **o *0a a. a 4 fttff ft ft