Inflatable tube conveyor

Claim 2

A conveying apparatus for a rolling load comprising two parallel laterally spaced rails each of which is formed of endto-end tubular rail sections, each rail forming a trunk which is part of a pressure fluid supply system and a length of elongated inflatable tubing mounted on each rail section to receive thereon the rolling load and receiving pressure fluid from said system so that there is a through flow of pressure fluid through the tubes to cause movement along the rails of the rolling load resting on the inflatable tubing, said inflatable tubing including a pair of closed tubes mounted on the rails so as to be nipped between the load and the rails, and the pressure fluid supply system being connected to the inflatable tubes and including transverse feed conduit means interconnecting one pair of inflatable tube ends, and transverse exhaust conduit means interconnecting the other pair of tube ends and connected in closed circuiT with the transverse feed conduit means.

Claim 3

Conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each end of each transverse conduit means includes inlet and outlet ducting connected to the adjacent tube end, and nonreturn valves for controlling fluid flow through the outlet ducting and a control valve in the fluid supply means is operable to reverse the fluid flow so that the feed and exhaust trunks respectively serve as exhaust and feed trunks.

Claim 4

Conveying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein in each transverse conduit means the outlet ducting is disposed in the trunks and extends from the tubes to the inner sidewalls of the trunks, a pair of casings on the exterior of the inner sidewalls enclose the inner ends of the outlet ducting, one casing communicates with the adjacent trunk, a transverse pipe interconnects the casings, a pair of nonreturn valves in the respective casings include valve members urgeable by fluid under pressure to close the inner ends of the outlet ducting, and the inlet ducting bypasses the nonreturn valves.

Claim 5

Conveying apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a pair of one-way pressure-regulating valves are provided in the inlet ducting to enable control of flow of pressure fluid into the tube ends.

Claim 6

A conveying apparatus for a rolling load comprising two parallel laterally spaced rails each of which is formed of end-to-end tubular rail sections, each rail forming a trunk which is part of a pressure fluid supply system and a length of elongated inflatable tubing mounted on each rail section to receive thereon the rolling load and receiving pressure fluid from said system so that there is a through flow of pressure fluid through the tubes to cause movement along the rails of the rolling load resting on the inflatable tubing, the load being a barrel, wherein the rails have flat tube-bearing faces, convex bearers support the rails for transverse rocking movement, and the transverse conduit means are resiliently bendable convexly downwards, the arrangement being such that the barrel on being deposited on the tubes with its peripheral wall bridging the rails tends to rock the rails inwards to a position in which the tube-bearing faces thereof are substantially tangential to the axial convexity of the peripheral wall of the barrel.

Claim 7

A conveying apparatus for a rolling load comprising two parallel laterally spaced rails each of which is formed of end-to-end tubular rail sections, each rail forming a trunk which is part of a pressure fluid supply system and a length of elongated inflatable tubing mounted on each rail section to receive thereon the rolling load and receiving pressure fluid from said system so that there is a through flow of pressure fluid through the tubes to cause movement along the rails of the rolling load resting on the inflatable tubing, the load being a barrel, wherein the rails have flat tube-bearing faces, convex bearers support the rails for transverse rocking movement, and the transverse conduit means are resiliently bendable convexly downwards, the arrangement being such that the barrel on being deposited on the tubes with its peripheral wall bridging the rails tends to rock the rails inwards to a position in which the tube-bearing faces thereof are substantially tangential to the axial convexity of the peripheral wall of the barrel.

Claim 8

A conveying apparatus for a rolling load comprising two parallel laterally spaced rails each of which is formed of end-to-end tubular rail sections, each rail forming a trunk which is part of a pressure fluid supply system and a length of elongated inflatable tubing mounted on each rail section to receive thereon the rolling load and receiving pressure fluid from said system so that there is a through flow of pressure fluid through the tubes to cause movement along the rails of the rolling load resting on the inflatable tubing, each joint formed by the rail sections consisting of annular means at the ends, a through-apertured ball formation engaging the seating means, and coupling means interconnecting the rail section ends to maintain the seating means in sealing engagement with the ball formation.

Claim 9

A conveying apparatus for a rolling load comprising two parallel laterally spaced rails each of which is formed of end-to-end tubular rail sections, each rail forming a trunk which is part of a pressure fluid supply system and a length of elongated inflatable tubing mounted on each rail section to receive thereon the rolling load and receiving pressure fluid from said system so that there is a through flow of pressure fluid through the tubes to cause movement along the rails of the rolling load resting on the inflatable tubing, each joint formed by the rail sections consisting of annular means at the ends, a through-apertured ball formation engaging the seating means, and coupling means interconnecting the rail section ends to maintain the seating means in sealing engagement with the ball formation.