Log feed conveyor for bandmill

Claim 1

A conveyor chain having a central longitudinal axis within a central longitudinal plane, the chain being adapted to run on a complementary chainway, the chainway having an upper wall, and side walls spaced equally from the central longitudinal plane, spacing between the side walls defining width of the chainway; the chain having flanged links and connecting links with transverse axes normal to the chain longitudinal axis and in a plane parallel to the upper wall of the chainway, the flanged links alternating with the connecting links along the chain; each flanged link including: a. a pair of spaced parallel side bars having opposite ends having transversely aligned bores, the side bars having spaced, paRallel flanges having oppositely facing inner sidewalls spaced apart by a distance somewhat greater than the width of the chainway so as to straddle the side walls of the chainway and to provide clearance between the flanges and the chainway permitting axial sliding of the links on the chainway, the flanges extending downwards from the side bars to lower edges of the flanges spaced downwards from the upper wall of the chainway when the link engages the chainway at a depth sufficient to restrain the flanged link against rotation about the longitudinal axis, and maintain the flanged link within the central longitudinal plane, each side bar having an upwardly extending lug positioned above and transversely disposed from the wear block and adapted to penetrate a log and retain the log on the chain, each side bar, flange and lug have coplanar parallel inner and outer side walls, b. a wear block extending between the side bars, the wear block having a lower surface serving as a wearing surface, which surface is adapted, under downward force closure arising from weight of material carried on the chain, to bear against the upper wall of the chainway, the lower surface of the wear block being spaced between the lower edges of the flanges and the transversely aligned bores and having a relatively large surface area so as to result in relatively low bearing pressures, and each connecting link having: c. connecting means adapted to engage the flanged link, the connecting means having: opposite ends having a width to be accepted between the side bars of the flanged links; bores at the opposite ends adapted to register with the aligned bores of the flanged link; and a lower surface which surface, when adjacent links are aligned, is coplanar with the lower surface of the wear means and bears against the upper wall of the chainway, so as to restrain the flanged link against rotation about a transverse axis and support a portion of weight on the chain: the chain further including: d. pins adapted to pass through the bores in register so as to hinge together the flanged and connecting links, so that motion of the chain along the chainway is essentially rectilinear motion of translation only, and, when required, the connecting link can rotate about a transverse axis relative to the flanged link permitting articulation of the chain.