Scraper-chain conveyors

Claim 1

A channel section for a scraper-chain conveyor comprising: side walls having V-shaped notches extending longitudinally along the exterior surfaces thereof; a floor plate extending between and connecting said side walls; an elongate structure mounted on the exterior surface of at least one of the side walls, said structure extending over substantially the entire length of the side wall and being substantially co-planar with the upper and lower surfaces thereof, said structure having vertically spaced upper and lower stiffening members interconnected at longitudinally spaced locations by first holding members extending transversely therebetween, the V-shaped notch in the exterior surface of the side wall being accessible through the spaces between said upper and lower stiffening members and said first holding members, said first holding members being engaged within the elongate V-shaped notch extending along the side wall and having slotted recesses therein for accommodating the heads of bolts used for securing an attachment, said first holding members being substantially co-planar with the exterior sides of said stiffening members; connectors attached to the opposite ends of the side wall, said connectors having complimentary inter-engageable projections and recesses for connecting one channel section to another, said connectors extending over the entire height of the side walls and being substantially co-planar with the exterior sides of said stiffening members, said connectors having bores for receiving connecting bolts used to secure adjacent channel sections together; and, second holding members provided adjacent to said connectors, said second holding members having slotted recesses serving to receive the heads of bolts and being engaged in the V-shaped notch on the side wall, said second holding members being smaller than said first holding members and having a maximum height substantially the same as the maximum width of the V-shaped notch and a width such that the outermost sides are substantially co-planar with the exterior of the side wall to thereby permit connecting bolts to be located in the connectors.