Abstract: A chain drive includes an endless chain formed of forked links and trained about a drive sprocket and a return sprocket. Each sprocket includes circumferentially arranged teeth and a polygon which radially supports the chain links as they travel about the sprockets. The drive sprocket engages the links only with the leading flanks of the sprocket teeth, while the return sprocket engages the forked links only with the trailing flanks of the sprocket teeth.

Abstract: An apparatus for discharging bulk material from a storage tank includes a support shaft; an impeller wheel mounted on the support shaft in the vicinity of the storage tank floor; and a stepping mechanism for intermittently moving the impeller wheel in either direction. The stepping mechanism has a ratchet wheel mounted on the support shaft and connected to the impeller wheel and a pawl mechanism cooperating with the ratchet wheel. A power cylinder, connected to a hydraulic circuit, is provided for moving the pawl mechanism. Further, there are provided a sensor arrangement for sensing the magnitude of the resistance of the bulk material to the motion of the impeller wheel and a control arrangement connected to the sensor arrangement and the pawl mechanism for reversing the direction of rotation of the impeller wheel when the resistance reaches a predetermined magnitude. The impeller wheel has at least one impeller vane associated with a discharge opening in the storage tank floor.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a machine for clearing bulk material from a bin table by moving therealong a movable support carrying a pivotally mounted rotatable clearing wheel including a first drive mechanism for moving the movable support and a second drive mechanism for rotating the clearing wheel and a control mechanism responsive to operational conditions of the second drive mechanism for controlling the operation of the first drive mechanism whereby the rotational speed of the clearing wheel may be increased or decreased as might be the speed of the movable support in dependence upon the resistance of the bulk material being offered to the clearing wheel during the rotation of the latter.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a sliding ring seal for bearings which includes a pair of annular members, a pair of annular rings constructed of metallic material, a flexible non-metallic annular seal, and one or more annular retaining rings of magnetically attractable or ferromagnetic material with the seal being sandwiched between the magnetic rings and the retaining rings as well as within the pair of annular members.

Abstract: With a drag chain conveyor there is, for a timely warning of malfunctioning, associated a monitoring apparatus. The drag chain conveyor has a conveyor chain assembly which includes an endless conveyor chain trained about a drive sprocket and a return sprocket and a biasing mechanism for displacing the bearing support of the return sprocket to maintain the chain at a predetermined tension. The monitoring apparatus has at least one sensor connected to the chain assembly for monitoring the magnitude of at least one of the following chain parameters: chain tension, chain wear and chain slack. The sensor is coupled to a signal transmitter which emits a signal upon a nonpermitted deviation from the parameter magnitudes. A signal-responsive device is connected to the signal transmitter for emitting, for example, a visual warning signal.