Abstract: The present disclosure concerns a system for transporting drill cuttings from an offshore drilling platform. In a representative embodiment, a bulk material storage and conveying system for a waterborne vessel comprises a first conveyor system including one or more upper conveyors extending lengthwise of the vessel. The system also comprises a plurality of containers located below the first conveyor system arranged in one or more rows, and a second conveyor system including one or more lower conveyors located below the one or more containers. The first conveyor system is configured to selectively dispense bulk material into the one or more containers, and the plurality of containers are configured to selectively dispense bulk material onto different locations along the length of the one or more lower conveyors. The system can further include an offloading conveyor assembly configured to convey drill cuttings from the lower conveyors to trucks on land.

Abstract: The present disclosure concerns a system for transporting drill cuttings from an offshore drilling platform. In a representative embodiment, a bulk material storage and conveying system for a waterborne vessel comprises a first conveyor system including one or more upper conveyors extending lengthwise of the vessel. The system also comprises a plurality of containers located below the first conveyor system arranged in one or more rows, and a second conveyor system including one or more lower conveyors located below the one or more containers. The first conveyor system is configured to selectively dispense bulk material into the one or more containers, and the plurality of containers are configured to selectively dispense bulk material onto different locations along the length of the one or more lower conveyors. The system can further include an offloading conveyor assembly configured to convey drill cuttings from the lower conveyors to trucks on land.

Abstract: A billet of veneer sheets is constructed using parallel sheet conveying conveyors for simultaneous building of partial fans that are combined and transferred to the trailing end of the billet. Encoders, detectors and computer controls control the conveyors for precise placement of the sheets in building a fan and precision placement of the fan to the trailing end of the billet.

Abstract: A billet of veneer sheets is constructed using parallel sheet conveying conveyors for simultaneous building of partial fans that are combined and transferred to the trailing end of the billet. Encoders, detectors and computer controls control the conveyors for precise placement of the sheets in building a fan and precision placement of the fan to the trailing end of the billet.

Abstract: An apparatus for scarfing edge portions of a veneer sheet to produce a joint suited for joining the veneer sheets in an edge to edge relation. A conveyor system aligns, conveys and flattens the sheet. The sheet as it is being conveyed is engaged by tapered anvils provided on each side of the apparatus that deflect edge portions of the sheet at an angle to the plane of the flattened sheet. A diverter directs the edge of the sheet to one side or the other of the anvils. The resiliency of the sheet maintains the deflected edge portion against the anvil. The edge of the sheet when diverted to one side of the anvils is conveyed through scarfing saws that generate a bevel on each of the deflected side edges. The edge of the sheet when diverted to the opposite side of the anvils by-passes the scarfing saws.

Abstract: A machine and process for assembling flanges to a web to produce an I-beam. The machine has conveyors for conveying each flange and a separate conveyor system for conveying the web. The web is rigidly held to prevent lateral movement as the flanges and web are assembled. The conveyance mechanism for the webs is adjustable upwardly and downwardly to accommodate changes in the flange dimension and web thickness. The conveyance mechanism for the web is mounted on inclined ramps. Movement of the conveyance mechanism in one direction elevates the conveyance mechanism and movement in the other direction lowers the conveyance mechanism. The flanges as conveyed are sensed and relatively adjusted to assure alignment of the leading ends.

Abstract: An apparatus for scarfing edge portions of a veneer sheet to produce a joint suited for joining the veneer sheets in an edge to edge relation. A conveyor system aligns, conveys and flattens the sheet. The sheet as it is being conveyed is engaged by tapered anvils that deflect edge portions of the sheet at an angle to the plane of the flattened sheet. One anvil on one side deflects one edge portion upward and the anvil on the opposite side deflects the opposite edge portion downward. The resiliency of the sheet maintains the deflect edge portion against the anvil. The sheet is conveyed through scarfing saws which generate a bevel on each of the deflected side edges.

Abstract: A positioning conveyor is incorporated in a conveyor system for adjusting the position of a sheet on the conveyor system. The positioning conveyor has two belt type conveyor sections that are independently movable transverse to the feed path and are utilized to adjust the position of the sheet. The sheet is scanned by a scanner and the data is input to a computer. A vacuum zone on each section provides spaced apart gripping points to establish a pivot axis to correct for skew. The computer controls the coordinated movement of the sections to pivot and side shift the sheet to a desired position.

Abstract: A veneer stacker with a controlled overhead conveyor to maintain the leading edge of successive veneer sheets in a common orientation and normal to the travel direction of the conveyor. The overhead conveyor has paired members, e.g., conveyor belts that engage the side edges of the veneer sheet to propel the sheet. One member of each pair is arranged to dominate and the dominant members cooperatively control the movement of the sheet. The sheets are assured of a normal orientation using separate drive motors for each dominant member and electronically coupling the drive motors.

Abstract: An automatic machine for performing framing operations on a power pole. The machine is controlled by a programmable logic control and interchangeable programs are provided to control the operation of the machine according to a pole frame specification. Poles to be framed are received on a primary conveyor. The poles are sequentially scanned for length and position and are transferred in sequence to a longitudinal feed station where the poles are oriented on a first set of supports. An end of the pole is clamped to a movable carriage to maintain the pole orientation. The pole is fed through a movable rotatable tool ring either by movement of the pole clamp carriage or movement of the tool ring. The tool ring supports tooling to perform the framing operation on the pole. The programmable logic control coordinates the movement of the pole clamp carriage, the movement of the tool ring and the rotation of the tool ring to position the tools in the proper relation to the pole.

Abstract: An automatic machine for performing framing operations on a power pole. The machine is controlled by a programmable logic control and interchangeable programs are provided to control the operation of the machine according to a pole frame specification. Poles to be framed are received on a primary conveyor. The poles are sequentially scanned for length and position and are transferred in sequence to a longitudinal feed station where the poles are oriented on a first set of supports. An end of the pole is clamped to a movable carriage to maintain the pole orientation. The pole is fed through a rotatable tool ring by movement of the carriage. The tool ring supports tooling to perform the framing operation on the pole. The programmable logic control coordinates the movement of the carriage and the rotation of the tool ring to position the tools in the proper relation to the pole. Self centering supports are provided to center the longitudinal axis of the pole on the rotational axis of the tool ring.

Abstract: In a veneer stacking system, a sensing device for sensing the incoming veneer sheets and computer determining from the information of the sensing device the stack on which the sheets are to be deposited. Knock-off shoes are positioned above the path of incoming veneer sheets. Multiple hydraulic cylinders connected into a hydraulic control system controls movement of the shoes. The multiple cylinders are simultaneously actuated by master cylinders which in turn are simultaneously actuated by a computer controlled mover piston. Air leaked into the hydraulic system is bled off by bleed orifices in the master cylinders communicating with a hydraulic fluid reservoir whereby air rises in the system up through the orifices and into the reservoir.

Abstract: A system for detecting offsize defects and for segregating the veneer sheets containing the defects from the non-defective sheets. Scanners are positioned along the in-feed conveyor leading to the clipper. As offsize defects are identified, a computer determines which of the sheets to be cut will contain the defects. These sheets are segregated as by diverting them to a pull chain conveyor following the cutting of the sheets from the continuous sheeting. Dye is sprayed on the area of the defects as detected by the scanners to aid in further handling of the defective sheets when removed from the pull chain.

Abstract: A veneer stacking system providing the feature of consistent air suction above the multiple veneer stacks enabling reliable separation of the veneer sheets from an overhead conveyor. This consistent air suction is provided by independent air chambers for each stack. It also includes aligning belts for aligning the sheets on the overhead conveyor. An aligning belt replaces a section of one or both of the conveyor belts and is independently driven to speed up or slow down one side of the sheet to achieve the desired alignment. It also includes improved knock-off shoes activated byh cylinders connected to master cylinders in a master cylinder housing activated by a common mover piston for simultaneous knock off of veneer sheets onto the stacks.

Abstract: A system that rotatively orients and skew positions a log for lumber processing. A log is placed in centering V's and rough centered. Rotatable scan spindles rotate the log while scanners obtain measurements at spaced locations along the log length and at selected rotative positions. Each angular position is analyzed for an optimum cutting pattern and the spindles are rotated to rotate the log into the most desirable angular position. The log is skew adjusted by the scan spindles and/or knee clamps in a carriage and conveyed to a saw array. A computer controls the cutting action to achieve the selected cutting pattern.

Abstract: Centering a log by determining the location of a selected axis through the log relative to a fixed replicate axis. The log is pinned and each end is provided with double pivots. Pivoting the log about one pivotal axis spaced from the replicate axis determines a pathway around that axis. Pivoting the log about the other pivotal axis sweeps the log end and, accordingly, the selected axis across the determined pathway. The selected axis is positioned on the pathway by pivoting the log about said other axis and it is positioned at the replicate axis by pivoting the log about the first pivotal axis.