Conveyor suitable for lifting floating waste or other waste just under the water surface

Abstract

A conveyor ( 1 ) suitable for lifting floating waste or other waste just under the water surface consists of a stairway whose steps ( 2 ) are movable along an endless loop having a rising section ( 3 ) and a return section ( 4 ). The steps has tread plates ( 5 ) which are maintained parallel to one another in the said rising section ( 3 ), each tread plate ( 5 ) being provided with projecting means adapted to retain the waste and release it when the return section ( 4 ) begins.

1 . A conveyor suitable for lifting floating waste or other waste just under the water surface consisting of a stairway whose steps ( 2 ) are movable along an endless loop having a rising section ( 3 ) and a return section ( 4 ), each step ( 2 ) having a tread plate ( 5 ) which is maintained parallel to the other tread plates in said rising section ( 3 ), characterised in that each tread plate ( 5 ) is provided with projecting means ( 6 ;  7 ) adapted to retain the waste and release it when the return section ( 4 ) begins. 
     
     
         2 . The conveyor according to  claim 1 , wherein each tread plate ( 5 ) has two faces, the one being opposite to the other, and the tread plate ( 5 ) is able to turn upside down. 
     
     
         3 . The conveyor according to  claim 2 , wherein each tread plate ( 5 ) is placed in a prismatic body ( 9 ) which rotatably supports the tread plate ( 5 ) in a manner that said means adapted to retain the waste protrudes upwardly from the prismatic body ( 9 ). 
     
     
         4 . The conveyor according to  claim 3 , wherein said means adapted to retain the waste is intended to collect solid substances and is in the form of spikes ( 6 ) that are fixed orthogonally to the tread plate ( 5 ). 
     
     
         5 . The conveyor according to  claim 3 , wherein said means adapted to retain the waste is intended to collect liquid substances and is in the form of brushes ( 7 ) that are fixed orthogonally to the tread plate ( 5 ). 
     
     
         6 . The conveyor according to  claim 1 , wherein a space ( 12 ) intermediate between the rising section ( 3 ) and the return section ( 4 ) of the stairway is covered with a casing ( 13 ) adapted to prevent at least the insertion of waste between a step ( 2 ) and the other one. 
     
     
         7 . The conveyor according to  claim 1 , wherein a lower curved casing ( 14 ) and an upper curved casing ( 15 ) are at the lower and upper ends of the conveyor respectively, the conveyor having attaching means for connecting the conveyor to a ship, said attaching means being provided with height adjusting means so that the conveyor is immersed in water with its lower end up to a depth variable by an adjustment of said attaching means with respect to the ship, in a manner that the lowest tread plates ( 51 ,  52 , and  53 ) are at the same horizontal level under the water so that the waste can lean on them and be retained by said projecting means ( 6 ;  7 ). 
     
     
         8 . The conveyor according to  claim 1 , wherein provided at the end of the rising section ( 3 ) of the stairway is a device adapted to remove waste from the steps. 
     
     
         9 . The conveyor according to  claim 8 , wherein said device adapted to remove waste from the steps comprises a static member ( 17 ) in the shape of a comb having teeth between which said means adapted to retain the waste passes, and an inclined plane ( 18 ) facing a receiving tank ( 19 ). 
     
     
         10 . The conveyor according to  claim 8 , wherein said device adapted to remove waste from the steps comprises a rotatable motorized drum ( 22 ) provided with radial bars ( 23 ) protruding to be inserted as a comb between said means adapted to retain the waste. 
     
     
         11 . The conveyor according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the conveyor is located inside of a supporting and conveying structure ( 20 ) which surrounds the conveyor at least partially. 
     
     
         12 . The conveyor according to  claim 11 , characterised in that such a supporting and conveying structure ( 20 ), which surrounds the conveyor ( 1 ) at least partially, is openable to delimit only laterally and below the conveyor ( 1 ).