Bakers Hughes Inc.

Leonard J Wood

A peripheral traction unit for a thickener is ground-mounted on a circular support base, normally of concrete, extending circularly at ground level below and exterior of the vertical walls of an above-ground thickener tank. A continuous rail and rack are mounted on a sole plate and integral key embedded and grouted in a support base pocket. A wheel and pinion assembly is provided on a traction frame so that the wheel rolls on the rail and the pinion meshes with the rack. The bottom of a box beam is pin-connected to the traction frame and the top of the box beam is fixedly connected to a rake-driving rotatable truss extending radially or diametrically across and above the tank wall. All erection, adjustment and maintenance of the traction unit is done at ground level rather than at the elevation of the upper edge of the tank wall where heretofore peripheral drive units have been positioned.

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Pennant Hills, Australia

Leonard J Wood