WO1994024376A1

WO1994024376A1 - Combination bucket

Info

Publication number: WO1994024376A1
Application number: PCT/SE1994/000339
Authority: WO
Inventors: Åke SÖDERQVIST
Original assignee: Svegefo Ab
Priority date: 1993-04-16
Filing date: 1994-04-15
Publication date: 1994-10-27
Also published as: SE9301266D0; SE506398C2; SE9301266L

Abstract

A bucket (1) is intended for connection to a working machine, such as a digger, wheel-mounted loader or like machine, for taking-up material such as sand, gravel, aggregate and the like, and for disintegrating or processing the material taken-up in the bucket. The bucket includes a disintegrator (10) having means, preferably chains (14), which upon rotation about an axle (11) transversal to the bucket feed direction define a cylinder and coact with a screening element (30) arranged, preferably detachably, in the bottom of the bucket. This arrangement improves comminution of the material taken-up in the bucket. The processed material preferably leaves the bucket through a flap (40) in the bottom of the bucket. The bucket may also be supplemented with a water spray arranged above the disintegrator.

Description

COMBINATION BUCKET

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a bucket which can be connected to working machines such as diggers, wheel-mounted loaders or like machines, for taking-up material such as sand, gravel, aggregate etc. and for disintegrating or processing the material taken up in the bucket, wherein the bucket in¬ cludes a disintegrator of the kind defined in the preamble of claim 1.

BACKGROUND ART

In the course of excavation work, such as trench digging, levelling, screeding, pipe laying and similar work, there is a need to fill or refill with material that contains no coarse solids. This need has been met by transporting the excavated material to a screening station where reusable material is extracted and transported back to the excava¬ tion site. This transportation of material is both costly and time-consuming.

In order to avoid this extra work, it is known from Finnish patent specification FI-58963 (Leinonen) for instance to arrange in the bottom of the bucket one or more screens or riddles for the purpose of fractionating or finely dividing the material, whereafter the separated fine-fraction is emptied from the bucket on site through an outlet opening adapted for this purpose. One drawback with this arrange¬ ment is that the screen or riddle quickly becomes clogged, therewith considerably impairing its fractionating func¬ tion.

The European patent specification EP-A1-0 499 682 ( ack) teaches a bucket which includes a grate which is shaken by means of a hydraulic motor. Although this arrangement alleviates the problem of material fastening in the screen or riddle, it does not provide a complete solution to the problem.

The Japanese Patent Specification JP61-200225 (Isao Hayas- hi) teaches a bucket which includes a bladed rotary-axle which extends transversally to the bucket feed direction, from one end-wall to the other. The rear wall of the bucket is hinged to the remainder of the bucket, so as to enable the bucket to be emptied through the gap that can be formed between the rear wall and the bottom of the bucket. Although this bucket is suitable for use in spreading fertilizer and the like, it includes no facility that renders it usable for excavation work of the aforesaid kind.

Furthermore, when screeding or leveling foundation materi¬ al, such as macadam, it is necessary to clean the material prior to leveling the same, for instance by washing the material. This must be done on site, and separate devices have earlier been proposed to this end. This necessary task has involved extra expense and is time-consuming.

The International Application 092/14887 (Heath) describes a bucket of the kind defined in the preamble of claim 1 which includes a rotatable, bladed axle having fixed in¬ flexible means for mixing the material taken-up in the bucket. This bucket, however, is unable to achieve effect¬ ive disintegration of the material.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide a bucket which will avoid the aforesaid drawbacks and which has the combined functions of effectively disintegrating, screen¬ ing, and possibly also spreading, scattering, the material taken-up in the bucket. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These objects are achieved with a bucket according to the preamble of claim 1 in which the devices that extend paral¬ lel with the rotary axle coact with a screening element arranged, preferably removably, at the bottom of the bucket and through which material fractionated by the disintegra¬ tor exits from the bucket.

Coaction of the screening element with the disintegrator enhances the effectiveness of the fractionating operation. Clogging of the screening element is prevented at the same time. When a screening function is not required, the screening element can be covered with some form of covering means, such as moulded rubber fabric.

A preferred embodiment is defined in claim 2. Flexible devices, such as chains, increase the useful life span of the arrangement and improve coaction between screening element and disintegrator.

According to a further embodiment, the disintegrator is supplemented with a spray-fitted water pipe which is mount¬ ed preferably detachably, over the disintegrator parallel with the disintegrator axle, for washing material agitated by the disintegrator.

Other characteristic features of the invention are set forth in the following dependent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to exemplifying embodiments thereof and also with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective overview of a first embodiment of an inventive bucket; Figures 1A and 2A illustrate an eccentric arrangement, seen from in front and from one side respec¬ tively; Figure 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the bucket shown in Figure 1 and illustrates the coaction between the disintegrator and an element detachably mounted on the bottom of the bucket; Figure 3 illustrates the inventive bucket provided with a covering device and a spray-fitted water pipe; Figure 4 illustrates the inventive bucket provided with a sanding auxiliary, wherein the screening element and the disintegrator have been omitted for the sake of clarity; Figure 4A illustrates the sanding auxiliary of Figure 4 in more detail.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Figure 1 is a partially cut-away perspective view of a bucket 1. The bucket is delimited by a bottom 2, two side- walls 3, 4 and a rear wall 5. Attachment means 6 are pro¬ vided on the rear wall for attaching the bucket to a work¬ ing machine.

Releasably attached to the side-walls of the bucket is a disintegrator 10 which includes an axle 11 which extends transversally to the feed direction of the bucket and which carries at its respective ends a rotatable element in the form of a cruciform 12, 13 which is joined to the axle by means of a hub. The ends of the four legs forming the cruciform have attached thereto four disintegrator chains

14 which extend parallel to the axle in spaced relationship therewith, these chains being mutually connected at their centers by means of connecting chains 15.

The disintegrator 10 is rotated by means of two drive arrangements which are symmetrical in relation to the longitudinal axis of the bucket, only one of these drive arrangements being shown in the Figure. Each drive ar¬ rangement includes a hydraulic motor 21 which is connected to a drive wheel 23 through the medium of an axle arrange¬ ment and a drive chain 22, said drive wheel 23 being at¬ tached to the disintegrator axle. The axle arrangement is comprised of an eccentric device 24, as seen from the motor, in the form of a connecting rod, a relatively large cog wheel 25, which drives the chain, and a smaller cog wheel 26. Each axle arrangement is journalled in a respec- tive side-wall 2 and 3, and when working rotates at a speed of about 30 r.p.m..

The drive arrangements are encapsulated or housed in an upper casing 27 which adjoins the upper part of the rear wall and which surrounds the motors 21 and the axle ar¬ rangements connecting therewith, and two side-casings 28, 29 which adjoin the side-walls of the bucket and which house the drive chains 22 and the drive wheels 23 mounted on the disintegrator axle.

The bucket of the Figure 1 embodiment also includes a screening device 30 which is mounted detachably in the bottom of the bucket. The screening device is comprised of two parts, a front straight part which connects with the bottom of the bucket, and a rear curved part which connects essentially with the path in which the disintegrator chains 14 move as the disintegrator rotates. The screening device also includes two parallel, J-shaped stays or braces 31, 32 which are joined together by cross-rods 33. The stays or braces are attached to the bucket by means of bushings in the sides of the bucket and also by means of the known eccentric arrangement 24, shown more clearly in Figure 1A. A net 34 is attached between the stays or braces, for instance by means of a standard fitting having a U-flange, said net functioning to screen the material taken-up in the bucket.

As the axle rotates, the eccentric device causes the screen to move backwards and forwards in a known manner, therewith enhancing the screening function. Mounted in the bottom of the bucket is an emptying flap 40 which can be moved between a closed position and an open position by means of two hydraulic piston-cylinder devices 41 mounted in the side casings. The open position of the flap is indicated in the Figure in chain lines. The flap is constructed so that material fractionated by the screen can leave the bucket readily, through opening formed when the flap is open.

The bucket illustrated in Figure 1 operates in the follow¬ ing manner. Material, such as earth, soil, gravel, aggre¬ gate, or like material taken-up in the bucket is agitated and disintegrated by the disintegrator chains 14 of the disintegrator, these chains coacting with the screen 30 on the bottom of the bucket. This coaction results in a fine- fraction being pressed through the net and leaving the bucket through the opening formed in the bottom thereof. The coarse fraction, such as large stones and the like, remains in the bucket and can be emptied from the bucket at any desired depository in a conventional manner through the opening in the front part of the bucket, when screening of the material has been completed.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the bucket shown in Figure 1, wherein corresponding parts have been identified with the same reference signs. Figure 2 shows clearly how the path followed by the periphery of the rotatable ele¬ ments 12, 13 coacts with the rear, curved part of the screen. In normal operation, the disintegrator is rotated clockwise, as shown in Figure 2. However, it is possible to reverse the disintegrator, for instance should the disintegrator bind or jam, i.e. by rotating the disintegra¬ tor anti-clockwise.

According to a second embodiment of the invention, the screen 30 is covered with a pre-formed cover means when the screening function is not required. Figure 3 shows one example of such covering means.

The cover means 50 may be made of rubber, such as moulded reinforced rubber fabric, for instance of the kind used in conveyer belts, and has a shape which is essentially iden¬ tical to the configuration of the screen 30. To enable the covering means to be secured, it may be provided with edge- related holes through which screw fasteners can be insert- ed, in a conventional manner.

This second embodiment may be applied conveniently when washing material present in the bucket, wherein the bucket includes to this end a washing facility which operates through the medium of a spray-fitted water pipe 51 mounted above the disintegrator and extending parallel with the disintegrator axle, said pipe being used to wash the mate¬ rial as it is agitated or stirred by the disintegrator. The water pipe 51 is connected via a hose 52 to the working machine, from which water is supplied.

Figure 4 illustrates another embodiment of the invention. This embodiment provides a material spreading or scattering function, such as when sanding. As will be seen from Figure 4, the material spreading auxiliary is comprised of a screw-like device 60 (shown more clearly in Figure 4A) which is detachably journalled parallel with the rear edge of the bottom opening in attachments intended therefor. The material spreading auxiliary is comprised of a cylin- drical body on with obliquely extending flat-irons 61A-D are mounted around said body, therewith giving the auxil¬ iary device a screw-like configuration. The spreading auxiliary carries on each end thereof a drive wheel 62 which is connected to the small cog wheels 26 via drive chains, therewith enabling the spreading auxiliary to be rotated by the motors 21 in operation. When spreading material from the bucket, the screen may be mounted in the bucket in accordance with the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2, for instance when the material taken-up by the bucket is to be spread-out or scattered and contains undesirable coarse material, although the spread¬ ing auxiliary will function equally as well without the screen.

Cover plates or other cover means, such as woven fabric, may be placed in those openings which occur between the bottom opening and the sides of the emptying flap when opening said flap 40, so as to prevent material leaving the bucket through these openings.

The bucket is tipped to an appropriate angle in all of the aforedescribed embodiments, this angle being about 45 degrees when washing and sanding.

Although an inventive bucket has been described with refer- ence to preferred to exemplifying embodiments thereof, it will be understood that these embodiments can be varied and modified in several respect within the scope of the claims. For instance, although the illustrated disintegrator has rotating cruciform end-parts, it will be understood that ^' these end-parts may alternatively have the form of wheels or discs. Furthermore, the illustrated hydraulic drive motors may be replaced with electrical motors, for inst¬ ance.

Claims

1. A bucket for connection to a working machine, such as a digger, wheel-mounted loader or like machine, for taking-up material, such as sand, aggregate, gravel, or the like, and for disintegrating or processing the material taken-up in the bucket, wherein the bucket includes two side-walls, a rear wall and a bottom, and further includes a disintegra- tor which is rotatable about an axle which extends trans¬ versally to the feed direction of the bucket, and means (14) which define a cylinder as the axle (11) rotates and which are parallel with said axle, characterized in that said means (14) are adapted to coact with a screening element (30) which is arranged, preferably detachably, at the bottom of the bucket and through which material fractionated by the disintegrator (10) leaves the bucket.

2. A bucket according the claim 1, characterized in that the disintegrator (10) includes elongated, flexible means, such as chains (14) , which extend in parallel spaced rela¬ tionship with the rotary axle and the ends of which are carried by rotatable elements (12,13) connected to the axle (11) .

3. A bucket according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the disintegrator (10) is detachably mounted in the bucket.

4. A bucket according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the disintegrator (10) is rotated by means of at least one motor (21) , preferably a hydraulic motor, connected to the disintegrator.

5. A bucket according to claim 4, characterized in that said at least one motor (21) is connected to the disinte¬ grator by chains (22) .

6. A bucket according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by a bucket-emptying flap (40) provided in the bottom of the bucket beneath the disintegrator (10) .

7. A bucket according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the screen (30) is vibrated by means of at least one eccentric device (24) .

8. A bucket according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by a spray-fitted water pipe (51) which is mounted, preferably detachably, over the disintegrator (10) parallel with the disintegrator axle, and which functions to wash material agitated or stirred by the disintegrator.

9. A bucket according to any an one of the preceding claims, characterized by a cover element (50) removably placed over the screen.

10. A bucket according to any one of claims 1-7, charac¬ terized by an elongated screw-like device (60) which ex- tends transversally to the feed direction of the bucket and follows a gap formed in the bottom of the bucket by the emptying flap (40) wherein said device is rotated by motors (21) , preferably hydraulically motors, so as to spread or scatter material, such as sand, from the bucket.