AU669017B2

AU669017B2 - Articulating hydraulic rock saw

Info

Publication number: AU669017B2
Application number: AU51946/93A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Samuel Edward Stratti
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1992-11-25
Filing date: 1993-11-25
Publication date: 1996-05-23
Anticipated expiration: 2013-11-25
Also published as: AU5194693A

Description

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VI'

P/00/01i1 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1 990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Articulating Hydraulic Rock Saw

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44 4 44,' *444 4 4 Invention Title: 4 4,4444 444444 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: GH&CO REF: P22689-B:TJS:JM 411/22689-B 2 ARTICULATING HYDRAULIC ROCK SAW The present invention relates to an articulating mounting intended particularly, but not exclusively, to mount a rock saw.

Rock saws, comprising a stone cutting blade mounted to the arm of an excavator or like machine are known for cutting trenches in stone and carrying out other stone cutting work, particularly in the building industry. They usually comprise a mounting at the end of an hydraulic arm which mounts the rock saw blade and also a drive motor for rotating the blade. Conventional rock saw mountings fix the blade to either one widthwise side of the hydraulic arm. The hydraulic arm of conventional excavators usually comprises two arm beams articulated together at a knee-type joint allowing movement of the arms in a substantially vertical plane only, movement in a perpendicular plane thereto being provided by rotation about a vertical axis of the cab which supports the hydraulic a:cm on the tracked excavator body. The rock saw blade is therefore generally fixed to rotate in one vertical plane only. Thus, the number of orientations which the rock saw blade attached to the hydraulic arm is able to take up rplative to the excavator body is severely limited, resulting in difficulty of cutting 25 through rock at any angle other than at a vertical angle.

Further, in order to cut a trench or a desired section of rock using the rock saw, it is necessary to reposition the entire excavator machine in order to make parallel cuts for a trench. Also, some tasks are unable 30 to be achieved with such mounting systems at all and specialised equipment must be used. For example, to cut away a large section of cliff presents difficulties where the excavator must be positioned at the top of the cliff to cut downwards. Further, it is not possible with presently known mounting arrangements to cut horizontally into the cliff wall, or to cut in a horizdrcral plane or any angled plane other than a plane which is vertical with respect to the excavator arm.

a .45' ''a a al *Saa a a. a. a a. a 3 The present invention provides an articulating mounting arrangement for excavator, the arrangement comprising a linkage having a plurality of discrete link brackets pivotally coupled together in sequence for pivotal motion with respect to each other, a first one of the link brackets being arranged to be coupled to an arm of a conventional excavator, a second one of the link brackets being coupled with one end thereof to the first link bracket for pivotal movement about a first axis of rotation, and a third one of the link brackets being coupled with one end thereof to a seconiid end of the second link bracket for pivotal movement about a second axis of rotation, a second end of the third bracket being adapted to mount a powered tool, and means for mechanically fixing the rotation of the first, second and third bracket with respect to each other at predetermined angles such that a working element of the powered tool, when mounted to the third bracket, can be positioned and secured in predetermined ones of a plurality of positions in space.

The present invention, in at least a preferred embodiment, has the advantage that a rock saw can be positioned at any angle, in order to make angular cuts through rocks, for example, and can also be moved from one side of the hydraulic arm to the other, in order to make trenches of any desired width (to a minimum width depending upon the dimensions of the mounting arrangement) without it being necessary to reposition the excavator each time parallel cuts are required for the 30 trench'. Horizontal cuts and cuts of any angle can be made into rock walls.

Preferably, locking pins and corresponding receiving holes in the brackets are provided to enable the mechanical fixing of the brackets at predetermined ones of a plurality of angles.

Preferably, an hydraulic or other type of motor is provided to drive the rock saw and is mounted in a S:22689B 4 cradle in the third bracket.

In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a conventional excavator of the type having a body which mounts a cab supporting an hydraulic excavator arm adapted to be articulated in a substantially vertical plane only, comprising an articulating mounting arrangement in accordance with any one of claims 1 to mounted to a free end of the arm on either one widthwise side thereof and carrying a powered tool on the third bracket.

Features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of an embodiment thereof, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of an articulating mounting arrangement in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 2 is a plan view of the arrangement of figure 1.

The arrangement comprises a first bracket 1 arranged to be mounted to a hydraulic arm of a conventional excavator (the hydraulic arm is indicated by reference numeral 2, schematically in ghost outline).

The articulating mounting arrangement is generally 25 indicated at 3. At the distal end of the arrangement 3, the rock saw blade 4 is mounted, together with hydraulic drive motor 5. The arrangement enables three degrees of freedom of movement of the blade 4.

SIn more detail, the articulating mounting 30 arrangement comprises a second bracket 6 pivotally Q .mounted to bracket 1 by mounting pin 7, which passes through receiving holes 8, 9, 10, 11 in the respective brackets 1 and 6. The second bracket 6 may rotate about o" a first axis A with respect to bracket 1.

The articulating mounting arrangement further comprises a third bracket 15, which mounts the motor and which is pivotally mounted to the second bracket 6 by means of mounting pin 16 passing through holes 17, 18, 19 i' t~ I_ C_ i II 5 and 20 in brackets 15 and 6. This enables motion of bracket 15 about a second axis B with respect to bracket 6.

Axis B is perpendicular to axis A, enabling the saw 4 to be positioned at any desired angle to make any desired cut through rock. With the addition of. the motion of the hydraulic arm, three degrees of freedom of motion for rock cutting are obtained.

In order to enable the attitude of the saw to be fixed at predetermined angles, receiving holes 33 and 34 are provided in bracket 15 (see Fig. 1) and therewith alignable receiving holes 35 are p :vided in bracket 6, with further corresponding holes at opposite sides of the respective brackets not referenced in Figs. 1 and 2, Eor receipt of locking pins (one illustrated at 36 in holes 34, 35 for illustration purposes only in Fig. 2) to lock the attitude of bracket 15 with respect to bracket 6 at predetermined angles, which in the illustrated case provide 900 rotation between locked positions as illustrated in chain lines. In similar fashion, holes 41 are provided in bracket 1, and holes 42, 43 are provided in bracket 6 (with further corresponding holes at opposite sides of the respective brackets, not referenced in the drawings) in order to enable the attitude of the bracket 6 to be fixed relative to the attitude of bracket 1 at predetermined angles by insertion of a pin (not shown) in correspondingly aligned holes in both brackets (again, :n this case, 900 steps) Ghost outlines show the positions where the rock 30 saw may be positioned and fixed to enable the cuts at predetermined angles; the illustrated three positions are exemplary only, as it will be appreciated by the skilled person that a multitude of rotational fixed positions of the brackets 1, 6 and 15 relative to one another can be accomplished by corresponding positioning of receiving holes for the fixing pins.

The rock saw may be replaced in bracket 15 by an auger or by a rock drill for drilling piles. The :22689B

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r -fl _I I I 6 invention is therefore not limited to application with rock saws only.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

I 56 S. S 0S S.ed S 226

Claims

1. An articulating arrangement for excavator, the arrangement comprising a linkage having a plurality of discrete link brackets pivotally coupled together in sequence for pivotal motion with respect to each other, a first one of the link brackets being arranged to be coupled to an arm of a conventional excavator, a second one of the link brackets being coupled with one end thereof to the first link bracket for pivotal movement about a first axis of rotation, and a third one of the link brackets being coupled with one end thereof to a second end of the second link bracket for pivotal movement about a second axis of rotation, a second end of the third bracket being adapted to mount a powered tool, and means for mechanically fixing the rotation of the first, second and third brackets with respect to each other at predetermined angles such that a working element of the powered tool, when mounted to the third bracket, can be positioned and secured in predetermined ones of a plurality of positions in space.

2. An articulating mounting arrangement in accordance with claim i, wherein the means for mechanically fixing the rotation of the brackets with respect to one another comprise locking pins and a 25 plurality of receiving holes in each of the brackets arranged such that receiving holes in adjacent brackets can be brought in alignment to receive one of the locking pins such as to secure the adjacent brackets in a chosen one of said predetermined angles.

3. An articulating mounting arrangement S. according to claims I or 2, wherein the first and the second axis of rotation extend substantially perpendicular S.to one another. S4. An articulating mounting arrangement according to claims 1, 2 or 3, wherein the third bracket is adapted and arranged to mount a motor for driving the powered tool. S:22689B I

8- An articulating mounting arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the powered tool is a rock saw blade. 6. A conventional excavator of the type having a body which mounts a cab supporting an hydraulic excavator arm adapted to be articulated in a substantially vertical plane only, comprising an articulating mounting arrangement in accordance with any one of claims 1 to mounted to a free end of the arm on either one widthwise side thereof and carrying a powered tool on the third bracket. 7. A conventional excavator in accordance with claim 6, wherein the powered tool is a rock saw blade. 8. An articulating mounting arrangement substantially as herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated this 14th day of March 1996 SAMUEL EDWARD STRATTI By their Patent Attorney GRIFFITH HACK CO. S S S. S F ABSTRACT The present invention relates particularly to an articulating mounting for positioning a rock saw for cutting rock, in particular for the building industry. Rock saw mountings are known which enable mounting of a rock saw blade to an hydraulic arm of a conventional excavator. Conventionally, the rock saw is mounted so it is fixed to either one side or other of the hydraulic arm. The angle of the rock saw relative to the hydraulic arm cannot be varied. The present invention provides a mounting which enables three degrees of freedom of motion of the rock saw, to enable it to be fixed at predetermined angles to make predetermined desired angular cuts into rock. The rock saw may be moved from one side of the arm to the other in order to cut trenches without it being necessary to reposition the excavator. I I- C E