CA2538970A1 - Ice scraper blade assembly - Google Patents
Ice scraper blade assembly Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CA2538970A1 CA2538970A1 CA002538970A CA2538970A CA2538970A1 CA 2538970 A1 CA2538970 A1 CA 2538970A1 CA 002538970 A CA002538970 A CA 002538970A CA 2538970 A CA2538970 A CA 2538970A CA 2538970 A1 CA2538970 A1 CA 2538970A1
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- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- bottom wall
- blade
- assembly according
- ice
- recess
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25C—PRODUCING, WORKING OR HANDLING ICE
- F25C5/00—Working or handling ice
- F25C5/02—Apparatus for disintegrating, removing or harvesting ice
- F25C5/04—Apparatus for disintegrating, removing or harvesting ice without the use of saws
- F25C5/043—Tools, e.g. ice picks, ice crushers, ice shavers
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- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E01—CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS, RAILWAYS, OR BRIDGES
- E01H—STREET CLEANING; CLEANING OF PERMANENT WAYS; CLEANING BEACHES; DISPERSING OR PREVENTING FOG IN GENERAL CLEANING STREET OR RAILWAY FURNITURE OR TUNNEL WALLS
- E01H4/00—Working on surfaces of snow or ice in order to make them suitable for traffic or sporting purposes, e.g. by compacting snow
- E01H4/02—Working on surfaces of snow or ice in order to make them suitable for traffic or sporting purposes, e.g. by compacting snow for sporting purposes, e.g. preparation of ski trails; Construction of artificial surfacings for snow or ice sports ; Trails specially adapted for on-the-snow vehicles, e.g. devices adapted for ski-trails
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- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E01—CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS, RAILWAYS, OR BRIDGES
- E01H—STREET CLEANING; CLEANING OF PERMANENT WAYS; CLEANING BEACHES; DISPERSING OR PREVENTING FOG IN GENERAL CLEANING STREET OR RAILWAY FURNITURE OR TUNNEL WALLS
- E01H4/00—Working on surfaces of snow or ice in order to make them suitable for traffic or sporting purposes, e.g. by compacting snow
- E01H4/02—Working on surfaces of snow or ice in order to make them suitable for traffic or sporting purposes, e.g. by compacting snow for sporting purposes, e.g. preparation of ski trails; Construction of artificial surfacings for snow or ice sports ; Trails specially adapted for on-the-snow vehicles, e.g. devices adapted for ski-trails
- E01H4/023—Maintaining surfaces for ice sports, e.g. of skating rinks
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Architecture (AREA)
- Civil Engineering (AREA)
- Structural Engineering (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Thermal Sciences (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Cleaning In General (AREA)
Abstract
An ice scraper blade for cleaning and levelling ice with ice scraping equipment includes a beam having a bottom wall and front and rear upright walls extending upwardly from opposing edge of the bottom wall in a U-shaped cross section. A blade with a bevelled scraping edge is secured beneath the bottom wall of the beam in alignment below an attachment mechanism for securing the assembly to the ice scraping equipment. The beam is hollow with an open top end and a plurality of structural webs spanning between front and rear sides of the beam at spaced positions therealong so that the beam can be clamped onto the ice scraping equipment without substantial distortion thereof. The walls of the beam and the structural webs are integrally cast of metal to minimize thermal deflection resulting from changing environments between the manufacturing of the beam and the use of the beam on an ice surface. In some embodiments a clamp bar clamps the blade between the clamp bar and the bottom wall of the beam to secure the blade to the beam.
Description
ICE SCRAPER BLADE ASSEMBLY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a blade assembly for ice cleaning and levelling equipment, and more particularly relates to a blade assembly for scraping ice for sporting events.
BACKGROUND
In various sports that are played on an ice surface, it is important to maintain a level surface to avoid interference with the play of a game. This is particularly important in the game of curling, since any irregularity in the ice surface will cause unwanted movement of a rock across the ice sheet, or an inhibition of such movement when it is desired. To ensure surface regularity, the ice is periodically scraped with a blade. The blade edge must be perfectly linear to ensure the desired flat ice surface.
The prior art scraper blades have been configured with a main box beam support on which the blade is mounted. A significant problem with this arrangement is the thermal deformation of the box beam when the scraper is placed on the ice surface.
Furthermore, the existing blade is a five foot long tool steel plate, induction hardened on the base adjacent the cutting edge. A complete blade assembly is adjusted to provide as close to a linear edge as possible before shipping.
When a blade is worn and needs sharpening, the entire blade assembly is removed from the scraper and shipped back to the supplier for sharpening and adjustment.
When the blades are mounted and adjusted at the depot, the local temperature is generally room temperature. When put to use, the ambient temperature is generally near freezing, placing thermal stresses on the assembly, leading to non-linearity and uneven scraping. The blades are heavy and difficult to ship. Both quality and cost could benefit from an improved design.
SUMMARY
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided an ice scraper blade assembly for being supported on ice scraping equipment for movement in a forward working direction across a sheet of ice, the assembly comprising:
a beam having a bottom wall and at least one upright wall extending upwardly from the bottom wall, the beam being elongate in a lateral direction which is transverse to the forward working direction;
an attachment mechanism on said at least one upright wall for securing the beam to the ice scraping equipment;
a blade comprising an elongate plate with a bevelled scraping edge for being secured beneath the bottom wall of the beam; and fasteners securing the blade to extend along the bottom wall of the beam in alignment below the attachment mechanism;
the bottom wall and said at least one upright wall of the beam being integrally formed of cast metal.
By providing a blade which is secured beneath the bottom wall of a cast beam, in alignment below the attachment mechanism which secures the assembly to the ice scraping equipment, the beam is not subjected to any significant twisting or bending forces as compared to cantilevered mountings of the blade as found in the prior art.
The metal beam of uniform, massive cross section is a solid metal bar, formed, for example by casting or extrusion. The currently preferred beam is cast iron. A beam of this configuration is not subject to significant thermal warping or bending, so that complete assembling and final adjustment of the blade assembly before shipping is not required. Instead, the beam may be a permanent part of the scraper, and blades can be replaced in the field. This limits shipping and handling to the smaller, much lighter weight blades rather than the complete blade assembly.
The beam preferably comprises a hollow beam having a front wall, a rear wall and an open top side and a generally U-shaped cross section. In some embodiments, the two upright walls may be sloped upwardly and inwardly towards one another.
A plurality of structural webs may span between the opposed front and rear walls at evenly spaced positions in the lateral direction with each web being perpendicular to the lateral direction for added strength and rigidity.
A clamping member may be provided for securing the beam to the ice scraping equipment, said clamping member being arranged to clamp the beam between respective front and rear sides thereof.
When the clamping member is arranged to clamp the beam at plural spaced clamping locations, the structural webs are preferably located at each clamping location.
The attachment mechanism may comprise a protrusion locating a recessed dimple at a free end thereof at both front and rear sides of the beam at each clamping location. The attachment mechanism is preferably arranged to align the beam with the ice scraping equipment.
The open top side of the beam preferably defines a plurality of receptacles for receiving adjustable weights therein.
The walls and the structural webs of the beam are preferably integrally formed of cast metal in a single casting operation.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a blade assembly for ice cleaning and levelling equipment, and more particularly relates to a blade assembly for scraping ice for sporting events.
BACKGROUND
In various sports that are played on an ice surface, it is important to maintain a level surface to avoid interference with the play of a game. This is particularly important in the game of curling, since any irregularity in the ice surface will cause unwanted movement of a rock across the ice sheet, or an inhibition of such movement when it is desired. To ensure surface regularity, the ice is periodically scraped with a blade. The blade edge must be perfectly linear to ensure the desired flat ice surface.
The prior art scraper blades have been configured with a main box beam support on which the blade is mounted. A significant problem with this arrangement is the thermal deformation of the box beam when the scraper is placed on the ice surface.
Furthermore, the existing blade is a five foot long tool steel plate, induction hardened on the base adjacent the cutting edge. A complete blade assembly is adjusted to provide as close to a linear edge as possible before shipping.
When a blade is worn and needs sharpening, the entire blade assembly is removed from the scraper and shipped back to the supplier for sharpening and adjustment.
When the blades are mounted and adjusted at the depot, the local temperature is generally room temperature. When put to use, the ambient temperature is generally near freezing, placing thermal stresses on the assembly, leading to non-linearity and uneven scraping. The blades are heavy and difficult to ship. Both quality and cost could benefit from an improved design.
SUMMARY
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided an ice scraper blade assembly for being supported on ice scraping equipment for movement in a forward working direction across a sheet of ice, the assembly comprising:
a beam having a bottom wall and at least one upright wall extending upwardly from the bottom wall, the beam being elongate in a lateral direction which is transverse to the forward working direction;
an attachment mechanism on said at least one upright wall for securing the beam to the ice scraping equipment;
a blade comprising an elongate plate with a bevelled scraping edge for being secured beneath the bottom wall of the beam; and fasteners securing the blade to extend along the bottom wall of the beam in alignment below the attachment mechanism;
the bottom wall and said at least one upright wall of the beam being integrally formed of cast metal.
By providing a blade which is secured beneath the bottom wall of a cast beam, in alignment below the attachment mechanism which secures the assembly to the ice scraping equipment, the beam is not subjected to any significant twisting or bending forces as compared to cantilevered mountings of the blade as found in the prior art.
The metal beam of uniform, massive cross section is a solid metal bar, formed, for example by casting or extrusion. The currently preferred beam is cast iron. A beam of this configuration is not subject to significant thermal warping or bending, so that complete assembling and final adjustment of the blade assembly before shipping is not required. Instead, the beam may be a permanent part of the scraper, and blades can be replaced in the field. This limits shipping and handling to the smaller, much lighter weight blades rather than the complete blade assembly.
The beam preferably comprises a hollow beam having a front wall, a rear wall and an open top side and a generally U-shaped cross section. In some embodiments, the two upright walls may be sloped upwardly and inwardly towards one another.
A plurality of structural webs may span between the opposed front and rear walls at evenly spaced positions in the lateral direction with each web being perpendicular to the lateral direction for added strength and rigidity.
A clamping member may be provided for securing the beam to the ice scraping equipment, said clamping member being arranged to clamp the beam between respective front and rear sides thereof.
When the clamping member is arranged to clamp the beam at plural spaced clamping locations, the structural webs are preferably located at each clamping location.
The attachment mechanism may comprise a protrusion locating a recessed dimple at a free end thereof at both front and rear sides of the beam at each clamping location. The attachment mechanism is preferably arranged to align the beam with the ice scraping equipment.
The open top side of the beam preferably defines a plurality of receptacles for receiving adjustable weights therein.
The walls and the structural webs of the beam are preferably integrally formed of cast metal in a single casting operation.
There may be provided a recess formed in an underside of the bottom wall having a surface portion which is sloped downwardly in the forward working direction for supporting the blade against the surface portion of the recess to be sloped downwardly in the forward working direction.
There may be provided a clamp bar which is elongate in the lateral direction and which is received in the recess in the bottom wall, the blade being clamped between the clamp bar and the bottom wall in the recess and the fasteners being secured between the bottom wall and the clamp bar.
Preferably the clamp bar is fully received within the recess so as to be substantially flush with a bottom of the beam.
The recess may include both a surface portion sloped downwardly and forwardly and a surface portion sloped downwardly and rearwardly. In this instance there may be provided two blades received within the recess abutted against respective ones of the surface portions of the recess to extend downwardly and outwardly in respective opposing directions.
In one embodiment, the bottom wall is flat and the blade may be secured to the flat bottom wall in a generally horizontal orientation in which the fasteners are secured directly between the bottom wall and the blade.
Some embodiments of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the blade assembly.
Figure 2 is a top plan view of the blade assembly according to Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a sectional view along the line 3-3 of Figure2.
There may be provided a clamp bar which is elongate in the lateral direction and which is received in the recess in the bottom wall, the blade being clamped between the clamp bar and the bottom wall in the recess and the fasteners being secured between the bottom wall and the clamp bar.
Preferably the clamp bar is fully received within the recess so as to be substantially flush with a bottom of the beam.
The recess may include both a surface portion sloped downwardly and forwardly and a surface portion sloped downwardly and rearwardly. In this instance there may be provided two blades received within the recess abutted against respective ones of the surface portions of the recess to extend downwardly and outwardly in respective opposing directions.
In one embodiment, the bottom wall is flat and the blade may be secured to the flat bottom wall in a generally horizontal orientation in which the fasteners are secured directly between the bottom wall and the blade.
Some embodiments of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the blade assembly.
Figure 2 is a top plan view of the blade assembly according to Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a sectional view along the line 3-3 of Figure2.
Figures 4, 5 and 6 are sectional views of further embodiments of the blade assembly.
In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to the accompanying drawings, there is illustrated a blade assembly generally indicated by reference numeral 10. The blade assembly 10 is particularly suited for being supported on ice scraping equipment for cleaning and levelling ice in various sports for example. Though various embodiments are shown in the accompanying figures, the common features of each will first be described herein.
The blade assembly 10 includes a horizontal beam 12 which is elongate in a lateral direction between opposed ends of the beam. The beam includes elongate front and rear sides extending in the lateral direction.
The beam 12 in cross section includes a bottom wall 14 which extends in the lateral direction, a front upright wall 16 which extends upwardly from the bottom wall at the front side and a rear upright wall 18 which extends upwardly from the rear side of the flat bottom wall. Each of the front and rear upright walls have an inner surface which is oriented generally perpendicular to the bottom wall to be generally U-shaped in cross section with the bottom wall. The walls of the beam thus define a hollow beam having an open top side 20.
A plurality of structural webs 22 span from the front upright wall to the rear upright wall and are joined to the bottom wall so as to be oriented perpendicularly to the lateral direction. The structural webs 22 are provided at both of the ends of the beam to enclose the ends, and at a plurality of even spaced positions between the ends so as to be spaced from one another in the lateral direction.
In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to the accompanying drawings, there is illustrated a blade assembly generally indicated by reference numeral 10. The blade assembly 10 is particularly suited for being supported on ice scraping equipment for cleaning and levelling ice in various sports for example. Though various embodiments are shown in the accompanying figures, the common features of each will first be described herein.
The blade assembly 10 includes a horizontal beam 12 which is elongate in a lateral direction between opposed ends of the beam. The beam includes elongate front and rear sides extending in the lateral direction.
The beam 12 in cross section includes a bottom wall 14 which extends in the lateral direction, a front upright wall 16 which extends upwardly from the bottom wall at the front side and a rear upright wall 18 which extends upwardly from the rear side of the flat bottom wall. Each of the front and rear upright walls have an inner surface which is oriented generally perpendicular to the bottom wall to be generally U-shaped in cross section with the bottom wall. The walls of the beam thus define a hollow beam having an open top side 20.
A plurality of structural webs 22 span from the front upright wall to the rear upright wall and are joined to the bottom wall so as to be oriented perpendicularly to the lateral direction. The structural webs 22 are provided at both of the ends of the beam to enclose the ends, and at a plurality of even spaced positions between the ends so as to be spaced from one another in the lateral direction.
A blade 24 is mounted in abutment against the bottom wall at the bottom side of the beam. The blade 24 is also elongate in the lateral direction, extending a full length of the beam 12. The blade 24 comprises a flat plate of hard steel having a bevelled scraping edge 26 along one or both of the edges of the blade. By providing bevelled scraping edges on both front and rear sides, the blade is reversible when one of the edges becomes dull or damaged for instance.
The blade 24 is secured to the bottom wall by a plurality of threaded fasteners 28 which are inserted through the bottom wall 14 of the beam. Each of the fasteners 28 is inserted from a top side of the beam so that a bolt head of the fastener is located on top of the bottom wall within the interior of the beam while a threaded end of the fastener 28 terminates below the beam. The fasteners 28 are spaced apart at even spacing in the lateral direction. The blade 24 is mounted such that a free forward end of the blade is substantially directly vertically below the attachment mechanism which secures the beam to the ice scraping equipment so as to reduce any bending forces applied to the blade at the free end.
The ice scraping equipment has a hitch 32 upon which the blade assembly is supported. A clamp member 34 is provided at the free end of the hitch arm 32 which serves to clamp overtop of the top side of the beam 12. The clamp member is formed of an angle iron including a rear flange 36 for abutment against the rear upright wall 18 of the beam and a top flange 38 spanning forwardly from a top end of the rear flange 36 to span horizontally across the top of the beam.
Each of the top and rear flanges comprises a rigid plate which is elongate in the lateral direction.
Two depending flanges 36 extend downwardly from the front free end of the top flange 38 to define a pair of clamping locations serving to clamp the beam between each depending flange 40 and the rear flange 36.
The blade 24 is secured to the bottom wall by a plurality of threaded fasteners 28 which are inserted through the bottom wall 14 of the beam. Each of the fasteners 28 is inserted from a top side of the beam so that a bolt head of the fastener is located on top of the bottom wall within the interior of the beam while a threaded end of the fastener 28 terminates below the beam. The fasteners 28 are spaced apart at even spacing in the lateral direction. The blade 24 is mounted such that a free forward end of the blade is substantially directly vertically below the attachment mechanism which secures the beam to the ice scraping equipment so as to reduce any bending forces applied to the blade at the free end.
The ice scraping equipment has a hitch 32 upon which the blade assembly is supported. A clamp member 34 is provided at the free end of the hitch arm 32 which serves to clamp overtop of the top side of the beam 12. The clamp member is formed of an angle iron including a rear flange 36 for abutment against the rear upright wall 18 of the beam and a top flange 38 spanning forwardly from a top end of the rear flange 36 to span horizontally across the top of the beam.
Each of the top and rear flanges comprises a rigid plate which is elongate in the lateral direction.
Two depending flanges 36 extend downwardly from the front free end of the top flange 38 to define a pair of clamping locations serving to clamp the beam between each depending flange 40 and the rear flange 36.
The depending flanges 40 are spaced from the rear flange for suitably receiving the width of the beam 12 therebetween. A threaded aperture is formed in each of the depending flanges 40 for receiving a wing bolt 42 threadably therein so that the action of rotating the wing bolt to threadably advance the wing bolt into the aperture in the depending flange serves to clamp the beam between the rear flange 36 and the free ends of the wing bolts projecting through the flanges.
An alignment mechanism is provided on the front upright wall 16 to align the beam with the wing bolts 42 of the clamping member 34. The alignment mechanism comprises a recess, a socket or a dimple 44 which is near in size to the diameter of the threaded portion of the wing bolt for receiving the wing bolt therein.
Spacing of the dimples 44 on the upright wall 16 is accordingly the same as the spacing between the wing bolts 42 in the depending flanges of the clamping member to serve to align the beam 12 with respect to the clamping member which supports the beam in alignment with the ice scraping equipment.
A pair of protrusions 46 are provided on the rear upright wall 18 opposite the dimples 44 so that rear flange of the clamping member cannot be abutted directly against the rear upright wall 18 which might otherwise cause some distortion to the beam.
In order to provide reversibility of the entire blade assembly without requiring the blade to be detached from the beam, a dimple 44 is provided at the free end of the protrusion 46 at the rear upright wall while the dimple 44 in the front upright wall is located in a similar protrusion 46 spaced forwardly from the front upright wall.
Regardless of the orientation of the beam therefore, the wing bolts will engage respective dimples in one upright wall of the beam wile the protrusions on the opposing upright wall maintain the rear flange spaced from the respective upright wall.
An alignment mechanism is provided on the front upright wall 16 to align the beam with the wing bolts 42 of the clamping member 34. The alignment mechanism comprises a recess, a socket or a dimple 44 which is near in size to the diameter of the threaded portion of the wing bolt for receiving the wing bolt therein.
Spacing of the dimples 44 on the upright wall 16 is accordingly the same as the spacing between the wing bolts 42 in the depending flanges of the clamping member to serve to align the beam 12 with respect to the clamping member which supports the beam in alignment with the ice scraping equipment.
A pair of protrusions 46 are provided on the rear upright wall 18 opposite the dimples 44 so that rear flange of the clamping member cannot be abutted directly against the rear upright wall 18 which might otherwise cause some distortion to the beam.
In order to provide reversibility of the entire blade assembly without requiring the blade to be detached from the beam, a dimple 44 is provided at the free end of the protrusion 46 at the rear upright wall while the dimple 44 in the front upright wall is located in a similar protrusion 46 spaced forwardly from the front upright wall.
Regardless of the orientation of the beam therefore, the wing bolts will engage respective dimples in one upright wall of the beam wile the protrusions on the opposing upright wall maintain the rear flange spaced from the respective upright wall.
To further strengthen the beam and to prevent distortion thereof when clamped, one of the structural webs 22 is provided at each clamping location defined by the protrusions 44 and dimples 46 so that a web 22 resulting spans between each pair of protrusions 46.
The resulting structure of the beam 12 having upright walls enclosed by webs at the ends of the beam, defines a plurality of receptacles 48 having open top ends which receive weights therein of various adjustable sizes in use to control the downward pressure being applied to the blade of the ice scraping equipment.
The design of the beam including upright walls and structural webs spanning therebetween ensures a strong structural beam which resists deformation when clamped onto ice scraping equipment which accordingly causes minimum distortion of the blade supported on the beam.
The open top design of the beam provides easy access to the fasteners 28 for removing the blade for sharpening when desired while also defining a structure which can be easily cast of iron or steel in which all of the walls and the structural webs can be integrally cast together in a single casting operation. Iron or steel are preferred cast materials due to the minimum thermal deflection which occurs when placed in a chilled rink environment, however any other suitable metal having similar characteristics could be used.
Turning now more particularly to Figures 1 through 3, in the first embodiment, the bottom wall 14 is flat and is oriented generally horizontally.
Each of the front and rear upright walls are oriented perpendicular to the flat bottom wall so as to be oriented parallel to one another. The beam thus has a rectangular cross section with the top side 20 being open. The blade 24 comprises a flat plate which is mounted to be flush and parallel against the bottom wall of the beam. The blade has bevelled scraping edges 26 along both the front and rear edges of the blade in which each of the bevelled scraping edges is inclined downwardly and outwardly from the respective edge. The blade 24 is secured to the bottom wall by a plurality of threaded fasteners 28 which are inserted through the bottom wall 14 of the beam and directly into the top side of the blade 24. Each of the fasteners 28 aligns with a respective threaded aperture 30 formed through the blade so that a bolt head of the fastener is located on top of the bottom wall within the interior of the beam while a threaded end of the fastener 28 terminates inside the blade body.
Turning now to the embodiments of the blade assembly 10 as illustrated in Figures 4 though 6, in each instance, the bottom wall 14 of the beam 12 includes a recess 50 formed in the underside thereof and which receives the blade 24 beneath the beam. A front portion 52 of the surface of the recess 50 is sloped to extend downwardly and forwardly from a central portion 54 towards the front side of the beam. The recess 50 is deepest at the central portion 54 and locates the fasteners 28 at spaced positions in the lateral direction along the central portion of the recess.
The recess 50 also includes a rear portion 56 of the surface which is sloped downwardly and rearwardly from the central portion 54 to the rear side of the beam.
A clamp bar 58 is provided for being received within the recess 50, and accordingly a top surface 60 of the clamp bar has a mating cross section with the internal surface 52, 54 and 56 of the recess 50. Both the recess 50 and the clamp bar 58 extend in the lateral direction a full length of the beam 12. The height of the clamp bar 58 in a vertical direction is slightly less than the depth of the recess 50 so that the clamp bar can be fully received within the recess, flush with the lowermost point of the beam at the front side thereof even when the blade is clamped between the clamp bar and the bottom wall of the beam within the recess.
The top surface 60 of the clamp bar 58 slopes downwardly and forwardly along a front side and downwardly and rearwardly along a rear side at an incline which matches the corresponding sloped portions of the surface of the recess 50 so that a flat blade can be readily clamped between the mating inclined surfaces of the recess 50 and the clamp bar 58.
In each embodiment of Figures 4 through 6, the fasteners 28 are inserted through the open top side of the beam through respective apertures in the bottom wall of the beam to terminate at a threaded end of the fastener within mating threaded apertures 62 at spaced positions along the length of the clamp bar 58. In alternative embodiments, the fasteners may be received through the bottom side of the clamp bar and threaded into the bottom wall of the beam instead.
By tightening the threaded fasteners, which are threadably engaged within the clamp bar 58 in the illustrated embodiments, the clamp bar is urged upwardly against the underside of the bottom wall of the beam for clamping the blades therebetween. A blade 24 at the front side of the beam is mounted flat against the corresponding inclined surfaces in the recess 50 and clamp bar 58 so as to be oriented to be sloped downwardly and outwardly in the forward direction. The blade 24 supported at the front side of the beam is positioned ahead of the fasteners 28 in the forward working direction so that no apertures are required to be formed in the blade and the blade can accordingly be formed of a much harder steel or other denser materials.
Both of the opposed edges 26 of the blade at the front side of the beam are bevelled such that in the mounted position the forward free end 64 of the blade 24 lies generally horizontally slightly below the bottom end of the beam. The free end 64 does not project forwardly a significant amount beyond the front side of the beam so that the forward free end 64 of the blade is supported in the mounted position in substantially direct vertical alignment below the attachment mechanism on the front side of the beam. The dimension of the blade between the opposed bevelled edges 26 thereof is approximately equal to the distance between the fasteners 28 and the front side of the beam.
Turning now more particularly to the embodiment of Figure 4, the upright walls 16 and 18 of the beam are shown in a substantial vertical orientation with a slight upward taper for ease of releasing the beam from a casting mold. In this embodiment only a single blade 24 is provided at a front side of the beam ahead of the fasteners such that a portion of the clamp bar 58 towards a rear of the beam remains at a downward and outward incline but has an increased thickness as compared to a forward portion of the clamp bar which is clamped against the blade 24. In this arrangement a bottom wall of the clamp bar remains substantially horizontal in use with the thickness of the clamp bar at the rear engaging a rear portion of the recess 50 beam being approximately the same as the combined thickness of the blade and the forward portion of the clamp bar engaging the forward portion of the recess 50.
Turning now to the embodiment of Figure 5, a pair of blades 24 may be provided at respective front and rear sides of the beam by configuring the clamp bar 58 to be symmetrical about a vertical plane extending in the lateral direction with the beam. Both the forward and rearward portions of the top surface of the clamp bar 58 and the surface of the recess 50 are accordingly sloped downwardly and outwardly from the central portion 54 locating the fasteners therein at substantially the same I I
The resulting structure of the beam 12 having upright walls enclosed by webs at the ends of the beam, defines a plurality of receptacles 48 having open top ends which receive weights therein of various adjustable sizes in use to control the downward pressure being applied to the blade of the ice scraping equipment.
The design of the beam including upright walls and structural webs spanning therebetween ensures a strong structural beam which resists deformation when clamped onto ice scraping equipment which accordingly causes minimum distortion of the blade supported on the beam.
The open top design of the beam provides easy access to the fasteners 28 for removing the blade for sharpening when desired while also defining a structure which can be easily cast of iron or steel in which all of the walls and the structural webs can be integrally cast together in a single casting operation. Iron or steel are preferred cast materials due to the minimum thermal deflection which occurs when placed in a chilled rink environment, however any other suitable metal having similar characteristics could be used.
Turning now more particularly to Figures 1 through 3, in the first embodiment, the bottom wall 14 is flat and is oriented generally horizontally.
Each of the front and rear upright walls are oriented perpendicular to the flat bottom wall so as to be oriented parallel to one another. The beam thus has a rectangular cross section with the top side 20 being open. The blade 24 comprises a flat plate which is mounted to be flush and parallel against the bottom wall of the beam. The blade has bevelled scraping edges 26 along both the front and rear edges of the blade in which each of the bevelled scraping edges is inclined downwardly and outwardly from the respective edge. The blade 24 is secured to the bottom wall by a plurality of threaded fasteners 28 which are inserted through the bottom wall 14 of the beam and directly into the top side of the blade 24. Each of the fasteners 28 aligns with a respective threaded aperture 30 formed through the blade so that a bolt head of the fastener is located on top of the bottom wall within the interior of the beam while a threaded end of the fastener 28 terminates inside the blade body.
Turning now to the embodiments of the blade assembly 10 as illustrated in Figures 4 though 6, in each instance, the bottom wall 14 of the beam 12 includes a recess 50 formed in the underside thereof and which receives the blade 24 beneath the beam. A front portion 52 of the surface of the recess 50 is sloped to extend downwardly and forwardly from a central portion 54 towards the front side of the beam. The recess 50 is deepest at the central portion 54 and locates the fasteners 28 at spaced positions in the lateral direction along the central portion of the recess.
The recess 50 also includes a rear portion 56 of the surface which is sloped downwardly and rearwardly from the central portion 54 to the rear side of the beam.
A clamp bar 58 is provided for being received within the recess 50, and accordingly a top surface 60 of the clamp bar has a mating cross section with the internal surface 52, 54 and 56 of the recess 50. Both the recess 50 and the clamp bar 58 extend in the lateral direction a full length of the beam 12. The height of the clamp bar 58 in a vertical direction is slightly less than the depth of the recess 50 so that the clamp bar can be fully received within the recess, flush with the lowermost point of the beam at the front side thereof even when the blade is clamped between the clamp bar and the bottom wall of the beam within the recess.
The top surface 60 of the clamp bar 58 slopes downwardly and forwardly along a front side and downwardly and rearwardly along a rear side at an incline which matches the corresponding sloped portions of the surface of the recess 50 so that a flat blade can be readily clamped between the mating inclined surfaces of the recess 50 and the clamp bar 58.
In each embodiment of Figures 4 through 6, the fasteners 28 are inserted through the open top side of the beam through respective apertures in the bottom wall of the beam to terminate at a threaded end of the fastener within mating threaded apertures 62 at spaced positions along the length of the clamp bar 58. In alternative embodiments, the fasteners may be received through the bottom side of the clamp bar and threaded into the bottom wall of the beam instead.
By tightening the threaded fasteners, which are threadably engaged within the clamp bar 58 in the illustrated embodiments, the clamp bar is urged upwardly against the underside of the bottom wall of the beam for clamping the blades therebetween. A blade 24 at the front side of the beam is mounted flat against the corresponding inclined surfaces in the recess 50 and clamp bar 58 so as to be oriented to be sloped downwardly and outwardly in the forward direction. The blade 24 supported at the front side of the beam is positioned ahead of the fasteners 28 in the forward working direction so that no apertures are required to be formed in the blade and the blade can accordingly be formed of a much harder steel or other denser materials.
Both of the opposed edges 26 of the blade at the front side of the beam are bevelled such that in the mounted position the forward free end 64 of the blade 24 lies generally horizontally slightly below the bottom end of the beam. The free end 64 does not project forwardly a significant amount beyond the front side of the beam so that the forward free end 64 of the blade is supported in the mounted position in substantially direct vertical alignment below the attachment mechanism on the front side of the beam. The dimension of the blade between the opposed bevelled edges 26 thereof is approximately equal to the distance between the fasteners 28 and the front side of the beam.
Turning now more particularly to the embodiment of Figure 4, the upright walls 16 and 18 of the beam are shown in a substantial vertical orientation with a slight upward taper for ease of releasing the beam from a casting mold. In this embodiment only a single blade 24 is provided at a front side of the beam ahead of the fasteners such that a portion of the clamp bar 58 towards a rear of the beam remains at a downward and outward incline but has an increased thickness as compared to a forward portion of the clamp bar which is clamped against the blade 24. In this arrangement a bottom wall of the clamp bar remains substantially horizontal in use with the thickness of the clamp bar at the rear engaging a rear portion of the recess 50 beam being approximately the same as the combined thickness of the blade and the forward portion of the clamp bar engaging the forward portion of the recess 50.
Turning now to the embodiment of Figure 5, a pair of blades 24 may be provided at respective front and rear sides of the beam by configuring the clamp bar 58 to be symmetrical about a vertical plane extending in the lateral direction with the beam. Both the forward and rearward portions of the top surface of the clamp bar 58 and the surface of the recess 50 are accordingly sloped downwardly and outwardly from the central portion 54 locating the fasteners therein at substantially the same I I
incline. Thickness of the clamp bar 58 at the forward and reward portions is also substantially identical to accommodate for the thickness of a blade clamped between the clamp bar and the surface of the recess both forwardly and rearwardly of the fasteners. In this configuration the outer free end 64 of the blade24 at the rear side is positioned substantially in direct vertical alignment below the attachment mechanism on the rear upright wall of the beam so as to be symmetrical with the blade at the forward portion.
Turning now to Figure 6 a further embodiment of the beam is shown in which the recess and clamp bar are configured substantially identical to the previous embodiment, yet the upright walls 16 and 18 at the front and rear sides respectively of the beam are instead sloped at an incline to extend upwardly and inwardly towards one another towards the open top end of the beam. The internal surface of the bottom wall and uprights walls remains generally U-shaped in configuration with a gap being provided between the top ends of the rear and front upright walls respectively.
While some embodiments of the present invention have been described in the foregoing, it is to be understood that other embodiments are possible within the scope of the invention. It is to be understood that the invention is applicable to manual or power operated scrapers and ice scraping equipment, including those for sheets of ice for curling and the like activities and those for larger skating rinks for recreational and figure skating and ice sports, for example hockey. Since these various applications may involve the use of a variety of scraper devices requiring differing embodiments of the invention, the invention is to be considered limited solely by the scope of the appended claims.
Turning now to Figure 6 a further embodiment of the beam is shown in which the recess and clamp bar are configured substantially identical to the previous embodiment, yet the upright walls 16 and 18 at the front and rear sides respectively of the beam are instead sloped at an incline to extend upwardly and inwardly towards one another towards the open top end of the beam. The internal surface of the bottom wall and uprights walls remains generally U-shaped in configuration with a gap being provided between the top ends of the rear and front upright walls respectively.
While some embodiments of the present invention have been described in the foregoing, it is to be understood that other embodiments are possible within the scope of the invention. It is to be understood that the invention is applicable to manual or power operated scrapers and ice scraping equipment, including those for sheets of ice for curling and the like activities and those for larger skating rinks for recreational and figure skating and ice sports, for example hockey. Since these various applications may involve the use of a variety of scraper devices requiring differing embodiments of the invention, the invention is to be considered limited solely by the scope of the appended claims.
Claims (19)
1. ~An ice scraper blade assembly for being supported on ice scraping equipment for movement in a forward working direction across a sheet of ice, the assembly comprising:
a beam having a bottom wall and at least one upright wall extending upwardly from the bottom wall, the beam being elongate in a lateral direction which is transverse to the forward working direction;
an attachment mechanism on said at least one upright wall for securing the beam to the ice scraping equipment;
a blade comprising an elongate plate with a bevelled scraping edge for being secured beneath the bottom wall of the beam; and fasteners securing the blade to extend along the bottom wall of the beam in alignment below the attachment mechanism;
the bottom wall and said at least one upright wall of the beam being integrally formed of cast metal.
a beam having a bottom wall and at least one upright wall extending upwardly from the bottom wall, the beam being elongate in a lateral direction which is transverse to the forward working direction;
an attachment mechanism on said at least one upright wall for securing the beam to the ice scraping equipment;
a blade comprising an elongate plate with a bevelled scraping edge for being secured beneath the bottom wall of the beam; and fasteners securing the blade to extend along the bottom wall of the beam in alignment below the attachment mechanism;
the bottom wall and said at least one upright wall of the beam being integrally formed of cast metal.
2. ~The assembly according to Claim 1 wherein the beam comprises a hollow beam having an open top side.
3. ~The assembly according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein the beam is generally U-shaped in cross section.
4. ~The assembly according to any one of claims 1 through 3 wherein said at least one upright wall comprises a front wall and a rear wall and an open top end spanning therebetween.
5. ~The assembly according to any one of claims 1 through 4 wherein said at least one upright wall comprises a pair of opposed walls and wherein there is provided a plurality of structural webs spanning between the opposed walls.
6. ~The assembly according to Claim 5 wherein the beam is elongate in a lateral direction and wherein the structural webs are evenly spaced apart in the lateral direction and are oriented generally perpendicularly to the lateral direction.
7. ~The assembly according to any one of claims 1 through 6 wherein there is provided a clamping member for securing the beam to the ice scraping equipment, said clamping member being arranged to clamp the beam between respective front and rear sides thereof.
8. ~The assembly according to Claim 1 wherein the clamping member is arranged to clamp the beam at plural spaced clamping locations and wherein the beam includes a structural web spanning between front and rear sides of the beam at each clamping location.
9. ~The assembly according to Claim 8 wherein the attachment mechanism comprises a protrusion at a rear side of the beam and recessed dimple at a front side of the beam at each clamping location.
10. ~The assembly according to Claim 9 wherein there is provided a protrusion locating a recessed dimple at a free end thereof at both front and rear sides of the beam at each clamping location.
11.~The assembly according to any one of claims 1 through 10 wherein the beam includes an open top side defining a plurality of receptacles for receiving adjustable weights therein.
12. ~The assembly according to any one of claims 1 through 11 wherein said at least one upright wall comprises a pair of opposed walls and wherein there is provided a plurality of structural webs spanning between the opposed walls at spaced positions along the beam, the walls and the structural webs of the beam being integrally formed of cast metal.
13. ~The assembly according to any one of claims 1 through 12 wherein the attachment mechanism is arranged to align the beam with the ice scraping equipment.
14. ~The assembly according to any one of claims 1 through 13 wherein there is provided a recess formed in an underside of the bottom wall having a surface portion which is sloped downwardly in the forward working direction for supporting the blade against the surface portion of the recess to be sloped downwardly in the forward working direction.
15. ~The assembly according to claim 14 wherein there is provided a clamp bar which is elongate in the lateral direction and which is received in the recess in the bottom wall, the blade being clamped between the clamp bar and the bottom wall in the recess and the fasteners being secured between the bottom wall and the clamp bar.
16. ~The assembly according to claim 15 wherein the clamp bar is fully received within the recess so as to be substantially flush with a bottom of the beam.
17. ~The assembly according to any one of claims 14 through 16 wherein the recess includes a surface portion sloped downwardly and forwardly and a surface portion sloped downwardly and rearwardly and wherein there is provided two blades received within the recess abutted against respective ones of the surface portions of the recess to extend downwardly and outwardly in respective opposing directions.
18. ~The assembly according to any one of claims 1 through 17 wherein said at least one upright wall comprises a front upright wall and a rear upright wall extending upwardly from respective front and rear sides of the bottom wall and wherein the two upright walls are sloped upwardly and inwardly towards one another.
19. ~The assembly according to any one of claims 1 through 13 wherein the bottom wall is flat and the blade is secured to the flat bottom wall in a generally horizontal orientation in which the fasteners are secured directly between the bottom wall and the blade.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002538970A CA2538970A1 (en) | 2006-03-03 | 2006-03-03 | Ice scraper blade assembly |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002538970A CA2538970A1 (en) | 2006-03-03 | 2006-03-03 | Ice scraper blade assembly |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2538970A1 true CA2538970A1 (en) | 2007-09-03 |
Family
ID=38468989
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002538970A Abandoned CA2538970A1 (en) | 2006-03-03 | 2006-03-03 | Ice scraper blade assembly |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2538970A1 (en) |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN109060471A (en) * | 2018-07-19 | 2018-12-21 | 江苏科技大学 | A kind of ice sample cutting test device and control method |
| CN112095538A (en) * | 2020-09-17 | 2020-12-18 | 程光南 | Ice surface repairing device |
| CN114703792A (en) * | 2022-03-11 | 2022-07-05 | 山东金宇信息科技集团有限公司 | Road snow melting vehicle |
-
2006
- 2006-03-03 CA CA002538970A patent/CA2538970A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN109060471A (en) * | 2018-07-19 | 2018-12-21 | 江苏科技大学 | A kind of ice sample cutting test device and control method |
| CN109060471B (en) * | 2018-07-19 | 2023-07-25 | 江苏科技大学 | Ice sample cutting test device and control method |
| CN112095538A (en) * | 2020-09-17 | 2020-12-18 | 程光南 | Ice surface repairing device |
| CN114703792A (en) * | 2022-03-11 | 2022-07-05 | 山东金宇信息科技集团有限公司 | Road snow melting vehicle |
| CN114703792B (en) * | 2022-03-11 | 2024-04-30 | 山东金宇信息科技集团有限公司 | Road snow melting vehicle |
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| Date | Code | Title | Description |
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| FZDE | Dead |