EP3202985B1 - Pontoon drive, pontoon transport ship and method for constructing and disassembling pontoon transport ships - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a pontoon drive with a base frame, on which along each of the longitudinal sides a pontoon cruise ship is arranged, which in each case has at least one pontoon body around which at least one endless track is circumferentially guided and driven, according to the preamble of claim 1.
The invention further relates to a pontoon cruise ship according to the preamble of claim 8 and a method for attaching and removing pontoon ships to a pontoon drive according to claim 11. A pontoon drive is known, for example, from the document WO 2005/090103 A1 known. Pontoon drives are used, for example, in so-called dredgers or amphibious excavator machines. The lateral chain or crawler tractors are provided with a pontoon body so that the machine is buoyant overall and does not sink when used on soils with low bearing capacity of 0.1 kg / cm ² and less, such as peat soils. Overall, pontoon drives have a very low ground pressure per square centimeter, which can generally be used very gently on these soils.
To ensure sufficient buoyancy, pontoon vans on pontoon drives have a large volume and size. When transporting to or from a job site, it is therefore often necessary to remove the pontoon craft from the pontoon drive. This is associated with a considerable amount of work and time.

The invention has for its object to provide a pontoon drive, a pontoon cruise ship and a method with which an assembly of pontoon vessels on the pontoon drive is considerably simplified.

The object is achieved by a pontoon drive with the features of claim 1, a pontoon cruise ship with the features of claim 8 or by a method for attaching and dismounting pontoon vessels on a pontoon drive with the features of claim 11. Preferred embodiments are given in the respective dependent claims.

The pontoon drive according to the invention is characterized in that each pontoon cruise ship is releasably secured to at least two transverse members of the base frame, which extend in a horizontal direction transversely to the longitudinal sides and retractable, and that in each case a height-adjustable vertical support is arranged on the movable crossbeams.

A basic idea of the invention is to provide the most efficient possible replacement of pontoon vessels on the pontoon drive. For this purpose, transverse members are provided according to the invention on the chassis base frame, which are adjustable transversely to the longitudinal or direction of travel of the pontoon drive. Preferably, at least one height-adjustable vertical support are arranged in each case at the free ends of the movable transverse members. There are thus provided at least four vertical supports on the pontoon drive, with which the pontoon drive can be supported in a mounting position relative to the ground. In this mounting position, the pontoon vessels are preferably at least slightly lifted from the ground. In any event, a substantial portion of the weight of the base frame is received by the vertical supports. In this jacked mounting position, the pontoon craft can be easily assembled or disassembled. In the mounting position, the crossbeams are preferably extended, so that the vertical supports are as far as possible to increase the tilting stability outside. The pontoon chassis is preferably designed as an undercarriage, which is preferably buoyant.

According to one embodiment of the invention, it is preferred that the vertical supports are manually or hydraulically adjustable. The vertical supports can essentially represent a columnar strut, which are mounted vertically displaceable in a receiving sleeve on the base frame. Alternatively, the vertical supports may also be telescopic and consist of two or more telescopic elements. When adjusting the vertical supports by hand, it is necessary to perform the necessary lifting movement of the pontoon drive via a separate actuator, such as a crane or about by the boom of the corresponding work vehicle to the pontoon drive. The vertical supports can then be extended or retracted to an at least partially raised or tilted position of the pontoon drive to the desired column length. A particularly efficient adjustment is achieved in that the vertical supports have hydraulic cylinders and are hydraulically adjustable. The vertical supports are preferably provided with a foot plate.

A further preferred embodiment of the invention consists in that the vertical supports can be locked by means of an adjusting device in at least one height position. The locking device may in particular have a transversely directed locking bolt, which serves to secure the position of the vertical support in the respective height position. In the vertical support and in the associated receiving sleeve on the base frame corresponding horizontal bores are provided for receiving the locking bolt for this purpose.

In this case, a development of the invention is that the locking device by hand or hydraulically actuated. In this case, a simple locking bolt can be inserted by hand, which is particularly advantageous if the vertical supports are adjusted by hand. In this case, an overall very simple, lightweight and robust version of the pontoon drive is achieved.

Alternatively, the lock can also be actuated hydraulically by appropriate hydraulic actuating cylinder. The corresponding actuating cylinders are directed substantially horizontally and can adjust corresponding horizontal locking bolt between a locking position and a released position. This is advantageously used, in particular, even if the vertical supports are hydraulically actuated.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, it is advantageous that at a free end of each cross-beam, a connecting device is provided which can be coupled for releasable connection to a corresponding second connecting device on the pontoon cruise ship. In this case, the respective connecting devices may have forked, hooked or bolt-shaped coupling elements. With the connecting devices, in particular a slight latching and thus fast coupling of the two connecting devices can be achieved. Preferably, the connecting device can be achieved solely by a horizontal extension of the cross-beam, which is hydraulically actuated.

According to a further development of the invention, it is particularly preferred that the first connection device or the second connection device has at least one support strut, which cooperates with an attachment element on the other connection device for forming a support. The support strut, which may in particular be a transversely or horizontally directed bolt or a plate, cooperates with a correspondingly corresponding attachment element, such as a hook or a corresponding support plate. On the support strut and the attachment element so the essential weight forces can be transferred from the cruise ship to the base frame and vice versa.

Furthermore, it is preferred that a securing device is provided, with which the first connection device and the second connection device are secured in position relative to one another in the connection position. The securing device can likewise have a bolt, which holds the two connecting devices to one another in the connecting position. The power flow is significantly between the support strut and the attachment element, while about a bolt of the securing device is largely exempt from loading forces. This protects the safety device and allows a quick closing and releasing the position assurance.

The pontoon drive according to the invention can be used in particular during assembly and disassembly of the pontoon craft, when the pontoon drive is transported to about a place of use or away. According to a further embodiment of the invention, it is advantageous that the pontoon vessels are interchangeable by crawler tractors. The pontoon ships are also to chain or crawler vessels, which, however, have in their central area a pontoon body with one or more compartments. The compartments can each be accessible via a manhole. To the pontoon body, one or more links or caterpillars are guided circumferentially. The pontoon body are preferably each provided with a drive, in particular a Turasantrieb, and a deflection and tensioning shaft to ensure chain tension.

When using the pontoon drive in a normal terrain, the relatively large pontoon by conventional crawler tractors, which are designed without pontoon body can be replaced. It can be done during replacement via the vertical supports height adjustment of the base frame or the undercarriage. Thus, the pontoon drive according to the invention can be easily converted into a conventional crawler undercarriage with conventional chain or crawler tractors.

The invention further relates to a pontoon cruise ship, in particular for the pontoon drive described above, with a pontoon body around which at least one track chain is guided circumferentially. The pontoon cruise ship according to the invention is characterized in that side walls of the pontoon body are formed from sheets which are folded along their side edges to form angle webs, and that for forming the pontoon body, the sheets are adjacent to the angle webs and welded to form hollow sections.

With the pontoon of the invention, a particularly lightweight construction is achieved. In the pontoon craft according to the invention can be waived partially or even completely on an inner support framework, which is necessary in conventional pontoon craft. As a result, a significant weight reduction is achieved, whereby the previously described exchangeability allows or at least greatly simplified.

Despite the substantial elimination of an inner framework, a sufficient stability of the pontoon body according to the invention is achieved in that the side walls are designed self-supporting by the special design of the side edges with right angles beveled webs. Here are the bent angle webs formed along the side edges of the side walls so that they abut when welding together, thus forming a tubular hollow profile. The adjacent and overlapping angle webs thus form the actual support framework for the pontoon body.

The pontoon body may preferably have one or more compartments, which may optionally be accessible via a manhole. In the front and rear of the pontoon sprockets are rotatably mounted in a known manner, which are rotatably driven via a arranged in the pontoon body drive, preferably a Turasantrieb. Along the running surfaces of the crawler on the outside of the pontoon body additional bearing rollers or sliding elements may be provided to ensure a safe and low-friction guidance of the crawler when it revolves around the pontoon body.

The invention further comprises a work machine having a pontoon drive as described above. The work machine may in particular be a pontoon excavator or other amphibious construction machine with a pontoon drive. The work machine can also serve other work or use purposes, such as the transport of people or material. A military or other sovereign engagement is not excluded.

A preferred embodiment of the working machine according to the invention is that the pontoon drive is designed as an undercarriage, on which an upper carriage is rotatably mounted with a cantilever arm. The undercarriage has the pontoon drive with the base frame and the corresponding drives and supply lines. The undercarriage itself is waterproof designed for a buoyant use. The rotatable superstructure is provided with a boom to which an attachment, such as a bucket or other implement is releasably attached.

Furthermore, the invention comprises a method for attaching and dismounting pontoon vessels on a pontoon drive, which is preferably designed as described above, in which vertical supports on transverse members of the pontoon drive are moved downwards from a retracted rest position to an extended assembly position and into the mounting position at least one pontoon cruise ship is attached to the crossbeams or dismantled by the crossbeams. In this case, preferably the pontoon drive described above is used with the extendable vertical supports. For this purpose, the pontoon carriages described above can be exchanged on a pontoon drive in a particularly efficient manner, largely without expensive external mounting means and hoists.

A preferred method variant according to the invention is that for adjusting the vertical supports in the mounting position, the cross members are moved horizontally from a retracted operating position horizontally in an extended support position. In the normal operating position, the vertical supports with the mounted pontoon are retracted. In certain cases, however, the crossbeams can also be extended horizontally to operate the work machines. To ensure sufficient stability, the cross members for the assembly of the vessels are extended horizontally. After horizontal extension of the cross members, the vertical supports are lowered to the ground and extended to the desired height.

For this purpose, it is particularly preferred according to a development of the method according to the invention that the pontoon drive by means of a cantilever arm on the pontoon drive, a crane or by means of at least one lifting cylinder is at least partially raised or lowered for height adjustment of the vertical supports. In this embodiment, therefore, the lifting movement for height adjustment of the pontoon drive is not applied by the vertical supports, but by another device. In a pontoon excavator, this may be about the boom with the bucket. The cantilever arm is lowered to the ground and pressed against the ground so that the pontoon drive lifts at least along one longitudinal side. In this raised position then the vertical supports can be extended at least on one side to the desired height. Subsequently, the boom can be raised again and adjusted to lift the opposite longitudinal side and pressed against the ground again. In this way, the pontoon drive can be brought approximately to an increased mounting or loading position without a separate crane. In the reverse manner, a lowering of the pontoon drive can be done. Of course, instead of the cantilever arm Also, a lifting cylinder on the pontoon drive or a separate crane can be used.

A particularly high flexibility in operation is achieved according to a development of the invention in that the pontoon are replaced by caterpillars or caterpillars by pontoon ships. The usually necessary height adjustment of the base frame of the pontoon drive between the flatter normal crawler tractors and the higher pontoon vessels can be performed by means of the vertical supports according to the invention, as described above.

According to a further variant of the method of the invention, it is advantageous that the pontoon drive is taken in dismantled pontoon in the mounting position of a transport vehicle, which is movable under the pontoon drive. After the pontoon drive has been brought by the vertical supports in an elevated mounting position and the vans are removed, about a trailer of a transport vehicle can be driven in the longitudinal direction below the central region of the base frame. After reaching the transport position, the pontoon drive can be lowered by retracting the vertical supports and thereby stored on the transport vehicle. Preferably, a low loader or a semi-low loader is used as a transport vehicle in which the loading area is height adjustable. Conversely, a pontoon drive can also be removed from a transport vehicle.

Fig. 1

eine perspektivische Darstellung einer Arbeitsmaschine mit einem erfindungsgemäßen Pontonlaufwerk;

Fig. 2

die Arbeitsmaschinen von Fig. 1 mit demontierten Pontonfahrschiffen;

Fig. 3

die Arbeitsmaschine von Fig. 1 und Fig. 2 mit demontierten Pontonfahrschiffen in einer Aufnahmeposition;

Fig. 4

die Arbeitsmaschine von den Figuren 1 bis 3 mit abgenommenen Pontonfahrschiffen auf einem Transportfahrzeug;

Fig. 5

eine schematische Darstellung der Verfahrensschritte beim Wechseln der Pontonfahrschiffe mit Raupenfahrschiffen;

Fig. 6

eine perspektivische Darstellung eines erfindungsgemäßen Pontonkörpers für ein Pontonfahrschiff;

Fig. 7

eine Seitenansicht des Pontonkörpers von Fig. 6;

Fig. 8

eine Draufsicht auf den Pontonkörper von den Figuren 6 und 7;

Fig. 9

eine vergrößerte Querschnittsansicht gemäß dem Schritt A-A von Fig. 7; und

Fig. 10

eine vergrößerte Detailansicht eines Eckbereichs des Pontonkörpers gemäß Fig. 9.

The invention will be further described by means of preferred embodiments, which are shown schematically in the drawings. In the drawings show:

Fig. 1

a perspective view of a working machine with a pontoon drive according to the invention;

Fig. 2

the working machines of Fig. 1 with disassembled pontoon vessels;

Fig. 3

the working machine of Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 with disassembled pontoon vessels in a pickup position;

Fig. 4

the working machine of the FIGS. 1 to 3 with removed pontoon vessels on a transport vehicle;

Fig. 5

a schematic representation of the steps in changing the pontoon with caterpillars;

Fig. 6

a perspective view of a pontoon body according to the invention for a pontoon craft;

Fig. 7

a side view of the pontoon body of Fig. 6 ;

Fig. 8

a plan view of the pontoon body of the FIGS. 6 and 7 ;

Fig. 9

an enlarged cross-sectional view according to the step AA of Fig. 7 ; and

Fig. 10

an enlarged detail view of a corner region of the pontoon body according to Fig. 9 ,

In Fig. 1 a work machine 50 according to the invention is shown, which is designed as a buoyant pontoon excavator. The work machine 50 has an undercarriage 52 with a pontoon drive 10. The pontoon drive 10 comprises a central base frame 12, which has horizontally movable transverse members 14. At the outer end of the extendable crossbeams 14 a total of two pontoon 30 are arranged. The circulating caterpillars on the pontoon 3 are in Fig. 1 not shown.

Centered on the undercarriage 52, an upper carriage 54 is rotatably arranged. The uppercarriage 54 has a housing 58, in which the drive units are arranged, and a driver's cab 58. Furthermore, in a front region of the uppercarriage 54, a multi-part extension arm 60 is pivotably articulated. At the outer end of the boom 60, a working tool may be arranged, which may be for example an excavator bucket.

Such work machines 50 with a pontoon drive 10 are intended for work on a very low capacity bed of 0.1 kg / cm ² or less. About the pontoon 10, the work machine 50 is also basically floatable, so that short distances through water can be bridged by the working machine 50 directly.
How out Fig. 2 can be seen, in each case a vertically adjustable vertical support 20 are arranged in an outer end region of the total of four extendable crossbeams 14. The vertical supports 20 each have a foot plate 22 in their lower end directed towards the bottom. Each two transverse members 40 on one longitudinal side can be connected to one another via a connecting strut 15. At the transverse members 40 and the connecting strut 15, two first connecting means 16 are arranged, with which on each longitudinal side of a pontoon 30 can be releasably coupled. The first connecting device 16 comprises in the illustrated embodiment holding blocks with transverse bores for receiving a plug pin.
According to the invention, the pontoon vessels 30 can be moved from an operating position, which is substantially in Fig. 1 is shown, easily solved. First, the crossbeams 14 are extended horizontally from a retracted operating position. In this extended position, the vertical supports 20 are extended to the crossbeams 14 down until they contact the ground. Now, the pontoon 30 can be detached from the crossbars 14 and removed by suitable tools, such as a crane. To remove the pontoon 30, the boom 60 can be used as a hoist. Subsequently, the vertical supports 20 can be gradually extended further down, so that the base frame 12 with the superstructure 54 further away from the ground. For lifting the boom 60 can be used, which can be deposited on the ground and a supporting and lifting force on the superstructure 54 exerts. The lifting can be carried out first on one longitudinal side and then by corresponding turning of the upper carriage 54 on the opposite longitudinal side, as shown schematically in FIG Fig. 2 is shown.
In this case, the working machine 50 can be raised with the disassembled pontoon 30 to a receiving position, which in Fig. 3 is shown. In this receiving position, the vertical supports 20 are largely completely extended. In this position, a transport vehicle 70 can be driven under the base frame 12 of the work machine 50, as shown schematically in FIG Fig. 4 is indicated. The transport vehicle 70 is in the embodiment, a trailer, which is movable by a tractor, not shown.

Subsequently, the vertical supports 20 can be retracted again until the base frame 12 is seated on a support surface of the transport vehicle 70. In this position, the crossbeams 14 can then be retracted horizontally with the connecting strut 15 and the first connecting means 16. In this retracted position, the work machine 50 can now be moved with the transport vehicle 70 in a simple manner.

According to the highly schematic process representation of FIGS. 5A to 5E can be exchanged by conventional crawler 40 with the pontoon drive 10 according to the invention according to a method of the invention, the pontoon 30. In the schematic representations according to the FIGS. 5A to 5E the uppercarriage is omitted.

First, according to Fig. 5A the cross members 14 horizontally extended from the base frame 12 from an operating position to the illustrated mounting position. Then 14 vertical supports 20 are extended down to the crossbeams until they contact the ground. Subsequently, the first connecting means 16 can be solved at the crossbars 14 of the pontoon 30, as in Fig. 5B shown.

According to Fig. 5C For example, the pontoon craft 30, which are provided with only indicated circulating crawler tracks 34, can be removed from the base frame 12. Subsequently, normal crawler vessels 40 can be positioned in a mounting position along the longitudinal sides of the base frame 12.

According to the presentation of Fig. 5D Now the vertical supports 20 can be retracted until the base frame 12 is located with the crossbeams 14 at a height for mounting the smaller normal crawler 40.

Then, the first connection devices 16 can be coupled to the crawler trawlers 40. The vertical supports 20 can then retracted or total be removed from the crossbeams 14, as in Fig. 5E is shown. After mounting the crawlers 40, the work machine 50 may be used, for example, as a conventional excavator.

In the FIGS. 6 to 8 an inventive pontoon ship 30 is shown in detail in a pontoon body 32 according to the invention. The pontoon body 32 is a hollow body, which is constructed from side walls. These consist essentially of two lateral plates 35 and an upper plate 36a and a lower plate 36b, wherein the plates may each be composed of several pieces.

The pontoon body 32 can also be composed of several closed and separated compartments.

At the end portions of the pontoon body 32 deflection shafts are arranged for a caterpillar chain, not shown. It is in Fig. 6 the front deflecting shaft is formed as a drive shaft 33, on which a drive 31 is provided. On the drive shaft 33 sprockets are arranged in a known manner to transmit the drive torque to the crawler. Along the pontoon body 32 guide grooves or guide plates are provided to ensure a guided orbital motion of the crawler. On the inner side wall of the pontoon body 32 directed toward the base frame, two second connecting devices 17 are provided, which can be coupled and detachably connected to the first connecting devices 16 on the transverse members 40.

An inventive lightweight construction of the pontoon body 32 is in the FIGS. 9 and 10 clarified. In the enlarged cross-sectional view of Fig. 9 It can be seen that a compartment of the pontoon body 32 is composed of two lateral plates 35 and an upper plate 36a and a lower plate 36b. Along their side edges, the sheets 35, 36 each bent one or two times at right angles, to form each half of a rectangular or square hollow chamber profile 39. Thus, the plates 35, 36 produce a self-supporting construction of the pontoon body 32, so that a supporting framework within the pontoon body 32 can at least largely be omitted.

As the enlarged detail view A according to Fig. 10 can be seen, the lateral plate 35 is bent once at right angles in its upper region, wherein an upper angle web 38 a is formed. The upper sheet 36a is folded twice from the horizontal at right angles, wherein a lower angle web 38b is formed which overlaps the angle web 38a of the side plate 35 overlapping. The angle webs 38a, 38b each represent half of a hollow body profile 39 to be formed. At the joints, the angle webs 38a and 38b are welded in each case, which is indicated by a triangular weld seam. As a result, in each case a hollow profile 39 is formed along the side regions. This arrangement of the angle webs 38a, 38b is formed correspondingly along all longitudinal edges of the pontoon body 32, so that a total of four hollow profiles 39 are produced. In the middle region of the upper sheet 36a and the lower sheet 36b, a guide groove for guiding the crawler may be formed.

Claims (15)

1. A pontoon chassis system having a base frame (12), along of longitudinal sides of which a pontoon carrier (30) is each arranged, which in each case features at least one pontoon body (32), around which at least one crawler track (34) is guided in a circulating manner and can be driven,
   characterized in that
   each pontoon carrier (30) is detachably secured to at least two crossmembers (14) of the base frame (12), which are horizontally extendable and retractable in a horizontal direction transverse to the longitudinal sides, and
   that at least one vertical support (20), the height of which can be adjusted, is arranged on each of the movable crossmembers (14).
2. The pontoon chassis system according to claim 1,
   characterized in that
   the vertical supports (20) are manually or hydraulically adjustable.
3. The pontoon chassis system according to claim 1 or 2,
   characterized in that
   the vertical supports (20) are able to be locked in at least one height position by way of a locking means.
4. The pontoon chassis system according to claim 3,
   characterized in that
   the locking means is manually or hydraulically actuable.
5. The pontoon chassis system according to any of claims 1 to 4,
   characterized in that
   provided on a free end of each crossmember (14) is a first connecting means (16), which, for connecting in a detachable way, is connectable to a corresponding second connecting means (17) on the pontoon undercarriage (10).
6. The pontoon chassis system according to claim 5,
   characterized in that
   the first connecting device (16) or the second connecting means (17) features at least one support rib, which interacts with at least one attachment element on the other connecting means (16, 17) in order to form a support structure.
7. The pontoon chassis system according to any of claims 1 to 6,
   characterized in that
   the pontoon carrier (30) are interchangeable with crawler undercarriages (40).
8. A pontoon chassis system, in particular for a pontoon undercarriage (10) according to any of claims 1 to 7,
   having a pontoon body (32), around which at least one crawler track (34) is guided in a circulating manner,
   characterized in that
   the side walls of the pontoon body (34) are made of metal plates (35, 36), which along of their lateral edges are bent to form angled webs (37, 38), and
   that in order to form the pontoon body (34), the metal plates (35, 36) are adjoined at the angled webs (37, 38) and are welded to form hollow profiles (39).
9. A working machine,
   characterized in that
   a pontoon chassis system (10) according to any of claims 1 to 8 is provided.
10. The working machine according to claim 9,
    characterized in that
    the pontoon chassis system (10) is designed as an undercarriage (52), upon which an uppercarriage (52) comprising an extension arm (60) is rotatably mounted.
11. A method for attaching and detaching the pontoon carrier (30) on a pontoon chassis system (10) according to any of claims 1 to 8, in which

    - vertical supports (20) on crossbeams (14) of the pontoon chassis system (10) are adjusted from a retracted resting position downwards into an extended mounting position, and,

    - in the mounting position, at least one pontoon carrier (30) is attached to the crossmembers (14) or is detached from the crossmembers (14).
12. The method according to claim 11,
    characterized in that,
    in order to adjust the vertical supports (20) into the mounting position, the horizontal crossmembers (14) are moved horizontally from a retracted operating position into an extended supporting position.
13. The method according to claim 11 or 12,
    characterized in that,
    in order to adjust the height of the vertical supports (20), the pontoon chassis system (10) is raised or lowered, at least partially, by means of an extension arm (60) on the pontoon chassis system (10), a crane, or by way of at least one lifting cylinder.
14. The method according to any of claims 11 to 13,
    characterized in that
    the pontoon carriers (30) are interchanged with crawler carriers (40), or rather the crawler carriers (40) are interchanged with pontoon carriers (30).
15. The method according to any of claims 11 to 14,
    characterized in that,
    if the pontoon carriers (30) have been detached, the pontoon chassis system (10) can in the mounting position be accepted by a transport vehicle (70), which is able to be moved beneath the pontoon chassis system (10).

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