FR2596945A1 - Device for taking up a compacted substance, and vehicle equipped with the said device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for taking up a compacted substance. According to the invention, it comprises: - a taking-up member 2 comprising cutting means 3 and temporary reception means 5 for the cut-up substance, - a receptacle 6 for the substance taken up, and - at least one arm 11 connecting the said take-up member 2 and the said receptacle 6, the said arm 11 being articulated, at its lower end 12, to the said receptacle 6 and, at its upper end 14, to one end 15 of the said take-up member 2 whose cutting means 3 are provided at its other end 16, and the said arm 11 being combined with first means 19 and second means 23 capable of causing it to pivot with respect to the said receptacle 6, and respectively to cause the said take-up member 2 to pivot with respect to the said arm. The invention applies particularly to taking up substances from a silo.

Description

The present invention relates to a device for removing a compacted material, as well as to a vehicle equipped with said device.

We know the usefulness of silage of certain materials, especially in the field of agriculture for the storage of plants for example intended for animal feed.

These materials are subjected to relatively high pressures in order to obtain effective compaction, with a view to their good preservation over time.

In fact, it is essential that oxygen does not enter the mass of the heap of matter, in order to prevent degradation by aerobic process, giving rise to the phenomenon of rotting.

Consequently, the sampling of the desired quantity of material must be carried out without disorganizing or stirring up the ensiled material, which would risk promoting the penetration of oxygen by means of interstices.

Known devices intended for the removal of this kind of material usually comprise cutting means, consisting for example of a rotary roller provided with teeth, associated with a shovel-shaped or bucket member intended to temporarily collect the cut material. This is then loaded into an appropriate separate container. Such a design requires carrying out a large number of maneuvers, which involves a loss of time and an increase in costs, particularly in terms of energy and labor. In addition, with the known devices, the cutting is carried out from top to bottom of the silo, which increases the risks of disorganization of the latter resulting in the entry of oxygen into the interstices thus created of the material and, at term, the rotting of the latter.

The present invention overcomes these drawbacks and relates to a device for removing a compacted material in which all of the operations indicated above can be carried out without significant maneuvers, and therefore without loss of time, while allowing the removal according to a clean and free edge of ensiled material.

To this end, the device for removing the compacted material is remarkable, according to the invention, in that it comprises - a member for removing the material comprising means for cutting the compacted material and means for temporarily receiving the cut material, - a receptacle for the sampled material, and - at least one arm connecting said sampling member and said receptacle, said arm being articulated, in the vicinity of its lower end to said receptacle and, in the vicinity of its upper end, at an end portion of said sampling member, the cutting means of which are provided in the vicinity of its other end, and said arm being associated with first means capable of making it pivot relative to said receptacle, and with second means capable of making pivot said sampling member with respect to said arm, so that the material cut by said cutting means and temporarily stored in said receiving means can be poured into said receptacle by pivoting of the arm relative to the receptacle and of the withdrawal member relative to the arm.

Thus, thanks to the invention, the various operations of cutting, taking up and loading the material can be carried out continuously "by simple pivoting of the arm relative to the receptacle and of the taking off member relative to the arm without waste of time and economy.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the receptacle being mounted on a chassis, said first pivoting means consist of a jack or the like connected, on the one hand, to said chassis and, on the other hand, to the lower part of said arm, and said second pivoting means consist of a jack or the like connected, on the one hand, to said arm and, on the other hand, in the vicinity of the end of the sampling member articulated to said arm.

In particular, said first and second cylinders are connected to said arm on two opposite sides of the latter at least substantially in the same plane orthogonal to said arm.

Advantageously, the device comprises two arms articulated on either side of the receptacle, and connected to each other and to the removal member by an articulation axis, the arms being able to be articulated to the chassis.

According to yet another characteristic of the invention, said receptacle may comprise means for grinding the material arranged in the area for discharging the cut material and / or means for mixing the latter.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the cutting means consist of a rotary roller of horizontal axis and provided on its surface with a first series of longitudinal teeth substantially parallel to the generatrices and with a second series of transverse teeth arranged substantially in circles of the roller.

In particular, the longitudinal teeth are elongated and of quadrangular section, while the transverse teeth are of triangular section, integral with the roller by a curved face corresponding to one side of the triangle and so that the upper front face, intended to enter in first contact with the material, be tilted forward.

The figures of the appended drawing will make it clear how the invention can be implemented. In these figures, identical references designate similar elements.

Figure 1 is a schematic side view of the device according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a schematic top view of the device of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a partial perspective view of the cutting roller.

Figure 4 is a schematic view showing part'le ment and in plan the surface developed flat of the roller and the arrangement of the teeth.

Figures 5 and 6 each show, in perspective, a tooth respectively longitudinal and transverse.

Figures 7a to 7d are schematic side views illustrating the operation of the device of the invention.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, the device 1 for removing the ensiled material comprises a member 2 for removing the compacted material comprising cutting means consisting of a rotary roller 3 provided with teeth 4, the particular arrangement and design will be described below, and means for provisional reception of the cut material produced in the form of a shovel or bucket 5, as well as a receptacle 6 for the sampled material mounted on a chassis 7 provided with wheels 8 and constituting a bucket which can be moved using a tractor or the like (not shown) or be provided with its own drive means (not shown).

The receptacle 6 is provided with a rotary roller 9 provided with teeth 9a for grinding the material removed and which is poured into the receptacle, as well as means making it possible to mix said material with other ingredients, consisting of a noria 10 of bars 10a, transverse to the longitudinal axis of the receptacle, driven by two endless chains 1Ob.

 The bucket 5 is connected to the receptacle 6 by means of two arms 11 (FIG. 2), each being articulated, at its lower end 12, to a cross member 13 secured to the chassis 7 and, at its upper end 14, to a end 15 of bucket 5, the cutting means 3 being mounted at the other end 16 of said bucket 5.

The arms 11 are connected to each other, at their lower ends, by an axis of rotation 17 and, at their upper ends, by an axis of rotation 18 on which also the bucket 5 is articulated.

Each of the arms 11 is associated with a first jack or the like 19 connected, on the one hand, to the chassis 7 at 20 and, on the other hand, to the lower part of the arm 11 at 21.

The two jacks 19 are capable of pivoting the arms 11 relative to the receptacle 6, in the illustrated case relative to the rear face 22 of the latter.

Each of the arms 11 is also associated with a second jack or the like 23 connected, on the one hand, to the arm 11 at 24 and, on the other hand, at 25 in the vicinity of the end 15 of the bucket 5 hinges on the arm 11. The two jacks 23 are capable of rotating the bucket 5 relative to the arms 11.

For each arm 11, the first 19 and second 23 cylinders are connected to said arm on two opposite sides of the latter in the same plane, of trace X-X ', orthogonal to arm 11, by means of two plates 26 integral with the arms 11 and arranged on either side thereof.

The cutting roller 3, which can rotate about its axis 27, is provided on its surface with projecting teeth 4, consisting of longitudinal teeth 28 arranged substantially along the generatrices of the roller, and transverse teeth 29 arranged in circles of the latter .

FIGS. 5 and 6 each show an embodiment, respectively of a longitudinal tooth 28 and a transverse tooth 29.

The longitudinal tooth 28 is formed of a rectangular parallelepiped and is made integral with the roller by one of its elongated faces.

The transverse tooth 29 is in the form of a prism with a triangular base, preferably a rectangle, fixed to the roller by one of its long sides so that the upper face 30, opposite the roller, is inclined forward in the direction of the rotation.

In FIG. 4, partially flat representing the surface of the roller, generators 31 are respectively spaced apart and transverse meridians 32 (corresponding to circles on the roller), which are only an abstract diagram and without real existence on the surface of the roller.

On each generatrix 31 and each meridian 32 alternate a longitudinal tooth 28 and a transverse tooth 29.

Each pair of successive meridians defines a cross section of the cylinder.

Preferably, the longitudinal teeth 28 are arranged parallel to each other and in alignment so that their length corresponds to the width of the corresponding section, that is to say to the spacing of the carrier circles each of a series of teeth transverse.

In addition, between two longitudinal teeth are arranged two transverse teeth, preferably deflected in the direction of rotation.

Thus, during the rotation of the roller in contact with the cutting face of the ensiled material, said material is cut into vertical strips, first vertically by the two transverse teeth of triangular section, then horizontally by the following longitudinal tooth.

The operation of the device of the invention is as follows, with reference to FIGS. 7a, 7b, 7c and 7d schematically showing the chronology of the successive steps of removing material from a silo 33.

FIG. 7a illustrates the road or rest position of the removal member 2, in which the latter is applied against the rear face of the receptacle 6, the arms 11 then taking a substantially vertical position on either side of the receptacle 6.

Once the device brought near the silo 33, the actuation of the jacks 19 and 23 makes it possible to deploy the "double compass" constituted by the arms 11, articulated to the chassis 7, and the sampling member 2 articulated to the said arms. The cutting roller 3 attacks the silo 33 from bottom to top (FIG. 7b) by cutting a trench of material in said silo.

The material thus cut, according to a clean and frank edge thanks in particular to the arrangement and the particular design of the teeth of the roller, is driven by the rotation of the roller 3 in the bucket 5 of temporary reception of said material, which fills as and as the cutting of material progresses towards the top of the silo (Figure 7c). This is obtained without having to move the device 1 by playing on the inclination of the removal member 2 relative to the arms 11, and of the latter relative to the receptacle 6.

 Once the cutting is complete, the material 34 can be poured into the receptacle 6 by causing the bucket 5 to take the position shown in FIG. 7d, the end of the bucket where the latter is articulated with the arms 11 being open. The material can then be ground and mixed with other ingredients in the receptacle 6. It is understood that the pouring position can vary by varying the inclination of the arms 11.

Claims (10)

1 - Device for removing a compacted material, characterized in that it comprises - a member (2) for removing the material comprising cutting means (3) for the compacted material and means for provisional reception (5 ) of the cut material, - a receptacle (6) for the sampled material, and - at least one arm (11) connecting said sampling member (2) and said receptacle (6), said arm (11) being articulated, at in the vicinity of its lower end (12), in said receptacle (6) and, in the vicinity of its upper end (14), in an end portion (15) of said sampling member (2) including the cutting means (3 ) are provided in the vicinity of its other end (16), and said arm (11) being associated with first means (19) capable of rotating it relative to said receptacle (6), and second means (23) capable of to rotate said sampling member (2) relative to said arm (11) -, so that the material (34) cut by said means s cutting (3) and temporarily stored in said receiving means ~ (5) can be poured into said receptacle (6) by pivoting the arm (11) relative to the receptacle (6) and the removal member (2 ) relative to the arm (11). 2 - Device according to claim 1, wherein the receptacle is mounted on a chassis, characterized in that said first pivoting means consist of a cylinder or the like (19) connected, on the one hand, to said chassis (7) and, on the other hand, to the lower part of said arm (11), and in that said second pivoting means consist of a jack or the like (23) connected, on the one hand, to said arm (11) and , on the other hand, in the vicinity of the end (15) of the sampling member (2) articulated to said arm (11). 3 - Device according to claim 2, characterized in that said first (19) and second (23) cylinders are connected to said arm (11) on two opposite sides of the latter at least substantially in the same plane (X-X ') orthogonal to said arm.  4 - Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises two arms (11) articulated on either side of the receptacle (6), and connected to one another and to the removal member (2) by a hinge pin (18). 5 - Device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the arm (s) (11) are articulated to the frame (7). 6 - Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said receptacle (6) comprises grinding means (9) of the material arranged in the discharge area of the cut material. 7 - Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said receptacle (6) comprises mixing means (10). 8 - Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cutting means consist of a rotary roller (3) with a horizontal axis and provided on its surface with a first series of longitudinal teeth (28) substantially parallel to the generatrices and a second series of transverse teeth (29) arranged substantially in circles of the roller.  9 - Device according to claim 8, characterized in that the longitudinal teeth (28) are of elongated shape and of quadrangular section, while the transverse teeth (29) are of triangular section, integral with the roller by a curved face corresponding to a side of the triangle and so that the upper front face (30), intended to come into contact first with the material, is inclined towards the front. 10 - Vehicle, characterized in that it comprises at least one device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.