GB1582124A - Compaction of household refuse - Google Patents

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO THE COMPACTION OF HOUSEHOLD REFUSE ,(71) I, FRANK HERBERT MAY, a British Subject of "Turfcroft", Mayfield, Sussex, England, do hereby declare the -invention, for which I pray that a patent may- be gran- ted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to 'be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to the compaction of household refuse for transport.

The compaction 'of househdld refuse into the bodies of vehicles prior to transportation by road can lie accomplished ina number of ways and it is considered that the most suc cessful' is compaction into a 'demountable container by means of any one of the static compactors available at the present time.

It is ah unfortunate fact, however, that this system is by far the most expensive,requiring the employment of service vehicles with further 'dem'ountable - equipment built on to them, together with the full time employment of a- compactor opera'tor.

It is" therefore an''object of this invention t6 achieve' domparable."cbmpaction into an open-topped fixed or demountable container, where vehicles -are' required to transport refuse in'bulk from a transfer station after being loaded buy a wheeled shovel or other appropriate means.

According to the present - invention, there is provided apparatus for the compaction of household refuse in vehicle-bodies, comprising an overhead vertical ram mounted on a top franie df ai gantry having legs sufficiently wide - apaart to enable refusetransporting road véhicles to be driven between the legs and' under the top frame and ram, and a refuse-compacting thrust plate that is operated-by the ram and decends and rises in the regioíí under'said lop frame and between the gantry legs, the--ra -hav'ing- a ram rod pivotally connected to the centre of the thrust plate.

One arrangement embodying the invention will now be described by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the gantry compactor to be described, and Figure 2 is an end elevation.

The device shown in the drawings (which can be either fixed or movable to any desired position) consists of a steel gantry 11 wide enough and high enough to permit the easy passage of a vehicle 12 through it.

The gantry 11 has braced side legs 14 rising from opposite sides of a deck 15 over which the vehicle 12 travels. Joining the - upper ends of the legs 14 are beams forming an open top frame or platform 13. At the centre of the top frame 13 of the gantry is a ped- estal 17 and extending upward therefrom is the cylinder of an hydraulic ram 16 with its axis vertical. The lower end of the ram rod 20 is pivotally connected at 18 to a bracket at the centre of a horizontal thrust plate 19 of suitable strength and size, such that it will not buckle under maximum pressure, or be so large as to foul the inner sides of the vehicle body in which the refuse is being compacted. When the ram is operated the hydraulic pressure forces the thrust plate 19 downward to compact the refuse.

,For additionally supporting and guiding the ram and thrust plate, a pair of vertical guides 21 are provided one on either side of the ram. These guides are secured at their lower ends to the thrust plate 19, pass up through the top frame 13 and are united'at their upper ends by a crosshead 22. The crosshead 22 has an aperture 23 through which the ram cylinder slides as the cross head descends. The guides 21 are maintained upright as they travel vertically, by fixed guide brackets 24 on the top frame 13 which incorporate vertically-spaced sets of guide rollers 25 ihat engage the surfaces of the guides 21.

Hydraulic power for the ram 21 is pro vided by an electric motor and pump set 26 on the top frame 13 which can be reached for servicing by an access ladder 27 up one of the gantry legs. The vehicle driver can operate the ram by means of an 'up-down' control 28 situated on one of the legs, and 'stop-go' lights 29 on both sides of both legs of the gantry operate automatically, in accordance with the descent and rise of the ram, to indicate when the vehicle may or may not be driven over the deck 15.

It can thus be seen that, after being filled by means already described, a vehicle can move off from its loading point and be positioned under the gantry for compaction of the refuse, two strokes of the ram nor mally being sufficient with the vehicle being driven forward a short distance between the strokes. The vehicle can then return to its loading point to have filled that upper por tion of the body or container now empty, afterwards returning to the compacting gantry for the second and last compaction.

Finally, hinged lids or covers are placed over the load of now compacted refuse.

It is, of course, necessary to ensure that the legs of the gantry cannot lift as the ram thrusts downwards. This is conveniently accomplished by providing the base plate or deck 15 to which the feet of the gantry legs are secured and on to which the vehicle can be driven. Alternatively, the gantry feet can be secured to ground anchorages, either permanently or by means of releasable locks.

It is desired to carry the maximum load permissible by law, and the cost of attaining this objective by means of the device described is estimated at around 15% to 20% of the cost of compactors hitherto available.

Added advantages are that it is readily possible to change the position of the device at the depot, or to transport it to other transfer stations; and that its operation does not require special skills and is well within the ability of Heavy Goods Vehicle drivers, thus avoiding the cost of a compactor operator.

The compacting ram need not necessarily be of the hydraulic type, since a similar ram operated by compressed air would give comparable results and in some instances be desirable where electrical power is costly or not readily available.

WHAT I CLAIM IS:- 1. Apparatus for the compaction of household refuse in vehicle bodies, compri sing an overhead vertical ram mounted on a top frame of a gantry having legs suffici ently wide apart to enable refuse-transporting road vehicles to be driven between the legs and under the top frame and ram, and a refuse-compacting thrust plate that is operated by the ram and descends and rises in the region under said top frame and between the gantry legs, the rani - having a ram rod pivotally connected to the centre of the thrust plate.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the feet of the gantry legs are secured to a deck on to which the vehicles driven.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the feet of the gantry legs are permanently or releasably secured to ground anchorages.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the ram and thrust plate are additionally guided by vertical guides that descend and rise with the thrust plate and pass through guiding means on the gantry top frame that maintain them vertical.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said guiding means comprise vertically-spaced sets of rollers that engage the surfaces of the guides.

6. Apparatus according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein there are two guides secured to the thrust plate one on each side of the ram.

7. Apparatus according to claim 4 or claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the top ends of the guides are united by a crosshead that has an aperture through which the ram cylinder slides.

8. Apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein power for the hydraulic ram is provided by a motor and pump set mounted on the gantry top frame.

9. Apparatus according to any one" of the preceding claims, wherein stop-go lights are provided on the gantry legs that operate according as the ram descends and rises.

10. Apparatus for the compaction of household refuse in vehicle bodies, substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (10)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. It can thus be seen that, after being filled by means already described, a vehicle can move off from its loading point and be positioned under the gantry for compaction of the refuse, two strokes of the ram nor mally being sufficient with the vehicle being driven forward a short distance between the strokes. The vehicle can then return to its loading point to have filled that upper por tion of the body or container now empty, afterwards returning to the compacting gantry for the second and last compaction. Finally, hinged lids or covers are placed over the load of now compacted refuse. It is, of course, necessary to ensure that the legs of the gantry cannot lift as the ram thrusts downwards. This is conveniently accomplished by providing the base plate or deck 15 to which the feet of the gantry legs are secured and on to which the vehicle can be driven. Alternatively, the gantry feet can be secured to ground anchorages, either permanently or by means of releasable locks. It is desired to carry the maximum load permissible by law, and the cost of attaining this objective by means of the device described is estimated at around 15% to 20% of the cost of compactors hitherto available. Added advantages are that it is readily possible to change the position of the device at the depot, or to transport it to other transfer stations; and that its operation does not require special skills and is well within the ability of Heavy Goods Vehicle drivers, thus avoiding the cost of a compactor operator. The compacting ram need not necessarily be of the hydraulic type, since a similar ram operated by compressed air would give comparable results and in some instances be desirable where electrical power is costly or not readily available. WHAT I CLAIM IS:-

1. Apparatus for the compaction of household refuse in vehicle bodies, compri sing an overhead vertical ram mounted on a top frame of a gantry having legs suffici ently wide apart to enable refuse-transporting road vehicles to be driven between the legs and under the top frame and ram, and a refuse-compacting thrust plate that is operated by the ram and descends and rises in the region under said top frame and between the gantry legs, the rani - having a ram rod pivotally connected to the centre of the thrust plate.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the feet of the gantry legs are secured to a deck on to which the vehicles driven.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the feet of the gantry legs are permanently or releasably secured to ground anchorages.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the ram and thrust plate are additionally guided by vertical guides that descend and rise with the thrust plate and pass through guiding means on the gantry top frame that maintain them vertical.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said guiding means comprise vertically-spaced sets of rollers that engage the surfaces of the guides.

6. Apparatus according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein there are two guides secured to the thrust plate one on each side of the ram.

7. Apparatus according to claim 4 or claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the top ends of the guides are united by a crosshead that has an aperture through which the ram cylinder slides.

8. Apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein power for the hydraulic ram is provided by a motor and pump set mounted on the gantry top frame.

9. Apparatus according to any one" of the preceding claims, wherein stop-go lights are provided on the gantry legs that operate according as the ram descends and rises.

10. Apparatus for the compaction of household refuse in vehicle bodies, substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.