GB2188821A - Slurry distribution vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The vehicle comprises a chassis to traverse a ground area, a cylinder and piston mounted thereon connectable to a source of slurry supply under pressure to fill the cylinder causing the piston to move against a resilient means. The piston activates intermittently means to cause slurry to be discharged. A chassis 1 traversable across an area of ground, by a cable 6 and winch drum 5, mounts a cylinder 9 and piston 15 assembly connected to a pressurised slurry supply source by a pipe 10. The slurry fills the cylinder 9, causing motion of the piston 15 counter to springs 22. The motion of the piston 15 intermittently turns the winch drum 5 and periodically opens communication between the cylinder 9 and alternate ones of a pair of nozzles to discharge slurry laterally of the direction of motion of the vehicle. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Slurry distribution vehicle This invention relates to a vehicle for distributing slurry and other liquids, with or without solid or fibrous material suspended therein, over relatively large areas ofground and has been devised with the general object of providing a cheaper yet reliable alternative to such machines as are currently availableforthe purpose.

Low cost machines are currently available but have two serious disadvantages which the present invention seeks to overcome namely (1 ) frequent blockages by solid our fibrous constituents in slurries and (2) the relatively small area of ground which can be treated with slurry each time the machine is re-positioned, resulting in high labour costs.

Savings in capital cost are traditionally achieved by using a smal ler pum p and smaller diameterfield supply pipes, all of which are readily available and a smaller field application machine such as is commonly used for watering lawns or golf courses.

Whilstin practicethesmallerpumpand pipes can cope with many scurries, particularly on the smaller farm where slurry management is under the direct control of the farmer himself, the small spray nozzles presently fitted to these smaller field application machines are prone to frequent blockages. Also the small nozzles only produce a short jet length resulting in only a narrow width of application as the machine travels forward. Additionallythe motive power which can be derived from harnessing the jets, usually on a reaction principle, is also very low resulting in a short travel distance each time the machine is manually repositioned.Putting comparative size in perspective in terms ofvolume ofslurrybeing moved, largerground volume of slurry being moved, larger ground applicator systems operate at round 80 gallons per minute, whilst the objective with smaller systems is to operate atonly around 5 gallons per minute.

In accordance with the present invention a vehicle for the purpose referred to comprises a chassis adapted to be winched, or otherwise traversed, across an area of ground, a cylinder and piston assembly mounted on the chassis and connected to a source of slurry supply under pressure whereby the cylinder can befilled with slurry to cause motion of the piston counterto spring or other resilient means applied thereto, and means actuated by piston movement for periodically permitting slurry which has been accumulated in the cylinder to be discharged under pressure through a nozzle in a direction laterally of the direction of motion of the vehicle.

Preferably at least two nozzles are connected to the cylinderand are situated so asto dischargeslurry from opposite sides of the chassis underthe control of means for alternating the operation of the nozzles, such means being also actuated by the piston.

Preferably the vehicle is slf-prnpelled along an anchored cable by meandof a cable winch drum mounted on the chassis and caused to rotate by movement of the piston in one direction or another.

A particular and at present preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure lisa general right hand side elevation of the vehicle; Figure 1A is a side elevation of a drawbar arrangement; Figure2 is a rear elevation ofthe vehicle; Figure3 is a rear elevation similgrto Figure 2 but showing discharge nozzles in closed condition; Figure 3A is a plan view of a changeover mechanism; Figure 4 is a rear elevation, similar to Figure 2 but showing a right side nozzle in open condition; and Figures a cut-away rear elevation of both nozzles showing a right side nozzle in open condition and a left side nozzle in closed condition.

Referring firstly to Figure 1, it can be seen that the vehicle comprises a chassis frame 1 supported on two axles 2 which each carry a pair of wheels 3.

Rotatably mounted on an upperframe part 4 is a winch drum 5aroundwhichthere iswound a traction cable 6 which is intended to be anchored at its other end to the ground. Rotation of the winch drum thus causes the vehicle to traverse a selected treatment area from end to end. Mounted beneath a casing 7 on the rear end oftheframe part is a pairof nozzle assemblies which operate as hereinafter described to periodically discharge slurry to the left and to the right of the vehicle as it makes it's traverse.

The right side nozzle position 8 is depicted.

Pivotally carried upon the front end of the upper frame part4is a slurrycylinder9 connected to a slurry inlet pipe 10 which can be coupled to a high pressure, low volume continuoussupply of liquid slurry from a remote pump. The pipe 10 incorporates a stop vaive 11 operated by a lever 12. From the same end of the water cylinder 9 there extends a slurry exhaust pipe 13 coupled to the left and right side nozzle assemblies by a pair of pipes 1 4forthe intermittent supply of slurry at high volume.

The cylinder 9 contains a piston 15 with a rod 16 which is pivotally connected to the upper end of a swing arm 17 of which the lower end is pivotally connected to the frame part 4. Between its ends the arm 17 carries a spring biased pawl 18 which engages the teeth of a ratchet wheel 19 co-axial with and fixed to the winch drum 5. When therefore the piston rod 16 moves rearwardly as a resultofthe piston 15 being driven along the cylinder9 byan increasing volume of slurry supplied thereto the winch drum is driven stepwise in a cablewinding-on direction so asto advance the vehicle bytraction.

Also provided is a braking pawl 20.

The front end of the cylinder 9 has an extension which receives an adjustable screw-threaded cross-bar coupling 21 which serves as an anchorage for one end of each of a pair of parallel springs 22 of which the opposite ends are coupled to a cross-bar 23 at the rear end of the piston rod 16. One only of such springs 22 is shown, in an upwardly detached position in Figure 1. The reciprocating motion of the piston rod 16 is also used to control intermittent opening and closing of the left and right side nozzles.

On the left side of the drum, a bell crank lever (not visible) is centrally pivoted on the drum shaft 24 and has the end of its longer, upright, arm pivotally connected to the cross-bar 23. The end of its lower shorter arm, which is approximately horizontal, is pivotally connected to the lower end of a vertical push rod 25 which is pivotally connected at its upper end to a short link26 fixed to the end of a horizontal shaft 27, also shown in Figures 3 and 4, which enters the casing 7. Through this linkage system the shaft 27 can be angularly oscillated to actuate a mechanism which is hereafter described.

There may be used optionally with the vehicle as above described an extended drawbar as shown in Figure 1A. This drawbar has a pivot point 28 attachable to pivot point 29 (Figure 1) and a post 30 with guide pulley for a stop cable 32 which would be attached to the stop valve lever 12 shown in Figure 1.

The purpose of this extended drawbar is to permit more precise directional control ofthe vehicle when it is being manoeuvred into position.

Each of Figures 2,3,4, and 5 shows components which arevisiblewhen the nozzle assembly casing 7 is removed. The right and left side nozzle assemblies and their operating mechanisms are identical with each otherandthe assemblies are drawn so thatin effect both sides of the same nozzle assembly can be appreciated from a particular Figure. Thus, for example, the components of the right side (R-S) assembly which are not visible in Figures 3 and 4 are identical with those components ofthe left side (L-S) assembly which are visible in the same Figures and vice versa.

The output parts of the left and right side nozzle assemblies are shown most clearly in FigureS. Each assembly comprises a nozzle 31 to be supplied with liquid slurry from the cylinder9 by way of one ofthe pipes 14 (Figure 1) coupled to a nozzle union 32. Each nozzle 31 is opened and closed by a bung 33 which is pinned to a spindle 34 rotatable through about 90O as hereafter explained. In Figure 5the left side nozzle is shown closed whereas the right side nozzle is shown opened to allowslurryto be sprayed.

The mechanism by which angular oscillation of the actuating shaft 27 alternately opens and closes the left and rightside nozzles ia hereafterdescribed by reference to its mode of operation and Figures 3, 3A and 4.

Figure 3 shows the horizontal actuating shaft 27 in an extreme position of clockwise rotation to which it has been moved when the springs 22 have asserted themselves and the piston 15 has completely discharged slurry from the cylinder 9. Each spindle 34 is being retained in a nozzle closed position by a pivotally mounted latch 35 - one only of which is visible -which is biased by a coil spring 36.

The piston rod 16 now moves rearwardly as a fresh charge of pumped slurry acts on the piston 15 and beginstofill the cylinder9. The shaft 27 isthus turned in an anti-clockwise direction towards the position shown in Figure 4. This movement is transmitted through links 37 and 38to a swing arm 39 which in turn moves a rod 40 towards the right side nozzle assembly. Atthe sametime a spring 41 is compressed which causes a plunger 42 to be pushed against a roller 43 which cannot move whilst being retained by the latch 35.

By the timethecylinder9 has filled with slurry, the rod 40 has moved sufficiently to bring the end of a pivotally mounted probe 44 into contact with the latch 35, thereby releasing the rolier 43 and allowing the spring 41 to cause rapid rotation of the right side spindle 34to the position illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, that is to say right side nozzle opened but left side nozzle closed.

The probe 44 is also illustrated in plan view in Figure3Aand is pivotable in an horizontal plane. Itis normally held in the Figure 3A position by a spring 45 which causes the probe to avoid contact with the latch 35. However, by leftward movement of a connecting bar46a lever47which is mounted on a spindle 48 is swung upwardly to cause the spring 45 to be compressed as the rod 40 moves as above described. Whether or not the lever 47 has been raised determineswhetherornotthatparticular nozzle will be opened on that particular outward movement of the piston 15. It is this action which achieves the alternate nozzle opening.

It has previously been mentioned that in the rear elevational views the showing of the left side nozzle assembly corresponds to the invisible side ofthe right side assembly but as concerns Figure 4 this is because some artistic licence has been utilised.

Consideration of the position of the spindle 34 in Figure 4 shows that both right and left nozzles 31 would be opened whereas the left side nozzle must be closed if the right side nozzle is open. However as concerns Figure 3 no such artistic Ijcence has been necessary because with the cylinder completely discharged both nozzles 31 will be closed anyway.

Reverting to Figure 4, the probe 44 is shown as having contacted the latch 35, releasing the roller43 and opening the right side nozzle 31. All this in turn causes the piston 15 to be moved by return action of the springs 22 to start discharging slurry and shaft 27 to startturning clockwise. This in turn causes an adjusting screw 49 to push the roller43 backtowards the latch 35 until a spring 50 (left side nozzle assembly) assumes a below centre position relative to adjacent spindle 34 and instantaneously completes the homing movement of the roller 43 and closing ofthe right side nozzle 31 just as the cylinder 9 becomes completely discharged.

It is now necessary to consider the motivation of the connecting bar 46 which is required to ensure that the left side nozzle 31 is opened on the next discharge stroke of the piston 15. This involves co-operation between a probe 51 and a push bar 52 visible on the right side of Figures 3 and 4.

Referring to Figure3, asthe cylinder 15 isfilling with slurry and the piston is being pushed rearwardly, the rod 40 is moving tothe right. The probe 51 is ata higher level than the push bar52.

However, as the spindle 34 rotates to open the right side nozzle, the probe 51 is lowered to bring it into contact with the push bar 52 as the cylinder9 discharges. The associated movement of the bar 40 towards the left causes the right side lever 47 to fall clearoftheprobe44(Figure3A)whilst simultaneouslythe connection through the bar 46 causes the left side lever47 to fall clear of the probe 44 (Figure 3A) whilst at the same time the connection through the bar 46 causes the left side lever 47 to rise ready to trigger off the left side nozzle instead ofthe right side nozzle on the next succeeding rearward movement of the piston 15.

The nozzles which are used in the apparatus of the present invention are of comparable or identical size to those which are used in much larger machines and this is advantageous. The rate of slurry supplyto thecylindercan be only about 5 gallons per minute with a cylinder capacity of about 2 gallons, this whole amount being discharged alternately from the left and right side nozzles at a rate of discharge of 80 gallons per minute.

Secondary advantages which are characteristic of the spring loaded cylinder and piston arrangement are firstly that an intermittently supplied scurry jet can be of much greater length than a continuous small jet and second ly that the outward movement of the piston is applied to provide almost limitless motive power with which to achieve an extended length of machine travel at each setting of the traction cable.

Claims (4)

1. Avehiclefor distributing slurry oranother liquid, with or without solid or fibrous material suspended therein, comprising a chassis adapted to be traversed across an area of ground, a cylinder and piston assembly mounted on the chassis and connectable to a source of liquid supply under pressure whereby the cylinder can be filled with liquid to cause motion of the piston counterto spring or other resilient means applied thereto, and means actuated by piston movement for periodically permitting liquid which has been accumulated in the cylinder to be discharged under pressure through a nozzle in a direction laterally of the direction of motion ofthevehicle.

2. Avehicle as claimed in Claim 1, in which at least two nozzles are connected to the cylinder and are situated so as to discharge liquid from opposite sides ofthe chassis under the control of means for alternating the operation of the nozzles, such means being also actuated by the piston.

3. A vehicle as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, the vehicle being self-propellable along an anchored cable by meansofa cable winch drum mounted on the chassis and caused to rotate by movement of the piston.

4. A vehicle for distributing slurry, substantially as described with referencg to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.