US2145904A - Excavating apparatus - Google Patents

Description

' Feb. 7, 1939."

i R. s, WEIMER 'EXCAVATING APPARATUS Fil ed May 28, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 jzde/zzvf [Egg 020114? 5. n'iiizei PATENT OFFICE EXOAVATING APPARATUS Raymond Samuel Weimer, Morris, Ill.

Application May 28, 1937, Serial No. 145,188

8 Claims.

Thisinvention relates to improvements in ex- I cavating apparatus.

5 ,;An object of the invention is to provide drag line apparatus provided with a bucket or scoop l" f which normally tilts rearwardly in discharging the load, but which, after dumping, can be rotated forwardly to a position wherein the cutting I "up or the teeth point downwardly, thus enabling f thelbucket to be lowered rapidly or dropped to lotcause. the teeth to penetrate the soil to expedite thesubsequent-loading of the bucket. The dropping oflthe, bucket with the teeth pointing downwardlynot only facilitates the taking on of the subsequent load, where the soil is readily pene- 5 trable, but it breaks or chops upthe material bemg excavated if it-is hard. In excavating wet clayey material or clinging material, drag buck-' ,ets frequently do not clear readily. Withthe present improvements the bucket can be rotated from'the loadi discharging position. wherein the teeth point upwardly, to aposition wherein the I teeth. point downwardly,,and such movement can be so effected that the rear end'of the bucket will strike the hoist chainssharply, thus jarring the w'ibucket sumciently to free it of clinging. portions of its previous load.

1 {A further object of the invention is to provide drag .line equipment. provided with stabilizing means which are attached to and cooperate with both the drag line and the hoist line,'whereby ten- 'sionapplied-toone will in part be applied to the ,*lowings'pecificationand accompanying drawings a lFlgfllis abroken side elevation. of excavating apparatus embodying the present improvements and showing the bucket in various positions which it;ma'y assume during. a cycle of loading, and elevat'ing operations;

..F1g; Zisasi'de'. elevation somewhat enlarged,

illustrating the improved bucket and the associated lines or rigging. in. load-discharging 'position;- h H is-a top plan view of the bucket and rigj: Bing connected'thereto'; and

Fig. 4 is a side elevation thereof. I

In the drawings, l0 indicates generally a machine of the type generally used for operatingv drag line equipment and comprises cable winding means II, a fairlead or set of sheaves I2 over which certain of the cables of the drag line equipment pass, and a support boom 53 provided with a sheave M at its outer end. The improved bucket is indicated generally by the numeral l5 and, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4, is provided with outwardly flaring side walls It, a rearwardly flaring rear wall I1, and an excavating lip in the form of teeth l8 at the forward edge of the bottom IS. The forward ends I611 of the side walls It preferably extend forwardly of the teeth l8 as shown in Figs. 2 to 4, inclusive. These ends ltd are deflected inwardly somewhat from the plane of the I respective side walls, as shown in Fig. 3. The rigging or lines for supporting and operating the bucket comprise a conventional hoist line 20 and a drag line 2|. The hoist line 20 passes around a sheave 22 to which is attached hoist chains 23 Which are to be construed as a portion of the hoist line. The chains 23, as shown in Figs. 3,- are pivotally attached to the inside of the bucket at points 24. The chains 23 may be provided with a spreader bar 25, as shown in Fig. 3, above which bar the ends of the chains are attached to the sheave structure 22. The pivotal axis of the bucket, which is determined by the points 24, is forwardly of and below the center of gravity of the loaded bucket, and preferably of the empty bucket. The center of gravity of the loaded bucket is assumed to be at the point marked C. G. in Fig. 1. It will be seen, therefore, that the loaded bucket will have a tendency to tilt rearwardly to discharge the load over the rear wall IT. This tilting action of the bucket normally is restrained, however, by tension applied on the drag line 2|, the drag line in the embodiment shown in the drawings being divided to form branches 2| a whichare attached to the forward ends I 6a of the side walls of the bucket at points preferably above the pivotal axis 24. It will therefore be seen that by exerting tension on the drag line by the windlass of the machine, a loaded bucket may be restrained from tilting rearwardly until the boom l3 has been swung over the dumping place, whereupon releasing the tension on the drag line will permit the bucket to swing to the position shown in Fig. 2 and discharge the load. Discharging the load over the rear wall results in discharging the load away from the machine, thus adding to the effective length of the boom.

Itwill be seen that should excess tension be applied to the drag line 2| while the loaded bucket is in elevated position, the center of gravity of the loaded bucket might be swung counterclockwise from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 to a point at the left of a plane passing through the pivotal axis 2 3 of the bucket, whereupon the bucket would tend to tilt forwardly to discharge the load. To prevent the forward tilting of the bucket by the inadvertent application of excess tension on the drag line, stabilizing lines 26 are provided which extend from the drag line branches 2m at points shortly forward of the ends Mia. to the branches 23 of the hoist line, It will be seen that applying tension to the drag line 2| to resist rearward tilting of the bucket beyond load-sustaining position will apply tension to the stabilizing lines 26 and that when the lines 26 are taut, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, additional tension applied to the line 2| will merely swing the bucket l5 farther inwardly under the boom and will not tilt it forwardly or in a counter-clockwise direction and thus result in losing the load. The stabilizing lines 26, therefore, guard against undesirable forward tilting of a loaded bucket and inadvertent loss of the load.

When the bucket has been loaded, elevated, and swung over the dumping place, tension on the drag line 2! is released, whereupon the bucket tilts rearwardly from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 2, in which position the center of gravity of the bucket lies substantially in vertical alignment with the line 23.

To return the bucket to excavating position, tension is again applied to the drag line 2!, and as will be seen in Fig. 2, such tension will rotate the bucket counter-clockwise about its axis 24. The empty bucket, having considerable mass, will continue to rotate counter-clockwise after the tension on the drag line is released as the bucket reaches or approaches horizontal position and will swing, if the momentum is sufficient, until the center of gravity of the bucket, which may be a point substantially the same as the point t C. G. of Fig. 1, has passed to the left handside of the vertical plane passing through the bucket axis, whereupon the bucket will gravitate to a position corresponding to the dotted line position indicated at A in Fig. 1. In this position of the bucket, it will be seen that the teeth are directed downwardly.

As the bucket swings to the position A of Fig. 1, the rear wall of the bucket will strike the chains 23, thus jarring the bucket and dislodging material which may have clung to the bucket from the previous load. Inversion of the bucket, therefore, preferably is performed while the same is over the dumping point.

When the bucket has been inverted, as described, and the boom swung back to the excavating position of Fig. l, the bucket may, by releasing the hoist line, be lowered rapidly or dropped from position A to position 13, wherein the teeth have penetrated. the soil, thus placing the bucket in position for rapid filling as it is drawn toward the machine. In case the soil is hard or stoney or frozen, the teeth will tend to chop or break up the surface, as will be clear.

Position C shows the bucket in substantially loaded position and ready to be elevated from the soil. To accomplish this without tilting the bucket forwardly and losing the load or a portion thereof, tension is maintained on the drag line 2| and applied on the hoist line '20. 'The application of tension on the hoist line tightens the stabilizing lines 26, which as previously stated are attached to the drag line shortly ahead of the forward end of the bucket thereby exerting a vertical component on the forward end of the bucket in much the same manner as though the forward ends of the stabilizing lines were attached to the forward end of the bucket itself, as illustrated in my Patent No. 2,096,773. This action tends to lift the forward end of the bucket as the excavating stroke is completed and prevents forward tilting of the bucket due to resistance offered to the teeth as they are lifted from the soil.

I In Fig. 4, the branches Zia are shown as being deflected slightly from a straight line due to the force exerted thereon by the tension applied to the stabilizing lines 26. "The closer the forward ends of the stabilizing lines'are attached to the adjacent ends of the branches 2| a, the less will be the deflection of the latter, and consequently the elevating action of the forward end of the bucket to free it from the soil will .more closely resemble the action which would take place were the stabilizing lines attached directly to the forward ends of the bucket side walls. The points of attachment of the stabilizing lines to the branches 2| a are as close to the ends of the bucket as feasible, it being understood that the combined length of a stabilizing line and the corresponding portion Zlb of the drag line should be such as to enable the bucket to swing forwardly to position A when the drag line is released after effecting'the forward tilting action above described.

Position D illustrates the bucket elevated slightly from the ground and ready to be raised progressively through position E to the full line position beneath the end of the boom. In elevating the bucket, the drag line is paid out as the hoist line is taken in, thus maintaining constant I tension on the drag line and stabilizing lines to prevent the bucket from tilting rearwardly, it

being noted that the center of gravity is to the rear of the vertical plane passing through the pivotal axis or points 24 of the bucket.

When elevated to the full line position show the boom is swung to discharging position and the drag line 2| is then released, whereupon the bucket tilts rearwardly to the position shown in.

Fig. 2 to discharge the load at the dumping place. As pointed out above, the stabilizing lines prevent forward tilting of the bucket by the,

bodiment of my improvements, it will be apparent that various changes in detail may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined claims.

I claim: V 1. Excavating apparatus comprising a hoist line, a bucket pivotally attached thereto on an axis below and forwardly of the centerof gravity of a normal load whereby the bucket tends to swing rearwardly to load-discharging position, a drag line attached to the forward end of by the appended the bucket and arranged to restrain rearward tilting action'thereof, and means connected to 45 V means, abuc ket pivotally secured to said means .onan axis below and forwardly of the center bucket and to said hoist line at an elevation above the pivotal axis of the bucket for restraintends to tilt rearwardly to pendent position to.

Y discharge the load, and means attached to the forward end of the bucket and adapted to swing the bucket forward about its axis from' load-' discharging position until the center of gravity 15.

of the bucket passes forwardly of a vertical plane through thebucket axis whereby the bucket can swingiaxlally to the opposite pendent position. 3. Excavating apparatus comprising a hoist means, a drag line, a bucket pivotally attached at the forward end to said drag line and to said hoist means on an axis below and forwardly of thejcenter of gravity of a normal load whereby the bucket tends to tilt rearwardly to load-discharging position, and flexible stabilizing means connected to-both said hoist and drag means and of a length to transmit tension from the hoist mea'ns to the drag line for effecting the Y elevation of the forward end of the bucket at the final stage of a bucket-loading operation and arranged to restrict the forward tilting action of the bucket beyond load-carrying position by ;said drag line during elevation and transportation of the loaded bucket to load-discharging a position.

4. Excavating apparatus comprising a hoist means, abucket pivotally secured to said means I on: an axis below and forwardly of the center of gravity of a normal load whereby the bucket tends to tilt rearwardly to load-discharging position, and drag means attached to the forward end of the bucket on an axis whereby tension on said drag means restrains the bucket from tilt- 'ing rearwardly during elevation and transportation of the load and whereby the bucket can be inverted from the load-dischargingposition.

1 5. Excavating apparatus comprising a hoist 'of gravity of a normal load whereby the bucket tion, a drag line attached to the forward end of thebucket, and a stabilizing line attached to both said drag line and said hoist means for limiting forward tilting action of the bucket by force exerted thereon by said drag line.

6. Excavating apparatus comprising a hoist line, a drag line, a bucket pivotally attached to said hoist and drag lines, the point of attachment of said hoist line to said bucket being forwardly and below the center of gravity of the .bucket when loaded whereby the bucket tends an axis whereby the bucket when loaded tends to tilt rearwardly to pendent position with said rear wall lowermost for discharging the load over said rear wall, and a drag line attached to the forward end of the bucket and manipulatable to swing the empty bucket from load-discharging position to a position where said excavating lip is directed downwardly.

8. In excavating apparatus, the combination of a bucket having'a bottom and flaring side and rear walls, a drag line pivotally attached to a forward portion of the bucket, and a hoist line pivotally attached to the interior of the bucket, the relation of the pivotal axes being such that upon release of tension on the drag line the loaded bucket tends to tilt rearwardly to a position wherein the forward end of the bottom of the bucket engages said hoist line and discharges the load over said rear wall and whereby by the application of tension on the drag line said bucket can be tilted in the opposite direction from said load discharging position to a position wherein the bucket will swing forwardly by gravity until restrained by engagement of said rear wall with said hoist line.

RAYMOND S. WEIMER.

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