US2705379A

US2705379A - Screw type ditch digging machine

Info

Publication number: US2705379A
Application number: US264748A
Authority: US
Inventors: Fruhling Curt
Original assignee: NEUE BAUMASCHINEN GmbH
Current assignee: Neue Baumaschinen G M B H; NEUE BAUMASCHINEN GmbH
Priority date: 1952-01-03
Filing date: 1952-01-03
Publication date: 1955-04-05
Anticipated expiration: 1972-04-05

Description

April 5, 1955 c. FRUHLING 2,705,379

SCREW TYPE DITCH DIGGING MACHINE Filed Jan. 3, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 14 cum. FRJHLING by: M 4% April 5, 1955 c. FRUHLING SCREW TYPE DITCH DIGGING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 3, 1952 Im/enzan' 0 m FRJHLING- 3y: M M,

April 5, 1955 c. FRUHLING 2,705,379

SCREW TYPE DITCH DIGGING MACH INE Filed Jan. 5, 1952 s Sheets-Sheei3 United States Patent SCREW TYPE DITCH DIGGING MACHINE Curt Friihling, Hamburg, Germany, assignor to Neue Baumaschinen G. m. b. H., Tegernsee Obb, Germany Application January 3, 1952, Serial No. 264,748

6 Claims. (Cl. 37-81) The present invention relates to excavating devices, and more particularly to an excavating device for cutting ditcfiaes having a rounded bottom and inclined lateral wa s.

Excavating devices are known for digging in a continuous process ditches having vertical or almost vertical side faces. Other excavating devices operating in a direction normal to the longitudinal extension of the ditch to be excavated are also known which are capable of producing an inclined lateral face of the ditch, such excavating devices, however, are only suitable for producing the wide ditches. Shovel and bucket excavators which produce inclined slopes in a continuous process cannot form a flat bottom of the ditch. A common disadvantage of all these known excavating devices is their very high weight. Also, they are not suitable for excavating small ditches and for deepening existing ditches.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of the known devices and to provide an excavating device for excavating ditches having inclined side faces and a rounded smooth bottom.

It is another object of the invention to provide an excavating device permitting excavation of ditches having side faces of any desired inclination.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an excavating device having adjustable cutting members for cutting slopes having different angles.

With these objects in view the present invention mainly consists in an excavating device comprising a rotary cutter head adapted to cut a smooth curved bottom of a ditch, and of two rotary cutting members arranged on either side of, and above, the rotary cutter head and provided with cutting blades which during rotation of the cutting members cut the side walls of the ditch. In order to produce ditches having inclined lateral faces, the rotary cutting members are pivotally mounted and may be tilted to assume positions in which they are located in planes extending tangentially to the curved bottom of the ditch produced by the rotating cutter head. Radially extending blade edges of each cutting element out along a circle, the foremost point of which is preferably located above the foremost pomt of the cutter head.

Behind the cutter head and secured to the same shaft, a conveyor screw is arranged for transporting the earth cut out by the cutting members and by the cutter head to the rear where a centrifugal ejector wheel throws it through an opening in a casing upwardly out of the ditch.

A hood covers the upper portion of the cutter head and closes the ditch tightly by engaging the faces of the excavated ditch with its edges.

The excavating unit is pulled by a vehicle moving in the direction of excavation and provided with a pivoted arm supporting the excavating unit. A motor mounted on the vehicle drives the cutter head, the conveyer screw, the centrifugal ejector wheel and the cutting members.

The cutter head, the conveyer screw, and the centrifugal ejector wheel rotate preferably in the same direction and at the same rotary speed. However, it is also possible to arrange these devices on hollow shafts and to drive the same at different rotary speeds, and in the same or opposite directions, as desired.

When the excavating device is pulled in straight direction by means of the vehicle on which the supporting arm for the excavating device and the rotor for rotating Patented Apr. 5, 1955 the cutting elements thereof are mounted, the two cutting members which are laterally arranged of the excavating unit cut the walls of the ditch according to the inclination to which they were adjusted. The material cut loose by the lateral cutting members drops in front of the cutting head which is excavating the bottom of the ditch. The earth cut by the cutter head and by the cutting members passes through the cutting elements of the cutter head to the conveyer screw which transports the loose earth to the centrifugal ejector wheel by which the earth is thrown out of the ditch or deposited on the side thereof. The diameter of the cuttcr head is chosen according to the width of the ditch to be excavated, and the cutter head may be exchanged, when a different diameter is required.

In the event that ditches are to be excavated, which have a width greater than the diameter of available cutter heads, the excavating process is carried out by excavating parallel adjacent furrows which together form a wide ditch.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a front view of an excavating device according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the excavating unit according to the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a detail of Fig. 2;

4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line A--A of 1g.

Fig. 5 is a partly cross-sectional view taken on line B- -B of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line D--D of Figs. 4 and 5;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a cutting member;

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view on line EE of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a plan view of a detail of the cutting member taken in the direction of the arrow F in Fig. 7;

Fig. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of the bottom excavating and earth-conveying unit according to the present invention;

Fig. 11 is a front view of the cutter head of the bottom excavating unit taken in the direction of arrow G in Fig. 10; and

Fig. 12 is a rear view of the bottom excavating and earth-conveying unit taken in the direction of arrow H in Fig. 10.

Referring now to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows an excavating device 11 having supporting members 30 which are turnably mounted on a shaft 25. Shaft 25 is mounted on a supporting member 24 which is turnably secured to the lower end of a supporting arm 19. A shaft 28 extends parallel to the supporting arm 19 and is supported by the same. Shaft 23 drives shaft 25 by means of

bevel gears

29, and 26. The excavating device is laterally supported by the rod 22. The upper end of rod 22 is adjustable in relation to the supporting arm 19, permitting adjusting of the position of the excavating device.

The rotatable drive shaft 28 is driven by a motor 13 which is mounted on a vehicle 14 which generally is self-propelled. A mast 15 is mounted on the platform of the vehicle. Hoist means 18 connect the upper end of the mast 15 with the outer ends of the booms 16 and 17. Booms 16 and 17 are supported on the vehicle and mounted on a universal joint permitting horizontal and vertical swivelling. A counterweight 23 is arranged on the end of boom 17 in order to balance the weight of the excavating device. The supporting arm 19 and the excavating unit 11 can be lifted by the boom 16 by means of the hoist 18, and also by the rope 21 passing over pulley 20 and wound on a winch (not shown) driven by motor 13.

On either side of the excavating unit 11 supporting plates 39 are arranged for supporting circular cutting members 7 which serve to shape the lateral walls of a furrow.

Referring now to the excavating unit 11 as illustrated in Figs. 2, 10, 11 and 12, a cutter head 2 comprising a milling head 32, five curved cutting elements 9, and guiding members is fixedly mounted on a shaft 1. Also mounted on shaft 1 is a conveyer screw 3 and a centrifugal ejector wheel 4 for throwing out the earth conveyed by the conveyer screw 3 from the cutter head to the rear. The cutter head 2, the conveyer screw 3 and the wheel 4 are driven by means of the

bevel gears

27 and 33 and the gears 34. Bevel gear 27 is mounted on the shaft which is driven from the shaft 28 by means of

bevel gears

29 and 26. In the casing 38 of the ejector wheel an opening 12 is provided for throwing out the excavated earth.

The conveyer screw 3 is conically reduced toward the rear, while the distance between the spirally shaped walls thereof increases in a rearward direction so that the space between the convolutions of the conveyer means remains the same and the excavated earth is not compressed while being conveyed. A hood 6 consisting of sheet metal covers the upper portion of the cutter head 2 which constitutes a watertight closure for the bottom portion of the furrow excavated by the cutter head 2. A frusto-conically-shaped housing 5 encloses the conveyer screw.

On either side of the excavating unit 11 a supporting plate 39 is pivotally mounted on pivoting means 39, the position of which may be adjustable. The supporting plate 39 may be secured by means of a slotted member 42 and screws 43 in the desired inclination conforming to the desired profile of the excavated furrow (Fig. 5).

On each supporting plate a cutting member 7 is mounted which is illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8. Each cutting member 7 comprises radially extending arms or spokes 36 on which cutting blades 8 are mounted which are supported by an annular member 37 (Flg. 9).

The cutting members 7 are secured to shafts 35, which extend normal to the supporting plates 39 and are rotatably supported on brackets 39" which project inwardly from the supporting plate 39. As illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4, the shafts 35 are driven from shaft 25 by means of

chains

47 and 47. Chain 47 passes over a chain wheel 46 mounted on shaft 25, a chain wheel 41 and a guide chain wheel 44. Chain wheels 44, 44' are mounted on supports 45.

The

chain wheels

41 and 41 are mounted on

intermediate shafts

48, 48 carrying bevel gears and 40' meshing with

bevel gears

49, 49 which are secured to the shaft 35, 35' of the rotary cutting members 7.

For cutting the side faces of the excavated ditch the supporting plates 39 must be in a position in which the cutting members 7 are located in tangential planes with respect to the curved bottom of the furrow excavated and shaped by the cutter head 2, and in order to make a perfect adjustment possible, the pivoting means 39, and the slotted members 42 may be adjustably mounted. The cutting members 7 are placed in planes extending parallel with the direction of movement of the vehicle and of the cutter head, and passing through tangents on the circle described by the outermost points of the cutter head during rotation.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of excavating devices differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a rotary excavating unit and two lateral rotary cutting members, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. An excavating device, comprising in combination movable supporting means movable in substantially straight forward direction; a cutter head mounted on said supporting means rotatably about an axis located in a vertical plane and inclined downwardly in said forward direction of movement, said plane being parallel to said direction of movement of said supporting means, the outermost portion of said cutter head describing a circle during rotation; and a pair of oppositely arranged rotary cutting members mounted on said supporting means on both sides of said cutter head rotatable about axes located in a transverse plane, each cutting member having cutting edges located in a plane extending parallel to the direction of movement of said supporting means, and passing through a tangent on said circle, the foremost cutting edges of said cutting members and of said cutter head being located in a transverse plane.

2. An excavating device, comprising in combination, movable supporting means movable in substantially straight forward direction; a shaft mounted on said supporting means rotatably about an axis located in a vertical plane and inclined downwardly in said forward direction of movement, said plane being parallel to the direction of movement of said supporting means; a cutter head fixedly secured to the front end of said shaft for common rotation, the outermost portions of said cutter head describing a circle during rotation; a conveyer screw fixedly secured to said shaft coaxially therewith and behind said cutter head; a centrifugal ejector wheel fixedly secured to said shaft coaxially therewith and behind said conveyer screw; and a pair of oppositely arranged rotary cutting members mounted on said supporting means on both sides of said cutter head rotatable about axes located in a transverse plane, each cutting member having radially extending cutting edges located in a plane extending parallel to the direction of movement of said movable supporting means, and passing through a tangent on said circle, the foremost cutting edges of said cutting members and of said cutter head being located in a transverse plane.

3. An excavating device, comprising in combination, movable supporting means movable in substantially straight forward direction; a shaft mounted on said supporting means, downwardly inclined and having a lower front end, said shaft being rotatably about an axis located in a vertical plane, said plane being parallel to the direction of movement of said supporting means; a cutter head fixedly secured to the front end of said shaft for common rotation, the outermost portions of said cutter head describing a circle during rotation; a conveyer screw fixedly secured to said shaft coaxially therewith and behind said cutter head; a centrifugal ejector wheel fixedly secured to said shaft coaxially therewith and behind said conveyer screw; a pair of oppositely arranged supporting plates pivotally mounted on said supporting means, and adapted to be located in angularly spaced planes extending parallel to the direction of movement of said movable supporting means; and a pair of oppositely arranged rotary cutting members, each of said cutting members mounted in one of said supporting plates rotatable about a transverse axis extending normal to the associated supporting plate and having radially extending cutting edges located in a plane extending parallel to the direction of movement of said movable supporting means, and passing through a tangent on said circle, the foremost cutting edges of said cutting memblers and of said cutter head being located in a transverse p ane.

4. An excavating device, comprising in combination, movable supporting means movable in substantially straight forward direction; a shaft mounted on said supporting means, downwardly inclined and having a lower front end, said shaft being rotatable about an axis located in a vertical plane, said plane being parallel to the direction of movement of said supporting means; a cutter head fixedly secured to the front end of said shaft for common rotation, the outermost portions of said cutter head describing a circle during rotation; a conveyer screw fixedly secured to said shaft coaxially therewith and behind said cutter head; hood means secured to said movable supporting means and located above said cutter head, said hood means being formed with an opening on the bottom face thereof, said hood means having edge portions extending around said opening and substantially horizontally arranged and adapted to abut against the faces of a ditch excavated by said cutter head; a centrifugal ejector wheel fixedly secured to said shaft coaxially therewith and behind said conveyer screw; a pair of oppositely arranged supporting plates pivotally mounted on said supporting means, and adapted to be located in angularly spaced planes extending parellel to the direction of movement of said movable supporting means; and a pair of oppositely arranged rotary cutting members, each of said cutting members mounted in one of said supporting plates rotatable about a transverse axis extending normal to the associated supporting plate and having radially extending cutting edges located in a plane extending parallel to the direction of movement of said movable supporting means, and passing through a tangent on said circle, the foremost cutting edges of said cutting members and of said cutter head being located in a transverse plane.

5. An excavating device, comprising in combination, movable supporting means movable in substantially straight forward direction; a shaft mounted on said supporting means, downwardly inclined and having a lower front end, said shaft being rotatable about an axis located in a vertical plane, said plane being parallel to the direction of movement of said supporting means; a cutter head fixedly secured to the front end of said shaft for common rotation and including a plurality of curved cutting elements, and a plurality of earth guiding members, the outermost portions of said cutting elements describing a circle during rotation, the lowermost portions of said cutting elements passing during rotation through a substantially horizontal position for cutting the bottom of a ditch; a conveyer screw fixedly secured to said shaft coaxially therewith and behind said cutter head; hood means secured to said movable supporting means and located above said cutter head, said hood means being formed with an opening on the bottom face thereof, the edge portions of said hood means extending around said opening being substantially horizontally arranged and adapted to abut against the faces of a ditch excavated by said cutter head; a centrifugal ejector wheel fixedly secured to said shaft coaxially therewith and behind said conveyer screw; a pair of oppositely arranged supporting plates pivotally mounted on said supporting means, and adapted to be located in angularly spaced planes extending parallel to the direction of movement of said movable supporting means; and a pair of oppositely arranged rotary cutting members, each of said cutting members mounted in one of said supporting plates rotatable about a transverse axis extending normal to the associated supporting plate and having radially extending cutting edges located in a plane extending parallel to the direction of movement of said movable supporting means, and passing through a tangent on said circle, the foremost cutting edges of said cutting members and of said cutter head being located in a transverse plane.

6. An excavating device, comprising in combination, supporting means movable on the ground in substantially straight forward direction and including a supporting arm and at least two supporting members pivotally mounted on said supporting arm; a rotary supporting shaft mounted on the end of said supporting arm and extending substantially parallel to the direction of movement of said movable supporting means; drive means on said movable supporting means for driving said supporting shaft; a lower shaft mounted on said supporting members below said supporting shaft and having a lower front end, said lower shaft being rotatable about an axis located in a vertical plane passing through said rotary supporting shaft and inclined downwardly in said forward direction of movement; gear means connecting said rotary supporting shaft and said lower shaft for common rotation; a cutter head fixedly secured to said lower front end of lower shaft for common rotation, the outermost portions of said cutter head describing a circle during rotation; a pair of transversal shafts mounted on said supporting means rotatable about axes located in a transverse plane; a pair of oppositely arranged rotary cutting members, each having radially extending cutting edges located in a plane extending parallel to the direction of movement of said movable supporting means, and passing through tangents on said circle, the foremost cutting edges of said cutting members and of said cutter head being located in a transverse plane, each of said rotary cutting members being fixedly secured to one of said transversal shafts for rotation therewith; and transmission means operatively connecting said rotary supporting shaft with each of said transversal shafts for driving the latter.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,347,860 Krupp July 27, 1920 1,462,488 George July 24, 1923 1,562,842 Milne Nov. 24, 1925 1,701,678 Jaeger Feb. 12, 1929 1,765,919 Heumann June 24, 1930 2,381,017 Wandscheer Aug. 7, 1945 2,430,048 Engel et a1. Nov. 4, 1947 2,533,793 Hamlett Dec. 12, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 349,380 Germany Mar. 3, 1922