US2837846A

US2837846A - Hydraulic clamshell bucket

Info

Publication number: US2837846A
Application number: US381297A
Authority: US
Inventors: Daniel L Long
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1953-09-21
Filing date: 1953-09-21
Publication date: 1958-06-10
Anticipated expiration: 1975-06-10

Description

June 10, 1958 LONG 2,837,846

HYDRAULIC CLAMSHELL BUCKET Filed Sept. 21, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 5 v 2 25 Z6 F5 25 Z8 6 i E v a I I /0 Y g l I I i I I 24 INVENTOR. Dav/4 A. ZQ/VG D. L. LONG HYDRAULIC CLAMSHELL BUCKET June 10, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 21, 1953 INVENTOR.

flan/154 L. ZO/l/G June 10, 1958 LONG 2,837,846

, HYDRAULIC CLAMSHELL BUCKET Filed Sept. 21, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. DAM/4 A. LONG a 2,837,846 [Ce Patented June 10, 1958 2,837,846 H'YDRAULIC' CLAMSHELL BUCKET I Daniel L. Long, Parma, Ohio Application September 21, 1953, Serial No. 381,297 1 Claim. c1. 37-186) This invention relates to clamshell buckets, and more particularly to a hydraulically-powered clamshell bucket capable of being used with any boom type excavating machine which is provided with hydraulic means for operating the same. f

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide an improved clamshell bucket construction embodying hydraulic means for opening and closing the bucket elements wherein the operating'elements of the bucket are disposed within'a compactly designed and sturdily constructed housing.

Another object of theinvention is to provide a clamshell bucket embodying means for smoothly operating the separate halves of the bucket through an arc of ninety degrees from open to closed position, said means including a hydraulically powered cylinder mounted within the bucket.

i A further object of the invention. is to provide a new and improved hydraulically-operated bucket that can be readily adapted to booms of any excavating machine and which is especially suited for use on machineswith telescopic type booms where excavating is done by the bucket moving toward t he center axis of the machine.

2 45, still further object of the invention is to :provide a hydraulically operated clamshell bucket wherein the halves thereof may, be varied in size to adapt the bucket to various load capacities.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved clamshell bucket which, when mounted on an excavating machine of the telescopic boom type, will permit the excavating machine to excavate trenches extending at any angle with respect to the path of travel of the machine.

These and other objects and advantageous features of the invention, not at this time more particularly pointed out, will become more apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein likereference characters denote corresponding parts, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal, vertical, sectional view of a clamshell bucket with the halves of the bucket and related parts shown in closed position,

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view with parts broken away taken substantially on a plane through line 2-2 of Figure 1 illustrating the operating parts of the bucket,

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure '1, but with the halves of .the bucket and relating parts shown in open operative position,

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional detail view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional detail view taken substantially on line 5-5 of Figure 3, and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the clamshell bucket of the present invention inrclosed position with certain parts cut away or omitted.

With reference to the accompanying drawings, there is of an upper element 38 which is suitably welded to the illustrated a hydraulically-actuated clamshell bucket embodying the teachings of the present invention and comprising a housing 10, consisting generally of side members 11, end members 12, and a tubular portion 13, to which the side and end members are suitably welded as at 14. The end members are flared outwardly at their lower extremities to provide space for the operating elements of the bucket. Mounted in the upper end of the tubular portion 13 is an inverted U-shaped end plate 15, having a rod 16 extending upwardly therefrom. The free end of the rod 16 is provided with a ball 17 which seats within a socket 18, formed in a crosshead member 19. The socket is formed by cutting away a portion of the crosshead member 19 of the boom of any suitable excavating machine and securing thereto, by means of bolts 20 a plate 21, which is formed with a spherical opening for receiving the ball 17. The crosshead member 19 is rotatably mounted in the boom of the excavating machine and, together with the ball and socket connection above described, provides a substantially universal connection between the boom and the bucket, so that the latter may assume any desired angulated position in performing work. The depending portions of the plate 15 are provided with aligned openings 23, the purpose of which will appear hereinafter.

Mounted within the tubular portion 13 of the housing 10 is a hydraulic cylinder 24 being suspended therein by an eye 25 formed on the upper end of the housing of the hydraulic cylinder and projecting between the depending portions of the U-shaped plate 15. A rod 26 extending through the aligned openings 23 and engaging the eye 25 operatively secures the hydraulic cylinder within the cylindrical portion of the housing Ill. The

hydraulic cylinder 24 may be of any suitable design having a reciprocable piston27 mounted therein. Fluid under pressure is supplied from any suitable source (not shown) through

conduits

28 and 29 connected to the upper and lower portions, respectively, of the cylinder chamber. The piston 27 is provided with a piston rod 30 which extends downwardly and is connected to a cross head slide broadly indicated by the numeral 31.

The cross head slide 31 includes a pair of substantially rectangular plates 32, spaced apart by blocks 33, all of which are suitably welded together to form a unitary structure. Extending through aligned openings 33a, formed in the blocks 33, is a rod 34 which isarranged to engage an eye 35 formed on the lower end of the piston rod plates 32 are guide angle members 36 which define guideways therealong. T-shaped guide rails 36a are secured to the opposite side walls 11 of the housing with the foot portion of the rail extending inwardly from the housing and engageable within the guideway formed by the spaced guide angles 36 secured on the cross head 31. Thus the cross head, which is reciprocated by the piston rod 30, is guided in its movement within the housing of the bucket.

Secured to the opposite inter-surfaces of the side walls 11 of the housing 10 in spaced relation to the lower end inner surface of the bucket housing, and a lower element 39 which is removably secured to the element 38 by means of bolts 40. The bearing housings are formed with spaced bearings 41 and 42, which rotatably receive

shafts

43 and 44 respectively of sutlicient length to project beyond the side walls 11 of the housing 10. The

shafts

43 and 44 have rigidly secured thereto spaced outwardly-extending

arms

45 and 46, respectively. The arms secured to shaft 43 extend to the right and the arms as secured to the shaft 44 extend to the left as 30. Secured to the outer surface of the viewed in Figure 1 of the drawings. The free ends of the.

arms

45 and 46 are connected to

links

47 and 48,

respectively, the opposite ends of which are pivotally connected to the cross head 31 by means of pins 49 extending through the plates 32 and engaging a transverse opening Stlrformed on the ends of the

links

47 and 48. The

shafts

43 and 44 extend. outwardly beyond thev outer surface of the side walls 11, and have rigidly secured thereto for rotation therewith power arms 51. Extending from the lower surface of the power arms 51 are slots 52 which are arranged to receive tongues formed on the upper surface of the side walls of the

bucket halves

53 and 54. Pins 55, extending through the power arms 51 and engaging the tongues formed on the

bucket halves

53 and 54, removably secure thev latter to the When it is desired to use bucket halves power arms 51. of different sizes to vary the load capacity of the clamshell bucket, it is only necessary to remove the pins 55 and drop the bucket halves, replacing. the same with halves of a diiferent size. a

In using the clamshell bucket of the present invention, for example, on the end of a rigid boom, the bucket is so mounted that it may be rotated to any desired angle, thus a trench may he excavated extending at any angle irrespective of the position of the machine or the necessary path of travel which the machine must follow. The bucket can be most advantageously used in digging a narrow trench along an existing building or under other similar conditions. As shown in Figure 1 the piston 27 is at the lowermost position of its stroke and the halves of the bucket are in closed position. To start the digging cycle fluid under pressure is introduced into the cylinder 24 through conduit 29 thereby driving the piston upwardly, extending the toggle arms connected to the cross head 31 and moving the halves of the bucket into open position as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings. The bucket is dropped into position upon the place to be excavated and fluid pressure to the cylinder is reversed. Fluid pressure being introduced through conduit 28 and bleeding out through conduit 29 thereby drives the piston downwardly to close the halves of the bucket.

Having thus described my invention so that those skilled in the art may practice the same, what I desire to obtain by Letters Patent is defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

A hydraulic clamshell bucket comprising a longitudinal housing, a hydraulic cylinder mounted in said housing having a piston therein, a crosshead arranged to reciprocate axially of said housing in guideways secured to the opposed side walls of said housing,.a piston. rod connecting said piston to said crosshead, bearing members secured to the opposed side walls of said housing adjacent the lower end of said guideways, a pair of centrally disposed transverse shafts inalignment With said crosshead and rotatably mounted in said bearing members, means for rotating said shafts including a pair of cooperating links, one of said links having one end secured to the central portion of the shaft and the second link having one end pivotally attached to the outer. end of said first link and the other end connected to the crosshead, saidpoint of pivotal attachment between said links being outwardly positioned with respect tofthe shaft to which the said one of the links is attached, power arms secured to the outer ends of said shafts for rotation therewith, and a pair of bucket members substantially quartercylindrical in configuration each secured at its apex to said power arms on the said shaft adjacent thereto whereby upon downward'rnovement of the piston, power is directed in an axial line substantially centrally of the bucket through the said crosshead to the said links which in turn rotate the said shaft to efifect closing of the bucket members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS