US2917851A - Spud construction for dredges - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 22, 1959 c. E. ELLICOTT, JR

spun CONSTRUCTION FOR DREDGES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 3. 1956 INVENTOR. 66%?455 5. /corr J13 BY /?///Y, n/nrra; zoaczrm/ .9 Mews/w Dec. 22, 1959 c. E. ELLICOTT, JR

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United States Patent-9 2,917,851 S'PUD CONSTRUCTION FOR DRE'DGES,

Charles E. Ellicott, Jr., Baltimore, Md., assignor to Ellicdtt Machine Corporation, Baltimore, Md., a corpo i ration of Maryland Application December 3, 1956, Serial No. 625,911 I Claims. (Cl. 37-73) 'Ihis invention relates to dredges and more pa rticularly to a spud construction for dredges which facilitate the 'LlSB'Of the dredge in the water and the launching.

for convenient handling and storage of the spuds when the dredge is to be transported over land from one site to another. V

- The spud construction of the instant invention includes two walking spuds at the stern of the dredge, one of which is a'side walking spud and the other of which is a forward Walking spud and wherein the bow of the dredge is provided with a pair of spaced non-walking spuds which may be used as a pin upfspuds during certain dredging operations and wherein the spuds may be manipulated for storage on the deck of the dredge and wherein the spuds may also be employed to facilitate the launching of the dredge from an over land carrier or the placing of the dredge on a wheeled vehicle for transportation.

,According to the present invention, all of the spuds are characterized by hydraulically actuated means for not only lifting the spuds but for driving the same downwardly. The spud construction is also characterized by an-arrangement wherein the hydraulic means for raising and lowering the spuds facilitates the storage of the spuds on the, deck of the dredge.

Accordingly, .it is among the objects of the present in- 'vention to provide a spud construction wherein the spuds are raised and lowered by a' rotating member mounted on the deck of the dredge and wherein the spuds are tilted for storage on the deck of the dredge by swinging about the axis of said rotating member.

Other objects of this invention are to provide a hydraulic dredge equipped with self-contained power means and spuds for lifting it out of the water and also for moving the dredge around in the water within a. limited area, and'means for lifting out the spuds and storing them in a reclining position on the deck.

Another object of this invention is to provide a hy draulic dredge adapted to be used in relatively small spaces which may be readily operated by one operator.

Another object is to provide a walking spud for pulling the stern of the dredge towards the bank as well as to push the stern edge of the hull away from the same bank.

Still another Object of this invention is to provide a hydraulic dredge having a single source of power adapted to provide all of the power necessary on the dredge, wherein the ladder-cutter and the spuds are operated by hydraulic pressure means. u

- These and other objects and advantages of this inven- 2 tion will become apparent when taken .in conjunction with the drawings wherein: V

Fig. 1 is a side view of a dredge floating on a body of water illustrating in solid lines the spuds in dredgesupporting position and in broken lines, the stern walking spud while similar lines show broken view of spuds being lowered onto the deck;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a stern view of the dredge corresponding to Fig. 1;v

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the mechanism for operating side end rear walking spuds; v

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6--6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation view with parts broken away of the mechanism illustrated in Fig. 4 illustrating the drum for operating the spud cable and the motor for driving the same;

Fig. 8 is a broken sectional view through a spud, illustrating the operating cable and drum;

- Fig. 9 is a schematic view of the hydraulic system for said device; while Fig-10 illustrates the dredge lifted out of the water resting on its'spu-ds and a carrier adapted to be inserted under it for transporting it.

The embodiment of the invention disclosed herein comprises in general plan, a floating dredge having a diesel power unit mounted thereon connected to a hydraulic pump, which supplies all of the power necessary for operating the various mechanisms of the dredge. A' dredge ladder, preferably mounted on the bow is adapted tosupport a cutter at its outer end which feeds the silt and soil into a suction pipe, not illustrated herein. Four spuds are provided which are mechanically pushed downwardly to support the hull independently of the buoyant effect of the water on the hull. Two of such spuds mounted at the bow are of the non-walking type, while awalking spud is provided near the center line at the stern and a side-walking spud is located near the stem.-

at one side of the hull, the latter spud may be used to pull the sternof the dredge near the bank, as well as to push the stern edge. of the hull away from the same bank.

Such pushing and pulling action at the stem is effective when used with one or the other of the non-walking'spuds at the bow.

All four spuds may be mechanically embedded in the bottom of the stream and the entire hull may be mechanically raised entirely out of the water on the spuds near a bank so that a carrier device, such as a truck or trailer, may be, inserted understhe dredge in its raised position,

the dredge maybe then lowered onto such device by the four spuds, and then may be carried away to another site where the dredge may be raised from such carrier On the four spuds and then lowered into the water in an obcenter ofjgravity of the spud. is approximately at the A same level asthe drum shaft, the top ofthe spud may be tipped inboard or forward and laid down onthe deck manually. In the case of larger dredges, when the spud has been raised to the point above described, a

locking pin is inserted to position the spud relativeto the keeper, power is applied to the lifting motor and the spud is tipped forward mechanically and laid on the deck. An advantage of this construction is, that if it is desired, to Operate the dredge in the conventional Patented Dec. 22, 1959 manner by swinging it about a stern spud, the ladder being rigidly connected to the hull so that it swings as a unit, the forward spuds can be laid on the deck with hoist-lowering winches disconnectedfrom the spud cables and used for swinging winches with wire ropes and anchors, in a well-known mannerr Hydraulically operated cylinders are used to operate the two walking spuds disposed at the stern.

In the drawings is disclosed an illustrative embodiment of the invention wherein the numeral refers generally to the complete dredge including a hull 11, generally rectangular in shape and including a how 12 and a stern 13. A ladder 14, adapted to support a suction pipe and a cutter, is disposed at the bow. Power for operating all the mechanical elements of the dredge is supplied by a'prime mover such as diesel motor 15 operatively coupled to a hydraulic pump 16 located on the deck. Hydraulic pressure from the pump 16 is'operatively connected to the various devices of the dredge through conduits o-r pipes and controls schematically illustrated in Fig. 9 as hereinafter described.

Four spuds are provided for raising, lowering and moving the dredge 10, of which two are non-walking spuds 17 and 17c disposed at the bow of the hull, while U-shaped brackets 17a projecting forwardly of the bow and having a removable pin 17b connecting the outer ends thereof, retain the spuds 17 and '17c against the hull 11 when they are in use. A walking spud 18, normally used for advancing the dredge, is disposed 'in" a well 18a in the stern while a side walking spud 19, disposed in a well 19a on the port side of the hull 11 is provided, for pulling the stern 13 of a dredge toward the bank and pushing the stern edge away fromth'e bank.

All of said spuds are provided with meansfor vertically raising and lowering them, comprising four individual variable speed hydraulic motors 20, 20a, 29b and 2110 one disposed adjacent each of the four spuds, as shown in Fig. 2, said motors are connected through coupling 21 to a worm shaft 22 journalled in bearings 23 supporting worm gear 24, which drives a drum gear 25 operatively connected to a horizontally disposed drum-'26 rotatable on a horizontal axis and keyed to a drum shaft 26a operating in bearings 26b. An upper drum cable 27 having its upper end mounted around a thimble 29 disposed at the top of a cooperating spud and its lower end secured to and mounted around the drum 26, and asimilar' lower cable 27a having its upper end wound around and secured to the drum '26 and its lower end secured to a bracket 28 on the spud cooperates with a cable 27 to raise and lower a cooperating spud. The overlapping ends of the cable 27 and 27a are retained by rope clips 30 in a well-known manner.

It will be understood that rotation of the wormshaft 22 in one direction will'cause drum 26 to rotate in one direction on its horizontal axis, while rotation of the worm-shaft 22 in the opposite direction will rotate drum 26 in the-opposite direction, thus when the drum 26 rotates in one direction, it will-force'the cables -27 and 27a mounted on -a spud downwardly and when the drum 26 is rotated in the opposite direction, they will-raise the cooperating spud, thus both raising and 'lowerin'g the spuds. p 7

When his desired to remove the dredge 10* from one body of water and .transport'it to another site, the same may be accomplished byraising the dredge on all four" spuds, near the .bank of a stream as illustrated in 10,; and then a carrier device 38 suchas a truck-trailer combination, may be driven under'thedredg'e followed by lowering the dredge onto the carrier, and the spuds" I may then be raised up and lowered onto 'the deckin a reclining position as hereinbefore' described. In some instances,a pow'erwindlass 39*using' a cable 'm'ay be uscd to draw thedr'edg'e onto the carrier 38'. The dredge thus-mounted on theicarrier- 38 "maybe transported"to the site-of :next use, where the carrier may be' backed into the stream, the dredge raised on the spuds, and the 4 carrier then driven away. The dredge can be lowered into the water by Withdrawing the spuds.

The stern walking spud 18 and port side walking spud 19, as illustrated in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, are each provided with individual hydraulic means for tilting such spuds on a horizontal axis in addition to the previously described means for vertically raising and lowering said spuds, such means comprising hydraulic cylinders 31 and 31a mounted on trunnions 32 supported on frames or brackets 33 secured to the deck of the dredge 10 at one end thereof, while the opposite end of hydraulic cylinder 31 and 31a are connected to cylinder connecting pins 34 supported in frames or brackets 35 rigidly secured to spud carriers 36 as illustrated in Fig. 5.

The position of the hydraulic cylinder 31, spud 18 and associated parts when the spud is in vertical position are illustrated in Fig. 5 in full lines, while the tilted position of the spud 18 is illustrated in broken lines in the same figure. It will be noted that movement of the cylinder 31 to the left will titlt spud 18 in one direction from the perpendicular position, while movement of the cylnider 31 to the right will tilt the spud 18 in the opposite direction about drum 26 as a pivot point, such movements providing a walking action for the spud 18 in a well-known manner. The spud 19 is adapted to be op'- erated for a walking movement in a similar manner by the cylinder 31a in an obvious manner, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

A feature of this invention is that the side walking spud 19'may be operated by the hydraulic cylinder 31a as above described, to pull the stern 13 of the dredge 10 toward the bank, when it is operated in one direction and to push the stern edge of the hull away from the same bank when it is operated in the opposite direction. These movements being particularly effective when'used in cooperation with one or the other of the non-walking spuds 17 at the bow 12. 7

Whenever it is desirable to withdraw the spuds from operating position and dispose them in a reclining position on the deck, as for example when the dredge is removed from the water for transportation to another site, the same is accomplished by operating the hydraulic motors 20 to raise their cooperating spuds through the cooperation of the drum 26 and cables 27 and 27a to raise the spuds until their center of gravity is approximately at the same level as the center of the drum'shaft 26a.

deck manually. In the case of larger dredges, after the spud has been raised the required amount, alocking pin 37 as shown in Fig. 5, is inserted to position the spud relative to the spud carrier 36 and power is applied by the hydraulic motor 20 to the lower end of the spud to move In this way the 1 the upper end of the spud inwardly. spud Wiil be tipped mechanically and laid on the deck by the spud carrier 36 pivoting around the drum shaft 26a. In the case of the walking spuds 18 and 19, the foregoing operation is accomplished in a similar. manner except that in addition thereto, it is necessaryto disconnect the cylinder connecting pin 34 shown-in Fig. 5 after the hydraulic motor 20 has tilted the spud to a certain point in order that the spud may be tilted further.

The hydraulic control apparatus for the spuds includes the arrangement iiiustrated schematically in Fig. 9 wherein 59 indicates a control panel having the various levers mounted thereon for controlling the flow of hydraulic fluid from the pump 16 to the various hydraulically In the case of small dredges, the top of the spud can be tipped inboard or forward and laid down on the of spud 17. The raising and lowering of the port spud 17:: is accomplished by a similar lever 54 which controls the directional rotation of the motor 20 actuating the spud 170. A manually operated lever 55 controls the rotational movement of the hydraulic motor 20b to similarly effect up and down movement of the walking spud 18 at the stern of the dredge. The forward'motion of the walking spud 18 is accomplished by movement of the control lever 56 toward the indicia F, thereby introducing hydraulic fiuid at one end of the walking cylinder indicated at 31, while reverse movement of the spud 18 is accomplished by moving lever 56 toward the indicia A. a

The up and down movement of the side walking spud 19 is accomplished by means of the manually operated lever 57 which controls the directional rotation of the motor 20c for the side walking spud 19. The swinging motion of the side walking spud 19 is accomplished by swinging the lever 58 in one direction toward theindicia P for port swinging and toward the indicia S for starboard swinging.

From the foregoing it will be understood that swinging all of the levers 53, 54, 55 and 57 toward the indicia U will raise all of the spuds so that they may be swung over the deck and stored thereon. By swinging the same series of levers 53, 54, 55 and 57 toward the indicia D all of the spuds will be driven downwardly and thus it the dredge is in shallow water as illustrated in Fig. 10, the dredge will be raised to a position facilitating its transportation on a wheeled vehicle. It will be understood that after the dredge is in position on the wheeled vehicle, the spuds may be tilted to storage position on the deck of the dredge. The forward progress of the dredge in the water is accomplished generally by the walking spud '18 being lowered and swung aft, then raised and while raised swung forward.

Having completed a detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention so that others skilled in the art may be able to understand and practice the same, I state that what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is not limited by said preferred embodiment but rather is defined in what is claimed.

1 claim:

1. A dredge comprising a hull, an engine and hydraulic pump driven thereby mounted on the hull, a plurality of spuds, each adapted to be vertically raised and lowered on said hull for anchoring the hull on a stream bottom and for verticallylifting said hull in the water, at least one of said spuds being of the walking type for propelling the hull along a body of water, hydraulic ram means operably connected to said pump and said one spud for imparting a walking spud movement to such spud, a drum carried by the hull adjacent each spud, each drum being rotatable on a horizontal axis, cable means secured to the top and bottom of each of said spuds and to the adjacent drum to move the spud vertically, a rotary hydraulic motor operatively connected to a worm engaging a worm gear fixed on each drum for rotating the drum, the connection between said hydraulic ram means and the walking spud including a removable pin to disconnect the walking spud with respect to said hydraulic ram means, and means including a spud carrier ing of the spud carrier, a locking pin for securing said spud to the carrier whereby the spud and carrier may be interlocked after the spud is raised by said drum until the center of gravity of the spud approaches the horizontal level of the axis of the drum and whereby said first-named hydraulically operated means moves the lower end of the spud to cause the spud to be tilted about the axis of the drum into a storage position.

v3. A dredging apparatus comprising a hull having a deck, a spud operably connected to said hull, hydraulically operated means carried by the deck and operatively connected to the spud to swing the spud on a horizontal axis to eifect a walking action for the spud, a drum mounted on the deck adjacent the spud for rotation about a horizontal axis, hydraulically operated means to rotate the drum, cable means operably connecting the opposite ends of the spud to the drum for raising and lowering the spud, a spud carrier pivotally mounted on the axis of said drum having means to guide the spud for raising and lowering movement with respect to the carrier, interlocking means on the spud and spud carrier for releasably securing them to each other whereby said spud may be locked with respect to said carrier after having been moved to a predetermined vertical position with its center of gravity approaching the axis of the drum whereby actuation of said first-named hydraulically operated means moves the lower end of the spud and causes the same tobe tilted about the axis of the drum to a storage position on the deck.

4. A dredging apparatus comprising a hull having a deck, a plurality of spuds carried by said hull, one of said spuds being of the walking spud type for propelling the hull along a body of water, hydraulically operated means for swinging said walking spud about a horizontal pivot to produce a walking action for the spud, a horizontally disposed drum mounted on the deck adjacent each of said spuds, hydraulically operated means for rotating said drum, cable means connecting the spud and drum for vertically raising and lowering said spud, a spud carrier pivotally mounted on the axis of said drum, a transverse opening in the spud carrier, a transverse opening in the spud adapted to be aligned with the opening of the spud carrier, a locking pin for securing the spud to the carrier whereby the spud and carrier may be interlocked after the spud is raised by said drum until the center of gravity of the spud approaches the horizontal level of the axis of the drum, said spud and carrier being tilted by said drum about the axis of the drum into a storage posititon on the deck.

5. A dredging apparatus comprising a hull having a deck, a plurality of spuds carried by said hull, one of said spuds being of the walking spud type for propelling the hull along a body of water, hydraulically operated means for swinging said walking spud about a horizontal pivot to produce a walking action for the spud, a horizontally disposed drum mounted on the deck adjacent each of said spuds, hydraulically operated means for rotating said drum, cable means connecting the spud and drum for vertically raising and lowering said spud, a

for tilting a spud to storage position about said horizontal drum axis.

2. A dredging apparatus comprising a hull having a deck, a spud operatively carried by said hull, hydraulically operated means for swinging said spud about a horizontal pivot to produce a walking action for the spud, a horizontally disposed drum mounted on the deck adjacent said spud, hydraulically operated means for rotating said drum and cable means connecting the spud and drum for vertically raising and lowering said spud, a spud carrier pivotally mounted on the axis of said drum, a transverse opening in the spud carrier, a transverse opemng in the spud adapted to be aligned with the openspud carrier pivotally mounted on the axis of said drum, means for locking said spud to the spud carrier positioned to be operable only after the spud is raised by said drum until the center of gravity of the spud approaches the horizontal level of the axis of the drum,

said spud and carrier being tilted as a unit when interlocked into a storage position on the deck.

References Cited in the file of this patent I UNITED STATES PATENTS 139,727

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