US2982104A

US2982104A - Canal lining machine

Info

Publication number: US2982104A
Application number: US692395A
Authority: US
Inventors: Walter C Petersen; Rue Herschel C La
Original assignee: A TEICHERT AND SON Inc
Current assignee: A TEICHERT AND SON Inc
Priority date: 1957-10-25
Filing date: 1957-10-25
Publication date: 1961-05-02
Anticipated expiration: 1978-05-02

Description

y 2, 1961 w. c. PETERSEN ETAL 2,982,104

CANAL LINING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 25. 1957 INVENTORS 2 MILTER c. PETERSEN HERSCHEL c. LARUE BY Q ZQWJ/W A 7' TORNEYS May 2, 1961 w. c. PETERSEN EI'AI. 2,

I CANAL LINING MACHINE I Filed Oct. 25, 1957' 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENfORS WALTER C. PETERSEN HERSCHEL C. LARUE BY WC? MW y 1961 w. c. PETERSEN ETAL 2,982,104

CANAL LINING MACHINE Filed Oct. 25, 1957 a Sheets-Sheet :s

INVENTORS WALTER C. PETERSEN HERSCHEL C. LAIIUE '5 A TTORNEKS United States Patent CANAL LINING MACHINE Walter C. Petersen, Sacramento, and Herschel C. La Rue, slllSllll, Califi, assignors to A. Teichert & Son, Inc., Sacramento, Calif.

Filed Oct. 25, 1957, Sen No. 692,395

1 Claim. or. 61-63) use with canals which have been excavated by equipment of the kind specified in our co-pending application, Serial No. 659,159, filed May 14, 1957, entitled Canal Excavating Apparatus. As is more fully described therein, a canal excavated by such apparatus not only has accurately ,Fatented Ma 2, 1961 plane of section being a vertical plane along the center- 1 tion;

sloped and aligned boundary walls but also provides an accurately graded and aligned pair of pathways on each side of the canal adjacent the top edges of the canal walls.

So carefully are these pathways made, in fact, that the canal lining machine of the present invention is able to use these paths as supporting surfaces for the machine as lining proceeds. This is to be contrasted with the costly metal railway type of tracks which have heretofore been required, at great installation expense.

Furthermore, ditch lining machines previously in use have been bulky and difficult to move from place to place substantial disassembly and re-assembly often being required.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a freely portable canal lining machine.

It is another object of the inventionto provide a 7 machine which can .be towed along a vehicular highway or road at a fast rate of speed, and which can therefore be readily and quickly moved from site to site.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a Figure 5 is a perspective of the machine with the frame in elevated position and with the wheels oriented to tow position;

Figure 6 is a perspective, to an enlarged scale of the wheel post mechanism, the machine frame being shown in elevated position,'with the wheel removed to reduce the extent of the figure;

Figure 7 is a view comparable to that of Figure 6 but with the machine frame in lowered position;

Figure 8 is a plan of the towing and front wheel steering mechanism, showing, in outline, the location of the members as turning occurs; and

Figure 9 is a section, the plane of sectionbeing indicated by the line 99 in Figure 8.

While the canal lining machine of the invention is susceptible of numerous physical embodiments, depending upon the environment and the kind of use to which it is to be put, several of the herein shown and described embodiments have been made and used and have performed in a highly successful fashion, the machine having been demonstrated, with outstanding success, for example, before water and irrigation experts from all over the world.

Since the machines long axis is transverse to the canals axis when the machine is in lining position and It is yet another object of the invention to provide a machine which accurately,; yet rapidly, lines canals and ditches. I

It is a further object of the. invention to'provide a canal lining machine which eliminates the need for rails or tracks.

It is still a further objectof the invention to provide a machine which effects a smooth wall finish, thereby eliminating friction and other parasitic losses relating to water flow in the canal. j

\ lt is yet a further object of the invention tojprovide a canal lining machine in which joints in the lining can readily/be madeasfdesired; my.

It is another object of theinvention to provide a gener-ally improved canal liningimachine,

1 :Other. objects, -together, with thejoregoing, are attained V in theembodiinent described inith e .followingdescription and-: shown in the accompanying drawings, in which; 1

, canal.

since this is the operative position of the device, the portions of the machine adjacent the edges of the canal are termed the machines sides, whereas the portions facing toward and away from the direction of movement in the canal are called the forward end and after, or rearward, end, respectively, of the machine.

Thus, in Figures l-3, the machine is seen to include i downwardly inclined plate, termed a side shoe plate 16,

or forward side form plate, adapted to slide along the adjacent sloping side wall of the previously excavated The coaction of the two side shoe plates, each contacting throughout most of its area at least the high points of the subjacent canal wall, serves to center. the machine so that as it moves along the canal the correct alignment is maintained.

Extending across the bottom edges of each of the side shoe plates is a bottom shoe plate 17', as appears most clearly in Figures 2-and 5, theforward or leading edge being sometimes bevelled; as at 18, was to glide smoothly forwardly over the canal bottom :19, the shoe 17 serving to smooth and somewhat compact the surfaceof the canal bottom. In addition, the shoewalls and shoe bottom assist in supporting the weight of the machine as it moves alongthe canal.

: Immediately adjacent and to the rear ofthe trailing edge 21 of the shoeis aconcrete feed port, generally designated 26 and includingja pair of inclined side ports 27 and a bottom port 28. The ports are each generally rectangular in section and includela forward wall 29,

- a rear wall 30-and a top wall 31. .At'the uppermost extremity of each of the side ports an enlarged concrete feed throat 32 is provided, the concrete being poured down both throats, into the ports and distributing itself along both side walls and on the bottom of the canal. A substantially equal amount of concrete pours-through each of the throats despite the fact that in the usual case the load is poured into only one or the other (whichever is more convenient) ofa pair of hoppers 36, mounted on the opposite sides of the frame 11. Equality of throat feed is achieved by providing a crosschannel 37 extending between the tops of the opposite throats and the bottoms of the opposite hoppers, and by mounting within the channel a screw-feed 38, or helix, mounted. on a shaft 39 and serving, when suitably rotated, to equalize the poured load between both of the feed ports.

The thickness of the concrete lining is governed by a predetermined distance, or off-set measured normally to the adjacent canal wall or bottom, as appearsmost clearly in Figure 2, between the bottom of the shoe plate 17 and the bottom of a form plate 41, there being form plates not only on the bottom but on the sides as well, the side form plates being designated by the numeral 42.

It is to be understood that in the usual case the dimensions of the machine are closely related to the dimensions of the canal, and the lining thickness is a matter carefully defined by the job specifications. Consequently, the machine would be proportioned so that the upper ends of the concrete side feed ports and the adjacent throat portions are substantially co-extensive with the upper edges of the canal, a slight variance from this situation being shown in Figures 1 and 2 for clarity. Additionally, although the figures illustrate form plates which are fixed in position it is deemed within the ability of persons skilled in the art to provide form plates whose off-sets from the shoe plates can be varied to predetermined values so that different concrete thicknesses are achievable at will.

Conveniently, the

form plates

41 and 42. extend rearwardly from the trailing edges of the off-set rear port walls 30 to a bottom rear cross-beam 46, and a pair of sloping side wall beams 47, respectively. A vertical center brace 48 extending between the bottom beam 46 and the rear top beam 12 serves to strengthen the structure.

As can be visualized most clearly by reference to Figure 2, the concrete emerging from the port 28 is spread into a layer of predetermined thickness between the smoothed canal boundary 51 and the bottom of the form plate 41 as the machine moves forwardly in the righthanded direction indicated by the arrow 52. Comparable action occurs simultaneously over the side walls. Vibrations would ordinarily be induced in the poured material by conventional mechanism (not shown).

While the lining is often quite satisfactory as to smoothness of surface as it emerges from the trailing edge 53 of the form 41 (and the corresponding trailing edges of the side wall forms), mechanism is provided for giving an even smoother, trowel-type of finish. The troweling mechanism, designated by the numeral 55, includes a transverse bottom plate 56, or bottom trowel, having a slightly downwardly and rearwardly sloped portion 57 and, to the rear, a substantially horizontal portion 58. Comparable forward portions 59and rearward portions 60 are formed in a pair of side-wall trowels 61. The trowels derive an especial effectiveness owing to the fact that they are floating, the bottom trowel 56, for example, being spring-urged in a downward direction by an appropriate pair of springs 63 whose upper ends abut the lower surfaces of the webs of a pair of channels 64 mounted in a fore and aft direction on the cross-beam 46 and welded to the feed port wall 30. A pair of threaded bolts 66 in engagement with tapped apertures in the channels pass through the springs 63 and abut against the trowels, and so prevent 4 the trowel from being lifted by the concrete to above a predetermined elevation, the height being established by screwing the bolts in or out by a predetermined amount. The spring tends to urge the trowel downwardly and into the concrete. The concrete mass opposes this urgency. As a consequence, a smoothly troweled surface is realized. A pair of corresponding screw bolts 67 on a pair of fore and aft channels 68 on each of the sides achieves a comparable troweled effect on the side walls.

Conveniently, a platform 71 mounted on a pair of channels 72 suitably secured to the after ends of the channels 64, as by hinges 73, enables a workman to stand thereon, as the machine proceeds, and to observe the manner of lining to see that all is in correct order. When the machine is moved to another site, the platform can be swung into vertical attitude and out of the way.

The platform 71 also permits the workman standing thereon to operate, at predetermined spaced intervals, a joint-forming mechanism, generally designated by the numeral 81, and shown most clearly in Figures 1 and 2. Joints are produced in concrete slabs and liners at spaced intervals to permit, when necessary, of easier repair or removal of the portions of the slab. The joints consist of linear transverse slits or indentations. In the instant device, a horizontal strap 82, preferably somewhat sharperred at its lower edge 83, extends transversely between the bottom ends of a pair of vertical members 84 secured at their tops to a cross-member 85. Suitable diagonal braces 86 lend rigidity to the vertically movable, joint-producing structure 81. Tending to urge the structure upwardly is a pair of tension springs 87 mounted at their lower ends on the cross-bar and at their upper ends to the frame 12, the springs 87 overcoming the combined weight of the structure 81 and the downward urgency of a central spring 88 secured at its bottom end to the lower end of the fixed vertical brace 48 and at its top end on the cross member 85. Upon reaching the proper location, the entire structure 81 is depressed very quickly and forcefully downwardly, so that the bottom edge 83 (and comparable side edges, not shown) forms a transverse cut rather deeply into the still plastic concrete adjacent the plate edge 53. As sharply, the downward force is released, and the springs 87 quickly return the structure to normal position. The depressing force can come either from the force exerted by a workman standing on the platform 71 pushing downwardly on the cross-member 85 with his hands, or preferably, by his pushing downwardly on a footpedal, connected through appropriate leverage (not shown) to the jointing mechanism 81. Even though the machine is moving, the sharp quick thrust given to the joint structure produces a cleanly indented slot, and one which is not significantly altered by the subsequent troweling operation.

As the machine movesalong the canal, being pulled by suitable mechanism such as a winch and connecting cable, the machine issupported not only by the shoe plates previously mentioned, but also by a plurality of ground-engaging wheels 91 disposed on the opposite sides 13 of the device, each of the wheels being supported on a wheel post structure92.

Since each of the wheels and wheel posts is substantially identical, a description of one will serve adequately to describe the others, especial reference being had to Figures 1, 4, 6, and 7.

Mounted on the side plate 13, as by bolts 96 is a pair of spaced vertical inner bars- 97 and a pair of spaced vertical outer bars 98, the outer bars being slightly Wider than the inner bars-so as to overhang the inner edges of the inner bars somewhat, and thus produce a track into which is inserted a plate 99, the plate 99 being securely held in position by a bolt 101 (see Figure 4) passing through and being in threaded engagement with a large nut-102' welded on. the:inner wall. of the. side plate 13,

the bolt also passing through a registering aperture in the plate 13 and a registering opening in the plate 99. Removal of the bolt 101 permits of easy removal of the plate 99, the plate being moved either upwardly or downwardly until clear of the track.

Aifixed to the plate 99, as by welding, is a vertical sleeve 106, the sleeve being provided on its outermost portion with a narrow upper longitudinal slit 107 and a broad lower longitudinal slit 108. The lower slit 108 has mounted on the opposite margins thereof a pair of brackets 109, each of the brackets having a pair of aper tures 111 adapted to receive a pair of cross-bolts (not shown) which, when taken up, pull together the brackets, reduces the width between the slit 108 and thus clamps in the sleeve 106, a vertical tube 112 at any predetermined vertical location and angular position.

While the clamping force exerted by the sleeve on the tube, as a result of urging the brackets 109 toward each other, is sufficient to hold the tube 112 in desired orientation or angular position about the tubes vertical axis, such force, by itself, is not ordinarily adequate to maintain the tube in the desired vertical relation with respect to the sleeve 106, there being other mechanism provided to accomplish this purpose as will be described hereinafter.

The vertical tube 112 is provided with a bottom plug 116 having mounted thereon, in normal attitude, a stub axle 117 of conventional style adapted to receive one of the ground-engaging wheels 91. Thus, the axle 117 and the tube 112 are at all times at a fixed elevation above the wheel-supporting ground. K

It is the sleeve 106, therefore, and the attendant plate 99, the side plate 13 and the frame 11 which is moved upwardly and downwardly with respect to the fixed tube 112, axle 117 and wheel 91. In the position shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6, the frame 11 is elevated .with respect to the ground, the frame being high enough off the ground to permit the machines being towed along a highway. That is to say, the bottom shoe plate 17 is elevated above the lowermost portion of the pneumatic tires 120 on the wheels 91.

In the position shown in Figures 1, 2, and 7, on the other hand, the frame 11 is in lowered position, that is to say in ditch-lining position.

Referring particularly to Figure 7, with the frame in lowered position, it will be noted that the upper end of the tube 112 is capped by a plug 121, also shown in Figure 4, in section, the plug 121 having a socket 122 in its upper surface to receive the lower end 123 of a threaded stem 124 provided at its upper end with a convenient crank handle 125, as, for example, a horizontal bar, as shown.

The stem 124 is in threaded engagement with a keeper bar 126, or cross-bar, having a pair of oppositely projecting ears 127, each of the ears extending through a corresponding aperture 128 near the upper endof a vertical strap 131. v

Each of the pair of vertical straps 131.is provided with an upper vertical slot 132 and a lower vertical. slot 133, each of the slots having a vertical 'dimen sionsor'newhat in excess of the vertical" dimension of a vertical arm 136 depending from an outwardly extending shoulder 137 mounted on opposite sides of the sleeve 106 adjacent the upper end of, the sleeve. Each of the slots 13?. and 133, in other words, is large enough so that the adjacent arm 136 can be inserted through the slot, either in an .upper position of the straps 131 (corresponding to lowered position of the frame 11, as in. Figure 7), or in'a lower position of the straps (corresponding to raised position of the frame, as in Figure 6). I

Referring to Figure 6, with the frame 11 in elevated, or towing, position, it will be seen that the downward gravidownwardly under their own weight.

arm and shoulder members.

tal force of the frame 11 is transmittedto the plate 99 r i (secured to the frame by the bolt 101), thence to the .sleeve106 welded to the plate 99. The two sleeve (not shown) on each corner of the frame.

shoulders 137, in turn, bear downwardly on the lower end of the slots 132, urging downwardly the two straps 131. The downward urgency of the straps 131 is transmitted to the ears 127 on the cross-bar 126 in threaded engagement with the stem 124. The downward force exerted by the stem, in turn, is resisted by the plug 121 on the upper end of the tube 112 which is supported by the axle 117 and the attendant wheel 91 resting on the ground.

It is to be noted that whereas the two extreme strap portions permit of gross adjustments in vertical position, the stem allows fine adjustments to be made. As appears most clearly in Figure 7, for example, should it be desired to lower the frame 11 a slight' amount with respect to the axle 117 (and thus with respect to the canal walls) it is only necessary to turn the crank and thus rotate the stem 124 in such a direction that the cross-bar 126 and attendant straps 131, sleeve 106 and frame can move Should it be desired to raise the frame 11 slightly the crank 125 is turned so that the stems threads urge the bar 126 upwardly in the manner of a screw jack.

Gross adjustment is effected as follows: it being desired, for example, tochange the frame 11 from its lowered, or Figure 7, location to its raised, or Figure 6, position. A crane boom (not shown) having appropriate cables, is attached to the frame 11, as by four hook-eyes The frame 11 is thereupon lifted by the crane a few inches until the lower strap slots 133 are in registry with the sleeve arms 136, thestraps, the bar 126 and the stem 124 having maintained, by their own weight, their initial position with respect to the tube 112 and the axle 117. Upon the slots 133 coming into registry with the arm 136, the strap 131 can be moved outwardly, the arm 136 passing through the slot 133 and the ear 127 concurrently becoming disengaged from the upper strap opening 128.

Upon disengagement of both straps the crane lifts the frame 11 upwardly until the arms 136 are in registry with upper slots 132. Concurrently, the threaded stem is adjusted with respect to the cross bar 126 so that the ears 127 can be inserted through the apertures 123 as the arms 136 are inserted through the upper slots 132. Thereafter the crank and the stem are rotated (the stern bearing downwardly on the upper plug 121) so as to raise the straps from a position of registry between the slots 132 and the arms 136 to the relative location shown in Figure 6 wherein the bottom wall of the slot 132 bears upwardly against the shoulder 137. At this juncture, the crane support can be removed and the frame weight will be supported, in the fashion previously described, on the tube 112 which, by the axle and the wheel.

In the event that small vertical adjustment is required, appropriate rotation of the crank 125 and the stem 124 will effect the desired change. I

, When it becomes necessary to lower the crame from the Figure'6, or towing, elevation to the Figure. 7, or lining, position, a crane is again called upon to raise the frame and the sleeve until the and 136 is in registry with the slot 132 and the strap is disengaged from the The frame is then lowered by the crane to the. desired elevation, at which point the lower slots 133 of the straps are inserted over the arms 136 and the stem rotated until the ears 127 can be urged through the strap openings 128. Thereupon, the stem is further rotated so as to urge the straps upwardly into tight abutment with the sleeve shoulders 137. The crane support can then be removed and theframe will be fully supported by the wheels. Fine adjustment is thereafter possible by taking a few turns one way or the other on the crank 125.

Having described the vertical adjustment of the frame with respect to the ground-supported wheels, attention will now be turned to the mechanism utilizedin diret tin turn, is supported arrow 153.

ing and maintaining the wheels in their proper orientation. As previously pointed out, when the frame is in lowered or canal-lining position, as appears most clearly in Figures 1 and 7, the wheels are so oriented that the two wheels on the same side of the frame are co-planar andare parallel to the two wheels on the opposite side of the frame. This orientation obviously requires that the axle 117, be directed as appears in Figure 7, the axis of the axle being normal to the side plate 13. In order to assure accurate normal alignment, a rod 141 is welded on top of the axle, the rod 141 being disposed at right angles to the axis of the axle and spaced from the tube a distance such that the rod spans and is in abutment with the outer edges of the brackets 109 when the frame is in lowered position. After the axle is properly orientated, the brackets 109 are urged toward each other, as previously explained, thereby clamping the sleeve against the tube so as to prevent any possible subsequent misalignment resulting from shocks and vibration.

Upon completion of lining the canal, the brackets are unclamped, the frame is raised and the straps re-set so that the wheel post and frame assumes the appearance shown most clearly in Figures 4 and 6. At this juncture, the tube 112 is rotated 90 so that the axles and the wheels assume the orientation shown in Figure 5, the machine being then ready to be towed away to the next job.

In towing condition, the forward or front pair of wheels, shown at the left in Figure 5, are provided with detachable structure enabling them to be turned in unison, and thus to facilitate movement of the machine on curves. Ordinarily the rear wheels would be fixed in direction, the sleeve 106 being tightly clamped on the tube 112 after orientation of the Wheels is effected. The front wheel tubes, on the other hand, are free to rotate within their sleeves and thus the wheels are movable, as is indicated in Figure 8 about the vertical tube axis.

A traction unit (not shown) pulls a draw bar 143 bifurcuted adjacent its rear end to form a yoke 144, the yoke being mounted on a cross-bar 146 attached to the forward end of a pivot block 147. The pivot block 147, in turn, is pivotally mounted on a vertically disposed pivot pin 148, the pin 148 extending upwardly, as appears in Figure and being detachably fastened to the side plate 13. As the traction unit turns, the draw bar 143 and the yoke 144 are correspondingly moved, as, for example, in the direction indicated by the arrow 151 in Figure 8. Concurrently, the after end 152 of the pivot block 147 pivots in the direction indicated by the This motion, in turn is transmitted by a pair of radius rods 156, pivotally mounted, as by pins 157, on the block 147, to a pair of levers 16 1, or cranks, secured to the bottoms of the opposite axles, the outer ends of the rods being pivotally mounted thereon as by pins 162.

As appears most clearly in Figures 4, 8, and 9, the levers 161 are secured, as by a detachable fastening 166 to a flange 167 depending from the bottom plug 116 of the tube 112, each of the levers being provided with a forward flange 168 abutting the flange 167. Projecting rearwardly from the flange 168 is a strengthening side plate 169and a' top plate 171, the top plate necking 8 toward its rear end where the radius rod pivot 162 is mounted. As can be seen most clearly in Figure 8, lateral movement of the radius rods causes the levers 161 to pivot about the axes of the vertical tube structures 112, the wheels 91 being turned, accordingly, in unison.

Ease and speed of towing are therefore realized. The dimensions and weight of the machine are such, furthermore, that applicable motor vehicle and highway laws are complied with, enabling the machine to be towed on substantially all highways, streets and roads and thus reducing transit time between jobs to a minimum.

It can therefore be seen that We have provided a canal lining machine which is not only highly mobile but which, once the job site is reached, can readily be placed in working condition, and which, furthermore, performs an inexpensive, accurate and quick canal lining job without a need for pre-installed tracks.

What is claimed is:

A machine for lining an upwardly and outwardly flared canal with concrete, said machine comprising: a frame having opposite sides overlying the banks of the canal; means depending from the sides of said frame and conforming to the shape of the canal for substantially supporting said frame as said frame is advanced along the canal; means depending from the sides of said frame and upwardly displaced from said frame supporting means for forming the thickness of the lining, said lining forming means trailing from said frame supporting means; and means for introducing concrete mix between the forward margin of said lining forming means and thetrailing margin of said frame supporting means, a pair of ground-engaging wheels mounted on each side of said frame, means for mounting said wheels on said frame for vertical adjustment of said wheels with respect to said frame between a first vertical position wherein said frame supporting means is in engagement with the canal walls below the bottoms of said wheels and a second vertical position wherein the lowermost portion of said frame supporting means is elevated above the bottoms of said wheels, and means for selectively securing said pairs of wheels in a first orientation parallel to the sides of said frame and a second orientation parallel to the ends of said frame, said frame supporting means and said lining forming means being inclined inwardly and downwardly from the sides of said frame whereby a portion of each of said wheels underlies said frame in said second vertical position and said second orientation of said Wheels.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,416,740 Neighbor May 23, 1922 2,094,974 Wood Oct. 5, 1937 2,240,236 Aitken Apr. 29, 1941 2,311,891 Tyson Feb. 23, 1943 2,480,909 Davis Sept. 6, 1949 2,598,903 Gebhard June 3, 1952 2,645,091 Palmer July 14, 1953 2,827,771 Baer Mar. 25, 1958 2,911,892 "Pollitz Nov. 10, 1959