US2988972A - Loose material compacting means - Google Patents

Description

June 20, 1961 COOPER 2,988,972

LOOSE MATERIAL COMPACTING MEANS Filed Nov. 13, 1957 Z INVENTOR: UrzJ/L N C00 6;"

United States atent 2,988,972. I LOOSE MATERIAL COMPACTlNG MEANS V Orin N. Cooper, Garwin, Iowa Filed Nov. 13, 1957, Ser. No. 696,160 1 Claim. (Cl. 94-48) This invention relates to a tamping means adapted for compressing various types of loosely constituted materials into concentrated and compacted masses.

More specifically, as one example, the invention is directed to a manually operable earth tamper that is uniquely adaptable to compact loose earth, stones, sand, mixed rocks and/ or soil constituting materials for refilling post holes and in setting posts.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a tamper having an external contour and configuration to promote highly efficient operation and to eliminate wasted energy activation as well as undesirable material handling.

The tamper consolidates a number of contour features such as front face and back wall curvatures to conform with average post exteriors and solid soil hole perimeters; a well beveled top to shed earth and materials; tapered walls on certain of the side walls so arranged as to counteract cutting into the solid and uncut earth portions encircling the post hole; and the use of well curved corners at the top and bottom terminal portions of the post face of the tamper to prevent cutting into the post and to further enhance the efiicient manual manipulation of the tamper.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an angularly adjustable handle means for manipulating the tamper;

As a further object, the combination tamper and handle structure is also depicted in a modified construction wherein the handle is connected with the tamper for limited freerelative. angular. shifting motion in relation to the center of gravity of the tamper per se. This provides a tamper. that operates in pendulum fashion from the end of the handle employed to vertically actuate the tamper in compressing and compacting loosely constituted materials. Y

. Other objects and advantages relating to a tamper of the character herein disclosed will hereinafter appear or .become .apparent from the following detailed description of the device having reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification.

' In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a general side elevational view of the tamper of the present invention as it would appear in use in one environmental situation wherein it is being employed for tamping or compacting earth in refilling a post hole cavity;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the tamper as it would appear while in use in a situation as shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross sectional view of the tamper per se and adjacent handle portion thereof and substantially as viewed along the plane of the line 33 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the tamper minus the handle to show certain details of construction thereof;

FIG. 5 is a rear face elevational view of the tamper as it appears when viewed along the plane of the line 5-5 in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of a modified arrangement of the tamper to illustrate another embodiment of the present invention.

The tamper is preferably made in the form of an upright block generally quadrangular in horizontal cross section fabricated as a forged or cast body 1 having a flat bottom or tamping base wall 2 with front face and rear face walls 3 and 4 of the block extending upwardly therefrom and connected with two end walls 5 and 6 ice having certain alternately oppositely related portions thereof disposed generally parallel to each other. The top 7 of the tamper provides a raised central platform 8 forming a surface lying parallel to the base wall 2 and adapted to receive the handle structure or securing mechanism for said handle.

Beveled walls or surfaces 9, 10, 11 and 12. slope downwardly and outwardly from the platform 8 to meet the peripheral perimeter walls of the tamper body 1. Sloping walls 9 to 12 form material shedding means to counteract clinging or adhering of earth materials to the upper end of the tamper. Without the provision of the sloping top surfaces, adhering and carried materials would unnecessarily lodge upon the tamper top and increase the total weight of the tamper while at the same time this condition would prevent the carried materials from dropping down or from remaining in the area that is being worked upon by the tamper.

As best seen in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the front face wall 3 is provided with a curvature taken as generated concentrically from the center of an average 5" or 6" diameter post and about a vertical axis. The rear face wall 4 is also'made with a curvature chosen generally concentrically with the curvature of the front face wall and about the axis noted. The lower terminal portions of these walls 3 and 4 are rounded as at 13 and 14 respectively. The rounded corner 13 will prevent cutting into a post such as 15 while working in a post hole such as 16 to tamp or compress the loose material 17. The rounded corner 14 will help to prevent tamper gouging into the uncut solid soil or earth 18 surrounding the post 15.

In addition to the configurations hereinbefore noted, the walls 4, 5 and 6 are made with oppositely directed beveled faces meeting in a horizontally disposed central peripheral high point or ridge 19 encircling three sides of the tamper block intermediate its height. The opposite outward faces or inwardly formed slopes leading from the ridge or high point 19 on the rear face or wall 4 are indicated by 20 and 21 as the upper and lower slopes respectively. On the wall or end 5, the sloping walls or surfaces are 22 at the top half and 23 at the bottom half; while on the wall or end 6 the sloping walls or surfaces are idenfied as 24 at the top and 25 at the bottom. Each of the sloping walls 23 and 25 of the block ends 5 and 6 conclude with rounded corners 26 and 27 to aid in preventing gouging or solid soil cutting with the bottom of the tampet and intothe laterally adjacent circular portions of the post hole earth 18 as at points a and b respectively.

The double sloping composite walls 4, 5 and 6 are so provided to further prevent soil cutting in either upward or downward motion of the tamper. As a further feature, the lower back face slope 21 has the added function of setting up a downstroke reaction in the loose soil being compacted which will develop a radially directed motion to the tamper body which will force the arcuate cylindrical face of the tamper toward the post for added soil concentration about the postexterior where greater compactness is beneficial for better anchorage of the post in the post hole area. As seen in FIG. 5, the downwardly convergent sloping walls 23 and 25 of the block ends 5 and 6 coact to form a wedge portion on the tamper to cause lateral soil or earth concentration and compactness on the downstroke of the tamper.

It should be observed that the tamper, after completing its downstroke, is socketed or comes to rest in an earth pocket with the lower half from the ridge 19 downwardly in close contact with the surrounding compressed material. As seen in FIG. 5, however, the upper half of the tamper is in a clearance area or adjacent loose material due to the ridge enlargement which provides an entrance hole in the earth as generally indicated by the dot and dash lines c and d. Thus, with three face portions of the tamper formed with downwardly and inwardly arranged faces or surfaces, withdrawal of the tamper is easily performed and earth retention or suction is immediately destroyed by a slight pull on the handle of the tamper. Slight withdrawal of the tamper permits the arcuate vertical face 3 thereof to recede from frictional contact with the post side compacted material by virtue of the curved slope or face 21 which is located on the opposite side of the tamper from the arcuate face.

The tamper is hand manipulated by means of a handle 28 connected with a U-shaped bracket 29 that is welded or otherwise suitably secured to the platform 8 of the tamper body 1. The connection of handle 28 and bracket 29 in FIGS. 1 to comprises a pivot bolt 30 and an adjustable bolt 31 that may be inserted through pairs of aligned openings 32 and 33 formed in each of the upstanding legs 34 and 35 of the bracket 29. Thus, with the handle 28 angled or tilted as in FIG. 1, injury to the hands by post contact is avoided under most conditions of normal operation manipulation. The handle by its location over the base portion of the bracket 29 provides a further means to counteract the adherence and collection of earth or other material upon the bracket base. It should also be observed that the base of the bracket covers the platform 8 and that the sloping top walls fall away from the bracket location. Motion of the handle relatively to the tamper body as in the later described form of the invention shown in FIG. 6, will also prevent material accumulation on the bracket and hence on the tamper top.

The handle arrangement in FIGS. 1 to 5, therefore, depicts the idea of using an adjustable handle that can be fixed in an angular position selected for operating the tamper for the purpose devised.

In the modified form of the invention shown in FIG. 6, the tamper 36 is provided with a double legged bracket 37, suitably secured thereto, and a handle 38 is secured into a socket 39 terminating with a fiat blade or end arm 40 that is guided and shiftably oriented between the two legs of the bracket 37. This construction provides a pivot pin 41 passing through the bracket legs and arm 40, and a second pin 42 is secured to the arm to extend laterally outwardly therefrom for riding in arcuate slots 43 formed in the bracket legs. As further shown in FIG. 6, the pivot pin 41 is located, in general, over the center of gravity 44 of the tamper 36 so that the tamper hangs generally vertically from the pivotal region of the pin 41.

With this arrangement, the tamper acts in the capacity of a pendulum suspended from the end of the handle, and even with excessive handle inclination the tamper will for most part avoid soil or post contact or gouging. Mo-

4. r tion of the handle relatively to the tamper will be generally free except as limited by the extent of the slots 43. If desired, the second pin 42 could well be replaced by a bolt as in the other form described to lock the handle at a given angularity with respect to the tamper.

The foregoing description is directed to certain preferred forms of the invention. It is to be understood that possible changes and modifications in the constructions shown may be resorted to without departure from the fundamental concept of the invention disclosed. Any changes made shall, however, be governed by the breadth and scope of the appended claimed subject matter directed to the tamper of this invention.

What I claim is:

A material tamper comprising an elongated block having a cross-section of quadrangular shape taken generally perpendicularly to the elongated dimension, said block having a concave front face, a bottom, top, side faces, and a pair of arcuate rear faces intersecting in an arcuate ridge intermediate the top and bottom thereof, the lower arcuate rear face tapering inwardly toward the bottom from the ridge and cooperating with the concave front face when said block is used as said material tamper so that the said lower conical surface urges the concave front face into material engaging compactness when downwardly projected and to permit the quick release of suction upon the withdrawal of said block, a bracket mounted on the top of said block, a handle pivotally mounted from said bracket over the center of gravity of said material tamper so that the tamper hangs generally vertically from the pivotal mounting, an arcuate slot formed in the bracket, and a pin extending laterally from the handle near the pivotal mounting for riding in the arcuate slot, so that the handle is readily adjustable with respect to the bracket as the material tamper is suspended as a pendulum from the end of the handle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 184,987 Cooper Apr. 28, 1959 684,396 Carroll Oct. 8, 1901 780,900 Morgan Jan. 24, 1905 868,238 Wheeler Oct. 15, 1907 875,391 Tinsley Dec. 31, 1907 973,563 Prentice Oct. 25, 1910 1,480,304 Saliger Ian. 8, 1924 1,530,181 Jackson Mar. 17, 1925 1,711,847 Hermanson May 7, 1929 1,886,178 Goddard u Nov. 1, 1932 2,004,083 Scott June 4, 1935 2,234,831 Porter Mar. 11, 1941

Images