US3237554A

US3237554A - Crushing machine

Info

Publication number: US3237554A
Application number: US386990A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr Charles M Davis
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1964-08-03
Filing date: 1964-08-03
Publication date: 1966-03-01
Anticipated expiration: 1983-03-01

Description

March 1, 1966 M. DAVIS, JR 3,231,554

CRUSHING MACHINE Filed Aug. 5, 1964 2 Sheets-$11991. 1

INVENTOR. CHARLES M. DAVIS.,JR.

March 1, 1966 c. M. DAVIS, JR

cnusmue MACHINE 2. Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 5, 1964 Fig.3

INVENTOR- CHARLES M. DAVIS, JR.

Fig.4

United States Patent 3,237,554 CRUSHIIIG MACHINE Charles M. Davis, Jr., 1345 S. 27th St., National City, Calif. Filed Aug. 3, 1964, Ser. No. 386,990 Claims. (Cl. 100-218) The present invention relates generally to a mobile crushing machine and more particularly to such a machine which is especially adapted to compress a pair of wornout automobile bodies into a loosely compacted slab.

Bodies of worn-out and wrecked automobiles, from which the wheels and motor have been removed, provide -a prime source of scrap metal. It is usual to compact these bodies in stationary baling presses to form tightly compressed bales for transportation to the steel mill to be remelted. However these bales contain a large percentage of contaminating material and are therefore becoming more and more undesirable for direct use in open hearth or electric furnaces. The latest method of processing automobile scrap requires a shredder or pulverizer which tears the material into small pieces and separates 99 percent of all contaminating material leaving a highly desirable form of scrap. Obviously a tightly compressed bale would be very dilficult to process in this manner.

It is, therefore, the primary object of this invention to provide an improved crushing machine which will control the degree of compaction of worn-out automobile bodies.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved crushing machine which will utilize a freely falling weight to exert the crushing force.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide an improved crushing machine having means associated therewith by which the compacted slab may be removed from the machine by a standard fork-lift truck.

Finally, it is an object to provide a crushing machine of the aforementioned character which is simple and convenient to use and which will give generally efficient and durable service.

With these and other objects definitely in view, this invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of elements and portions, as will be hereinafter fully described in the specification, particularly pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the drawings which form a material part of this disclosure, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the complete machine showing the action of the weight member;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged section on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3 but with the weight member and pick up frame lowered.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by the same numerals throughout the various figures, there is represented an embodiment of the invention wherein the machine is incorporated in a trailer 20 which is connected to a tractor 22 by a fifth wheel 24 in a manner well known in the art. It will be understood, however, that the hereinafter described platform and walled body are not necessarily combined with a wheel assembly. Such a mounting of the machine represents a very desirable embodiment of "ice the invention and the succeeding description is drawn to this embodiment as exemplary.

Trailer 20 is provided with a platform 26 and, extending rearwardly therefrom, a body portion formed by a front wall 28, extending downwardly from platform 26, a rear wall 30

opposite side walls

32 and 34 respectively, and a depressed floor 36. The top of the end wall 30 and side wall 34 is coextensive and extends substantially above the level of the platform 26 as shown in FIGURE 1. The depressed body portion or floor 36 is formed of high impact strength metal and is heavily reinforced for a purpose that will be hereinafter described. Trailer 20 is supported at its rear end by the usual wheel assembly 38.

Side walls

32 and 34 extend forwardly of front wall 28 and terminate in upwardly extending

support arms

40 and 42 respectively. An inverted channel member 44 extends between and is supported by

arms

40 and 42.

The crushing force required to reduce automobile bodies to the proper size slab for shipment is generated by a falling weight member 46, one end 48 of which is pivotally mounted on rod 50. Any suitable means may be provided for supporting rod 50 in spaced relation to the platform 26. As here shown the rod 50 is secured in

support arms

40 and 42 respectively. It should be noted that rod 50 is mounted a substantial distance forward of the front wall 28 for a purpose that will be hereinafter explained.

Also pivotally mounted on rod 50 is a lifting arm or pick up frame indicated generally by the reference numeral 51 here shown as a generally V-shaped member having diverging

arms

52 and 54, the spaced ends of which are journalled as at 56 and 58 respectively on the rod 50. A brace member 60 is secured to

arms

52 and 54 adjacent the opposite ends thereof. This brace member forms, with the adjacent portion of

arms

52 and 54, a support for a multiple groove sheave member 62.

A releasable latch member is provided on weight member 46 for connection with a plate 64 rigidly connected to the free end of the pick up frame. This latch member consists of a hook 66 pivotally mounted at 68 to weight member 46. Hook 66 is normally urged into engagement with plate 64 by a compression spring 70 mounted in a suitable manner between hook 66 and an abutment member 72 secured to the weight member 46. Actuation of the hook member 66 is effected, according to well known techniques, by the double acting hydraulic cylinder 74. While I have shown a hydraulically actuated latch member, it is to be understood that other forms of latching means, either mechanical or electrical, can be substituted therefor without departing from the scope of this invention.

Any suitable means may be utilized to raise the weight member 46 into operative position. The means shown consists of a motor 75 driving a winch 76 which has a drum 78 upon which is wound cable 80. This cable passes several times over sheave 82 which is fixed to support 44 and sheave 62 according to well known techniques. As will be evident to those skilled in the art, rotation of the drum 78 will effect a shortening of cable 80 to elevate weight member 46 from a horizontal position to the position shown in solid lines in FIGURE 3.

Operation The operation of the improved crushing machine will be evident from the above description taken in connection with the drawings. With the weight member 46 in the elevated position, shown in solid lines in FIGURE 1, body B of an automobile, the engine and wheels having been previously removed, is loaded into the recessed portion of the trailer by any suitable lifting means. Hook 66 is now released from engagement with plate member 64 through actuation of the hydraulic operator 74. This frees the weight member from engagement with the pick up arm 51 and it is free to drop in an are about rod 50 as indicated by the arrows 84, FIGURES 1 and 3. Weight member 46 will continue to fall until it has reached a substantially horizontal position, as clearly shown by the broken lines in FIGURE 3. The force thus generated will crush the body B to the level of the platform 26. Pick up arm 51 is now lowered by winch mechanism 76 and latch 66 re-engaged with plate 64. Winch mechanism 76 is now actuated to raise the weight member to the full line position and a second automobile body is placed on top of the one that is partially crushed. Weight member 46 is dropped a second time, crushing the second body. This step will also force pieces of metal from each body at the junction of the two bodies to interlock so that the two bodies form an integral slab and may be handled as a unit. Slots 36 may, if desired, be provided in side wall 34 to permit insertion of the tines of a conventional fork-lift truck 88 for removal of the slab from the trailer. If desired, a manually operated safety lock 90 of any suitable construction may be applied to weight member 46 to lock it to support arm 42 during loading of the trailer unit. As illustrated this safety lock is a transverse lock pin 92 inserted through a hole in the lock flange 90 and registering holes in ears 94 on the top of the support arm 42.

Although any number of bodies may be crushed at one time by varying the trailer dimensions, I have found that by forming a slab of two bodies the proper density can be maintained so that the slab can be fed through the shredder at the most efficient speed. With the trailer herein disclosed, the length of the weight member is approximately 22 feet and the weight approximately 16,000 pounds. When in horizontal position, the weight member extends substantially to the end wall 30 and fits with slight clearance between the

side walls

32 and 34. The

side walls

32 and 34 and end wall 30 extend approximately four feet above the level of the floor 36 of the recessed portion of the trailer. I have also found that the finished slab when composed of two bodies should be approximately 20 inches thick. To-accomplish this the floor 36 'is dropped a distance of 20 inches below the platform 26. The above dimensions may obviously be changed if it is desired to form a slab of three or more bodies and still maintain the desired density in the finished slab.

It is understood that minor variations from the form of the invention disclosed herein-may be made without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that the specification and drawings are to be considered as merely illustrative rather than limiting.

I claim:

1. A crushing machine comprising:

a body having a platform and a depressed portion having side walls;

an elongated weight member;

pivot means adjacent one end of said depressed portion and connecting said weight member to said platform; and

hoisting means for pivotally raising said weight member above said depressed portion to a predetermined height about said pivot means including means for disengaging said weight member from said hoisting means whereby, upon disengagement, downward movement of said weight member will compress material in said recessed portion, said hoisting means including a pick-up frame pivotally mounted on said body, a winch mounted on said body with a hoisting cable operatively connected to said Winch and said pick-up frame.

2. The structure of claim 1 further including slots in one side wall whereby the tines of a fork lift truck may be inserted to remove the crushed material.

3. The structure of claim 1 in which said means for disengaging said weight member includes a latch member carried by said weight member and adapted to releasably engage said pick up frame.

4. The structure of claim 3 further including a doubleacting hydraulic motor for actuating said latch member and a spring normally forcing said latch member into engagement with said pick up frame.

5. The structure of claim 4 further including a safety lock between said weight member and body to secure said weight member in raised position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 113,900 4/1871 Marshall -265 X 543,302 7/1896 Horton 72440 937,436 10/1909 Haag. 2,529,892 11/1950 Adams. 2,616,312 11/1952 Jones et al 100-233 X 2,986,992 6/1961 Patros et a1 100-218 3,036,516 5/1962 Purcell 100265 X FOREIGN PATENTS 415,169 8/1934 Great Britain.

IRVING BUNEVICH, Primary Examiner.

BILLY J. WILHITE, Examiner.

Claims

1. A CRUSHING MACHINE COMPRISING: A BODY HAVING A PLATFORM AND A DEPRESSED PORTION HAVING SIDE WALLS; AN ELONGATED WEIGHT MEMBER; PIVOT MEANS ADJACENT ONE END OF SAID DEPRESSED PORTION AND CONNECTING SAID WEIGHT MEMBER TO SAID PLATFORM; AND HOISTING MEANS FOR PIVOTALLY RAISING SAID WEIGHT MEMBER ABOVE SAID DEPRESSED PORTION TO A PREDETERMINED HEIGHT ABOUT SAID PIVOT MEANS INCLUDING MEANS FOR DISENGAGING SAID WEIGHT MEMBER FROM SAID HOISTING MEANS WHEREBY, UPON DISENGAGEMENT, DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID WEIGHT MEMBER WILL COMPRESS MATERIAL IN SAID RECESSED PORTION, SAID HOISTING MEANS INCLUDING A PICK-UP FRAME PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID BODY, A WINCH MOUNTED ON SAID BODY WITH A HOISTING CABLE OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID BODY WINCH AND SAID PICK-UP FRAME.