US3240134A

US3240134A - Soil compaction machine

Info

Publication number: US3240134A
Application number: US268908A
Authority: US
Inventors: John L Mcrae; Joseph P Wislocki
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-03-29
Filing date: 1963-03-29
Publication date: 1966-03-15
Anticipated expiration: 1983-03-15

Description

March 15, 1966 MCRAE ET L 3,240,134

SOIL COMPACTION MACHINE Filed March 29, 1963 '7 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORJ March 1966 J. L. M RAE ETAL SOIL COMPACTION MACHINE 7 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Filed March 29, 1963 INVENTORS M? 245, c/OJEPH I? Jul-5L0 CK/I Arroemrs vs.

March 15, 1966 J. 1.. M RAE ETAL SOIL COMPACTION MACHINE 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 29, 1965 INVENTORS J. L. M RAE ETAL SOIL COMPACTION MACHINE March 15, 1966 7 Sheets-Sheet 4.

Filed March 29, 1963 INVENTORS MFG/7E,

March 15, 1966 J. L. M RAE ETAL SOIL COMPACTION MACHINE 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 29, 1963 INVENTORS c/Of/A/ L MFEAE,

0065 P l4//sace/,

March 15, 1966 McRAE ETAL 3,240,134

SOIL COMPACTION MACHINE Filed March 29, 1965 7 Sheets-Sheet '7 FIG. Q.

INVENTORJ Jay/v 4. M8646,

MOSfPI/ 1' WASLOCK/ United States Patent 3,240,134 SOIL COMPACTION MACHINE John L. McRae, 416 Groome Drive, and Joseph P. Wislocki, 110 Evelyn St, both of Vicksburg, Miss. Filed Mar. 29, 1963, Ser. No. 268,908 7 Claims. (CI. 94-48) This invention relates to a soil compaction machine.

An object of the present invention is to provide a soil compaction machine which is adapted for heavy or light duty work.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a soil compaction machine wherein the tamping units are enable to move vertically without undesirable side motion of the units and in a plane at right angles to the direction of travel of the machine while maintaining the tamping units in planes parallel to the towing vehicle.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a soil compaction machine wherein the tamping units are connected to the vehicle so that the tamping units are free to move vertically while permitting rotational improvement to a degree such that the tamping units are accommodated to the contour of the ground surface being worked, but with no undesirable side motion.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a soil compaction machine wherein the tamping unit carries a tamping shoe constructed and arranged so that it readily accommodates itself to the flatness and unevenness of a ground surface during travel of the machine over such ground surface.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a soil compaction machine which is compact, highly efiicient in action, and commercially feasible.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of a mechanically-operable work vehicle type soil compaction machine according to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the machine shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of the machine shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a rear elevational view, with parts broken away, of the machine shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 7 is a plan view, with parts broken away, of a hand-steered work vehicle type soil compaction machine according to the present invention;

FIGURE 8 is a side elevational view, with parts ken away, of the machine shown in FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 9 is a front elevational view, with parts broken away, of the machine shown in FIGURE 7; and

FIGURE 10 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 1(i10 of FIGURE 9.

Referring to FIGURES 1 to 6, the numeral 10 generally designates a mechanically-operable work vehicle type soil compaction machine according to the present invention which is adapted for heavy duty work. The machine 10 comprises a pair of laterally-spaced ground-engaging wheels 14 which are adapted for travel over a ground surface, and disposed transversely of and fixedly supported on said Wheels for travel therewith is an upstanding rigid mounting member 12, the member being in the form of a housing which is part of an overhead longitudinal frame 15, and which is transversely-disposed with respect to the frame 15 midway between the forward bro- "ice end 13 and the rearward end 11 thereof. Positioned rear- Wardly of the rearward end 11 of the frame 15 and operatively attached to the rearward end of the frame 15 is a steering means or a mechanically-operable work vehicle generally indicated by the numeral 16, the vehicle 16 having a pair of laterally-spaced ground-engaging driving and steerable rear wheels 18.

A soil compacting unit 20 is disposed forwardly of and in parallel spaced relation with respect to the member or housing 12 adjacent the forward end 13 of the frame 15, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2. Another soil compacting unit 22 of like construction as unit 20 is disposed rearwardly of and in parallel spaced relation with respect to the member or housing 12 adjacent the rearward end 11 of the frame 15. Each of the

soil compacting units

20 and 22 carries a tamping shoe which depends from and extends completely across the lower ends of the

units

20 and 22. Thetamping shoe 24 on each of the

soil compacting units

20 and 22 is a single shoe which extends along the entire width of each of the

units

20 and 22 and is fixedly attached thereto.

Stabilizing bars 26, in this instance, two pairs of stabilizing bars each pair arranged in criss-cross relation are disposed so as to extend from each of the

units

20 and 22 to the mounting member or housing 12, and have their complemental ends universally connected to the member 12 or

units

20 and 22 as at 27, 28 and 29. The thus described tow bar connections lend flexibility to the

tamping units

20 and 22 in that the units are enabled to move vertically without undesirable side motion of the units while permitting rotational movement to a degree such that the

soil compacting units

20 and 22 are accommodated to the contour of the ground surface being worked, and in a plane at right angles to the direction of travel of the machine while maintaining the tamping units in planes parallel to the towing vehicle.

The vehicle 16 is provided with a prime mover 30 which is connected to a hydraulic transmission 32 on the vehicle 16 by means of a flexible drive shaft 34, the latter shaft being connected to the prime mover 30 and hydraulic transmission 32 by

universal joints

36 and 38 respectively. The transmission 32 is drivingly connected to a hydraulic motor 40 by means of a conventional hydraulic system indicated generally by the numeral 42.

The motor 40 has a horizontally-disposed drive shaft 44 which extends horizontally through and is rotatably supported in the mounting member or housing 12, the portion of the shaft 44 within the housing having keyed thereon a sprocket 46. It is to be understood that the motor 40 is of the type which may be driven so that the shaft 44 and the sprocket 46 carried thereby will rotate in either a clockwise or a counterclockwise direction. The drive shaft 44 is drivingly connected to a horizontal driven shaft 48 which is rotatably supported in the mounting member or housing 12, and which is disposed in parallel relation with respect to the shaft 44, by means of a driving chain 50 trained over and intermeshing with the sprocket 46 on the shaft 44 and a sprocket 52 keyed to the portion of the shaft 48 within the mounting member or housing 12. The shaft 48 has one end serving as an output one end and projecting from the mounting member or housing 12 toward the soil com-pacting unit 28, and has the other end serving as an output other end and projecting from the mounting member or housing 12 toward the soil compacting unit 22. The shaft output one end 49 of the shaft 48 is drivingly connected to a horizontallydisposed input shaft 54 carried by the soil compacting unit 20 by means of an individual telescoping universal joint coupling means 56 which is connected to the output one end 49 of the shaft 48 and the input shaft 54. The shaft output other end 51 of the shaft 48 is likewise connected to a horizontally-disposed input shaft 58 carried by the soil compacting unit 22 by means of a like individual telescoping universal joint coupling means 60. The structure of each of the means 56 and 60 is identical, and because of this, only one will be specifically described. The means 56 embodies a flexible coupling element 55 connected to the input shaft 54, a square shaft 57 having one end fixedly connected to the coupling element 55 and having the other end portion telescopically receiving a sleeve 59 secured to a complemental flexible coupling element 61, secured to the shaft output one end 49 of the shaft 48.

The input shaft 54 of the unit 20 is horizontally-disposed and is rotatably supported in the casing 21 of the unit 20, and housed within the casing 21 and operatively connected to the input shaft 54 is a vertical thrust-imparting mechanism. The input shaft 58 of the unit 22 is likewise horizontally-disposed and is rotatably supported in the casing 23 of the unit 22, and housed within the casing 23 and operatively connected to the input shaft 58 is a like vertical thrust-imparting mechanism. Since the thrust-imparting mechanisms are identical in structure, only one will be specifically described. The thrust-imparting mechanism in unit 20 comprises a large spur gear 62 which is keyed to the input shaft 54, the gear 62 being interposed between and meshing with the spur gears 63 and 64 carried by stub shafts 65 and 66 respectively. The unit 20 also includes another stub shaft 67 to which is keyed a spur gear 68 which is in mesh with the spur gear 64, as clearly shown in FIGURE 5. Eccentric weights 70 are keyed to each of the input shaft 54 and the stub shafts 65, 66 and 67. The weights 70 are disposed on each side of the

spur gears

62, 63, 64 and 68. Each of the weights 70 is conformably shaped to a sector of a circle and is fabricated from a flat relatively thick sheet of heavy metal. Rotation of the input shafts 54 and 58 result in imparting a vertical tamping action to the shoes 24 of the

units

20 and 22.

It is important to note that the weights 70 in the casing 21 of the soil compacting unit 20 are oppositely-disposed to that of the weights 70 in the casing 23 of the soil compacting unit 22. As shown in FIGURE 6, the weights 70 in the casing 21 of the soil compacting unit 20 are in the upper position while the weights 70 in the casing 23 of the soil compacting unit 22 are in the opposite or lower position. Of course, as the driven shaft 48 rotates the weights 70 in the casing 21 of the soil compacting unit 20 shift from the upper position of FIGURE 6 to the lower position, while the weights 70 in the casing 23 of the soil compacting unit 22 shift from the lower position of FIGURE 6 to the upper position followed by simultaneous shifting of the weights 70 in the casing 21 of the unit 20 from the lower position to the upper position of FIGURE 6 and of the weights 70 in the casing 23 of the unit 22 from the upper position to the lower position of FIGURE 6. This arrangement results in a balanced flywheel eifect with respect to the connecting driven shaft 48.

Means is operatively connected to the

units

20 and 22 for effecting simultaneous upward and downward movements to the aforesaid units with respect to the ground surface, as shown in full and dotted lines in FIGURE 3. Specifically, this means comprises a cable 71 which has one end fixedly attached to an car 72 carried by the casing 21 of the unit 20, and is trained over a pulley 73 carried by a rotatable stub shaft 75 on the frame 15, and the other end of the cable 70 being attached to another pulley 74, also carried by the rotatable shaft 75. Keyed to the shaft 75 is a pinion gear 76 which is in meshing engagement with a horizontally-disposed toothed rack 77 rollably supported on a roller 78 supported on the frame 15, the rack 77 being attached to the free end of a piston rod 79 reciprocating in a hydraulic cylinder 80. Another cable 81 has one end fixedly attached to an ear 82 carried by the casing 23 of the unit 22, and is trained over a pulley 83 carried 'by rotatable stub shaft 84 on the frame 15, the other end of the cable 81 being attached to another pulley 85 also carried by the shaft 75. Extension of the piston rod 79 out of the cylinder 80 causes the

units

20 and 22 to effect their upward movements simultaneously with respect to the ground surface, and recession of the piston rod 79 within the cylinder 80 causes the

units

20 and 22 to effect their downward movements simultaneously with respect to the ground surface. It is to be noted that, when it is desired to tow the machine 10 over a road surface to a site where it is to be used to work upon a ground surface the means operatively connected to the

soil compacting units

20 and 22 is actuated to simultaneously effect their upward movement to the upper limit and retained at such upper limit. Of course, when the machine 10 has reached the site, this means is actuated to simultaneously return the

soil compacting units

20 and 22 to the lower limit of their downward movement. With the machine located on the site to be worked and the soil compacting units 20' and 22 having been simultaneously shifted to the lower limit of their downward movement, the machine 10 is caused to travel over and work the ground surface of the site, and during such travel the oppositely-disposed weights 70 in the

soil compacting units

20 and 22 cause their tamping shoes 24 to alternately strike the ground surface. In other words, as the tamping shoes 24 of the soil compacting unit 20 are striking the ground surface the tamping shoes 24 of the soil compacting unit 22 are above and adjacent the ground surface and as the tamping shoes 24 of the soil compacting unit 22 are striking the ground surface the tamping shoes 24 of the soil compacting unit 20 are above and adjacent the ground surface.

The hand-steered vehicle type soil compaction unit of FIGURES 7 to 10 is adapted for light duty work and differs over the above-described mechanically-operable vehicle type soil compaction unit of FIGURES 1 to 6 in that in the machine of FIGURES 7 to 10 a power plant with an upstanding mounting member are supported upon a pair of laterally-spaced ground-engaging wheels, and a handle is provided on the rearward end of the machine which serves as a means for a workman to steer and cause the machine to travel over a ground surface in place of a work vehicle provided with a pair of laterallyspaced ground-engaging drive and steerable rear wheels and having the power plant mounted thereon disposed so as to cause the pair of laterally-spaced ground-engaging wheels supporting the upstanding mounting member with the soil compacting unit disposed in spaced relation forwardly of and rearwardly'of the member as in the machine of FIGURES l to 6. Also, in the soil compaction machine of FIGURES 7 to 10 the tamping shoes of the soil compacting unit which depend from the lower end thereof are movably connected to the unit so that the shoes are readily accommodated to flatness and unevenness of the ground surface, whereas in the machine of FIGURES 1 to 6 the tamping shoes are fixed to the lower end of the compacting units.

Referring to FIGURES 7 to 10, the numeral generally designates a manually-operable type of hand-steerable soil compacting machine according to the present invention, the machine comprising a pair of laterallyspaced ground-engaging wheels 103 and surmounting these wheels and supported thereon is a power plant generally designated by the numeral 104. Projecting horizontally from the rearward end 105 of the machine 100 is a steering means or a U-shaped handle 107 which serves as a means for a walking workman to steer and cause the machine to travel over a ground surface. An upstanding rigid mounting member is disposed transversely of and is supported on the wheels 103 adjacent the forward end 108 of the machine 100.

A soil compacting unit 112 is disposed forwardly of and in parallel spaced relation with respect to the mounting member 110. Projecting horizontally from the mounting member 110 toward the unit 112 is an output shaft 106, the shaft 106 being operatively connected to a gear train, shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 7, to the prime mover 104, as also shown in FIGURE 7.

As shown in FIGURES 7 and 8, stabilizing pairs of tow bars 114 each arranged in criss-cross relation and are disposed between the mounting member 110 and the soil compacting unit 112, and have one of the complemental ends 113 universally connected to the mounting member 110 and having the other of the complemental ends 115 universally connected to the unit 112, thereby permitting vertical movement of the unit 112 relative to the mounting member 110 without undesirable side motion of the units and in a plane at right angles to the direction of travel of the machine while maintaining the tamping units in a plane parallel to the towing vehicle.

The unit 112 carries a tamping shoe 116 which depends from and extends completely across the lower end thereof. As shown in FIGURES 7 to 9 inclusive, the tamping shoe comprises a pair of

shoes

117 and 118 arranged in side-by side spaced relation disposed so as to extend completely across the lower end of the unit 112. Each of the

shoes

117 and 118 is pivotally connected to the lower end of the unit 112 for rocking movement about

horizontal axes

119 and 120, with two groups of

coil springs

121 and 122, respectively, extending between and connected to the lower end of the unit 112 and the

shoes

117 and 118. It is to be noted that these pivotally and resilient connections of the tamping

shoes

117 and 118 to the lower end of the unit 112 permit the

shoes

117 and 118 to be readily accommodated to the contour of the ground surface as the vehicle is manually steered and caused to travel over the ground surface.

The soil compaction unit 112 houses a vertical thrust imparting mechanism, the mechanism including a horizontally-disposed input shaft 126 on which is keyed a large spur gear 128, the shaft 126 being drivingly connected to a prime mover 106 by means of an individual telescoping universal joint coupling means 130. The means 130 embodies a like structure as specifically hereinabove described in connection with means 56.

The unit 112 also has a stub shaft 132 which is parallel to the shaft 126, the stub shaft 132 having keyed thereto a large spur gear 134 which is in meshing engagement with the gear 128. The

shafts

126 and 132 each carries eccentric weights 136, the weights being disposed on each side of the

gears

128 and 134, as shown in FIGURE 7.

What is claimed is:

1. In a soil compaction machine, a pair of laterallyspaced ground-engaging wheels adapted for travel over a ground surface, an upstanding rigid mounting member disposed transversely of and fixedly-supported on said wheels for travel therewith, steering means disposed rearwardly of said member and operatively-connected thereto, a soil compacting unit disposed forwardly of and in parallel spaced relation with respect to said member, said unit having a tamping shoe depending from the lower end, and a vertical thrust-applying mechanism within said unit and operatively-connected to said unit for imparting upand-down movement to said shoe with respect to said ground surface, a plurality of pairs of stabilizing bars each pair disposed in criss-cross relation positioned between said mounting member and said unit and being universallyconnected at each of their complemental ends to said member or said units for permitting vertical movement of said unit relative to said member and rotational movement to a degree such that the unit is accommodated to the contour of the ground surface being worked without side motion, said unit having a horizontal input shaft projecting therefrom toward said unit, a horizontal output shaft end projecting out of said member toward said unit,

and an individual telescoping universal joint coupling connecting said output shaft end to said input shaft, and another soil compacting unit of a like construction as said first-named unit and disposed rearwardly of and in parallel spaced relation with respect to said member, another plurality of pairs of stabilizing bars each pair disposed in criss-cross relation positioned between said mounting member and said other unit and being universally connected at each of their complemental ends to said member or said other unit for permitting vertical movement of said other unit relative to said member and rotational movement to a degree such that the unit is accommodated to the contour of the ground surface being worked without side motion, said other unit having its horizontal input shaft also projecting therefrom toward said other unit, and said horizontal output shaft having also an end projecting from said member toward said other unit and an individual telescoping universal joint coupling connecting said last-named input shaft to said last-named output shaft end.

2. The soil compaction machine according to claim 1 wherein said steering means comprises a mechanicallyoperated work vehicle provided with a pair of laterallyspaced ground-engaging drive and steerable rear wheels positioned rearwardly of said other unit and operatively connected to said mounting member.

3. The soil compaction machine according to claim 2 which includes in addition means operatively connected to said units and said mounting member and said vehicle for effecting simultaneous upward and downward movement of said units relative to said ground surface.

4. The soil compaction machine according to claim 1 wherein the tamping shoe on each of said soil compacting units embodies a shoe extending along the lower end of each unit and fixedly attached to the unit.

5. The soil compaction machine according to claim 1 wherein the vertical thrust-applying mechanism in said one and other soil compacting units are disposed so as to produce a balanced flywheel effect with respect to said horizontal output shaft.

6. The soil compaction machine according to claim 1 wherein each of the vertical thrust-applying mechanisms includes eccentrically-mounted weights, the weights of the respective mechanisms being disposed so as to produce a balanced flywheel eifect with respect to said horizontal output shaft.

7. In a soil compaction machine, a pair of laterallyspaced ground-engaging wheels adapted for travel over a ground surface, an upstanding rigid mounting member disposed transversely of and fixedly-supported on said wheels for travel therewith, steering means disposed rearwardly of said member and operatively-connected thereto, and a soil compacting unit disposed forwardly of and in parallel spaced relation with respect to said member, said unit having a tamping shoe depending from the lower end, and a vertical thrust-applying mechanism within said unit and operatively-connected to said unit for imparting up-an'd-down movement to said shoe with respect to said ground surface, a lurality of pairs of stabilizing bars each pair disposed in criss-cross relation positioned between said mounting member and said unit and being universally-connected at each of their complemental ends to said member or said unit for permitting vertical movement of said unit relative to said member and rotational movement to a degree such that the unit is accommodated to the contour of' the ground surface being worked without side motion, said unit having a horizontal input shaft projecting therefrom toward said unit, a horizontal output shaft end projecting out of said member toward said unit, and an individual telescoping universal joint coupling connecting said output shaft end to said input shaft, said steering means comprising a handle positioned rearwardly of said member and operatively connected thereto and serving as a means for a walking workman to steer and 'cause the machine to travel over a ground surface.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 8 Simmonds 94-49 Moir 9448 Nave 9448 McRae 9449 Brigel 9448 CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Primary Examiner. JACOB L. NACKENOFF, Examiner.

. N. C. BYERS, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. IN A SOIL COMPACTION MACHINE, A PAIR OF LATERALLYSPACED GROUND-ENGAGING WHEELS ADAPTED FOR TRAVEL OVER A GROUND SURFACE, AN UPSTANDING RIGID MOUNTING MEMBER DISPOSED TRANSVERSELY OF AND FIXEDLY-SUPPORTED ON SAID WHEELS FOR TRAVEL THEREWITH, STEERING MEANS DISPOSED REARWARDLY OF SAID MEMBER AND OPERATIVELY-CONNECTED THERETO, A SOIL COMPACTING UNIT DISPOSED FORWARDLY OF AND IN PARALLEL SPACED RELATION WITH RESPECT TO SAID MEMBER, SAID UNIT HAVING A TAMPING SHOE DEPENDING FROM THE LOWER END, AND A VERTICAL THRUST-APPLYING MECHANISM WITHIN SAID UNIT AND OPERATIVELY-CONNECTED TO SAID UNIT FOR IMPARTING UPAND-DOWN MOVEMENT TO SAID SHOE WITH RESPECT TO SAID GROUND SURFACE, A PLURALITY OF PAIRS OF STABILIZING BARS EACH PAIR DISPOSED IN CRISS-CROSS RELATION POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID MOUNTING MEMBER AND SAID UNIT AND BEING UNIVERSALLYCONNECTED AT EACH OF THEIR COMPLEMENTAL ENDS TO SAID MEMBER OR SAID UNITS FOR PERMITTING VERTICAL MOVEMENT OF SAID UNIT RELATIVE TO SAID MEMBER AND ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT TO A DEGREE SUCH THAT THE UNIT IS ACCOMMODATED TO THE CONTOUR OF THE GROUND SURFACE BEING WORKED WITHOUT SIDE MOTION, SAID UNIT HAVING A HORIONTAL INPUT SHAFT PROJECTING THEREFROM TOWARD SAID UNIT, A HORIZONTAL OUTPUT