US824839A - Trenching-machine. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED JULY 3, 1906.

H. J. BENTSON. TRENUHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7, 1905.

6 SHEETS-BRET 1.

PATENTED JULY 3, 1906.

H. J. BENTSON.

TRENGHING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7, 1905;

6 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

5E 64430! 5" EL- No. 824,839. PATENTED JULY 3, 1906. H. J. BBNTSON. TRENGHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7, 1905.

6 SHEETSSHEET 3.

No. 824,839. PATENTED JULY 3, 1906.

H. J. BENTSON.

TRENGHIN G MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7, 1905.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

g 7%; 172cm No. 824,839. PATBNTED JULY 3, 1906.

H. J. BENTSON.

TRENGHING MACHINE. APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 7, 1905.

6 SERIES-SHEET 5.

PATENTBD JULY 3, 1906.

H. J BBNTSON. TRENOHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7, 1905.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 8.

WCZ/Ldi'aissd4, ZYW W 6/ UNITED PATENT OFFICE.

HANS "J. BEN TSON or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO FREDERICK c.

AUSTIN, OF CHICAGO. ILLINOIS. v

TRENCHINGFMAOHINE.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, 1906.

Application filed l lovember 7. 1905. Serial No. 286,216.

To all whom'it may concern.-

Beit known that I, HANS J. BENTSON, a citizen of the United States residiiig atChicago, in the county of Cook and State, of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trenchin -Machines, of which the following is a speci cation.

My invention relates to trenching-machines in which a suitable truck or body--' frame is provided with rearwardly-arran' ed excavating means and advanced by suita lepropelling means proportionally to the progress of the'work.

A'prominent and particular obj ect of my invention is to provide simple and eiiicient means for forming a trench or ditch with s10 ing side walls.

urther objects are to avoid clogging, to conveniently and effectively carry off the loose soil, to provide a compact and durableconstruction of excavating means, to provlde' fora suitably wide range of adjustment on the part of the excavating means, to permit the excavatin means to be enlarged with reference to t 0 formation of a compara tively wide trench without necessitating the construction of an undesirably lar e and heavy body-frame and machinery t ereon, and to provide certain further improved features of construction, combination, and detail serving to increase the general efficiency and desirability of means for digging ditches.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of a trenching-machine embodying the principles of my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail section mainly illustrating. a clutch device, which isishown in side elevation in Fig. 1 and employed for connecting and disconnecting certain devices hereinafter mentioned with and from the motor or driving power. Fig. 3-is' a sectional detail mainly illustrating the pitman and crank mainly illustrating certain driving-gear for i one of'thesupportin -wheels of the machine, the section being on line 8 Sin Fig. 4. Fig. 9 is a detail view, partly in section, illustrating a portion of the excavating-wheel and a portionof' the endless excavating-conveyer, the section being transversely through the frame portion of the wheel. Fig. 10 is a like view with the section taken through the wheel at another point. of the endless excavating-conveyer and may be termed an edge view of the same. Fig. 12 is a top plan. view of Fig. 11. Fig. 13 comprises two views of one of the edge or outside cutters or blades of the endless exoavating-conveyer. Fig.v 14 comprises two views of one of the middle or inner plow blades of the endless excavating-conveyer.

Figs. 15, 16, and 17 are views from different sides of one of the knives or paring-blades which are in certain other figures shown secured to the spokes of the excavating-wheel. Fig. 18' is a plan, and Fig. 19 is a side elevation, of a part of one of the angle-rim portions of'the excavating-wheel. These views also show the removable teeth and keys or wedges wherebysaid teeth are looked upon the wheelone of the rear sprockets for the endless conveyer-belt and includes .a portion of the latter trained upon said sprocket.

The operating members of the machine are shown supported upon a wheeled carriage A, having a suitable motor or engine and driving mechanism, whereby it can be propelled from place to place, itbeing understood that during the operation of digging a trench the means or that it can be warped ahead in a common and well-known way. The engine or motor can be of any suitable type.

As herein illustrated, the boiler B is ar-' ranged upon the rear part of the lower frame portion 1, and the motor or engine 0 is supported upon the upper frame portion 2 of the body-frame A. By this arrangement the engine is brought within convenient ran e of the various operative parts of the mac 'ne. A pitman 3, Figs. 1 and 8, connects at one end with a crank 4 on the sprocket-shaft 5, said pitman connecting at its opposite end with a vibratory arm 6, arranged to vibrate about the axis 7 of a spur-wheel 8 and pro- Fig. 11 illustrates a portion rim portions. Fig. 20 is a detail illustrating V machine can be advanced by said propelling vided with a pawl 9, which engages the spur or ratchet wheel 8, as shown in Fig. 1. The pitman is operated by the sprocket-shaft, the object of this arrangement being to produce a step bystep movement, whereby any suitable warping means connected with the wheel 8 can be operatedas, for example the axleof the wheel 8 is provided with a winding-drum, as shown in dotted lines, and a cable 10 extends downwardlyfrom this winding-drum to and under a guide-pulley 11 below the main frame and thence forwardly, as illustrated, it being understood that during operation this cable can be attached to a stake or post driven into the ground at a suitable point ahead of the machine.

The body-frame A is constructed with a lower frame portion 1, which is mounted upon front wheels 12 and rear wheels 13. Said body-frame. is also constructed with an upper frame portion 2, which extends back of the lower frame portion 1, so as to overhang a trench in which the excavating portion of the machine is operating, as in Fig. 1, this upper elevated portion 2 of the bodyframe being supported at its rear end by the rear inclined frame portion 14 and at its forward end by the inclined frame portion 15, it being particularly observed that the rear frame portion 14 inclines upwardly and rearwardly from the rear end of the lower frame portion 1, thereby leaving ample space for the excavating-wheel hereinafter particularly described. The sprocket-shaft 5 is provided at one end with a crank 4, hereinbefore mentioned, and provided at its opposite end with a comparatively large gear 16, which latter is operated from the engine by suitable power-transmitting connection, such as a pitman and suitable gearing. For example,rotary shaft 17 (best ,shown in Fig. 4) is operated by the engine-pitman 18 and provided with a gear or pinion 19, which engages the large gear 16, and, as shown in said figure,the

gear 16 engages a gear 20, which in turn may connect with an annular gear 21 on one of the front wheels by means of any suitable arrangement of connecting-gearas, for example, the gear 20, as shown in Figs. 4 and 8, engages a gear 22 on an axle 23, and the gear 22 engages a gear 24, which in turn connects with the wheebgear 2]. by a compensating gear 25, Fig. 8, and a pinion 26, arranged upon an axle 27. The gear can be thrown out of mesh with gear 16 by any suitable clutch device 28, it being observed that this portion of the machine is for applying power to one of the wheels, so that when the machine is not at work it can be propelled as an automobile.

D indicates a transversely-arranged con veyer for receiving the loose soil and dis charging the same at one side of the machine, it being observed that this conveyer is eleopposite si thereon.

teases vated and arranged above the lower frame portion 1 of the machine and that, as illustrated, it comprises suitable frame portions 29 and 30 and anendless conveyer-belt 31, arranged upon rolls 32 on the frame portions 29 and 30 The belt 31 is operated by a suitable driven belt-roll on a rotary shaft 33, Fig. 7, said shaft being provided at one end with a sprocket 34, upon which is trained a short endless drivin -belt 35. This driving-belt 35 is operated y a driven sprocket 36, fixed upon a horizontal shaft 37, and said shaft 37 can be connected with and disconnected from a worm-wheel 38 on the sprocket-shaft 5 by means of a clutch device E,(illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 5,) it being observed that as this particular device for operatin the transverse conveyer-belt is shown an described in a prior patent it need not be herein further referred to in detail, it being regarded as only necessary to state that in this machine I prefer to provide a transversely-arranged delivery-conveyer and to carry the loose soil from the trench up to said transversely-arranged delivery belt or conveyer. Also I may here note that the excavating means hereinafter more particularly described are peculiarly and especially adapted to entirely clear the trench of loose dirt and to carry the soil asit is loosened upwardly and out of the trench, and then forwardly of the end of the trench, so as to entirely clear the latter and avoid the spilling of loose dirt into the newly-formed excavation.

The excavating means comprise an endless excavating conveyer-belt adapted for digging a trench of suitable depth and an excavating-wheel upon which the endess excavating conveyer-belt is trained, the excavatingwheel bein provided with spokes which at es thereof spread or incline outwardly from the peripheral portion of the wheel, said spokes being provided with blades rigid thereon and adapted for cutting the side walls of the trench, so as to produce a trench having sloping side Walls which converge downwardly from the ground-line. The inclined arrangement of spokes and the blades secured thereon will give to the side walls of the trench a defined inclination or slope in conformity with the degree of inclination'of the spokes and the arrangement of blades Durin operation the soil. pared from the side wal s of the trench by the blades on the spokes falls to the bottom of the trench, Where it is taken by the endless excavating conveyer-belt and by such belt carried along with other loose dirt upwardly and out of the trench to a point where the soil is discharged onto the transversely-arranged delivery-belt.

The width of the bottom of the trench is determined by the width of the endless excavating conveyer-belt, so that the knives on the sides of the wheel are left to shape the side walls of the ditch and give to the same upon the opposite end of said support.

an incline which extends downwardly and terminates along the bottom portion formed by the endless excavating-conveyer.

F indicates the excavating-wheel arranged in rear of the machine and revolubly mounted upon a swinging support G. The support G is at one end fulcrumed to swing about the axis of thetransversely-arrangedsprocketshaft 5, the excavating-wheel being moun ltleld e support G can be of any suitab e construction, and it can be raised and lowered by any suitable raisin and lowering .device, the means herein s own being a rack 39, which is hinged to the support and understood to be in engagement with a suitable operatinggear. The excavating-wheel F is construct ed with two annular rim portions 40, which are made angular in cross-section, as illustrated in Figs. 9, 10, and 18. These rim portions 40 are spaced or set apart to an extent proportional to the width of the endless excavating conveyer-belt H, as best illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10. Each rim ortion 40 is provided with a series of teet 41, having shank portions 42, which are inserted through openings in the rim portions 40 and locked in p ace by keys 43, wedged into openings which are formed in the shank portions 42 at points to permit the wedges when thus inserted to bear against the inner periphery of the rim portions 40, as shown in Figs. 9, 18, and 19. By such arrangement a broken tooth can be readily removed and a new tooth substitutedtherefor. These teeth 41 engage suitable portions of the endless excavating conveyor-belt, whereb when said belt is driven it will operate t e excavatin wheel. Each rim portion of the wheel is provided with a set of spokes 44, which incline outwardly from the rim portion, whereby each side of the wheel has a conical conformation, the cone being of course made up of s okes. Theseinclinedspokes areprovided Wit cutters I, which are rigidly secured upon the spokes and adapted for aring down the side walls of the trench. T ese cutters can be secured to the spokes in any suitable way, a simple arrangement being to provide each cutter wit a shank portion 45, Figs. 15 and 16, having bolt-holes 46 for bolts which can be inserted through said holes, so as to rigidly bolt the cutters to the spokes. The holes 46 are preferably in a line oblique to the length of the cutter, as in Fig. 15, whereby the cutters can be set so as to eflect a shear out. .An effective form of cutter is illustrated in Figs. 15, 16, and 17 although I do not confine myself to the specific form of cutter thus shown. If desired, the wheel may also be braced and strengthened by spokes 47 it being understood that all of these spokes are at their inner ends secured to a'suitable hubsuch,for example, asa hub 48. (Illustrated in Fig. 5.) The endless excavatingconveyer herein illustrated comprises as a matter of general construction a pair of marginal chains 49, composed of suitablyconnected links, and a series of cross bars or plates 50, connecting together at intervals the two endless chains 49, the said bars or plates 50 being provided with suitable cutters and plows for excavating purposes. In the drawings each cross bar or plate 50 of the endless excavating-conveyer is provided with plow-blades 51,, some of these cross bars-or plates being also provided with end cutters 52, it being observed that the plow-blades 51 of one cross bar or plate are staggered with reference to the plow-blades of the next adjacent cross bar or plate, as illustrated by comparing Fig. 9 with Fig. 10, it being seen that in Fig. 9 the plow-blades are opposite the s aces between the plow-blades in Fig.

y this arrangement of plates or crossbars and low-blades the soil which is dug up by the p ow-blades 51 and the cutters 52 is carried upwardly'and out of the trench during operation, and this arrangement also serves to carry up and out of the trench such soil as may be pared from the side walls of the trench by the blades I, it being understood that during operation the rotary action of the excavating-Wheel will cause the soil thus loosened by the blades I to drop within the range of action of the plows, whereby it will be carried up along with the soil which the plows themselves have loosened. In order to permit this endless excavating-conveyer H to further carry the soil from the ground-line up to a oint where it will discharge upon the deivery-conveyer D, the machine 1s provided with an inclined trough, chute, or guideway K, arranged at the rear of the machine and providing asurface along which the lows can carry up loose dirt.

The en ess excavating-belt H is trained over the excavatin -wheel F in rear of the machine, and it is a so trained over sprockets L, secured upon the sprocket-shaft 5 at a point forward of the rear end of the bodyframe of the machine, said sprockets L being in position to permit automatic wipers 55 on the endless excavating conveyer-beltto free the plows and plates thereon from the elevated soil at a point proper for discharging the latter onto the transversely-arranged delivery-conveyer D. The endless excavating conveyer-belt passes from the sprockets L downwardly to and under the wheel F, and from the up er portion of said excavatingwheel F the heft H passes over one or more elevated idlers 56, arran ed upon shaft 57, and from thence said be t passes forwardly to the sprockets L. The idlers 56, which may consist of one or morerolls or wheels on the axle 57, are mounted upon the. hi hest rear ortion of the machine, whereby am enab ed to provide a large excavating-wheel suitable for digging trenches of considerable depth, and by such arrangement I am also enabled to raise and lower the. wheel without cramping or binding the elevating conveyerbelt, it being observed that when the wheel israised and lowered the lower portion of the belt swings about the sprockets L and that the upper swinging portion of the said belt swings about theshaft 57 With I further reference to the guide or apron K it will be seen that the same is ractically tangential to the lower periphera portion of the excavating-wheel when the latter is lowered and at work Within a trench, as in.

Fig. 1, and that the endless excavating conveyer-belt carries the soil up to the'groundline and thence upwardly along the guide portion of the inclined apron. ,7

Although the excavating-wheel is shown with its periphery com osed of the two spaced rim portions, it is roadly considered a wheel having a periphery equal or substantially equal in width to the wldth of the bottom of the trench. The wheel, however, is practically completed by the endless excavating conveyer-belt, which is equal or substantially equal in width to the periphery of the wheel and which when trained thereon me be said to form the tread of the wheel, which latter has its sides inclined outwardly from the margins. of the endless belt and provided with knives for making the side Walls of the trench inclined.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a trenching-maclfine, an excavating wheelconstructed with spokes inclined from the periphery of the wheel outwardly toward opposite sides of the-latter and having blades secured thereon and arranged for makin the side walls of the trench inclined; an en less excavating conveyer-belt provided with plows and trained upon the excavating-wheel for di ging the trench and carry up the loosened soi means for operating the endless excavating conveyer-belt; and means for raising and owering the excavatingwheel. a. v

2. In a trenching-machine, an excavatingwheel constructed with spokes inclined from the periphery of the wheel outwardly toward opposite sides of the latter and havin blades secured thereon and arranged for ma 'ng the side walls of the trench inclined; an endless excavating conveyer-belt trained on the excavating-wheel for digging thetrench and car 'ng up the loosened soil means for op erating the endless excavating conveyer-b elt;

a transversely-arrangedconveyer positioned upon the machine to receive loose soil carried up by and discharged from the endlessconveyer-belt and means for raising and lowering the excavatingwheel. i I

3. In a trenching-machine, a body-frame; a 'swingin member hinged upon the'bodyframe an extendin rearwardly therefrom;

an excavating-whee mounted upon the rear.

portion of said swinging member and constructed with s okes inclined from the peripheryof the w eel outwardly toward oppo site sides thereof and having blades secured thereon and arranged for making the side walls of the trench inclined; an endless excavating conveyor-belt trained upon the excavating-wheel-for digging the trench and carrying up the loosened soil means for operating the endless excavating conveyer-belt; and means for raising and lowering the swinging member upon which the excavating-wheel is supported.

.4. In a trenching-machine, a body-frame having a rearwardly projecting portion adapted to overhang an end portion of the trench during operation; a swinging member hinged upon the body-frame forward of the rear terminal thereof and extending back of such rear terminal of the frame; an excavating-wheel mounted upon the rear portion of the swinging member and constructed with spokes inclined from the periphery of the wheel outwardly toward opposite sides thereof and having blades secured thereon and arranged for makin the side walls of the trench inchned; an end ess excavating conveyerbelt trained upon the excavating-wheel for digging the trench and carrying up the loosened soil; means for operating the endless excavating corWeyer-belt, and means for raising and loweringthe swinging member up on which the excavating-wheel is mounted.

5. In a trenching-machine, an excavatingwheel constructed with spokes inclined from its periphery outwardly toward opposite sides thereof and having blades secured thereto and arranged'for making the side walls of the trench inclined; a support for the excavating-wheel arranged for up-and-down movement; an endless excavating belt trained upon the excavating-wheel for dig- 'ng the trench and carrying loosened soil orwardly and upwardly; means for operating the endless excavating conveyer-belt; and a guide or apron over which a ortion of the endless excavating conve er-be t moving upwardly above the ground-hue asses.

v 6. In a trenchingma'chin e,'a od -frame; a delivery-conveyer arranged upon t e bodyframe; an excavatingwheel upon which'the endless excavating conveyer-belt is trained; means for operating said belt j and means for supporting and raising and lowering said cavating-wheel supported upon said member and constructed withsides which incline outwardly from the periphery of the wheel and have blades secured to them and arran ed for forming the trench with sloping slde walls; an engine upon the body-frame; means for operating the excavating-wheel from the engine; and means for raising and lowering the member upon which the excavating- 9. In a trenching-machine, a body-frame having an upper portion extending back of its lower portion and adapted to overhang an end portion of the trench while the lower frame portion is ahead of such end of the trench; an excavating-wheel supported in rear of the body-frame and constructed with spokes inclined from the wheel-rim outwardly toward opposite sides of the wheel, and having blades secured thereon and arranged for making the side walls of the trench inclined; an endless excavating conveyer-belt trained on the excavating-wheel and adapted for digging a trench; means for operating the endless excavatin conveyer-belt and means for raising and owering the excavatingwheel.

10. In a trenching-machine, a body-frame an excavating-wheel provided with side blades, and a member supported upon the body-frame for up-and-down movement and in turn supporting the excavating-wheel at its rear portion back of the body-frame; an endless excavating-belt trained upon the excavating-wheel and also trainedupon a sprocket mounted on the main frame; the upper leaf of the excavatin belt which extends from said sprocket to t e upper portion of the excavating-wheel being carried overa roll or sprocket which is mounted upon the rear portion of the main frame at a point between the excavatingwheel and the sprocket first mentioned.

1 1. In an excavating machine, a body- 'frame a sprocket mounted thereon; a swinging member hung to swing about the axis of' the sprocket; an excavating-wheel provided with inclined sides and side cutters and mounted upon the swinging member; an endless excavatin belt trained u on both the sprocket andt e excavating-w eel; an idler upholdingthe upper leaf of the excavatingbelt at a point between the excavating-wheel and the sprocket; means for operating the sprocket and means for raising and lowering t e swinging member.

12. In a trenching-machine, an excavatingwheel having a periphery: equal or substan.' tially equal in width to the width of the bottom of the trench; an endless excavating conveyerbelt trained upon the excavatingwheel and equal 'orsubstantially equal in width to the periphery of the excavatingwheel; a body-frame; means upon the bodyframe for supporting and operatin the endless 'excavatin belt, and means or raising and lowering 516 excavating-wheel, said excavating-wheel bein constructed with sides inclined outwardly om the margins of the endless excavating-belt and havin blades 7 secured thereon to make the side Wa ls of the trench inclined.

HANS J. BENTSON.

Witnesses:

CHARLES G. PAGE, OTTILIE C..FREIBERG.

Images