WO2012123622A1

WO2012123622A1 - Support leg arrangement for a work machine like a dredger

Info

Publication number: WO2012123622A1
Application number: PCT/FI2012/000015
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jyrki Heino
Original assignee: Yhteisviejät Tamex Oy
Priority date: 2011-03-15
Filing date: 2012-03-15
Publication date: 2012-09-20
Also published as: EP2686492A1; EP2686492B1; FI20110091A0; FI20110091A; EP2686492A4; FI127384B; FI20110091L

Abstract

Support leg arrangement of a work machine (1) like a dredger meant to work in water systems in which arrangement the support legs are meant to extend to the bottom of the water system in order to keep the work machine (1) in its place during the working in which case at least one pair of support legs consists of arms (3) which are at their upper end attached to the work machine (1) with the help of a joint and the mentioned arms (3) can be turned underneath the water surface with the help of a power device, such as a hydraulic cylinder (2) when the lower ends of the arms (3) are meant to extend to the bottom of the water system and that the lower ends of the arms (3) are equipped with an expansion part, such as with an air container (4) or a paw (12), (13) resting on the bottom. In order to adjust the path of the lower end of the arm (3) to reach as deeply as possible at the extreme position of its turning movement, but not however to the area which is directly underneath the work machine (1) and in front of it, the mentioned expansion part (4),(12),(13) resting on the bottom is equipped with an anti-skid device, (14) and/or with a supporting structure (15) which increases the reach of the support leg downwards at the extreme position of the turning movement of the arm (3) both when the arm (3) is being used without an extension part (6) and when the arm (3) is being used with an extension part (6).

Description

SUPPORT LEG ARRANGEMENT FOR A WORK MACHINE LIKE A DREDGER

Invention relates to a support leg arrangement of a work machine, like a dredger meant to work in water systems in which arrangement the support legs are meant to extend to the bottom of the water system in order to keep the work machine in its place during the working in which case at least one pair of support legs consists of arms which are attached to the work machine at their upper end with the help of a joint and the mentioned arms can be turned underneath the water surface with the help of a power device, such as a hydraulic cylinder when the lower ends of the arms are meant to extend to the bottom of the water system and that the lower ends of the arms are equipped with an expanded part, such as with an air container or a paw resting on the bottom.

A support leg arrangement of a work machine according to the above preamble is earlier known for example for dredgers with a trade name called WATERMASTER^®. In the solutions like this when it is about turnable support legs, the support legs, which can be turned underneath the water surface, cannot usually be turned in such a way that their arms would become vertical underneath the water, too. There are three reasons for this. The vertical support leg would then be located at the bottom too near the working area of the work machine and nearly underneath the work machine. The second reason is the fact that the vertical arm of the support leg results in an unstable support especially when extensive sideway loads are directed to the work machine. The third reason is the fact that when the turning of the support leg occurs with the help of a hydraulic turning cylinder from a vertical transport position down underneath the water surface, the turning angle of 180° cannot be achieved with a normal structure.

Further one wants the support leg to stay at the bottom without sliding although sideway loads can appear. The support leg must be pressed to the bottom in different ways according to the depth of the water. Therefore the expansion of the support leg to be pressed against the bottom must most advantageously be curvilinear so that it rests on the bottom at all the turning angles of the support leg coming into question. The paw of the support leg with a curvilinear base slides fairly easily at the bottom and the work machine does not stay in its place. Support leg solutions according to the above seen preamble are further known from the patent specification FI-81864, from the specification SE-360 415 and from the specification DE 2411 115. These have the disadvantage that the expansion part located at the lower end of the support leg does not function at all the turning angles of the support leg, like in the specification SE- 360415 or like in all these known solutions so that the expansion part does not increase the reach of the leg at the turning angle of the support leg at which it is when it is at the turning angle of the deepest working position. In order to remove these disadvantages and to achieve an improvement for the support leg structures which are previously known, a new support leg structure has been developed of which it is characteristic that in order to adjust the path of the lower end of the arm to extend as deeply as possible at the extreme position of its turning movement, but not however to the area which is directly underneath the work machine and in front of it, the mentioned expansion part resting on the bottom is equipped with an anti-skid device and/or with a supporting structure which increases the reach of the support leg downwards at the extreme position of the turning movement of the arm both when the arm is being used without an extension part and when the arm is being used with an extension part.

The advantage of the invention is the fact that the support leg pair stays stable when the arms of the support legs, also when they are equipped with extension parts, still clearly stay askew even when they are turned downwards into an extreme position. The expansion parts located at the lower ends of the legs are easy to equip with anti-skid devices and/or with a supporting structure in which case grip can be gained in sideway direction. With the anti-skid devices which are placed in the right way more reach can be gained downwards especially when the support legs are at their extreme position. When the extension parts of the support legs are added to be an extension of the basic arm in such a way that an angle, for example of 110 - 160°, is formed between the basic arm and the extension part, the expansion part and the anti-skid devices attached to it stay essentially at the same advantageous position when the arm is at its extreme position whether the extension part is attached or not. Also the distance of the expansion parts of the lower ends of the support legs from each other stays the same whether the extension part is added or not. In the following the invention is described by referring to the accompanying drawings in which

Figure 1 shows a work machine movable in the water seen from the front when the

support legs are turned downwards into the extreme position.

Figure 2 shows the work machine of the figure 1 when the extension parts are attached to the support legs.

Figure 3 shows the work machine as a side view.

Figure 4 shows an expansion part of the lower end of the support leg.

Figure 5 shows another expansion part of the lower end of the support leg.

Figure 6 shows diagrammatically the turning movement of the support leg equipped with an anti-skid device.

Figure 7 shows diagrammatically the turning movement of the support leg equipped with an anti-skid device and an extension part.

Figures 8 - 10 show the expansion part when it is equipped with anti-skid devices and strengthening structures.

In the figure 1 there is a work machine 1 , such as a dredger, shown from the front when all the support legs and the rear legs 7 and the front legs are located at the lowest position. The rear legs 7 are profiles, most advantageously quadrangular tubes, which are pressed to the bottom in their direction. The front legs are formed of arms 3 which can be turned with the help of cylinders 2 and are formed of expansion parts, such as air containers 4 with a form of an ellipsoid, which are attached to their lower end and are resting on the bottom. A short arm is attached to the air container 4 as an attaching part 5 with which the air container 4 is attached to the sleeve of the lower end of the arm 3. The sleeve is adjusted to receive the attaching part 5. The attachment is locked for example with the help of a peg which is pushed into a hole line which penetrates both parts. The arms 3 are lifted up to a transport position with the help of cylinders 2 and they can be pressed downwards into the lowest extreme position, such as it is shown in the figure 1. Thus the support legs stay askew enough at the extreme position and stay far enough 2 x D from each other so that they don't prevent the working at the bottom in front of of the work machine 1 and underneath its front part. However, the front legs reach into the depth HI which is already fairly close to the depth into which one can reach with the leg structure. In the figure 2 a situation is shown in which extension parts 6 are added to the foremost support legs. In this example the extension part 6 is added to be an extension of the attaching part 5 of the air container 4. The extension part 6 is for example a quadrangular tube the lower end of which quadrangular tube is adjusted to receive also the

quadrangular attaching part 5 belonging to the expansion part. The upper end of the extension part 6 is adjusted to be pushed into a quadrangular sleeve located at the lower end of the arm 3. The upper end of the extension part 6 has the same size and structure as the attaching part 5 belonging to the expansion part. Angle a which is formed between the arm 3 and the extension part 6 of the support leg is adjusted to the range between 110 - 160°. If the extension part 6 continued the arm 3 in the direction of the arm 3, the support legs would be located further from each other at the bottom and this would increase the power required by the cylinder 2. The distance of the support legs from each other 2 x D is the same as in the situation of the figure 1 although the extension parts 6 have been added.

In the figure 3 there is a work machine 1 shown as a side view when the front legs are equipped with extension parts 6. The rear legs 7 can be turned in horizontal direction into a transport position on top of the work machine with the help of the cylinder 9. Most advantageously the quadrangular leg profile 7 can be moved in a sleeve part located in a turning body 8 in which case the legs 7 can be lifted and lowered in their direction according to the figure 3. A set of bars 10 is installed in the work machine 1 on which set of bars a suction dredging head 11 hinges. Figure 4 shows the expansion part to be attached to the front legs which expansion part is a convex paw 12. Figure 5 shows a curvilinear paw 13 as another version.

Figures 6 and 7 show diagrammatically the foremost support leg without the extension part 6 and with the extension part 6. There is an air container 4 at the lower end of the support leg as an expansion part. There is an anti-skid device 14 on the lower surface of the air container 4 and figures 6 and 7 show how the anti-skid device 14 increases the reach of the support leg downwards mostly at the extreme position of the support leg. Also at other turning angles of the support leg the anti-skid device 14 penetrates into the bottom and also increases the reach. In the figures 8 - 10 an anti-skid device 14 with a plate structure is attached to the air container, 4 functioning as an expansion part located in such a way that it functions as in the figures 6 and 7 as a structure increasing the reach downwards. Structures 15, such as band steels which have been welded into a form of a lattice onto the lower surface of the container, strengthening the lower surface of the container 4 and also functioning as antiskid devices have also been added to the air container 4.

Anti-skid devices 14 and strengthening structures 15 according to the figures 8 - 10 can also be attached to the paws 12 and 13 according to the figures 4 and 5. The anti-skid devices 14 are located underneath the paws 12 and 13 in such a way that they increase the reach downwards mostly just at the lowest extreme position of the support leg.

The extension parts of the support leg can be attached in different ways to the end of the arm. Although in this described implementation example only one advantageous solution has been shown, many modifications are possible.

Claims

1. Support leg arrangement of a work machine (1) like a dredger meant to work in water systems in which arrangement the support legs are meant to extend to the bottom of the water system in order to keep the work machine (1) in its place during the working in which case at least one pair of support legs consists of arms (3) which are at their upper end attached to the work machine (1) with the help of a joint and the mentioned arms (3) can be turned underneath the water surface with the help of a power device, such as a hydraulic cylinder (2) when the lower ends of the arms (3) are meant to extend to the bottom of the water system and that the lower ends of the arms (3) are equipped with an expansion part, such as with an air container (4) or a paw (12), (13) resting on the bottom, characterized in that in order to adjust the path of the lower end of the arm (3) to reach as deeply as possible at the extreme position of its turning movement, but not however to the area which is directly underneath the work machine (1 ) and in front of it, the mentioned expansion part (4),(12),(13) resting on the bottom is equipped with an anti-skid device (14) and/or with a supporting structure (15) which increases the reach of the support leg downwards at the extreme position of the turning movement of the arm (3) both when the arm (3) is being used without an extension part (6) and when the arm (3) is being used with an extension part (6).

2. Support leg arrangement according to the claim 1, characterized in that the support leg comprises an arm (3) and an extension part (6) in which case the extension part (6) is adjusted to increase the length of the support leg in different direction in relation to the direction of the arm (3) so that the extension part (6) and the arm (3) form an angle a 110 - 160°.

3. Support leg arrangement according to the claim 1, characterized in that the expansion part of the lower end of the support leg comprises an attaching part (5), such as a short arm with which the expansion part can be attached to the sleeve which is adjusted to the lower end of the arm (3) and receives the mentioned attaching part.

4. Support leg arrangement according to the claim 1, characterized in that the extension part (6) comprises at its lower end a sleeve receiving the attaching part (5) and comprises at its upper end a short arm with which the extension part can be attached to the sleeve which is adjusted to the lower end of the arm (3) and receives the mentioned attaching part (5).

5. Support leg arrangement according to the claim 1, characterized in that as an expansion part there is a container (4) at the lower end of the arm (3) which container is equipped with an air space and has the form of a flattened ball, such as an ellipsoid which container is nearly edgeways at the extreme position of the turning movement in which case the anti-skid device (14) is adjusted to extend downwards from the lowest point of the mentioned container (4) in the mentioned extreme position.

6. Support leg arrangement according to the claim 1, characterized in that as an expansion part there is a laminar expansion, such as a convex or curvilinear paw (12), (13) at the lower end of the arm (3) and an anti-skid device (14), which is attached to the paw, is adjusted to extend downwards from the lowest point of the paw (12), (13) at the extreme position of the turning movement.

7. Support leg arrangement according to the claim 1, characterized in that when one gets closer downwards to the extreme position of the support leg and especially at the extreme position in which case the support leg is equipped with an extension part (6) in a deep water and in a low water it is without an extension part (6), the anti-skid device (14) is adjusted onto the lower surface of the expansion part regarding its location in such a way that its structure is directed downwards from the lowest point of the mentioned expansion part.

8. Support leg arrangement according to the claim 1, characterized in that an attaching part (5) with a similar structure is formed for the upper end of the extension part (6) and for the container (4) or for the paws (12), (13) with which attaching part they are meant to be attached to the end of the arm (3).