Abstract:
A replaceable arbor tool holder for replaceable impact tools provides a base structurally carrying a tool holder for a replaceable impact tool. The base is arcuate and the tool holder is structurally interconnected to a top surface of the base. A medial channel is defined in the tool holder to releasably carry an impact tool. The tool holder converts impact forces upon the impact tool into frictional forces along a line tangent to the circumference of the arbor when the tool holder is fastened to the rotating arbor.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This Utility Patent Application claims the benefit of earlier filed U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/628,988 titled BOLT-ON ARBOR TOOL HOLDER FOR REPLACEABLE IMPACT TOOLS filed on Nov. 10, 2011. The entire contents of aforementioned U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/628,988 are incorporated herein by this reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
     This invention relates to hard material disintegration machines and more particularly to a replaceable holder for impact tools for use with rock crushers and scarifiers having rotating arbors for crushing, grinding, scarifying and milling. 
     BACKGROUND AND DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART 
     Rock crushers, scarifiers and like machines are essential for building, maintaining and reconditioning roads but have various inherent drawbacks including rapid arbor wear, rapid tooling implement wear, limited tooling implement mounting patterns and they are typically configured to either crush and break fracturable material such as rock or concrete, or they are alternatively configured to grind and mill softer abrasive materials such as asphalt. 
     Rock crushers and milling/scarifying machines typically carry a large rotating arbor that has a plurality of tooling implements thereon. The arbor is interconnected with a power source that provides rotational motion to the arbor. The tooling implements carried on the arbor are affixed thereto, generally permanently such as by welding, or machining directly into an outer circumferential surface of the arbor. As the arbor rotates, the tooling implements impact the material being worked upon causing the breaking/fracturing or milling/scarifying. 
     Arbors are typically massive structures having a fixed geometry that limits how the machine carrying the arbor may be used, what type of material it may be used upon and the characteristics of the finished product. For instance, an arbor configured to fracture rock and other hard materials typically cannot be used to effectively grind asphalt because of the dramatically different characteristics of rock and asphalt. Although rock and concrete are hard and are difficult to fracture, these materials are not overly abrasive. On the other hand, materials such as asphalt and sandstone are not overly hard or difficult to fracture, but these materials are hugely abrasive leading to tremendous wear and heat buildup on the arbor and tooling implements. Different tooling implements and different configurations of tooling implements are necessary for the proper grinding, milling and fracturing of each material. Arbors are complex structures and because they are subject to such enormous amounts of wear and tear any improvement that increases longevity and/or flexibility and/or adaptability is desirable. 
     What is needed is an apparatus that allows a variety of tooling implements to be releasably fastened onto an arbor to allow differing uses of the arbor and also to allow individual tooling implement replacement. The apparatus must be attachable to a variety of arbors and be able to carry tooling implements for fracturing, breaking, milling, planing, crushing, pulverizing as well as scarifying. Further, because the tooling implements carried upon the arbor suffer from such tremendous wear and tear, the apparatus must make replacement of the tooling implements easy with minimal amounts of down time and minimal amounts of maintenance. The apparatus should make the machine adaptable to particular site needs. 
     Because rock crushing, grinding, scarifying and milling operations exert so much wear and tear and destructive forces on equipment and apparatus, fastening methods that are normally considered to be structural or permanent, such as welding, are not necessarily structural or permanent in this industry. It is known and recognized in rock crushing, grinding, scarifying and milling operations that components welded to a rotating arbor are replaceable and are regularly replaced by cutting the component off and re-welding replacement component in the removed component&#39;s location. For purposes of this patent disclosure, a component welded to an arbor is replaceable. 
     Our replaceable arbor tool holder for replaceable impact tools overcomes various of the aforementioned drawbacks and resolves various of the aforementioned needs by providing a replaceable arbor tool holder for impact tools that allows tool replacement and machine reconfiguration for application to varying materials. 
     Our invention has an arcuate base structurally carrying an impact tool holder on an outer surface. The tool holder is configured to carry a replaceable impact tool such as a carbide tipped impact tool. The base is releasably connected to an arbor by plural bolts extending through the base and engaging with the arbor thereunder. 
     Our invention does not reside in any one of the identified features individually but rather in the synergistic combination of all of its structures, which give rise to the functions necessarily flowing therefrom as hereinafter specified and claimed. 
     Some or all of the problems explained above, and other problems, may be helped or solved by the invention shown and described herein. Our invention may also be used to address other problems not set out herein or which become apparent at a later time. The future may also bring to light unknown benefits which may be in the future appreciated from the novel invention shown and described herein. 
     SUMMARY 
     A replaceable arbor tool holder for replaceable impact tools provides a base structurally carrying a tool holder for a replaceable impact tool and the base is releasably connectable to an arbor with bolts. The base is arcuate having a convex top surface and an opposing bottom surface. The tool holder is structurally interconnected to the top surface of the base and has gussets at a leading edge portion providing additional structural integrity to the interconnection with the base. Bolt holes are defined in the base proximate first and second end portions for mounting bolts to extend therethrough to engage with the arbor. A medial channel is defined in the tool holder to releasably carry an impact tool. The impact tool has a shank carrying a carbide tip, a shaft extending from the shank opposite the tip, and a retainer ring groove defined in a circumferential surface of the shaft opposite the shank for releasable engagement of a C-ring retainer. The structure of the tool holder converts impact forces on the carbide tip into frictional forces along a line tangent to a circumference of the arbor. 
     In providing such a replaceable arbor tool holder it is: 
     a principal object to provide a tool holder that allows replacement of impact tools. 
     a further object to provide a tool holder that is releasably fastenable to an arbor. 
     a further object to provide a tool holder that allows customization of arbor impact tooling patterns. 
     a further object to provide a tool holder that allows customization of rock crushing and milling arbors. 
     a further object to provide a tool holder that is capable of use with abrasive materials such as, but not limited to, asphalt and sandstone. 
     a further object to provide a tool holder that is usable with off-the-shelf impact tools. 
     a further object to provide a tool holder that is replaceable. 
     a further object to provide a tool holder that converts impact forces into friction forces. 
     a further object to provide a tool holder that minimizes down time of rock crushing arbors. 
     a further object is to provide a tool holder that is releasably fastenable on top of an arbor protector. 
     a further object is to provide a tool holder that is configured to allow staggering of tool holder mountings. 
     a further object to provide a tool holder that transfers impact forces into shearing forces along a line tangent to a circumference of the arbor. 
     a further object to provide a tool holder that may be installed cooperatively with other types of impact tooling. 
     a still further object to provide a replaceable arbor tool holder for replaceable carbide tools that is of new and novel design, of rugged and durable nature, of simple and economic manufacture and one that is otherwise well suited to the uses and purposes for which it is intended. 
     Other and further objects of our invention will appear from the following specification and accompanying drawings which form a part hereof. In carrying out the objects of our invention it is to be understood that its structures and features are susceptible to change in design and arrangement with only one preferred and practical embodiment of the best known mode being illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specified as is required. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF DRAWINGS 
       Specific forms, configurations, embodiments and/or diagrams relating to and helping to describe preferred versions of the invention are explained and characterized herein, often with reference to the accompanying drawings and figures. The drawings and figures and all features shown herein also serve as part of the disclosure of the invention of the current application whether described in the text or by graphical disclosure. Such drawings and figures are briefly described below. 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric leading end, top and first side view of our replaceable tool holder carrying a carbide tipped conical shank impact tool. 
         FIG. 2  is an orthographic first side view thereof. 
         FIG. 3  is an orthographic second side view thereof. 
         FIG. 4  is an orthographic leading end view thereof. 
         FIG. 5  is an orthographic trailing end view thereof. 
         FIG. 6  is an orthographic top, downward looking view thereof. 
         FIG. 7  is an orthographic bottom, upward looking view thereof. 
         FIG. 8  is an orthographic side view of an arbor carrying a first configuration of plural replaceable tool holders and carbide tipped impact tools that is suitable for milling abrasive materials. 
         FIG. 9  is an orthographic end view of the arbor of  FIG. 8  showing how the arbor protector bases engage with axially aligned hammer channels defined in the arbor. 
         FIG. 10  is an orthographic side view of an arbor, similar to that of  FIG. 8  showing a second configuration of plural replaceable tool holders and carbide tipped impact tools that is suitable for fracturing hard materials such as concrete. 
         FIG. 11  is an orthographic end view of the arbor of  FIG. 10 . 
         FIG. 12  is an enlarged orthographic end view of an arbor showing the axially aligned hammer channels and the engagement of the frustro-conical base portions of the arbor protectors in the hammer channels. 
         FIG. 13  is an isometric leading end, top and first side view of our replaceable tool holder positioned above and aligned with an arbor protector showing how the bolt bushing engages with the countersunk bolt hole defined in the arbor protector. 
         FIG. 14  is an orthographic second side view, similar to that of  FIG. 3 , showing the impact tool removed from the tool holder. 
         FIG. 15  is an isometric leading end, top and first side view of a second embodiment of our invention showing the tool holder structurally attached to a top surface of an arbor protector. 
         FIG. 16  is an isometric leading end, top and first side view similar to that of  FIG. 1  showing of another embodiment of our replaceable tool holder welded to an outer circumferential surface of a cylindrical arbor. 
         FIG. 17  is an isometric leading end, top and first side view similar to that of  FIG. 16  showing the replaceable tool holder mounted to threaded sleeves welded to an outer circumferential surface of a cylindrical arbor. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Introductory Notes 
     The readers of this document should understand that the embodiments described herein may rely on terminology used in any section of this document and other terms readily apparent from the drawings and figures and the language common therefore as may be known in a particular art and such as known or indicated or provided by dictionaries. Widely known dictionaries used in the preparation hereof are  Webster&#39;s Third New International Dictionary  (© 1993),  The Oxford English Dictionary  (Second Edition, © 1989),  The New Century Dictionary  (© 2001-2005) and the  American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language  (4 th  Edition © 2000) all of which are hereby incorporated by this reference for interpretation of terms used herein, and for application and use of words defined in such references to more adequately or aptly describe various features, aspects and concepts shown or otherwise described herein. 
     This document is premised upon using one or more terms or features shown in one embodiment that may also apply to or be combined with other embodiments for similar structures, functions, features and aspects of the invention. Wording used in the claims is also descriptive of the invention and the text of both the Claims and the Abstract are incorporated by reference into the description entirely. 
     OVERVIEW OF THE APPARATUS 
     As used herein, the term “bottom”, its derivatives, and grammatical equivalents refers to a portion of our replaceable arbor tool holder that is proximate to a supporting arbor. The term “top”, its derivatives, and grammatical equivalents refers to a portion of our replaceable arbor tool holder that is distal from the supporting arbor. The term “rearward”, its derivatives, and grammatical equivalents refers to a trailing edge portion of our replaceable arbor tool holder. The term “forward”, its derivatives, and grammatical equivalents refers to a leading edge portion of our replaceable arbor tool holder. The term “outer”, its derivatives, and grammatical equivalents refers to a lateral side portion of our replaceable arbor tool holder as opposed to a laterally medial portion. 
     Our replaceable arbor tool holder for replaceable impact tools generally provides an arcuate base  10  structurally carrying a tool holder  40  for a replaceable impact tool  60 . The base  10  is releasably connectable to an arbor  83  of a rock crushing machine (not shown). 
     The base  10  is preferably formed of hardened steel and is somewhat rectilinear and arcuate in shape having a top surface  11 , a bottom surface  12 , a first lateral edge  13 , a second lateral edge  14 , a leading end portion  15  and a trailing end portion  16 . A thickness  17  is defined between the top surface  11  and the bottom surface  12 . The top surface  11  is somewhat convex in shape from the leading end portion  15  to the trailing end portion  16  and the bottom surface  12  is somewhat concave in shape from the leading end portion  15  to the trailing end portion  16 . A front bolt hole  18  is defined in the base  10  spacedly adjacent the leading end portion  15  and generally medially between the first lateral edge  13  and the second lateral edge  14 . The front bolt hole  18  has a diameter  19  and is countersunk  28  adjacent the top surface  11  to receive and protect a head portion  81  of mounting bolt  80 . A bolt bushing  22  is structurally carried on the bottom surface  12  of the base  10  about the front bolt hole  18  and the bolt bushing  22  defines a medial channel  26  that communicates with the front bolt hole  18  so that the mounting bolt  80  may extend simultaneously through the base  10  and through the medial channel  26  of the bolt bushing  22  to threadably engage with a threaded hole (not shown) defined in the arbor  83 . 
     Rear bolt hole  20  is defined in the base  10  proximate the trailing end portion  16  and generally medially between the first lateral edge  13  and the second lateral edge  14 . In the preferred embodiment the rear bolt hole  20  has a diameter  21  and is somewhat elongated front to back ( FIG. 6 ) to accommodate different diameter arbors  83  and to ease engagement of mounting bolts  80  with the arbor  83 . The positions of the front bolt hole  18  and bolt bushing  22  and the rear bolt hole  20  align with corresponding radially aligned threaded bolt holes (not shown) defined in the arbor  83 . The rear bolt hole  20  may also be counter sunk  29  adjacent the top surface  11  of the base  10  if desired to protect the head portion  81  of the mounting bolt  80 . 
     The tool holder  40 , which may be referred to in the industry as a “block”, is structurally attached to the top surface  11  of the base  10 . The tool holder  40  is somewhat barrel-like in shape and has a top portion  42  distal from the base  10 , a bottom portion  41  proximate the base  10 , a leading end portion  43 , a trailing end portion  44 , a first lateral side  45 , a second lateral side  46  and defines an axially aligned medial channel (not shown) communicating between the leading end portion  43  and the trailing end portion  44  between the top portion  42  and bottom portion  43  and between the first and second lateral sides  45 ,  46  respectively. A shoulder  27  is formed around an opening orifice (not shown) to the medial channel (not shown) at the leading end portion  43 . Gussets  49  structurally communicate between the top surface  11  of the base  10  and the leading end portion  43  of the tool holder  40  to provide additional structural integrity to the interconnection of the tool holder  40  to the base  10 . 
     The impact tool  60  is releasably engageable with the tool holder  40  which supports the impact tool  60  during use. A variety of impact tools  60  may be releasably interconnected with the tool holder  40  as desired by a user for a variety of materials and uses. For purposes of this patent disclosure, the preferred impact tool  60  is conical tipped impact tool such as the type used for milling operations, however it is to be understood that other tools may also be engaged with the tool holder  40  and are contemplated and anticipated by this patent disclosure. The impact tool  60  has a generally cylindrical somewhat elongated shaft  61  structurally carrying a radially enlarged shank  64  at a first end portion  65  and defines a circumferentially extending retainer ring groove  68  spacedly adjacent a second end portion  66 . The shank  64  is preferably conical in shape having a tip  67  opposite the shaft  61  and in the preferred embodiment, the tip  67  is carbide for strength and durability. When carried within the tool holder  40 , the shaft  61  extends through the medial channel (not shown) defined by the tool holder  40  and the shank  64  frictionally communicates with the shoulder  27  of the tool holder  40  while the second end portion  66  of the shaft  61  extends outwardly from the medial channel (not shown) at the trailing end portion  44  of the tool holder  40 . A C-ring retainer  69  is releasably engaged with the retainer ring groove  68  to positionally maintain the impact tool  60  in engagement with the tool holder  40 . 
     In a first preferred embodiment, the replaceable arbor tool holder mounts upon an arbor protector  86  ( FIG. 12 ). The arbor protector  86  has a generally rectilinear periphery when viewed in a plan view, and has a leading edge  91 , trailing edge  92 , a first lateral edge  93 , a second lateral edge  94 , a top portion  87  and a bottom portion  88 . Plural spacedly arrayed bolt holes  90 , each of which are countersunk  90   a  in the top portion  87 , are defined in the arbor protector  86  extending from the top portion  87  through to the bottom portion  88  which carries a frustroconical shaped interlocking base portion  89  which mates in an axially aligned hammer channel  84  ( FIG. 12 ) defined in an outer circumferential surface  85  of arbor  83 . The countersink  90   a  of each bolt hole  90  has a diameter  95  that is larger than diameter  23  of the bolt bushing  22  which allows the bolt bushing  22  of the tool holder  40  to be axially carried within the counter sink  90   a  of the bolt hole  90  of the arbor protector  86 . As shown in  FIGS. 8 and 10 , an arbor  83  may carry a plurality of spacedly arrayed arbor protectors  86 , and a plurality of spacedly arrayed replaceable tool holders. The positioning of the front bolt hole  18  and the rear bolt hole  20  allow the tool holder bases  10  to extend across the trailing edge portion  92  of one arbor protector  86  and across the leading edge portion  91  of an adjacent arbor protector  86  for secure attachment of our replaceable tool holders to the arbor protectors  86  and to arbor  83 . 
     The structural interconnection of the bolt bushing  22  to the bottom surface  12  of the base  10 , and the engagement of the bolt bushing  22  within the counter sink  90   a  of the bolt hole  90  of the arbor protector  86  transfers impact forces exerted on the tip  67  of the impact tool  60 , as it strikes a material during rotation of the arbor  83 , radially downwardly to the arbor protectors  86  thereunder which frictionally mate along leading edge portions  91  and trailing edge portions  92  of adjacent arbor protectors  86  and ultimately downwardly to the arbor  83 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 8 and 10  the positions of the replaceable tool holders on the arbor  83  and on arbor protectors  86  may be adjusted as desired for staggered impact tool  60  orientation depending upon the material being worked. The variability of the impact tool  60  configuration provides customization of arbors  83  and flexibility that does not otherwise exist in rock crushing and milling machines. For example, it may be desirable to grind/mill a trough in an asphalt road and the trough needs to have a certain width that may be less than the length of the arbor  83 . Installing tool holders  40  with impact tools  60  on the arbor  83  in a configuration having the desired width of the desired trough may be accomplished by covering the remaining portion of the arbor  83  with arbor protectors  86  without our replaceable arbor tool holder  40 . Similarly, if plural spaced apart troughs need to be milled into a surface, the tooling configuration could be similarly configured to mill the plural desired troughs without having to build a new arbor  83 . 
     In a second embodiment, shown in  FIG. 15 , the tool holder  40  is structurally interconnected to the top portion  87  of an arbor protector  86  which is releasably attachable to the arbor  86  with plural mounting bolts  80  extending through the bolt holes  90 . Structurally interconnecting the tool holder  40  to the arbor protector  86  may be desirable when extensive milling/scarifying operations are being undertaken. 
     In a third embodiment ( FIGS. 16 and 17 ) the replaceable tool holder base  10  is arcuate and seats directly upon an outer circumferential surface  85  of a cylindrical arbor  83 . The tool holder base  10  may be attached to the arbor  83  by means such as welding  75 , which is a common means of attaching tools to arbors  83  in the industry or may be attached to the arbor  83  with mounting bolts  80  that threadably engage with radially aligned holes (not shown) defined in the arbor. In a further embodiment the tool holder base  10  may also be attached to the arbor  83  outer circumferential surface  85  by means of cylindrical threaded sleeves  82  that are welded in spaced array to the arbor  83  outer circumferential surface  85  so that mounting bolts  80  passing through the front bolt hole  18  and rear bolt hole  20  engage therewith. 
     Construction and Materials of the Apparatus 
     The base  10  and tool holder  40  are preferably integral and are preferably formed of hardened treated steel such as, but not limited to, hardened chrome steel formed by known casting or molding or forging processes such as, but not limited to sand casting. The impact tool  60  is preferably purchased off-the-shelf from known manufacturers, distributors and retailers and is also typically formed of a hardened treated steel and the tip  67  is preferably formed of carbide. 
     Having described the structure of our replaceable arbor tool holder for replaceable impact tools, its operation may be understood. 
     An arbor protector  86  is positioned immediately adjacent the arbor  83  so that the frustroconical interlocking base portion  89  of the arbor protector  86  mates in an axially extending hammer channel  84  defined in the arbor  83 . The base  10  is positioned so that the bolt bushing  22  engages with and extends into the counter sink  90   a  of a bolt hole  90  defined in the arbor protector  86 . A mounting bolt  80  is then inserted into the front bolt hole  18  to pass through the medial channel  26  through the bolt bushing  22  and through the arbor protector  86  to threadably engage with a threaded hole (not shown) defined in the arbor  83 . 
     The base  10  is maneuvered so that the rear bolt hole  20  is aligned with a bolt hole  90  defined in a rearward adjacent arbor protector  86  carried on the arbor  83 . A mounting bolt  80  is inserted through the rear bolt hole  20  to pass through the base  10  and through the arbor protector  86  to threadably engage in a threaded hole (not shown) defined in the arbor  83 . The mounting bolts  80  are tightened accordingly so that the head portions  81  are within the counter sinks  28 ,  29 . 
     An impact tool  60  is positioned so that the second end portion  66  of the shaft  61  is adjacent to the orifice (not shown) of the medial channel (not shown) defined by the tool holder  40 . The second end portion  66  of the shaft  61  is inserted into the medial channel (not shown) so that the shaft  61  extends therethrough and shank  64  frictionally rests upon the shoulder  27  of the tool holder  40 . The C-ring retaining ring  69  is thereafter engaged with the retainer ring groove  68  defined in the circumferential surface of the second end portion  66  of the shaft  61 . 
     The process for installing additional tool holders and impact tools  60  is repeated along the arbor  83  as desired to create the desired configuration of impact tooling, such as is shown in  FIG. 8  and  FIG. 10 . 
     After a period of use whereupon the impact tools  60  may become worn and less effective, the impact tools  60  may simply be replaced by removing the C-ring retainers  69  from the retainer ring groove  68  and the impact tool  60  from the tool holder  40  and thereafter reinstalling a new impact tool  60  in the tool holder  40 . 
     The foregoing description of our invention is necessarily of a detailed nature so that a specific embodiment of a best mode may be set forth as is required, but it is to be understood that various modifications of details, and rearrangement, substitution and multiplication of parts may be resorted to without departing from its spirit, essence or scope. 
     Interpretation Notes 
     The above description has set out various features, functions, methods and other aspects of our invention. This has been done with regard to the currently preferred embodiments thereof. Time and further development may change the manner in which the various aspects are implemented. Such aspects may further be added to by the language of the claims which are incorporated herein by this reference. The scope of protection accorded our invention, as defined by the claims, is not intended to be necessarily limited to the specific sizes, shapes, features or other aspects of the currently preferred embodiment shown and described. The claimed invention may be implemented or embodied in other forms still being within the concepts shown, described and claimed herein. Also included are equivalents of the invention which can be made without departing from the scope or concepts properly protected hereby. 
     The foregoing description of our invention is necessarily of a detailed nature so that a specific embodiment of a best mode may be set forth as is required, but it is to be understood that various modifications of details, sizes, and rearrangement, substitution and multiplication of the parts may be resorted to without departing from its spirit, essence or scope. 
     Having thusly described our invention, we hereby file this Utility Patent Application.