Abstract:
A portable rock crusher ( 10 )is adapted for attachment to a boom ( 16 ) of an earthmoving vehicle ( 14 ). The crusher has a hopper ( 32 ) with a material inlet ( 49 ) and a material outlet ( 44 ) spaced from the inlet. A pair of jaws ( 46,48 ) is located within the hopper and positioned between the inlet and outlet. The jaws are movable relative to one another to vary the spacing therebetween and an actuator ( 68 ) is provided to control relative movement between the jaws. Material moving from the inlet to the outlet thereby passes between the jaws and is crushed upon relative movement of the jaws to provide an aggregate at the outlet.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a portable crushing device for preparing aggregate and the like. 
     When developing a remote site such as a mine or quarry, it is necessary to provide or improve roadways either leading to the site or within the site itself. Such roadways are necessary to allow the equipment used ill developing the site to move freely and typically the roads are made from crushed rock that can be deposited, smoothed and compacted to provide a serviceable roadway. 
     However, the very remoteness of or poor access to the site may make it impractical to have a rock crusher conveniently located to produce the aggregate for making a roadway. Moreover, a conventional mobile rock crushing plant may be too large or heavy for use within the site until such time as the roads have been developed. 
     In most locations there is an ample supply of blasted stone available but it may be impractical or uneconomical to have a rock crusher located at the site. Even if a crusher is available, it is inconvenient to carry the blasted rock from the mine or quarry, crush it to a size suitable for building a road, and then transport it back to the mine for building a roadway. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF DOCUMENTS D1 AND D2 
     In U.S. Pat. No. 4,441,415 there is taught a crusher adapted for crushing or flattening scrap metal and, particularly, auto body shells. The crusher is mounted on a tractor and includes a pair of crushing jaws. One of the jaws is stationary while the other is pivotally mounted with the pivot point positioned at the outlet of the crusher. The relative motion of the jaws is accomplished by means of hydraulic cylinders acting directly oil the moving jaw. This reference does not teach a crusher for aggregate material. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,959,897 teaches a rock crusher adapted for mounting on a dredging device. The crusher includes a pair of jaws, one being stationary and the other pivotally mounted and acted upon by a hydraulic cylinder. The pivot point for tile moving jaw is located near the outlet of the crusher and the cylinder acts through an eccentric shaft. It is therefore an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate the above disadvantages. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In general terms, the present invention provides a portable crusher for attachment to a boom of an earthmoving vehicle. The crusher has a hopper with a material inlet and a material outlet spaced from the inlet. A pair of jaws is located within the hopper and positioned between the inlet and outlet. The jaws are movable relative to one another to vary the spacing therebetween and an actuator is provided to control relative movement between the jaws. Material moving from the inlet to the outlet thereby passes between the jaws and is crushed upon relative movement of the jaws to provide an aggregate at the outlet. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Preferably the actuator is a hydraulic actuator and one of the jaws is fixed while the other may pivot relative to the hopper under the control of the actuator. 
     It is also preferred that the jaws are biased apart and that the biasing is provided by a mechanical spring. 
     By providing a crusher that may be attached to the boom of an earthmoving vehicle, it is possible to transport the crusher prior to improvement of the roads to the location at which the raw materials are available for crushing into aggregate. Moreover, the feed of material between the inlet and outlet may be controlled by operation of the boom-leveling mechanism and the hopper may be utilized to transport the crushed material if convenient. Thus, the invention provides a portable crusher comprising: 
     a hopper having a material inlet and a material outlet spaced from the inlet; 
     a pair of jaws within the hopper positioned between the inlet and outlet, the jaws being moveable relative to one another, whereby material moving from the inlet to the outlet passes between the jaws and is crushed; and 
     an actuator to effect the relative movement between the jaws; 
     wherein the pair of jaws comprise a first, moveable jaw, connected to the actuator, and a second, stationary jaw, the first jaw having a first end at the inlet and a second end at the outlet; 
     the improvement comprising the first end of the first jaw being pivotally connected to the hopper and the second end of the first jaw being connected to the actuator. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which 
     FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a hydraulic crusher mounted on a wheeled vehicle; 
     FIG. 2 is a section of the crusher shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a jaw utilized in the crusher shown in FIGS. 1 and 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a side view similar to FIG. 2 of an alternative embodiment of crusher; 
     FIG. 5 is a side view similar to FIG. 1 of a still further embodiment of the crusher; and 
     FIG. 6 is a side view similar to FIG. 1 of a yet further embodiment of crusher. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring therefore to FIG. 1, a hydraulic crusher  10  is connected to a boom assembly  12  of a wheeled earthmoving vehicle  14 . The boom assembly  12  includes a pair of laterally spaced booms  16  pivotally connected to towers  18  and movable about the pivot point with the towers by means of lift cylinders  20 . The boom assembly  12  also includes a leveling linkage  22  comprising a leveling cylinder  24  connected to a pair of links  26 ,  28 . The boom assembly  12  and wheeled vehicle  14  are conventional and well known in the earthmoving field and need not be described in further detail. It will of course be understood that other configurations of wheeled vehicle or tracked vehicle may be utilized to support the crusher  10 . 
     The crusher  10  is provided with mounting points  28 ,  30  for connection through respective pins to the lift arms, or booms,  16  and link  26 . In configuration, the mounting points  28 ,  30  correspond to those of a conventional bucket such as may be used with the boom assembly  12  so that the vehicle  14  may be used with the crusher  10  or with a conventional bucket assembly. 
     Referring to FIG. 2, the crusher assembly  10  comprises a hopper generally indicated at  32  and having a pair of laterally spaced side walls  34  interconnected by a floor  36 . The floor  36  projects forwardly from the side walls  34  to provide a tapered lip  38  to facilitate ingress of material into the hopper  32 . The side walls  34  are also connected at the upper rear edge by a rear wall  40  and a top wall  42 . The end wall  40  terminates prior to the floor  36  to provide a transverse elongate outlet  44 . 
     A pair of jaws  46 ,  48  is located within the hopper  32  with the lower jaw  46  secured through bolts  50  to the floor  36 . The jaw  48  is secured to a transverse plate  52  which extends between a pair of arms  54 . The arms  54  are located adjacent respective side walls  34  and are pivotally mounted to the side walls on pins  56 . The jaw  48  may therefore pivot about the pins  56  toward and away from the jaw  46 . The forward end of the jaws  46 ,  48  are thus spaced apart to define an inlet  49  that is aligned with but spaced from the outlet  44 . 
     The jaws  46 ,  48  are shown in more detail in FIG.  3  and are formed with a ridged upper surface  58  having triangular teeth  60  which progressively increase in height and merge from the front to rear. The form of the upper surface  58  is merely exemplary and is a standard form of crusher jaw such as that made by ESCO Canada Ltd. and therefore need not be described in further detail. The bolts  50  are arranged on standard centers so that different forms of crusher jaw can be utilized depending upon the material to be crushed. 
     Referring once again to FIG. 2, each of the arms  54  has a bracket  62  on the side opposite to the jaws  48  and which extends rearwardly. The bracket  62  has a projecting lug  64  which receives one end of a coil spring  66 . The opposite end of the coil spring  66  is supported upon a transverse bar  67  which extends between the side walls  34 . The spring  66  is a compression spring which acts to bias the arm  54  about pin  56  to attain the maximum spacing between the jaws  46 ,  48 . 
     Relative movement between the jaws  46 ,  48  is controlled by an actuator generally indicated at  68 . The actuator  68  includes a hydraulic cylinder  70  and a piston  72  slidable within the cylinder  70 . Hydraulic fluid is supplied to a chamber  74  defined between the piston  72  and cylinder  70  through a pipe  76  from a convenient service location upon the vehicle  14 . Flow through the pipe  76  is controlled by a valve assembly that causes chamber  74  to expand upon admission of fluid or contract under the influence of the spring  66  upon egress of fluid. The piston  72  has a ball  76  formed at one end that engages a socket  78  mounted on the plate  52 . The opposite end of the actuator  68  is domed as indicated at  79  and supported in a part-cylindrical recess  80  formed in a cross-bar  82  extending between the back plate  40  and top plate  42 . The ball  76  and socket  78  together with the dome  79  and recess  80  permit relative rotational movement as the arm  54  swings about the pin  56  to inhibit bending stresses upon the actuator. 
     In operation, the attitude of the crusher  10  is adjusted through the boom assembly  12  such that the floor  36  is flush with the ground upon which a stockpile of stones is located. The vehicle  14  is advanced so that material enters the hopper  32  through an inlet  49  defined between the jaw  48 , the side plates  34  and the floor  36 . The boom assembly  12  is then crowded to rotate the crusher about the pivot points  28  of the boom  16  so that the stones indicated generally as S fall between the jaws  46 , 48 . Although some of the stone S is sufficiently small to pass between the jaws  46 ,  48  and out of the outlet  44 , the majority is held between the jaws  46 ,  48 . The hydraulic fluid is then supplied through the pipe  76  to expand the chamber  74  and pivot the arm  54  about the pin  56 . The jaws move toward one another and crush the stones S located between the jaw causing them to shatter into smaller fragments. Those fragments then pass between the jaws and through the outlet  44  to provide a supply of crushed stone. 
     The actuator  68  is cycled between extended and retracted positions on a regular basis, typically 60 Hz to provide a continuous crushing operation. The stones S thus feed from the hopper  32  between the jaws  46 ,  48  and are fragmented to pass out of the outlet  44 . 
     The spring  66  opposes rotational movement of the arm  54  under the influence of the actuator  68  and thus returns the arm to the position in which the jaws  46 ,  48  are separated. This enables the actuator  68  to be single acting and a relatively simply cycling valve used to supply fluid through the pipe  76 . 
     Once the stone S has been crushed, the vehicle  14  may be repositioned to acquire additional stones and crush them in a similar manner. In the event that a stone S becomes stuck within the jaws, the crowd cylinder  24  may be extended to allow the stone S to drop out of the hopper  32 . 
     It will be seen therefore that by mounting the crusher assembly on the boom  16 , it is possible to transport the crusher to a convenient location to perform crushing operations. The provision of the spaced jaws  46 ,  48  between the inlet  49  and outlet  44  of the hopper  32  enables the stones to be crushed on a continuous basis and to utilize gravity to induce the flow through the crusher jaws. Upon completion of the crushing operation, the hopper  32  may be utilized to transport the crushed material to an appropriate site or may be used to compact and smooth the crushed material in a manner similar to that with a conventional bucket assembly. It will be appreciated that the mounting points may be chosen to conform to one of a standard configuration of machine, for example. the hopper can be configured to be used with a 360° Excavator or with a rear mounted backhoe by suitable positioning of the mounting points. 
     A further embodiment of crusher is shown in FIG. 4 in which like components will be identified with like reference numerals with a suffix “a” added for clarity. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the crusher  10   a  has a lower jaw  46   a  and an upper jaw  48   a  to direct material from an inlet  49   a  to outlet  44   a  in the rear wall of the hopper  32   a . Spring  66   a  extends between a bracket  62   a  on the arm  54   a  and a transverse bar  90 . The spring  66   a  is a tension spring having hooked ends secured in eyes  92  on the bracket  62   a  and bar  90  respectively. Rotation of the arm  54   a  about the pin  56   a  will cause extension of the spring  66   a  to bias the arm away from the lower jaw  46   a.    
     An actuator  68   a  is located within the hopper  32   a  and has a piston  72   a  with a ball  76   a  received in socket  78   a . Fluid is supplied to a chamber  74   a  from a reciprocating pump generally indicated at  94 . The pump  94  has a piston  96  slidable within a cylinder  98  which is directly connected to the chamber  74   a . The piston  96  is connected to a connecting rod  100 . The connecting rod is pivotally secured to a crank  102  which is secured to an output shaft of a hydraulic motor  104 . The motor  104  can be of any convenient form and receives hydraulic fluid through pipe  76   a  from a service on the vehicle. 
     The operation of the crusher  10   a  is similar to that described above with cyclic extension and retraction of the actuator  68   a  being induced by flow of fluid between the interconnected chambers  98  and  74   a  as the piston  96  reciprocates under the control of the crank  102 . The cylinder  98  is sized to produce the requisite stroke for the piston  72   a  and produce the oscillatory motion of the arm  54   a  about the pin  56   a.    
     A further embodiment is shown in FIG. 5 in which like reference numerals will again be utilized to denote like components with the suffix “b” added for clarity. The crusher  10   b  has a pair of jaws  46   b ,  48   b  with the upper jaw  48   b  mounted on arm  54   b  to pivot about the pin  56   b . The arm  54   b  is biased away from the jaw  46   b  by a coil spring  66   b  acting through a rod  110 . The rod  110  extends parallel with the back wall  40   b  and is pivotally connected by pin  112  to a tongue  114  on the arm  54   b . The rod  110  passes through a hole formed in a bracket  114  that is secured to the rear wall  40   b  and the spring  66   b  located between the bracket  114  and a cap  116  threaded onto the rod  110 . Pivotal movement of the arm  54   b  will thus cause compression of the spring  56   b  between the bracket  114  and the cap  116 . 
     Rotation of the arm  54   b  is induced through a toggle mechanism generally indicated at  120  connected to an actuator  68   b . The toggle mechanism  120  includes a pair of links  122 ,  124  which are pivoted by pins  126  to opposite sides of a boss  128 . The opposite end of link  122  is secured through a pin  130  to a bracket  132  on the cross bar  80   b  at the vertex of the hopper  32   b . The link  124  is similarly connected through pin  134  and plate  136  to the arm  54   b.    
     The boss  128  is secured to the piston  72   b  of the actuator  68   b  which in turn is slidable within the cylinder  70   b . Fluid to the actuator  68   b  is supplied through control pipe  76   b  from suitable valving to cause reciprocation of the piston  72   b  within the cylinder  70   b.    
     With the links  122 ,  124  aligned, the jaw  48   b  is closest to the jaw  46   b . As the piston rod  72   b  reciprocates, the boss  128  is displaced laterally causing the links  122 ,  124  to pivot about their respective pin connections and thus cause the arm  54   b  to rotate about the pin  56   b . A crushing action is thus provided by the cyclic reciprocation of the piston rod within the cylinder  70   b  to reduce the stone S to an aggregate. 
     The stroke of the actuator  68   b  may be adjusted so that at one limit the links  122 ,  124  are aligned as shown in FIG.  5  and at the other limit, the boss is displaced as shown by the chain-dotted lines in FIG.  5 . An alternative control is to permit the stroke of the actuator  68   b  to move the links  122 ,  124  past the aligned position so that the boss  128  is moved to either side of the position indicated in chain dot lines. As the links move over center, the jaws will move apart. As a result, two oscillations of the jaws will occur for each stroke of the cylinder. 
     The initial spacing between the jaws  46   b  and  48   b  can be adjusted by means of spacers indicated at  138  located beneath the plate  136  with a corresponding adjustment made to the position of the cup  116  on the rod  110 . In this way, different nominal sized aggregate can be produced. 
     A further embodiment is shown in FIG. 6 in which like components will be identified with like reference numerals with the suffix “c” added for clarity. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, actuator  68   c  is in the form of a double-acting hydraulic motor having a piston  72   c  and a cylinder  70   c . The actuator  68   c  acts directly between the bracket  80   b  and the arm  54   c . The hopper  32   c  is provided with a front wall  140  that extends from the upper apex of the hopper  32   c  downwardly beyond the pivot pin  56   c . As such, the front wall  140  shields the actuator  68   c.    
     Oscillation of the jaws  46   c  and  48   c  is controlled by the actuator  68   c  which is caused to reciprocate cyclically by fluid supplied from a suitable valve through the pipes  76   c . The cycling of the actuator  68  can be obtained using one of a number of conventional cycling operations. For example, a spring-biased solenoid-operated valve can be utilized with drive to the solenoid switch by proximity sensors associated with the piston rod or by using a mechanical linkage connected between a reversing valve and the upper jaw  48  to reverse flow to the actuator. 
     In each of the above arrangements, the typical minimum spacing between the jaws  46   c ,  48   c  is in the order of 2 inches although spacings of up to 3 or more inches can be contemplated where relatively large aggregate is required. Typically the displacement of the jaws between maximum and minimum spacing would be in the order of ½-1 inch to provide the requisite crushing action. As noted above, the actuator  68  produces an oscillatory motion in the order of 60 Hz through suitable valving. Using a 10″ diameter cylinder, adequate crushing force is obtained at 500 psi. 
     It will be seen therefore that by providing a compact mechanism located within a hopper that may be attached to an earthmoving vehicle, a portable crusher is provided that can be used at remote locations to facilitate the production of aggregate. 
     Although the invention has been described with reference to certain specific embodiments, various modifications thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as outlined in the claims appended hereto.