Ice removing machine

A machine that mechanically removes ice from surfaces such as driveways, sidewalks and parking lots. The machine includes multiple horizontal rotary discs with depending chippers which strike the ice and pulverize it. The machine is propelled on wheels which maintain a gap between the chippers and the surface being cleaned. The rotary discs are often driven by a motor through a series of pulleys.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to a machine for the mechanical removal of ice from 
surfaces such as driveways, sidewalks and parking lots. 
2. Description of Prior Art 
In winter snow provides a key element for skiing, tobogganing, sledding and 
other winter sports. It also provides a hazard for both foot and vehicular 
traffic. A multitude of devices have been used for the removal of snow, 
from the lowly shovel and broom to the large plows used for clearing 
highways. All but the largest and most powerful of these are ineffective 
for the efficient removal of ice or hard-packed snow. 
Heavy vehicular or foot traffic packs the snow and forms ice and 
concurrently, by its mere presence, prevents the utilization of snow 
removal means. The daily warming and cooling cycle tends to melt and 
refreeze the packed snow and to complete the transformation to solid ice. 
Manual removal of this ice and packed snow is a tedious and arduous task 
and becomes impractical when the area to be cleaned is large. Labor costs 
for large commerical areas such as parking lots are prohibitive. 
Chemical removal also has its disadvantages. Ordinary rock salt is 
ineffective below 10.degree. F. (-12.degree. C.). While calcium chloride 
works at lower temperatures, the quantities of either rock salt or calcium 
chloride required to effectively remove any substantial deposit of ice 
often adversely effects surrounding areas. Heavy use of such chemicals 
kills grass and other plants. The residues are often tracked indoors and 
stain the shoes and clothing of those traversing the icy area. 
Environmentalists have expressed concern in recent years over the 
monumental quantities of ice removing chemicals which are finding their 
way into and damaging the environment. 
The ideal solution would seem to be a powered mechanical device which can 
effectively and safely remove the ice. Most prior art devices are designed 
for snow removal and are totally ineffective at removing ice or 
hard-packed snow. All but the most powerful snow blowers have about the 
same effect on ice that they would have on bare pavement. 
A number of patents have been granted on devices which appear to be 
converted lawn mowers. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,863,162; 2,983,057; 2,984,919; 
3,775,878. All of these devices function primarily as snow blowers. Except 
for some which have dependent sweeping attachments, it is not necessary 
that they contact the snow to function. The blades and the appendages 
thereto create a suction which lifts the snow and blows it in the desired 
direction. 
In the use of these devices for ice removal one finds that the functional 
parts, usually attached to a rotating blade or disc, must maintain 
continuous contact with the ice being removed. Because of the length of 
the arms required to get the blowing action, the portions contacting the 
ice are too far from the center of moment and require more power than the 
average lawn mower motor can deliver. If one uses a motor which is 
powerful enough the high speed attained at the end of the blades which 
contact the ice create a real danger. A piece of ice or a foreign object 
embedded in the ice, if hit, will be hurled away from the machine and 
create a safety hazard for bystanders and the operator. Also with the long 
center of moment, unless the machine is extremely heavy, it will be 
impossible to control. The machine has a tendency to turn itself rather 
than remove the ice. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
I have discovered an efficient and safe means for the mechanical removal of 
ice. The machine comprises a source of power such as a gasoline engine 
which rotates a number of rotary discs which are parallel to the surface 
to be cleaned. The discs have attached to them depending chippers which 
contact the ice and mechanically remove it. With a plurality of smaller 
discs, the power required, the force exerted to control movement of the 
machine, and the danger of flying objects are greatly reduced. 
A surprising and advantageous result is obtained when the bottom of the 
chipper comprises a land portion toward its forward edge and a relief 
portion. The land portion is substantially parallel to the surface being 
cleaned and the relief portion is angled away from the surface. This 
permits cleaning down to bare surface even when there is a gap between the 
chipper and surface. 
In one example, the force required to rotate the rotary discs comes from 
the motor through a system of pulleys and V-belts. The motor is mounted on 
a body with the shaft extending into the body. A V-belt pulley on that 
shaft drives a second shaft which has a three-sheave pulley. The two 
remaining shafts are driven by V-belts from the second pulley.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
The figures as a group show one specific example of this invention. As 
shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, it has approximately the size and configuration of 
a conventional lawn mower, but larger or smaller examples would be within 
the scope of the invention. 
1. General Configuration 
The machine has a body 20 including a top plate 34, a bottom plate 32 and 
skirt plates 36 which form the front, sides, and back of the body. The 
plates in this example are 0.080" thick. There is no substantial internal 
frame and the major components are attached to the plates and skirts of 
the body. On the rearward portion of the machine, depending from the 
skirts is a spray guard 44 which prevents ice chips and any foreign 
objects picked up by the device from being thrown in the direction of the 
operator of the machine. 
The machine is maneuvered over the surface 45 by an operator who stands to 
the rear and pushes and steers by means of the handle 26. The handle 26 is 
attached to the body at the upright connecting flanges 27 which are 
attached to the top plate 34. The handle 26 receives further support from 
the T-brace 28 which is attached to the rearward-most skirt plate 36. In 
this specific example a motor is not used to propel the machine across the 
surface 45 but such a possibility is within the scope of the invention. 
The machine moves over the surface 45 on four wheels. The two front toothed 
wheels 48 rotate on the front axles 38 which are attached to the side 
skirt 36. The rear wheels 30 rotate on axles which are attached to rear 
axle brackets 42 which in turn are attached to the side skirts 36. 
The front wheels in the example shown are toothed. The toothed wheel 48 
enhances the stability of the machine. As the ice 46 is being removed, the 
machine tends to move sideways and the toothed wheel prevents this by 
gripping the surface even through ice and snow. Each of the four wheels 
has an individual height adjustment. The height adjusters 22 function in 
the same way as they do on a conventional lawnmower and are well known in 
the art. 
Plows prevent the rear wheels from riding up on loose snow or ice chips 
formed by the machine. The two forward plows 29 are made of square stock 
and are rigidly attached to the skirt plates 36 by bracket 31. The rear 
plows 33 are also square stock but have a shoe 35 at their lower ends. The 
rear plows 33 are held by the brackets 37 which pivot on the pivot 39. 
This allows the machine to ride on the rear wheels 36 rather than on the 
rear plows 33 when the front of the machine is lifted. 
The power necessary for removing the ice is supplied by a Briggs and 
Stratton five horsepower gasoline engine 24. The machine could be powered 
by another type of engine either electric or one using fuels other than 
gasoline. The motor has a drive shaft 25 which extends into the body 20 
and a drive pulley 112 attached thereto. Through a system of V-belts and 
pulleys the motor 24 drives three rotary discs 50 which are mounted on 
shafts 56 which extend into the body through the bottom plate 32. The 
rotary discs have depending chippers 52 which impinge on the ice 46 and 
remove it from the surface 45 as shown in FIG. 2. 
The deployment of the rotary discs and chippers as shown in FIG. 1 provides 
distinct advantages over the prior art machines, because the length of the 
moment arm is shorter. As a chipper contacts the ice, the ice exerts a 
force back on the chipper equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to 
the force exerted by the chipper. This reactive force couples with the 
force driving the disc which acts at the center of the vertical shaft 56. 
This couple in turn tends to rotate the machine. This rotational force 
acting on the machine is proportional to the force exerted and the length 
of the moment arm. For the subject invention this moment arm is relatively 
short compared to the lawn mower type snow blowing machines where there is 
only one rotating member. Because of the different positions of rotating 
discs the force for each couple acts to rotate the machine around a 
different axis, and thus they partially cancel each other. The use of the 
plurality of smaller discs or rotating members while clearing a like area, 
is much easier to control and maintain on a given course. 
In the specific example cited all three rotary discs rotate in the same 
direction. Examples where the rotary discs travel in opposite directions 
are within the scope of this invention. This could be accomplished by 
driving one of the forward rotary discs 100 through a gear mechanism 
rather than by belts. This would further reduce forces tending to pull the 
machine to one side. The front toothed wheels 48 because of their gripping 
capabilities, also tend to substantially absorb sidewise thrusts. They 
require no action by the operator, but react automatically to the forces 
exerted on them. 
2. Drive Train Arrangement. 
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the motor 24 is mounted on the top plate 34 and 
rotates a drive pulley 112 which is mounted on drive shaft 25. The V-belt 
pulley 112 rotates the intermediate pulley 108 through the drive V-belt 
136. The intermediate pulley 108 is attached to the rearward shaft 110 
which has a rearward rotary disc 106 depending therefrom The intermediate 
pulley 108 has three sheaves. It is driven by the drive belt 136 and in 
turn rotates the two forward shafts 104 through the right V-belt 138 and 
the left V-belt 140. The V-belts are kept taut by idler wheels 132 which 
press against the outside surface of the belts. 
FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the left forward pulley shaft and rotary 
disc. The configuration on the right side would be the same as the left 
side. The forward rotary discs 100 are mounted on the forward shafts 104 
which extend into the body 20. The forward rotary shafts 104 are attached 
to the driven pulleys 102 which are driven by the right and left V-belts 
138 and 140. 
FIG. 3 shows how the forward shafts 104 and the rearward shaft 110 are 
mounted onto the body 20. The shafts 56 extend into the bearings 114 at 
their upper ends. The upper bearing inner races 118 are attached to the 
top of the shafts by the set screws 120. The upper bearing outer races and 
flanges 116 are attached to the top plate of the body 34 by the bolts 117. 
The shafts 56 pass through the lower bearings 122. The shafts 56 are 
mounted onto the lower bearing inner races 128 by the set screws 130. The 
lower bearing outer races and flanges 124 are mounted on the bottom plate 
of the body 32 by the bolts 126. 
3. The Rotary Discs. 
FIG. 4 shows one of the three rotary discs of this machine. The shaft 56 
extends into the body of the machine 20 when it is mounted. In this 
specific example, the shafts are 1" steel rod. The rotary discs 50 are 
eight inch diameter, 3/16" thick steel and are mounted to the shafts 56 by 
collars 58. The collars 58 are attached to the shafts 56 by the pins 60. 
The rotary disc 50 is attached to the collar by four Allenhead screws 62 
which extend up through the bottom of the rotary disc into the collar. 
While the rotary discs in this example are circular, this invention clearly 
encompasses other shapes. The function of the rotary disc is to hold the 
chippers at a distance from the shaft so that they will move across the 
surface to be cleaned. The disc could be square, triangular, star-shaped 
or any other shape which could accomplish this purpose. 
Attached to the periphery of the rotary discs 50 are three chippers 52. The 
chippers are set into the rotary discs and the keyways 54. The keyways 54 
are welded to the rotary discs 50. The chippers 52 as seen more clearly in 
FIG. 6 are fastened to the keyways by Allen screws 64 and lock nuts 66. As 
the rotary discs rotate, the chippers contact the ice 46 at their lower 
and outer edges, as can be seen more clearly in FIG. 2 and pulverize it to 
a fine powder. There is just enough blowing effect from the rotating of 
the chippers to move the pulverized ice from under the body of the 
machine. The spray guar 44 prevents any of the pulverized ice from being 
thrown backwards in the direction of the operator. 
FIGS. 5 and 6 give detailed view of a chipper 52 and its attachment to a 
rotary disc 50. The chipper is attached to the keyway 54 by an Allen screw 
64 which passes through the chipper and the keyway and is secured by the 
lock nut 66. The keyway 54 is welded to the rotary disc 50. 
The chipper 52 is a prism of high hardness material. While a specific 
example is given in this application, the chipper could adopt any one of 
numerous shapes. Since its function is to strike and pulverize the ice, it 
must be a high hardness rigid body. It could even be integral with the 
rotary disc. 
In the side view shown in FIG. 5, one sees that in this example the chipper 
takes the shape of a rectangle with a corner removed at the bottom 78. The 
chipper moves to the left as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 so that its front face 
74 contacts the ice. The bottom surface 78 of the chipper has a land 
portion or facet 70 which is normal to the front 74 of the chipper and 
substantially parallel to the surface 44 over which the machine moves. 
Immediately behind the land portion 70 is a relief portion 72. This 
angling off from the horizontal is at 45.degree. and begins 1/8 of an inch 
behind the front face of the chipper. This configuration prevents chatter 
by not allowing contact of the rearward portion of the chipper with solid 
ice. In the example shown the chipper is three inches from top to bottom 
and the inside and front faces are 7/8" wide. 
As seen in FIG. 6, the chipper 52 fits into a rectangular channel in the 
keyway 54. The keyway embraces the chipper with the forward arm 84 and a 
rearward arm 86. The set screw 68 passes against the front face 74 of the 
chipper and prevents any movement in a front to back direction in the 
keyway. In this view it can be seen that the chipper is a trapezoidal 
prism with the front face 74 and the back face 76 parallel to each other. 
The inside face of the chipper is perpendicular to the front and back 
faces of the chipper but the corner between the outer face 82 and the 
front face 74 of the chipper is angled at 55.degree.. Again, not allowing 
contact of the rearward portion of the chipper with the solid ice surface, 
prevents chatter. 
This configuration of a chipper yields an unexpected and advantageous 
result. When the gap between the bottom of the chipper 78 and the surface 
45 to be cleaned is adjusted properly, the chipper will clean completely 
down to the surface without the requirement of contacting the surface. The 
ideal gap is between 1/4" and 5/8". Ideally, the gap should be adjusted 
toward the higher end of this range in order to minimize contact with any 
irregularities in the surface being cleaned. The gap is set by adjusting 
the height adjusters at the four wheels. 
The specific machine described herein has been used for clearing ice with 
good results. It removes ice 5" in depth down to bare pavement at 
approximately ten square feet per minute. There is no ice film left on the 
pavement. The only extra effort involved was to sweep away some of the 
powdered ice which had been left behind. 
While we have shown and described several embodiments in accordance with 
the present invention, it is obvious that the same is not limited to, but 
is susceptible to numerous changes and modifications as known to those 
skilled in the art, and we therefore, do not wich to be limited to the 
details shown and described herein but intend to cover all such changes 
and modifications as are encompassed by the scope of the appended claims.