VIBRATING PLATE

Abstract: A vibrating plate has a compactor plate with engine and vibration generator and a handle for the operation of the vibrating plate. The shaft and operating members (10 and 11, respectively) of the handle are interconnected by means of spring elements (16) and a spring deflection restricting device (14, 19). According to the invention, the mass of the operating member (11) and the spring stiffness of the spring element (16) are so adapted to one another and to the vibration frequency of the vibrating plate that the relationship of said frequency and the characteristic frequency of the operation member with regard to translational and rotational movements respectively along and about the axis of the operating member and respectively along and about two directions at right angles to the axis and also to one another, is > <SIGN> 2.

Description: VIBRATING PLATE This invention relates to a so-called vibrating plate, that is a device which comprises a compactor plate with engine and vibration generator, said compac¬ tor plate being adapted for application to the ground. Such vibrating plates can be used for compaction of sand and gravel as well as asphalt coatings. Such vi¬ brating plates have a handle by which the vibrating plate is operated. A difficult problem associated with this type of tool resides in the transmission of vi- brations from the vibrating plate to . the operator. There¬ fore, one has tried in different ways to dampen the transmission of vibrations. Such a prior art device for damping the transmission of vibrations is describ¬ ed in EP-A-0,081,079 and the corresponding published Swedish patent applications SE-A-8107365-2 and 8203697-1. This publication describes a handle arrangement in which biased elastomer springs are utilized between the operat¬ ing member and the shaft member. Another prior art device for damping vibrations between a vibrating tool and a handle is described and shown in US-A-4,282,938, where the damping of the vibra¬ tions is absorbed with the aid of leaf spring elements and a magnetic damper. The first of these prior art devices have proved to be unsatisfactory for damping vibrations from a vi¬ brating plate even though this device is useful for light-weight equipment. The last-mentioned prior art device is disadvantageous in that it is expensive and requires much material. This invention aims at providing a vibrating plate in which the operating and shaft members of the handle are interconnected by at least one spring element the stiffness of which has been adapted to the mass of the operating member such that an excellent vibration insu- lation is obtained. The invention also aims at providing a vibrating plate the operating member of which is high¬ ly insulated from the remaining vibrating plate by means of a simple but effective vibration insulation device. According to the invention, a vibrating plate of the type outlined in the foregoing shall be charac¬ terised in that the mass of the operating member and the spring stiffness of the spring element or elements are so adapted to one another and to the vibrating fre— quency of the vibrating plate that the relationship between the frequency of the vibration generator and the characteristic frequency of the operating member with regard to translational and rotational movements respectively along and about the axis of the operating member and respectively along and about two directions at right angles to said axis and also to one another, is > 2 * . Thus the invention is' based on the observation that one has to adapt the spring stiffness and the mass of the operating member in such a way to one another that the characteristic frequencies of the operating member (with regard to said directions) lie substan¬ tially below the interfering frequency, i.e. the inter¬ fering frequency generated by the vibrating plate. Only in this way is it thus possible to safeguard a high- grade vibration insulation and prevent an amplification of the transmission of vibrations as a result of natural oscillation conditions in the operating member. According to the invention, it is of special advan¬ tage if the operating member is connected at both of its ends to the shaft member of the handle and if each of the spring elements is in the form of an elastomer body which is of approximately hour-glass shape and which is axially arranged in relation to the operating member. To prevent that the elastomer body bursts under torsion it is of particular advantage to connect the elastomer body rotatably to the operating member or the shaft member. O PI In a further development of the invention the spring deflection restricting mechanical device is formed by a cup-shaped means which is connected to the shaft mem¬ ber of the handle and has a larger inner diameter than the outer diameter of the part of the operating member projecting into said cup-shaped means. It is particular¬ ly advantageous if the part projecting into the cup- shaped means is provided with a preferably annular, shock-absorbing and shock-damping elastomer element adapted to engage said cup-shaped means. To further insulate the operator from the vibrations of the vibrating plate the operating member preferably has a jacket of resilient elastomer material. The invention will now be described more in de- tail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 shows an example of a handle for a vibrat¬ ing plate according to the present invention; Fig. 2 shows a basic sketch for calculation of spring stiffness and mass of the handle device for the vibrating platej Fig. 3 shows parts of another example of a handle for the vibrating plate according to the present inven¬ tion; Fig. 4 shows a further example of a vibrating plate with a separately mounted operating member; and Fig. 5 shows a diagrammatic side view of a vibrat¬ ing plate according to the present invention. The vibrating plate according to the present in- vention is diagrammatically shown in Fig. 5 and com¬ prises a compactor plate 50 which is adapted for appli¬ cation to the ground and which supports an engine 51 with a vibrating device (not shown in detail) . Besides the vibrating plate has a handle 52 which comprises a shaft member 53 and an operating member 54. Fig. 1 shows an example how the handle for the vibrating plate according to the invention may be de- w signed. The handle thus has a shaft member 10 which corresponds to the shaft member 53 in Fig. 5. An ope¬ rating member 11 is connected to said shaft member. The operating member 11 has a core 12 of metal or plas- tics, preferably a steel rod, about which a jacket 13 of a suitable resilient material, preferably elastomer material, is fastened. The elastomer material most pre¬ ferably is porous with closed pores. At each end the operating member 11 has a cup-shaped means 14 the open side of which is facing outwardly. A ring 15 of rubber or plastics is fixed about the periphery of the cup- shaped means 14, for instance by vulcanization. A rubber spring 16 of hour-glass shape is fixed centrally in the cup-shaped means 14, for instance with the aid of a metal plate which is vulcanized to the elastomer spring and faces the operating member 11. A metal plate is also vulcanized to the other end of the elastomer spring 16, said metal plate being connected to or integral with a bolt 17. A second cup-shaped means 19 is arranged on the bolt 17 and the open side of said means faces the operating member 11. The cup-shaped means 19 has a larger diameter than the cup-shaped means 14 and the rubber ring 15 fixed thereto, and extends inwardly over said ring. The operating member 11 is fixed between the upstanding shaft members 10 of the handle by means of the bolts 17 passed through transverse bores at the outer ends of the shaft member and anchored to the shaft members by means of nuts. At the mounting, the cup-shaped means 19 are passed over the bolts 17 and clamped be- tween the corresponding elastomer spring and the adja¬ cent shaft member 10. Fig. 3 shows a further example how the handle of the vibrating plate may be designed. In this instance, the handle comprises an angle piece 20 one end of which is passed over the shaft member 10 of the handle and anchored thereto by means of two fastening screws 21 with cap nuts 22. The outer end of the angle piece is integral with the cup-shaped means 19 into which the ope¬ rating member 11 of the handle projects. This embodiment of the handle and its operating member 11 differs from the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 also with regard to the connection of the elastomer spring 16 with the operating member 11 and the angle piece 20. In this instance, too, the elastomer spring 16 is in the shape of an hour-glass or dumbbell and has metal plates vulcanized to its end surfaces. The right-hand metal plate shown in the drawing is connected to the fastening bolt 17 which penetrates through a hole of the angle piece 20 and is clamped there¬ to by means of the nut 18. The metal plate vulcanized to the other end of the elastomer spring 16 is integral or united with a cylindrical pin 23 which projects into a cylindrical bore 24 in the end surface of the core 12 of the operating member. The core 12 with its jacket 13 is thus rotatable in relation to the elastomer spring 16. The embodiment according to Fig. 3 differs from that of Fig. 1 also with regard to the cup-shaped means 14 which in this case is facing in the opposite direction and thus grasps the core 12 and is connected thereto. Same as ear¬ lier, an annular rubber body 15 is fastened to the outer side of the cup-shaped means 14 in order to serve as a spring deflection restricting device together with the cup-shaped means 19 on the angle piece 20. In Fig. 4 there is shown a further example how the vibrating plate according to the invention may be provided with a handle for vibration insulation. In Fig. 4 use has been made of the same reference numerals as earlier for the various components. The difference in this case is that the handle is mounted with the aid of special brackets 30 which are mounted on the handle 10 of the vibrating plate by means of bolts 31 and a clasp 32. Another difference resides in that the cup-shaped means 14 in this case is vulcanized in one piece with the elastomer spring 16 and provided with the elastomer ring 15 on its outer side. OMPI ™ 0 As mentioned above, one shall in accordance with the present invention adapt the mass of the operating member and the spring stiffness of the spring element or elements in a certain way to each other and to the. frequency of the vibrating plate, i.e. the interfering frequency. This adaptation shall take place such that the relationship between the interfering frequency and the characteristic frequency of the operating member with regard to translational and rotational movements respectively along and about the axis of the operating member and respectively along and about two directions at right angles to said axis and also to each other, is > 2. The theoretical calculation .of the correct spring stiffness and mass for the vibration insulating handle of the vibrating plate shall be described here- inbelow with reference to Fig. 2 which diagrammatically shows the shaft members 10 of the handle and the ope¬ rating member 11 mounted therebetween with the aid of the springs 16. In Fig. 2, there are shown three co- ordinates at right angles to each other, namely the Y-direction which is axial with the operating member 11, and the two directions Z and X which are at right angles to each other and to the Y-direction. In the drawing, the axis X is at right angles to the paper and extends through the point of intersection of the two arrows Y and Z. The suspension of the operating member 11 is such that for the calculation of the vibration insulation one has to consider six different vibration directions to permit establishing the exact position of the operat¬ ing member in each particular case. Three of these move¬ ments are translation movements, namely in the direc¬ tion of the axes X, Y and Z. Besides one has to consider rotational movements about each of these axes. In this connection, α designates rotation about the X-axis, β rotation about the Y-axis and γ rotation about the Z-axis. For each of these translational and rotational movements there is a characteristic frequency which is important in conjunction with the present invention. To obtain a fully satisfactory insulation of the operat¬ ing member 11 relative to the shaft portions 10 it has been found, according to the invention, that these cha¬ racteristic frequencies must lie considerably lower than the interfering frequency (the main frequency of the vibration generated by the vibrating plate) , the best insulation being obtained if the relationship be¬ tween the interfering frequency and the respective cha¬ racteristic frequency is > 5 " . As the suspension of the operating member is a so-called three-symmetry suspension the calculation of the characteristic frequncies can be simplified con¬ siderably. The characteristic frequencies are therefore calculated in the following manner: Translational motion 2 k r Z-direction f Z " 2π M Y-direction f.. x-direction f x 2π OMPI • A . Rotational motion about Z-axϊs f γ 2π 2k. about x-axis f = 2ττ M P, K about Y-axis fo = 2π M P, In these formulae: f is the characteristic frequency of the translational motion in the Z-direction (Hz) f is the characteristic frequency of the translational ^ motion in the Y-direction (Hz) ' X is the characteristic frequency of the translational motion in the X-direction (Hz) is the characteristic frequency of the rotational motion about the Z-axis (Hz) is the characteristic frequency of the rotational motion about the Z-axis (Hz) ' α is the characteristic frequency of the rotational motion about the X-axis (Hz) (in this instance, f = 0, which is due to the spring being theoretical¬ ly fastened in the mass without or with low friction) M is the mass of the operating member in kg k r is the stiffness of the spring element in the Z- direction in N/m is the stiffness of the spring element in the Y- direction N/m k is the stiffness of the spring element in the X- x direction in N/m k '1 n 3 is the torsion stiffness of the spring element about the Y-axis in Nm/radian a is the center-of-mass distance to the line of sym- ^ metry of the spring, meter measured along the Y-axis p„ is the radius of gyration of the operating member with respect to the Z-symmetry axis, meter p χ is the radius of gyration of the operation member with respect to the X-symmetry axis, meter If the spring constants of the two springs 16 are adapted in such a way that each of the characteristic frequencies indicated above is so much less than the vibrating plate interfering frequency caused by the vibration that the relationship between said frequency and the respective characteristic frequency of the ope¬ rating portion is > 2, one will obtain a very good vibration insulation. By reason of the design of the spring elements in the shape of hour-glasses or dumb¬ bells and by the absence of a bias of the spring ele¬ ments, a very long life will be obtained for the spring elements and the fastening of the operating member in the shaft members. With the use of the vibrating plate the operating member will thus be very satisfactorily vibration insulated in relation to the rest of the vi¬ brating plate, which makes it more convenient for the operator to handle the machine and will also reduce the risk of occupational injuries. When the machine is turned or otherwise handled and the operator exerts a considerable force on the member 11, the rubber ring 15 fastened to the cup-shaped means 14 will engage the inner side of the cup-shaped means 19 such that an exact operation of the machine is not prevented by the spring arrangement. This spring deflection restricting device also permits lifting of the vibrating plate by the handle without any risk that the spring elements 16 will be damaged.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A vibrating plate comprising a compactor plate (50) adapted for application to the ground and having an engine (51) and a vibration generator, and a handle (52) serving to operate the vibrating plate, the shaft and operating members (10, 53 and 11, 54, respectively) of said handle being interconnected by means of one or more spring elements (16) and a spring deflection restricting mechanical device (14, 19) for restricting the spring deflection upon exertion of a force over a predetermined level, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the mass of the operating member (11) and the spring stiffness of the spring element or elements (16) are so adapted to one another and to the vibration frequency of the vibrating plate that the relationship between said frequency and the characteristic frequency of the operating member (11) with regard to translational and rotational movements respectively along and about the axis (Y) of the operating member and respectively along and about two directions (Z and X, respectively) at right angles to said axis and also to one another, is > 2 * . 2. A vibrating plate as claimed in claim 1, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i s e d in that each end of the operating member (11) is connected to the -shaft member (10) of the handle by means of an elastomer body (16) having approximately the shape of an hour-glass and axially arranged in relation to the operating member. 3. A vibrating plate as claimed in claim 2, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i s e d in that the elastomer body (16) of hour-glass shape is rotatably connected to the ope¬ rating member (11) or the shaft member (10). 4. A vibrating plate as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the spring de¬ flection restricting mechanical device (14, 19) com- prises a cup-shaped means (19) connected " to the shaft member (10) of the handle and having a larger inner diameter than the outer diameter of the part (14) of the operating member (11) projecting into said cup- shaped means. 5. A vibrating plate as claimed in claim 4, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i s e d in that the part (14) of the ope¬ rating member (11) projecting into the cup-shaped means (19) has a shock-absorbing and shock-damping elastomer element (15) which is adapted to engage said cup-shaped means (19). 6. A vibrating plate as claimed in any of claims 1-5, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the operating member (11) has a jacket (13) of resilient elastomer material.

Inventors: ENOCHSSON PER, GRAFSTROEM LARS MANNE, HALLSTEDT LENNART, ENOCHSSON, PER, GRAFSTROEM, LARS, MANNE, HALLSTEDT, LENNART
Applicants: DYNAPAC MASKIN AB
Application year: 1984
Main classification: F16F15
IPC codes: B25D17, F16F15