DEVICE FOR DISPLACING MATERIAL

Abstract: Device comprising a driven rotor, provided with a number of spoon like means (5). Each spoon like means comprises a scoop (8) fixed to the end of an arm. A mechanism is provided, with which each spoon like means can be accelerated in a part of its path. During operation of the device each scoop scoops material in the lower part of its path. Thereupon the scoop is accelerated in a further part of its path thereby throwing away the material which is present in the scoop.

Description: Device for displacing material The invention relates to a device for displacing material, such as mud, comprising a frame. Such a device is used for instance in dredging brooklets, ditches, canals and the like. In the known devices the discharge of mud is a problem. In certain cases it is necessary to collect the mud, thereupon load it into trucks by cranes and carry it off to a place of deposit. This is, however, cumbersome and cannot be realized at all places. In other cases the mud is sprayed onto the adjacent land, wherein the mud is spread uniformly over the land, thereby forming an almost impenatrable layer. As a consequence the danger exists that the underlying vegetation is choked and dies off. It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for displacing material, such as mud, wherein the above-mentioned problem is solved in a very effective manner. For this purpose the device according to the inventi is characterized in that the frame supports a driven rotor, to which at least one scoop is fixed, the scoop scooping material in the lower part of its path and thereupon throwing it away. In this way the mud dredgings are thrown onto the adjacent land in the form of coherent clots, which is considerably less harmful for the vegetation, whilst further¬ more the device can be brought into action at all places. The invention will hereafter be elucidated with reference to the drawing, which shows several embodiments of the device according to the invention. Fig. 1 is a front view of an embodiment of the device according to the invention. Fig. 2 shows a part of the front view of fig. 1 wherein, however, the device is shown in another position. Fig. 3 is a front view of a second embodiment of the device according to the invention. Fig. 4 is a front view corresponding to fig. 3, wherein, however, the device is shown in another position. In the several figures corresponding parts are indicated with the same reference numerals. The drawing shows two embodiments of a device according to the invention, which are in particular suitable for dredging brooklets, ditches, canals and the like. For this purpose in both embodiments the frame of this device, of which a transverse beam 1 is shown in the drawing, may be coupled to every desired vehicle or vessel. Of course, it is also possible to fixedly mount the device in or to a vehicle or vessel. During the dredging the direction of movement is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. For dredging the soil a barge 2 is mounted to the transverse beam 1 of the frame by means of bolts, the barge related to the direction of movement, being open at the front side and being provided with a rear wall 3 at the rear side, the rear wall preferably having openings therein. When the barge 2 is moved through the upper layer of the soil the mud dredgings 4 will collect in the barge, which are removed from the barge 2 by spoon like means 5, which will be described more detailed hereinafter. The water eventually present in the mud can thereby drain off backwardly through the openings in the rear wall 3. It is, however, also possible to omit the barge 2, so that the spoon like means 5 can scoop the mud dredgings directly out of the soil. A rotor 6 is connected to the transverse beam 1 , said rotor may be driven by a driving means, such as an internal combustion or a hydraulic engine (not shown) . On the rotor 6 four spoon like means 5 are provided, the spoon like means 5 extending radially and being equally spaced in circumferential direction, and each spoon like means 5 consists of a metal arm 7 with a scoop 8 provided at the end thereof. These scoops 8 are preferably perforated, or may be made of wire netting or such material. Consequently the liquid taken along during a scoping movement can already drain off at least partially prior to throwing away the contents of the respective scoop 8. The device according to fig. 1 or 2 comprises a lever 9, which is pivotally adjustable about a pivot shaft, which is co-axially aligned with the axis of rotation of the rotor 6. The position of the lever 9 is adjustable by means of a cylinder-plunger assembly 10, which on one hand is connected to the lever 9 and on the other hand to the trans- verse beam 1. Further a leaf spring 11 is hingedly mounted on the lever 9, which leaf spring partially extends in extension of the lever 9. Two transverse pins 12 at the end of the lever 9 on either side of the leaf spring 11 serve for supporting the leaf spring 11, when it is loaded. The end of the leaf spring 11 carries an enlarged head 13. Of course it is also possible to provide such a lever mechanism at one or at either side of the rotor 6. For the co-operation with the respective leaf spring 11 of the lever 9 a laterally projecting cam 14 is provided at the respective side of the scoop 8, the cam being adapted to engage the leaf spring 11. The spoon like means 5 can be rotated about their longitudinal axis by means of a cylinder-plunger assembly 15, a lever 16 and a rotation mechanism operatively engaged by the lever 16, so that when the spoon like means are rotated through 180° and the direction of rotation of the rotor 6 is reversed, the device can operate in the reversed sense. The rotation mechanism for the spoon like means 5 can for instance consist of a pinion wheel provided at the inner end of each arm 7, the pinion wheel being in engagement with a crown wheel, which is rotatable by means of the lever 16. Another way to enable a reversed operation is to provide the spoon like means with two scoops facing away from each other, so that in this case it is only necessary to chang the direction of rotation of the rotor. It is also possible to provide an operation of the device in the reversed sense by rotating the transverse beam 1 together with the rotor 6 fixed thereto through 180° about a vertical axis. Instead of using the arm of the spoon like means as a spring means a spring member may engage each spoon like means, of which the arm is pivotally connected to the rotor by means of a pivot shaft extending parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotor. A retaining member may engage each spoon like means in a part of its path. In this embodiment the arm of the spoon like means may be of a rigid construction and the arm is tensioned by its pivoting movement against the spring force of the spring member. The device according to the invention works as follows: When the barge is moved through the upper layer of the soil the mud dredgings are collected therein. If the rotor 6 with the spoon like means 5 rotates a scoop 8 is moved through the mud dredgings 4 again and again, said scoop 8 thereby being filled with mud dredgings. In a position before its upper point the cam 14 of the scoop 8 comes into engagement with the leaf spring 11 on the lever 9. The rotor 6 thereby normally continues its rotation, so that both the leaf spring 11 and the arm 7 of the spoon like means will be tensioned. Consequently the leaf spring 11 and the arm 7 will bend to a certain degree dependent on the stiffness thereof. However, the leaf spring 11 will bend to such an extent, that the cam 14 of the scoop 8 moves along the leaf spring 11 to the end thereof, where the cam 14 temporarily catches in behind the enlarged head 13 of the leaf spring 11. When the leaf spring 11 bends any further, the cam 14 will suddenly release from the enlarged head 13, in consequence whereof the arm 7 forcibly returns to the non-deformed state, in such a way that the mud dredgings 4 in the scoop 8 are thrown away as a coherent clot (dotted in fig. 2) . The inclination, with which the mud dredgings clots are thrown away, is adjustable by means of an adjustment of the position of the lever 9, consequently the distance along which the dredgings are thrown away can be changed. The position of the lever 9 has to be adjusted also, when the direction of the rotor 6 is reversed. In this case the lever can be placed in the position shown in dotted lines in fig. 1. As circumstances may require mud dredgings clots may be thrown onto the surrounding terrain, or may be thrown into a collecting container connected to the vehicle or vessel of the device. During the dredging operation the barge 2 of the device also serves as a temporary storage of the mud to be removed. For instance when it is impossible to throw the mud dredgings onto the adjacent terrain, e.g. when passing a tree, the rotor 6 may be stopped temporarily, and only the device with the barge 2 may be moved. When it is possible again to throw away the clots of mud dredgings, the driving of the rotor 6 can be started again and the mud dredgings collected in the barge 2 can be scooped out and thrown away. As the scoops 8 may be accelerated during a short period so as to throw away the mud dredgings, the rotor 6 does not have to rotate at high revolutions per minute. The speed of revolutions of the rotor 6 is preferably between 5 to 50rpm. A slowly rotating rotor 6 has the advantage, that there is only a very small chance, that the scoops 8 will be damaged by large and hard objects possibly present in the mud. If the scoops 8 scoop the mud directly out of the soil, a further advantage of slowly rotating the rotor 6 is to be seen in that the ground will not be rooted up, and the water scooped together with the mud dredgings have sufficient time to drain of from the scoop 8 before the mud is thrown away. Fig. 3 and 4 show a second embodiment, in which the leaf spring 11 of the first embodiment is replaced by an adjustable spring mechanism 17. This spring mechanism 17 comprises a sickle-shaped member 18, which is hingedly connected to the lever 9 by means of a horizontal pivot shaft 19. The curved ends 20 of the sickle-shaped member 18 serve as engagement points for the cams 14 of the scoops 8. For adjusting and spring supporting the sickle- shaped member 18 an arm 21 mounted hereto is connected to a transverse arm 22 of the lever 9 by means of a cylinder- plunger assembly 23. Fig. 4 illustrates the position of the sickle- shaped member 18, in which the cam 14 of the scoop 8 just comes into contact with the sickle-shaped member 18 (on the left during a clockwise rotation of the rotor 6, on the right during a counter-clockwise rotation of the rotor 6) . When the arm 7 of the spoon like means 5 is bent the cylinder-plunger assembly 22 will be compressed, so that the sickle-shaped member 18 will be turned to such an extent, that the cam 14 on the scoop 8 will release from behind the end 20 of the sickle-shaped member 18 and the arm 17 will forcibly spring back to the non-deformed state. The invention is_ not restricted to the embodiments shown in the drawings by way of example, which may be varied in several ways within the scope of the invention. E.g. it is possible to use the device in displacing heaps of coals or beets and the like, while the device can be put on a lot of other applications.

Claims: C L A I M S 1. Device for displacing material, such as mud, comprising a frame, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the frame supports a driven rotor., to which at least one scoop is fixed, the scoop scooping material in the lower part of its path and thereupon throwing it away. 2. Device according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the (each) scoop is fixed at the free end of an arm extending substantially radially from the rotor, so as to form a spoon like means. 3. Device according to claim 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that for throwing away the material a mechanism is provided, with which each spoon like means can be accelerated in a part of its path. 4. Device according to claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the mechanism with which each spoon like means can be accelerated comprises a straining means, which is adapted to strain each spoon like means during a part of its path and successively releases it. 5. Device according to claim 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the straining means comprises a spring means which can engage the spoon like means. 6. Device according to claim 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the arm of each spoon like means is pivotally connected to the rotor by means of a pivot shaft extending parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotor, the straining means comprising a spring member connected to each spoon like means and a retaining member being adapted to engage each spoon like means in a part of its path. 7. Device according to claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the mechanism with which each spoon like means■can be accelerated is hydraulically actuated. 8. Device according to one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the direction of throwing of the scoop means with respect to the direction of movement of the device may be reversed. . Device according to claim 8, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the (each) spoon like means is pivotable about its longitudinal axis, and the rotor may be driven in both directions. 10. Device according to claim 8, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the spoon like means is provided with two scoops facing away from each other, and the rotor may be driven in both directions. 11. Device according to claim 8, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that a part of the frame which carries the rotor may be mounted such that it is turned 180° about a vertical axis. 12. Device according to one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that its direction of movement substantially coincide with the axis of rotation of the rotor. 13. Device according to claim 12, c h a r a c t e r i z e d ' in that the frame can be coupled to a propulsion means, such as a vehicle or vessel. 14. Device according to claim 12 or 13, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that a barge is mounted to the frame, the barge related to the direction of movement of the device being open at the front side, and the (each) scoop means being movable through the barge. 15. Device according to claim 14, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the wall of the barge which is related to the direction of movement of the device is provided with openings. 16. Device according to one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the (each) scoop means is perforated. 17. Device according to one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the (each) scoop means is made from netting wire or such material. 18. Device according to one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that it can be coupled to a collecting container, in which the material thrown away by the scoops can be received. 19. Device according to one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the number of revolutions per minute of the rotor is 5-50.

Inventors: KONIJN NICOLAAS GERARDUS, KONIJN, NICOLAAS, GERARDUS
Applicants: KONIJN NICOLAAS GERARDUS, KONIJN, NICOLAAS, GERARDUS
Application year: 1986
Main classification: E02F5
IPC codes: E02F3, E02F5