APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR COMPACTING MATERIAL

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus in the form of a vehicle-mounted appliance, particularly an appliance intended for a vehicle (100) that has a manoeuvrable appliance attachment means (102a, 102b), wherewith the apparatus (1) and the vehicle (100) are intended for use in handling or compacting rubbish, waste material or other material, for instance. The apparatus (1) includes a compacting device (2) which has means (14a, 14b) for coupling or connecting said device to the manoeuvrable appliance attachment means (102a, 102b) on the vehicle (100), said apparatus (1) also including a dozer device (3). The compacting device (2) is comprised of a rotatable roller whose outer cylindrical surface preferably has devices (10) for disintegrating the garbage, waste material or other material during its compaction. The dozer device (3) has the form of a dozer blade whose longitudinal extension is preferably roughly parallel with the rotational axis of the compacting device (2). The blade (3) has a working surface (20) which faces away from the compacting device (2). The invention also relates to a method which can be applied with a vehicle-carried apparatus according to the aforegoing.

Description: APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR COMPACTING MATERIAL The present invention relates to apparatus in the form of a vehicle appliance, and then particularly to an appliance for a vehicle that includes a manoeuvrable appliance attachment means, said apparatus and said vehicle being intended for handling or compacting garbage, waste or other like material, for instance. The invention also relates to a method of using said apparatus/appliance. Garbage or waste material deposited at garbage stations, for instance, are handled by so-called garbage compacting machines . The vehicles normally used are particularly designed to this end, and the use of such vehicles is restricted to the actual garbage compaction operations concerned. The degree of usefulness of such special duty vehicles is relatively small and such vehicles are expensive to purchase and to run. Furthermore, the drivers of such vehicles are continuously subjected to vibration forces, since the means used to compress the garbage or other waste (the so-called compaction roller) is often in continuous contact with the underlying surface/the ground during manoeuvring of the vehicle . An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method which can be used very advantageously for handling primarily waste material/garbage, and which can also carry out other working operations of a similar kind. This object is achieved with an apparatus and a method that have the features set forth in the characterising clauses of the Claims . The invention affords many advantages, of which some are mentioned below by way of example. The inventive apparatus is an appliance or accessory that can be coupled to any type of vehicle that has a manoeuvrable means for the attachment of tools/appliances of different kinds. A non-limiting example of one such vehicle is a so- called wheel-mounted loader or wheeled tractor, although other types of vehicle to which an appliance can be coupled can also be used. Since such a vehicle can also be used for many other types of work carried out, inter alia, on a garbage dump or waste dump - such as wetting, salting, maintenance and construction of transport roads, handling of landfill materials, arrangement of storing places, ploughing, snow clearing, construction of environments, transportation of covering materials, garbage covering, onloading of recovered material, etc. - provided that the vehicle is equipped with an appliance suitable for such work, so as to enable the vehicle to be used to an optimum while making large economic savings. An especially constructed compacting machine does not have the aforesaid flexibility, while problems relating to vibrations in the driver's cabin are both troublesome and of long duration. The use of a compactor reduces the volume of the garbage to a far greater extent than that achieved by alternative methods. The inventive apparatus and the inventive method enable the pressure exerted by the compaction means against an underlying surface to be readily varied with the aid of, e.g., the vehicle loading arms, at the same time as the transport distance of the vehicle can be greatly reduced by virtue of the co-action between the dozer and the compacting device. This co-action results in a considerable savings in time. Digging and shovelling work is greatly simplified as a result of the inventive positioning of the dozer. The invention affords both economical and technical advantages . The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to exemplifying embodiments thereof and also with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the inventive apparatus when coupled to an arm-equipped vehicle; Fig. 2 is a side view of the inventive apparatus when disconnected from the vehicle; and Fig. 3 is a side view showing the apparatus during a material compaction phase. The inventive apparatus 1 includes a compacting device, in the form of a rotatably mounted roller 2 , and a dozer or shovelling device 3, in the form of a so-called dozer blade. The compacting device 2 is comprised of a rotatable roller that on its outer cylindrical surface preferably has a plurality of disintegrating devices in the form of so-called knives 10. The knives 10 are conveniently arranged in a particular, normally irregular, pattern. The roller 2 will preferably have a relatively heavy intrinsic weight. The roller 2 is carried for rotation on a rectangular frame 13 through the medium of end-bearings 11,12. Mounted at the rear part of the frame 13 is a rear attachment means 14a, 14b, for instance a so-called standard attachment means for connection to a commercially available so-called wheeled loader 100 equipped, for instance, with an hydraulically operated manoeuvring arm or lifting arm system 101, said lifting arms 101 normally carrying on their front ends a standard appliance attachment means 102a, 102b to which different tools and appliances can be attached. The frame 13 carries at its front end a front attachment means 15a, 15b, this attachment means conveniently being a functional imitation of the so-called standard attachment means 102a, 102b on said vehicle 100. The dozer J3 conveniently has the form of a so-called dozer blade which has, for instance, a slightly concave configuration, as best seen from Fig. 1. The active front side of the dozer blade 3 has been identified with the reference numeral 20. The dozer blade 3 carries on its rear side a rear attachment means 21a, 21b which is preferably of a standard type and of the same design as the attachment means 14a, 14b. The attachment means 21a, 21b can thus be connected to the attachment means 15a, 15b of the compacting device 2 and can also be connected to the attachment means 102a, 102b of the vehicle 100, therewith -expanding the usefulness of the dozer blade 3 and enabling free selection of various dozer devices . The function and use of the inventive apparatus will now be explained in more detail . In normal use of the inventive apparatus 1, the compacting device 2 is coupled to an appropriate vehicle 100, by attaching the attachment means 14a, 14b to the vehicle-carried attachment means 102a, 102b. The dozer device 3 is coupled to the compacting device 2, through the medium of respective attachment means 21a, 21b and 15a, 15b. The vehicle 100 equipped with the inventive apparatus 1 is used to handle or compact garbage, waste material or some other material, for instance, in the following way. As a first working stage, the vehicle 100 is manoeuvred in a first direction (a forward direction) according to arrow A while using the dozer device 3 to dig or shovel out a pile of material to be handled. In a second working stage, the vehicle 100 is then manoeuvred in a second direction (a rearward direction) according to arrow B and the compacting device 2 is used to compact the pile of garbage/waste/material . In the first working stage, the compacting device 2 is suitably moved out of pressing contact with the underlying surface 200 in question, at the same time as the working surface 20 of the dozer device 3 that lies distal from the compacting device digs or shovels out a pile of material. In the second working stage, the arms on the vehicle 100 are manoeuvred so as to press the compacting device 2 against the underlying surface 200, so as to achieve optimum compaction and disintegration of the material concerned. In the second working stage, the dozer device 3 is suitably moved out of active contact with said underlying surface 200, as will best be seen from Fig. 3. Pressure exerted by the compacting device 2 against the underlying surface 200 is symbolised by the force arrow F. Both of the front wheels 103 of the vehicle 100 will normally be raised from said surface 200 in response to pressure of the compacting device 2 against said surface. As will be understood from the aforegoing, the first working stage and the second working stage may conveniently be carried out in essentially opposite directions of movement of the manoeuvring vehicle 100. It will be seen, however, that other working methods can be applied in conjunction with using the inventive apparatus 1. It will be understood that the design of the inventive apparatus can, of course, be varied widely within the scope of the invention. The design of both the dozer device 3 and the compacting device 2 can, of course, be varied and the aforesaid devices can, naturally, be combined to provide an inseparable unit, although this would, of course, limit the flexibility of the apparatus whilst preventing separate use of the dozer device 3 and the compacting device 2. It will also be understood that the designs of respective attachment means 14a, 14b, 15a, 15b, 21a, 2lb and 102a, 102b can be varied in many different ways.- It will be observed that the dozer device 3 may comprise any suitable commercially available dozer blade of appropriate design. It will also be observed that the inventive placement and positioning of the dozer blade 3 in relation to the compacting device 2 is of extreme significance and provides many advantages with regard to the use of the inventive apparatus . Naturally, the inventive compacting device 2 can be constructed in several different ways and it will be understood that the design and positioning of the disintegrating devices 10 may be varied in many ways. The invention is thus not restricted to the illustrated and described embodiments, since changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the following Claims .

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Apparatus in the form of a vehicle-mounted appliance, particularly an appliance intended for a vehicle (100) that includes a manoeuvrable appliance attachment means (102a, 102b) , wherewith the apparatus (1) and the vehicle (100) are intended for use in handling or compacting garbage, waste material or other material, for instance, characterised in that the apparatus (1) includes a compacting device (2) that has an attachment means (14a, 14b) for coupling or connection with/to a manoeuvrable appliance attachment means (102a, 102b) on the vehicle (100) ; and in that said apparatus (l) also includes a dozer device (3) . 2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, characterised in that the compacting device (2) has the form of a rotatable roller that preferably includes on its outer cylindrical surface devices (10) for disintegrating garbage, waste material or other material during the compaction thereof. 3. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or 2 , characterised in that the dozer device (3) has the form of a blade whose longitudinal extension is preferably roughly parallel with the rotation axis of the compacting device (2) ; and in that the blade (3) has a working surface (20) which faces away from the compacting device (2) . 4. Apparatus according to any one of Claims 1-3, characterised in that the compacting device (2) is rotatably mounted on a frame structure (3) through the medium of bearings (11,12), said frame structure carrying the attachment means (14a, 14b) for coupling said device to the vehicle-mounted appliance attachment means (102a, 102b). 5. Apparatus according to any one of Claims 1-4, characterised in that the dozer device (3) is detachably connected to the compacting device (2) . 6. A method of handling or compacting garbage, waste material or other material with the aid of a vehicle-mounted apparatus (1) that includes a compacting device (2) and a dozer device (3) , characterised by manoeuvring the vehicle (100) in a first direction (A) in a first stage, so as to dig or shovel out a pile of rubbish, waste material or other material by means of the dozer device (3) , and thereafter manoeuvring the vehicle (100) in a second direction (B) in a second stage so as to compact the rubbish/waste material/material by means of the compacting device (2) . 7. A method according to Claim 6, characterised by moving the compacting device (2) out of contact with the underlying surface (200) in said first stage, and by moving said dozer device (3) out of contact with said underlying surface (200) in said second stage. 8. A method according to Claim 6 or 7 , characterised by carrying out said first and said second stages in generally opposite directions of movement (A,B) of said manoeuvring vehicle (100) . 9. A method according to any one of Claims 6-8, characterised by pressing the compacting device (2) against said underlying surface (200) with the aid of the vehicle (100) during said second working stage. 10. A method according to any one of Claims 6-9, characterised by using a vehicle (100) that has a manoeuvrable arm (101) on which the apparatus (1) can be supporte .

Inventors: AASTROEM JAN, SUNDQVIST BOERJE, AASTROEM, JAN, SUNDQVIST, BOERJE
Applicants: AASTROEM JAN, SUNDQVIST BOERJE, AASTROEM, JAN, SUNDQVIST, BOERJE
Application year: 1998
Main classification: E02F5
IPC codes: B09B1, E02D3, E02F3