Patent Publication Number: US-7708005-B2

Title: Apparatus and method for splitting masonry materials

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention relates to a hydraulically operated apparatus for shearing or splitting masonry materials, such as stone, bricks and precast masonry blocks for landscaping and building construction purposes. 
   Use of decorative and structural stones, blocks and bricks for building construction and landscaping is well known. These materials have been extensively used as structural and decorative components of public, commercial, industrial and residential construction. Generally the sizing of such masonry material is provided by the quarry operator or the block manufacturer. However, on sight cutting or splitting of the masonry material is required to resize the material for structural or decorative construction purposes. Abrasive saws are used in situations where a smooth surface is required; however, a split cut face is preferable in situations where a rough brick, stone or block face surface is needed because such sheering is faster, cleaner and provides a decorative irregular surface. Such sheering is generally accomplished through the use of hydraulically operated apparatus, such as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,568,577. 
   It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a hydraulic masonry splitting apparatus which is faster and more efficient in operation. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The apparatus of the present invention for splitting masonry material includes a frame with a work support table vertically moveable in the frame with a lower blade attached to the table for supporting masonry material to be split on the table and overlying the lower blade. An upper blade is positioned in the frame over the table in alignment with the lower blade, and a hydraulic jack is supported in the frame below the table and is actuated by an actuating lever for thereby raising the ram of the jack, which engages and simultaneously raises the table together with its lower blade to engage masonry material supported thereon between the upper and lower blades for splitting. A mechanism is provided for more quickly raising the table with its attached lower blade, for thereby initially forcing the table upward at a faster rate for fast engagement of the upper and lower blades with the masonry material to be split upon initial actuation of the actuating lever. 
   After this initial blade engagement process is completed with unusually fast speed, the splitting process is continued by further compressing the blades together with the hydraulic jack ram until the masonry material splits. This provides a very fast and efficient stone splitting operation without the requirement of repeated pumping of the actuation lever as required by the prior art hydraulic splitters. 
   Thus, through the use of a single operating mechanism, the operation speed of the masonry material splitter is greatly improved by quickly raising simultaneously the work table with the lower blade by the hydraulic jack ram in order to split the masonry material more efficiently. Another advantage of the present invention is that through the use of this single actuating mechanism, even when a stone or block prevents the lower blade and support table from moving up because the stone or block completely consumes or occupies the space between the upper and lower blades, nevertheless, the hydraulic drive for the jack nevertheless is permitted to have full movement of its actuation capabilities. 
   The mechanism for causing this initial quick response for engagement of the blades to the masonry material to be cut includes a second hydraulic drive cylinder for actuating the jack which is actuated simultaneously by the same actuating lever that operates the primary drive for the hydraulic jack. In addition, a spring biased lever mechanism is provided in the form of a compression spring disposed between the head of the hydraulic jack ram and a lever flange positioned therebelow to provide an actuation cushion and to bias the actuating lever to its original starting position once the splitting process is completed. 
   In addition, the upper blade may be adjustably positioned within or on the frame for initially adjusting the spacing between the upper and lower blades to accommodate masonry material of different thicknesses. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Other objects and advantages appear hereinafter in the following description and claims. The accompanying drawings show, for the purpose of exemplification, without limiting the scope of the invention or the appended claims, certain practical embodiments of the present invention wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is an isometric elevational view of the apparatus of the present invention for splitting masonry materials with a portion of the support table sectioned away; and 
       FIG. 2  is an elevational enlarged view of the apparatus shown in  FIG. 1  with the upper portion thereof and support table removed to fully expose the operating mechanism. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring to the drawings, a masonry material splitter  10  of the present invention is illustrated. The splitter  10  includes a frame  12 , a work support table  20  vertically moveable within frame  12  along with attached lower blade  18  in tracks  30 . The combination of table  20  and lower blade  18  supports masonry material (not shown) thereon to be split. 
   An upper blade  14  is positioned in the frame  12  over table  20  in alignment with lower blade  18 . Upper blade  14  may be preadjusted in spacing from lower blade  18  in tracks  30  by the acme screw height adjustment  16 . A hydraulic ram  52  of conventional hydraulic bottle jack  22  is supported in frame  12  below table  20  and is actuated by hydraulic plunger rod  50 , actuated by single actuating lever  24 . The apparatus of the present invention improves the splitting process by providing a second hydraulic cylinder drive  53  which is also actuated by the single actuating lever  24 , which simultaneously actuates plunger rod  50  of jack  22  and plunger rod  54  of drive  53  through connection  51 . 
   When the foot pedal  21  on single actuating lever  24  is actuated by pressing downward thereon, the plunger  50  of jack  22  is actuated and simultaneously the plunger rod  54  of hydraulic drive  53  is also pressed downward and both of these hydraulic drives force hydraulic fluid into the hydraulic bottle jack  22  behind the ram  52  to raise the ram  52  and lower blade  18  and worktable  20  in combination at a fast rate. 
   The second hydraulic drive  53  is simultaneously depressed by the same actuating lever  24  and thereby also draws hydraulic fluid behind the ram  52  and raises the ram  52 , lower blade  18  and table  20  more quickly than movement of plunger rod  50  alone can accomplish. When the hydraulic plunger rod  50  is depressed, the ram  52  of hydraulic jack  22  moves up under pressure about 1/16th to ⅛th of an inch. When hydraulic plunger rod  54  is depressed by actuating lever  24 , ram  52  will move up approximately 2″. 
   Also, hydraulic cylinder drive  53  connects to the arm  56  which in turn is pivoted on the fulcrum  58 . The other end of arm  56  has a flange  60  with a compression spring  62  seated thereon, the spring operationally engaging between the head of the hydraulic ram  22  and flange  60 . Thus, when lever  24  is depressed, hydraulic drive  53  is also depressed and the drive end of arm  56  moves downward as the other end forces flange  60  and compression spring  62  upward with ram  52  and lower blade  18  with table  20 , so that the masonry material to be split is engaged between the lower blade  18  and the upper blade  14 . Thus, this arrangement provides a mechanism for quickly raising the work table  20  with its attached lower blade  18  for initial very fast engagement of upper and lower blades  14  and  18  with the masonry material to be split upon initial actuation of the actuating lever  24 . The splitting process is then continued by further depression of the actuating lever  24  which causes further actuation of the hydraulic drive plunger rod  50  and drive  53  to further actuate hydraulic jack  22  until the masonry material splits. 
   In situations where the masonry material or stone to be split fills or mostly fills the initially set space between the lower blade  18  and upper blade  14 , the actuating lever  24  and the hydraulic plunger rod  50 , are still permitted to fully actuate the hydraulic jack  22  and its ram  52  because the compression spring  62  compresses in order to allow full motion of plunger rod  50 .