ITTO20100962A1 - EXCAVATOR TOOL FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF HOLES IN THE GROUND AND METHOD OF REALIZING HOLES USING SUCH A TOOL. - Google Patents

Description

Excavator implement for making holes in the soil and method for making holes which uses the implement

DESCRIPTION

Technical sector

Excavator tool for drilling holes in the ground and method of drilling holes using that tool.

Note Art

Excavating machines equipped with an articulated arm provided with a bucket double hinged at the extremity of the arm in correspondence with respective hinge hinges are known in the art. The reciprocal movement impressed on the hinges of the hinge to which the dipper is associated, determines the rotation of the dipper itself in a plane substantially perpendicular to the hinge axes and to the ground. Furthermore, the arm is usually associated with a platform that can rotate in a plane substantially parallel to the ground. The combination of these two movements, together with the oscillation of the arm with respect to the base in a plane generally coinciding with that of rotation of the dipper, allow to operate in a generally circular work area around the vertical axis passing through the center of the excavator and according to incident directions with respect to the ground for the removal and compaction of material. The movements of the arm are generally impressed by a hydraulic system provided with hydraulic jacks interposed between the parts of the arm.

According to the known technique, in addition to the shovel, other tools can be connected to the excavator, such as a demolition hammer, for example of the hydraulic type, a demolition grapple, a screening shovel, rotary cutters, compactors, etc.

Currently the dipper is used for example for the construction of excavations in the ground.

Excavations obtained with an excavator equipped with a traditional dipper, however, cannot have a regular shape and small size, especially when carried out in depth. Such holes are not suitable, for example, for laying poles or the like as they are usually highly irregular, of excessive size and not compacted laterally. Therefore in such cases, after the laying of the pole, it is necessary to bring the soil back and compress it around the pole. However, the result obtained is not always satisfactory due to the poor consistency of the ground around the pole which therefore tends to move when shaken transversely.

In the past, tools have been developed for making foundation holes in the ground. However, such tools are generally complex and expensive.

Furthermore, the known tools are not suitable for occasional use on the same excavator machine, with which the dipper is used, as they are complex to assemble on the excavator arm.

A first example of a known type of tool provided for the purpose of making regular holes in the ground is described in GB-2.350.135. However, this type of tool is cumbersome and the assembly and disassembly operations of the tool from the excavator are long and complex.

A second example of a known tool is described in DE-8.912.404, however this tool is not suitable for hard soils or whose consistency offers considerable resistance to the penetration of the tool into the ground.

Another example of known tool is described in US-5.797.705, however also this tool is complex and expensive to make and the assembly and disassembly from the excavator machine are long and complex operations.

Known tools also generally require high powers for their operation.

A first object of the invention is to provide an excavator tool for making holes in the ground, which is effective even with modest operating power and weight of the excavator.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an implement, which can be easily and quickly mounted on and removed from the excavator arm.

A further object of the invention is that of providing a tool of the aforesaid type which is simple to construct and which can therefore be produced industrially at low costs.

Not least object of the invention is to provide a method for making holes in the ground by means of the aforementioned tool.

Description of the Invention

These and other objects are achieved with the tool and the method as claimed in the appended claims.

A first advantage of the invention follows from the fact that the coupling portion of the implement is rotatably associated with both hinges provided on the arm of the excavator for the assembly of the dipper. In this way, the reciprocal movement imparted to the hinges by the control system of the excavator arm, determines the rotation of the attachment portion of the tool in a plane substantially perpendicular to the hinge axes. Thanks to this arrangement, the tool portion of the tool can be made to oscillate forcibly and repeatedly in a plane perpendicular to the ground during the drilling of the hole, facilitating the penetration of the tool portion into the ground and causing the compaction of the walls of the hole. According to the invention, the compaction of the walls of the hole occurs substantially at the same time as the penetration of the tool portion into the ground, ie using the same oscillating movements. This oscillation is determined by the fact that the free front end of the tool, i.e. of its tool portion, is embedded in the ground and determines an oscillation fulcrum for the remaining part of the tool portion, which is made to move forward and backwards along different planes, thanks to the movement of the parts of the excavator arm and eventually of the platform.

The preferred arrangement, according to which the coupling portion is arranged substantially in the center between the aforementioned hinge axes, has the advantage of allowing the creation of regular holes even in soils which resist the penetration of the tool. The aforementioned oscillatory movement of the tool portion in fact facilitates its penetration into the ground and this effect is maximized by the aforementioned central positioning of the coupling portion.

In a particular aspect of the invention, it is envisaged that the tool is associated with the dipper. In this way, the excavator machine can be equipped for drilling holes in the ground, quickly and without having to disassemble the shovel from the excavator arm.

Brief Description of the Figures

Some embodiments of the invention will be described below, provided by way of non-limiting example with reference to the attached figures in which:

- Figure 1 is a side view of an excavator equipped with a dipper;

- Figure 2 is a side view of the head of the arm of an excavator from which the dipper has been removed; - Figures 3A-3C are side views of the head of the arm of an excavator to which the tool according to a first embodiment of the invention is applied, in as many oscillating positions;

- Figure 4 is a perspective view from below of a second embodiment of the tool according to the invention;

- Figures 5A-5C are side views of the working end of the tool portion in as many embodiments;

- Figure 6 is a side view of a third embodiment of the tool according to the invention.

Description of some preferred embodiments

With reference to Figure 1, a generic excavator of known type will be described by way of example, on which the tool according to the invention can be mounted.

As will be evident from the following description, the tool according to the invention can be substantially applicable to any kind of excavator equipped with an articulated arm equipped or equipped with a shovel or other tool, such as a demolition hammer, for example of the hydraulic type. .

In particular, the excavator may be for example small in size (mini excavators), for example weighing about 15 quintals, or large, for example weighing around 200 quintals.

The generic excavator illustrated in Figure 1 has been indicated as a whole with the reference number 11 and comprises an articulated arm 13 equipped with a hydraulic control system and a bucket 15.

The excavator 11 also provides a platform 17 to which the arm 13 is articulated by means of a connection unit 19.

The platform 17 is mounted rotatably with respect to a traction unit 21 which, in the example illustrated, is equipped with tracks 23.

On the platform 17 there is a cabin 25 which houses the controls for driving the excavator and where the operator can find a place.

The articulated arm 13 comprises some portions, two in the illustrated example, where they have been indicated with the references 13a and 13b, articulated to each other.

Hydraulic jacks 25 complete the structure of the arm 13 and determine the reciprocal movement of the portions of the arm and of the dipper 15.

Referring also to Figure 2, it will be noted that the end of the arm 13, to which the bucket 15 can be associated, comprises two hinge hinges 27 provided to receive respective hinge pins 29 passing also in the two hinge hinges 31 provided on the spoon 15.

By removing the hinge pins 29 and thanks to the hinge hinges 27, the arm of an excavator, such as for example the one indicated with the reference 13, can be known to be equipped with various tools in addition to the bucket 15.

According to the known technique, the hinge hinge 27 can also be provided at a portion of the articulated arm of the excavator or at the end of a hydraulic jack provided associated with the arm itself.

The generic excavator illustrated in Figure 1 provides a first hinge 27 on a portion 13b of the arm 13 and a second hinge 27 on a return arm 33. Again with reference to the example of excavator illustrated, the arm 33 is hinged to the jack hydraulic 25 which controls the movement of the bucket 15 and is connected to the portion 13b of the arm 13 by means of a pair of connecting levers 35.

With reference to Figures 3A to 3C, the tool according to a preferred embodiment of the invention has been generally indicated with reference 41.

In the illustrated embodiment the tool 41 substantially comprises a coupling portion 43, a tool portion 45 and a connection joint 47, preferably idle, interposed between the two portions 43 and 45.

The parts that make up the tool can be separable to allow the replacement of one or more of them and in particular the tool portion 45 can possibly be interchangeable to adapt the tool to different terrains.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, the coupling portion 43 comprises a pair of hinge hinges 31â € ™, which allow the coupling portion 43 to be associated with the arm 13, replacing the bucket 15.

Preferably, according to this embodiment of the invention, the hinges 31 'are obtained by means of a pair of parallel flanges 49 between which the hinges 27 of the articulated arm 13 are housed. The hinge pins 29 complete the connection between the arm 13 and tool 41, similarly to what is described with reference to bucket 15.

From the above it is evident that the tool 41 can be easily mounted on and removed from the arm 13, simply by inserting and removing the pins 29 in their respective hinge hinges.

Still according to this embodiment of the invention, the coupling portion 43 comprises a support plate 51 to which the flanges 49 are fixed. Flanges 49 and plate 51 can be made of steel and welded together.

The tool portion 45 of the tool according to the invention comprises a head 53 for fixing the portion 45 to the connecting joint 47. An elongated body 55 extends from the head 53, which in the illustrated example is cylindrical in shape , susceptible to penetrate the ground when subjected to a longitudinal thrust along its axis.

According to the invention, the elongated body 55 is preferably a steel cylinder, hollow and open at the base 57, opposite the head 53. Said opening allows the collection of the soil inside the body 55 during the drilling the hole in the ground. The soil accumulated inside the body 55 can be evacuated by removing the body 55 from the ground and shaking it by means of the repeated oscillating movement of the coupling portion 43 determined by the reciprocal movement of the hinges 27 of the arm 13.

The connecting joint 47 preferably comprises a cardan joint 59 of which the driving shaft 61 is associated with the coupling portion 43 and the driven shaft 63 with the tool portion 45.

More precisely, in the example illustrated, the driving shaft 61 is fixed to the plate 51 and the driven shaft 63 is fixed to the head 53. The fixing of the shafts 61 and 63, respectively to the plate 51 and to the head 53, can be of the reversible or permanent type and take place by means of known means, such as for example nuts and bolts in the case of reversible fixing, or by welding in the case of permanent fixing. The example illustrated shows the permanent fixation achieved by welding.

Still according to the invention, the connection joint 47 can be of another kind, for example of the spherical type or of the flexible type, for example obtained by means of a flexible body, possibly elastic, for example of reinforced rubber. Furthermore, a vibrating device can be incorporated upstream or downstream of said connection joint, which can be useful for example in the case of particularly consistent soils. In the case of a cardan joint, the tool according to the invention can also comprise a rotating device, for example hydraulically controlled, which can be useful for improving the penetration of the tool portion into the ground.

Again with reference to Figures 3A to 3C, the tool 41 is shown in as many oscillation positions, determined by the reciprocal position of the hinges 27 in the arm 13. These positions can be obtained in various ways by moving the jacks of the arm or the others. machine controls.

More precisely, Figure 3A shows the plate 51 and the tool portion 45 inclined, respectively to the left and to the right, Figure 3B shows the horizontal and vertical arrangement, respectively of the plate 51 and of the body 55 and Figure 3C shows the arrangement with plate 51 inclined to the right and tool portion 45 to the left.

The arrangement of Figure 3A is determined by the downward thrust exerted by the jack 25 on the arm 33 with respect to the hinge 27 of the portion 13b of the arm 13 and by the fact that the body 55 is at least partially driven into the ground.

The arrangement of Figure 3C is determined by the upward traction of the jack 25 on the arm 33 with respect to the hinge 27 of the portion 13b of the arm 13 and by the fact that the body 55 is at least partially driven into the ground.

The arrangement of Figure 3B corresponds to the intermediate configuration, which is determined at the center of the trajectory in the transition from the arrangement of Figure 3A to that of Figure 3B or vice versa.

The repeated oscillatory movement of the plate 51, impressed by the reciprocal movement of the hinges 27 of the arm 13, causes the oscillation of the tool portion 45 of the tool 41 while the latter is driven into the ground by the effect of the thrust exerted by the high from the arm 13 of the excavator. Thanks to the aforementioned repeated oscillatory movement and to the downward thrust, the body 55 easily penetrates into the ground creating a substantially cylindrical hole with very compact side walls. The oscillation frequency is determined by the type of excavator and could be, for example, of the order of one complete oscillation every 2 - 4 sec.

The aforementioned oscillatory movement occurs in a plane substantially perpendicular to the hinge axes passing through the pins 29. Oscillating movements in different planes, for example in a plane parallel to the hinge axes, can be impressed on the body 55, thanks to the presence of the cardan joint 47 by means of other controls provided on the excavator, for example the control for the rotation of the platform 17 or for the movement of the connection unit 19.

According to a preferred form of the invention, the coupling portion 43 is arranged substantially in the center between the hinge hinges 27 and consequently the hinge axes passing through the pins 29, so that the forces transmitted by the hinge portion coupling 43 to the tool portion 45 by means of the connection joint 47, are substantially equivalent in both directions of the oscillatory motion.

Figure 4 illustrates a second embodiment of the invention, in which the coupling portion 43 is associated with the bucket 15.

In the illustrated example, said coupling portion 43 comprises a plate 51 'fixed permanently or reversibly to the back 15a of the bucket 15.

The fixing of the plate 51â € ™ to the bucket 15 can take place by means of nuts and bolts or by welding, depending on the type of fixing, reversible or permanent, but also with other means of a type known to the skilled technician, such as for example couplings, joints, pins , thorns, etc ...

According to this embodiment of the invention, the driving shaft 61 of the joint 59 is associated with the plate 51â € ™, for example it is welded to the plate 51â € ™. Still according to the invention, it is however possible to provide that said shaft 61 is directly associated with the dipper 15, for example by welding, a bayonet, screw or other known type.

Still according to this embodiment, it is evident that the movement of the hinges 27 is transmitted to the driving shaft 61 through the dipper 15.

The operation of the tool made in accordance with this second embodiment of the invention is substantially similar to that of the tool described with reference to the first embodiment. In particular, the oscillatory movement imparted to the bucket 15 by the arm 13 is transmitted to the tool portion 45 through the connection joint 47. Also according to this embodiment, therefore, the tool portion 45, when it is at least partially driven into the ground, performs an oscillatory movement in a plane substantially perpendicular to the hinge axes passing through the pins 29, similar to that illustrated in Figures 3A-3C.

Referring now to Figures 5A-5C, as many alternative embodiments of the body 55 are illustrated, which can be interchangeable for example by means of a quick coupling for coupling to the head 53. In particular, Figure 5A shows a body 55 with a flat base 57, Figure 5B shows a body 55 with a pointed base 57, Figure 5C shows a body 55 with a blunt base 57. The bases 57 can also be open or closed.

Other embodiments of the portion 45 will be possible depending on the shape and depth of the hole to be made. The body 55 may, for example, have a circular, square or hexagonal section, be cylindrical or conical or of another shape.

The cylindrical shape with a circular section represents the preferred solution as it is the one that allows you to create a hole with a regular circular section with greater ease and less number of oscillatory movements.

Again the body 55 may be provided with parts equipped with reciprocal movement, for example impressed by hydraulic actuators connected to the hydraulic circuit of the excavator, to facilitate the unloading of the material, in particular soil, accumulated inside it during the execution of the hole.

By way of example, in the various embodiments described, in the case of a small excavator, typically of 15 quintals, the body 55 may have a diameter of about 150-200 mm when hollow and of 80 mm when full and length, in both cases, of about 1500 mm.

In the case of large excavators, typically about 200 quintals, the body 55 may have a diameter of about 400 mm when hollow and 200 mm when full and length in both cases about 3000 mm.

With reference to Figure 6, a third embodiment of the invention is illustrated in which the body 55 is of the hollow type and equipped with an open base 57 and houses inside it a piston 65 sliding axially inside the body 55 In the illustrated example, the piston 65 is associated by means of a rod 67 to a hydraulic jack 69, preferably also housed in the body 55. The jack 69 can be advantageously connected by means of pipes 71 to the hydraulic circuit of the excavator at the which tool is associated with. In the example illustrated, the jack 69 is advantageously housed inside the body 55, between the closed head 53 of said body 55, opposite the open base 57. This embodiment is particularly advantageous because it allows the material, for example the soil, which accumulates inside the body 55 during the use of the tool 41. Normally, in fact, the body 55 is discharged of the soil that accumulates inside, simply by operating the arm excavator to hit the body 55 against the ground or shake it in the air. Thanks to the provision of the piston 65 it is instead advantageously possible to unload the soil by controlling the jack 69 to move the piston 65 from the rear configuration, close to the jack 69, to an advanced configuration, close to the opening provided in correspondence with the open base 57.

The tool as described and illustrated is susceptible of numerous variations and modifications, falling within the same inventive principle.

Claims (10)

CLAIMS 1. Tool (41) for excavator (11) for making holes in the ground, in which said excavator is of the type equipped with an articulated mechanical arm (13) equipped with a hydraulic control system and equipped or equipped with a tool (15 ) hinged to the end of the arm at the respective hinge hinges (27), said tool comprising a coupling portion (43), a tool portion (45) and a connection joint (47) interposed between said two portions, in which the tool portion comprises an elongated body (55), characterized in that said coupling portion can be associated with said hinge hinges directly or by interposition of the tool, so that the reciprocal movement imparted to said hinges by the command of the arm determines the oscillation of the tool portion in a plane substantially perpendicular to the hinge axes. 2. Tool according to claim 1, wherein said tool (15) comprises a spoon and wherein the coupling portion (43) comprises a pair of hinge hinges (31â € ™), which allow to associate the coupling portion ( 43) to the arm, replacing the dipper, by means of corresponding hinge pins (29). 3. Tool according to claim 2, wherein the coupling portion (43) comprises a support plate (51) to which parallel flanges (49) are fixed in which the hinge hinges (31â € ™) of the coupling (43). 4. Tool according to claim 1 or 2 or 3, wherein the tool portion (45) comprises a head (53) for fixing the tool portion (45) to the connecting joint (47) and wherein from said head (53 ) extends an elongated body (55) hollow or solid, capable of penetrating the ground when subjected to a longitudinal thrust along its axis. 5. Tool according to claim 4, wherein said elongated body (55) is a steel cylinder, hollow and open at the base (57) opposite the head (53) of the tool portion and in which the body (55) it houses inside a piston (65) sliding axially inside the body (55), said piston (65) being associated with a hydraulic jack (69) capable of moving the piston (65) from a rearward configuration close to the jack (69), to an advanced configuration, close to the opening provided in correspondence with the open base (57) to cause the discharge of the material accumulated in the body (55) during the use of the tool. 6. Tool according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the connecting joint (47) comprises a universal joint (59) of which the driving shaft (61) is associated with the coupling portion (43) and the driven shaft (63) to the tool portion (45). 7. Tool according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the coupling portion (43) is arranged substantially in the center between the hinge hinges (27) of the arm, so that the forces transmitted by the coupling portion ( 43) to the tool portion (45) through the connection joint (47), are substantially equivalent in both directions of the oscillatory motion. 8. Tool according to claim 1, wherein said tool (15) comprises a dipper or a demolition hammer, for example of the hydraulic type and in which the coupling portion (43) can be associated with said tool (15) which equips the € ™ excavator. The tool according to claim 8, wherein said tool comprises a dipper and wherein the coupling portion (43) comprises a plate (51â € ™) permanently or reversibly associated with the back (15a) of the dipper (15). 10. Method of making holes in the ground using an excavator of the type equipped with an articulated mechanical arm (13) equipped with a hydraulic control system and equipped or capable of being equipped with a tool (15) such as a dipper or similar hinged to the end of the arm in correspondence with respective hinge hinges (27), in which the steps of: - equipping the excavator with a tool of the type claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9; - cause the repeated reciprocal movement of the hinge hinges of the arm so as to determine the rotation of the fixing portion of the tool in a plane substantially perpendicular to the hinge axes during the penetration of the tool into the ground and consequently determining the oscillation of the tool portion (45), when it is at least partially driven into the ground.