GROUND WORKING DEVICE

DISPOSITIF DE TRAVAIL DU SOL

English Abstract

A ground working device is formed from a sub-frame having a first side and a second side, plural discs mounted for rotation on the sub-frame between the first side and the second side about an axis that extends from the first side to the second side; and a set of scoops mounted on each disc in ground contacting position. The scoops efficiently lift the ground surface material, which falls to the ground in a sorted manner with coarser material on top. A motor is operatively connected to the plural discs for rotating the discs about the axis. Each scoop in each set of scoops has a ground working face that extends transversely to the disc on which the respective scoop is mounted. The scoops each have concave ground contacting surfaces. Each scoop is received in a respective slot in the disc in which the respective scoop is mounted. The ground working device is mounted on a main frame, which is provided with ground engaging wheels. The sub-frame is retractably mounted on the main frame.

French Abstract

Un dispositif de travail du sol est formé d'un châssis auxiliaire possédant un premier flanc et un second flanc, plusieurs disques montés pour la rotation sur le châssis auxiliaire entre le premier flanc et le second flanc autour d'un axe qui s'étend du premier flanc au second flanc; et un ensemble de racloirs montés sur chaque disque dans le sol en position de contact. Les racloirs soulèvent efficacement les matériaux à la surface du sol, qui tombent sur le sol d'une façon déterminée avec les matériaux les plus grossiers sur le dessus. Un moteur est raccordé de façon opérationnelle aux différents disques pour la rotation des dits disques autour de l'axe. Chaque racloir dans chaque ensemble de racloirs possède une face de travail du sol qui s'étend transversalement au disque sur lequel le racloir respectif est monté. Chacun des racloirs possède des surfaces de contact au sol concaves. Chaque racloir est reçu dans une fente respective au sein du disque dans lequel le racloir respectif est monté. Le dispositif de travail du sol est monté sur un châssis principal qui est fourni avec les roues d'engagement au sol. Le châssis auxiliaire est monté de manière rétractable sur le châssis principal.

Claims

7
What is claimed is:
1. A road resurfacing device, comprising:
a sub-frame having a first side and a second side;
plural discs mounted for rotation on the sub-frame between the first side and
the
second side about an axis that extends from the first side to the second side;
a set of scoops mounted on each disc in ground contacting position, the scoops
each having concave ground contacting surfaces; and
a motor operatively connected to the plural discs for rotating the discs about
the
axis.
2. The road resurfacing device of claim 1 in which each scoop in each set of
scoops
has a ground working face that extends transversely to the disc on which the
respective
scoop is mounted.
3. The road resurfacing device of claim 1 or 2 in combination with a main
frame on
which the ground working device is mounted, the main frame being provided with
ground engaging wheels.
4. The road resurfacing device of claim 3 in which the sub-frame is
retractably
mounted on the main frame.
5. The road resurfacing device, comprising:
a sub-frame having a first side and a second side;
plural discs mounted for rotation on the sub-frame between the first side and
the
second side about an axis that extends from the first side to the second side;
a set of scoops mounted on each disc in ground contacting position and each
scoop is received in a respective slot in the disc in which the respective
scoop is mounted;
and
a motor operatively connected to the plural discs for rotating the discs about
the
axis.

8
6. The road resurfacing device of claim 5 in which each scoop in each set of
scoops
has a ground working face that extends transversely to the disc on which the
respective
scoop is mounted.
7. The road resurfacing device of claim 5 or 6 in combination with a main
frame on
which the ground working device is mounted, the main frame being provided with
ground engaging wheels.
8. The road resurfacing device of claim 7 in which the sub-frame is
retractably
mounted on the main frame.
9. A road resurfacing device, comprising
a sub-frame retractably secured under a mobile main frame;
plural scoops mounted for rotation on the sub-frame to dig into and lift
ground
material as the mobile main frame advances over the ground; and
a retractable ripper bar located on the mobile main frame forward of the sub-
frame.
10. The road resurfacing device of claim 9 in which the plural scoops are
mounted for
rotation opposed to the direction of movement of the mobile main frame over
the ground.
11. The road resurfacing device of claim 9 or 10 in which the scoops are
mounted on
discs, the discs being mounted on a rod extending transversely across the sub-
frame.
12. The road resurfacing device of claim 9, 10 or 11 further comprising a
motor
operatively connected to the plural discs for rotating the discs about the
axis.
13. The road resurfacing device of claim 12 in which each scoop has a ground
working face that extends parallel to the axis about which the scoop rotates.

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14. The road resurfacing device of claim 13 in which the scoops each have
concave
ground lifting surfaces.
15. The road resurfacing device of claim 11 in which each scoop is received in
a
respective slot in the disc in which the respective scoop is mounted.

Description

CA 02293885 1999-12-30
1
TITLE OF THE INVENTION
Ground Working Apparatus
NAME OF INVENTOR
Larry G. Culver
Ray W. Gillard
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to ground working devices.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A road resurfacing unit is disclosed in United States patent no. 5,795,096
issued
August 18, 1998, which uses teeth to rip a gravel road prior to separating
coarse material from
fine material and depositing the coarse material on the fine material. It is
desirable to have
efficient separation of coarse and fine material. The design in US patent no.
5,795,096 uses
discs commonly used in farm implements. While these work satisfactorily, there
is room for
improvement. The inventor has proposed a solution to the need for improved
separation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, in one aspect of the invention, there is provided a ground working
device,
comprising a sub-frame having a first side and a second side, plural discs
mounted for rotation
on the sub-frame between the first side and the second side about an axis that
extends from the
first side to the second side; and a set of scoops mounted on each disc in
ground contacting
position. The scoops efficiently lift the ground surface material, which falls
to the ground in a
sorted manner with coarser material on top. In a further aspect of the
invention, a motor is
operatively connected to the plural discs for rotating the discs about the
axis. Preferably, each
scoop in each set of scoops has a ground working face that extends
transversely to the disc on
which the respective scoop is mounted. Also, preferably, the scoops each have
concave
ground contacting surfaces. Each scoop is preferably received in a respective
slot in the disc in
which the respective scoop is mounted. In a further aspect of the invention,
there is provided a

CA 02293885 2007-05-07
2
main frame on which the ground working device is mounted, the main frame being
provided
with ground engaging wheels. The sub-frame is preferably retractably mounted
on the main
frame. In use, the ground working device is preceded by a ripper bar mounted
on the frame,
which rips the ground surface. The ripper bar may be formed with retractable,
replaceable
teeth.
These and other aspects of the invention are described in the detailed
description of
the invention and claimed in the claims that follow.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
There will now be described preferred embodiments of the invention, with
reference
to the drawings, by way of illustration only and not with the intention of
limiting the scope of
the invention, in which like numerals denote like elements and in which:
Fig. 1 is a side view of a ground working apparatus according to the
invention, with a
ground working device in travel position;
Fig. 2 is a side view of the apparatus of Fig. 1 with the ground working
device in fully
extended position;
Fig. 3 is a top view of the apparatus of Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is a front view of the apparatus of Fig. 1;
Fig. 5 is a top view of a sub-frame carrying discs with scoops according to
the
invention;
Fig. 6 is a cross-section through a disc according to the invention;
Fig. 7A is a side view of a disc with three scoops according to the invention;
Fig. 7B is a side view of a disc with five scoops according to the invention;
Fig. 8A is a top view of a sub-frame for carrying discs according to the
invention;
Fig. 8b is a side view of the sub-frame of Fig. 8A;
Fig. 9 is a partial side view, partial section, of one side of the sub-frame
of Fig. 8a;
Fig. 10 is a side view of the other side of the sub-frame of Fig. 8A
Fig. 11 is an isometric showing a retractable tooth assembly for use with a
ground
working apparatus according to the invention;
Fig. 12 is a rear view of the retractable tooth assembly of Fig. 11;

CA 02293885 2008-04-03
3
Fig. 13 is a side view of the retractable tooth assembly of Fig. 11; and
Fig. 14 is an isometric view of a ground working device with a retractable
tooth assembly
for use with a ground working apparatus according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In this patent document, "comprising" means "including". In addition, a
reference to an
element by the indefinite article "a" does not exclude the possibility that
more than one of the
element is present.
Referring to Figs. 1-4, the ground working apparatus is shown. A main fiame 10
is
supported by ground engaging wheels 12. A continuous track would also be
considered ground
engaging wheels for the purpose of this patent document. The main frame 10
carries a motor 14
and hydraulic section 16. A sub-frame 18 is attached under the frame 10 with
hydraulic arms 20, 22
and swing arms 24 and 26. The hydraulic arms 20, 22 raise and lower the sub-
frame 18 from the
travel position shown in Fig. 1 to the maximum working position shown in Fig.
2, and may fix the
sub-frame at working positions between the travel position and maximum working
position. The
swing arms 24, 26 hold the sub-frame 18 in a level position in relation to the
ground, with each set
of discs 28 on the sub-frame at equal height.
The discs 28 (Fig. 6, 7A, 7B) have square central holes and are received on a
square rod 30
that extends from one side of the sub-frame 18 to the other. The rod 30
defines the axis about
which the discs rotate. Each disc 28 is formed of a central cylindrical hub 32
with plates 34 at
either end and a flat disc 36 extending out from the hub 32. The discs 28 are
slotted at equal spaced
intervals around their peripheries with slightly arcuate slots 37 extending
inward from the
respective peripheries. Seven slots are provided, with three of the slots
equally spaced and five of
the slots equally spaced, one of the slots being common to both the set of
three and the set of five.
The discs 28 are held on the rod 30 with nuts 38, and interspaced along the
rod 30 are bearings 40.
Scoops 42 are received in the slots 37 and secured with pins 44 which extend
outward from an
interior portion of the discs 28. The scoops 42 extend transversely of the
discs 28 and have slots 46
that slide over the inner surface of the discs 28 so that the scoops 42 and
discs 28 dovetail onto
each other. The scoops may be mounted for rotation A opposed to the direction
of movement B of
sub-frame 18 over the ground. The scoops 42 preferably have a concave ground
working surface

CA 02293885 2008-04-03
4
49, to match the curvature of the slots 37. The scoops 42 extend radially
outward past the outer
circumference of the discs 28.
Referring to Figs. 8A, 8B, 9 and 10, the sub-frame 18 is formed from a cental
I-bar 47 with
arms 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 58 60 and 62 extending laterally from it. Arms 50,
52, 54, 56, 58 and 60
each terminate outwardly in a plate 64 to each which is secured, as by
bolting, respective journal
boxes 66. Bearings 40 are received in the journal housings 66. By this means
the discs 28 are able
to rotate, along with the rod 30, about the axis defined by the rod 30. Arm 48
receives one end of a
forward set of discs 28 and arm 62 receives one end of a rearward set of discs
28. Each of the arms
48 and 62 carries a motor 68, a shaft 70 of which is operatively connected to
the rod 30 for rotating
the rod 30. The motors 68 may be any of various motors, but is preferably
hydraulically driven by
the hydraulic section 16. Lobes 72, which extend upward from the sub-frame 18
are connected to
the hydraulic arms 20, 22 and lobe 74 is connected to the swing arms 24, 26.
The discs 28 are
arranged on the sub-frame 18 in such a position that the scoops 42 contact the
ground when the
sub-frame is lowered, without the sub-frame being so low that forward
progression is impeded.
Referring to Figs. 11, 12 and 13, there is shown a retractable tooth assembly
110. The
retractable tooth assembly 110 is formed of four main parts in the exemplary
embodiment shown.
First, there is a tooth carrier 112 having an upper end 114 and a lower end
116. Second, a tooth 118
is mounted for sliding on the lower end 116 of the tooth carrier 112. The
tooth 118 has an edge
120, which when in use is the forward edge that rips the ground. The edge 120
is formed of two
faces 120a, 120b meeting at an apex. The tooth 118 also has a rearward edge
122 in which is
formed a groove 124 for receiving a tongue 126 on the tooth carrier 112. The
tooth 118 is
preferably formed of a harder wearing material than the tooth carrier 112. The
edge 120 should be
made of the hardest material that is economical in the intended use, as for
example tungsten
carbide.
Third of the four main parts forming the retractable tooth assembly 110 is a
tooth position
fixative 128 at the upper end 114 of the tooth carrier 112. The tooth position
fixative 128 is formed
of a yoke member, securely attached to the tooth carrier 112 as by a bolt 130,
with a bore 132
through the member for receiving a position adjustable rigid link 134
connecting the tooth position
fixative 128 and the tooth 118. The position adjustable rigid link 134, the
fourth main part in the
retractable tooth assembly 110 is preferably a constant

CA 02293885 1999-12-30
diameter screw with exterior threads that mate with interior threads in the
bore 132. The end
136 of the position adjustable rigid link 134 is formed as a hex nut to allow
working the screw
through the bore 132. The end 138 of the position adjustable rigid link 134 is
formed as a cap
rotatably received by a slot 140 in the upper end of the tooth 118.
5 The tooth 118 is thus adjustably located on the tooth carrier 112 by
rotating the hex
nut at the end 136 of the position adjustable rigid link 134. As the tooth 118
wears, its height
may be adjusted. The tooth 118 is the part that takes most of the wear in use
of the retractable
tooth assembly 110. By this design, the tooth 118 may be readily removed from
the tooth
carrier 112 by slipping the cap at the end 138 out of the slot 140, and
sliding the tooth 118 off
the tooth carrier 112.
Various other mechanisms may be used for the tooth position fixative 128 and
position
adjustable rigid link 134. The mechanism shown is a screw received by a
threaded opening.
Alternatively, such devices as a rack and pinion or worm and screw and other
similar devices
may be used to advance and retract the tooth 118 on the tooth carrier 112.
A mount for the retractable tooth assembly 110 is shown in Fig. 14. The mount
comprises a frame 142, which may be part of various ground working equipment
such as a
grader, farm implement or a road working device of the type shown in United
States patent
no. 5,795,096 of Culver. The frame 142 has a lower surface 144, which is
defined as the
surface closest to the ground when the frame 142 is in working position. Teeth
118 are
secured to the frame 142 and extend away from the surface 144 in a ground
contacting array.
The teeth 118, made as shown in Figs. 11, 12 and 13, are individually
retractable. Preferably,
the teeth 118 are arranged in a rectangular array as shown, with many more
teeth across the
width than there are rows of teeth. Each tooth 118 is formed as part of a
retractable tooth
assembly 110, which extends through the frame 142 from the upper side of the
frame 142 to
the lower side. The retractable tooth assembly 110 is secured to the frame 142
on the first side
and the tooth itself forms a working end on the second side.
The retractable tooth assembly 110 may be secured to the frame 142 using the
tooth
position fixative 128. The tooth position fixative 128 may for this purpose
include a bar 146
secured to a shaft 148 extending between two posts 150 that are welded or
otherwise secured
to the frame 142. The frame 142 is formed of an upper plate 152 and lower
plate 154 secured

CA 02293885 1999-12-30
6
together in a casting process or by welding around their peripheries by plates
156, 158, 160
and 162. Mounting bars 164 are used to secure the frame 142 to swinging arms
180. The
frame 142 is raised and lowered using hydraulic arms 182 attached to either
side of the frame
and to the frame 142 with pins inserted into openings 184 in the frame 142.
The height of
5 the retractable teeth is controlled using hydraulic controls for the
hydraulic arms 182. The
frame 10 may be attached by any suitable means such as by plates 186 to a
vehicle, such as a
grader or tractor, that tows the apparatus across a road surface. While the
invention as
disclosed and claimed is a road resurfacing device, when applied to roads one
of the objects of
the invention is to restore, reconstruct and reshape the road as much as
possible during the
10 resurfacing process.
Immaterial modifications may be made to the invention described here without
departing from the essence of the invention.

Representative Drawing