Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02880947 2015-02-02
DITCH DIGGING AND DITCH CLEANING APPARATUS
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to equipment for digging and cleaning ditches,
and more
particularly, to a ditch digging and cleaning apparatus for being mounted as
an attachment to an
excavator, loader, or other boom.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Typically, roadways are designed with ditches along the sides thereof for
collecting run-off water
from the road, as well as water flowing towards the road from a hill or
mountain or surrounding
area, and directing the same away from the road. Over time, debris such as,
for example,
sediment from erosion ¨ sand, soil, rocks, etc. - and organic material ¨ tree
branches, shrubs,
vegetation overgrow, etc. - accumulate in the ditches and can block the same,
posing a serious
risk of wash-outs often damaging or destroying significant portions of a
roadway during a heavy
rain fall.
Therefore, the drainage ditches require periodic cleaning to maintain their
ability for collecting
and directing the water away from the roadway. Generally, the cleaning of
drainage ditches is
done using a ditch bucket mounted to a wheel excavator or track excavator.
Unfortunately, great
care and maneuvering are required from the operator to accomplish the cleaning
and dumping of
the debris in order to avoid the ditch being damaged or even destroyed,
resulting in a very time
consuming process.
It is desirable to provide a ditch digging and cleaning apparatus for being
mounted as an
attachment to an excavator or other boom that enables substantially simple and
fast digging and
cleaning of ditches and dumping of the debris.
It is also desirable to provide a ditch digging and cleaning apparatus for
being mounted as an
attachment to an excavator or other boom that is operable under water.
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It is also desirable to provide a ditch digging and cleaning apparatus for
being mounted as an
attachment to an excavator or other boom that is easy to maintain.
It is also desirable to provide a ditch digging and cleaning apparatus for
being mounted as an
attachment to an excavator or other boom that is capable of quickly moving a
substantial amount
of debris.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a ditch digging
and cleaning
apparatus for being mounted as an attachment to an excavator or other boom
that enables
substantially simple and fast cleaning of ditches and dumping of the debris.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a ditch digging and
cleaning apparatus for
being mounted as an attachment to an excavator or other boom that is operable
under water.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a ditch digging and
cleaning apparatus for
being mounted as an attachment to an excavator or other boom that is easy to
maintain.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a ditch digging and
cleaning apparatus for
being mounted as an attachment to an excavator or other boom that is capable
of quickly moving
a substantial amount of debris.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a ditch
digging and cleaning
apparatus. The apparatus comprises a housing adapted for being moved along a
longitudinal axis
of the ditch. The housing has an inlet opening at a bottom front portion
thereof for transmitting
therethrough debris disposed in the ditch and an outlet opening at an upper
portion thereof. An
impeller is disposed in the housing and rotatably movable mounted thereto. The
impeller receives
the debris from the inlet opening and propels the same through the outlet
opening. A drive is
connected to the impeller for driving the same, the drive has a power of at
least 30 hp.
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According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
ditch digging and
cleaning apparatus. The apparatus comprises a housing adapted for being moved
along a
longitudinal axis of the ditch. The housing has an inlet opening at a bottom
front portion thereof
for transmitting therethrough debris disposed in the ditch and an outlet
opening at an upper
portion thereof. An impeller is disposed in the housing and rotatably movable
mounted thereto
via a shaft and at least a bearing. The impeller receives the debris from the
inlet opening and
propels the same through the outlet opening. A drive is disposed in the
housing and connected to
the shaft for driving the same. The housing is adapted for enclosing the
drive, a portion of the
shaft, and the at least a bearing in a water sealed fashion.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
ditch digging and
cleaning apparatus. A housing is adapted for being moved along the ditch. The
housing has a
front portion, a middle portion, and a rear portion. The front portion of the
housing has an inlet
opening at a bottom front portion thereof for transmitting therethrough debris
disposed in the
ditch and an outlet opening at an upper portion thereof. A front structural
support plate separates
the front portion from the middle portion of the housing and a rear structural
support plate
separates the middle portion from the rear portion of the housing. The front
and the rear
structural support plate are adapted for being coupled to a coupling structure
of heavy equipment
such that the same is accommodated therebetween. An impeller is disposed in
the front portion of
the housing and rotatably movable mounted to the front structural support
plate via a shaft. The
impeller receives the debris from the inlet opening and propels the same
through the outlet
opening. A drive is disposed in the rear portion of the housing and connected
to the shaft for
driving the same. The drive is mounted to the rear structural support plate.
The advantage of the present invention is that it provides a ditch digging and
cleaning apparatus
for being mounted as an attachment to an excavator or other boom that enables
substantially
simple and fast cleaning of ditches and dumping of the debris.
A further advantage of the present invention is that it provides a ditch
digging and cleaning
apparatus for being mounted as an attachment to an excavator or other boom
that is operable
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under water.
A further advantage of the present invention is that it provides a ditch
digging and cleaning
apparatus for being mounted as an attachment to an excavator or other boom
that is easy to
maintain.
A further advantage of the present invention is that it provides a ditch
digging and cleaning
apparatus for being mounted as an attachment to an excavator or other boom
that is capable of
quickly moving a substantial amount of debris
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is described below with
reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a simplified block diagram illustrating in a perspective view
operation of a
ditch digging and cleaning apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of
the
invention;
Figures 2a to 2f are simplified block diagrams illustrating a side view, a
rear view, a top
view, a perspective top rear view, a perspective top front view, and a cross
sectional view,
respectively, of the ditch digging and cleaning apparatus according to the
preferred
embodiment of the invention;
Figure 3a is a simplified block diagram illustrating a perspective top front
view of the
housing of the ditch digging and cleaning apparatus according to the preferred
embodiment of the invention;
Figure 3b is a simplified block diagram illustrating a perspective view of the
front cover
plate of the ditch digging and cleaning apparatus according to the preferred
embodiment
of the invention;
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Figures 3c and 3d are simplified block diagrams illustrating a perspective
front view and
a perspective rear view, respectively, of the front cover of the ditch digging
and cleaning
apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the invention;
Figure 3e is a simplified block diagram illustrating a perspective view of the
shaft of the
ditch digging and cleaning apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of
the
invention;
Figures 3f to 3h are simplified block diagrams illustrating a perspective top
front view, a
front view, and a side view, respectively, of the impeller of the ditch
digging and cleaning
apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the invention;
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have
the same meaning as
commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention
belongs.
Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described
herein can be used
in the practice or testing of the present invention, the preferred methods and
materials are now
described.
While the description of the preferred embodiments hereinbelow is with
reference to an
excavator boom for digging or cleaning a roadside ditch, it will become
evident to those skilled
in the art that the embodiments of the invention are not limited thereto, but
are also adaptable for
use with various other pieces of heavy equipment such as, for example, a wheel
loader as well as
for cleaning various other types of ditches such as, for example, ditches
along railway lines or
ditches employed in agriculture. Furthermore, the ditch digging and cleaning
apparatus may also
be used for digging new ditches.
Figure 1 illustrates operation of a ditch digging and cleaning apparatus 100
according to a
preferred embodiment of the invention for cleaning ditch 14 along roadway 10
having
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embankment 12. Preferably, the ditch digging and cleaning apparatus 100 is
mounted to boom
22A of excavator 20. For example, housing 102 of the ditch digging and
cleaning apparatus 100
is adapted for being mounted to a conventional coupling structure 22B of the
boom 22A. Since
the coupling structure 22B is not standardized, an adapting coupler may be
interposed between
the housing 102 and the coupling structure 22B. Optionally, the coupling
structure 22B or the
adapting coupler is adapted for rotating the ditch digging and cleaning
apparatus 100 about an
approximately vertically oriented axis in order to facilitate movement of the
ditch digging and
cleaning apparatus 100 when the ditch 14 comprises curves and/or comers.
Preferably, the ditch
digging and cleaning apparatus 100 is connected to the hydraulic system of the
excavator 20 ¨
with present day heavy equipment typically providing hydraulic oil at pressure
in the range of
4000psi to 5000psi - in a conventional manner for driving the same, as will be
described in more
detail hereinbelow.
As illustrated in Figure 1, the ditch digging and cleaning apparatus 100 is
moved along
longitudinal axis 16 of the ditch 14 using the excavator 20 placed on the road
10 or its shoulder
and moved along the same, as indicated by the block arrows. As the ditch
digging and cleaning
apparatus 100 is moved forward, the debris - typically accumulated in the
bottom portion of the
ditch 14 in the form of a slurry comprising sediment, solid organic material
and sometimes water
¨ is transmitted through inlet opening 104, propelled, and expelled through
chute 106 at a speed
sufficient for throwing the same a sufficient distance 17 from the ditch 14,
as indicated by the
dashed block arrow. Preferably, the chute 106 is adapted for expelling the
debris in a direction
oriented approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 16 of the ditch
14. Optionally, the
chute 106 is replaced by a rotatably diretable chute or a coupling element
adapted for being
coupled in a conventional manner to a pipe or hose for loading the expelled
debris onto a truck
such as, for example, a vacuum truck.
It is noted that the ditch digging and cleaning apparatus 100 is employable
under various
conditions such as: under water when the ditch is, for example, flooded; or,
in absence of water
such as, for example, when digging ditches.
Referring to Figures 2a to 2f and 3a to 3h, the ditch digging and cleaning
apparatus 100
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according to a preferred embodiment of the invention is provided. The housing
102 - being
adapted for being moved along the longitudinal axis 16 of the ditch 14 ¨ has,
preferably, a semi
cylindrically shaped straight bottom portion 114 of sufficient length for
guiding the housing 102
along the ditch 14. The housing 102 has an inlet opening 104 at a bottom front
portion thereof for
transmitting therethrough debris disposed in the ditch 14 and an outlet
opening 105 at an upper
portion thereof. Impeller 110 is disposed in the housing 102 and rotatably
movable mounted
thereto for receiving the debris from the inlet opening 104 and propelling the
same through the
outlet opening 105. The inlet opening 104 is, preferably, shaped such that a
bottom portion of the
impeller 110 is exposed with the bottom portion of the housing 102 forming a
substantially
forward facing edge such that the inlet opening 104 is narrowing in a
direction of rotation ¨
indicated in Figure 2e - of the impeller 110. Preferably, a portion of the
forward facing edge is
tapered in a substantially forward direction for facilitating the forward
movement of the housing
102, for example, by providing edge plate 112 welded to the housing 102.
Optionally, the
complete forward facing edge is tapered.
Preferably, front cover 108 of the housing 102 is tapered in a substantially
forward direction for
facilitating movement of the ditch digging and cleaning apparatus 100 through
vegetation
overgrowth by separating the same, while bottom rear portion 116 of the
housing 102 is angled
upwardly for facilitating movement of the ditch digging and cleaning apparatus
100 around tight
curves and corners of the ditch.
Further preferably, a marker 109 is disposed on the housing 102 ¨ for example,
on the front cover
108 - indicating a distance Dm therefrom to the bottom end 114 of the housing
102 for assisting
the operator, for example, when lowering the ditch digging and cleaning
apparatus 100 into the
ditch 14. Optionally, a plurality of markers is provided indicating different
distances to the
bottom end 114. Further optionally, one or more markers are provided a
predetermined distance
above the housing 102 ¨ for example, disposed on the boom 22A or a vertical
extension mounted
to the housing 102 - for assisting the operator when the ditch digging and
cleaning apparatus 100
is operated under water.
Preferably, the housing 102 comprises a front portion 102C, a middle portion
102B, and a rear
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portion 102A with a front structural support plate 120B separating the front
portion 102C from
the middle portion 102B of the housing 102 and a rear structural support plate
120A separating
the middle portion 102B from the rear portion 102A of the housing 102. The
front structural
support plate 120B and the rear structural support plate 120A comprise
coupling elements 103,
disposed in an upper portion thereof, for being coupled in a conventional
manner to coupling
structure 22B of excavator 20 such that the same is accommodated therebetween
using, for
example, bolts accommodated in respective bores disposed in the coupling
structure 22B and the
coupling elements 103. The impeller 110 is disposed in the front portion 102C
of the housing
102 and rotatably movable mounted to the front structural support plate 120B
via a shaft 126.
The front portion 102C of the housing 102 comprises a front cover plate 117
disposed a
predetermined distance to the front structural support plate 120B for
accommodating the impeller
110 therebetween. Preferably, the front cover plate 117 is removably mounted
using, for
example, bolts, to front side 132 of the front portion 102C, illustrated in
Figure 3a, such that
fitting section 117A of the front cover plate 117, illustrated in Figure 3b,
is in snug contact with
inside opening 130 of front side 132 to ensure proper placement thereof. The
shaft 126 is
rotatably movable mounted to the front structural support plate 120B and the
front plate 117 in a
conventional manner, using off-the-shelf bearings 128A and 128B. The impeller
110 is driven
using drive 122 disposed in the rear portion 102A of the housing 102 and
mounted to the rear
structural support plate 120A. Preferably, an off-the shelf drive coupler 124
is interposed
between the drive 122 and the shaft 126 and is adapted such that the same can
be removed while
the drive 122 and the shaft 126 remain in place, thus enabling maintenance or
replacement of the
bearing 128A without removing the drive 122 or the shaft 126. The drive 122
is, for example, an
off-the-shelf hydraulic drive connected to the hydraulic system of the
excavator 20 via hydraulic
lines 123 in a conventional manner.
Furthermore, the impeller 110 is removably mounted to the shaft 126, as will
be described in
more detail hereinbelow, and can be removed therefrom while the shaft 126
remains mounted to
the front structural support plate 120B by removing the front cover 108, the
bearing 128B, and
the front cover plate 117.
Preferably, the rear portion 102A, the middle portion 102B, and the front
cover 108 are adapted
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for enclosing the drive 122, the drive coupler 124, and the bearings 128A and
128B in a water
sealed fashion using off-the-shelf seals such as, for example, 0-ring seals
disposed between the
shaft 126 and the respective bores 129A and 129B disposed in the front
structural support plate
120B and the front cover plate 117. Access to the drive 122, the coupler 124,
and the bearings
128A and 128B is provided via cover plates 118, 119 and front cover 108, which
are mounted in
conventional water sealed fashion to the housing 102 using, for example, a
seal placed between
the cover and the housing and screw fasteners. Use of conventional seals
enables operation of the
ditch digging and cleaning apparatus 100 under water to a depth of
approximately 3 feet.
Sufficient strength and rigidity of the housing 102 for: employing a drive
having a power of at
least 30 hp; to withstand a vertical impact when dropped accidentally into the
ditch; and, to be
strong enough for being pushed into debris and vegetation overgrowth during
forward
movement, is provided by the front structural support plate 120A and the rear
structural support
plate 120B which are made of, for example, steel sheet material having
sufficient thickness ¨ for
example, 1 inch thickness - and extend from the top, where they are coupled to
the coupling
structure 22B, downwardly to the bottom of the housing 102. The substantially
semi-circular
bottom portion 114 of the housing 102 - made of, for example, 0.25 inch thick
steel sheet
material and formed in a conventional manner using a press - is welded to the
bottom portion of
the front structural support plate 120B and the rear structural support plate
120A, as illustrated in
Figure 3a. The remaining flat walls and covers are also made of, for example,
0.25 inch thick
steel sheet material. The side walls 152 and 154 are welded to the front
structural support plate
120B and the rear structural support plate 120A and are extended upwardly
between the
structural support plates 120A and 120B to further increase rigidity. The
front top wall 156 and
the rear top wall 158 are also welded to the front structural support plate
120B and the rear
structural support plate 120A, respectively.
The front cover 108 is made of a base plate 108A having top plate 108B, bottom
plate 108E, and
side plates 108C, 108D welded thereto, as illustrated in Figures 3c and 3d.
Front edges of the top
plate 108B, the bottom plate 108E, and the side plates 108C, 108D are welded
to front plate 108F
to form an enclosure for protecting the bearing 128B disposed therein through
an opening in the
base plate 108A. Ring structure 108G surrounding the opening is welded to the
base plate 108A
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for further protecting the bearing 128B from impact when the ditch digging and
cleaning
apparatus 100 is pushed forward.
Referring to Figures 3e to 3h, a preferred configuration of the impeller 110
is provided. The
impeller 110 comprises impeller cylinder 110C having impeller mounting plate
110B welded
thereto. The impeller cylinder 110C has a bore for accommodating the shaft 126
therein. The
impeller mounting plate 110B is removably mounted to shaft mounting plate 127 -
which is
welded to the shaft 126 ¨ in a conventional manner using, for example, screw
bolts. Impeller
blades 110D are welded to the impeller cylinder 110C, the impeller mounting
plate 110B and
rear impeller ring 110A for providing sufficient strength and rigidity as well
as enabling removal
of the impeller 110 with the shaft 126 remaining mounted to the front
structural support plate
120B and connected to the drive 122, substantially facilitating replacement of
the impeller 110 in
case of damage or if it is desired to use an impeller having a different
number of blades 110D
and/or differently shaped blades 110D for propelling different types of
debris. The impeller
blades 110D are made, for example, of flat steel sheet material having a
thickness of
approximately 0.5 inch. Preferably, cutting teeth 110E are removably mounted
to the forward
edge of the blades 110D in a conventional manner using, for example, screw
bolts. The cutting
teeth 110E comprise a mounting plate 110E.2 for being in contact with the
impeller blade 110D
when mounted thereto and a cutting plate 110E.1 oriented perpendicular to the
mounting plate
110E.2 with a cutting edge 110E.3 being disposed at a radially outwardly
increasing distance to
the mounting plate 110E.2. Removably mounting of the cutting teeth 110E
facilitates
replacement of the cutting teeth 110E in case of wear-out/damage or if it is
desired to use cutting
teeth 110E having a different shape, for example, for cutting though different
types of debris.
In an implementation of the ditch digging and cleaning apparatus 100 for
employing a hydraulic
drive operated at a hydraulic pressure of 4400 psi and having a power of 30
hp, the housing 102
has an overall length L of approximately 4.5 feet, an overall height H of
approximately 2 feet,
width W of approximately 1.5 feet. The structural support plates 120A, 120B
are spaced a
distance D1 of approximately 1.25 feet. The impeller 110 has a diameter Di of
approximately
17.5 inches. The impeller blades 110D have a length Li of approximately 8.5
inches and a height
Hi of approximately 5.75 inches. The impeller 110 driven at a speed of
approximately 1500 rpm
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is capable of propelling debris at a rate of approximately 1 m3/min.
The present invention has been described herein with regard to preferred
embodiments. However,
it will be obvious to persons skilled in the art that a number of variations
and modifications can
be made without departing from the scope of the invention as described herein.
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