Padding machine and method of use

• US 20040211092A1
• Filed: 04/22/2003
• Published: 10/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tommy Barnes
• Original Assignee: Tommy Barnes
• Inventors: Barnes, Tommy
• Granted Patent: US 7,186,059 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 37/142.5
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/20 with tools that only loosen the material , i.e. mill-type wheels
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 5/226 with means for processing the soil, e.g. screening belts, separators; Padding machines
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 7/02 Conveying equipment mounted on a dredger conveyors in general B65G
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 7/06 Delivery chutes or screening plants or mixing plants mounted on dredgers or excavators for back-filling E02F5/226 takes precedence; separating equipment in general B03; delivery chutes in general B65G
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/028 with arrangements for levelling the machine hydraulic drives therefor E02F9/2257
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2004 Control mechanisms, e.g. control levers control levers per se G05G
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/205 Remotely operated machines, e.g. unmanned vehicles E02F3/8866 takes precedence

Abstract

An integrated padding machine that incorporates a front digging auger that is preferably mechanically as opposed to hydraulically powered, which in conjunction with a breaker bar assembly provides for digging and crushing capabilities, and that incorporates several other improvements and advances, including screen and cross-pass conveyor level control means, a real-time padding level monitoring system, and an assistant'"'"'s control module, improved controls, dust control, and cold weather padding, and methods of using the machine.

Claims

1. A padding device for separating the fines from the spoil pile adjacent a trench and returning the fines to the trench to pad the pipe in the trench, the device comprising:

a) a movable vehicle;

b) a rotatable digging auger attached to the front of the vehicle;

c) an up-conveyor attached to the vehicle behind said digging auger;

d) a screening assembly attached to the vehicle behind said up-conveyor; and

e) a cross-pass conveyor attached to the vehicle beneath said screening assembly and extended outwardly from said vehicle.

2. The invention of claim 1 in which said vehicle includes an engine that is used to provide the motive force for said vehicle.

3. The invention of claim 1 in which said digging auger is mechanically powered.

4. The invention of claim 1 in which the digging auger is hydraulically powered.

5. The invention of claim 1 further comprising a breaker bar adjacent to said digging auger.

6. The invention of claim 1 in which the position of said breaker bar is adjustable relative to the periphery of said digging auger.

7. The invention of claim 1 further comprising means for keeping the vehicle level side to side.

8. The invention of claim 1 in which said vehicle comprises a frame that is rotatably attached at one or more pivot points to a track assembly, and one or more hydraulic pistons are attached between said track assembly and said frame to control the position of said frame relative to said track assembly.

9. The invention of claim 7 in which said digging auger is attached to the vehicle in such a way as to be leveled along with the leveling of said vehicle, such that the digging auger will provide a smooth and level surface for the tracks of the vehicle to traverse.

10. The invention of claim 2 in which said digging auger is mechanically powered by said engine.

11. The invention of claim 2 in which said engine also to provides mechanical power to said digging auger.

12. The invention of claim 1 in which said vehicle includes one engine to provide a motive force for the vehicle and a second engine to provide mechanical power for said digging auger.

13. The invention of claim 2 in which said digging auger is hydraulically powered by said engine.

14. The invention of claim 1 in which said vehicle includes an engine to provide motive force for the vehicle and another engine to provide hydraulic power to said digging auger.

15. The invention of claim 1 in which a breaker bar is attached to said vehicle adjacent said digging auger.

16. The invention of claim 15 in which said breaker bar is adjustably attached to said vehicle so that its distance from said digging auger can be adjusted.

17. The invention of claim 1 in which said digging auger is selectively rotatable in either a forward or a reverse direction.

18. The invention of claim 1 in which the digging auger is housed within and attached to a frame that is adjustably attached to said vehicle such that said frame and said digging auger can be selectively raised and lowered

19. The invention of claim 1 in which said digging auger frame is adjustably attached to the up conveyor or the machine.

20. The invention of claim 19 further comprising a skid plate attached to said digging auger frame.

21. The invention of claim 19 in which a skid plate is attached to the up conveyor and does not rotate with the auger digging frame.

22. The invention of claim 18 in which said auger frame includes a screening plate having openings, said plate being attached rearward of said digging auger and forward of said up-conveyor such that only material that can pass through the screening plate openings is delivered to the up-conveyor.

23. The invention of claim 22 in which said screening plate is removable and replaceable with another plate having different size openings.

24. The invention of claim 18 in which said auger frame includes a front chain assembly that hangs down in front of the digging auger.

25. The invention of claim 1 in which said screening assembly includes a screen having interwoven warp and weft strands at a pre-determined distance apart so as to define specified openings.

26. The invention of claim 1 in which said screening assembly includes a flat metal plate having holes cut into it of a pre-determined size.

27. The invention of claim 26 in which said metal plate is removable and replaceable with another plate have different size holes.

28. The invention of claim 1 in which said screening assembly includes metal plates having holes cut into it of a pre-determined size, but rather than being flat, the plates are attached together in a semi-pyramid shape so as to increase the amount of surface area of the screen and the distribution of the material over the surface thereof, and thereby enhance the separation of fines from the oversize in the spoil.

29. The invention of claim 1 in which said screening apparatus comprises a rotatable circular drum having holes of a pre-determined size in its periphery.

30. The invention of claim 29 in which said circular drum has interior auger-like fins that auger the material through the circular screen slowly such that the material contacts the screen over a maximum area of the circular screen, extracting the maximum amount of fines that fall through said holes and deliver the fines to the cross-conveyor.

31. The invention of claim 29 in which said screening apparatus further comprises brushes that scrub the exterior of the rotatable circular drum thereby helping to clean residual material from said holes.

32. The invention of claim 1 in which said digging auger has auger fins that direct the material dug from the spoil pile and ground toward the center of said digging auger.

33. The invention of claim 1 in which said screening assembly comprises a frame, a screen, means for causing said screen to vibrate, and means for controlling the amount of said vibration.

34. The invention of claim 33 in which said means for controlling the amount of vibration comprise a plurality of pneumatic devices attached to said screen and which reside against said frame such that increasing or decreasing the pressure in said pneumatic devices decreases and increases the action of the vibration of said screen.

35. The invention of claim 33 in which said pneumatic devices comprise pneumatic tires.

36. The invention of claim 33 in which said means for controlling the amount of vibration comprises springs, steel or rubber.

37. The invention of claim 33 in which said means for causing said screen to vibrate is an eccentric motor.

38. The invention of claim 1 further comprising:

a) a wireless or hard wired control system attached to the vehicle which controls certain functions of the padding device, such as the speed of said up conveyor and the speed of said cross-pass conveyor; and

b) a hand-held control unit for said control system whereby a person walking alongside the vehicle can control said functions.

43. The invention of claim 1 further comprising an on-board water reservoir, water pump, and pipe and sprinkler head system that can deliver an adjustable amount of water spray to various parts of the device and trench so as to control dust during the padding operation.

44. The invention of claim 43 wherein said pipe and sprinkler head system is designed to deliver dust-controlling water spray to one or more of the areas of the digging auger, the up-conveyor;

the screen assembly;

the cross-pass conveyor; and

the trench.

45. The invention of claim 1 further comprising covers that are attached to the device used over the dust generating portions of the machine to control the dust.

46. The invention of claim 2 further comprising a heating system for delivering heat generated by said engine in a controlled way to the area adjacent said screen assembly so as to prevent the screen assembly from becoming plugged due to padding in extreme cold conditions.

47. The invention of claim 46 further comprising a separate heat-generating device on-board the padding device for supplying heated air to said padding system.

48. The device of claim 1 further comprising a joy-stick control for controlling the directional movement of said vehicle.

49. The device of claim 1 further comprising a joy-stick control for controlling the orientation of said digging auger.

50. The device of claim 10 further comprising a multiple gear transmission in the drive train between said digging auger and said engine.

51. The device of claim 10 further comprising a lock-up clutch in the drive train between said digging auger and said engine.

52. The device of claim 10 further comprising a slip clutch in the drive train between said digging auger and said engine.

53. The device of claim 10 further comprising a variable torque converter in the drive train between said digging auger and said engine.

54. The device of claim 10 further comprising a standard torque converter, in the drive train between said digger auger and said engine.

55. The device of claim 10 further comprising a lock-up clutch and a variable torque converter in the drive train between said engine and said transmission;

and further comprising a pair of magnetic pulse pick-up devices for measuring the RPM'"'"'s of said engine and said drive train downstream of said variable torque converter and said lock-up clutch;

a comparator for comparing said respective RPM'"'"'s and providing the result of said comparison to the operator of the device.

56. The invention of claim 1 further comprising a first sensing means attached forwardly of said cross-pass conveyor for sensing the distance between said sensing means and the top of the pipe in the trench to be padded;

a second sensing means attached rearwardly of said cross-pass conveyor for sensing the distance between said second sensing means and the top of the padding that has been delivered onto the pipe in the trench;

computing means for determining the difference between the distances sensed by said first and second sensing means and comparing that distance to a pre-programmed standard; and

means for indicating to the operator whether the difference is above, below or equal to said standard.

39. A padding device for separating the fines from the spoil pile adjacent a trench and returning the fines to the trench, the device comprising:

a. a vehicle;

b. a digging auger attached to the front of the vehicle;

c. an up conveyor attached to the vehicle behind said digging auger;

d. a screen and cross conveyor frame rotatably attached to the vehicle for housing a screen assembly and a cross conveyor;

e. a screen assembly attached to the frame;

f. a cross-pass conveyor attached to the frame; and

g. means for rotating said frame so that the screen assembly and cross-pass conveyor remain at their preferred orientation relative to the horizontal when the vehicle traverses up slopes and down slopes.

40. The invention of claim 39 in which said means for rotating the frame comprise hydraulic means.

41. The invention of claim 39 in which said means for rotating the frame comprise mechanical means.

42. The invention of claim 39 further comprising electronic sensing means that sense whether the vehicle is on level ground or an up-slope or down-slope, and adjusting means that change the orientation of the screening assembly and the cross-conveyor to maintain them in the desired orientation relative to horizontal so as to optimize the amount of fines that are extracted from the dirt and other material that is delivered to the screening assembly.

57. A method of padding pipe in a trench using the fines from the spoil pile adjacent the trench, comprising the steps of:

a) moving a vehicle along the trench, the vehicle having a front digging auger, an up-conveyor immediately behind said digging auger, a screening assembly immediately behind said up-conveyor, and a cross-conveyor under the screening assembly;

b) causing said digging auger to dig into the spoil pile and if desired a portion of the ground under the spoil pile;

c) causing the dirt and other material dislodged from the spoil pile and dug from the group to be delivered to the up-conveyor;

d) moving the up-conveyor to transport the dirt and other material to the screening assembly;

e) allowing the dirt and other material to fall onto the screening assembly such that the fines within the dirt and other material fall through the screening assembly onto the cross-conveyor;

f) moving the cross-conveyor to cause the fines that have fallen through the screening assembly to be returned to the trench.

58. The method of claim 57 further comprising the step of electronically sensing the depth of the fines returned to the trench relative to the pipe in the trench to ensure adequate coverage.

59. The method of claim 58 further comprising the step of electronically sensing whether the vehicle is on level ground or an up-slope or down-slope, and adjusting the orientation of the screening assembly and the cross-conveyor to maintain them in the desired orientation relative to horizontal so as to optimize the amount of fines that are extracted from the dirt and other material that is delivered to the screening assembly.

60. The method of claim 59 in that the screen assembly is manually adjusted to compensate for uphill or downhill padding.