Trenching machine

• US 4,179,829 A
• Filed: 12/12/1977
• Issued: 12/25/1979
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Franklin C. Kinkade
• Original Assignee: Franklin C. Kinkade
• Inventors: Kinkade, Franklin C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Crowder, Clifford D.
• Application Number:
  US05/859,796
• Time in Patent Office: 743 Days
• Field of Search: 37/94-97, 37/91, 37/189, 37/100, 37/DIG. 2
• US Class Current: 37/94
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/188 with the axis being horizontal and transverse to the direction of travel
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/20 with tools that only loosen the material , i.e. mill-type wheels
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/248 Cleaning the wheels or emptying the digging elements mounted on the wheels, e.g. in combination with spoil removing equipment
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2866 for rotating digging elements for milling machines B28D1/186; for mining machines E21C35/18
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 37/901 Bucket cleaners

Abstract

A high speed trenching machine has a rotatable digging unit with a rim assembly symmetrically constructed relative to a flat center ring member and includes an outer peripheral spoil receiving section comprised of a pair of side by side annular channel ways open to opposite sides of the digging unit and formed in the outer peripheral side walls thereof with a series of circumferentially spaced digging teeth arranged in a staggered relation in operative association with respective spoil receiving inlets. The circumferential extent of an inlet is less than the radial dimension of a channel way, the inner peripheral side wall of which is inclined away from the outer peripheral side wall thereof in a direction toward the channel way open side. The inner peripheral channel side wall and a gear segment are of an integral unit construction with the units being identical and secured to opposite sides of the flat center ring member so that the gear segments form a complete ring gear on each side of the rim member inwardly of and within the transverse confines of the spoil receiving section.

Claims

1. In an excavating machine including:

(a) a main frame,

(b) a digging unit mounted on the main frame for rotational movement including a rim structure with an outer peripherally extended spoil receiving section comprised of a pair of back to back channel members open to opposite sides of the digging unit with the leg sections thereof opposite each other transversely of said rim structure so that radially opposite portions of said leg sections are uniformly spaced radially of said rim structure over the circumferential length thereof,

(c) each outer peripheral leg section of a channel member formed with circumferentially spaced spoil receiving inlets,

(d) digging means for each inlet secured to each outer peripheral leg section at the trailing end of the associated inlet so as to extend into the inlet toward the leading end thereof,

(e) said digging means having the leading end thereof spaced a distance from the leading edge of the inlet associated therewith a distance less than the radial spacing between the leg sections of said channel members and

(f) scraper elements mounted on said frame structure to remove spoil from said channel members on rotational movement of the digging unit.

2. In an excavating machine including:

(a) a main frame,

(b) a rotatable digging unit mounted on said main frame having a symmetrically formed rim structure including a flat ring member defining the plane of symmetry,

(c) a circumferentially extended spoil receiving section having an outer side wall secured to the outer peripheral surface of said ring member and projected laterally outwardly from opposite sides of said ring member,

(d) a plurality of like arcuate units secured to opposite sides of said ring member to form a continuous circle of arcuate units on each side of the ring member,

(e) each arcuate unit including an inner wall member having one side edge thereof positioned against a respective side of the ring member, and projected laterally from said respective side, in an underlying relation with the outer side wall to form a continuous inner side wall for said spoil receiving section,

(f) said outer wall, and said inner wall having opposite portions thereof uniformly spaced apart radially of said ring member over the circumferential lengths thereof, said outer wall to each side of the ring member having a series of circumferentially spaced spoil receiving inlets, and

(g) digging teeth for each spoil receiving inlet.

3. The excavating machine according to claim 2, wherein:

(a) the spoil receiving inlets in said outer side wall are arranged in a staggered relation about said rim structure so that spoil, in a digging operation, is alternately directed into said spoil receiving section at opposite sides of said ring member.