Method and apparatus for padding pipe

• US 4,633,602 A
• Filed: 09/03/1985
• Issued: 01/06/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ozzie's Pipeline Padder, Inc (Royal Energy Resources, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Christy B. Landrum Jr, Ricky L. Layh
• Inventors: Layh, Ricky L., Landrum, Christy B. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eickholt, E. H.
• Application Number:
  US06/771,840
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• Field of Search: 37/142.5, 37/195, 414/334, 414/335-336, 414/725, 414/528, 171/10, 171/123, 171/136, 171/138, 171/140, 171/141
• US Class Current: 37/195
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 5/226 with means for processing the soil, e.g. screening belts, separators; Padding machines

Abstract

Apparatus for gathering and processing excavated material which lies in a long pile on the ground adjacent to a ditch, so as to provide padding material which is conveyed onto a pipe lying in the ditch, with the residue from the process being returned to the ground adjacent to the ditch. The apparatus has a gathering head at the forward end thereof and a separator at the rear end thereof. A longitudinally arranged conveyor translocates the gathered material from the gathering head onto the separator. A lateral conveyor underlies the separator and translocates processed material which passes through the screen into the ditch, to thereby cover a pipeline with padding material. The separator apparatus includes means for redepositing the residual material onto the ground along a path parallel to the ditch.

Claims

1. Apparatus for continuously moving along the ground parallel to a ditch while continuously gathering and processing excavated material which lies on the ground adjacent to a pipeline ditch so as to enable padding material to be separated from the gathered material and conveyed back into the ditch, with the residue from the processed material being returned to the ground adjacent to the ditch;

said apparatus having a longitudinal conveyor arranged parallel to the path of travel of the apparatus, and means forming a gathering head at the forward marginal end of the conveyor for gathering excavated material from the ground and forcing the excavated material onto the leading end of the conveyor;

said conveyor having a forward end opposed to a discharge end and translocates the gathered material rearwardly to an elevated position;

means by which said gathering head is pivotally mounted to said apparatus and forms the forward marginal end thereof;

said gathering head has a ground engaging lip at the forward end thereof, said gathering head can be pivotally moved vertically respective to the excavated material in order to gather a controlled amount of excavated material for subsequently processing into padding material;

a separator means supported at the rear end of the apparatus for separating padding material and residual processed material from the translocated gathered material;

said separator means being located in underlying relationship respective to the discharge end of the longitudinal conveyor;

a lateral conveyor means positioned in underlying relationship respective to the separator means for translocating the padding material received from the separator into the ditch and thereby covering a pipe which may be located in the ditch;

and means for redepositing the residual processed material from the separator onto the remaining said material which lies on the ground along a path which is parallel to the ditch.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said gathering head includes a central slot at the rear thereof within which the forward end of the longitudinal conveyor is received;

said gathering head includes spaced picks, means mounting said picks on opposed sides of the forward end of the longitudinal conveyor, said picks move in a circular manner to engage and gather in material located on said lip and sweep the material onto the longitudinal conveyor.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said gathering head includes a central slot at the pivoted end thereof, means by which said central slot receives the forward end of the longitudinal conveyor, means mounting said spaced picks on opposed sides of the forward end of the longitudinal conveyor, said picks move in an oscillatory manner and gather in material located forwardly of said lip and sweep the material onto the leading edge of said longitudinal conveyor.

3. A process by which excavated material resulting from the formation of a ditch can be picked up from a continuous pile of said excavated material that lies adjacent and parallel to the ditch, processed into padding material, and the padding material then translocated back into the ditch in overlying relationship respective to a pipeline lying therein;

and, the residual separated material is translocated back onto the excavated material remaining in the pile;

comprising the following steps;

continuously moving a vehicle along a path adjacent and parallel to the ditch while continuously gathering at least the upper part of the pile of excavated material; and

, continuously forcing the gathered material onto an inclined conveyor which moves material therein in a direction parallel to the ditch;

gathering excavated material from the pile by pivotally mounting a gathering head at the marginal forward end of the conveyor; and

, mounting elongated picks on the gathering heat which sweep the excavated material onto the conveyor;

discharging the gathering material from the conveyor onto a separator means; and

, moving large particles of the discharged material across the separator means and returning the large particles onto the excavated material remaining in the pile;

moving small particles of the discharged material through the separator means and onto a lateral conveyor thereby providing padding material;

adjusting the separator means respective to the horizontal to control the rate of flow of excavated material thereacross, and thereby control the amount of padding material that is separated from the excavated material;

positioning the discharge end of the lateral conveyor in overlying relationship respective to the ditch;

so that the excavated material is processed into padding material which is placed about the pipeline lying in the ditch while the residual material from the separator is returned to the ground and can subsequently be placed in the ditch where it is separated from the pipeline by the padding material.

4. A vehicle for padding pipe lying in a previsously dug ditch wherein the vehicle includes apparatus that gathers and processes previously excavated material which lies on the ground adjacent to a pipeline ditch in a manner to provide padding material which is conveyed back into the ditch, with the residue from the processed material being returned to the previously excavated material lying on the ground adjacent to the ditch;

said vehicle has a longitudinal conveyor mounted thereon and oriented parallel to the direction of travel of the vehicle, said vehicle having means forming a gathering head at the forward marginal end thereof for continuously lifting previously excavated material from the ground and thereafter gathering the excavated material onto a lower forward end of the longitudinal conveyor;

a separator means located at the rear of the vehicle;

said longitudinal conveyor is inclined rearwardly and overlies said separator means;

said gathering head has forward ground engaging lip opposed to the other end, said other end is pivotally attached to the vehicle, said lip can be pivotally moved respective to the apparatus and vertically moved respective to the excavated material lying on the ground in order to gather a fraction of the previously excavated material into the apparatus for processing the excavated material into padding material;

said gathering head includes a pick means arranged in spaced relationship respective to one another, said pick means is moved with a circular motion and engages excavated material on said lip and moves the excavated material onto the forward end of the longitudinal conveyor;

said separator means is arranged at an angle respective to the horizontal, means for increasing the angle of said separator means;

said separator means includes means by which padding material is separated from the excavated material, and means for returning the residual material from the separator means to the ground at the location of the previously excavated material;

a lateral conveyor means positioned in underlying relationship respective to the separator means for receiving padding material therefrom;

means for translocating the padding material that the lateral conveyor receives from the separator into the ditch and thereby covering any pipe that may be found in the ditch;

whereby the residual material can subsequently be back-filled into the ditch on top of the padding material.