Cab suspension system for a machine adapted to surface excavate rock or like materials
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An excavating machine comprising:
- a main chassis;
a plurality of propulsion structures on which the main chassis is supported;
an excavation component carried by the main chassis, the excavation component being selected from the group consisting of a surface mining drum and a digging chain mounted on a trenching boom;
an engine supported on the main chassis for powering the propulsion structures and the excavation component;
a cab supported on the main chassis, the cab including first and second ends spaced-apart from one another along a direction parallel with a length of the main chassis; and
a suspension supporting the cab, the suspension including at least one cushion having a natural frequency less than 5 Hertz, the suspension also including an elastomeric dampener mounted nearer to the first end of the cab than to the at least one cushion, the suspension allowing for a vertical cab displacement of at least 0.5 inch upwardly from a neutral position and at least 0.5 inch downwards from the neutral position at the cushion;
wherein the at least one cushion is mounted nearer to the second end of the cab than to the elastomeric dampener, the allowed vertical cab displacement at the cushion thereby configuring the suspension to provide larger vertical cab displacements at the second end of the cab than at the first end of the cab.
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Abstract
A system for providing suspension to a cab of an excavation machine such as a trencher or a surface mining machine. The system includes air cushions and elastomeric dampeners positioned between a platform and the cab. The air cushions allow for a larger displacement than the elastomeric dampeners. The air cushions have a lower natural frequency than the elastomeric dampeners. The elastomeric dampeners stabilize and support the cab in various degrees of freedom that are not supported by the air cushions.
45 Citations
29 Claims
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1. An excavating machine comprising:
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a main chassis; a plurality of propulsion structures on which the main chassis is supported; an excavation component carried by the main chassis, the excavation component being selected from the group consisting of a surface mining drum and a digging chain mounted on a trenching boom; an engine supported on the main chassis for powering the propulsion structures and the excavation component; a cab supported on the main chassis, the cab including first and second ends spaced-apart from one another along a direction parallel with a length of the main chassis; and a suspension supporting the cab, the suspension including at least one cushion having a natural frequency less than 5 Hertz, the suspension also including an elastomeric dampener mounted nearer to the first end of the cab than to the at least one cushion, the suspension allowing for a vertical cab displacement of at least 0.5 inch upwardly from a neutral position and at least 0.5 inch downwards from the neutral position at the cushion; wherein the at least one cushion is mounted nearer to the second end of the cab than to the elastomeric dampener, the allowed vertical cab displacement at the cushion thereby configuring the suspension to provide larger vertical cab displacements at the second end of the cab than at the first end of the cab. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. An excavating machine comprising:
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a main chassis; a plurality of propulsion structures on which the main chassis is supported; an excavation component carried by the main chassis, the excavation component being selected from the group consisting of a surface mining drum and a digging chain mounted on a trenching boom; an engine supported on the main chassis for powering the propulsion structures and the excavation component; a cab supported on the main chassis, the cab including first and second ends spaced-apart from one another along a direction parallel with a length of the main chassis; and a suspension supporting the cab, the suspension including at least one air spring, the suspension also including at least one elastomeric dampener having a natural frequency greater than a natural frequency of the air spring; wherein the at least one elastomeric dampener is mounted nearer to the first end of the cab than to the at least one air spring and the at least one air spring is mounted nearer to the second end of the cab than to the at least one elastomeric dampener, thereby allowing a larger vertical cab displacement at the second end of the cab than at the first end of the cab and further allowing isolation of the cab from rotational pitch movement of the excavating machine.
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25. A surface mining machine comprising:
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a main chassis having a length that extends between a front end and a rear end; a plurality of propulsion structures on which the main chassis is supported; a boom pivotally mounted to the main chassis adjacent the rear end of the main chassis, the boom being pivotally movable about a pivot axis relative to the main chassis, the boom being pivotally movable about the pivot axis between a raised position and a lowered position; a drum mounted to the boom, the drum being rotatable relative to the boom about an axis of rotation that extends along a width of the main chassis; a plurality of teeth carried by the drum; an engine supported on the main chassis that provides power for driving the propulsion structures and for rotating the drum about the axis of rotation; a cab mounted on a platform, the platform being forwardly offset from the boom; a lift arrangement for raising and lowering the platform and the cab relative to the main chassis, the platform and the cab being movable by the lift arrangement between a raised position and a lowered position, the raised position being at least 3 feet above the lowered position; and a suspension positioned between the platform and the cab, the suspension including air cushions positioned adjacent a rearward region of the cab and elastomeric dampeners positioned adjacent a forward region of the cab, the air cushions allowing for a larger displacement than the elastomeric dampeners, and the air cushions having a lower natural frequency than the elastomeric dampeners. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification