Abstrict A self-propelled stone crusher includes systems designed to operate
the various machine functions by remote control (30), for operating
on open ground or inside trenches, collecting and crushing rocks
and stones which are then unloaded and levelled behind the machine.
The chassis (3) of the machine is hinged to a shaft (11) integral
with a crawler support structure (5) so that the machine can be
tilted to a greater or lesser extent, depending on the lie of the
land, and the crusher has a hammer mill (10) at the front, the perimeter
of which is formed by a grid consisting of a number of bars (25),
the distance between which varies, depending on the required particle
size of the crushed material.
Claims I claim:
1. A self-propelled stone crusher comprising:
a machine chassis (3);
an engine unit (2) fixed to and moveable with said machine chassis;
a stone crushing mill (10) fixed to and moveable with said chassis,
said stone crushing mill being connected to said engine unit for
crushing stones introduced into said mill;
a crawler support structure (5);
a chassis support shaft (11) connected to and supported by said
crawler support structure;
a crawler (4) moveably mounted to said crawler support structure
and operatively connected to said engine unit for driving said crawler
support structure with said horizontal shaft in a forward direction;
said chassis (3) being pivotally mounted to said chassis support
shaft for moving in the forward direction with said crawler support
structure; and
inclination control means (12) connected between said crawler support
structure and said chassis for controlling an inclination of said
chassis with respect to said crawler support structure by pivoting
said chassis on said chassis support shaft and thereby controlling
an inclination of said crushing mill with respect to said crawler
support structure and with respect to said crawler while said crawler
moves said chassis in the forward direction.
2. A stone crusher according to claim 1 including a remote control
for remotely operating said engine unit.
3. A stone crusher according to claim 2 wherein said stone crushing
mill comprises a cage having an inlet opening (H) for receiving
stones as the chassis moves in the forward direction, the cage with
outlet openings for discharging stones that are crushed and a plurality
of hammers (23) rotatable in said cage for crushing stones and moving
crushed stones through outlet openings in said cage.
4. A stone crusher according to claim 3 wherein said chassis includes
forward side walls (20) on opposite sides of said inlet opening
in said cage for guiding stones into said stone crushing mill when
said chassis moves in the forward direction.
5. A stone crusher according to claim 3 wherein said chassis includes
a lower inclined plate (26) which is inclined with respect to a
bottom of said chassis and which is behind said stone crushing mill
with respect to the forward direction for scooping up crushed stones
discharge through said outlet openings in said cage from said stone
crushing mill as said chassis moves in the forward direction.
6. A stone crusher according to claim 5 wherein said inclined plate
has a forward end with respect to the forward direction which is
lower than a rear end of said inclined plate when said chassis is
horizontal, for raising crushed stones upwardly alone said inclined
plate and allowing them to fall from the rear end of the inclined
plate as the chassis moves in the forward direction.
7. A stone crusher according to claim 6 including a conveyer (27)
connected to said chassis rearwardly of said inclined plate for
conveying crushed stones transversely to the forward direction as
crushed stones are received from the rear end of said inclined plate
as said chassis moves in the forward direction.
8. A stone crusher according to claim 7 wherein said conveyer comprises
a screw conveyer.
9. A stone crusher according to claim 1 wherein said stone crushing
mill comprises a milling shaft rotatable to crushed stones introduced
into said stone crushing mill with movement of the chassis in the
forward direction, said chassis comprising a pair of front side
walls (18) each having a slit (19) for removably receiving said
milling shaft without requiring axial movement of said milling shaft.
10. A stone crusher according to claim 9 wherein said chassis includes
a pair of removable supports (17) removably connected to said front
side walls, said chassis including a pair of rear side walls (13)
positioned rearwardly of said front side walls with respect to the
forward direction, said support (17) being welded to said rear side
walls (13), said rear side walls being pivotally connected to said
chassis support shaft (11).
Description FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a self-propelled remote-controlled stone
crusher designed to operate on open ground or inside trenches, for
collecting and crushing rocks and stones which are then unloaded
and levelled behind the machine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the invention, the chassis of the machine is
hinged to a shaft integral with the crawler support structure so
that the machine can be tilted to a greater or lesser extent, depending
on the lie of the land.
The crusher has a hammer mill at the front, the perimeter of which
is formed by a grid consisting of a number of bars, the distance
between which varies, depending on the required particle size of
the crushed material.
The use of remote control devices eliminates the need for an operator
on board the crusher in accordance with the invention. The invention
thus, can be operated from a safe area so that the operator does
not suffer the discomfort caused by the dust and noise generated
during operations.
Crushing equipment used to crush rocks and stones on the ground,
especially to prepare the base for laying pipelines and the like,
is already known.
These machines are generally designed to operate inside a trench
in which pipes will be laid, and usually consist of a crushing mill
pulled by a tractor which is activated, via a suitable drive, by
the tractor engine.
These stone crushers present various drawbacks, however, the main
one being the need for the operator to remain on the tractor to
control the machine during operations.
This involves considerable discomfort due to the level of noise
generated during operations, which is reflected off the walls of
the trenches, and to the dust raised.
There is also a degree of risk caused by rock and stone particles
thrown up during milling and crushing.
In addition, the base prepared by these machines is not always
even and level.
Basically, known stone crushers only offer partly satisfactory
results.
For this reason, the need is felt in the industry for a machine
which eliminates the difficulties mentioned above, and in particular
for a self-propelled, preferably remote-controlled machine so that
the operator need not remain on board but can operate the machine
from a safe area well away from the noise and dust generated by
the machine.
The crusher will preferably be fitted with systems designed to
level the crushed material so as to produce a base ready for pipe
laying.
This and other characteristics, which will be made clear in the
detailed description that follows, are offered by a stone crusher
in accordance with the characterising part of the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The description below refers to the annexed drawings, in which:
FIGS. 1 and 2 are schematic side views of a stone crusher in accordance
with the invention, showing the chassis level and tilted respectively;
FIG. 3 is a cross-section of the stone crushing devices of a machine
in accordance with the invention; and
FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate the devices which support the crushing
mill and connect it to the machine, shown assembled and in exploded
view respectively.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With reference to FIG. 1 the crusher in accordance with the invention
comprises a self-propelled machine, the machine assembly being marked
1; the said machine is fitted with an engine 2 mounted on a chassis
3 which drives a pair of crawlers 4.
The support structure of the crawlers is marked 5.
A drive shaft 6 transmits motion from engine 2 to a differential
7 and from there, via a number of belts 8 fitted on sheaves 9 to
a hammer crushing or milling device, the assembly of which is marked
10.
In accordance with the invention, the various machine drive and
control devices are connected to remote controls 30 such as a radio
control, which is not illustrated in detail as it is of known type.
Crusher chassis 3 is pivotally connected to a basically horizontal
chassis support shaft 11 the ends of which are fitted to support
structure 5 of crawlers 4.
In this way the chassis, and the machine with it, tilts around
the axis of shaft 11 thus enabling the machine to be inclined in
relation to the surface on which the crawlers rest so that it can
work on slopes.
The inclination of chassis 3 in relation to the crawler structure
is controlled by a pair of pistons 12 whose elongation causes a
corresponding variation in the inclination of chassis 3.
The structure on which the crawlers are fitted comprises a pair
of side walls 13 illustrated in FIG. 4 to which shaft 11 is welded;
these walls are connected at the top to a sheet metal wall 14 which
also constitutes the surface on which the engine and the other devices
present on the machine rest.
Two gusset plates 15 made of sheet metal of suitable thickness,
are welded to the front of walls 13; these gusset plates contain
a number of openings 16 around the edges of which welding is performed,
and a set of holes 17 through which the same number of bolts pass
to secure the parts constituting the conveyor and the mill support.
These comprise a pair of walls 18 which contain an opening 19 so
that the mill shaft can be removed with no need to extract it axially,
and a pair of side walls 20 bolted to walls 18 which constitute
the actual walls of the conveyor and secure the bottom of the mill
shaft to retain it in its seating.
Walls 20 serve to guide and convey rocks and stones to the crushing
mill.
The latter, illustrated in cross section in FIG. 3 is mounted
on a shaft made to rotate by belts 8 fitted on pulleys 9. A number
of discs 22 to which a number of hammers 23 are hinged, are integral
with the shaft.
At the perimeter, a number of bars 25 of suitable thickness are
fixed to mill walls 24; these bars act as strikers for the hammers,
which crush the stones against them.
The distance between the bars is determined on the basis of the
required particle size of the crushed material.
At the front (in the direction of travel of the machine), bars
25 are missing for a section, indicated by the letter H in FIG.
4 to form an opening through which stones enter the crushing mill.
The crushed stones exit from the back of the mill, through the
grid constituted by the set of bars 25 and fall to the ground,
where they are collected as the machine advances by an inclined
plate 26 fixed to the back of side walls 13.
Plate 26 slides forward on contact with the soil and the rear part
is raised, so that the stones fall from a certain height in order
to level the crushed material to some degree in the bottom of the
trench.
Alternatively, if the machine is to be used to fill the trench,
a screw conveyor 27 could be fitted behind plate 26 to collect the
stones from plate 26 and unload them at the side, inside the trench.
The operation of the machine in accordance with the invention will
be clear from the description given.
The operator, who stands at the edge of the trench, at a safe distance,
uses a radio control to operate the machine, which travels along
the bottom of the trench.
The engine, via shaft 6 differential 7 and belts 8 causes mill
10 to rotate.
The stones enter the mill through front opening H as the machine
moves to the right in FIG. 1 by motion of crawlers 4 and are crushed
by hammers 23 against bars 25. The stones are guided into opening
H since they move between walls 20 as the machine moves forward.
When the stones have been crushed to a size smaller than the distance
between bars 25 they exit behind the mill, from the grid which
constitutes its perimeter wall.
As the machine advances, the stones are collected by inclined wall
26 and unloaded again onto the bottom of the trench; they are dropped
from a certain height in order to achieve a better degree of levelling.
If the machine is used to fill a trench after pipes have been laid,
a screw conveyor 27 will be fitted to collect the stones from inclined
wall 26 and unload them at the side, into the trench.
If the machine has to operate on a slope, it will be sufficient
for the operator to activate pistons 12 to rotate the machine chassis
around shaft 11 thus giving the machine the same inclination as
the work surface.
For the purpose of repair and maintenance operations it is sufficient
to dismantle the assembly constituted by walls 18 and 20 and mill
10 by simply removing the bolts which fix plates 18 to gusset plates
17.
To dismantle the mill, it is sufficient to remove side walls 20
in order to clear opening 19 through which the mill shaft can be
extracted.
An expert in the field could devise numerous modifications and
variations, all of which should be considered to fall within the
scope of this invention. |