TRENCH CUTTER AND METHOD FOR MAKING A CUT TRENCH IN THE GROUND

Abstract

The invention relates to a trench cutter comprising a box-shaped housing, on the upper face of which a lifting apparatus can be mounted, at least one cutting wheel, which is arranged on a lower face of the housing and can be driven in rotation to remove soil material, wherein cutting teeth are arranged along the outer circumference of the cut-ting wheel at least one circumferential row, which at least one axial clearance adjoins, and at least one clearing plate, which is arranged to be fixed relative to the housing and engages in the at least one circumferential clearance on the cutting wheel to clear away soil material. According to the invention, it is provided that the at least one clearing plate is mounted on a plate holder so as to be spaced apart from the housing, wherein a passage is formed between the at least one clearing plate and the housing, through which passage soil material that has been cut out during operation can be guided upwards.

Claims

1. A trench cutter comprising a box-shaped housing, on the upper face of which a lifting apparatus can be mounted, at least one cutting wheel, which is arranged on a lower face of the housing and can be driven in rotation to remove soil material, wherein cutting teeth are arranged along the outer circumference of the cutting wheel in at least one circumferential row, which at least one axial circumferential clearance adjoins, at least one clearing plate, which is arranged to be fixed relative to the housing and engages in the at least one circumferential clearance on the cutting wheel to clear away soil material, wherein the at least one cutting wheel is mounted on a planar bearing plate on the lower face of the housing, wherein the at least one clearing plate with a plate holder is mounted on the bearing plate and the at least one clearing plate is mounted on a plate holder so as to be spaced apart from the housing, which plate holder is arranged so as to be spaced apart from the housing, wherein a passage is formed between the at least one clearing plate mounted on the plate holder and the housing, through which passage soil material that has been cut out during operation can be guided upwards.

2. The trench cutter according to claim 1, wherein at least two circumferential rows of cutting teeth are arranged on the at least one cutting wheel, which teeth are axially spaced apart from one another by a circumferential clearance, in which a clearing plate engages.

3. The trench cutter according to claim 1, wherein two pairs of cutting wheels are arranged on the lower face of the housing.

4. The French cutter according to claim 3, wherein from of each pair of cutting wheels, one cutting wheel is mounted on one side of the bearing plate and at least one clearing plate, which is mounted on the bearing plate by means of a plate holder, is assigned to each cutting wheel.

5. The trench cutter according to claim 4, wherein a passage, which is delimited by the housing, the bearing plate and the assigned at least one clearing plate with the plate holder, is assigned to each cutting wheel.

6. The trench cutter according to claim 1, wherein a supply system for supplying a liquid, in particular a curable suspension, is arranged.

7. The trench cutter according to claim 6, wherein the supply system is arranged between two pairs of cutting wheels and/or in at least one of the plate holders.

8. The trench cutter according to claim 1, wherein an outer circumference of the housing is smaller than a cutting cross section of the cutting wheels.

9. The trench cutter according to claim 1, wherein a drive apparatus, in particular a hydraulic motor or an electric motor, is arranged in the housing for driving the cutting wheels.

10. The trench cutter according to claim 1, wherein the at least one cutting wheel comprises a hub, in which a hub motor is arranged.

11. The trench cutter according to claim 1, wherein the at least one clearing plate and/or the plate holder are detachably fastened and a connecting system for at least one clearing plate is provided on the lower face of the housing.

12. A trench cutter device comprising carrier equipment, on which a trench cutter is arranged to be vertically movable by a lifting apparatus, wherein a trench cutter according to claim 1 is provided.

13. A method for making a cut trench in the ground, wherein a trench cutter according to claim 1 or a trench cutter device is used.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein characterised in that the at least one cutting wheel is driven in rotation in a rotational direction, wherein cut-out soil material is guided through the passage between the housing and the clearing plate by the at least one clearing plate.

15. A method for making a cut trench in the ground, wherein a trench cutter device according to claim 12 is used.

Description

[0026] The invention is described in greater detail in the following with reference to preferred exemplary embodiments, which are shown schematically in the drawings, in which show:

[0027] FIG. 1 a perspective view of a trench cutter device according to the invention;

[0028] FIG. 2 a perspective, enlarged and schematic view of a trench cutter device according to the invention;

[0029] FIG. 3 a front view of the trench cutter according to FIG. 2;

[0030] FIG. 4 a side view of the trench cutter according to FIGS. 2 and 3; and

[0031] FIG. 5 a schematic representation of the material flow during cutting using a trench cutter according to the invention.

[0032] FIG. 1 shows a trench cutter device 10 according to the invention comprising carrier equipment 12. The carrier equipment 12 can comprise a undercarriage 14 configured as a caterpillar chassis, on which an uppercarriage 16 can be rotatably mounted. A substantially vertical mast 18 can be adjustably mounted on the upper-carriage 18 by means of an articulated mechanism 17 comprising actuating cylinders. A guide rod 22 can extend along the mast 18 as part of a lifting apparatus 20. A trench cutter 30 according to the invention is mounted on the lower end of the guide rod 22, and this will be described in greater detail in the following. The guide rod 22 can be moved vertically along the mast 18 by means of movable slides 24, which can be connected to the guide rod 22 by means of moveable and by means of tensioning cylinders, as part of the lifting apparatus 20.

[0033] The trench cutter 30 shown in FIG. 1 comprises two pairs of cutting wheels 40, which are arranged in parallel with one another with rotational axes arranged horizontally. As is known per se, indicated cutting teeth 44 are mounted on the outer circumference of the cutting wheels 40.

[0034] The structure of a possible trench cutter 30 according to the invention is explained in greater detail in conjunction with FIGS. 2 to 4 by way of example. The trench cutter 30 is shown highly schematically, wherein, in particular, cutting teeth are not shown in detail for reasons of clarity, but instead annular tracks 45 or circumferential rows, along which the cutting teeth of one circumferential row on the circumference of a cutting wheel 40 move when driven in rotation. Here, the cutting teeth can be arranged on planar cutting tooth holders (not shown either), and thus can be connected to a cylindrical hub 42 of the cutting wheel 40. A hub motor for driving the cutting wheel 40 in rotation can be arranged in the interior of the hub 42.

[0035] The tracks 45 or circumferential rows of cutting teeth are axially spaced apart from one another on each cutting wheel 40, wherein a circumferential clearance 46 remains therebetween. In the exemplary embodiment shown, three circumferential tracks 45 or circumferential rows having two circumferential clearances 46 lying therebetween are provided on each cutting wheel 40. A clearing plate 50, each of which can reach close to the outer circumference of the central hub 42, can engage in these circumferential clearances 46 in each case. Here, the clearing plates 50 are mounted on a plate holder 60 on its outer side radially outside the tracks 45 of the cutting teeth and are fixed relative to the rotating cutting wheel 40. A plate holder 60 can be provided for each cutting wheel 40.

[0036] Each pair of cutting wheels 40 can be mounted on a planar bearing plate 34 that is located between the cutting wheels 40 and is mounted on a lower face of a box-shaped housing 32 in each case. The respective plate holders 60 for the clearing plates 50 can also be mounted on the bearing plate 34 for each pair of cutting wheels 40. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the plate holders 60 comprise a holding shaft 62 flanged to the bearing plate 34. A holding bracket 64, to which the clearing plates 50 for each cutting wheel 50 can preferably be detachably fastened by means of screw connections, can be fastened to the holding shaft 62.

[0037] The plate holders 60, which preferably extend substantially in parallel with the rotational axes of the cutting wheels 40, are arranged according to the invention to be spaced apart from the box-shaped housing 32 of the trench cutter 30 such that a clearance or passage 70 is formed between the respectively plate holder 60 and the housing 32, as shown in FIG. 3, for example.

[0038] A first supply apparatus 56 for supplying a hardenable suspension into the region between the cutting wheels 40 can be provided on the lower face of the housing 32 centrally between the two planar bearing plates 34. Alternatively or additionally, one or more supply apparatuses can be provided in tubular designed holding shafts 62.

[0039] The cutting wheels 40 can be driven in rotation such that they each rotate inwards by means of a drive apparatus (not shown in greater detail), which, in the exemplary embodiment shown, can, in particular be hub motors in the hubs 42 of the cutting wheels 40. This is indicated by arrows indicating the rotational direction in the view in FIG. 5.

[0040] When the cutting wheels 40 are driven in this way according to FIG. 5, when soil material is removed during the cutting operation, this soil material can be mixed with supplied hardenable suspension in the central region between the cutting wheels 40 to a soil mortar. In this process, the removed soil material and the soil mortar produced can thus flow upwards through the respectively formed passage 70 owing to the arrangement of the clearing plates 50 on the plate holders 60 spaced apart from the housing 32, as schematically indicated by the flow arrows in FIG. 5. In this case, the peripheral dimensions of the box-shaped housing 32 are smaller dimensioned than a cutting cross section produced by the cutting wheels 40.

[0041] In this case, the outer edges of the clearing plates 50 can be configured to be accordingly inwardly inclined, such that an upward flow of the cut-out soil material and suspension through the passage 70 between the plate holder 60 and the housing 32 is assisted. As a result, in particular when cutting through rocky or stony soil layers, larger pieces of rock can also be efficiently discharged out of the region of the cutting wheels 40 upwards past the housing 32, meaning that the risk of damage to the clearing plates 50 and cutting teeth is reduced.