SPOILS COLLECTION TRANSITION ASSEMBLIES WITH SACRIFICAL LINERS

Abstract

Systems and apparatus for improved spoils collection and extended machine life for ground cutting machinery. In some embodiments, a housing for ground cutting machinery, such as a microtrencher, has a collection port formed therein. The bore of the collection port may be aligned with the direction that spoils are ejected from the ground cutting blade. The collection port may have a lower portion formed by the housing and a removable upper transition assembly formed as a tube and including an upper coupling for connection to the vacuum collection system. A replaceable sacrificial plate is disposed within the upper transition tube. The sacrificial plate bears the impact of spoils exiting the housing into the vacuum system. As wear occurs, the sacrificial plate may be removed and replaced.

Claims

1. A transition assembly for spoils collection from ground cutting machinery, comprising a lower interface for attachment to a spoils removal opening in a housing of a ground cutting machine, the lower interface including a lower opening; an upper interface for connecting to a spoils collection system, the upper interface including an upper collection port; a tube assembly including a bore defined by a surrounding sidewall extending between the lower interface and the upper interface, wherein the lower opening, the bore, and the upper collection port are aligned with a direction that spoils are ejected from a ground cutting blade of the ground cutting machine through the spoils removal opening of the housing during use; and a replaceable sacrificial plate disposed within the transition assembly at a position where a significant portion of abrasive force generated by the spoils ejected from the housing occurs at the surface of the sacrificial plate.

2. The transition assembly of claim 1, wherein the lower interface includes a plate portion that is removably attachable to the housing of a ground cutting machine.

3. The transition assembly of claim 1, wherein the tube assembly is generally formed as a rounded tube.

4. The transition assembly of claim 3, wherein the tube assembly is formed of two opposite arcuate members.

5. The transition assembly of claim 1, wherein the tube assembly is generally shaped like a funnel with a rounded end at the upper collection port and a rectangular lower end.

6. The transition assembly of claim 1, wherein the upper interface comprises a coupling for connection to vacuum collection system.

7. The transition assembly of claim 1, wherein the replaceable sacrificial plate resides near, and covers, a portion of an interior wall of the bore of the tube assembly.

8. The transition assembly of claim 7, wherein the replaceable sacrificial plate flares outwards as it extends upwards from the lower interface to the upper interface, covering a majority of the interior wall of the bore near the upper interface.

9. A housing for ground cutting machinery, comprising a body with walls forming a partially enclosed cavity around a ground cutting blade with an open bottom through which at least a portion of the ground cutting blade is extended for use, the body having a lower spoils collection portion extending behind the ground cutting blade; and a transition assembly comprising an upper interface for connecting to a spoils collection system, the upper interface including an upper collection port, a tube assembly including a bore defined by a surrounding sidewall extending from the towards a lower opening at the lower spoils collection portion, wherein the bore is aligned with a direction that spoils are ejected from the ground cutting blade during operation of the ground cutting machine; and a replaceable sacrificial plate disposed within the transition assembly at a position where a significant portion of abrasive force on the housing generated by the spoils ejected by the blade occurs at the surface of the sacrificial plate.

10. The housing of claim 9, wherein the transition assembly further comprises a lower interface for releasable attachment to the lower a spoils collection portion.

11. The housing of claim 10, wherein the lower interface includes a plate portion that is removably attachable to the body.

12. The housing of claim 9, wherein the tube assembly is generally formed as a rounded tube.

13. The housing of claim 12, wherein the tube assembly is formed of two opposite arcuate members.

14. The housing of claim 9, wherein the tube assembly is generally shaped like a funnel with a rounded end at the upper collection port and a rectangular lower end.

15. The housing of claim 9, wherein the upper interface comprises a coupling for connection to a vacuum collection system.

16. The housing of claim 9, wherein the replaceable sacrificial plate resides near, and covers, a portion of an interior wall of the bore of the tube assembly.

17. The housing of claim 16, wherein the replaceable sacrificial plate flares outwards as it extends upwards in the tube assembly, covering a majority of the interior wall of the bore near the upper interface.

18. The housing of claim 16, wherein the replaceable sacrificial plate extends into the lower spoils collection portion.

19. The housing of claim 9, wherein the ground cutting machine is a microtrencher with a rotatory blade.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the various drawings are for illustrative purposes only. The nature of the present disclosure, as well as other varying embodiments, may be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, and to the drawings, as well as to the appended claims.

[0007] FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of a one illustrative microtrencher assembly incorporating an improved spoils removal system in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0008] FIG. 2A is an exploded view of the components of the transition assembly of the system of FIG. 1.

[0009] FIGS. 2B and 2C are perspective and top views of the assembled components of FIG. 2A.

[0010] FIG. 3A is a side perspective view of a second illustrative microtrencher assembly incorporating another improved spoils removal system in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0011] FIG. 3B is an enlarged view of the spoils removal portion of the housing of the assembly of FIG. 3A.

[0012] FIG. 4 is a view into the spoils removal tube of the assembly of FIGS. 3A and 3B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] The present disclosure relates to systems, methods and apparatus for improved collection of produced spoils from the housing of a ground cutting machine. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the embodiments herein described, while illustrating certain embodiments, are not intended to limit the disclosure. Those skilled in the art will also understand that various combinations or modifications of the embodiments presented herein can be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure and that all such alternate embodiments are within the scope of this description. Similarly, while the drawings depict illustrative embodiments of the devices and components illustrate the principles upon which those devices and components are based, they are only illustrative, and any modifications of the features presented here are to be considered within the scope of this disclosure.

[0014] Turning to FIGS. 1, 2A, 2B, and 2C, a first illustrative microtrencher assembly 10 is depicted which includes a housing 100 having a spoils removal portion 102, in accordance with the present disclosure. As depicted, microtrencher assembly 10 includes a rotatable saw blade 110, disposed at least partially within the housing 100. The saw blade 110 may be constructed as known in the art, with cutting elements disposed on the teeth thereof. Assembly 10 includes a hub and a suitable actuator for rotating the blade 110, such as a hydraulically powered actuator or a motor. As in the depicted embodiment, a height of the blade 110 and hub may be vertically adjusted to determine the depth of a cut by extending or retracting the blade 110 with respect to housing 100.

[0015] Housing 100 may be generally formed as a body having two generally planar opposite sidewalls, 1002 and 1004 spaced apart from one another to form a cavity for the blade 110. A skid plate 1008 may be disposed at a lower end with a bottom opening 1008, allowing the blade 110 to extend therethrough.

[0016] As depicted, the sidewalls 1002 and 1004 may have curved upper portions that correspond to the shape of the blade and be joined to one another by a curved medial 1006 to define the interior volume of the housing. A suitable linkage for attachment to a prime vehicle may be present. In the depicted embodiment, this may be a linkage 112 for connection to a skid steer.

[0017] Near one end, the housing 100 may include a collection portion 102. As depicted, the collection portion is formed near one end of the housing 100 behind the blade 110 and is connected to a removable upper transition assembly 200, by a suitable interface 104. As depicted, the interface 200 may include a lower plate 1005 on the housing 100, and an upper plate 2005 on the upper transition assembly 200 that are releasably coupled to one another, as by the depicted bolts. The bore of the collection portion 102, and the bore of the upper transition assembly 200 may be aligned with one another and with the direction that spoils are ejected from the ground cutting blade 110 in the direction depicted at arrow P, as the ground cutting blade 110 rotates in the direction indicated by arrow 111.

[0018] Above the upper plate 2005, the upper transition assembly 200 may be formed as a tube 2002 extending to a coupling for connection to a vacuum collection system, in the depicted embodiment this may be a hose coupler 2006 that is placed over a threaded ring 2007. This can facilitate connection to a standard vacuum collection hose. It will be appreciated that other couplings may be used or that connection can be made directly to the threaded ring 2007.

[0019] As best depicted in FIGS. 2Athrough 2C, the tube portion 2002 may be formed from opposite pieces 2008A and 2008B that are joined together and an upper ring 2007 that reinforces the coupler.

[0020] A replaceable sacrificial plate 2009 is disposed within the upper transition tube 200. As depicted, the sacrificial plate 2009 may be connected at its lower end to upper plate 2005 and extend upwards therefrom. In the depicted embodiment, the sacrificial plate flares outwards as it extends upwards, covering a majority of the surface is it extends inside ring 2007. The sacrificial plate 2009 resides near, and covers, a portion of the interior wall of the upper transition assembly 200/tube 2002. The sacrificial plate is preferably disposed at a position where it is impacted by the spoils exiting the housing through the spoils outlet into the vacuum system, deflecting or guiding the spoils from the wall into the bore of the tube. This causes a significant portion of the abrasive force of the spoils collection that would take place on the interior wall of the transition assembly to occur instead on the surface of the sacrificial plate 2009. As wear occurs, the sacrificial plate may be removed and replaced.

[0021] It will be appreciated that when a vacuum collection system is used to apply suction to the housing through the spoils outlet, that the spoils produced by the saw blade 110 are initially directed to the bore of the spoils collection portion by the action of the rotating blade, at a first and relatively lower velocity. As the spoils enter the transition portion, the suction provided by the vacuum system causes the spoils to accelerate to a relatively higher velocity, increasing the force with which they strike the side of the transition tube 200. This acceleration can be understood as a force gradient from the pressure difference provided by the vacuum, which typically has difference of about 16 of mercury vacuum measured in the vacuum system line.

[0022] As a microtrencher is typically operated over existing infrastructure, the saw blade 110 is used to cut asphalt and underlying road base, concrete and other paving materials in addition to soil. The produced spoils are thus abrasive. The sacrificial plate 2009 is easily visually inspected when the vacuum system is attached or detached from the microtrencher for use, allowing its replacement when worn to prolong the life of the housing.

[0023] Turning to FIGS. 3A, 3B and 4, a second illustrative microtrencher assembly 30 is depicted which includes a housing 300 having a spoils removal portion 302, in accordance with the present disclosure. As depicted, microtrencher assembly 30 includes a rotatable saw blade 310, disposed at least partially within the housing 300. The saw blade 310 may be constructed as known in the art, with cutting elements disposed on the teeth thereof. Assembly 30 includes a hub and a suitable actuator for rotating the blade 310, such as a hydraulically powered actuator or a motor. As in the depicted embodiment, a height of the blade 310 and hub may be vertically adjusted to determine the depth of a cut by extending or retracting the blade 310 with respect to housing 300.

[0024] Housing 300 may be generally formed as a body having two generally planar opposite sidewalls, 3002 and 3004 spaced apart from one another to form a cavity for the blade 310. A skid plate 3008 may be disposed at a lower end with a bottom opening, allowing the blade 310 to extend therethrough.

[0025] As depicted, the sidewalls 3002 and 3004 may have curved upper portions that correspond to the shape of the blade and be joined to one another by a curved medial 3006 wall be joined by a medial wall to define the interior volume of the housing. A suitable linkage for attachment to a prime vehicle may be present. In the depicted embodiment, this may be a linkage 312 for connection to a tractor.

[0026] Near one end, the housing 300 may include a collection portion 302. As depicted, the collection portion is formed near one end of the housing 300 behind the blade 310 and is connected to an upper transition assembly 400, by a suitable interface 304. As depicted, the interface 304 may include a lower plate 3005 on the housing 300, and an upper plate 4005 on the upper transition assembly 400 are releasably coupled to one another, as by the depicted bolts. The bore of the collection portion 302 and the bore of the upper transition portion 400 may be aligned with one another and with the direction that spoils are ejected from the ground cutting blade 310 as depicted by arrow P2.

[0027] Above the upper plate 4005, the upper transition assembly 400 may be formed as a tube 4002 extending to a coupling 4006 for connection to a vacuum collection system, in the depicted embodiment this may be a hose coupler. As depicted, the tube portion 4002 may be formed having a rectangular shape at the interface 304 and a rounded shape at the coupler 4006. This can facilitate connection to a vacuum system hose, such as a 4 inch or 6-inch vacuum line.

[0028] A replaceable sacrificial plate 4009 is disposed within the upper transition assembly 400. The sacrificial plate 4009 may be connected at its lower end to upper plate 4005 and extend upwards therefrom. In the depicted embodiment, the sacrificial plate may extend to a support ring 4007 adjacent the upper end of the tube 400. The sacrificial plate 4009 resides near and covers a portion of the interior wall of the upper transition assembly 400. The sacrificial plate is preferably disposed at a position where it is impacted by the spoils exiting the housing through the spoils outlet into the vacuum system, deflecting or guiding the spoils from the wall into the bore of the tube. This causes a significant portion of the abrasive force of the spoils collection that would take place on the interior wall of the transition assembly to occur instead on the surface of the sacrificial plate. As wear occurs, the sacrificial plate may be removed and replaced.

[0029] It will be appreciated that when a vacuum collection system is used to apply suction to the housing through the spoils outlet, that the spoils produced by the saw blade 310 are initially directed to the bore of the spoils collection portion 302 by the action of the rotating blade 310, at a first and relatively lower velocity. As the spoils enter the transition portion, the suction provided by the vacuum system causes the spoils to accelerate to a relatively higher velocity. This can vastly increase the force with which the spoils strike the side of the transition tube. In one exemplary embodiment, the spoils may be ejected from a trench cut by the saw into the housing 300 and the lower portion of the spoils outlet 302 at a velocity of about 25 MPH. As the spoils are drawn upwards, the suction in the upper transition tube causes the velocity to increase to about 125 MPH. As the microtrencher is typically operated over existing infrastructure, the saw blade 310 is used to cut asphalt and underlying road base, concreate and other paving materials in addition to soil. The produced spoils are thus abrasive and the sacrificial plate 4009 is such that the spoils strike it rather than the sidewall of the upper transition area.

[0030] As best depicted in FIG. 4, the sacrificial plate 4009 is positioned to easily be visually inspected when the vacuum system is attached or detached from the microtrencher by looking into the tube through the coupling. This allows for simple periodic replacement when worn to prolong the life of the housing.

[0031] It will be appreciated that the systems discussed herein may include additional components that provide additional functionality to such systems. It will be appreciated that the materials used to construct the housing, transition tubes and sacrificial plates and other components will be selected to allow for operation in the desired manner. For example, the sacrificial plates may be formed from hardened or mild steel that is intended to protect the wall of the housing. It will be appreciated that embodiments where the sacrificial plates extend beyond the upper transitions into the lower portion of the spoils collection portion of the housing may be utilized, embodiments with multiple sacrificial plates present in the housing and tube at positions where the spoils are calculated to contact the walls of thereof are also contemplated.

[0032] While the disclosure has used the descriptions of in certain embodiments to highlight inventive concepts, it will be appreciated such embodiments can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of inventions in accordance with the disclosure using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practices in the art to which this invention pertains.