Patent Application
20140332246
The present disclosure generally relates to a damper system. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a damper system for a power cell of a hydraulic hammer
Power hammers typically include a power cell disposed within a body. Moreover, the power hammers may employ one or more dampers disposed between the power cell and the body. For reference, U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,404 relates to a hydraulic impact hammer comprising a protective casing made of two side plates, and provided with attenuation elements for eliminating the noise and vibration caused by the impact hammer
Although the dampers are provided to attenuate noise and/or vibrations experienced during operation of the power hammers, the noise attenuation and vibration damping characteristics of the dampers may be significantly determined by several factors such as, but not limited to, a configuration of the dampers and/or a type of material used in the dampers.
Further, in forming a system of dampers for the power cell, it may be required to physically link or couple two or more dampers, or even abut the individual dampers to the body of the power hammer so that the dampers may be prevented from being displaced during an operation of the power hammer However, some of the previously known damper systems may not adequately provide mechanisms for securing the positions of the dampers within the body of the power hammer
Moreover, when a system of dampers is configured for use in power hammers, it has been observed that each damper has a distinct structure and/or shape associated thereto. Such distinct structures and/or shapes for the dampers entail increased tooling and/or manufacturing costs associated thereto. Hence, there is a need for a system that overcomes the aforementioned shortcomings
In an aspect of the present disclosure, a damper system for a power cell of a hydraulic hammer includes a single-piece top damper element, a pair of middle damper elements, and a single-piece bottom damper element. The single-piece top damper element is configured to be disposed on the power cell.
The pair of middle damper elements is disposed about a mid-portion of the power cell, wherein the pair of middle damper elements is mutually identical in construction. Moreover, each of the middle damper elements includes interlocking features at lateral ends thereof The interlocking features are configured to allow a releasable engagement of the middle damper elements.
The bottom damper element is formed from a material having Shore hardness in the range of about 90 A to 95 A. The bottom damper element defines a central opening therein. The central opening is configured to allow passage of a pecking tool therethrough. The bottom damper element includes a base plate, and a plurality of appendages. The base plate is disposed about the central opening and is configured to bear the power cell thereon. The appendages extend axially upwards from a periphery of the base plate and are disposed about the central opening. The bottom damper element further includes a lateral projection extending radially inward from each of the plurality of appendages. The lateral projection is configured to abut a top side of a keel member defined at a bottom portion of the power cell.
Other features and aspects of this disclosure will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings.
a and 4b are top and bottom perspective views of a top damper element that is employed by the hydraulic hammer of
Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to same or like parts. Moreover, references to various elements described herein are made collectively or individually when there may be more than one element of the same type. However, such references are merely exemplary in nature. It may be noted that any reference to elements in the singular is also to be construed to relate to the plural and vice-versa without limiting the scope of the disclosure to the exact number or type of such elements unless set forth explicitly in the appended claims.
In the illustrated embodiment of
As shown in
Referring to
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Moreover, as shown in
In the illustrated embodiments of
Although ridges 144, 146 are shown bulging outward from the outer surface 140 of each middle damper in the depicted embodiments of
Referring to
With continued reference to
The bottom damper element 148 further includes a lateral projection 158 extending radially inward from each of the plurality of appendages 154. As best shown in
Various embodiments disclosed herein are to be taken in the illustrative and explanatory sense, and should in no way be construed as unduly limiting of the present disclosure. All directional references (e.g., above, below, upper, lower, top, bottom, vertical, horizontal, inward, outward, radial, upward, downward, left, right, leftward, rightward, clockwise, and counter-clockwise) are only used for identification purposes to aid the reader's understanding of the present disclosure, and may not create limitations, particularly as to the position, orientation, or use of the systems and/or methods disclosed herein. Joinder references (e.g., attached, affixed, coupled, engaged, connected, and the like) are to be construed broadly. Moreover, such joinder references do not necessarily infer that two elements are directly connected to each other.
Additionally, all numerical terms, such as, but not limited to, “first”, “second”, “third”, or any other ordinary and/or numerical terms, should also be taken only as identifiers, to assist the reader's understanding of the various embodiments, variations, components, and/or modifications of the present disclosure, and may not create any limitations, particularly as to the order, or preference, of any embodiment, variation, component and/or modification relative to, or over, another embodiment, variation, component and/or modification.
It is to be understood that individual features shown or described for one embodiment may be combined with individual features shown or described for another embodiment. The above described implementation does not in any way limit the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, it is to be understood although some features are shown or described to illustrate the use of the present disclosure in the context of functional segments, such features may be omitted from the scope of the present disclosure without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure as defined in the appended claims.
The damper system 116 of the present disclosure has applicability in damping vibrations and attenuating noise experienced during operation of the hydraulic hammer 102.
In an aspect of the present disclosure, the interlocking features 132, 134 provided to the middle damper elements 126, 128 allow a releasable yet secure joint to be established between the middle damper elements 126, 128. Moreover, the ridges 144, 146 provided to the outer surface 140 of the middle damper elements 126, 128 assists the middle damper elements 126, 128 in being gripped by the body 112 of the hydraulic hammer 102.
Further, with identical configuration of the middle damper elements 126, 128, manufacturers of the present damper system 116 may produce the middle damper elements 126, 128 easily and quickly using a single type of tooling and/or manufacturing equipment. Consequently, manufacturers can offset costs previously incurred in the production of uniquely configured damper elements.
Furthermore, as the bottom damper element 148 is made from materials having specific grades or ranges of Shore hardness, in this case 90 A to 95 A, it is envisioned that the bottom damper element 148 may be imparted with adequate strength to bear a weight of the power cell 114 and also withstand the forces encountered during operation of the hydraulic hammer 102.
While aspects of the present disclosure have been particularly shown and described with reference to the embodiments above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various additional embodiments may be contemplated by the modification of the disclosed machines, systems and methods without departing from the spirit and scope of what is disclosed. Such embodiments should be understood to fall within the scope of the present disclosure as determined based upon the claims and any equivalents thereof
