Patent Application
20210156102
This invention relates generally to a compactor and more particularly to a vibratory compactor for use with excavator type vehicles.
Vibratory plate compactors are designed to compact lose material, such as soil, gravel, small aggregate, asphalt and so forth. Conventional plate compactors include a heavy plate on the bottom of the machine that moves up and down quickly. The combination of rapid impacts, plate weight and impact forces the soil underneath to compact or pack together more tightly. These plate compactors can be powered by gas engines or by hydraulic motors. Plate compactors that operate with hydraulic fluid are typically used with excavators or back hoes as an attachment. However, these hydraulic plate compactors are limited in their capability because the exposed hoses and further are not true vibratory compactors but have cyclic up and down motions wherein the amplitude of the up and down motion and the weight of the plate combine for the compaction. Often, these vibratory compactors cannot and should not sustain extra forces applied by the arm of the excavator or backhoe, but rather rest on the surface and the plate performs the function.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved vibratory compactor for use with excavator type vehicles.
An embodiment includes a vibratory compactor comprising: a compactor plate; a frame coupled to the compactor plate, wherein the frame comprises: a first side member spaced apart from a second side member; a plurality of mounting brackets coupled between the first side member and the second side member; and an inner space bound by the first side member, the second side member, and the compactor plate; a vibration generation device coupled to the compactor plate within the inner space of the frame; a plurality of isolators, each isolator coupled to one mounting bracket of the plurality of mounting brackets, wherein a portion of each isolator is within the inner space and a portion extends beyond edges of the first side member and the second side member; and a housing coupled to the plurality of isolators thereby coupling the housing to the frame with the frame within an inner volume of the housing, wherein the housing comprises couplers removably coupled to a top surface of the housing, the coupler configured for coupling the vibratory compactor to an excavator type vehicle.
Another embodiment includes a method of using a vibratory compactor, the method comprising: coupling the vibratory compactor to an excavator, the vibratory compactor comprising: a compactor plate; a frame coupled to the compactor plate, wherein the frame comprises: a first side member spaced apart from a second side member; a plurality of mounting brackets coupled between the first side member and the second side member; and an inner space bound by the first side member, the second side member, and the compactor plate; a vibration generation device coupled to the compactor plate within the inner space of the frame; a plurality of isolators, each isolator coupled to one mounting bracket of the plurality of mounting brackets, wherein a portion of each isolator is within the inner space and a portion extends beyond edges of the first side member and the second side member; and a housing coupled to the plurality of isolators thereby coupling the housing to the frame with the frame within an inner volume of the housing, wherein the housing comprises couplers removably coupled to a top surface of the housing, the coupler configured for coupling the vibratory compactor to an excavator type vehicle; operating the vibration generation device to vibrate the compactor plate and the frame; applying force to the compactor plate from the excavator type vehicle in response to the excavator type vehicle applying force to the housing; and compacting material contacted by the compactor plate.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following more detailed description of the particular embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
A more complete understanding of the present invention may be derived by referring to the detailed description and claims when considered in connection with the Figures, wherein like reference numbers refer to similar items throughout the Figures, and:
As discussed above, embodiments of the present invention relate to a vibratory compactor for use with an excavator type vehicle. An excavator type vehicle may be an excavator, a backhoe, a mini-excavator or the like.
Referring to
The housing 40 may include a top member 42, chamfered members 45 and 46, a first side member 47, a second side member 48, a rear member 50 and a front member 52 coupled together to form the housing 40 with an open end providing access to an inner volume 54. The opening and inner volume 54 are configured to receive the frame 20 within the inner volume 54 of the housing 40. All of the holes for coupling components to each may be tapped holes and comprise threads. This allows for coupling of components together without the need of nuts. For example, and without limitation, the top member 42 of the housing 40 includes various amounts of threaded holes that are configured to allow various sized couplers (ears) to be coupled to bolted to the top member 42 without the need for nuts. While threads are shown on the holes of the top member 42, it will be understood that all holes for coupling may comprise threads.
The vibratory compactor 10 may further comprise a plurality of isolators 80. Each isolator 80 may be coupled to one mounting bracket of the plurality of mounting brackets 26. A portion of each isolator 80 is within the inner space and a portion of each isolator 80 extends beyond edges of the first side member 22 and the second side member 24. The housing 40 may be coupled to the plurality of isolators 80, wherein the housing 40 comprises couplers 90 removably coupled to a top member 42 of the housing 40. The coupler 90 may be configured for coupling the vibratory compactor 10 to an excavator type vehicle.
In embodiments, the first side member 22 of the frame 20 may comprise an aperture 23 providing access to the inner space 32. The second side member 24 of the frame 20 may comprise an aperture 25 providing access to the inner space 32. Additionally, in some embodiments, the first side member 22, the second side member 24 and two of the plurality of mounting brackets 26 are coupled to the compactor plate 60 forming a dust/debris seal 34 to inhibit dust/debris from entering the inner space 32.
In embodiments, the vibration generation device 70 is a hydraulic vibration generation device. In these embodiments, the housing 40 may comprise apertures 44 configured for hydraulic hoses to extend therethrough from the excavator type vehicle to the hydraulic vibration generation device 70. In other embodiments, the housing 40 may comprise fittings configured for hydraulic hoses to extend between the excavator type vehicle and one side of the fittings and configured for hydraulic hoses to extend between an opposed side of the fittings and the hydraulic vibration generation device 70. The fittings may be located in the same place as the apertures 44. For example, the fittings may be coupled within the apertures 44.
In each of these embodiments, the apertures 44 are located toward a top of the housing 40 and not extending out of any of the sides of the housing 40. For example, the apertures 44 may be located in one of the upper chamfered members 45 or 46. The apertures located toward a top of the housing and not extending from the side, limits the opportunity for damage to the hoses or fittings. This is a distinction over prior art wherein prior art has hoses and fittings open to the environment and allows for damage to easily occur to the hoses and/or fittings. In embodiments of this invention, the fittings for hoses to the vibration generation device 70 are located within the inner space 32 of the frame 20 and the apertures 44 with or without fittings are located in an upper surface that limits damage that may occur during use. The configuration of the frame 20 and the housing 40 operate to protect the hoses and fittings for operation of the vibration generation device 70.
With additional reference to the isolators 80, the plurality of isolators 80 isolate the vibration of the compactor plate 60 and frame 20 from the housing 40. Additionally, the plurality of isolators 80 are oriented to allow forces to be applied to vibratory compactor 10 from operation of the excavator type vehicle in one or more directions comprising perpendicular to the compactor plate 60 and any angle to the compactor plate 20. The vibratory compactor 10 may further comprise a gap 48 between the housing 40 and the frame 20 and the housing 40 and the compactor plate 60, the gap 40 formed by the isolators 80.
The vibratory compactor 10 may further comprise a range of deflection of the plurality of isolators 80, wherein the range of deflection is defined by the distance of the gap 48 between the housing 40 and the frame 20 and the housing 40 and the compactor plate 60, wherein limits of the range of deflection are set by the housing 40 contacting the frame 20 and/or the compactor plate 60.
It will be understood that while one size of a vibratory compactor 10 is depicted in the drawings figure, the vibratory compactor may be made in any number of various sizes depending on the type of job and the size of excavator type vehicle may be using the vibratory compactor 10. In some embodiments, particularly as the size of the vibratory compactor increases, the gap 48 may be of a size that the vibratory compactor 10 may comprise a spacer between the frame 20 and the housing 40. The spacer may be formed of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (“UHMW”) or other type of material with comparable material attributes to UHMW. Typically, the spacer is located between the frame 20 and the first and second side members 47 and 48 of the housing 40. The spacer may operate as an additional debris seal.
Referring further to the drawings,
The method 100 may further comprise isolating vibration of the compactor plate and the frame from the housing. Additionally, the Step 102 of operating the vibration generation device may comprise flowing hydraulic fluid through the vibration generation device.
With further reference to
The embodiments and examples set forth herein were presented in order to best explain the present invention and its practical application and to thereby enable those of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention. However, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the foregoing description and examples have been presented for the purposes of illustration and example only. The description as set forth is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the teachings above without departing from the spirit and scope of the forthcoming claims.
This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application entitled “VIBRATORY COMPACTOR,” Ser. No. 16/691,240, filed on Nov. 21, 2019, the disclosure of which is incorporated entirely herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 16691240 | Nov 2019 | US |
| Child | 16989373 | US |
