AU685692B2

AU685692B2 - Excavator bucket

Info

Publication number: AU685692B2
Application number: AU40564/95A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Norm SMITH
Original assignee: Ephemere Pty Ltd
Current assignee: ATLAS HEAVY ENGINEERING Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1994-12-23
Filing date: 1995-12-20
Publication date: 1998-01-22
Anticipated expiration: 2015-12-20
Also published as: AU4056495A

Description

1

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: a e s EPHEMERE PTY. LTD.

010 693 231) Norm Smith CULLEN CO., Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 240 Queen Street, Brisbane, Qld. 4000, Australia.

*0 0* Invention Title: Details of Associated Provisional Applications: Nos. PN 0298 filed 23.12.94 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us

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2 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION THIS INVENTION relates to excavator buckets for heavy duty earth moving machinery, grappling equipment and the like, which buckets have pivoting jaws which are designed to open up so as to unload their contents.

Buckets of this type are commonly used on front-end loaders. They basically comprise two sections a receptacle section for the load ana a scoop section pivotally attached thereto for scooping the load up into the receptacle section. The scoop section is adapted to pivot, by the agency of hydraulic rams, relative to the receptacle section which enables the load to be dropped out of the bucket, in the region between the receptacle and the scoop.

Such known arrangements suffer from a number of problems, two of which are of major concern. The first .arises from the power loss inherent in the design of the arrangement. Since it is the scoop section of the bucket which does the pivoting, and because this section is e.

connected directly to the loader arm and therefore acts as the agency through which power from the loader is transmitted to the load, there is an appreciable loss of power through the pivoting coupling leadiiig to increased operating expenses and lack of overall efficiency. The I 25 other major concern is the high failure rate of the hydraulic rams. In order for the lower part of the S bucket scoop section to pivot outwardly from the load receptacle, the hydraulic rams which activate the pivoting action must be positioned in preset positions to enable such pivoting to occur. These preset positions happen to expose the hydraulic rams to the material being worked on. This places the hydraulic rams under considerable stress, and seizures are common due to seals and other componentry being damaged by the work matE ial.

Another disadvantage of known bucket arrangements is that they cannot effectively be used to grip boulders, large logs and other such bulky items.

For these purposes it is generally necessary to use

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separate attachments, which are specifically designed for the particular product to be grappled.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a pivoting jaw bucket for an excavator which does not have the power loss problems mentioned above, and which is not as prone to the same degree of hydraulic ram damage as existing buckets.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pivoting jaw bucket which is more ulitarian than existing buckets in that it can also pick up logs and boulders in its jaws.

15 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 9999 *According to the present invention, these objects are achieved by the provision of a pivoting jaw bucket for use with a front end loader or like heavy duty machinery, said bucket comprising a scoop section and a material receptacle section, which material receptacle section is pivotally connected to the rear facing section of the scoop section, wherein the scoop section is adapted to be connected directly to the working arm of a front end loader or like heavy duty machinery, and 25 wherein relative pivotal movement is effected by one or more hydraulic rams connecting the scoop section and the .material receptacle section.

Since it is the scoop section of the excavator bucket which transmits the power to the material being excavated, and since this is connected directly to the working arm of the excavator, the power exerted by the excavator on the material is maximised and there are no losses of the type involved with pre-existing arrangements of the aforementioned type.

Further, in view of the scoop section being fixed directly to the working arm, the hydraulic rams can conveniently be located on the top, rear-facing section of the excavator bucket, and assume an extended form when the jaws of the excavator bucket are brought together and a closed form when the jaws of the excavator bucket are pivoted apart. This means that the hydraulic rams will not be directly exposed to the material being excavated F will not be as prone to damage as conventional arrangements are, and will have a longer life.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Preferably, the jaws of the excavator bucket, that is, the portion of the scoop section and the portion of the receptacle section which pivot furtherest apart and close together, are formed with a series of teethlike corrugations on their lower outer edges to facilitate the gripping of logs and boulders 15 therebetween.

e The excavator bucket will suitably be fabricated from conventional plate steel of appropriate wall thickness to meet the task it has to perform and the reel capacity of the excavator it is to be used with. These o e are design characteristics well within the capabilities of skilled engineers to formulate and construct.

The material receptacle section can have two opposing flat plate side walls with a curved connecting back plate extending between. The top of the material 25 receptacle section has one or more hydraulic ram pistons connected thereto.

Most preferably there are two hydraulic rams, one located on each upper side of the material receptacle section, and held by pins extending between two flanged extensions on the receptacle.

Preferably, the leading edge of the material receptacle section has a case hardened steel portion welded to it for handling rocks and the like without causing unnecessary damage or wear to the receptacle.

The scoop section of the bucket suitably comprises two opposing plane walls having complimentary scalloped configurations somewhat in the form of flattened sloping separated along the lower region I by one or more rectangular plates which optionally incorporate front facing scouring teeth, and along the upper region by a further plate or plates which incorporate coupling appendages on the upper facing surface(s). The coupling appendages are designed to enable connection of the hydraulic ram cylinder or cylinders to the scoop section and to enable connection of the scoop section to the working arm of the excavator.

Suitably the coupling appendage for each hydraulic ram comprises a pin extending between an inwardly located winged plate and each of the opposing plane walls of the scoop section. The coupling appendage for the excavator arm can be a conventional quick-hitch arrangement, that is, a pair of plates extending from the scoop section having collared openings through which connecting pins are inserted.

Preferably, the lower edges of the opposing *..plates of the scoop section are also formed with a series of teeth-like corrugations to facilitate the gripping of large objects.

The scoop section and material receptacle section are suitably connected together by a large metal pin extending between the side walls of the scoop and receptacle sections, in the upper region thereof.

S S"DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS A preferred embodiment of the invention will .now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a pivoting jaw bucket according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the pivoting jaw bucket of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a front elevational view of the pivoting jaw bucket of Figure 1, and Figure 4 is a perspective view of the pivoting jaw bucket of Figure 1 showing the scoop section and material receptacle section separated from one another.

In all the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like parts.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The excavator bucket comprises a scoop section and a material receptacle section 11. The scoop section comprises two complementary shaped opposed side wall sections 12, 13, separated by a base region 14 and an upper region 15. The base region 14 has a tapered hardened leading edge 16 which can optionally be fitted with scouring or digging teeth of conventional structure.

The wall sections 12, 13 have a series of integrally formed gripping teeth 17, 18 along the lower edges thereof (see, particularly Figures 2 and The upper regions include inwardly directed pin housings 19, 20 which align with corresponding pin housings 21, 22 projecting from intermediate plates extending from the upper region 15. These pin housings enable the cylinders of two hydraulic rams (not illustrated) to be pivotally 20 connected to the scoop section.

The rear facing upper portion of the wall sections 12, 13 have openings 23, 24 to enable a metal pin 25 to be inserted so that the scoop and receptacle sections can be pivotally connected to each other.

The upper region 15 of the scoop section also includes a coupling appendage 26 to enable the excavator **bucket to be directly connected to the working arm of an S: excavator. The coupling appendage consists of a pair of plates 27, 28 welded to the upper region 15 of the scoop and incorporating sleeved openings 29, 30, 31, 32 in excavator arm coupling pins (not shown) are located.

The material receptacle section 11 consists of side wall sections 33, 34 with case hardened steel edges 36 welded thereto. The case hardened steel edges have a series of teeth-like corrugations 37. 38 formed along their respective lower edges for the purpose of gripping objects between the scoop and receptacle sections when the jaws are brought together. The side wall sections 33, 34 are separated by a curved wall which comprises the back of the excavator bucket.

Openings, only one of which, viz 41, can be seen in the drawings (see Figure extend through the top of the case hardened edges 35, 36 and collars 42, 43 extend inwardly of these for the purpose of supporting the locating pin Two flanged extensions 44, 45 extend from the curved wall 40. These extensions have collared openings 46, 47 through which pins are inserted for the purpose of connecting the piston rods of the hydraulic cylinders.

In operation as a scoop, the bucket assumes the normal position illustrated in Figures 1-3. When the bucket has been loaded and is to be emptied, the receptacle 11 pivots open about pin 25 by the action of the hydraulic rams retracting their rods into their housings. The contents of the bucket then empties and the jaws of the bucket are closed together in readiness for the next load.

In operation as a grappling implement, the scoop section and the material receptacle section are pivoted open and the object to be grappled is aligned between the teeth-like corrugations 37, 38 on the receptacle and the teeth 17, 18 on the scoop. The jaws S 25 of the bucket are then closed together about the object which is firmly retained for transportation, and subsequent unloading in a reverse procedure of the above steps.

The excavator bucket thus described meets the objects of enabling full power transmission from the excavator to the load being worked on, minimal exposure of the operating hydraulic rams to the load, and multiple use application.

Whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative example of the invention, many modifications and variations may be made thereto by persons skilled in the art without departing from the broad scope and ambit of the invention as herein set forth.

Claims

1. A pivoting jaw bucket for use with a front end loader or like heavy duty machinery, said bucket comprising a scoop section and a material receptacle section, which material receptacle section is pivotally connected to the rear facing section of the scoop section but not directly to the working arm of a front end loader or like heavy duty machinery, wherein the scoop section is adapted to be connected directly to the working arm of the front end loader or like heavy duty machinery, and wherein relative pivotal movement is effected by one or more hydraulic rams connecting the scoop section and the material receptacle section.

2. A pivoting jaw bucket as claimed in claim 1, 15 wherein the material receptacle section pivots snugly within the walls which define the scoop section.

3. A pivoting jaw bucket as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the material receptacle section has leading edges formed of case hardened steel. 20

4. A pivoting jaw bucket as claimed in any one of claims 1-3, wherein the material receptacle section "'"includes two opposing flat plate side walls with a curved ."connecting back plate extending between.

S: A pivoting jaw bucket as claimed in any one of 25 the preceding claims, wherein the scoop section has two opposing plane walls having complimentary configurations •o o :of substantially shape, separated along a lowermost region by one or more rectangular plates and separated along an uppermost region by a further plate or plates containing coupling appendages.

6. A pivoting jaw bucket as claimed in claims 3, 4 and 5, wherein portions of the edges of the scoop section and portions of the receptacle edge section, which sections pivot toward one another, have a series of teeth- like corrugations to facilitate the gripping of boulders, logs and the like therebetween.

7. A pivoting jaw bucket as claimed in claim wherein each coupling appendage comprises a pin extending I between an inwardly located winged plate and each of the opposing plane walls of the scoop section.

8. A pivoting jaw bucket as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the scoop section and the material receptacle section are pivotally connected by a single pin extending between the side walls of the scoop section and the side walls of the material receptacle section.

9. A pivoting jaw bucket as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and adapted to incorporate hydraulic rams on a top, rear facing section of the bucket, which hydraulic rams are arranged to extend when the jaws of the excavator bucket are brought together and to close when the jaws of the excavator bucket are pivoted apart. 15

10. A pivoting jaw bucket substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 17th day of October 1997 EPHEMERE PTY. LTD. 20 010 693 231) By their Patent Attorneys CULLEN CO. C L p ABSTRACT A pivoting jaw for heavy earth moving and Grappling equipment. The bucket comprises a scoop '5 and a receptacle The scoop is adapted for direct connection to the working arm of the equipment and relative movement between the scoop and the receptacle is effected by one or more hydraulic rams.