AU695746B2 - Sandbagging machine - Google Patents

Description

1298B

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name of Applicants: Actual Inventors: Address for Service: Invention Title: KEVIN MARK WALKON and JOHN ANTHONY

WALKOM

KEVIN MARK WALKON and JOHN ANTHONY

WALKOM

H.R. HODGIUNSON CO.

Patent Trade Mark Attorneys Level 3, 20 Alfred Street MILSONS POINT NSW 2061 "Sandbagging Machine" Details of Divisional Application: No: 89796/91 filed 16 December 1991 o s o o c r o e o sc a e The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: -I II L THIS INVENTION relates to means for filling sandbags and the like with revetment materials for use in emergency situations. In particular, the invention relates to a. portable automatic bagging facility to fill sandbags and indeed other suitable containers, with revetment materials (particularly sand and the like) on site, so that the filled bags may be used as retaining walls, levee banks etc. in emergencies or other situations.

Although the following specification refers primarily to the use of sandbags filled with revetment materials, especially sand, to be used in flood emergencies, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited thereto and any reference to the filling of sandbags and/or construction of levees using such bags should be taken as a general reference to the filling of any suitable containers for like purposes.

Flooding is a significant problem in rural areas, particularly in those adjacent to rivers.

Although Australia is a relatively dry country, there are many areas which are subject to periodic severe flooding under abnormal weather conditions. Long dry spells of weather can be followed by periods of torrential rain which leads to the build-up of flood waters in lower lying areas further downstream. The results of such flooding are often disastrous.

SFlooding wreaks havoc with damaged property and personal suffering as well as loss of 20 animals and livestock. Houses must be evacuated and left to the damaging rising water. o: e Conventionally, levees have been constructed to restrain rising floodwaters, by utilising sandbags filled on site with manual labour. This is a time-consuming and laborious task in which many tons of revetment material such as sand must be physically shovelled into ":ei 25 bags. It would, therefore, be advantageous to provide a portable machine capable of filling sandbags on site which is easy to operate and inexpensive to manufacture and maintain. At the very least, such a machine would provide an alternative to present manual methuds.

According to the present invention, there is provided a stand-alone portable sandbagging machine comprising a fiame assembly, a hopper assembly supported by the frame assembly and comprising a hopper for storing and feeding revetment materials, said hopper having a discharge opening at its lower end and closeable by means of a power-operated shutter, vibrator means fitted to said hopper to facilitate agitation and grav;ty feed of sand or other revetment material container therein, a conveyor assembly supported by the frame assembly comprising a conveyor belt disposed beneath said discharge opening, bag chute means supported by the frame assembly disposed in sand-receiving relationship to said conveyor belt at a distal end thereof to receive revetment material therefrom and having one or a plurality of discharge outlets for single or multiple sandbag filling, control means to control the flow of the revetment material from said machine including power means connected to the frame assembly for selectively powering the conveyor belt and separately the discharge opening shutter when actuated, and actuating means for selectively actuating the power means to transmit operative power to said conveyor belt and to said shutter.

i "Preferably, the motorised means for driving the conveyor and/or thile means to control the flow of revetment material from the hopper are each provided through hydraulic means.

The means to control the flow of materials from the hopper may for example be in the Se form of a hydraulically controlled valve arrangement or simple acting shutter device.

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Preferably, the bagging machine is mounted on a suitable frame, for example in the form of ;a trailer, having wheels attached thereto to provide mobility. Conveniently, a drawbar or towbar is provided at one end of the sandbagging machine for releasable coupling to a :towing vehicle. Preferably, the machine comprises four such wheels so as to be free- 25 standing after detachment from the towing vehicle.

Alternatively or in addition thereto, the frame of the sandbagging machine may be provided with extendible and/or removable legs, preferably hydraulically controlled, to enable the machine to be levelled on site.

The machine is preferably fitted with removable lighting to facilitate use thereof at night.

Thus, an embodiment of the sandbagging machine, according to the present invention, is a fully transportable machine that is used to fill sandbags with revetment materials on site.

The sandbagging machine is provided with a storage hopper which is preferably fitted with a vibrator to facilitate gravity feed of the material contained therein, thereby allowing for the use of river sand and loamy sands.

The sandbagging machine is preferably hydraulically controlled, sand or other revetment material contained in the hopper being supplied to the filling chute or chutes by a hydraulically controlled variable speed feedbelt.

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S ek 9 eo* *ooe 3O The sandbagging machine is preferably mounted on a heavy-duty bogey wheel axle system to effectively allow it to be transported anywhere the towing vehicle can itself negotiate. Preferably, the axle system is provided with a robust suspension system, the whole unit being mounted as low as practicable to the ground to avoid wind drag. The sandbagging machine according to the preferred embodiment is conveniently fitted with four hydraulically controlled leveling legs, to allow for operation on uneven ground.

Furthermore, with convenience, the filling chute or chutes may be conveniently provided with raising and lowering means, to provide a convenient working height depending on the surrounding ground level or indeed the size of bags available.

The sandbagging machine is conveniently fitted with a petrol-driven generator to supply power for the hydraulically controlled mechanisms referred to above as well as lighting for night work or other such purposes as, for example, keeping an urn hot.

The overall height of the sandbagging machine according to the referred embodiment allows for easy loading of materials into the storage hopper. For example, the storage hopper may be filled by utilising a farmer's front-end loader or a local shire council's heavy earth-moving equipment. The hydraulic system which drives the feeding system and hydraulcally controlled legs is relatively mainvenance free comprising few moving parts to minimise unnecessary down time.

The particularly preferred embodiment has thus been designed as a machine for filling sandbags with revetrment materials to be used in situations in crder to replace manual 25 labour which may well be in short supply. The machine fills bags automatically and faster than manual labour utilising for example shovels. Furthermore, the machine is fully transportable, The sandbagging machine according to the preferred embodiment has been designed to allow for easy operation by untrained personnel. The preferred design utilises i a variable speed feeding belt with twin filing chutes which allows for the filling of 1200 S. 30 to 1500 sandbags per hour. In this way, a team of twenty to thirty people may be utilised, whereby two people fill the bags, two more people place bags on the respective chutes, .:eoei and the balance tie and stack the bags for transport and/or placement at the required location.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of illustration only with reference to the accompanying figure which is a side elevation of a sandbagging machine according to the present invention.

A sandbagging machine 11 comprises a hopper 12, fitted with a vibrating device 13. A hydraulically driven shutter device 14 is provided in the base of hopper 12 to control the flow of material therethrough. The shutter 14 is controlled hydraulically by means of handle 15. A conveyor 16 is located below the base of the hopper 12 and feeds material emanating therefrom towards a filling chute 17 for subsequent delivery to a sandbag 18 placed adjacent the output end thereof A motor and hydraulic control means not illustrated in detail, but generally referenced 19 provides motive power for the conveyor 16. A generator 20 is mounted on the frame 21 of the sandbagging machine 11 to provide power and light. The frame 21 is supported on wheels 22 for mobility and on removable extendible hydraulic legs 23 to enable the unit to be leveled on site.

A draw bar 24 allows for releasable attachment to a towing vehicle not illustrated.

Removable lighting 25 is provided at the top of the hopper 12.

:I The unit may be conveniently towed to the appropriate site by means of towbar 24, 25 whereupon it may be released from the towing vehicle. The extendible hydraillic legs 23 may then be fitted to level the machine on site.

In use, revetment materials, particularly sand, may be loaded into the hopper 12 and, if required, vibrated by means of unit 13. The materials flows through the shutter device 14 30 in the base of hopper 12 onto conveyor 16 where it is fed into chute 17 for filling sandbags 18. The shutter 14 is hydraulically controlled by means of lever 15 whilst the I) speed of the conveyor 16 is controlled through the hydraulics associated with the motorised unit 19.

From the foregoing, it will be readily apparent that numerous modifications and variations can be effected without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention. It will be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific embodiment illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred.

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Claims (11)

1. A stand-alone portable sandbagging machine comprising a frame assembly, a hopper assembly supported by the frame assembly and comprising a hopper for storing and feeding revetment materials, said hopper having a discharge opening at its lower end and closeable by means of a power-operated shutter, vibrator means fitted to said hopper to facilitate agitation and gravity feed of sand or other revetment material container therein, a conveyor assembly supported by the frame assembly comprising a conveyor belt disposed beneath said discha ige opening, bag chute means sulnported by the frame assembly disposed in sand-receiving relationship to said conveyor belt at a distal end thereof to receive revetment material therefrom and having one or a plurality of discharge outlets for single or multiple sandbag filling, control means to control the flow of the revetment material from said machine including power means connected to the frame assembly for selectively powering the conveyor belt and separately the discharge opening shutter when actuated, and actuating means for selectively actuating the power means to transmit operative power to said conveyor belt and to said shutter. i l a.

2. A sandbagging machine as claimed in claim I, wherein the conveyor belt is hydraulically controlled,

3. A sandbagging machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control means is itself controlled by hydraulic means. i

4. A sandbagging machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said frame assembly has wheels attached thereto to provide mobility.

A sandbagging machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, said machine further comprising levelling means for enabling levelling of the machine on site.

6. A sandbagging machine as claimed in claim 5, wherein the levelling means include legs of adjustable length.

7. A sandbagging machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, also comprising removable lights to facilitate use thereof at night.

8. A sandbagging machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said control means includes means for variable speed control of said conveyor belt.

9. A sandbagging machine as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 8, adapted for towing by a vehicle. A sandbagging machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said bag chute means may be raised or lowered to a convenient working height.

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11. A sandbagging machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, substantially as described hereinbefore with reference to the accompanying drawing. Dated this 15 day of June 1998 e« KEVIN MARK WALKOM and SJOHN ANTHONY WALKOM by: Patent Attorneys for the Applicants H.R. HODGKINSON CO. ABSTRACT Apparatus for filling sandbags and the like with revetment materials, commonly referred to as a sandbagging machine, having a hopper 11 for storing and feeding the revetment materials and means 16 for conveying con lled quantities of the material to one or more filling chutes 17 where the sandbags may be filled. The sandbagging machine is suitably portable and adapted to be towed by a vehicle. 9 o 6 *mu