Land vehicles: wheels and axles – Wheel – Traction increasing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-28
2001-08-14
Stormer, Russell D. (Department: 3617)
Land vehicles: wheels and axles
Wheel
Traction increasing
C404S121000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273516
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to compaction machines, such as those used to compact landfills, more particularly, to the compactor wheels on such a compaction machine and, even more particularly, to a self-adjusting compactor wheel capable of compacting both low density and high density refuse and method of use.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Compaction machines are used to compact landfill sites, garbage dumps and other such locations. These machines typically include a self-propelled vehicle having three or four large wheels made of steel. Each wheel has a hub mounted to one end of an axle and a rim disposed around and radially out from the hub. The rim typically includes an outer wrapper defining the width of the wheel. A plurality of cleats are usually mounted on the outer wrapper. In the past, to achieve the highest density possible for the refuse being compacted, compactor wheels having different widths have been used.
Relatively narrow compactor wheels have been used to produce greater compacting pressures (i.e., PLI or pounds per linear inch) and, thereby, higher refuse densities. Being able to achieve higher refuse densities extends the life of the landfill site, garbage dump or other such location. Such narrow compactor wheels are typically used to compact relatively high density refuse (e.g., clay, foundry sand, etc.). Such narrow compactor wheels have been too narrow to support the weight of the compaction machine as it travels over refuse that is loose or has too low of a density (e.g., plastic bags, paper products, food waste, etc.). As a result, if they are too narrow, the narrow compactor wheels can get bogged down in such loose or low density refuse causing the compaction machine to work less efficiently and to get stuck continuously.
In order to ensure the highest degree of compaction and to help avoid getting compaction machines stuck in the refuse, a landfill operator is often forced to purchase two sets of compactor wheels for each compaction machine. The same compaction machine is then used to compact both low and high density refuse. One set of wide wheels is used to compact the loose and low density refuse until the refuse reaches a density capable of supporting the narrow wheels. Then, the set of narrow wheels is used to compact higher density refuse.
One problem with this arrangement is that the landfill operator has to incur the additional cost of an extra set of compactor wheels. In addition, there are significant maintenance costs associated with the wheels of a compaction machine. Removing the compactor wheels is a labor intensive and time consuming process. Compactor wheels can have an outside diameter of up to 84 inches and weigh up to five tons per wheel. It can take up to two working days or more to remove and replace the wheels of a typical compaction machine. Such down time can also result in lost income from refuse left uncompacted. In addition, most landfill sites do not have backup compaction machines available to take over during the down times. The operator of a landfill can risk being charged federal and state fines for each day the trash at the site remains uncompacted.
Accordingly, there is a need for a way to eliminate having to keep a set of narrow and a set of wide compactor wheels for each compaction machine in order to compact both low density and high density refuse.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention satisfies this need by providing a compactor wheel that is mountable on an axle of a compaction machine and that automatically adjusts for compacting loose or low density refuse and high density refuse. The present compactor wheel is effectively wide when operating in loose or low density material and narrower when the compacted material has reached a density sufficient to support the narrower wheel in order to apply greater compaction pressures to the refuse material. The present invention also enables landfill sites, and other such sites, which initially contain high density materials to be further compacted without having to replace the compactor wheels on a compaction machine with narrower wheels. Because the present compactor wheel can be used with either type of refuse, only one set of compactor wheels is needed for each compaction machine. In addition, the present compactor wheels can significantly increase the ability of a compaction machine to compact refuse, compared to other compactor wheels. For example, depending on the size of the present compactor wheels being used, the density of refuse being compacted with the present wheels has been seen to increase up to as much as about 28 percent.
In one aspect of the present invention, a compactor wheel is provided that includes a front side and a back side with a hub, a rim and a plurality of cleats. The hub is mountable to the axle of a compaction machine. The rim is mounted around the outer circumference of the hub and has a face with at least one smaller diameter section and at least one larger diameter section. A side wall connects one smaller diameter section and one larger diameter section so as to form a step. The side wall has a truncated cone-shape. The cleats are mounted to the larger diameter section(s) of the face. The one or more smaller diameter sections of the face enable the compactor wheel to disperse the weight of the compaction machine over more surface area while the machine is compacting relatively loose or low density material. After the loose refuse has been sufficiently compacted, the compaction machine will ride up onto the one or more larger diameter sections of the face, thereby enabling the compactor wheel to concentrate the weight of the compaction machine and further compact the already compacted refuse to a higher density.
Put another way, the one or more larger diameter sections of the face define a first surface area, and the one or more smaller diameter sections of the face define a second surface area. When compacting looser or lower density refuse material, the second surface area provides additional area of the wheel face in contact with the refuse material to reduce the pressure applied by the compaction machine during the compaction of the lower density material. Once the refuse material is sufficiently compacted to support the additional pressure, the area of the wheel face in contact with the refuse material decreases to only the first surface area.
The at least one smaller diameter section of the present compactor wheel can include two smaller diameter sections, with one of the two smaller diameter sections located on the front side and the other of the two smaller diameter sections located on the back side of the compactor wheel. It may be desirable for the at least one larger diameter section to include two larger diameter sections located between the front side and the back side of the wheel and for a smaller diameter section to be located between the two larger diameter sections.
The face of the rim can be defined by an outer wrapper which includes at least one side wall. Each side wall separates one smaller diameter section from one larger diameter section, thereby forming a step. It is desirable for the outer wrapper to include at least two side walls, with the side walls forming two steps. One step is located on the front side, and the other step is located on the back side.
It is desirable for the cleats to be tooth shaped for demolishing, breaking up or disintegrating and compacting refuse material, and thereby enable the compaction machine to compact the refuse to higher densities. It is also desirable for the compactor wheel to have an enclosed metal plate construction sufficient to bare the weight of a compaction machine body weighing tens of thousands of pounds.
The present compactor wheel can also include an axle guard system in the form of a circumferential barrier for preventing, or at least substantially inhibiting, cable, rope, wire and other refuse and debris from wrapping around the portion of the compaction machine axle located behind the compactor wheel. This circumferential barr
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