Hydraulic and earth engineering – Earth treatment or control – Chemical
Patent
1990-04-25
1992-01-14
Corbin, David H.
Hydraulic and earth engineering
Earth treatment or control
Chemical
404 96, E02B 502, E01C 1948
Patent
active
050805320
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a self-propelled machine for the concreting of ditches, of the type comprising a propulsion unit which drives displacement means of the machine and a system for spreading a layer of concrete on the bottom and on the edges of the ditch as the machine advances.
In the field of public works, drainage ditches have to be dug, particularly on either side of roads and freeways. Some of these ditches are then concreted in order to facilitate the flow of water and to prevent them from being furrowed by rainwater and invaded by vegetation.
Machines of the above-mentioned type have been designed for automatically concreting such ditches. These self-propelled machines straddle the ditch and have displacement means, such as wheels or caterpillar bands, which bear and roll on either side of the ditch. In addition to the ditch to be dug, it is thus necessary to clear its surrounding edges in order to lay out thereon the rolling tracks which must be leveled substantially parallel to the bottom of the ditch. The importance of these laying-out works varies according to the nature and the slope of the terrain. Generally, these machines operate very well on terrain which is flat or which has a gentle slope and which is sufficiently clear, but their use is rendered virtually impossible in terrain with a considerable slope and to which access is difficult. Moreover, these machines have above all been designed for performing major works, in particular for the concreting of wide and deep ditches.
The aim of the invention lies in the provision of a self-propelled machine which is particularly suited to the concreting of small narrow ditches and which may be used in undulating terrains where access may be difficult.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To this end, the invention proposes a machine for the concreting of ditches, which is characterized in that its displacement means bear and roll on the bottom of the ditch.
According to a preferred embodiment, the displacement means of the machine consist of at least one caterpillar band which advances on the bottom of the ditch.
According to a further arrangement of the invention, the spreading system, located towards the rear of the machine, is towed by the caterpillar band bearing, in particular, on the layer of concrete which has just been deposited at the rear of the machine.
The spreading system essentially comprises a hopper for storing the concrete, an endless screw in the bottom of the hopper for conveying the concrete into shuttering matching the form of the ditch, this shuttering comprising a lower opening opposite the bottom of the ditch and through which the concrete falls, due to gravity, in order to form the bottom concrete layer, this lower opening being extended by two side openings located opposite the edges of the ditch and through which the concrete is cast, by means of fins driven in rotation by the endless screw in order to form the side concrete layers.
The spreading system is completed by compression means, such as a plate with a trapezoidal cross-section which simultaneously compresses the layers of concrete deposited on the bottom and on the edges of the ditch, this plate also acting as a bearing surface for the spreading system during the advance of the machine.
According to an important advantage of the invention, since the machine bears only on the bottom of the ditch, it makes it possible to dispense with all the laying-out works for the surrounding edges of the ditch which were hitherto necessary for the displacement of machines of the prior art. It is thus possible to reduce the time and the costs of creating a concreted ditch.
According to a further advantage of the invention, the machine guided by the caterpillar band, can follow any line, in particular with a considerable slope and in undulating terrains.
According to yet a further advantage of the invention, the machine is compact and of small dimensions, which facilitates its transportation to the sites of use.
Further advantages, features and d
REFERENCES:
patent: 3566760 (1971-03-01), Lalleur et al.
patent: 4319859 (1982-03-01), Wise
patent: 4432672 (1984-02-01), Bruderle et al.
Merville Jacques
Merville Pierre
Corbin David H.
En Treprise Merville Pierre
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