Stone working – Splitting – shearing – and punching
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-24
2001-06-05
Rose, Robert A. (Department: 3723)
Stone working
Splitting, shearing, and punching
C125S035000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06240913
ABSTRACT:
This invention concerns machines for splitting pieces of stone, concrete, wood and the like.
Natural stone used by builders and stone masons to build walls and other structures often has to be split to provide it with a flat face with a visually pleasing appearance. Furthermore, as quarried, in addition to providing it with a flat face such stone usually needs to be split to make it of a size which is convenient for the intended end use.
In addition to splitting new stone, recycled stone obtained from demolishing existing buildings often needs to be split to reduce it to a desired size, in addition to refacing the stone, before it is used again.
Stone splitters have been proposed hitherto which consist of a rigid rectangular frame within which operates a vertically acting guillotine blade for splitting the stone, the blade being moveable between vertical guides by a pair of hydraulic rams which force the blade vertically down on to the stone, the stone resting on a horizontal surface formed by the frame or on another blade.
Such stone splitters suffer from a number of disadvantages. In particular, their mechanical lay out requires them to be upright and they are as a result high due to the downwardly acting rams. Additional height results from bringing the bottom blade and table to a convenient working height. Transporting such a device from site to site or even around a site requires it to be laid on its side or capable of being hinged about its mid-point in order to lower its center of gravity. Such splitters are generally transported from site to site as a horizontally trailed unit, and so they may incorporate wheels and a draw bar so that they are in effect trailers which can be towed to and set up at the next location. These splitters are unwieldy, and setting them up is labor intensive and sometimes potentially dangerous owing to their high centers of gravity.
A further problem with these prior art splitters is that the guide system for the moveable blade is limited so that attempting to split stones which are not flat topped can result in distortion of the frame work of the splitter or the splitters have to be provided with massive frames which resist the distortion. Furthermore, they are in general unable to accommodate wedge-shaped stones with anything other than small wedge angles. Thus these prior art splitters are limited in that the maximum force that can be applied is essentially limited to the hydraulic pressure of the ram used to activate the splitter blade, there being substantially no mechanical advantage from leverage.
All of the above results in heavy, unwieldy machines that are difficult to transport around a site and when being moved from site to site as a trailer require the use of a towing vehicle which is not favored as it adds to costs and occupies a vehicle which might be used for other purposes. These machines are unable to handle many misshapen stones satisfactorily due to the splitter blade not making sufficient contact with such stones which can lead to uneven splitting. Furthermore, the maximum splitting force is substantially that which can be applied by the hydraulic rams.
According to the present invention there is provided a splitter for splitting stone, concrete, wood and the like comprising a frame, a first splitter blade moveable relative to the frame, a second splitter blade, and hydraulically actuatable means for pulling the first splitter blade towards the second splitter blade to effect said splitting.
The hydraulically actuatable means preferably comprises two hydraulic rams, each attached to opposite end portions of the first blade. The first splitter blade is preferably moveable laterally relative to the second splitter blade substantially in the line of the said blades. The first splitter blade is preferably guided so that it is substantially prevented from rotating other than in a vertical plane, for example using polymeric or metal guides attached to the frame.
The first blade is preferably attached to centering means for centering the first blade relative to the second blade, the centering means preferably including slides or rollers urged by a spring into engagement with a frame of the splitter. The slides or rollers are preferably urged by separate springs.
An end portion of the first blade preferably includes means for limiting transverse movement of the first blade relative to the second blade, the means for limiting transverse movement of the first blade relative to the lower blade preferably comprising a pair of rollers attached to opposite end portions of the first blade, said movement being limited by engagement of one other pair of slides or rollers with the frame of the splitter.
Pivot means are preferably provided on or attached to the frame of the splitter so that the first blade can rotate on the pivot means about one or other end of the blade to effect said splitting.
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Blank Rome Comisky & McCauley LLP
Rose Robert A.
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