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EP 2 513 382 B1 |
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EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION |
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Mention of the grant of the patent: |
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27.11.2019 Bulletin 2019/48 |
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Date of filing: 14.12.2010 |
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International Patent Classification (IPC):
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International application number: |
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PCT/FI2010/000076 |
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International publication number: |
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WO 2011/073500 (23.06.2011 Gazette 2011/25) |
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CUTTER UNIT EQUIPPED WITH A PUMP
SCHNEIDEINHEIT MIT EINER PUMPE
UNITÉ DE COUTEAU ÉQUIPÉE D'UNE POMPE
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Designated Contracting States: |
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AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL
NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR |
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Priority: |
14.12.2009 FI 20090474
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Date of publication of application: |
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24.10.2012 Bulletin 2012/43 |
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Proprietor: Lännen MCE Oy |
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32210 Loimaa (FI) |
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Inventor: |
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- MIKKOLA, Toni
FI-27800 Säkylä (FI)
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Representative: Kolster Oy Ab |
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(Salmisaarenaukio 1)
P.O. Box 204 00181 Helsinki 00181 Helsinki (FI) |
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References cited: :
GB-A- 233 271 JP-U- S6 087 262 US-A- 637 831 US-A- 4 555 064
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GB-A- 233 271 JP-U- S60 139 857 US-A- 637 831
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Note: Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European
patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to
the European patent
granted. Notice of opposition shall be filed in a written reasoned statement. It shall
not be deemed to
have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent
Convention).
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[0001] Invention relates to a cutter unit equipped with a pump which cutter unit comprises
a rotatable cutting device with the help of which underwater soil can be cut, wherein
the mass, such as the mass created from the soil and water, and that becomes created
during the cutting moves inside the cutter unit and further to the pump with which
the said mass being in a fluid form is pumped to a suitable location.
[0002] The publication
US 637831 discloses a combination with a suction-pipe of a cutting or stirring device comprising
a series of blades supported at their inner ends only. The blades curved back toward
the suction-pipe and additionally curved away from their direction of rotation, so
that their cutting edges are at an angle to the tangent of the circle of rotation,
thus forming blades with a double curvature. The publication
JPU 360139857 describes a crushing device rotated by a drive source, such as an underwater motor.
The device is formed in a spiral shape on the outer periphery of the main spindle.
The outer diameter dimension is gradually enlarged from the tip portion to the base
portion. Previously rotating cutting heads used in underwater earthwork, such as dredging,
are known which cutting heads are moved at the bottom when the cutting heads separate
the soil from the bottom. Further pumps that are adjusted by the cutting head are
known with which pumps separated mass and water are pumped further to the shore or
to a barge along special pipeworks, such as flexible pipeworks. The rotating cutter
separates from the bottom mud, stones, parts of plants and while operating at the
shore often also items thrown into water. The cutting head has already a structure
in itself that sieves bigger objects, such as stones to a certain extend so that too
big stones cannot reach the pump. In practise there has been a disadvantage that fibrous
parts, such as roots of aquatic plants or thick stems located at the bottom of the
water areas do not become crushed with the cutting head, but they move along the mass
to the pump maintaining their long structure and stay in front of the blades of the
cutter or in the wings of the pump while rotating. Further even though these kinds
of roots of the aquatic plants and other stems would make their way to the pump, they
deteriorate considerably the pumping result. With the help of the pumps the mass that
has been separated from the bottom is moved even over kilometres. Everything that
hinders the pumping raises the energy consumption of the pumping and lessens the profit.
Especially when a water area that has a plentiful vegetation is being dredged with
the help of the cutting head and with a pump attached to it, it has been stated that
the crushing of the flora is advantageous for the succeeding of the forwarding of
the separated mass carried out by pumping. With the cutter unit according to the invention
an unexpected improvement can be achieved in relation to the current, known technique
of earth filling by suction in which the soil that has been separated from the bottom
by cutting is pumped elsewhere along a pipework. It is characteristic of the cutter
unit according to the invention that a cutting/ crushing device is adjusted between
the cutting device and the pump which cutting/ crushing device comprises counter blades
and a rotating, double-ended knife edge installed at the front side of these seen
from the flow direction of the mass which knife edge is installed in an eccentric
way in relation to its axis of rotation.
[0003] The advantage of the cutter unit according to the invention is the fact that with
the help of it especially plant based parts of plants that have become separated from
the bottom and are tough and elongated become crushed in a reliable way into small
pieces enough so that they move along the mass both through the pump and later in
the pipeworks. The cutting/crushing device according to the invention causes pulse
like movement due to the installation of an eccentric knife edge and causes cutting
effect of two kinds during the cutting/crushing occurring against the counter blades.
These impacts ensure the crushing of the tough parts of plants and ensure their progressive
motion immediately through the cutting/crushing device. In the invention the knife
edge keeps the suction inlet of the pump clean by cutting the plants that are accumulated
to it and also sticky mud masses that otherwise would get stuck at the opening of
the suction inlet.
[0004] In the following the invention is described more detailed by referring to the accompanying
drawings in which
Figure 1 shows a cutter unit according to the invention when the main parts are being
separated.
Figures 2 a - f show a cutting/crushing device when the knife edge has various positions
seen from the flow direction of the mass.
[0005] In the figure 1 parts of a cutter unit are shown in which case a rotatable cutting
device 1 functions as the part that processes the soil which cutter unit comprises
a hemispherical, processing part that has tip blades 5 and curved side blades 7. The
soil and water that have been separated from the gaps between the blades 5 and 7 have
a free access inside the cutting device 1. With the help of the suction effect of
the pump 4 that comes further on in the unit the soil and water are still sucked inside
the cutting device 1.
[0006] The soil and water that have penetrated the cutting device 1 come to the cutting/crushing
device which comprises in this case a sector part that has approximately a size of
a half-circle which sector part is equipped with three counter blades 8. The counter
blades 8 are elongated and they are installed in the direction of the radius in relation
to the axis 6. The axis 6 is an axis that conveys the rotation to the cutting device
1 and it extends to the tip of the cutting device 1 till the blades 5 and is attached
to the body of the blades 5 in order to convey the rotation to the whole cutting device
1.
[0007] To the front side of the counter blades 8 a knife edge 2 is adjusted to be rotating
along the cutting device 1 which knife edge rotates well near the counter blades 8.
The knife edge 2 is double-ended and its at least curved parts have been sharpened.
Regarding its body, the knife edge 2 is adjusted to be eccentric in relation to its
own rotational centre. The rotational centre is the same as the centre of the axis
6. The body of the knife edge 2 is next to the axis 6 and bypasses the axis 6. The
knife edge 2 is attached to the frame 12 of the cutter unit 1 at its ends which frame
correspondingly has the counter parts of the attachment in an asymmetrical way. The
pump 4 is rotated with the help of a hydraulic motor which motor can be located inside
a pump casing. The wings 11 of the pump are shown, also the pole 10 of the axis of
the pump 4. The milling fixture has its own motor for example inside a casing 3 from
which a power transmission axis 6 is led to the cutting device 1.
[0008] In the figure 2a the location of the knife edge 2 is shown in one rotation position.
The knife edge 2 has tip parts 9 that are at front in relation to the direction of
rotation of the blade. Curved, sharpened parts start from the tips 9 which parts cut
or crush parts of plants latest then when they end up between the counter blade 8
and the curved, sharpened part of the knife edge 2. The mass continues to move further
to the pump 4 from the gaps between the counter blades 8 and the body 13 of the crushing
device.
[0009] Figure 2b shows the half-circle structure of the cutting/crushing device in which
half-circle structure the part 14 is closed and that part does not have counter blades,
either. The knife edge 2 functions efficiently when there are counter blades 8 only
at a certain sector and especially in front of the gap that leads to the pump 4.
[0010] Figure 2c shows the position of the knife edge 2 in which position an elongated object,
like a stem of a plant 15 has penetrated the gap between the counter blades. The curved,
sharpened part of the knife edge 2 meets the stem of the plant 15 and if the stem
does not become cut straight away, it moves towards the counter blade 8 and being
pushed by the curved, sharpened part it moves even towards the rotational centre,
like the figure 2d shows. When the stem 15 of the plant moves at the sharpened part,
its clipping becomes ensured and its movement towards the centre means still that
the knife edge 2 has a greater cutting force when the cutting point will have a smaller
radius.
[0011] In the figures 2e and 2f there is the second end of the knife edge in which end there
is a sharpened part equipped with a steeper curvature at the location of the counter
blades 8. The cutting effect of this sharpened part is different compared to the first
end. The cutting point against the counter blades 8 is at a larger radius. This kind
of cyclical variation of the cutting points intensifies the cutting/crushing and ensures
the fact that even the tough parts of plants to be cut can quickly penetrate between
the counter blades 8 and can continue to the pump 4.
[0012] In the figure 2f the location of the knife edge 2 is shown in its entirety in such
a eccentric way that the angle α is approximately 180° or even over it. The collisions
of the curved, sharpened parts of the knife edge 2 to the counter blades 8 do not
occur at regular intervals, but there is a longer and shorter collision interval by
turns. This feature has clearly an improving effect regarding the drift of the tough
parts of plants that otherwise are hard to handle. Naturally the drift of the parts
of plants can be improved by also a another very strong stream consisting of a fluid
mass to be pumped through counter blades 8 to the pump 4.
[0013] The sector part comprising counter blades 8 is advantageously under 360°, but most
suitably approximately a half-circle. The knife edge 2 is located in such a way (figure
2f) that the sector angle α that it covers is most advantageously 180° or over it,
for example angle value α 200°.
1. Cutter unit equipped with a pump (4) which cutter unit comprises a rotatable cutting
device (1) with the help of which underwater soil can be cut wherein the mass that
becomes created during the cutting, such as the mass that becomes created from the
soil and water moves inside the cutting device (1) and further to the pump (4) with
the help of which pump the mentioned mass is pumped to a suitable location, a cutting/crushing
device (2, 8) arranged between the cutting device (1) and the pump (4) which cutting/crushing
device comprises counter blades (8) and a rotating knife comprising a continuous knife
edge (2) having two ends installed at the front side of said counter blades (8) in
the flow direction of the mass which knife edge is installed in an eccentric way in
relation to its axis of rotation, characterized in that the knife edge (2) further comprises tips (9), wherein cutting ends of the knife
edge (2) are curved in such a way that the tips (9) of the knife edge (2) move ahead
in relation to the rest of the knife edge (2) body when the knife edge (2) is rotating.
2. Cutter unit according to the claim 1, characterized in that elongated counter blades (8) that are installed fixed are located in the direction
of the radius.
3. Cutter unit according to the claim 1, characterized in that the knife edge (2) further comprises a first and second tip (9), wherein the first
tip (9) portion of the knife edge (2) has a milder curvature than the second, curved
tip (9) portion of the knife edge (2) when the knife edge (2) is rotating.
4. Cutter unit according to the claim 3, characterized in that the direction of the curvature at least of the second tip (9) part of the knife edge
(2) in relation to the direction of the counter blade (8) is such that the curvature
of the blade aims to move the piece (15) to be cut/crushed towards the rotational
centre of the cutter unit.
5. Cutter unit according to the claim 1, characterized in that the cutter unit further comprises a sector part having a sector angle equipped with
the counter blades (8), wherein the sector angle to which counter blades (8) are located
is under 360°.
6. Cutter unit according to the claim 5, characterized in that the sector angle to which the counter blades (8) are located is under 200°.
7. Cutter unit according to the claim 5, characterized in that the counter blades (8) are installed to that sector angle through which the mass
moves to the pump (4).
1. Schneideeinheit, die mit einer Pumpe (4) ausgerüstet ist, wobei die Schneideeinheit
eine drehbare Schneidevorrichtung (1), mit deren Hilfe Unterwasserboden geschnitten
werden kann, wobei sich die Masse, die während des Schneidens erstellt wird, wie etwa
die Masse, die aus dem Boden erstellt wird, und Wasser, in der Schneidevorrichtung
(1) und weiter zur Pumpe (4) bewegt, wobei mithilfe der Pumpe die genannte Masse zu
einem geeigneten Ort gepumpt wird, eine Schneide-/Zerkleinerungsvorrichtung (2, 8),
die zwischen der Schneidevorrichtung (1) und der Pumpe (4) angeordnet ist, wobei die
Schneide-/Zerkleinerungsvorrichtung Gegenklingen (8) umfasst, sowie ein sich drehendes
Messer, das eine durchgehende Messerschneide (2) umfasst, die zwei Enden aufweist,
die an der Vorderseite der Gegenklingen (8) in Fließrichtung der Masse installiert
sind, wobei die Messerschneide mit Bezug auf ihre Drehachse in einer exzentrischen
Weise installiert ist, umfasst, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Messerschneide (2) ferner Spitzen (9) umfasst, wobei Schneideenden der Messerschneide
(2) derart gekrümmt sind, dass sich die Spitzen (9) der Messerschneide (2) mit Bezug
auf den Rest des Körpers der Messerschneide (2) vorwärts bewegen, wenn sich die Messerschneide
(2) dreht.
2. Schneideeinheit nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die länglichen Gegenklingen (8), die fest installiert sind, in der Richtung des Radius
positioniert sind.
3. Schneideeinheit nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Messerschneide (2) ferner eine erste und eine zweite Spitze (9) umfasst, wobei
der Abschnitt mit der ersten Spitze (9) der Messerschneide (2) eine sanftere Krümmung
als der zweite Abschnitt mit der gekrümmten Spitze (9) der Messerschneide (2) aufweist,
wenn sich die Messerschneide (2) dreht.
4. Schneideeinheit nach Anspruch 3, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Richtung der Krümmung mindestens des Teils mit der zweiten Spitze (9) der Messerschneide
(2) mit Bezug auf die Richtung der Gegenklinge (8) derart ist, dass die Krümmung der
Schneide darauf abzielt, das Stück (15), das zu schneiden/zerkleinern ist, zum Drehzentrum
der Schneideeinheit zu bewegen.
5. Schneideeinheit nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Schneideeinheit einen Sektorteil, der einem Sektorwinkel aufweist, der mit den
Gegenklingen (8) ausgerüstet ist, umfasst, wobei der Sektorwinkel, in dem die Gegenklingen
(8) positioniert sind, unter 360° beträgt.
6. Schneideeinheit nach Anspruch 5, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der Sektorwinkel, in dem die Gegenklingen (8) positioniert sind, unter 200° beträgt.
7. Schneideeinheit nach Anspruch 5, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Gegenklingen (8) in diesem Sektorwinkel installiert sind, durch den die Masse
zur Pumpe (4) bewegt wird.
1. Unité de coupe équipée d'une pompe (4), laquelle unité de coupe comprend un dispositif
de coupe rotatif (1) à l'aide duquel le sol sous-marin peut être découpé, dans laquelle
la masse qui est créée pendant la découpe, telle que la masse qui est créée à partir
du sol et de l'eau se déplace à l'intérieur du dispositif de coupe (1) et continue
jusqu'à la pompe (4) à l'aide de laquelle pompe, la masse mentionnée est pompée jusqu'à
un emplacement approprié, un dispositif de coupe / broyage (2, 8) agencé entre le
dispositif de coupe (1) et la pompe (4), lequel dispositif de coupe / broyage comprend
des lames antagonistes (8) et un couteau rotatif comprenant une arête de couteau continue
(2) ayant deux extrémités installées au niveau du côté avant desdites lames antagonistes
(8) dans la direction d'écoulement de la masse, laquelle arête de couteau est installée
d'une manière excentrique par rapport à son axe de rotation, caractérisée en ce que l'arête de couteau (2) comprend en outre des pointes (9), dans laquelle les extrémités
de coupe de l'arête de couteau (2) sont incurvées de sorte que les pointes (9) de
l'arête de couteau (2) avance par rapport au reste du corps d'arête de couteau (2)
lorsque l'arête de couteau (2) tourne.
2. Unité de coupe selon la revendication 1, caractérisée en ce que les lames antagonistes (8) allongées qui sont installées de manière fixe, sont positionnées
dans la direction du rayon.
3. Unité de coupe selon la revendication 1, caractérisée en ce que l'arête de couteau (2) comprend en outre une première et une seconde pointe (9),
dans laquelle la première partie de pointe (9) de l'arête de couteau (2) a une courbure
plus tendre que la seconde partie de pointe incurvée (9) de l'arête de couteau (2)
lorsque l'arête de couteau (2) tourne.
4. Unité de coupe selon la revendication 3, caractérisée en ce que la direction de la courbure, au moins de la seconde partie de pointe (9) de l'arête
de couteau (2) par rapport à la direction de la lame antagoniste (8), est telle que
la courbure de la lame a pour but de déplacer la pièce (15) à découper / broyer vers
le centre de rotation de l'unité de coupe.
5. Unité de coupe selon la revendication 1, caractérisée en ce que l'unité de coupe comprend en outre une partie de secteur ayant un angle de secteur
équipé de lames antagonistes (8), dans laquelle l'angle de secteur auquel les lames
antagonistes (8) sont positionnées, est inférieur à 360°.
6. Unité de coupe selon la revendication 5, caractérisée en ce que l'angle de secteur auquel les lames antagonistes (8) sont positionnées, est inférieur
à 200°.
7. Unité de coupe selon la revendication 5, caractérisée en ce que les lames antagonistes (8) sont installées sur l'angle de secteur sur lequel la masse
se déplace jusqu'à la pompe (4).
REFERENCES CITED IN THE DESCRIPTION
This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader's convenience only.
It does not form part of the European patent document. Even though great care has
been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be excluded and
the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.
Patent documents cited in the description