[0001] The invention concerns a working member for ripper drums on heavy vehicles for removing
ground, especially scarifier machines equipped with quick release tool and toolhead.
[0002] It is known that to remove ground special heavy vehicles called scarifiers are used,
which are equipped with a ripper drum having a series of working members that, as
the ripper drum rotates, break up the ground as they come into contact with it.
[0003] In known products each working member is made up of a support base fixed to the cylindrical
core that makes up the ripper drum, which has a toolhead where a ripper tool is extractably
pressure mounted.
[0004] With regards to the toolhead, this is extractably coupled into a corresponding seat
made out of the support base and has a longitudinal hole through it where the shank
of the ripper tool is inserted.
[0005] The toolhead, in particular, is mounted by passing it into the seat of the support
base that holds it with the opposite end to where the ripper tool is applied protruding
from the actual support base.
[0006] When the toolhead has to be removed from its respective support base, the protruding
end is struck until the toolhead slides out of the seat that is holding it.
[0007] In a similar way, if the ripper tool has to be separated from the toolhead, a pushrod
is inserted into the longitudinal hole of the latter, which is used to axially force
the shank of the ripper tool until it comes away from the toolhead.
[0008] These dismantling operations become necessary when the ripper drum is serviced, for
instance to change toolheads and sometimes even to change worn or broken tools.
[0009] One of the problems that arises when the toolheads and their respective tools have
to be extracted by percussion, is that it is not always easy to work with a means
of percussion, for example a hammer or mallet, from behind the support bases, since
the working members on the ripper drum are often arranged so tightly together that
this is not possible.
[0010] More often than not, this operation is particularly impracticable on the working
members mounted at the edges of the ripper drum where there is a marked concentration
of working members because of the presence of members that, in addition to removing
the ground, also have to define the outer edge of the excavation.
[0011] In an attempt to eliminate these inconveniences, there are known working members
where the toolhead has a transversal hole where a wedge is hammered that forces against
the tool's shank and slides it out of the toolhead that is holding it.
[0012] Toolheads constructed in this way are described for instance in the patent for industrial
invention having deposit number VI96A000126 registered in name of the same depositee
as this invention.
[0013] However even the working members and especially the toolheads described in said patent
have the inconvenience that their transversal hole only allows to extract the tool
from its toolhead but not the toolhead from its support base. So in conclusion, for
the toolhead to be extracted, it nevertheless has to be hammered from behind the support
base.
[0014] This invention intends to overcome the aforementioned inconveniences.
[0015] In particular, a first scope of the invention is to produce a working member for
ripper drums of heavy vehicles for removing ground that allows to extract the toolhead
from the support base that holds it without having to hammer it out from behind the
actual toolhead.
[0016] Another scope is that the same operation that allows the toolhead to be extracted
from its support base, also allows the ripper tool to be extracted from the toolhead
that is holding it.
[0017] Last but not least a scope is that by means of a single extracting action, it is
possible to extract the ripper tool without necessarily having to remove the relevant
toolhead as well.
[0018] Said scopes and advantages are achieved by the production of a working member for
ripper drums of heavy vehicles for removing ground that, in accordance with the main
claim, comprises:
- a support base fixed to the outside of the cylindrical core of said ripper drum;
- at least one toolhead extractably coupled in a corresponding seat made in said support
base and having a longitudinal hole through it that creates a longitudinal axis and
a through transversal hole that intersects said longitudinal hole;
- a ripper tool coupled to said toolhead and consisting of a working section protruding
from the actual toolhead, made at the end of a shank extractably mounted in said longitudinal
hole of the toolhead and characterised in that said transversal hole divides the body
of said toolhead into a first section that is held in its corresponding seat of said
support base and a second section that receives the shank of said ripper tool, said
transversal hole having a straight region that undercuts said seat of said support
base when said first section of said toolhead is coupled into its respective seat
of said support base.
[0019] One advantage of using the working members described in this invention is that it
speeds up maintenance on the ripper drums they are applied to. Said scopes and advantages
will be better explained during the description of a preferred form of execution of
the invention, which refers to the attached diagrams, where:
- fig. 1 shows the working member invention;
- fig.'s 2 and 3 show the working member in fig. 1 while extracting the ripper tool;
- fig. 4 shows the working member in fig. 1 while extracting the toolhead.
[0020] As can be seen in fig. 1, the working member invention, generally indicated by 1,
is applied to a ripper drum, generally indicated by T, designed for removing ground
and therefore suited to being applied to a scarifier.
[0021] The working member 1 comprises a support base 2 fixed to the cylindrical core A of
ripper drum T, provided with a seat 3 where a toolhead, generally indicated by 4,
is extractably coupled.
[0022] The toolhead 4 has a longitudinal hole 5 through it that creates a longitudinal axis
X and a through transversal hole 6 that intersects the longitudinal hole 5. One end
of the toolhead 4 holds a ripper tool, generally indicated by 7, which consists of
a working piece 8 that protrudes from the toolhead 4 and is made at the end of a shank
9 extractably mounted in the longitudinal hole 5.
[0023] According to this invention the transversal hole 6 divides the body of said toolhead
4 into a first section 10 suited to being received in the corresponding seat 3 of
said support base 2 and into a second section 11 suited to receiving the shank 9 of
said ripper tool 8, said transversal hole 6 having a region 6' that is held in said
seat 3 of said support base 2 when said first section 10 of said toolhead 4 is coupled
in its respective seat 3 of said support base 2.
[0024] The first section 10 and second section 11 where the transversal hole 6 divides the
toolhead 4, have a circular cross-section and tapering cylindrical profiles 10', 11'
having their tapering in opposite directions and towards their respective ends.
[0025] The first section 10 and the second section 11 are linked together by a basically
cylindrical, intermediary section 12 that comprises the longitudinal axis Y of the
transversal hole 6.
[0026] An abutment 13 provided with junction 14 connects the intermediary section 12 of
the toolhead to the first section 10, the latter having a smaller diameter than the
former.
[0027] The transversal hole 6 that preferably but not necessarily has a circular section,
has a generatrix 15 of its lateral surface, undercut and therefore recessed by distance
16 from the wall 17 of the support base 2 which has the hole that allows the first
section 10 of the toolhead 4 to be inserted in its respective seat 3.
[0028] The length 18 of the second section 11 of toolhead 4 is shorter than the length 19
of the shank 9 of the ripper tool 8 so that the end section 20 of the actual shank
9 juts out into the transversal hole 6.
[0029] To release the ripper tool 7 and its respective toolhead 4 and the latter from its
respective seat 3 in the support base 2 that holds it, two successive stages are required.
[0030] As can be seen in fig. 2, by inserting the wedge C into transversal hole 6, the wedge's
sloping face C' comes into contact with the end section 18 of the shank 9 of ripper
tool 7.
[0031] By applying a percussive force P along the same axis as the wedge C, a drive S is
created in direction of axis of shank 9 that separates the tool 7 from its respective
toolhead 4 until it is extracted, as can be seen in fig. 3.
[0032] By continuing with percussive force P on wedge C, its sloping face C', as can be
seen in fig. 4, drives against the top rim 21 of the transversal hole 6, applying
an axial force F, however this time on the toolhead 4 that is thereby forced to move
in the same horizontal direction as axial force F, until it is extracted from its
respective seat 3 that holds it.
[0033] It is clear that, in the event that only ripper tool 4 needs to be removed, it is
sufficient to suspend application of the percussive force P on wedge C after having
extracted the tool 7, as can be seen in fig. 3.
[0034] It is understandable that, according to the above explanation, the invention achieves
the set scopes.
[0035] In particular, the extracting of the ripper tool and toolhead is achieved in a single
manoeuvre and in sequence, acting with a wedge perpendicular to the longitudinal axis
of the working member.
[0036] In this way separation of the tool and its relative toolhead can be achieved regardless
of whether or not the back of the working members can be accessed with percussion
devices, for instance hammers or mallets.
[0037] The ease of this operation makes dismantling and changing of tool and toolhead even
quicker and easier to perform.
[0038] It is clear that the ripper tool and its relative toolhead can have any shape and
size whatsoever and can be applied to any size of ripper drum.
[0039] What's more, concerning the toolhead's and tool's profiles, even these may be different
to the examples illustrated and described in the attached diagrams.
[0040] It shall be understood that any variants in execution differing from those described
and mentioned above, since they fall under the claims below, shall all be considered
protected by this invention.
1. Working member (1) for ripper drums (T) of heavy vehicles for removing ground, comprising:
- a support base (2) fixed to the outside of the cylindrical core (A) of said ripper
drum (T);
- at least one toolhead (4) extractably coupled in a corresponding seat (3) made in
said support base (2) and having a longitudinal hole through it (5) that creates a
longitudinal axis (X) and a through transversal hole (6) that intersects said longitudinal
hole (5);
- a ripper tool (7) coupled to said toolhead (4) and consisting of a working section
(8) protruding from the actual toolhead (4), made at the end of a shank (9) extractably
mounted in said longitudinal hole (5) of the toolhead (4),
characterised in that said transversal hole (6) divides the body of said toolhead (4) into a first section
(10) that is held in its corresponding seat (3) of said support base (2) and into
a second section (11) that receives the shank (9) of said ripper tool (7), said transversal
hole (6) having a straight region (6') that undercuts said seat (3) of said support
base (2) when said first section (10) of said toolhead (4) is coupled into its respective
seat (3) of said support base (2).
2. Working member (1) according to claim 1) characterised in that the shank (9) of said ripper tool (7) is longer in length (19) than the length (18)
of said second section (14) of said toolhead (4) so that an end section (20) of said
shank (9) juts out into said transversal hole (6).
3. Working member (1) according to claim 1) characterised in that said first section (10) and said second section (11) of said toolhead (4) have a
circular cross-section with tapering cylindrical profiles (10', 11') having their
tapering in opposite directions and towards their respective ends.
4. Working member (1) according to claim 1) characterised in that said first section (10) and said second section (11) of said toolhead (4) are linked
together by a basically cylindrical intermediary section (12) which comprises the
longitudinal axis (Y) of said transversal hole (6).
5. Working member (1) according to claim 4) characterised in that said first section (10) has a greater diameter in said intermediary section (12),
said sections (10, 12) being connected together by an abutment (13) provided with
a junction (14) to said first section (10).