EP0314853A1

EP0314853A1 - Self-propelled machine for separating solid or fibrous deposits from sands and the like, specifically designed for cleaning beach sands

Info

Publication number: EP0314853A1
Application number: EP87830392A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Adalberto Nerbano
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-11-06
Filing date: 1987-11-06
Publication date: 1989-05-10

Abstract

The machine essentially comprises a front device (4) for collecting loose material to be cleaned and for conveying it to a screening apparatus (12),which is adapted for separating the deposits from the loose material and discharging the cleaned material on the ground and the deposits into a collecting vessel (17),the machine being further provided with a device (23) for levelling the discharged material and a device (19-21) for empting the collecting vessel (17).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a self-propelled machine for separating solid or fibrous deposits or waste from sands and the like,which has been specifically designed for cleaning beach sands.
As is known,there are not presently available simple and reliable machines adapted to automatically cleaning beach sands.
Thus the beach sand cleaning,from deposits and waste,is presently carried out by means of manual tools, with a consequent great time and labour requirement.
Moreover,the thus performed cleaning is limited to the surface of the sand and accordingly has a poor practical efficiency.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly,the main object of the present invention is to overcome the above mentioned drawbacks,by providing a self-propelled machine for cleaning beach sands which is very simple construction-wise as well as very reliable.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a self-propelled machine for cleaning beach sands which is specifically designed for deeply cleaning said beach sands.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a self-propelled machine for clenaing beach sands which may be driven by a single operator.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the above mentioned objects,as well as yet other objects,which will become more apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a self-propelled machine for cleaning beach sands,characterized in that it essntially comprises a front device for collecting loose material to be cleaned and to convey it to a screening device adapted for separating the deposits or waste from said loose material and respectively discharging the cleaned material on the ground and said deposits or waste into a collecting vessel,there being moreover provided means for levelling the discharged material and means for empting said collecting vessel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further characteristics and advantages of the self-propelled machine for cleaning beach sands according to the present invention will become more apparent thereinafter from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof,which is illustrated, by way of an indicative but not limitative example,in the accompanying drawing ,where:

Fig.1 is a schematic side view of the machine according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to the figure,the self-propelled machine for cleaning beach sands according to the present invention comprises a frame 1 which is mounted on wheel pairs 2 or track pairs,which are suitably driven,and is provided,at its front end portion,with a given height upright pair 3.
At the top of the mentioned uprights there is pivoted the upper end of a conveyor belt structure, overally indicated at 4,moving inside a sheet metal casing 5,encompassing it at both sides.
More specifically,said conveyor belt may be either of the blade or bucket type,as indicated at 6, and is supported,at the bottom thereof,by one or more cylinders 7 so as to be able of rotating,for a given angle,about its top axis 8,thereat it is pivoted to the uprights.
Thus,owing to the disclosed arrangement,it is possible to vary the penetration depth of the conveyor belt,depending on the beach sand processing requirements,for taking up the beach sand 9.
In this connection it should moreover be pointed out that the conveyor belt may rotate either in a clockwise or anticlockwise direction,as it is provided with or blades or buckets respectively.
The loose material taken up by the conveyor belt falls on a conveyor element 10 leading to the central portion of a frustum of cone shaped portion 11 of a drum 12,having a horizontal axis,the wall of which is made of a metal net,perforated sheet metal or the like.
This drum is supported by a suitable frame 13 and is rotated,with a suitable angular speed,by means of a motor 14,preferably of the hydraulic type.
That same drum ends with a further frustum of cone shaped end 15 communicating,through a duct 16, with a vessel 17 and is provided,at its inner surface, with a given number of propellers,preferably made of sheet metal,18,and having a given linear extension.
More specifically,these propellers are advantageously arranged,with respect to a cylinder generatrix, at a slanting angle from about 30°,at the output cone 15,to about 10° at the cylindrical portion and the inlet cone 11.
In this connection it should be pointed out that, preferably, the above-mentioned drum has a length of about twice its diameter,whereas said propellers have a height of about 1/8-1/13 their diameter,are provided in a number of 6 to 10 and have a pitch corresponding to ten diameters thereof.
These propellers are the main feature of the sand screening machine,mainly because of to reasons:
- during the operation they entrain to the top portion of the drum the loose material to be screened,by causing it to fall on the filtering underlying portion,and continuously renewing the filtering kinetic energy, mainly in the case of a wet material;
- the slanted arrangement of the propellers causes said propellers to be downwardly slanted,during the raising rotation movement,toward the outlet mouth;thus the material will fall near said mouth,thereat only the material to be screened out must arrive which,owing to the greater slant of the propellers in the end cone, will exit the drum.
The efficiency of this screening operation,in turn,will depend on a plurality of parameters,such as:
- the size of the drum;
- the number,height and angles of the propellers;
- the size of the perforations,shape of the screening wall and perforation area/total area ratio;
- the rotation speed of the drum;
- the type of inlet loose material;
- the type and size of the deposits or waste.
The operator may affect the screening out degree by suitably adjusting the rotation speed of the drum and/or the machine advancing speed and/or the conveyor belt speed.
The clogging of the perforated wall may be advantageously prevented,in addition to the reversing of the gravity force on the clogging elements,by rolling on the drum surface a hard bristle cylindrical brush,acting as a driven gear engaged with said drum.
Alternatively,a manifold may be provided near said perforated wall and outside of the drum,which manifold will be provided with a plurality of pressurized air ejecting nozzles,the pressurized air being supplied by an air compressor mounted on the machine.
The not screened residual materials will fall into the vessel 1,which may be hydraulically raised by side arm members 19 to be discharged,with the machine at rest,on a truck or the like.
More specifically,to prevent the vessel from tilting,during its raising stroke,there is provided a double articulated parallelogram structure 20, which is mounted on said raising arm members,a rod of which consists of a hydraulic jack 21 for tilting the vessel in order to discharge the collected waste material.
The screened or filtered sand,which has been screened through the drum perforated wall,will be conveyed by a casing 22 so as to fall on the middle line of the trench;then it will be removed and evenly distributed along the overall width of the trench by means of a V-shaped blade 23 arranged at the rear of the machine and having its vertex turned in the machine advancing direction.
This blade,in particular,may be mounted on said vessel 17,with the possibility of adjusting its working height,by means of little displacements of said vessel.
All the hydraulic and operating controls of the above disclosed machine are arranged in the driver's cab 24 therefrom the driver may control all of the operating steps of the machine.
The propelling system of the machine,in particular,may comprise four driving wheels,or two tracks,preferably driven by hydraulic motors,supplied by pumps mounted on the machine internal combustion engine 25.
Thus,by means of a hydrostatic transmission, it will be possible to locate said engine in any desired positions,depending on construction requirements.
While the invention has been disclosed and illustrated with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof,it should be apparent that the disclosed embodiment is susceptible to several modifications and variations all of which are encompassed by the scope of the accompanying claims.

Claims

1- A self-propelled machine for separating solid or fibrous deposits or waste from sands or the like ,in particular beach sands,characterized in that it essentially comprises a front device for collecting the loose material to be cleaned and conveying it to a screening device,adapted for separating the deposits or waste from said loose material and discharging the cleaned material on the ground and the waste into a collecting vessel,there being moreover provided means for levelling the discharged material and means for empting said collecting vessel.

2- A machine,particularly for cleaning beach sands, according to the preceding claim,characterized in that it comprises a frame,mounted on wheel pairs or track driven parts and provided,at its advancing end portion, with a pair of uprights at the tops of which there is pivoted the upper end portion of a conveyor belt structure,driven inside a carter,made of sheet metal or the like,and encompassing said conveyor belt structure on both sides.

3- A self-propelled machine,according to the preceding claims,characterized in that said conveyor belt is either of the blade or the bucket type and is supported,at the bottom thereof,by one or more cylinders so as to be able of rotating,for a given angle,about its upper axis thereat it is pivoted to said uprights,said conveyor belt being able of rotating either in the clockwise or in the anticlockwise direction.

4- A self-propelled machine,according to one or more of the preceding claims,characterized in that the material,sand or the like,raised by said conveyor belt falls into a conveyor element leading to the central portion of a frustum of cone shaped end of a horizontal axis drum included in said screening device, having a wall made of a metal net or perforated metal sheet,said drum being supported by a supporting frame and being rotatively driven,with a given angular speed,by a hydraulic motor.

5- A self-propelled machine,according to one or more of the preceding claims,characterized in that said drum end with a further frustum of cone shaped end portion communicating,through a duct,with a vessel and is provided,at its inside surface,with a number of metal sheet propellers linearly extending,said metal sheet propellers being slanted,with respect to the cylinder generatrix,with an angle from about 30°, at the outlet cone,to about 10° at the cylindrical portion and the inlet cone.

6- A self-propelled machine,according to one or more of the preceding claims,characterized in that said drum has a length which is twice its diameter and said propellers have a height of 1/8-1/13 their diameter,their number is from 6 to 10 and have a pitch of ten times their diameter.

7- A self-propelled machine,according to one or more of the preceding claims,characterized in that it further comprises a hard bristle cylindrical brush rolling in contact with the perforated surface of said drum,like a driven gear meshing with said drum.

8- A self-propelled machine,according to one or more of the preceding claims,characterized in that it further comprises a manifold arranged near said perforated wall and outside of said drum,said manifold being provided with a plurality of pressurized air ajecting nozzles adapted for ejecting pressurized air supplied by an air compressor included in said machine.

9- A self-propelled machine,according to one or more of the preceding claims,characterized in that said vessel,arranged downstream of said drum,therein there are collected the unscreened residual materials, may be hydraulically raised by side arm members to discharge said unscreened materials on a truck and the like,there being moreover provided a double articulated parallelogram structure,mounted on said raising arm members,and adapted for preventing said vessel from tilting, said articulated parallelogram structure including a rod of a hydraulic jack for tilting said vessel.

10- A self-propelled machine,according to one or more of the preceding claims,characterized in that the sand screened therein through said perforated wall of said drum is conveyed by a casing so as to fall on the middle line of the excavated trench,said sand being succesively removed and evenly distributed along the overall width of said trench by means of a V-shaped blade arranged at the rear of said machine and having its vertex turned in the machine advancing direction, said blade being mounted on said collection vessel with an adjustable height by means of small displacements of said vessel.

11- A self-propelled machine according to one or more of the preceding claims,characterized in that all of its hydraulic controls are arranged in the driver's cab,the propelling system of said machine consisting either of four driving wheels or two tracks,preferably driven by hydraulic motors power supplied by pumps mounted on the machine internal combustion engine which, operating through a hydrostatic transmission,may be arranged in any suitable positions,depending on the machine construction requirements.