Westinghouse Air Brake Company

John H Hyler

Clifford E Johnson

Edward G Orth

Walter E Lott

Lyle E Eaton

Dale O Freeburg

An off-highway earth-moving vehicle of the scraper type which includes a tractor section and scraper section interconnected by a draft frame providing rolling rigidity, each section having a pair of ground-engaging wheels. A floating axle assembly is provided on the tractor section permitting independent movement of the tractor wheels in the following of ground contours. The scraper section is driven by a prime mover having a torque converter for coupling to the rear axle. The prime mover, in addition, drives an AC synchronous generator which is electrically connected to an induction motor in the tractor section. The motor in turn is drivingly coupled, via a second torque converter, to the tractor wheels. The sections of the vehicle are so proportioned in size and weight that the weight applied to the scraper wheels under both loaded and unloaded conditions is approximately twice the weight applied to the tractor wheels and the drive systems in the sections are so proportioned that at normal operating engine r.p.m. the power supplied to the scraper wheels is approximately twice the power provided by the motor to the tractor wheels. This is preferably accomplished by using torque converters having respective maximum horsepower output ratings at an input speed corresponding to normal operating prime mover r.p.m. which substantially total the maximum rated horsepower produced at such r.p.m. and which bear a ratio to one another on the general order of 2:1.

Four-wheel drive scraper with main propulsion at rear axle

An off-highway earth-moving vehicle of the scraper type which includes a tractor section and scraper section interconnected by a draft frame providing rolling rigidity, each section having a pair of ground-engaging wheels. A floating axle assembly is provided on the tractor section permitting independent movement of the tractor wheels in the following of ground contours. The scraper section is driven by a first engine having a first torque converter coupled to the scraper wheels. The tractor section is driven by a second engine having a second torque converter coupled to the tractor wheels. The sections of the vehicle are so proportioned in size and weight that the weight applied to the scraper wheels under both loaded and unloaded conditions is approximately twice the weight applied to the tractor wheels and the torque converters in the sections are so proportioned that at normal operating engine r.p.m. the power supplied to the scraper wheels is approximately twice the power supplied to the tractor wheels. This is accomplished by using torque converters having respective maximum horsepower output ratings at an input speed corresponding to normal operating engine r.p.m. which bear a ratio to one another on the general order of 2:1.

Two engine four-wheel drive scraper with main propulsion at rear axle

An off-road vehicle of the large relatively slow earthmoving type having a rear frame with a set of wheels and having, at its forward end, a front frame, for example in the form of an axle assembly, mounting a set of steerable wheels and with means for driving at least one set of wheels. A suspension coupling in the form of a fore-and-aft extending hinge joint is interposed between the two frames to accomodate relative rolling movement. Such hinge joint is positioned adjacent the front wheels and is angled downwardly so that the hinge axis, when extended, intersects the ground at a position which is substantially centered with respect to the rear wheels, with the result that the steering direction remains substantially constant in spite of engagement of humps and hollows by individual ones of the wheels. Alternate embodiments of the invention utilize different drives, steering gear, and cab location. specifically the invention is usable with wagon type steering, Ackermann steering, skid steering or articulated steering, and the drive may be either two-wheel or four-wheel, with tandem wheels or tracks being optional. The cab may be mounted for rolling movement with the rear axle or front axle and either ' steered' or 'unsteered.' The invention is described in connection with both sprung and unsprung axle versions.

Angled roll axis suspension for off-road vehicles

An off-highway vehicle having a tractor section and a trailing section each having a pair of ground engaging wheels. The tractor section has an axle assembly with aligned front and rear pivot connections defining a roll axis, with a spring suspension device being interposed between the rear pivot connection and the tractor section to accommodate relative movement. The tractor section has an engine mounted at the rear and a transmission at the front, with a main drive shaft extending from the transmission to the axle and having universal joints at its ends. The forward pivot connection of the axle assembly is positioned substantially midway of the universal joints for equal angular deflection at the joints upon a given amount of relative vertical movement of the tractor axle. In the preferred embodiment the trailing section has an axle assembly including a pair of laterally spaced forwardly projecting tongues providing rigidity about a fore-and-aft roll axis, rolling rigidity also being provided between the two sections of the vehicle, so that the tractor section tilts in accordance with lateral tilt of the wheels of the trailing section, while the tractor axle assembly is free to undergo relative movement about its roll axis in the following of ground contours.

Power train for two-wheel tractor

A heavy duty suspension for an off-road vehicle including an axle assembly formed of a transversely extending axle housing and a forwardly extending tongue rigid with the axle housing, the axle assembly having front and rear pivot connections defining a fore-and-aft extending roll axis. A rigid bracket extends downwardly from the chassis to a point substantially offset in the lateral direction from the roll axis. Connected to the bracket is a horizontal link, one end of the link being pivoted to the lower end of the bracket and the other end of the link being pivoted to the axle housing so that the link restrains the axle assembly from moving laterally with respect to the chassis while accommodating rolling and vertical movement as the vehicle passes over irregular ground. A single damped spring suspension device is vertically arranged adjacent the axle, the suspension device being connected at its upper end to the chassis and supportively coupled at its lower end to the axle assembly at the roll axis so that the supportive effect of the suspension device is distributed evenly to both of the wheels. In one embodiment the horizontal link is in the form of a centrally pivoted lever, permitting the suspension device to be substantially spaced from the chassis center line. An auxiliary damping biasing spring of the centering type is provided for relatively biasing the axle assembly toward a position parallel to the chassis.

Panhard spring suspension arrangement for off-road vehicles

A heavy duty spring suspension for an off-road vehicle including an axle assembly formed of a transversely extending axle housing and a forwardly extending tongue rigid with the axle housing, the forward end of the tongue having a front ball and socket connection with the chassis. Vertically arranged adjacent the axle housing, and in centered position, is a damped spring suspension device which is connected at its upper end to the chassis and at its lower end to the axle assembly. In the preferred embodiment the suspension device is of 'T' shape with the arms of the 'T' including a transversely extending hinge type connection with the chassis. The lower end of the suspension is connected to the axle housing by a rear ball and socket connection, the front and rear ball and socket connections, together, defining a fore-and-aft extending roll axis. In an alternate embodiment the suspension device is of inverted 'T' shape having a transversely extending hinge type connection with the axle housing, the hinge type connection in both cases providing rigidity so that relative rolling movement is confined to the ball and socket connections thereby to keep the suspension device in generally upright position. An auxiliary suspension device is provided having a damped biasing spring of the centering type connected from the chassis to the axle assembly at a point eccentric to the roll axis for relatively biasing the axle assembly toward a centered position parallel to the chassis.

Spring suspension arrangement for off-road vehicles

An elevating type scraper for earth moving purposes having an open-fronted bowl with rear supporting wheels and with a scraper blade at the front of the bowl. The bowl is pivotally supported on a pair of draft members forming a part of a tractor-supported draft frame. A bowl hoist actuator interposed between the draft frame and the front end of the bowl determines the degree of tilt of the bowl and hence the depth of cut of the blade. An elevator of the endless conveyor type is positioned at the front end of the bowl in sweeping engagement with the undisturbed ground and inclined upwardly and rearwardly so that the soil loosened by the blade is conveyed into the bowl. The elevator is mounted on the bowl for upward and downward swinging movement and is supported in operating position by an elevator-supporting actuator. For engaging the actuator, a bracket at the front of the elevator frame provides a point of connection, and the actuator extends upwardly and rearwardly from the tractor draft frame to such point of connection, so that when fluid is locked in the actuator the elevator is maintained at a desired sweeping height automatically and in spite of changes in degree of tilt of the bowl and depth cut of the blade. Means including a control valve are provided for the elevator supporting actuator for creating a closed loop between the ends of the actuator for establishing a 'free float' condition in which the elevator is free to rise and fall upon encountering an obstruction. The valve means further includes a check valve in the loop to establish an alternative 'checked float' condition in which the elevator can rise to meet an obstruction but in which the elevator is temporarily held in such operating position until intentionally lowered.

Automatic control of elevator height in scraper with manual setting and

A twin-flow modulating torque converter having a torus which is defined by walls and rings of the pump, turbine and reactor members, and formed with a fluid bypass in the rings for developing an alternate flow circuit which bypasses the blades of one or more members of the fluid circuit; the fluid bypass being normally closed by the reactor member which is adapted for linear movement to open the fluid bypass for accomplishing varying degrees of modulation. The pump and turbine members are adapted to move relative to each other during operation for varying the cross-sectional area of the fluid bypass.

Twin flow modulated torque converter

An elevator for loading a scraper bowl, the elevator having a frame which extends upwardly and rearwardly from a scraper blade and which has a set of flights mounted on endless chains. At the top of the frame is a chain drive shaft powered by a speed reduction gear box driven by an electric motor. The gear box is of flat, elongated configuration extending downwardly from the shaft in a position nested closely against one of the elevator frame elements, with both the inlet connection and the outlet connection of the gear box facing inwardly of the frame and with the motor occupying a 'reentrant' position extending into the unused space between the runs of the conveyor chain. In the preferred form of the invention the elevator frame members are rigidly interconnected by tubular cross member, the tubular cross member being open-ended and the motor being telescoped therein occupying a fully recessed position protected from physical abuse and shielded from the soil and debris elevated by the flights. The thickness of the gear box is such that it extends outwardly beyond the flights only by an amount which is on the order of the thickness of the bowl side sheets, so that the gear box does not project substantially beyond the side sheets while nevertheless permitting the ends of the elevator flights to extend almost into engagement with the side sheets for efficient filling of the bowl and avoidance of leakage. In the preferred form of the invention the motor is rigidly mounted to the gear box, permitting the gear box and motor to be easily and quickly removed as a unit from the elevator frame when servicing is necessary.

Reentrant driving arrangement for scraper elevator

An elevator for loading a scraper bowl having a frame which extends upwardly and rearwardly from a scraper blade and which has, at the top of the frame, a chain drive including a speed reduction gear box and an electric motor having an armature coupled to the input of the gear box, the armature serving as a flywheel. Interposed between the motor shaft and the gear box, is a friction slip clutch. The torque of the slip clutch is set so that it remains non-slipping for all normal load to which the elevator may be subjected, including peak loads, while capable of intentional slippage when the elevator engages a boulder or other stubborn or positive obstruction, thereby to prevent the energy stored in the rotating armature, upon sudden deceleration of the drive, from developing a dangerous level of torque in the gear box. A hollow-shaft motor is used, and a friction slip clutch, having concentric input and output shafts, is cantilevered at the remote end of the motor, with the output shaft of the clutch being telescoped through the motor shaft and into the input connection of the gear box. It is one of the features of the construction that the motor, instead of occupying the usual position projecting outboard of the elevator frame at the upper end of the elevator, is coupled to the drive shaft by a gear box of flat configuration nesting closely against the elevator frame, with both the inlet connection and the outlet connection of the gear box facing inwardly of the frame, so that the motor occupies a 'reentrant' position extending into the unused space between the runs of the conveyor chain. In the preferred form of the invention the motor extends into a tubular cross member forming a part of the frame and which serves to protect the motor. In lieu of an electric motor an hydraulic motor, having a flywheel directly connected to its rotor, may be used in the system.

Torque-limited driving arrangement for scraper elevator

A scraper for earth moving purposes having an open fronted bowl including a pair of vertical side sheets and a back wall with a floor extending between the side sheets. The bowl is secured to the tractor by a pair of draft members which extend upwardly and forwardly for connection to the draft frame of the tractor. Bowl actuators coupled to the front end of the bowl support it at a selected predetermined level with respect to the draft frame. A pivoted strike off member is hinged in fixed position along the front edge of the floor and extending the full width of the bowl. An apron of arcuate shape and having vertical side plates is pendulously pivoted at the front of the bowl and provided with actuator means for swinging the apron between (a) an enclosing position, (b) a partially open soil retaining position, and (c) a fully open and upraised position creating a large discharge opening ahead of the floor. The strike off blade is moved from a horizontal position to its working position incident to movement of the apron from enclosing position to partially open position for full width scraping of the soil. The back wall of the bowl is forwardly movable by an actuator so that when the apron is moved to its fully open position the contained soil is forwardly ejected for discharge of the soil through the discharge opening.

Scraper having forwardly swingable apron and full width pivoted striker

An elevating-type scraper for earth-moving purposes having an open fronted bowl which includes a pair of spaced vertical side sheets, back wall and floor, the bowl being supported by a pair of draft members extending from the tractor-supported draft frame. An apron extends transversely between the side sheets in the front portion of the bowl and carries a scraper blade. An elevator is rearwardly inclined over the apron for conveying loosened soil from the blade into the bowl. A strike-off member is hinged, in fixed position, to the front edge of the floor to the rear of the apron. The apron is pivoted to the bowl for forward swinging movement to actuate the striker and to create sizable discharge opening ahead of the floor for dumping of the material collected in the bowl, the discharged material being leveled smoothly over the entire bowl width. It is a feature of the construction that a small amount of apron movement suffices to swing the scraper balde clear of the ground so that upon controlling the tilt of the bowl the striker balde may perform a shallow fullwidth scraping and 'clean up' function, scraping up soil into the bowl which is then acted upon by the elevator to cause the soil to be deposited at the rear of the bowl and permitting more finished and accurate contouring. A cam or stop mechanism is interposed between the apron and the strike-off member so that the latter is completely released to assume its working position during the initial portion of movement of the apron and is moved to horizontal transport position during the final restoring movement of the apron. Means are provided on the apron for swinging the elevator upwardly to keep the same clear of the apron as the latter swings forwardly and upwardly.

Elevating-type scraper having forwardly swingable apron and full width

An elevating type scraper for earth moving purposes having an open-fronted bowl with a scraper blade along the leading edge and with a rearwardly inclined elevator for sweeping the loosened soil from the blade into the bowl. The back of the bowl and the base of the blade are fixed to provide bowl reinforcement. The bottom of the bowl is enclosed by a horizontally slidable floor member for movement from an enclosing position forwardly into an out-of-the-way position nested under the blade base. In the preferred embodiment, the floor consists of two sections, a front floor member and a 'mid' floor member which are arranged substantially edge-to-edge but which are simultaneously moved to a stacked position under the blade base. Rearwardly of the mid floor member is a full-width pivoted strike-off member which is hinged under the back of the bowl, having a horizontal enclosing position and a vertical striking position. Means are provided for moving the floor members forwardly and for simultaneously dropping the strike-off member into vertical striking position so as to uncover substantially the entire bottom area of the bowl for prompt discharge of the collected soil which is thereupon leveled, full width, by the striker blade.

Elevating-type scraper having forwardly sliding floor and full-width

An elevating type scraper for earthmoving purposes having an open-fronted bowl with a scraper blade along the leading edge and with a rearwardly inclined elevator for sweeping the loosened soil from the blade into the bowl, the back of the bowl and the base of the blade being fixed to the bowl. The bottom of the bowl is enclosed by front and rear floor members, each of the floor members having a pair of side plates which are pivoted within the sides of the bowl so that each floor member is pendulously supported for fore-and-aft swinging movement about a transversely extending axis. An actuating means is provided for swinging the floor members between the normally closed, or collecting, position and the open position for dumping the contents of the bowl. A striker blade associated with the front edge of the rear floor member, and which projects downwardly from the bowl when such floor member is in its open position, serves to level the material dumped from the bowl. Preferably the front floor member is substantially larger in size than the rear floor member so that when the two are thrust apart by an actuator arranged between them, the rear floor member responds first, to place the striker blade in active position prior to opening of the front floor member. Forwardly extending lateral brackets on the front floor member engage the elevator frame so that when the floor member is swung toward its open position, the elevator is swung forwardly and upwardly to accommodate the floor member and, at the same time, to disengage the elevator flights from the contained soil. In an alternate embodiment the front floor member is centrally notched to define wings which straddle the elevator.

Elevating-type scraper having forwardly swingable floor section

An idler construction for an elevator used for earth moving purposes at the front of a scraper bowl, the elevator having a frame which extends upwardly and rearwardly from the region of the scraper blade supporting a pair of endless chains with transversely arranged flights. The chains are driven at the upper end of the frame and trained about rollers at the lower end so that the flights sweep the loosened soil backwardly into the bowl. Idler wheels are mounted upon brackets intermediate the ends of the frame members for supporting the return runs of the respective chains in a shallow apex spaced from the elevator frame, the idlers being coaxial and alined with the chains and having cylindrically surfaced rims of durable resilient material.

Growing community of inventors

Peoria, IL, United States of America

John H Hyler