DUAL BLADE MICROTRENCH ATTACHMENT

Abstract

A microtrenching attachment for a work vehicle. The attachment includes a housing having an open bottom surface and first and second rotary cutting blades disposed within the housing in parallel planes. Each blade is mounted on a corresponding hub and configured to extend beyond the open bottom surface to cut two parallel trenches in a ground surface. A drive system rotates the blades, which may be powered by a single motor or by two independently controllable motors. The blades may be adjustable laterally to change the width between them, and thus a resultant trench width, as a separate excavation machine may be utilized to remove material between the parallel trenches, after the parallel trenches are uncovered.

Description

SUMMARY

The present invention is directed to an attachment for use with a work vehicle. The attachment comprises a housing, a first rotary cutting blade disposed within the housing in a first plane, a second rotary cutting blade disposed within the housing in a second plane, and a drive system. The housing has an open bottom surface configured to contact a ground surface. The first and second planes are parallel. The drive system is configured to rotate the first and second rotary cutting blades. Each of the rotary cutting blades are positioned to extend beyond the open bottom surface of the housing.

In another aspect the invention is directed to a microtrenching attachment for a work vehicle. The attachment comprises a housing, first and second rotary cutting blades, a mounting assembly and a drive system. The rotary cutting blades are each mounted on a corresponding hub and disposed within the housing. The mounting assembly couples the housing to the work vehicle. The drive system is configured to rotate the first and second rotary cutting blades.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front left perspective view of a dual-bladed microtrenching attachment in a first configuration. The attachment is connected to an apparatus for lifting and tilting the attachment relative to a work vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a rear left view of the attachment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a front left view thereof, with elements of the housing removed.

FIG. 4 is a bottom left front perspective view of a dual-bladed microtrenching attachment in a second configuration. The attachment is connected to an apparatus for lifting and tilting the attachment relative to a work vehicle.

FIG. 5 is a top left rear view of the attachment of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a top right rear view thereof.

FIG. 7 is a front view thereof, with elements of the housing removed such that internal components of the attachment may be viewed.

FIG. 8 is a front left perspective view of a dual-bladed microtrenching attachment in a third configuration. The attachment is connected to an apparatus for lifting and tilting the attachment relative to a work vehicle. A first portion of the attachment housing is disposed near a second portion.

FIG. 9 is a front left perspective view of the attachment of FIG. 8. In FIG. 9, the first housing is separated from the second housing, widening a space between the blades.

FIG. 10 is a front right view thereof.

FIG. 11 is a front right view of the first housing.

FIG. 12 is a rear left view of the second housing. In FIGS. 11-12, the housing sections are not connected, as in FIGS. 9-10, and the blades and other components are removed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed is a dual blade microtrencher attachment 10 for use with a work vehicle (not shown). Generally, microtrenching equipment is used to cut narrow trenches in surfaces, such as roadways, for subsequent installation of utilities, such as fiber optic lines, and easy re-covering or grouting without major disruption to the surface. Backfilling these trenches is often tedious and requires ample skill. Due to the small width of a microtrenched trench, typically only a single conduit may be placed in the trench. The width of a blade used in a microtrencher may be two inches, one inch, or less. An example of a microtrenching unit is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 8,806,784, issued to Ruhl, et. al., the contents of which are incorporated by reference in its entirety.

When multiple utilities desire to move services underground it becomes difficult to install new services. Underneath a roadway is typically an easy spot to install new services since very few lines are underneath the roadway as compared to underneath adjacent, parallel easements. A difficulty in installation beneath a roadway, however, is that tearing up a road and replacing it is very costly. By cutting multiple trenches in asphalt/concrete with a dual micro trench blade a contractor will have a clean section of roadway that may be removed and replaced in a section without replacing the whole road.

The attachment 10 aims to reduce manpower and time required to cut such trenches in a roadway or other surface. Jobs often may require slots to be cut in asphalt or concrete which require multiple passes from a single micro trench blade.

This disclosure uses two micro trench blades 12A, 12B, in a parallel orientation and in a single housing 20, to cut a strip of asphalt or concrete to be cleanly excavated for the installation of multiple conduits for utility services. Such an excavation can be performed by an excavator bucket in a separate machine (or attached to the same work machine), which digs out the material between the two trenches, such that the now larger trench has clean walls on each side. In this manner, the attachment 10 causes the minimum amount of disruption possible.

The blades 12A, 12B are disposed within a cavity formed by the housing 20. The housing has a skid plate 34 which engages the ground surface, and the skid plate 34 defines a bottom opening 36 through which each blade 12A, 12B extends, such that each blade engages the ground surface through the opening.

The attachment 10 may be powered by multiple types of prime movers. These prime movers may be hydraulically controlled with hydraulic motors and cylinders or electrically controlled with electric motors and linear actuator, or a combination of the two. As shown in FIG. 3, for example, the attachment 10 may have both blades 12A, 12B powered by a single motor and tied together with a single axle 16. Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 4-7, the attachment 10 may also have individual control of each blade 12A, 12B speed and depth by having dedicated motors 14A, 14B and lift cylinders 18A, 18B for each blade.

The attachment 10 may also have a varying width. Width is often varied to provide “edges” for a preferred excavator bucket size. This is accomplished by splitting the attachment 10 housing 20 into two sections 30A, 30B, as discussed with reference to FIGS. 8-9. A cylinder 32 may set the width. Alternatively, the housing 20 may be adjustable manually while not in operation to change a width between the blades 12A, 12B. In a further alternative, the attachment 10 may have a fixed width set at a common width corresponding to an excavator bucket. The attachment 10 may be mounted to the machine on a stationary rigid mount or utilize a traversing mount 80 to move side to side on the machine as shown in FIG. 1.

In a first configuration, shown in FIGS. 1-3, the attachment 10 has a blade housing 20. The blade housing 20 is attached to a lift arm 82 with a tilt assembly 84. The tilt assembly 84 applies force between the traversing mount 80 and the housing 20 to adjust an angle of the blades 12A, 12B relative to the road surface.

The housing 20 is thus adjusted in both position and orientation relative to the work machine on which the mount 80 is attached. The side-to-side position of the housing 20 is adjusted by a cylinder 90, while a lift cylinder 92 raises and lowers the housing 20 and a tilt cylinder or cylinders 94 of the tilt assembly 84 adjusts the side-to-side and/or front-to-back tilt of the housing 20.

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the blades 12A, 12B are attached to a single drive motor 14. The drive motor 14 may be electric or hydraulic. The blades 12A, 12B are each mounted on a corresponding hub and are coupled together with an axle 16. In order to pair the blades in a manner which is compatible with embodiments of the attachment 10 (such as shown in FIGS. 8-9) capable of varying a width of the attachment 10, the axle 16 must be telescoping or otherwise adjustable. For example, the axle 16 may have internal geometric features such as splines which allow the axle 16 to be torque transmitting, while also allowing adjustment of the axle 16 length (and thus, the gap between blades 12A, 12B). Should a telescoping axle 16 rather than a fixed axle be used, mechanisms for locking the axle may be utilized to prevent damage while trenching at a given width.

The attachment 10 comprises a hydraulic cylinder/electric actuator 18 that can adjust a vertical position of the blades 12A, 12B within the housing 20 to determine blade 12A, 12B cut depth. Vacuum ports 22 on the housing 20 allow for spoils excavated within the housing 20 by the blades 12A, 12B to be evacuated. A trench cleaning blade 24 is disposed in the path of each blade 12A, 12B to assist in the removal of spoils from the newly-excavated trench.

FIGS. 4-7 show a second configuration of the attachment 10, in which no axle 16 is required. In this second configuration, the blades 12A, 12B are each coupled to a corresponding drive motor 14A, 14B at a corresponding hub. As in the first configuration, each drive motor 14A, 14B could be electric or hydraulic. There is a separate hydraulic cylinder/electric actuator 18A, 18B that can move each corresponding blade 12A, 12B up and down within the housing 20 to determine individual blade cut depth. Without a coupling such as an axle between the blades 12A, 12B there may be individual control of blade speed and cut depth for each blade.

In FIG. 7, the housing 20 is removed so that the arrangement of each blade 12A, 12B as an independent component may be seen.

FIGS. 8-10 display the layout of a third configuration of the attachment 10. This configuration could utilize individual motors 14A, 14B to drive the blades 12A, 12B, or a telescoping axle 16 that couples the blades 12A, 12B together from a single drive motor (either 14A or 14B). The motors 14A, 14B may be electric or hydraulic.

As shown, each side of the attachment 10 comprises a hydraulic cylinder or other hydraulic, mechanical, or electric actuator 18A, 18B that can move the blades 12A, 12B up and down within the housing to determine blade cut depth. In this configuration the housing 20 is split with a first housing 30A and second housing 30B that allows the distance between blades 12A, 12B to vary. As shown, the housings 30A, 30B are connected by a width actuator 32, which may be a hydraulic cylinder or other linear actuator. The width actuator 32 allows the distance between blades 12A, 12B to be varied. This allows multiple widths of cut to be accomplished by the attachment 10.

FIG. 11 depicts the second housing 30B of the third configuration. FIG. 12 depicts the first housing 30A of the third configuration that would traverse side to side via the width actuator 32 (FIGS. 8-10). As shown, the second housing 30B is configured to be a moving housing and is outwardly disposed compared to the stationary, inwardly disposed first housing 30A, but multiple configurations are contemplated.

In embodiments with split housings 30A, 30B, a ground engaging skid plate 34 may be disposed on a single one of the housings. As shown in FIG. 12, the skid plate 34 is entirely disposed on the first housing 30A, with the second housing 30B moving along the skid plate 34 based on the operation of the width actuator 32. Alternatively, the moving housing may include the skid plate, or the skid plate may be partially contained on each housing. In a further embodiment, the ground engaging plate may be separate from each of the housings 30A, 30B.

The various features and alternative details of construction of the apparatuses described herein for the practice of the present technology will readily occur to the skilled artisan in view of the foregoing discussion, and it is to be understood that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of various embodiments of the present technology have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of various embodiments of the technology, this detailed description is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of structure and arrangements of parts within the principles of the present technology to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.

Claims

1. A microtrenching attachment for a work vehicle comprising:

a housing;

a first rotary cutting blade and a second rotary cutting blade, each mounted on a corresponding hub and disposed within the housing;

a mounting assembly configured to couple the housing to the work vehicle; and

a drive system configured to rotate the first rotary cutting blade and the second rotary cutting blade.

2. The microtrenching attachment of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises:

a first housing section supporting the first rotary cutting blade;

a second housing section supporting the second rotary cutting blade, the second housing section movable relative to the first housing section; and

a width actuator operatively connected to the first housing section and the second housing section, such that the width actuator is configured to move at least one of the housing sections relative to the other to vary the distance between the first rotary cutting blade and the second rotary cutting blade.

3. The microtrenching attachment of claim 2, wherein the width actuator comprises a hydraulic cylinder.

4. The microtrenching attachment of claim 1, wherein the drive system comprises a first motor operatively coupled to the first rotary cutting blade and a second motor operatively coupled to the second rotary cutting blade, the first motor and the second motor being independently controllable.

5. The microtrenching attachment of claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises at least one vacuum port configured to remove spoils generated by the first rotary cutting blade and the second rotary cutting blade.

6. The microtrenching attachment of claim 1, wherein the mounting assembly comprises a tilt mechanism configured to adjust an angle of the first rotary cutting blade and the second rotary cutting blade relative to a ground surface.

7. The microtrenching attachment of claim 1, wherein the drive system comprises a single motor operatively connected to both of the first rotary cutting blade and the second rotary cutting blade.

8. The microtrenching attachment of claim 7, wherein the first rotary cutting blade and the second rotary cutting blade are coupled to a single axle.

9. The microtrenching attachment of claim 1 in which each hub is vertically adjustable on the housing by a depth actuator.

10. The microtrenching attachment of claim 11, in which the depth actuator comprises a hydraulic cylinder.

11. The microtrenching attachment of claim 1, wherein the distance between the blades is adjustable.

12. An attachment configured for use with a work vehicle, the attachment comprising:

a housing having an open bottom surface, the bottom surface configured to contact a ground surface;

a first rotary cutting blade disposed within the housing in a first plane;

a second rotary cutting blade disposed within the housing in a second plane, wherein the first plane and the second plane are parallel; and

a drive system configured to rotate the first rotary cutting blade and the second rotary cutting blade;

wherein each of the first rotary cutting blade and the second rotary cutting blade are positioned to extend beyond the open bottom surface of the housing.

13. The attachment of claim 12, wherein the housing comprises a first housing section supporting the first rotary cutting blade and a second housing section supporting the second rotary cutting blade, the second housing section being movable relative to the first housing section.

14. The attachment of claim 13, further comprising a width actuator operatively connected to the first housing section and the second housing section, the width actuator configured to vary a distance between the first rotary cutting blade and the second rotary cutting blade.

15. The attachment of claim 14, wherein the width actuator comprises a hydraulic cylinder.

16. The attachment of claim 12, wherein the drive system comprises a first motor operatively coupled to the first rotary cutting blade and a second motor operatively coupled to the second rotary cutting blade, the first motor and the second motor being independently controllable.

17. The attachment of claim 12, wherein the drive system comprises a single motor operatively coupled to both the first rotary cutting blade and the second rotary cutting blade by an axle.

18. The attachment of claim 17, wherein the axle is telescoping.

19. A work machine comprising:

a chassis;

a mount disposed on the chassis; and

the attachment of claim 12, disposed on the mount.

20. The work machine of claim 19, in which the mount is configured to adjust a tilt of the attachment and a lateral position of the attachment relative to the chassis.

21. The attachment of claim 12, in which each of the first rotary cutting blade and the second rotary cutting blade has a width of less than two inches.