Dredging cutter head tooth and dredging cutter head
By integrating a wear sensor into the cutter teeth and using vibration components and water detectors to detect wear, the problem of frequent cutter tooth wear in hard soil is solved, enabling efficient maintenance of underwater operations and reducing maintenance costs and downtime.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Filing Date
- 2023-10-12
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-14
AI Technical Summary
In the prior art, when the cutter head is used in hard or abrasive soil, the cutter teeth wear out severely, leading to frequent replacements, which increases maintenance costs and downtime. Furthermore, it is difficult to accurately judge the degree of cutter tooth wear during underwater operations.
A wear sensor is integrated into the blade teeth, including the sensor body and wear component. Wear of the blade teeth is detected by a vibration component and a water detector. Vibration patterns are identified using an underwater microphone or detector to provide replacement prompts.
It enables timely detection of cutter tooth wear during underwater operations, reducing unnecessary replacement and maintenance costs and minimizing downtime.
Smart Images
Figure CN122396841A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to a cutter tooth for a dredging cutter head, the cutter tooth comprising: a mounting portion configured to be directly mounted on the dredging cutter head or mounted in a tooth holder disposed on the dredging cutter head; and a wear portion for cutting soil, the wear portion being connected to the mounting portion at its base. Such cutter teeth are known, for example, see EP1644588. Background Technology
[0002] A cutter suction dredger is used to remove underwater soil and transfer it to another location. The dredger is equipped with a cutterhead that can be lowered into the water and reach the seabed. A dredging cutter head is located at the end of the cutterhead and can rotate to excavate underwater soil. The excavated soil is sucked in by a suction arm placed inside the cutter head and then further transported along the cutterhead through dredging pipes connected to the suction arm.
[0003] Cutting teeth are mounted on the cutter head to excavate soil. The cutting teeth can be mounted directly on the cutter head or in a tooth holder mounted on the cutter head.
[0004] Due to interaction with the soil, the cutting teeth will wear down. Especially when working in hard or highly abrasive soil, the wear of the cutting teeth can be very severe, and the lifespan of the cutting teeth may be less than 30 minutes before they need to be replaced.
[0005] Cutter teeth must be replaced when they cease to function properly, i.e., when they become too dull, or before the wear on the teeth causes the corresponding tooth holder to begin to wear or before the tooth mounting structure shifts to the cutter head. To replace the cutter teeth, the cutter head needs to be raised above the water surface.
[0006] However, when the cutter head is operating underwater, it's impossible to determine whether the cutter teeth need replacement. Therefore, operators sometimes use the cutter head for extended periods, causing not only some teeth to wear out completely, but also the tooth holders or mounting structures to wear down. Repairing the tooth holders or mounting structures can be very costly, as it requires removing the cutter head from the cutterhead and transporting the damaged tooth holders or mounting structures ashore for repair. Furthermore, replacing a damaged cutter head with another will result in a considerable amount of downtime for the dredger.
[0007] To avoid such enormous costs due to wear and tear on the tooth holder or mounting structure, operators often lift the reamer holder early to ensure the teeth are not completely worn. However, this leads to premature tooth replacement, increasing the cost of tooth replacement. Summary of the Invention
[0008] The purpose of this invention is to reduce or even eliminate the above-mentioned disadvantages.
[0009] According to the present invention, this object is achieved by a cutter tooth for a dredging cutter head as described in the preamble, characterized in that the cutter tooth includes a wear sensor, the wear sensor including a sensor body mounted to a mounting portion and a wear member extending from the sensor body and along the base of the wear portion in the direction of the tooth tip of the cutter tooth, wherein a vibration member is disposed in the sensor body, and an activation member is disposed in the wear member to activate the vibration member when at least a portion of the wear member is worn.
[0010] Using the blades according to the invention, when the wear portion of the blades wears to a certain extent, causing the wear component of the sensor to also begin to wear and triggering the activation component, the vibration component of the wear sensor will be activated. The vibration generated by the vibration component will be transmitted through water and can be picked up by an underwater microphone or other detector. Vibration can also be detected via a reamer holder equipped with a cutter head having the blades according to the invention.
[0011] Vibrations can be generated according to known patterns, making them easier to detect. If two or more cutting teeth according to the invention are applied to the cutter head, different cutting teeth can be distinguished by using unique vibration patterns.
[0012] In one embodiment of the blade according to the invention, the vibrating component includes a power source such as a battery or energy harvester, and a vibrator such as a piezoelectric ceramic element powered by the power source.
[0013] Since the vibrating component is only activated when the cutter teeth wear out and need replacement, it only needs to vibrate for a relatively short period of time. Therefore, a power source such as a battery or energy harvester can provide sufficient power. An energy harvester, for example, can harvest energy from the movement and / or vibration of the cutter head.
[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the blade according to the invention, the wear member is hollow, and the activation component includes a water detector for detecting water inside the wear member.
[0015] As long as the wear parts are intact, the water detector located inside the wear parts is isolated from the water excavated by the cutter head. However, once the wear parts begin to wear due to the cutting teeth reaching the end of their service life, leaks can occur, and water may flow into the wear parts. The leaked water will be detected by the water detector, causing the vibrating components to be activated.
[0016] In another preferred embodiment of the blade tooth according to the invention, a groove is provided on the wear portion of the blade tooth for accommodating the wear element of the wear sensor.
[0017] As long as the cutting teeth themselves have not worn down to the point that the groove is exposed, the groove will protect the worn parts from damage caused by the excavated soil.
[0018] In another embodiment of the blade according to the invention, the sensor body is removably mounted to the mounting portion, and a locking element is provided to lock the removable sensor body in the mounting portion.
[0019] The sensor body can be removed from the mounting part of the cutting teeth, making it easy to remove the wear sensor from the worn cutting teeth. The worn part of the wear sensor needs to be replaced with an undamaged worn part, and then the wear sensor can be reinstalled on the new cutting teeth.
[0020] The present invention also relates to a combination of a cutting tooth according to the invention and a tooth holder disposed on a dredging cutter head, wherein the mounting portion of the cutting tooth is inserted into the tooth holder to mount the cutting tooth to the dredging cutter head, and wherein the sensor body of a wear sensor is covered by the tooth holder, and wherein at least a portion of the wear portion of the wear sensor extends out of the tooth holder.
[0021] If the cutter teeth are mounted to the dredging cutter head via a tooth holder, the tooth holder can provide additional protection for the sensor body, shielding it from the impact of the excavated soil.
[0022] The present invention also relates to a dredging cutter head, the dredging cutter head comprising: a hub having a rotation axis; a base ring concentrically disposed with respect to the rotation axis and spaced apart from the hub; and a plurality of cutter arms extending between the hub and the base ring, wherein a plurality of cutter teeth are disposed on the leading edge of each cutter arm, wherein at least one of the cutter teeth of the dredging cutter head is a cutter tooth according to any one of the preceding claims.
[0023] Typically, only some of the cutting teeth in a dredging cutter head will wear out quickly, while others will have a longer lifespan. By equipping only the most worn teeth with wear sensors, operators can be alerted before serious damage occurs to the tooth holder or mounting structure. Attached Figure Description
[0024] These and other features of the invention will be explained in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
[0025] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a dredging cutterhead is shown.
[0026] Figure 2 A perspective view of an embodiment of the tooth base and cutting tooth combination according to the present invention is shown.
[0027] Figure 3 It shows Figure 2 A perspective view of the blade teeth.
[0028] Figure 4 It shows Figure 3 An exploded view of the cutting edge teeth.
[0029] Figure 5 It shows Figure 2 A side view of the combination.
[0030] Figure 6 It shows Figure 3 and Figure 4 A schematic cross-sectional view of a wear sensor for cutting teeth. Detailed Implementation
[0031] Figure 1 A dredging cutter head 1 is shown, having a hub 2 with a rotation axis 3 and a base ring 4 concentrically arranged with respect to the rotation axis 3 and spaced apart from the hub 2. Cutter arms 5 extend between the hub 2 and the base ring 4. Each cutter arm has multiple cutting teeth 6 on its leading edge.
[0032] Figure 2 The cutter tooth 6 is shown disposed in the tooth holder 7, and is mounted on the cutter arm 5 of the dredging cutter head 1 via the tooth holder. The tooth holder 7 has a U-shaped groove in which the leading edge of the cutter arm 5 is received. At the other end of the tooth holder 7, the cutter tooth 6 is inserted with its mounting portion 9.
[0033] Figure 3 The cutting tooth 6 is shown in perspective. The wear portion 10 is disposed at its base to the mounting portion 9. The mounting portion 9 is shaped to form a robust, defined connection with the tooth holder 7, allowing the wear portion 10 to protrude from the tooth holder 7 (see also...). Figure 2 ).
[0034] The wear sensor, having a sensor body 11, is inserted into the hole 13 on the mounting portion 9 of the blade tooth 6. (See also) Figure 4 The wear member 12 extends from the sensor body 11 along the base of the wear portion 10 in the direction of the tooth tip 15 of the cutting tooth 6. The wear member 12 is received in the groove 14, such that the wear member is largely shielded by the cutting tooth and the tooth seat 7. To ensure that the sensor body 11 remains in the hole 13, the locking element 16 is connected to the sensor body 11 on the other side of the mounting portion 9 to lock the sensor body 11 in the hole 13. Other types of sensor body locking methods are also feasible and are within the knowledge of those skilled in the art. Examples include the use of threads, snap-fit connections, locking rings, etc.
[0035] Figure 5 It shows that according to Figure 2 A side view of the combination. A portion of the sensor body 11 is completely obscured by the tooth holder 7 and the wear member 12. Only the tips of the teeth of the wear member 12 extend out of the tooth holder 7 and along the wear portion 10 of the cutter teeth 6. When the cutter teeth 6 wear down to the line 17, the wear member 12 will also begin to wear, thereby activating the wear sensor.
[0036] Figure 6A schematic cross-sectional view of the sensor body 11 and the hollow wear member 12 is shown. A water detector 18 is disposed at the base of the hollow wear member 12. When the wear member 12 wears and water can enter the wear member 12, the water detector 18 will be activated and close the circuit consisting of a power supply 19 and a vibrator 20 (such as a piezoelectric ceramic element).
[0037] The vibration of vibrator 20 will be transmitted through the water in which the cutter head is submerged and can be recorded by an underwater microphone or other suitable device. This will provide a signal to the operator of the cutter suction dredger that at least some of the cutter teeth of the cutter head need to be replaced.
Claims
1. A cutting tooth for a dredging cutter head, the cutting tooth comprising: The mounting part is configured to be directly mounted on the dredging cutter head or mounted in the tooth seat provided on the dredging cutter head; and a wear part for cutting soil, the wear part being disposed at a base to the mounting part. Its features are, It also includes a wear sensor, which comprises a sensor body mounted to the mounting portion and a wear member extending from the sensor body and along the base of the wear portion in the direction of the tooth tip of the cutting tooth, wherein a vibration member is disposed in the sensor body and an activation member is disposed in the wear member to activate the vibration member when at least a portion of the wear member is worn.
2. The blade according to claim 1, wherein the vibrating component comprises a power source such as a battery or energy harvester, and a vibrator such as a piezoelectric ceramic element powered by the power source.
3. The cutting tooth according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the wear member is hollow, and the activation member includes a water detector for detecting water inside the wear member.
4. The cutting tooth according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a groove is provided on the worn portion of the cutting tooth for accommodating the worn element of the wear sensor.
5. The cutting teeth according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sensor body is removably mounted to the mounting portion and a locking element is provided to lock the removable sensor body in the mounting portion.
6. A combination of a cutting tooth according to any one of the preceding claims and a tooth holder disposed on a dredging cutter head, wherein the mounting portion of the cutting tooth is inserted into the tooth holder to mount the cutting tooth to the dredging cutter head, and wherein the sensor body of the wear sensor is covered by the tooth holder, and wherein at least a portion of the wear portion of the wear sensor extends out of the tooth holder.
7. A dredging cutter head, wherein the dredging cutter head comprises: A wheel hub, wherein the wheel hub has a rotation axis; A base ring, which is concentrically arranged with respect to the axis of rotation and spaced apart from the hub; and multiple cutter arms extending between the hub and the base ring, wherein multiple cutter teeth are disposed on the leading edge of each cutter arm. The characteristic feature is that at least one of the cutting teeth of the dredging cutter head is a cutting tooth according to any one of the preceding claims.