Side gripper for gripping and driving a pile

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a side gripper for grasping and driving in a pile material according to claim 1.

[0002] For driving a pile, such as a pile, mast, profile, sheet pile, or the like, into the ground, it is known that this pile is grasped by a grab and driven into the ground under the influence of impacts or vibrations. The grab is connected to a work machine via one or more movable arms or booms, which allows the grab and the pile to be maneuvered. The work machine also supplies the grab with energy, in particular hydraulic energy. The grab, which can also be called a side grab because the pile is grasped laterally and is generally known from WO 2013 / 124525 A1, has jaws attached to clamping arms. The clamping arms are moved by actuators such that the jaws grip the pile.Furthermore, the grabber is equipped with a vibration device that transmits vibrations to the jaws and thus to the pile being driven. To drive the pile in, it is grasped by the grabber and pressed into the ground in the intended orientation, whereby the vibrations of the grabber, which are transmitted to the pile, drive it gradually into the ground.

[0003] Especially for gripping and driving the pile, it is of paramount importance that the gripper's contact pressure on the pile is sufficient. This is made more difficult by the vibrations that act on the entire system during driving. Often, with known grippers, the force transmission to the clamping arms is insufficient to apply the necessary pressure to the pile. This then leads to an unsatisfactory result, or the intended installation of the pile is simply not possible.

[0004] The invention is based on the objective of creating a side gripper with which a pile can be reliably gripped and driven into a subsoil.

[0005] A side grab for solving this problem has the features of claim 1. Accordingly, the side grab for gripping and driving a pile into a subsoil comprises a spring yoke, an exciter cell, and at least one clamping device. The exciter cell is spring-loaded within the spring yoke, and the clamping device is pivotably mounted in the exciter cell about at least one, preferably two, axes. The clamping device has two clamping arms, each connected to a single hydraulic cylinder. These hydraulic cylinders allow the clamping arms to pivot relative to each other. The side grab thus essentially consists of three nested units. While the spring yoke acts as a frame for the other two units, the exciter cell generates vibrations and transmits them to the clamping device via appropriate bearings.On the other hand, the exciter cell is supported relative to the spring yoke by spring elements, preventing vibrations from being transmitted to the spring yoke. This special arrangement allows the force or pressure of the clamping device to be transferred to the pile with particular efficiency and reliability. Simultaneously, the vibrations or oscillations of the exciter cell are decoupled from the spring yoke by rubber springs, primarily serving to protect the machine.

[0006] A particularly advantageous embodiment provides that the two pivotable clamping arms are arranged in a common plane. This arrangement of the clamping arms in a common plane allows, firstly, the effect of the hydraulic cylinders to be transferred to the clamping arms with exceptional efficiency, and secondly, the clamping arms allow the contact pressure to be transmitted to the pile with high effectiveness. Furthermore, this special arrangement makes positioning the hydraulic cylinders on the side gripper particularly simple and space-saving.

[0007] Preferably, the invention further provides that the two clamping arms have a first end and a second end, with a jaw carrier for receiving jaws arranged at each of the first ends and one of the two hydraulic cylinders articulated at each of the second ends. The two flat jaws serve to grip the material being driven. When the two hydraulic cylinders are actuated, the two jaws are moved parallel to each other and opening towards each other. Because the hydraulic cylinders are attached to the opposite second ends of the clamping arms, the force can be transmitted particularly efficiently to the first ends of the clamping arms or the jaws via the large mechanical lever.

[0008] In particular, the invention provides that the two clamping arms extend through the spring yoke, with the axes of rotation of the two clamping arms positioned within the spring yoke and integrated into the excitation cell, and the first and second ends of the clamping arms located outside the spring yoke. By positioning the axes of rotation of the two clamping arms within the spring yoke and integrating them into the excitation cell, the gripper design is particularly compact and safe. Because the axes of rotation are positioned within the spring yoke, the axes themselves, or the receptacles for them, can be integrated into the shape of the spring yoke, eliminating the need for additional components. The separation of the spring yoke and the excitation cell effectively decouples the high vibrational forces between these components.

[0009] Furthermore, the invention may provide that the two hydraulic cylinders are each connected or mounted at one end to or within the other ends of the clamping arms and rotatably attached at the other end to a common cylinder mount. This cylinder mount, in turn, may be attached to the exciter cell of the side gripper. Thus, each clamping arm is assigned only one hydraulic cylinder, or each hydraulic cylinder is assigned only one clamping arm. By attaching the hydraulic cylinders to the cylinder mount, the cylinders are given a counterpart, so that when the hydraulic cylinders are actuated, the clamping arms are pivoted about their axis of rotation. This embodiment, in which the two hydraulic cylinders are assigned to a single mount that is attached to the exciter cell, makes the side gripper particularly compact.Another advantage is that the two hydraulic cylinders support each other when a clamping force is applied. This means that no additional force needs to be applied by the cylinder mounting to counteract the clamping force of the cylinders.

[0010] Preferably, the two hydraulic cylinders can be operated independently or in a coordinated manner, particularly synchronized. Because each hydraulic cylinder is positioned between a clamping arm and the cylinder suspension, the other clamping arm is not moved or affected by the movement of one hydraulic cylinder when the other is actuated. Therefore, both hydraulic cylinders can be operated together or independently, depending on the application. For example, it is conceivable that only one of the two hydraulic cylinders is operated, or that different contact pressures are applied to the material being driven by the clamping jaws, for instance, to protect particularly sensitive surfaces.

[0011] Furthermore, a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention provides that the axis of rotation of the clamping arms is preferably arranged precisely between the first and second ends of the clamping arms. This positioning of the axis of rotation, or of a pivot bearing, a bolt, or a bolt component, allows particularly advantageous leverage forces to be generated by the clamping arm. This enables, on the one hand, the jaws to be compressed with a large force, and on the other hand, allows the distance between the two jaws to be sufficiently large to accommodate even larger piles.

[0012] One embodiment with a particularly advantageous effect consists in the excitation cell having two parallel bearing points, in each of which a clamping arm of the clamping device is rotatably mounted with a pivot axis. By positioning the pivot bearings or bearing points within the excitation cell, the side gripper can be designed to be particularly compact, and the vibration forces of the excitation cell can be transmitted to the clamping device with particular efficiency.

[0013] Furthermore, according to the invention, it is conceivable that the excitation cell has at least one drive, preferably an electric motor or a hydraulic motor, for driving unbalance shafts that exert a vibratory effect on the clamping device rotatably mounted on the excitation cell. The excitation cell also has at least one drive, preferably a rotary motor, for adjusting an angular offset between several unbalances of the unbalance shafts. By adjusting this angular offset, the unbalances can be brought into relative positions in which no vibration or maximum vibration is generated. The angular offset can preferably be changed continuously so that the vibration force can be adjusted depending on the situation.

[0014] Furthermore, the excitation cell can incorporate spring elements to dampen the generated vibrations relative to the spring yoke. It is crucial that the spring yoke is isolated from these vibrations to ensure reliable and safe handling of the side gripper by the machine. For this reliable and safe handling, the spring yoke features a coupling at its upper end for connecting the side gripper, to which a machine can engage. This coupling can, for example, be a rotary and / or swiveling frame with a rotary feedthrough.

[0015] To grasp additional objects or to grasp the same pile material at a different position, the invention provides that the side gripper has a further clamping device on a lower side of the spring yoke. This clamping device can also have jaws with which various types of objects can be handled by applying pressure.

[0016] A preferred embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the figures. These show: Fig. 1 a perspective view of a side gripper, Fig. 2 another perspective view of the side gripper, Fig. 3 a side view of the side gripper, Fig. 4 a front view of the side gripper, Fig. 5 a perspective view of a spring yoke, Fig. 6 a front view of the spring yoke, Fig. 7 a side view of the spring yoke, Fig. 8 a perspective view of an exciter cell, Fig. 9 a front view of the exciter cell, Fig. 10 a side view of the exciter cell, Fig. 11 a perspective view of a clamping device in the open state, Fig. 12 a perspective view of the clamping device in the closed state, Fig. 13 a view of the clamping device in the open state, Fig. 14 a view of the clamping device in the closed state, Fig. 15 a front view of the clamping device in the open state, and Fig. 16 a front view of the clamping device in the closed state.

[0017] In theFigs. 1 to 4 Figure 1 shows a possible embodiment of a side grab 20. This side grab 20 is used to drive or ram piles (not shown), such as piles, masts, profiles, sheet piles, or the like, into the ground. For this purpose, the side grab 20 has a coupling 21, which allows it to be connected to a work machine (not shown) with a corresponding arm or boom. The coupling 21 includes a swivel and pivot frame 22 for maneuvering the side grab 20. This swivel and pivot frame 22 allows the side grab 20 to be maneuvered to grasp the pile, grip it, and then position it for driving.

[0018] The side gripper 20 essentially consists of three interconnected main components: a spring yoke 23, an excitation cell 24, and a clamping device 25. Figs. 1 to 4It can be seen that the spring yoke 23, on which the rotary and pivoting mechanism 22 is arranged, represents a kind of frame or suspension for the excitation cell 24. As will be shown below, the excitation cell 24 is positioned within the spring yoke 23 and the clamping device 25 is positioned within the excitation cell 24. On one lower side, the side gripper 20 has a further clamping device 26. This clamping device 26, by means of its two clamping elements 27, which are movable relative to each other by a hydraulic cylinder 28, can grip and handle almost any object.

[0019] The in the Figs. 5 to 7The illustrated spring yoke 23 has an interior 29 within which the exciter cell 24, together with the clamping device 25, can be arranged. The spring yoke 23 has two recesses 32 on each of its two lateral housing parts 30, 31, through which the clamping device 25 can be guided. Furthermore, the housing parts 30, 31 have openings 33 on their upper surface through which the exciter cell 24 is accessible. The spring yoke 23 is open at the bottom, making the mounting of the side gripper 20 particularly easy.

[0020] The in the Figs. 8 to 10The illustrated excitation cell 24 is essentially cuboid in shape and has three spring elements 34 at each of its four corner regions. A drive 35 with unbalance shafts 36 is arranged within the cuboid excitation cell 24. During operation of the side gripper 20, the unbalance shafts 36 are driven by a drive (not shown), which can be an electric or hydraulic motor. The drive 35 allows the angular offset between the unbalances on the unbalance shafts 36 to be adjusted. By adjusting this angular offset, the unbalances can be brought into relative positions in which no vibrations are generated. Likewise, the drive 35 can be used to align the unbalances in such a way that maximum vibration is generated by the rotating unbalance shafts. The angular offset can preferably be changed continuously so that the vibration force can be adjusted according to the situation.To prevent these vibrations from being transmitted to the spring yoke 23 and the machine, the exciter cell 24 is mechanically isolated from the spring yoke 23 by the spring elements 34. The exciter cell also has bearing points 37 on two opposite sides. These bearing points 37 are trough-shaped and can accommodate a pivot axis 46, 47 of the clamping device 25. The shape of the bearing points 37 allows vibration forces to be transmitted to the clamping arms 38, 39 as directly as possible, without unnecessary components. Furthermore, the clearance between the bearing points 37 on the exciter cell 24 and the clamping arms 38, 39 is adjustable, ensuring constant contact between the clamping arms 38, 39 and the exciter cell 24.

[0021] In the Figs. 11 to 16The clamping device 25 is shown. These figures show that the clamping device 25 essentially consists of two clamping arms 38, 39. These clamping arms 38, 39 have a first end 40 and a second end 41. A jaw carrier 42 with a jaw 43 is arranged at each of the first ends 40. These two opposing jaws 43 serve to grip the pile and transmit the vibration effects to the pile.

[0022] A hydraulic cylinder 44, 45 is arranged at each of the second ends 41 of the clamping arms 38, 39. These hydraulic cylinders 44, 45 are rotatably mounted at the second ends 41 of the clamping arms 38, 39. Furthermore, each of the two clamping arms 38, 39 has a pivot axis 46, 47 between the first end 40 and the second end 41. In the embodiment shown here, these pivot axes 46, 47 are preferably located exactly between them, i.e., in the middle between the first end 40 and the second end 41. A bolt 48, 49 passes through each pivot axis 46, 47 and engages in, or is fastened in, the bearing points 37 of the exciter cell 24. The bolts 48, 49 are positioned identically to the openings 33 in the spring yoke 23. This makes the bolts 48, 49 easily accessible from the outside and allows for easy maintenance, for example.

[0023] The hydraulic cylinders 44, 45 are arranged slightly offset from each other relative to a horizontal plane and are attached to a common cylinder mount 50. This cylinder mount 50 forms a counterpart for the two hydraulic cylinders 44, 45, so that the two cylinders 44, 45 can be actuated independently of each other, but also simultaneously or synchronously, thereby allowing the two clamping arms 38, 39 to move independently of each other. For this purpose, the cylinder mount 50 can be screwed to the exciter cell 24 ( Fig. 2 ).

[0024] A particular feature of the invention is that the two clamping arms 38, 39 of the clamping device 25 are guided through the recesses 32 of the spring yoke 23. This is, for example, in the Fig. 1The two axes of rotation 46, 47 are positioned in the lateral housing parts 30, 31 of the spring yoke 23, so that the first ends 40 and the second ends 41 of the clamping arms 38, 39 lie outside the spring yoke 23. This allows a particularly high leverage force to be exerted on the jaws 43 by the hydraulic cylinders 44, 45. At the same time, the path of force transmission of the vibration forces between the unbalanced shafts 36, where the vibration forces are generated, and the bearing points 37 of the clamping arms 38, 39 is very short and direct.

[0025] Since each individual clamping arm 38, 39 is assigned exactly one hydraulic cylinder 44, 45, the control of the clamping arms 38, 39 and the handling of the side gripper 20 are particularly flexible. This special design allows the two clamping arms 38, 39 to be controlled individually. A control device (not shown) is provided for controlling and actuating the hydraulic cylinders 44, 45, which in turn allows the side gripper 20 to be operated. Such a control system is linked to the machine and can be designed, for example, as a wired or wireless control system. Reference symbol list: 20 Side gripper 46 axis of rotation 21 coupling 47 axis of rotation 22 Rotating and swiveling frame 48 bolt 23 Spring yoke 49 bolt 24 Pathogen cell 50 Cylinder suspension 25 Clamping device 26 Clamping device 27 Clamping device 28 hydraulic cylinder 29 interior 30 Housing part 31 Housing part 32 recess 33 opening 34 spring element 35 drive 36 Imbalance shaft 37 Storage site 38 Tension arms 39 Tension arms 40 first end 41 second ending 42 bite carrier 43 Cheek 44 hydraulic cylinder 45 hydraulic cylinder

Claims

1. Side gripper (20) for gripping a piling element and driving it into a substrate, having a spring yoke (23), having an exciter cell (24) which is arranged in a sprung manner in the spring yoke (23), and having at least one clamping device (25) with two clamping arms (38, 39), wherein the two clamping arms (38, 39) are mounted on the exciter cell (24) so as to be pivotable around a pin (46, 47) in each case and the clamping arms (38, 39) are each connected to a single hydraulic cylinder (44, 45) by way of which the clamping arms (38, 39) are pivotable in relation to one another, characterized in that in that the two clamping arms (38, 39) pass through the spring yoke (23), wherein the pivot pins (46, 47) of the clamping arms (38, 39) are positioned within the spring yoke (23) and are integrated into the exciter cell (24), and the first and second ends (40, 41) of the clamping arms (38, 39) are situated outside the spring yoke (23).

2. Side gripper (20) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the two clamping arms (38, 39) pivotable in relation to one another are arranged in a common plane.

3. Side gripper (20) according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the two clamping arms (38, 39) have a first end (40) and a second end (41), wherein, on the first ends (40), there is arranged in each case one biting-jaw carrier (42) for receiving biting jaws (43) and, on the second ends (41), there is articulated in each case one of the two hydraulic cylinders (44, 45).

4. Side gripper (20) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the two hydraulic cylinders (44, 45), in each case at one end, are connected to or mounted in the second ends (41) of the clamping arms (38, 39) and, at the other end, are fastened rotatably to a common cylinder suspension means (50).

5. Side gripper (20) according to Claim 4, characterized in that the two hydraulic cylinders (44, 45), in each case at one end, are supported on one another at the cylinder suspension means (50).

6. Side gripper (20) according to Claim 5, characterized in that the cylinder suspension means (50) is fastened to the exciter cell (24).

7. Side gripper (20) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the two hydraulic cylinders (44, 45) are operable independently or in a manner coordinated with one another, in particular in a synchronized manner.

8. Side gripper (20) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rotary pin (46, 47) of the clamping arms (38, 39) is arranged, preferably exactly, between the first and second ends (40, 41).

9. Side gripper (20) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the exciter cell (24), in particular within its geometry, has two parallel bearing points (37) in which in each case one clamping arm (38, 39) is mounted rotatably at a rotary pin (46, 47).

10. Side gripper (20) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the exciter cell (24) has at least one drive (35), preferably a swivel motor, for adjusting an angular offset between multiple eccentrics of eccentric shafts (36), which exert a vibrational action on the clamping device (25) that is mounted rotatably on the exciter cell (24).

11. Side gripper (20) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the exciter cell (24) has spring elements (34) in order to decouple the spring yoke (23) from the vibrations that are generated.

12. Side gripper (20) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a coupling (21) for coupling the side gripper (20) to a working machine is fastened to the spring yoke (23), wherein said coupling (21) has a rotary and pivoting mount (22) with a rotary leadthrough.

13. Side gripper (20) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the spring yoke (23) has on a lower side a clamping device (26) for gripping further objects or for gripping the same piling element at a different position.

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