Excavator attachment unit for introducing a binder into a floor, and floor processing machine

Abstract

The invention relates to an excavator attachment for introducing a binding agent into soil. During introduction, the binding agent is mixed with milled soil components and compacted, resulting in a solid soil structure. The excavator attachment comprises a mounting bracket (01) for attaching the attachment to a movable boom arm of an excavator and at least one motor (13). The attachment also includes at least two track blades (02), each extending from the mounting bracket (01) to a blade head, and each blade comprising a guide rail and a milling chain (04) rotating on the guide rail. The milling chains (04) can be driven jointly by the at least one motor (13).The chain blades (02) each comprise a conveying line extending from the mounting bracket (01) along the respective guide rail to the blade head for conveying the binding agent. The chain blades (02) are arranged at a distance from one another. The invention further relates to a soil cultivation machine for incorporating a binding agent into soil.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an excavator attachment for introducing a binding agent into soil. During introduction, the binding agent is mixed with milled soil components and compacted, resulting in a solid soil structure. The binding agent is preferably formed from fresh concrete, enabling, for example, the creation of concrete walls in the ground. The invention further relates to a soil cultivation machine for introducing a binding agent into soil.

[0002] From EP 2 324 158 B1 a milling attachment for excavators is known, which is particularly suitable for breaking up hard surfaces made of rock, asphalt or concrete as well as for rock extraction.

[0003] German patent DE 10 2015 115 543 B4 describes a strip milling machine with at least two spaced-apart main milling heads. The main milling heads are used to create milling channels and are arranged on a common axis. In addition, at least one fine milling device is arranged in front of or behind the strip milling head. The fine milling device has at least one milling tool with a shallower milling depth than the two main milling heads. The entire device is comparatively large and heavy and is therefore only suitable for use on flat, easily accessible surfaces. Deep soil cultivation is not possible with this device.

[0004] German patent DE 10 2005 023 966 A1 describes a device for cultivating soils for row crops. The device uses a milling tube to loosen the soil. The milling tube can penetrate the soil only up to its axis of rotation, resulting in either shallow cultivation depths or very large devices.

[0005] EP 4 209 636 A1 describes a soil milling machine for preparing forest soils for tree planting, comprising an excavator-mounted milling attachment with a mounting bracket for attachment to a movable boom arm of an excavator. This milling machine has at least one motor, two rotating driven transverse cutting heads, and a driven, circulating milling chain with numerous milling cutters. The transverse cutting heads are mounted on both sides of the longitudinal axis of the mounting bracket.

[0006] JP 2001 226952 A shows a soil stirring and mixing device for soil improvement. This device has a stabilizing material feed unit, a vertically rotating chain with agitator plates, and a motor, with several of the stirring and mixing units connected laterally and arranged in a row. The chains are not driven together.

[0007] The JP H09-189026 A depicts a soil cultivation machine for building foundations. The soil cultivation machine comprises several drive sprockets on the top of a machine frame, a corresponding drive on the underside of the machine frame, and several driven sprockets. Agitator blades between the sprockets are moved by driving several chains, each rotating in a different direction relative to the others.

[0008] The JP 2003-74050 A shows a soil improvement device for improving soil by excavation and mixing. For this purpose, a stirring plate attached to a pair of chains rotates. The device has a feed line with two nozzles at the lower end.

[0009] JP 2000-17651 A shows a stirring and mixing device for soil improvement in the form of a trench excavator with several parallel tracks. Several stirring units, each consisting of rotating tracks with agitator blades, are arranged side by side in two rows. A soil stabilizer is stirred and mixed as it is conveyed into the soil.

[0010] JP 2007-77649 A shows a soil improvement attachment for an excavator, which is suspended from an arm of the excavator via a rotating device. A chain with milling cutters is guided around drive wheels and driven wheels located on the top and bottom of a cutting column. The cutting column moves up and down, digging in a horizontal direction.

[0011] The product brochure "Kemsolid build on solid foundations" from Kemroc Spezialmaschinenbau GmbH, 2023-05, describes a mixing blade as an attachment for excavators, drilling rigs, and pile drivers for producing milled soil-concrete walls. The mixing blade comprises a chain blade and a delivery line for fresh concrete. With this mixing blade, the ground can be milled, fresh concrete injected into the ground and mixed with the soil in a single operation, thus creating a soil-concrete wall. However, only simple, strip-like structures can be produced, which offer limited stabilization options, for example, in sandy soils.

[0012] Starting from the prior art, the object of the present invention is to be able to insert complex structures made of concrete, partly at a great depth and in a single step, into a ground.

[0013] According to the invention, the problem is solved by an excavator attachment unit according to the attached claim 1 and by a soil cultivation machine according to the attached dependent claim 13.

[0014] The excavator attachment unit according to the invention is an interchangeable accessory for an excavator. For the purposes of this invention, an excavator is understood to be a construction machine used for loosening and moving soil and rock, which also includes drilling and pile-driving equipment. The excavator attachment unit can be detachably attached to a movable boom arm of the excavator.

[0015] The excavator attachment is used to introduce a binding agent into soil. Here, "soil" refers to the outer layer of the earth, which can be natural or previously worked by humans. The soil can consist of, for example, earth or sand. The binding agent introduced into the soil solidifies and forms a firm structure. Preferably, the excavator attachment is designed such that the binding agent is mixed with milled soil particles during introduction, creating a mixture of the binding agent and the soil that solidifies into a firm structure. The binding agent is preferably a liquid or a suspension. It preferably comprises cement and water. Fresh concrete is particularly preferred. However, the binding agent can also consist of other materials such as a resin or an adhesive.

[0016] The excavator attachment unit includes a mounting bracket for the detachable attachment of the excavator attachment unit to the excavator's movable boom arm. The mounting bracket is therefore designed to be detachably attached to the movable boom arm. For this purpose, the mounting bracket forms a mechanical interface between the excavator attachment unit and the excavator's boom arm.

[0017] The excavator attachment unit comprises at least one motor. The at least one motor is preferably a hydraulic motor powered by the excavator or an electric motor.

[0018] The excavator attachment comprises at least two tracked blades, which are used to mill the soil by being driven into the ground by the excavator. Each tracked blade extends from the mounting bracket to its end, forming the distal end of the respective blade. The tracked blades are designed to penetrate the ground starting at their ends. Each tracked blade has a guide rail and a milling chain that rotates on the guide rail. The milling chains serve to mill the soil as the tracked blades penetrate the ground. The milling chains slide continuously on their respective guide rails. The milling chains are driven together by at least one motor. Thus, the milling chains always move together on the guide rails.The milling chains therefore move synchronously.

[0019] The tracked blades each include a conveying line running from the mounting bracket along the respective guide rail to the blade head for transporting the binding agent. This allows the binding agent to be conveyed from the mounting bracket to the blade heads, where it emerges. Since the blade heads are in the ground during operation, the binding agent emerges into the soil. The moving milling chains preferentially mix the binding agent with milled soil components, creating a binding agent-soil mixture. In this sense, the tracked blades can also be described as mixing blades.

[0020] The tracked blades are spaced apart from each other. Therefore, during operation, at least two tracked blades or mixed blades are always simultaneously driven into the ground. Thus, the excavator attachment creates at least two spaced-apart stabilizing structures in the ground in a single operation, which in many cases provides significantly greater ground stabilization than a single structure. The blade heads preferably lie on a straight line perpendicular to a feed direction of the excavator attachment. This straight line is preferably parallel to a ground surface. The feed direction preferably coincides with a main extension direction of the tracked blades or guide rails. The tracked blades are preferably identical. The tracked blades preferably lie in a single plane. For this to be the case, the main extension directions of the tracked blades preferably lie in the same plane.The chain blades are preferably arranged in parallel. For this purpose, the main extension directions of the chain blades are preferably arranged parallel to each other.

[0021] A particular advantage of the excavator attachment is that it allows for the efficient installation of double, triple, or multiple concrete structures at great depths in a single operation. For example, two parallel retaining walls for railway tracks can be created in the ground in one step.

[0022] Another special advantage of the excavator attachment unit is that it carries at least two track blades and can therefore be made significantly lighter than two excavator attachment units, each with one track blade, which are attached to an excavator, for example, via a Y-arm.

[0023] A further advantage of the excavator attachment unit is that, unlike two excavator attachment units, each with its own track bar, it guarantees that the milling chains always move synchronously, as they are driven together by the at least one motor. When using two excavator attachment units, each with its own track bar, differing ground conditions can cause the milling chains to move differently or even lead to one of the milling chains coming to a standstill, since the drive torques are not distributed. In contrast, with the excavator attachment unit according to the invention, a distribution of the drive torque to all of the milling chains is fundamentally guaranteed, as they are driven together.

[0024] In preferred embodiments, the excavator attachment unit comprises at least three of the track blades, thereby creating at least three spaced-apart stabilizing structures in the ground, which enable particularly strong stabilization even in very soft or sandy soil.

[0025] The distance between two adjacent chain blades is preferably at least 0.5 m. Each chain blade has a length that is preferably at least 3 m and more preferably at least 5 m.

[0026] In preferred embodiments, each chain guide includes a sprocket for driving the respective milling chain. The milling chains run on their respective sprockets. The sprockets are mounted together in a rotationally fixed manner on a drive shaft or each themselves forms a section of a drive shaft. The drive shaft can be driven by the at least one motor. This ensures synchronous movement of the milling chains and distribution of the drive torque from the at least one motor to all of the milling chains.

[0027] The drive shaft is preferably directly connected to an output shaft of the at least one motor or formed by an output shaft of the at least one motor. If the drive shaft is formed by the output shaft of the at least one motor, all of the sprockets are fixed against rotation on the output shaft of the at least one motor or each form a section of the output shaft itself. If the excavator attachment unit comprises at least two of the motors, these preferably share a common output shaft.

[0028] In preferred embodiments, at least one interchangeable spacer element is arranged between each of the sprockets, defining a distance between the track blades. By exchanging the spacer elements, the distance between the track blades can be changed, thus allowing the excavator attachment to be adapted to different requirements. The spacer element(s) are preferably each formed by a connecting flange, which itself forms a section of the drive shaft. Preferably, the drive shaft is formed by alternating sections of the connecting flanges and the sprockets. Preferably, the drive shaft is formed solely by the at least one connecting flange and the sprockets. Alternatively, and preferably, the spacer elements are located on the drive shaft between the sprockets.

[0029] Preferably, the entire excavator attachment unit is also variable in width to accommodate the variable spacing of the track blades defined by the spacers. The excavator attachment unit preferably includes a connecting plate to which the track blades can be attached via their guide rails, preferably at different positions, to fix the track blades at the variable distances defined by the spacers relative to each other and / or to the mounting bracket. The connecting plate is preferably interchangeable, so that different spacings between the track blades and / or different numbers of track blades can be configured by using different versions of the connecting plate. The mounting bracket is also preferably interchangeable, so that different widths of the excavator attachment unit can be configured by using different versions of the mounting bracket.

[0030] The excavator attachment unit is preferably modular in design, with the track blades, spacers, and preferably also the connecting plate and mounting bracket each forming interchangeable modules. A module set preferably comprises different versions of the track blades, which preferably differ in their length and / or width. The module set preferably comprises different versions of the spacers, which differ in their axial length. The module set preferably comprises different versions of the connecting plates, which differ in their width and / or the number of track blades that can be attached to them. The module set preferably comprises different versions of the mounting bracket, which differ in their width.Based on the module set, the excavator attachment unit can be configured, for example, with two, three or four track blades and with optionally different spacing between the track blades.

[0031] In preferred embodiments, the milling chains each have a plurality of milling tools. The milling tools are designed to mill the soil. The milling tools are preferably arranged evenly distributed on one outer side of the milling chains. In preferred embodiments, the milling tools are arranged in at least two rows on the individual milling chains. The distance between the two rows determines the width of the structure to be embedded in the soil.

[0032] In preferred embodiments, the at least one motor is a hydraulic motor supplied by the excavator or an electric motor. The at least one hydraulic motor is preferably supplied via a hydraulic line that runs from the excavator along its boom arm and along the mounting bracket to the at least one hydraulic motor. Alternatively, the at least one electric motor is preferably supplied via an electrical line along this same route.

[0033] Preferred embodiments comprise at least two motors. The two motors are preferably each arranged at one axial end of the drive shaft. The motors preferably have a common output shaft, which also forms the drive shaft.

[0034] The milling chains each have a chain tension at which they run on their respective guide rails. In preferred embodiments, the excavator attachment unit has a chain tensioning device for adjusting the chain tensions of the milling chains simultaneously. Therefore, only a single chain tensioning device is required to adjust the chain tensions of all the milling chains, thus saving time and weight. Furthermore, it ensures that the chain tensions of the milling chains are nearly identical. The chain tensioning device preferably comprises at least one actuator with which the distance between the drive shaft and the guide rails of the chain blades can be varied. The at least one actuator is preferably formed by a hydraulic cylinder.

[0035] The soil cultivation machine according to the invention is used for introducing a binding agent into soil. The soil cultivation machine comprises an excavator with a movable boom arm. The soil cultivation machine also comprises the excavator attachment unit according to the invention, which is detachably attached to a distal end of the boom arm. The soil cultivation machine preferably comprises one of the described preferred embodiments of the excavator attachment unit according to the invention. The soil cultivation machine preferably also has features that are described in connection with the excavator attachment unit according to the invention.

[0036] Further advantages, details, and developments of the invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments, with reference to the drawing. The drawing shows: Fig. 1 a perspective exploded view of a first preferred embodiment of an excavator attachment unit according to the invention with four tracked blades; Fig. 2 a front view of the in Fig. 1 The embodiment shown is in the assembled state; Fig. 3 is a side view of the assembly. Fig. 1 The embodiment shown is in the assembled state; Fig. 4 is a front view of a second preferred embodiment of the excavator attachment according to the invention with two track blades; and Fig. 5 is a side view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 4 embodiment shown.

[0037] Fig. 1Figure 1 shows a perspective exploded view of a first preferred embodiment of an excavator attachment unit according to the invention. The excavator attachment unit has a mounting bracket 01 for attachment to a boom arm (not shown) of an excavator. The mounting bracket 01 is flanged to the boom arm (not shown) of a carrier vehicle, in particular an excavator (not shown), in a known manner.

[0038] In this embodiment, the excavator attachment unit comprises four track blades 02 with which a ground (not shown) can be milled. The four track blades 02 are identical and arranged parallel and spaced apart. Each of the four track blades 02 has a guide rail 03 and a milling chain 04 running on the guide rail 03. The milling chains 04 each have a plurality of milling cutters 06, preferably evenly distributed, which are preferably arranged in two rows on the individual milling chains 04.

[0039] Each of the four tracked swords 02 has a mounting plate 07 which can be screwed onto a connecting plate 08 in various positions to join the four tracked swords 02 into a single unit. A left side bracket 09 and a right side bracket 10 are also attached to the connecting plate 08. The connecting plate 08 can also be replaced with a version of a different length.

[0040] The track guards 02 each have a sprocket 11, which drives the respective milling chain 04. The sprockets 11 share a common axis (not shown) and, when assembled, are rotationally fixed to one another via connecting flanges 12. The connecting flanges 12 are interchangeable spacers. They are available in various axial lengths. The axial lengths of the connecting flanges 12 determine the spacing between the track guards 02. Thus, different spacings between the track guards 02 can be achieved by replacing the connecting flanges 12. For this purpose, the track guards 02 with their mounting plates 07 can also be screwed onto the connecting plate 08 in different positions, or alternative versions of the connecting plate 08 with different lengths are available.

[0041] The excavator attachment also includes two hydraulic motors 13, which together drive the sprockets 11 of all the tracked blades 02 via a drive assembly 14. The two hydraulic motors 13 and the sprockets 11 of all the tracked blades 02 share a common axis (not shown) and, when assembled, form a common shaft with the connecting flanges 12, thus constituting both a drive shaft and an output shaft. The connecting flanges 12 therefore serve both to space the tracked blades 02 and to transmit the torque between the sprockets 11.

[0042] The excavator attachment unit includes a drive carriage 16 in each of the side consoles 09 and 10, to which the drive assemblies 14 are attached. The positions of the drive carriages 16 relative to the side consoles 09 and 10 can be changed by means of two hydraulic tensioning cylinders 17, which also allows the position of the shaft formed by the sprockets 11 and the connecting flanges 12 relative to the guide rails 03 of the track bars 02 to be changed. This allows the chain tension of the milling chains 04 to be changed. The chain tension is therefore always changed simultaneously for all milling chains 04 by actuating the tensioning cylinders 17.

[0043] Hydraulic lines (not shown) for the hydraulic motors 13 and for the hydraulic clamping cylinders 17 run through a hydraulic tunnel 18 on the mounting bracket 01 in order to be connected there to hydraulic connections (not shown) of the excavator.

[0044] The chain blades 02 also each include a conveying line (not shown) extending from the mounting bracket 01 along the respective guide rail 03 for conveying fresh concrete.

[0045] Fig. 2 shows a front view of the in Fig. 1 The first embodiment of the excavator attachment according to the invention is shown in its assembled state. This view particularly illustrates that the four track blades 02 are arranged parallel and spaced apart from one another. The distance between adjacent track blades is at least large enough to prevent the milling cutters from colliding and to allow sufficient space for the soil to be loosened. In hard, stony soil, the distance between the track blades may be wider than in soft, sandy soil.

[0046] Fig. 3 shows a side view of the in Fig. 1The first embodiment of the excavator attachment unit according to the invention is shown in the assembled state. This view particularly illustrates how the position of the drive carriage 16 relative to the side console 09 can be changed via the two hydraulic clamping cylinders 17.

[0047] Fig. 4 shows a front view of a second preferred embodiment of the excavator attachment according to the invention in the assembled state. This second embodiment initially resembles the one in Fig. 1 first embodiment shown. In contrast to the one in Fig. 1 In contrast to the first embodiment shown, the second embodiment has only two instead of four chain blades 02. Consequently, only one of the connecting flanges 12 is required. Furthermore, unlike the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 In the first embodiment shown, the chain swords 02 are made longer.

[0048] Fig. 5 shows a side view of the in Fig. 4shown second embodiment of the excavator attachment unit according to the invention in the assembled state. Reference symbol list

[0049] 01 Mounting bracket 02 Chain bar 03 Guide rail 04 Milling chain 05- 06 Milling cutter 07 Mounting plate 08 Connecting plate 09 Left side bracket 10 Right side bracket 11 Sprocket 12 Connecting flange 13 Hydraulic motor 14 Drive assembly 15- 16 Drive slide 17 Tensioning cylinder 18 Hydraulic tunnel

Claims

1. Excavator attachment for introducing a binding agent into soil, comprising: - a mounting bracket (01) for attaching the excavator attachment to a movable boom arm of an excavator; - at least one motor (13); and - at least two track blades (02), each extending from the mounting bracket (01) to a blade head of the respective track blade (02) and each comprising a guide rail (03) and a milling chain (04) rotating on the guide rail (03); wherein the milling chains (04) can be driven jointly by the at least one motor (13); wherein the track blades (02) further comprise each a conveying line extending from the mounting bracket (01) along the respective guide rail (03) to the blade head for conveying the binding agent; and wherein the track blades (02) are arranged at a distance from each other.

2. Excavator attachment unit according to claim 1, characterized by the fact thatthe chain blades (02) each comprise a sprocket (11) for driving the respective milling chain (04), wherein the sprockets (11) are jointly mounted on a drive shaft or each form a section of a drive shaft, and wherein the drive shaft can be driven by the at least one motor (13).

3. Excavator attachment unit according to claim 2, characterized by the fact that the drive shaft is directly connected to an output shaft of the at least one motor (13) or is formed by an output shaft of the at least one motor (13).

4. Excavator attachment unit according to claim 2 or 3, characterized by the fact that at least one interchangeable spacer element (12) is arranged between each of the sprockets (11), by which a distance between the chain blades (02) is defined.

5. Excavator attachment unit according to claim 4, characterized by the fact thata connecting plate (08) is provided on which the chain blades (02) can be fixed at different positions via their guide rails, wherein the chain blades (02) can be fixed at intervals defined by the at least one or more spacer elements (12) against each other and / or against the mounting bracket.

6. Excavator attachment unit according to claim 5, characterized by the fact that Each of the chain swords (02) has a mounting plate (07) which can be attached to the connecting plate (08) in different positions in order to join the several chain swords (02) together into a unit.

7. Excavator attachment unit according to claim 5 or 6, characterized by the fact thata left side console (09) and a right side console (10) are attached to the connecting plate (08), wherein the side consoles (09, 10) each have a drive carriage (16) to which drive assemblies (14) are attached, and wherein the positions of the drive carriages (16) relative to the side consoles (09, 10) can each be changed by means of two hydraulic tensioning cylinders (17) in order to adjust the chain tension of the milling chains (04).

8. Excavator attachment unit according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by the fact that The milling chains (04) each have a large number of milling tools (06).

9. Excavator attachment unit according to claim 8, characterized by the fact that the milling tools (06) are arranged in at least two rows on the individual milling chains (04).

10. Excavator attachment unit according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized by the fact that the at least one motor is formed by a hydraulic motor (13) supplied by the excavator or by an electric motor.

11. Excavator attachment unit according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized by the fact that it comprises at least two of the motors (13) which have a common output shaft.

12. Excavator attachment unit according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized by the fact that the milling chains (04) each have a chain tension, wherein the excavator attachment unit includes a chain tensioning device (16, 17) for jointly adjusting the chain tensions of the milling chains (04).

13. Soil cultivation machine for introducing a binder into soil, comprising an excavator with a boom arm and an excavator attachment unit according to one of claims 1 to 12, which is detachably attached to a distal end of the boom arm.

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