Excavator Quick Hitch Pipe Placement and Aggregate Compaction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pipe laying techniques are hazardous due to the risk of trench collapses and require significant manual intervention, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs, as workers must manually place and compact aggregate materials to ensure proper pipe support.
Innovation Solution
A system integrating a placement assembly and compactor mechanism into a quick hitch coupler attachable to a dipper arm of a vehicle, allowing for automated pipe placement and aggregate compaction, reducing human intervention and ensuring proper pipe support without manual compaction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual pipe laying techniques are used with workers in the trench, then the pipe can be properly installed and supported, but the risk of trench collapse and worker injury increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts workers from the hazardous trench environment by using automated machinery (excavator with quick hitch coupler, placement assembly, and compactor mechanism) to perform all operations outside the trench. The placement assembly lowers the pipe into the trench from above, and the compactor mechanism delivers and compacts aggregate material without requiring worker presence in the trench, thereby eliminating the primary safety hazard of trench collapse.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service operation where the automated placement assembly and compactor mechanism perform pipe installation and aggregate compaction independently without human intervention in the trench. The quick hitch coupler allows the excavator to attach and operate these specialized assemblies, creating a self-contained automated system that serves the pipe laying function while keeping workers safe at ground level.
2Manufacturing precision
If manual intervention is used to place and compact aggregate material, then proper pipe support can be achieved, but the time and labor required increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the manual mechanical system of workers using shovels and rods with an automated mechanical system. The compactor mechanism uses a powered auger that rotates and delivers aggregate material directly to the pipe surroundings, followed by automated compaction through the rotating auger action. This mechanical substitution maintains precise aggregate placement and compaction quality while dramatically increasing productivity by eliminating manual labor bottlenecks.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated compactor mechanism enables continuous operation where aggregate material is delivered and compacted in an uninterrupted sequence along the pipe length. The rotating auger continuously feeds and compacts aggregate as the excavator moves forward, eliminating the stop-start nature of manual operations and maintaining continuous useful action throughout the pipe laying process, thereby improving both quality consistency and productivity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If separate attachments are used for pipe placement and aggregate compaction, then specialized functions can be performed, but the device complexity and setup time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the pipe placement assembly and the aggregate compactor mechanism into a single integrated attachment system that connects to the excavator's quick hitch coupler. This combined assembly allows both functions to be performed by one attachment unit, reducing the need for multiple separate attachments and simplifying the overall system while maintaining the specialized capabilities of both pipe placement and aggregate compaction functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated attachment system provides multi-functionality by combining pipe placement and aggregate compaction capabilities in a single unit. The quick hitch coupler design allows this universal attachment to perform multiple operations (pipe lowering, aggregate delivery, and compaction) that would otherwise require separate specialized attachments, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining adaptability for different pipe laying requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an apparatus for laying a pipe in a trench, the apparatus comprising a placement assembly (2) for placing the pipe in the trench; a compactor mechanism (3) for compacting of the aggregate about the pipe.