US20040232293A1

US20040232293A1 - Vibrator mounting arrangement having a removable locking member

Info

Publication number: US20040232293A1
Application number: US10/441,090
Authority: US
Inventors: Michael Lindbeck
Original assignee: Martin Engineering Co
Current assignee: Martin Engineering Co
Priority date: 2003-05-19
Filing date: 2003-05-19
Publication date: 2004-11-25
Also published as: CA2456665A1

Abstract

A mounting arrangement for removably mounting a vibrator to a structure to be vibrated, the structure to be vibrated including a receptacle having a pocket for receiving the mounting arrangement. The mounting arrangement includes a bracket having a mounting member adapted to be attached to the vibrator, and first and second flanges extending outwardly from the mounting member adapted to be inserted into the pocket of the receptacle. The flanges include outwardly extending stop members adapted to loosely support the bracket within the pocket of the receptacle. The mounting arrangement also includes a locking member having a wedge-shaped portion which is adapted to be inserted between the flanges of the bracket and the receptacle to thereby releasably lock the bracket in wedged engagement with the receptacle. The locking member is selectively removable from the pocket of the receptacle to facilitate easy subsequent removal of the bracket and vibrator from the receptacle.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a mounting arrangement for removably mounting a vibrator to a structure to be vibrated, and in particular to a mounting arrangement including a bracket adapted to be attached to the vibrator and adapted to be inserted into a pocket of the structure to be vibrated and a wedge-shaped locking member adapted to be removably inserted into the pocket to selectively wedge the bracket and vibrator in locked engagement with the structure to be vibrated.

Railroad cars and other storage structures contain various types of bulk material such as grain, chemicals, foodstuffs, portland cement and the like. Vibrators are often attached to these structures to vibrate the structure and thereby promote the flow of the bulk material from the structure during unloading. Previously, vibrators have been removably attached to railroad cars by a mounting bracket wherein the mounting bracket was inserted within the pocket of a generally C-shaped metal receptacle attached to the railroad car. The mounting bracket included an integral wedge-shaped member that was inserted into the pocket of the receptacle.

The receptacles are made by various manufacturers such that all receptacles are not entirely uniform with one another and such that they vary from one another in size and configuration. The size and configuration of a receptacle also changes over time due to wear and tear, and due to the wedging and vibrational forces that are applied to the receptacle. The wedge-shaped member of the vibrator mounting bracket often fails to become locked in engagement with a receptacle due to the nonuniformity of the receptacles such that the mounting bracket would rebound back and forth within the pocket of the receptacle during operation, resulting in a loss of the amount of vibrational energy that is transferred from the vibrator to the railcar, and resulting in the generation of high levels of noise which pose serious health risks to workers. Alternatively, the wedge-shape member of the bracket would become tightly wedged within the receptacle making removal of the bracket and vibrator from the receptacle very difficult as not only the entire weight of the bracket and vibrator had to be lifted upwardly by a worker, but the lifting force applied by the worker to the bracket also had to overcome the wedging force between the bracket and the receptacle that was resisting removal of the bracket from the receptacle.

The present invention compensates for variations in receptacle size and configuration and enables the bracket of the mounting arrangement to become firmly and tightly locked in engagement with nonuniform receptacles having different sizes and configurations to efficiently transfer vibrational energy from the vibrator to the structure to be vibrated. Once the locking member of this invention is removed, the bracket and vibrator are loosely retained in the receptacle and can be simply lifted upwardly and out of the receptacle since only the weight of the bracket and of the vibrator needs to be lifted without any need to overcome the wedging force that was eliminated by the prior removal of the locking member.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A mounting arrangement for removably mounting a vibrator to a structure to be vibrated. The structure to be vibrated has a C-shaped receptacle including a pocket for receiving the mounting arrangement. The mounting arrangement includes a bracket having a mounting member adapted to be attached to the vibrator, a first flange attached to and extending outwardly from the mounting member, and a second flange attached to and extending outwardly from the mounting member. The first and second flanges are adapted to be removably inserted into the pocket of the receptacle. The mounting member of the bracket includes an end wall, a first wall that extends between the end wall and the first flange, and a second wall that is spaced apart from and generally parallel to the first wall that extends between the end wall and the second flange. The end wall is adapted to be attached to the vibrator. A first stop member is attached to and extends outwardly from the first flange and a second stop member is attached to and extends outwardly from the second flange. Each stop member is adapted to engage the top end of the receptacle when the bracket is inserted into the pocket of the receptacle to thereby prevent further insertion of the bracket into the pocket of the receptacle and to support the bracket within the pocket.

The mounting arrangement also includes a locking member having a bottom end, a top end, a front surface and a rear surface. The front surface is generally planar and inclined with respect to the rear surface such that the front surface extends outwardly and away from the rear surface as the front surface extends toward the top end of the locking member. The locking member includes a generally wedge-shaped portion formed by the front surface and the rear surface. The rear surface is adapted to engage the receptacle and the front surface is adapted to engage the bracket. The top end of the locking member includes a handle adapted to facilitate the insertion and removal of the locking member from the receptacle.

After the bracket is inserted into the pocket of the receptacle, the locking member is inserted into the pocket until the front surface of the locking member engages the bracket and the rear surface of the locking member engages the receptacle. Upon activation of the vibrator, the locking member migrates downwardly within the pocket of the receptacle to a locked position wherein the locking member forces the bracket into locked wedging engagement with the receptacle to facilitate the transmission of vibrations from the vibrator and the bracket to the receptacle and the structure to be vibrated. The locking member is selectively releasable from the locked position by applying an upward force to the locking member whereupon the locking member may be removed from the receptacle. Once the locking member is removed from the receptacle, the bracket is loosely supported within the receptacle for subsequent removal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the mounting arrangement of the present invention shown mounting a vibrator to the receptacle of a structure to be vibrated. [0008]
FIG. 2 is a side cross sectional view of the mounting arrangement shown mounting a vibrator to the receptacle of the structure to be vibrated. [0009]
FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the mounting arrangement, vibrator and receptacle. [0010]
FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of another embodiment of the locking member of the mounting arrangement. [0011]
FIG. 5 is a side elevational view taken along line [0012] 5-5 of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As shown in FIG. 1, the [0013] mounting arrangement 10 of the present invention is adapted to be attached to a vibrator 12. The mounting arrangement 10 is also adapted to removably mount the vibrator 12 to a structure 14 to be vibrated, such as a railroad car, bin, silo or other storage structure. The vibrator 12 vibrates the structure 14 through the mounting arrangement 10 to assist in the unloading of bulk material contained within the structure 14. The vibrator 12 is preferably a POCKET ROCK-IT® railcar vibrator or a POCKET ROCK-IT® II railcar vibrator as manufactured and sold by Martin Vibration Systems and Solutions in Livonia, Mich. These vibrators respectively weigh approximately thirty-two pounds and twenty-two pounds.
As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the [0014] structure 14 that is to be vibrated includes a generally C-shaped receptacle 18 having a wedge-shaped pocket 20. The receptacle 18 includes a top end 22 and a bottom end 24. The receptacle 18 includes a rear wall 26 having a generally planar rear surface 28, a first side wall 30 having a generally planar interior surface 32, and a second side wall 34 having a generally planar interior surface 36. The first side wall 30 is attached at a first end of the rear wall 26 and extends outwardly generally perpendicular thereto, and the second side wall 34 is attached to a second end of the rear wall 26 and extends outwardly generally perpendicular thereto. The first and second side walls 30 and 34 are spaced apart and generally parallel to one another. The receptacle 18 includes a first front wall 38 having a generally planar first front surface 40 and a second front wall 42 having a generally planar second front surface 44. The first front wall 38 is attached to the first side wall 30 and extends generally inwardly and perpendicular thereto. The second front wall 42 is attached to the second side wall 34 and extends generally inwardly and perpendicular thereto. The first front surface 40 and the second front surface 44 are preferably coplanar with respect to one another and are inclined at an angle with respect to the rear surface 28 of the rear wall 26, such that the front surfaces 40 and 44 extend outwardly and away from the rear surface 28 as the front surfaces 40 and 44 extend from the bottom end 24 to the top end 22 of the receptacle 18, thereby forming the wedge shape of the pocket 20. The receptacle 18 includes a vertical slot 46 providing access to the pocket 20. The slot 46 is located between the interior edges of the first front wall 38 and the second front wall 42 and extends from the bottom end 24 to the top end 22 of the receptacle 18, The receptacle 18 includes a top opening 48 in the top end 22 that is in communication with the pocket 20 and a bottom opening 50 in the bottom end 24 that is in communication with the pocket 20. The pocket 20 is thereby open from the top end 22 of the receptacle 18 to the bottom end 24 of the receptacle 18. The receptacle 18 is preferably made from metal.
As best shown in FIG. 3, the [0015] mounting arrangement 10 includes a bracket 60. The bracket 60 includes a mounting member 62 that is adapted to be attached to the vibrator 12 by one or more fasteners 64 such as threaded bolts and nuts or threaded screws. The mounting member 62 includes an end wall 66 having a generally planar surface. The end wall 66 includes one or more apertures 68 that may be threaded. The apertures 68 are adapted to receive the fasteners 64 to thereby removably attach the vibrator 12 to the end wall 66. The mounting member 62 includes a first side wall 70 and a second side wall 72. The side walls 70 and 72 are spaced apart and generally parallel to one another and both are attached at one end to the end wall 66. The side walls 70 and 72 are positioned with respect to one another such that the side walls 70 and 72 fit within the slot 46 of the receptacle 18 between the front walls 38 and 42 of the receptacle 18. The mounting member 62 includes one or more ribs 74 that extend generally horizontally between the side walls 70 and 72. The mounting member 62 may alternatively include only a single side wall, and the mounting member 62 may be generally T-shaped.
The [0016] bracket 60 includes a first flange 80 that is generally plate-like and that extends outwardly from and generally perpendicular to the first side wall 70 of the mounting member 62. The bracket 60 also includes a second flange 82 that is generally plate-like and that extends outwardly from and generally perpendicular to the second side wall 72 of the mounting member 62. The first and second flanges 80 and 82 are generally coplanar with respect to one another and may be formed as respective portions of a single member such as a plate. Each flange 80 and 82 includes a top end 84, a bottom end 86 and an outer vertical edge 88. Each flange 80 and 82 includes a generally planar rear surface 90 and a generally planar front surface 92. The rear surfaces 90 of the flanges 80 and 82 are generally coplanar with respect to one another and the front surfaces 92 of the flanges 80 and 82 are generally coplanar with respect to one another. The rear surfaces 90 are spaced apart from and generally parallel to the front surfaces 92. The flanges 80 and 82 of the bracket 60 are adapted to fit within the pocket 20 of the receptacle 18 between the interior surfaces 32 and 36 of the side walls 30 and 34.
The [0017] bracket 60 also includes a first stop member 100 attached to and extending outwardly from the top end 84 of the first flange 80, and a second stop member 102 attached to and extending outwardly from the top end 84 of the second flange 82. The stop members 100 and 102 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 are generally in the form of ears or lugs that are plate-like. The stop members 100 and 102 are located generally coplanar with one another and with the flanges 80 and 82. Each stop member 100 and 102 includes a bottom end 104 and an aperture 106. The apertures 106 are adapted to facilitate the attachment of a handle 108, such as a flexible metal cable loop, to the bracket 60. The handle 108 is preferably flexible to avoid pinch points. The stop members 100 and 102 are adapted to extend outwardly beyond the top opening 48 of the pocket 20 such that the bottom ends 104 of the stop members 100 and 102 are adapted to engage the top end 22 of the receptacle 18 when the bracket 60 is inserted into the pocket 20 as best shown in FIG. 1. The stop members may be formed as various types of projections, other than as the ears shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, which are attached to and extend outwardly from the flanges 80, 82 or mounting member 62 for engaging the receptacle 18. If desired, one or both of the outer edges 88 of the flanges 80 and 82 can be inclined at an angle to vertical, such that the edges 88 extend upwardly and outwardly, to form a wedge-shaped stop member that extends outwardly from the flange that is adapted to engage the receptacle 18 and prevent further insertion of the bracket 60 into the pocket 20 of the receptacle 18. The stop members, if desired, may extend outwardly from the front surface 92 of the flanges 80 and 82, or from the side walls 70, 72 of the mounting member 62. The mounting member 62, flanges 80 and 82, and stop members 100 and 102 are all preferably made from metal. The handle 108 may be made from metal, nylon, polypropylene or other materials, and may alternatively be made as a rigid member.
The mounting [0018] arrangement 10 also includes a locking member 120. The locking member 120 includes a top end 122 and a bottom end 124. The locking member 120 includes a generally planar rear surface 126 and a generally planar front surface 128. The front surface 128 is inclined at an angle with respect to the rear surface 126 such that the rear surface 126 and front surface 128 form a wedge-shaped engagement portion 130 of the locking member 120. The front surface 128 extends outwardly and away from the rear surface 126 as the front surface 128 extends upwardly from the bottom end 124 of the locking member 120 toward the top end 122 of the locking member 120. The bottom end 124 of the locking member 120 includes a generally planar bottom surface 132. The locking member 120 extends between generally planar side surfaces 134 and 136. The top end 122 of the locking member 120 includes an elongate horizontal aperture 138 that forms a handle 140. A generally planar surface 142 is located at the top end 122 of the locking member 120 that extends from the top edge of the inclined front surface 128 to the top of the handle 140. The surface 142 is generally parallel to the rear surface 128. The locking member 120 is preferably made from metal. The locking member 120 weighs approximately seven pounds.
In operation, the [0019] vibrator 12 is attached to the end wall 66 of the bracket 60 with the fasteners 64. The assembly of the bracket 60 and vibrator 12 is manually lifted by grasping the handle 108 of the bracket 60 and, if desired, by also grasping the vibrator 12. The bottom ends 86 of the flanges 80 and 82 are inserted downwardly through the top opening 48 of the pocket 20 into the receptacle 18. The flanges 80 and 82 are inserted downwardly into the pocket 20 of the receptacle 18 until the bottom ends 104 of the stop members 100 and 102 engage the top end 22 of the receptacle 18. The stop members 100 and 102 thereby prevent further insertion of the bracket 60 and the flanges 80 and 82 into the pocket 120, and the stop members 100 and 102 loosely support the bracket 60 within the pocket 20 thereby preventing the bracket 60 from falling out of the pocket 20 through the bottom opening 50 in the receptacle 18. As the flanges 80 and 82 are inserted into the pocket 20, the mounting member 62 of the bracket 60 is inserted into the slot 46 of the receptacle 18 between the front walls 38 and 42. The mounting member 62 projects outwardly from the flanges 80 and 82 through the slot 46 such that the end wall 66 is located outside of the receptacle 18.
The [0020] bottom end 124 of the locking member 120 is then inserted downwardly through the top opening 48 of the receptacle 18 into the pocket 20. The locking member 120 is located between the flanges 80 and 82 of the bracket 60 and the rear wall 26 of the receptacle 18. The front surface 128 of the wedge-shaped portion 130 of the locking member 120 slidably engages the rear surfaces 90 of the flanges 80 and 82 of the bracket 60, and the rear surface 126 of the wedge-shaped portion 130 slidably engages the rear surface 28 of the rear wall 26 of the receptacle 18. If desired, the orientation of the locking member 120 can be rotated one-hundred eighty degrees about a vertical axis, such that the front surface 128 engages the rear surface 28 of the rear wall 26 of the receptacle 18 and such that the rear surface 126 engages the rear surfaces 90 of the flanges 80 and 82 of the bracket 60. The locking member 120 may be forced downwardly into the pocket 20 by hand to a hand-tight position wherein the wedge-shaped portion 130 loosely wedges the front surfaces 92 of the flanges 80 and 82 of the bracket 60 into engagement with the front surfaces 40 and 44 of the front walls 38 and 42 of the receptacle 18. The locking member 120 thereby loosely forces the bracket 60 into engagement with the receptacle 18 in the hand-tight position.
The [0021] vibrator 12 is then activated whereupon the locking member 120 migrates further downwardly into the pocket 20 of the receptacle 18 to a locked position wherein the locking member 120 forces the front surfaces 92 of the flanges 80 and 82 of the bracket 60 into tight locked engagement with the front surfaces 40 and 44 of the front walls 38 and 42 of the receptacle 18 such that vibrational energy from the vibrator 12 is efficiently transferred from the vibrator 12 and bracket 60 to the receptacle 18 and thereby the structure 14, with substantially no rattling between the bracket 60 and the receptacle 18. As shown in FIG. 2, the bottom end 124 of the locking member 120 extends downwardly and outwardly from the pocket 20 through the bottom opening 50 beyond the bottom end 24 of the receptacle 18 when the locking member 120 is in the locked position.
When it is desired to remove the [0022] vibrator 12 and bracket 60 from the receptacle 18, the vibrator 12 is deactivated. The bottom surface 132 at the bottom end 124 of the locking member 120 extends below the bottom end 24 of the receptacle 18 and is struck upwardly with an object, such as a hammer, to force the locking member 120 upwardly with respect to the receptacle 18 and out of the locked position, although the locking member 120 may remain in the pocket 20 of the receptacle 18. The handle 140 of the locking member 120 is grasped and the locking member 120 is pulled upwardly with respect to the receptacle 18 and out of the pocket 20 through the top opening 48 of the receptacle 18, such that the locking member 120 is completely removed from the receptacle 18. As the locking member 120 is relatively light in weight it can be easily removed from the pocket 20 of the receptacle 18. The bracket 60 is thereby again loosely supported within the pocket 20 of the receptacle 18 solely by the stop members 100 and 102 of the bracket 60, and is not in wedged engagement with the receptacle 18. As the bracket 60 is not in wedged engagement with the receptacle 18, the bracket 60 and vibrator 12 can be easily lifted upwardly out of the pocket 20 of the receptacle 18 by grasping the handle 108 of the bracket 60 and if desired the vibrator 12. The assembly of the vibrator 12 and bracket 60 can be lifted upwardly by a worker out of the pocket 20 without having to overcome any force with which the bracket 60 was wedged into engagement with the receptacle 18 by the locking member 20, which force acted to retain the bracket 60 in the pocket 20, as the wedging force is eliminated by removal of the locking member 120. Removal of the bracket 60 and vibrator 12 from the receptacle 18 is therefore much easier than in prior vibrator mounting arrangements.
The locking [0023] member 120 will lock the bracket 60 to the receptacle 18 regardless of the condition of the receptacle 18 or any irregularities in the construction of the receptacle 18. However, if the gap in the pocket 20 of the receptacle 18 between the rear surface 28 of the rear wall 26 and the front surfaces 40, 44 of the front walls 42 is significantly larger than normal, the locking member 120 and the flanges 80, 82 may not properly fill this gap. In such a case one or more shims, such as plates, may be placed within the pocket 20, between the locking member 120 and the rear wall 26, between the locking member 120 and the bracket 60, and/or between the bracket 60 and the receptacle 18, to fill the gap. The shim may include stop members to position and support the shim within the pocket 20. The locking member 120 is inserted and removed from the pocket 20 in the same manner as described above.
Another embodiment of the locking member is shown in shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 and is identified with the [0024] reference number 160. The locking member 160 includes a top end 162 and a bottom end 164. The locking member 160 also includes a generally planar bottom surface 166 and generally planar side surfaces 168 and 170. The locking member 160 includes a first engagement member 176 and a second engagement member 178. The first engagement member 176 includes a generally planar rear surface 180 and a generally planar front surface 182. The front surface 182 is inclined at an angle with respect to the rear surface 180, with the front surface 182 extending outwardly and away from the rear surface 180 as the front surface 182 extends upwardly from the bottom end of the first engagement member 176 toward the top end of the first engagement member 176, such that the first engagement member 176 is generally wedge shaped as shown in FIG. 5. The first engagement member 176 includes a generally planar internal side surface 184 that extends between the rear surface 180 and the front surface 182.
The [0025] second engagement member 178 includes a generally planar rear surface 186 and a generally planar front surface 188. The front surface 188 is inclined at an angle with respect to the rear surface 186, with the front surface 188 extending outwardly and away from the rear surface 186 as the front surface 188 extends upwardly from the bottom end of the second engagement member 178 toward the top end of the second engagement member 178, such that the second engagement member 178 is generally wedge shaped. The rear surfaces 180 and 186 of the engagement members 176 and 178 are generally coplanar with one another. The front surfaces 182 and 188 of the engagement members 176 and 178 are generally coplanar with one another. The second engagement member 178 includes a generally planar internal side surface 190 that extends between the rear surface 186 and the front surface 188. The internal side surface 190 is spaced apart from and generally parallel to the internal side surface 184 of the first engagement member 176.
The locking [0026] member 160 includes a connector member 194 that is attached to and that extends between the bottom ends of the first engagement member 176 and the second engagement member 178. The connector member 194 includes the bottom surface 166. The locking member 160 also includes a U-shaped handle 196 that is connected to and that extends between the top ends of the first and second engagement members 176 and 178. The handle 196 includes long side legs to space the horizontal bar of the handle sufficiently far from the engagement members 176 and 178 to avoid pinch points. The locking member 160 includes a generally T-shaped aperture 200. The aperture 200 includes a generally rectangular upper aperture portion 202 and a generally rectangular lower aperture portion 204. The first engagement member 176 is spaced apart from the second engagement member 178 by the lower aperture portion 204 of the aperture 200.
The locking [0027] member 160 operates in the same general manner as the locking member 120. When the locking member 160 is inserted into the pocket 20 of the receptacle 18, the rear surfaces 180 and 186 of the engagement members 176 and 178 are adapted to engage the rear surface 28 of the rear wall 26 of the receptacle 18. The front surface 182 of the first engagement member 176 is adapted to engage the rear surface 90 of the first flange 80 of the bracket 60. The front surface 188 of the second engagement member 178 is adapted to engage the rear surface 90 of the second flange 82 of the bracket 60. If desired, the orientation of the locking member 160 within the pocket 20 of the receptacle 18 can be rotated one-hundred eighty degrees about a vertical axis. The connector member 194 is adapted to extend downwardly and outwardly beyond the bottom opening 50 of the receptacle 18 when the locking member 160 is located in the locked position between the bracket 60 and the receptacle 18. The bottom surface 166 of the locking member 160 is adapted to be struck upwardly with an object to force the locking member 160 upwardly with respect to the receptacle 18 and bracket 60 out of the locked position. The handle 196 of the locking member 160 may then be grasped to manually remove the locking member 160 from the receptacle 18 through the top opening 48. The large cut-away internal portion of the locking member 160, formed by the aperture 200, reduces the weight of the locking member 160 while still enabling the locking member 160 to effectively lock the bracket 60 in engagement with the receptacle 18 to facilitate the transmission of vibrations therebetween. The locking member 160 weighs approximately five and one-half pounds, and is preferably formed from metal.
Various features of the invention have been particularly shown and described in connection with the illustrated embodiment of the invention, however, it must be understood that these particular arrangements merely illustrate, and that the invention is to be given its fullest interpretation within the terms of the appended claims. [0028]

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A mounting arrangement for removably mounting a vibrator to a structure to be vibrated, the structure to be vibrated including a receptacle having a pocket for receiving said mounting arrangement, said mounting arrangement including:

a bracket including a mounting member adapted to be attached to the vibrator, and a first flange attached to and extending outwardly from said mounting member, said first flange adapted to be removably inserted into the pocket of the receptacle; and

a locking member having a bottom end, a top end, a front surface and a rear surface, said front surface being inclined with respect to said rear surface such that said front surface extends outwardly away from said rear surface as said front surface extends toward said top end of said locking member, said locking member adapted to be inserted into the pocket between said bracket and the receptacle for locking engagement therebetween;

whereby after said bracket is inserted into the pocket of the receptacle, said locking member is inserted into the pocket of the receptacle, said locking member being inserted downwardly into the pocket of the receptacle to a locked position wherein said locking member forces said bracket into locked engagement with the receptacle to facilitate the transmission of vibrations from said bracket to the receptacle, said locking member being releasable from said locked position by applying an upward force to said locking member whereupon said locking member may be removed from the receptacle such that said bracket is loosely located in the receptacle for subsequent removal.

2. The mounting arrangement of claim 1 wherein said locking member includes a generally wedge-shaped portion, said wedge-shaped portion including said front surface and said rear surface.

3. The mounting arrangement of claim 1 wherein said top end of said locking member includes a handle adapted to facilitate the insertion and removal of said locking member from the receptacle.

4. The mounting arrangement of claim 1 wherein said bottom end of said locking member is adapted to extend outwardly from the pocket of the receptacle when said locking member is in said locked position, such that an upward force may be applied to said bottom end of said locking member to release said locking member from said locked position.

5. The mounting arrangement of claim 1 wherein said front surface and said rear surface of said locking member are each generally planar.

6. The mounting arrangement of claim 1 wherein said bracket includes a first stop member, said first stop member adapted to engage the receptacle when said bracket is inserted into the pocket of the receptacle to thereby prevent further insertion of said bracket into the pocket of the receptacle.

7. The mounting arrangement of claim 1 wherein said bracket includes a second flange, said second flange attached to and extending outwardly from said mounting member, said second flange adapted to be removably inserted into the pocket of the receptacle.

8. The mounting arrangement of claim 7 wherein said bracket includes a first stop member attached to and extending outwardly from said first flange and a second stop member attached to and extending outwardly from said second flange, said first and second stop members adapted to engage the receptacle and prevent further insertion of said bracket into the pocket of the receptacle.

9. The mounting arrangement of claim 1 wherein said bracket includes a handle adapted to facilitate the insertion and removal of said bracket from the pocket of the receptacle.

10. The mounting arrangement of claim 1 wherein said mounting member of said bracket includes an end wall adapted to be attached to the vibrator.

11. The mounting arrangement of claim 10 wherein said mounting member includes a wall extending between said end wall and said first flange.

12. A bracket for removably mounting a vibrator to a structure to be vibrated, the structure to be vibrated including a receptacle having a pocket for receiving said bracket, said bracket including:

an end wall adapted to be attached to the vibrator;

a first flange attached to said end wall, said first flange adapted to be removably inserted into the pocket of the receptacle; and

an outwardly extending first stop member, said first stop member adapted to engage the receptacle to prevent further insertion of said first flange into the pocket of the receptacle.

13. The bracket of claim 12 including a wall extending between said end wall and said first flange.

14. The bracket of claim 12 wherein said first stop member comprises an ear.

15. The bracket of claim 12 including a second flange adapted to be removably inserted into the pocket of the receptacle, and an outwardly extending second stop member adapted to engage the receptacle.

16. The bracket of claim 15 wherein said second flange is generally coplanar with said first flange and said second stop member is generally coplanar with said first stop member.

17. The bracket of claim 15 including a first wall extending between said end wall and said first flange and a second wall extending between said end wall and said second flange.

18. The bracket of claim 17 including one or more nibs extending between said first wall and said second wall.

19. The bracket of claim 12 including a handle adapted to facilitate the insertion and removal of said bracket from the pocket of the receptacle.

20. A locking member for removably mounting a bracket and a vibrator attached to the bracket to a structure to be vibrated, the structure to be vibrated including a receptacle having a pocket for receiving the bracket, said locking member including:

a first engagement member adapted to be inserted into the pocket of the receptacle, said first engagement member including a first surface adapted to engage the bracket and a second surface adapted to engage the receptacle; and

a second engagement member adapted to be inserted into the pocket of the receptacle, said second engagement member including a third surface adapted to engage the bracket and a fourth surface adapted to engage the receptacle;

whereby said first and second engagement members force the bracket into locked engagement with the receptacle when said first and second engagement members are inserted into the pocket of the receptacle.

21. The locking member of claim 20 wherein said first surface is inclined with respect to said second surface, and said third surface is inclined with respect to said fourth surface.

22. The locking member of claim 21 wherein said first surface is generally coplanar with said third surface, and said second surface is generally coplanar with said fourth surface.

23. The locking member of claim 20 wherein said first and second engagement members are each generally wedge shaped.

24. The locking member of claim 20 wherein said first engagement member is spaced apart from said second engagement member.

25. The locking member of claim 20 including a connector member connecting said first engagement member to said second engagement member.

26. The locking member of claim 20 including a handle attached to said first and second engagement members.

27. The locking member of claim 20 including an aperture located between said first and second engagement members.