WO1994021389A1

WO1994021389A1 - Mobile material handling apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO1994021389A1
Application number: PCT/GB1994/000483
Authority: WO
Inventors: Patrick Joseph Douglas
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-03-13
Filing date: 1994-03-11
Publication date: 1994-09-29
Anticipated expiration: 1995-09-13
Also published as: GB9305214D0

Abstract

A mobile material handling apparatus (10) which comprises: a main frame (11); a wheel set (13) supporting the main frame; a towing hitch (14) at one end of the frame to permit the apparatus to be towed from one site to another by a towing vehicle; and a material handling device (15) mounted on the frame; in which: the towing hitch (14) is carried by a carrier frame (20) which is pivotally connected to the main frame (11) for movement between a substantially horizontal towing position and an upright supporting position for supporting said one end of the frame upon uncoupling of the apparatus from the towing vehicle; and, the main frame includes an arched portion (18) on which said material handling device (15) is mounted, whereby material can be discharged from said device into the space defined below the arched portion.

Description

OBILE MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS

This invention relates to a mobile material handling apparatus.

One particularly preferred type of mobile material handling apparatus with which the invention is concerned is a mobile screening apparatus or plant.

A screening apparatus or plant is used to separate bulk material into different size ranges, such bulk material including crushed stone derived from a crusher used in a quarry, and also material excavated during site clearance. A screening apparatus usually has one or more screen decks which are used to separate "fines" from bulk material supplied to the screen.

In addition to use on quarry-derived bulk material, and excavated material during site clearance, screens may also be used to process domestic and industrial waste, usually after treatment by means of shredder devices. Shredders are used to tear-up or shred material, such as scrap tyres, domestic and industrial waste, rubble, branches and tree roots, and which are robustly made of sets of rotary shredder blades which exert a shredding or chopping action on the bulk material to render it down into a smaller size. The disposal of waste material on landfill sites is a continuing problem, as the quantities of waste requiring disposal e.g. domestic and industrial waste, and rubble from demolition sites continues to grow, while the availability of landfill sites is finite. It is therefore important to reduce the bulk of waste material as much as possible, prior to disposal on a site.

After shredding, crushing or otherwise breaking down of bulk material to a screenable size, the bulk material can then be delivered to a screening plant which then separates out the material into different size "fractions". Some of these separated fractions may comprise usable material, whereas other fractions may comprise material having no value and which can only be disposed of by dumping on a landfill site.

The invention is concerned with a mobile material handling apparatus, and preferably a mobile screening apparatus, which is able to handle a bulk material supply, and after handling e.g. screening, can readily discharge the material into a deposition zone within the general confines of the frame of the apparatus when operating on site, but which can readily be adjusted to a transport mode when it is required to move from one site to another.

According to the invention there is provided a mobile material handling apparatus which comprises: a main frame; a wheel set supporting the main frame; a towing hitch at one end of the frame to permit the apparatus to be towed from one site to another by a towing vehicle; and a material handling device mounted on the frame; in which: the towing hitch is carried by a carrier frame which is pivotally connected to the main frame for movement between a substantially horizontal towing position and an upright supporting position for supporting said one end of the frame upon uncoupling of the apparatus from the towing vehicle; and, the main frame includes an arched portion on which said material handling device is mounted, whereby material can be discharged from said device into the space defined below the arched portion.

The apparatus according to the invention therefore is readily rendered mobile after operating at any particular site, so that it can be towed to a further site, by pivoting of the towing hitch carrier frame from the supporting position to the towing position.

However, once the apparatus has been installed at a new site, it is uncoupled from the towing vehicle, and the carrier frame is then pivoted to the supporting position.

The arched frame portion defines a space in which a collecting device, such as a collecting bucket of a front loader can be placed, in order to receive a charge of material from the device outlet. The front loader can then withdraw the bucket from this space and move to a deposition region e.g. a landfill site.

Preferably, the material handling device is a screening device, so that the apparatus comprises a mobile screening apparatus or plant.

The apparatus therefore can be used on site to screen bulk material e.g. quarry material, waste, and trash, after treatment by a crusher and / or shredder to reduce its volume, thereby making more efficient use of the landfill site. The screening device can separate the bulk material into usable size fractions of required material, and non-usable material which can be subsequently dumped.

Any suitable collection and / or distribution device may be used with the apparatus, including in addition to a front loader, an endless conveyor arranged to receive and to transfer the discharged material direct to the deposition region. Trucks may also be driven into the space defined by the arched frame portion and below the outlet of the screening device so as to receive a screened fraction of the bulk material directly from the screening device.

The wheel set is preferably mounted on a trailing end portion of the main frame, whereas the towing hitch carrier frame comprises a forward prolongation of the arched frame portion. The wheel set may comprise a single or double axle arrangement as required.

To facilitate the movement of the towing hitch carrier frame between its two positions, it is preferred that a temporary support leg is attached to the main frame and which can be adjusted to take-up a temporary ground engaging position in which it provides vertical support for the main frame in addition to, and balancing the support provided by the wheel set.

The carrier frame is preferably adjustable under the action of a fluid pressure cylinder.

A separating plate may be attached to the main frame in order to close-off one end of the space defined under the arched portion, to confine required material from the screening device and / or to provide an upright support against which discharged material can be pressed during loading with a front loader, and to receive rejected material discharged by the screen decks on the other side of the separating plate i.e. laterally outwardly of the general frame of the apparatus.

One embodiment of mobile material handling apparatus according to the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of the apparatus; and,

Figure 2 is an end view of the apparatus.

Referring now to the drawing, there is shown an embodiment of mobile material handling apparatus in the form of an apparatus for screening bulk material fed to the apparatus, such as crushed stones and rocks from a quarry, or domestic or industrial waste, debris resulting from a demolition, or material excavated during site clearance.

The apparatus is designated generally by reference 10 and comprises a main frame 11 having a horizontal rearward portion 12 supported by a wheel set 13.

A towing hitch 14 is arranged at the forward end of the main frame, and permits the apparatus to be towed from one site to another by a towing vehicle. The embodiment of towing hitch 14 is preferably a hitching device of a type suitable for coupling with a conventional "fifth wheel" coupling of the towing vehicle, although this is not shown in detail in the drawings.

In the illustrated embodiment, the apparatus 10 is provided with a screening device 15 comprising a multi-deck set of inclined screens (see figure 2) onto which a load of bulk material to be screened is deposited.

An outlet 17 extends substantially throughout the full length of the underside of the lowermost screen deck of the device 15, to discharge the required screened material under gravity into a deposition zone 16 defined by the frame 11 of the apparatus below the screening device 15.

The main frame 11 includes an arched frame portion 18, and the screening device 15 is mounted along an upper horizontal portion 19 of the arch frame 18. Therefore, the arched frame 18 defines the deposition zone or space 16 into which the material discharged under gravity from the outlet 16 can fall, to be collected by any suitable collection and / or distribution device introduced into the space. The space therefore can readily accommodate any suitable collecting device, such as a bucket mounted at the front of a front end loader, and which can be driven into the deposited pile of required material, or a truck may be driven into the space to receive the material directly from the screen 15.

The towing hitch 14 is mounted on the underside of a carrier frame 20 which comprises forward prolongation of the main frame 11 when adjusted to the horizontal towing position shown in Figure 1. However, carrier frame 20 can be pivoted under the action of a fluid cylinder (not shown) in order to take-up a ground-engaging support position also shown in Figure 1, and designated by reference 20a.

To facilitate the movement of the towing hitch 14 between its two positions, a temporary support leg attachment (not shown) may be provided on the main frame 11 and which can be adjusted to take-up a temporary ground-engaging position under the action of a further fluid cylinder (not shown). In this position, it provides vertical support for the main frame 11, which is in addition to, and which balances the support provided at the rear end by the wheel set 13.

The temporary support includes an extendible leg which can be lowered, when the support is in the supporting position, to bring it down into firm contact with the ground.

As can be seen from Figure 2, a vertical separating plate

21 is attached to the main frame 11 in order to close off one end of the space defined under the arch 18, and any required material from the screen 15 is deposited on one side of the plate 21 (in zone 16), whereas rejected material which passes over the upper surfaces of the screen decks falls into the pile

22 of rejected material on the other side of the separating plate 21 and outwardly of the general plane of the frame of the apparatus.

The rejected material will be collected periodically and then dumped if it is deemed to have no value, or possibly passed through a shredder or crusher device to reduce its size still further, and for subsequent recycling through the screening device.

The embodiment of apparatus shown in the drawing is particularly suitable for use at landfill sites, and will be of use by organisations, such as local councils, who are charged with the disposal of domestic and industrial waste.

The apparatus however may have other uses, including working in conjunction with a mobile crusher plant for use in quarries.

The illustrated embodiment of apparatus is a mobile screening apparatus, having a screening device mounted on the top of the arched portion 18 of the main frame 11. However, evidently the arched frame concept of the invention may be used with other types of mobile plant e.g. other types of material handling plant.

Claims

1. A mobile material handling apparatus which comprises: a main frame; a wheel set supporting the main frame; . a towing hitch at one end of the frame to permit the apparatus to be towed from one site to another by a towing vehicle; and a material handling device mounted on the frame; in which: the towing hitch is carried by a carrier frame which is pivotally connected to the main frame for movement between a substantially horizontal towing position and an upright supporting position for supporting said one end of the frame upon uncoupling of the apparatus from the towing vehicle; and, the main frame includes an arched portion on which said material handling device is mounted, whereby material can be discharged from said device into the space defined below the arched portion.

2. A mobile material handling apparatus according to Claim 1 , in which the material handling device comprises a screening device.

3. A mobile material handling apparatus according to Claim 1 or 2, in which the wheel set is mounted on a trailing end portion of the main frame, and the towing hitch carrier frame comprises a forward prolongation of the arched frame portion.

4. A mobile material handling apparatus according to Claim 3, in which the wheel set comprises a single or double axle arrangement.

5. A mobile material handling apparatus according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, in which a temporary support leg is attached to the main frame and is adjustable to take-up a temporary ground engaging position in which it provides vertical support for the main frame in addition to, and balancing the support provided by the wheel set.

6. A mobile material handling apparatus according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, in which the carrier frame is adjustable under the action of a fluid pressure cylinder.

7. A mobile material handling apparatus according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, in which a separating plate is attached to the main frame in order to close-off one end of the space defined under the arched portion, to confine required material from the screening device and / or to provide an upright support against which discharged material can be pressed during loading with a front loader, and to receive rejected material discharged by the screen decks on the other side of the separating plate.