DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a scarifying machine. The invention makes it possible, in particular, to carry out "special scarifying" in the construction and infrastructure sector, as defined below.

BACKGROUND ART

In the construction and infrastructure sector, it is often necessary to carry out scarifying processes in the sense of material removal. There may be various reasons for scarifying. For example, it is used for the restoration of artefacts where part of the concrete or asphalt is removed to replace it with new layers. The surface to be restored may be of any type, e.g. the curved vault of a road tunnel, the kerb of a viaduct, a flat part of a retaining wall, etc. Scarifying can also be used to excavate or widen passages, such as road tunnels, inner chambers or the like, railway tunnels and adduction channels for water or hydroelectric reservoirs, especially in the presence of hard substrates such as rock .

Scarifying can also be used for demolition purposes, or for cutting material, e.g. to cut channels.

Traditional scarifying methods involve high- pressure water jets or cutters mounted on traditional earthmoving machines .

The applicant noted that first and foremost these methods of fer poor precision .

In fact , the applicant considers it desirable to achieve with scarifying alone a removal depth and surface that is as even as pos sible and ready to adhere to new layers of material , usually mortar, asphalt or the like .

In this , the water- j et technique is very invasive , as it can also be used in the presence of reinforced concrete , for example , and does not allow for any calibration . Earthmoving machines by their very nature have totally manual operation and are therefore irregular and based on the skill of the operator .

The applicant has also noted that the known methods of fer exces sively long implementation times with serious repercus sions on final cost s as well as on periods of road closure .

For this reason, the applicant in the past filed Italian patent application No . 10202100000704 9 (not yet published) for a machine that solves these problems .

In particular, the applicant ' s previous patent application proposes a scarifying machine with a layout comprising an undercarriage on which an articulated arm is mounted at the distal end of which is a milling cutter .

The previous application addres sed the need to manage the power of the machine to provide continuity and uniformity of work to the milling cutter .

This machine also needs to ensure continuity of work, as any malfunction or j amming causes a delay that affects the infrastructure's recovery time. In addition to inconvenience for end users, this often implies contractual penalties.

However, the need for continuity of work systematically clashes with a working environment that is extremely polluted by debris and dust from all directions and especially from above.

Such debris and dust are in such quantity that they cause the machine's moving parts, such as the articulated arm, to stop.

The purpose of the present invention is to fulfil this requirement by refining the machines with the layout of the previous said patent application.

In particular, the aim of the present invention is to provide a reliable machine, which suffers little or no impact from the continuous production of debris and dust falling on it .

A further object of the present invention is that of providing a machine that is easy and cheap to realise.

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

According to a first general aspect thereof, the present invention relates to a scarifying machine comprising an undercarriage (5) , a carriage (10) and coupling means (12) rotatable about a vertical axis (X) , where :

- the undercarriage (5) comprises a pair of ground advancement means positioned to delimit a space (16) between them below the carriage (10) ; - the carriage comprises a horizontal extension plane and supports an articulated arm (15) at the distal end of which there is a scarifying tool (20) ; wherein the arm (15) is movable above the carriage (10) so as to rotate in a vertical plane between a lowered operating position and a raised operating position; characterised in that:

- the arm comprises a proximal end face (22) which changes inclination with respect to said horizontal extension plane following rotation about said horizontal axis (Y) in such a way that, in the raised operating position, said face is at least partially facing the upper side of the carriage (10) ;

- wherein the carriage (10) comprises, in the area facing said face (22) , at least one through opening (50) connecting the area above the carriage (10) with said space between the advancement means (16) below it.

Advantageously, the invention dispenses with occupying the space at the point where the shaft is coupled to the carriage, in favour of a passage opening, deviating from a concept of maximum space utilisation typical of traditional earth-moving machines. This prevents shaft jams that would require operator intervention to shovel away debris and reposition the arm, leading to delays in work as well as possible cutting imprecision.

In general, the arm is movable in a vertical plane P, and this opening 50 is intersected by said plane where it extends at least behind the arm with reference to its front working direction.

Preferably the machine comprises at least one grating (55) to close said through opening to allow debris to pass through and provide a walkable floor if necessary, useful for maintenance purposes, for example. The grating also prevents jamming of the opening with any excessively large debris.

Preferably said grating is at least partially removable, or at least movable when opening and closing the through opening (50) .

According to some embodiments, the through opening (50) extends at least partially vertically above the rotatable coupling means (12) , wherein the machine, preferably the carriage (15) , comprises conveying means (58) configured to deflect debris, coming from said opening (50) in the working phase, with respect to said rotatable coupling means (12) , and to convey it into the space between the advancement means (16) . The conveying means (58) comprise for example a chute.

Preferably, the machine includes vibratory means (60) to vibrate the conveying means (58) , preferably activated when the arm is moving towards the vertical operating position.

According to some embodiments, the machine comprises remote piloting means (30) , so that it can be controlled wirelessly by an operator at a distance therefrom. This makes it advantageous not to include a driver' s cab on the machine, so that more space is available for the through-opening. Moreover, this is an inversion of the concept of exploiting space near the shaft with respect to traditional earthmoving machines .

According to some embodiment s , the machine comprises a pivot ( 35 ) arranged to form a rotation hinge according to the horizontal axis (Y) at or near one side of said proximal face .

Preferably said pivot is at or proximal to the vertical axis of rotation X .

According to some preferred embodiment s , said scarifying tool is a milling cutter rotatable about an axis Y' parallel to the axis Y .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become clearer from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment s thereof , with reference to the appended drawings and provided by way of indicative and non-limiting example . In such drawings :

- figure 1 shows a side view of a scarifying machine according to the present invention engaged in a non-operat ional configuration ;

- figure 2 shows the machine of figure 1 , in top view, in an operational configuration ;

- figure 3 shows a perspective view of a detail of the machine in the previous figures corresponding to the area where the articulated arm is attached to the main body;

- figure 4 shows the same area as figure 4 in a view from above and with open gratings ; - figure 5 shows the area below the main body and between the tracks of the machine in figure 1 ;

- figure 6 shows a in side view of the arm attachment zone of the previous figures .

Figure 1 shows a scarifying machine according to the present invention, indicated as a whole by reference number 1 .

Below we will conventionally refer to vertical and horizontal as the traditional directions in relation to the ground .

The machine 1 is overall a vehicle equipped with an undercarriage 5 that is movable in relation to the ground, on which a carriage 10 is mounted rotatably about a vertical axis X . The latter support s and drags in rotation therewith an articulated arm 15 and a scarifying tool 20 placed at the distal end of said arm .

The vertical axis X is substantially placed in the centre of the undercarriage 5 .

The undercarriage 5 comprises a pair of ground advancement means , preferably tracks , spaced in a direction parallel to the ground and orthogonal to the ground advancement means by a predetermined distance D , so as to delimit a space 1 6 between them below the undercarriage 10 , where the vertical axis X pas ses substantially through the centre of said space 1 6 .

Between the undercarriage 5 and the carriage 10 coupling means 12 are interposed, rotatable about the vertical axis X, at least partially placed in or above said space 1 6 . The arm 15 is movably coupled to the carriage 10 above it , about a pivot 35 having a horizontal axis Y proximal to the vertical axis X . In particular, the arm 15 is rotatable in a vertical plane between a lowered operating position, proximal to a horizontal arrangement , and a raised operating position, proximal to a vertical arrangement .

The two operating positions can be seen in figure 1 , where the raised one is schematically indicated by the position of the arm 15 ( or rather it s proximal section 18 ) with a dotted line .

In general , due to the rotation about the horizontal axis Y, the shaft has a proximal end face 22 that changes inclination with respect to the horizontal extension plane of the carriage , and in particular is at least partially facing the upper side of the carriage when the arm is in the raised operating position .

In the specific example illustrated, the proximal section 18 is the section of the coupling arm 15 to the carriage 10 , and extends around a longitudinal line L . The proximal section 18 has the proximal end face 22 arranged transversally to the longitudinal line L . The pivot 35 defines a hinge adj acent to or at one side of the proximal end face 18 in such a way that , when the arm is in the raised operating position, said face is at least partially facing the horizontal extension plane of the carriage , in particular it s upper side .

The carriage 10 comprises , in the area facing the face 22 , at least one through opening 50 connecting the area above the carriage with said space between the advancement means 1 6 below it . Said opening 50 is a discharge opening for debris and dust that arrives between the shaft and carriage , and which, if deposited, would prevent the shaft from rotating to the vertical operating position .

In general , the arm is movable in a vertical plane P , where the arm is interposed between a front working zone and a rear zone , where this opening 50 is intersected by said plane and extends at least in the rear zone of the arm . The axis Y is generally orthogonal to the plane P .

For convenience purposes , it is pos sible to close this opening with at least one grating 55 that allows debris and dust to pas s through, and at the same time provides a walkable floor that is useful for maintenance , for example .

Gratings are preferably removable , or at least movable when opening and closing the through opening 50 .

In the example shown, there are two gratings , 55a and 55b, visible in the open configuration of figure 4 . This subdivision makes it easier to close irregular shaped openings 50 .

The through opening 50 extends at least partially vertically above the rotatable coupling means 12 , whereby preferably below the carriage 10 means are provided for conveying debris 58 to divert it away from said rotatable coupling means and to convey it into the space between the advancement means 1 6 .

The conveying means 58 comprise for example a chute . Preferably, it is possible to provide vibratory means 60 to vibrate the conveying means 58; it is also optionally possible to provide that the vibratory means 60 are activated when the arm is directed towards the vertical operating position.

As for the scarifying tool, it preferably includes a milling cutter rotating about an axis Y' parallel to the axis Y, so as to allow cutting along the rotation path of the arm, shortening the implementation time; however, this throws a lot of material onto the machine, so the opening 50 allows the work to not be interrupted by the jamming of the shaft, ensuring cutting uniformity .

Preferably the machine has no driver' s cab and instead includes remote piloting means 30, so that it can be controlled wirelessly by an operator at a distance therefrom .

The opening 50 occupies the place traditionally occupied by the driver' s cab in a machine provided with a carriage, undercarriage and articulated arm, such as earthmoving machines, so it is a conceptual inversion of the use of space.

GENERAL INTERPRETATION OF TERMS

In understanding the object of the present invention, the term "comprising" and its derivatives, as used herein, are intended as open-ended terms that specify the presence of declared characteristics, elements, components, groups, integers and/or steps, but do not exclude the presence of other undeclared characteristics, elements, components, groups, integers and/or steps. The above also applies to words that have similar meanings such as the terms "comprised", "have" and their derivatives. Furthermore, the terms "part", "section", "portion", "member" or "element" when used in the singular can have the double meaning of a single part or a plurality of parts. As used herein to describe the above executive embodiment ( s ) , the following directional terms "forward", "backward", "above", "under", "vertical", "horizontal", "below" and "transverse", as well as any other similar directional term, refers to the embodiment described in the operating position. Finally, terms of degree such as "substantially", "about" and "approximately" as used herein are intended as a reasonable amount of deviation of the modified term such that the final result is not significantly changed.

While only selected embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the present invention, it will be apparent from this description to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, the sizes, shape, position or orientation of the various components can be modified as needed and/or desired. The components shown which are directly connected or in contact with each other can have intermediate structures arranged between them. The functions of one element can be performed by two and vice versa. The structures and functions of one embodiment can be adopted in another embodiment . All the advantages of a particular embodiment do not neces sarily have to be present at the same time . Any characteristic that is original compared to the prior art , alone or in combination with other characteristics , should also be considered a separate description of further inventions by the applicant , including the structural and/or functional concept s embodied by such characteristics . Therefore , the foregoing descriptions of the embodiment s according to the present invention are provided for illustrative purposes only and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalent s .