BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for cutting a material.

More particularly, it relates to an apparatus for cutting through relatively impervious materials used in the construction industry.

2. Description of the Related Art Cutting blades are widely used in the road construction industry to cut sections of an installed road surface in preparation for maintenance of the road or underlying utilities. These blades are susceptible to wear.

An improvement over prior art cutting machines is disclosed in United States Patent No. 6,203, 112 to Cook et al. and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cutting blade having vibration-dampening features which minimize vibrations when cutting asphalt, concrete and like road surfaces and that overcomes the shortcomings of prior art cutting blades.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a cutting blade for cutting asphalt, concrete and like road surfaces that is easily attachable/detachable to a standard cutting machine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a vibration resistant cutting apparatus, or cutting blade, that includes a plurality of cutting assemblies and vibration dampening assemblies.

A mounting assembly is centrally disposed on the cutting blade and includes a mounting orifice and a drive orifice. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the cutting blade includes a number of cutting assemblies wherein a number of vibration dampening assemblies may be interspaced in regular and repeating arrangement for minimizing the vibrations generated by the cutting blade during cutting operations. The cutting assemblies and the vibration dampening assemblies are disposed on a periphery of a core of the cutting blade and radially spaced apart to form gaps therebetween. One or more of the gaps may include a J-shaped vibration dampening spacer. Each cutting assembly includes a cutting segment and a cutting segment support where one or more of the cutting segments may be angularly offset from a centerline of the core. In addition, each vibration dampening assembly includes a vibration reducer and a vibration reducer support where one or more of the vibration reducers may be angularly offset from the centerline of the core.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing objects and advantages of the present invention for a cutting apparatus may be more readily understood by one skilled in the art with reference to the

following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a side view of the cutting apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of the present invention of FIG. 1 showing a mounting assembly; FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view of the present invention of FIG. 1 showing a vibration dampening assembly and a cutting assembly; FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of the cutting assembly of FIG. 3; FIG. 4A is an end view of the cutting assembly of FIG. 4; FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view of the vibration dampening assembly of FIG. 3; FIG. 5A is an end view of the vibration dampening assembly of FIG. 5; FIG. 6 is a side view of another embodiment of the cutting apparatus of the present invention; FIG. 7 is an enlarged side view of the present invention of FIG. 6 illustrating a vibration dampening assembly, a cutting assembly, and a mounting assembly; FIG. 8 is an enlarged side view of the present invention of FIG. 6 showing the vibration dampening assembly and the cutting assembly; and FIG. 9 is an end view of the cutting assembly of FIGS. 7 and 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Several embodiments of the present invention are hereby disclosed in the accompanying description in conjunction with the several figures. Advantageously, each

of the embodiments of the present invention is adapted to substitute for a standard road surface cutting blade.

Referring to the figures, especially with specificity to FIG. 1, a cutting blade 10 is shown in accordance with the present invention. The cutting blade 10 includes a core 12 having a plurality of cutting assemblies 30 and vibration dampening assemblies 50.

Further still, the core 12 includes a mounting assembly 20 that advantageously attaches the cutting blade 10 to a cutting machine (not shown) having a standard mounting arrangement as is known in the art. The mounting assembly 20 (see FIG. 2) includes a mounting orifice 22 and a drive orifice 24, and is substantially centered on the cutting blade 10. Preferably, cutting blade 10 is configured and adapted for optimal performance when it is rotating in a direction R as shown by the arrow in FIG. 1. In addition, the core 12 is generally a planar circle with a substantially uniform diameter thereby forming a substantially uniform periphery P as illustrated in FIG. 1 and discussed in further detail hereinbelow.

Conventional mounting structures may be used for releasably attaching the cutting blade 10 to the cutting machine wherein the mounting structure cooperates with the mounting assembly 20 of FIG. 2. An example of one type of mounting structure includes an elongate rod extending from the cutting machine having a threaded portion wherein the threaded portion extends beyond the surface of the cutting blade 10 when the cutting blade 10 is mounted on the rod. In conjunction with the rod, a nut or similar device having grooves that are complementary to the threaded rod is advanced along the rod until it is fully engaged to secure the cutting blade 10 to the cutting machine. Slightly offset from the mounting orifice 22 is a drive orifice 24. Utilization of the drive orifice 24 and the mounting orifice 22 ensure that the cutting blade 10 is correctly aligned and

fastened to the cutting machine thereby minimizing excess vibrations and significantly reducing the possibility that the cutting blade 10 will disengage from the cutting machine during normal operations. In addition, the drive orifice 24 cooperates with the mounting structure to transfer rotational forces from the cutting machine to the cutting blade 10.

Other structures for attaching the cutting blade 10 to the cutting machine may also be employed without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. A number of mounting orifices and/or drive orifices may be employed for releasably attaching the cutting blade to the cutting machine. Alternately, other structures, as are known in the art, for attaching the cutting blade include a rod having a key and keyway for attaching the cutting blade or a rod having a hole located at one end that extends beyond the surface of the cutting blade for receiving a securing pin.

In a preferred embodiment that is illustrated in FIGS. 3,4, and 4A, the cutting assembly 30 of the present invention includes a cutting segment 31 and a cutting segment support 33. The cutting segment 31 includes a cutting edge 32 that is disposed on a leading portion of the cutting segment 31 when the cutting blade 10 is rotating in the direction R as shown by the arrow in FIG. 3. The cutting edge 32 is formed from a hardened base material that may be supplemented by segments for a specific application.

Typically, a diamond segment is applied to the cutting edge 32 for increasing the ability of the cutting assembly 30 to penetrate and effectively cut construction materials such as asphalt, concrete, cement, marble, granite, or ceramics. Other segments, as are known in the art, may be selected for specific applications.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 4A in particular, a close examination of the cutting segment 31 reveals that it further includes an inside face 34, an outside face 36, a trailing edge 37, and a top edge 40. The cutting assemblies 30 are attached to the periphery P

and radially spaced apart forming a gap, or spacer 38 between each cutting assembly 30.

Inside and outside faces 34,36 of each cutting segment 31 are substantially planar and parallel to one another. Preferably, each cutting assembly 30 is laser welded to the core 12 of the cutting blade 10 and includes a diamond segment on the cutting edge 32. Other attaching methods are well known in the art. More particularly, each cutting segment support 33 is attached, preferably by laser welding, to the periphery P of core 12. Each cutting assembly 30 is attached to the core 12 such that each corresponding top edge 40 is spaced apart from the periphery P by a substantially uniform distance, or height H1 (i. e. each cutting assembly 30 has a height H1).

Each cutting segment 31 is angularly offset from a centerline 70 of the core 12 (see FIG. 4A). Preferably, this angular offset is between about 0. 1° and about 45° from the centerline 70 wherein each cutting segment 31 is offset from the centerline 70 by the same magnitude, but in opposing directions thereby forming an X-shaped arrangement between a pair of cutting segments 31. A more preferred embodiment includes an angular offset of about 0. 1 ° to about 10°, while a most preferred embodiment has an angular offset of about 0. 1 ° to about 5°. Alternatively, the angular offsets may vary among the cutting segments 31. Offsetting the cutting segments 31 increases the efficiency of the cutting blade 10 resulting in minimizing the cutting time and cost for a particular job in comparison with cutting devices of the prior art. In addition, offsetting the cutting segments 31 minimizes the vibration of the cutting blade 10 during operation.

By way of example only, a pair of cutting segments 31 may be angularly offset by 5° from the centerline while an adjacent pair of cutting segments 31 is angularly offset by - 5° from the centerline thereby forming an X-shaped arrangement between the pair of cutting segments 31 and having an internal angle of 10°. Alternate embodiments of the

offset configuration include alternating offsets of the cutting segments 31 or varying the amount of the angular offset of the cutting segments 31. Further still, both cutting segments 31 may be offset in the same direction from the centerline in a repeating pattern along the outer surface of the cutting blade.

The gaps, or spacers 38, formed between adjacent cutting assemblies 30 minimize flexing of the core 12 during rotation of the cutting blade 10 while the attached cutting segments 31 are capable of flexing during cutting operations thereby minimizing vibrations that are transferred to the cutting machine. In addition, each spacer 38 defines an open end 42 that is proximal to the top edge 40 and an opposed closed end 44. In a preferred embodiment, the closed end 44 of each spacer 38 is formed as a circle having an opening in communication with a channel 46 of the spacer 38. The dimensions of the open end 42, the passage 46, and the closed end 44 may be uniform throughout the cutting blade 10 or varied in a number of different combinations for optimally reducing the vibrations of the cutting blade 10 during cutting operations.

Ideally, the cutting blade 10 of the present invention includes a number of vibration dampening assemblies 50 as seen in FIGS. 3,5, and 5A. Each vibration dampening assembly 50 may include a vibration reducer 51 and a vibration reducer support 53. The vibration reducer support 53 of the vibration dampening assembly 50 is attached to the periphery P of the core 12, preferably by laser welding. Each vibration reducer 51 includes a leading edge 52, an inside edge 54, an outside edge 56, a trailing edge 57, and a top edge 60. The top edge 60 of the vibration dampening assembly 50 is disposed such that it is closer to the center of the core 12, or mounting orifice 22 than the top edges 40 of the cutting assemblies 30. More particularly, each vibration dampening assembly 50 has a height H2 wherein H1 is greater than H2. Accordingly, the top edge

60 of each vibration dampening assembly 50 does not extend radially outwards to the same extent as the top edge 40 of each cutting assembly 30. Configured thusly, each vibration dampening assembly 50 does not significantly engage the material being cut, but merely traverses the same rotational path as each cutting assembly 30.

A slot, or vibration dampening spacer 58, is defined by the opening between the vibration dampening assembly 50 and the adjacent cutting assembly 30 most proximal to the leading edge 52 of the vibration reducer 51. Each vibration dampening spacer 58 includes an open end 62, a passage 64, a J-shaped portion 66, and a closed end 68. The closed end 68 is substantially circular with an opening that is in communication with the passage 64. In a preferred embodiment, each vibration dampening spacer 58 is substantially J-shaped with the tail of the J-shape facing away from the leading edge 52 as shown in FIG. 3. The size of the vibration dampening spacers 58 may be altered as well to minimize vibrations generated by the cutting blade 10. A spacer 38 is formed between a trailing edge 57 and the adjacent cutting assembly 30 that is most proximal to the trailing edge 57.

Similar to the cutting segments 31, the vibration reducers 51 may be angularly offset from the centerline 70 between about 0. 1'and about 45°. In a preferred embodiment, the angular offset is between about 0. 1'and about 10° while in a more preferred embodiment the angular offset is about 0. 1° to about 5°. The preferred embodiment of the vibration reducer 51 includes a diamond segment on the leading edge 52 thereby allowing the vibration dampening assembly 50 to traverse the cutting path of the cutting blade 10 more easily.

The material to be cut and the rotational speed of the cutting blade 10 may influence the preferred number and arrangement of vibration dampening assemblies 50.

In addition, the number of vibration dampening assemblies 50 is at least partially dependent on the diameter of the cutting blade. In practical application, cutting blades are typically from about 4 inches in diameter up to as much as 6 feet in diameter. The present invention is contemplated to encompass all blade diameters. Further still, the size and shape of the vibration dampening spacers 58 may be altered in conjunction with the number and arrangement of the vibration dampening assemblies 50 to minimize the vibrations generated by the cutting blade 10 during cutting operations.

Another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 6-9 and discussed in detail hereinafter. Referring initially to FIG. 6, a cutting blade 110 is shown in accordance with the present invention. The cutting blade 110 includes a core 112, a mounting assembly 120, and a plurality of cutting assemblies 130. The core 112 is generally a planar circle having a substantially uniform diameter thereby defining a substantially uniform periphery P'.

The mounting assembly 120, as detailed in FIG. 7, includes a mounting orifice 122 and a drive orifice 124. The drive orifice 124 is slightly offset from the mounting orifice 122. As in the previous embodiment, conventional mounting structures, as are known in the art, may be used for releasably attaching the cutting blade 110 to a cutting machine (not shown). Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, each cutting assembly 130 includes a cutting segment 131 and a cutting segment support 133. Further still, each cutting segment includes a leading edge 132, an inside face 134, an outside face 136, a trailing edge 137, and a top edge 140. As in the previous embodiment, inside and outside faces 134,136 are substantially planar and parallel to one another. Preferably, each cutting assembly 130 is laser welded to the core 112 of the cutting blade 110 and includes a diamond segment on the cutting edge 132. More particularly, each cutting segment

support 133 is attached, preferably by laser welding, to the periphery P'of core 112.

Each cutting assembly 130 is attached to the core 112 such that each corresponding top edge 140 is spaced apart from the periphery P'by a substantially uniform distance, or height H1' (i. e. each cutting assembly 130 has a height Hl').

Each cutting segment 131 is angularly offset from a centerline 170 of the core 112 (see FIG. 9). Preferably, this angular offset is between about 0. 1° and about 45° from the centerline 170 wherein each cutting segment 131 is offset from the centerline 170 by the same magnitude, but in opposing directions thereby forming an X-shaped arrangement between a pair of cutting segments 131. A more preferred embodiment includes an angular offset of about 0. 1° to about 10°, while a most preferred embodiment has an angular offset of about 0. 1° to about 5°. Alternatively, the angular offsets may vary among the cutting segments 131. Offsetting the cutting segments 131 increases the efficiency of the cutting blade 110 resulting in minimizing the cutting time and cost for a particular job in comparison with cutting devices of the prior art. In addition, offsetting the cutting segments 131 minimizes the vibration of the cutting blade 10 By way of example only, a pair of cutting segments 131 may be angularly offset by 5° from the centerline while an adjacent pair of cutting segments 131 is angularly offset by-5° from the centerline thereby forming an X-shaped arrangement between the pair of cutting segments 131 and having an internal angle of 10°. Alternate embodiments of the offset configuration include alternating offsets of the cutting segments 131 or varying the amount of the angular offset of the cutting segments 131. Further still, both cutting segments 131 may be offset in the same direction from the centerline in a repeating pattern along the outer surface of the cutting blade.

The gaps, or spacers 138, between adjacent cutting assemblies 130 permit portions of the core 112 that are proximal to the periphery P'to rotate without substantial flexing while the attached cutting assemblies 130 are permitted to flex during cutting operations thereby minimizing vibrations that are transferred to the cutting machine. In addition, each spacer 138 defines an open end 142 that is proximal to the top edge 140 and an opposed closed end 144. In a preferred embodiment, the closed end 144 of each spacer 138 is formed as a circle having an opening in communication with a channel 146 of the spacer 138. The dimensions of the open end 142, the passage 146, and the closed end 144 may be uniform throughout the cutting blade 110 or varied in a number of different combinations for optimally reducing the vibrations of the cutting blade 110 during cutting operations.

The described embodiments of the present invention are intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive, and are not intended to represent every embodiment of the present invention. Various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims both literally and in equivalents recognized in law.