Hydraulic dredge suction diversion flap
AssigneeTwin Harbor Dredging Co.
InventorsThomas O. Quigg, Robert E. Delegard
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A flap is provided for the suction head of a hydraulic dredge to divert the dredge suction force generally in the direction that the head is swung along the bottom of a body of water and to guide material into the mouth of the suction head. The suction head includes top and bottom projections or lips projecting outward beyond the sides of the head, and the flap is pivotally mounted between such lips for swinging about an upright axis. Control mechanism swings the flap between alternative positions in which it extends outward from one of the sides of the suction head and from the other of such sides, respectively. An indicator is provided so that the position of the flap can be determined easily by the dredge operator.
Claims7
In a dredge including a suction head swingable along the bottom of a body of water, such head having opposite sides and upper and lower lips between such sides forming an end-opening mouth therebetween through which material is sucked, the improvement comprising a suction pipe connected to such head remote from the head's end-opening mouth and the head being symmetrical about an upright plane bisecting the suction pipe connection, upright pivot means carried by the outer portions of said lips in the plane of symmetry of the head, an upright flap swingably mounted by said pivot means for swinging through the plane of symmetry of the suction head to alternative extreme positions at opposite sides, respectively, of said plane of symmetry, said flap having an inner portion and an outer portion at opposite sides of said pivot means, respectively, in coplanar relationship, said flap inner portion extending inward from said pivot means a distance sufficient for engagement with a selected one of the head sides to limit outward swinging of the inner portion of the flap and said flap outer portion projecting outward from said pivot means a distance less than the inward extension of said inner portion from said pivot means for scooping material to be sucked into the suction head mouth.
In a dredge including a suction head having a mouth through which material is sucked, means for swinging such head along the bottom of a body of water and flap means swingable relative to such head for scooping material and guiding it into the dredge mouth, the improvement comprising actuating means connected to the flap means separate from and independent of the head-swinging means for swinging the flap means relative to the suction head, and means separate from and independent of the head-swinging means and said actuating means for indicating the position of the flap means relative to the suction head, said indicating means projecting upward from the suction head independently of said actuating means and being connected to and swingable conjointly with the flap means relative to the suction head.
In a dredge including a suction head swingable along the bottom of a body of water, such head having a mouth through which material is sucked, flap means for scooping material and guiding such material into the dredge mouth and pivot means mounting the flap means adjacent to the suction head for swinging of the flap means relative to the suction head, the improvement comprising the pivot means mounting the flap means for swinging about an upright axis, and an indicator rod connected to the flap means, extending upward from the pivot means and rotatable conjointly with the flap means for indicating the position of the flap means relative to the suction head.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.