US 4,601,352 AGranted

Automatic compactor

AssigneeRainhart Co.

InventorEdward R. Hamilton

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Abstract

An automatic compaction assembly for compacting samples of asphaltic or bituminous materials is disclosed. A slide hammer is carried for vertical motion along a guide rod which has a compaction foot at a lower end. A drive chain is driven along a generally triangular path by a suitable drive motor and has weight engaging and raising lugs. An upper chain sprocket shuttle and a lower chain sprocket shuttle are slideably carried in a main frame of the compactor and cooperate with a drive sprocket on the drive motor to define the triangular path of chain travel. A horizontal overarm is formed as a portion of the upper shuttle and receives the upper end of the guide rod. As the guide rod moves downwardly, the release point defined by the upper shuttle also moves down thereby maintaining a constant weight drop distance during sample compaction. The slide weight, after being released from the drive chain continues to move upwardly along the guide rod until its upward travel is halted by gravity. A true free fall of the weight is thus maintained thereby satisfying testing requirements.

Claims14

Dependent claims

An automatic compactor for compacting samples of material to be tested, said automatic compactor comprising:

a slide hammer slideable vertically along a guide rod, said guide rod being attached at a first, lower end to a compaction foot positionable on the sample to be compacted and extending generally vertically upwardly to a handle carried at a second, upper end of said guide rod;
a drive chain having a portion thereof generally parallel to said guide rod and having means to engage and raise said slide hammer along said guide rod;
a main frame assembly carrying a drive means for said drive chain;
means to release said slide hammer from said drive chain at a release point while allowing said slide hammer to continue to move vertically upwardly along said guide rod substantially without restriction until it decelerates and stops at a rest point above said release point and below said handle;
and
shuttle means interconnected with said handle for maintaining a constant vertical distance between said rest point and said compaction food during compaction of the sample, said shuttle means including means for lowering the portion of said drive chain which travels generally parallel to said guide rod with respect to said main frame to lower said release point and said rest point concurrently with downward travel of said guide rod during compaction of the sample.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.