Excavating bucket having power driven, individually controlled digging teeth

In a power-driven digging and loading bucket of the type mounted on a balance beam of a piece of heavy-duty construction equipment, said bucket having a leading edge, the improvement that comprises:

• (a) a row of digging units mounted on said leading edge, each of which includes
• (1) a digging tooth projecting beyond said leading edge in position to strike and break up a work surface,
• (2) pneumatic hammer means for imparting high-speed reciprocating movement to said tooth, and
• (3) means for advancing said tooth and its associated hammer means bodily toward said surface;
• and
• (b) means for directing air under pressure into the several hammer means from a source common to all of said units, each of said units further including means resiliently, yieldably opposing the advancement of the tooth and hammer means thereof, each unit further including means for deactivating the hammer means thereof when the same has been advanced a predetermined distance, said deactivating means being operable to cut off the supply of air to said unit, the deactivating means of each unit being operable independently of the corresponding means of the several remaining units, the deactivating means of each unit including a normally open shut-off means arranged to cut off the supply of air under pressure to the hammer means thereof, said deactivating means further including means on the hammer means arranged to engage and close said valve means responsive to advancement of the hammer means over said predetermined distance.

In a power-driven digging and loading bucket of the type mounted on a balance beam of a piece of heavy-duty construction equipment, said bucket having a leading edge, the improvement that comprises:

• (a) a row of digging units mounted on said leading edge, each of which includes
• (1) a digging tooth projecting beyond said leading edge in position to strike and break up a work surface,
• (2) a casing fixedly mounted in said bucket and in which said tooth is slidably reciprocably mounted,
• (3) pneumatic hammer means for imparting high speed reciprocating motion to said tooth, said means including an impact hammer housing slidably mounted in the casing, said tooth being carried by the housing for reciprocable movement while being bodily slidable toward said work surface with the housing,
• (4) piston means bearing against the housing of the hammer means for progressively advancing the hammer means and the tooth associated therewith toward the work surface over a predetermined distance,
• (5) valve means controlling the operation of said hammer means, and
• (6) means responding to the advancement of the hammer means over said distance for actuating the valve means to stop operation of the hammer means;
• and
• (b) a compressed air system common to all of said units for supplying air under pressure to the several hammer means and advancing means.

In a power-driven digging and loading bucket of the type mounted on a balance beam of a piece of heavy-duty construction equipment, said bucket having a leading edge, the improvement that comprises:

• (a) a row of digging units mounted on said leading edge, each of which includes
• (1) a digging tooth projecting beyond said leading edge in position to strike and break up a work surface,
• (2) pneumatic hammer means for imparting high speed reciprocating motion to said tooth,
• (3) piston means bearing against the hammer means for progressively advancing the hammer means and the tooth associated therewith toward the work surface,
• (4) valve means controlling the operation of said hammer means, and
• (5) means responding to the advancement of the hammer means over said distance for actuating the valve means to stop operation of the hammer means;
• and
• (b) a compressed air system common to all of said units for supplying air under pressure to the several hammer means and advancing means, said system including first and second compressed air supply lines leading to the several hammer means and to the several advancing means, respectively, said system further including first and second manifolds communicating with the first and second lines respectively and adapted for directing air under pressure to each of the hammer means and advancing means individually.