Dump truck for receiving draining and disposing of dredged material

Dredging apparatus comprising:

• a mobile dump truck having an open top dump body tiltable between a horizontal loading position and a rearwardly tilted dumping position, said body having a tailgate mounted at the rear end of said body and swingably mounted thereon for swinging between (1) a closed, sealed position for containing water in said truck when said body is in said horizontal position, and (2) an open dumping position when said body is tilting to said tilted dumping position;
• a sealing means for sealing said tailgate with said body when in the closed position;
• a hydraulic pump means mounted on said truck, hydraulic cylinder means connected between said body and said tailgate for swinging said tailgate, said cylinder means actuated by said pump means, said pump means having an inlet port for connection with a hose means for receiving a dredged mixture of solids and water from a pumping site and delivering said mixture to said truck body;
• a substantially vertical partition wall fixedly mounted transversely in said body and having a top edge, said wall mounted in and dividing said body into first and second compartments, each compartment being open to atmosphere;
• said first compartment being adapted to receive and contain said mixture from said pump means and to enable said solids to settle at the bottom of said first compartment under the force of gravity and to enable said water to rise towards the top of said compartment;
• said second compartment being adapted to receive and contain said water which rises in said first compartment and flows over said top edge of said partition wall;
• drain means communicating with said second compartment and selectively operable to effect removal of substantially all water from said second compartment;
• and fluid port means in said partition wall and operable when said body is tilted to permit residual water in said second compartment to flow therethrough and into said first compartment to effect removal of solids, remaining after said body is tilted, from said first compartment by washing it out of said tilted body.

Dredging apparatus for receiving, draining and disposing of dredged material and comprising:

• a mobile dump truck having an open top dump body tiltable between a horizontal loading position and a rearwardly tilted dumping position, said body having a tailgate mounted at the rear end of said body and swingably mounted thereon for swinging between (1) a closed, sealed position for containing water in said truck when said body is in said horizontal position, and (2) an open dumping position when said body is tilting to said tilted dumping position;
• flexible sealing means for sealing said tailgate with said body when in the closed position;
• a hydraulic pump means mounted on said truck, hydraulic cylinders means connected between said truck and said dump body, said cylinder means being operably connected to said pump means for tilting said body, second hydraulic cylinder means connected between said body and said tailgate for swinging said tailgate, said second cylinder means actuated by said pump means;
• said pump means having an inlet port for connection with a hose means for receiving a dredged mixture of solids and water from a remote pumping site and delivering said mixture to said truck body;
• an imperforate and fixed vertical partition wall mounted transversely in said body and having a top edge, said wall mounted in and dividing said body into first and second compartments, each compartment being open to atmosphere;
• said first compartment being adapted to receive and contain said dredged mixture from said pump means and to enable said solids to settle at the bottom of said first compartment under the force of gravity and to enable said water to rise towards the top of said compartment;
• said second compartment being adapted to receive and contain said water which rises in said first compartment and flows over said top edge of said partition wall;
• drain means communicating with said second compartment and selectively operable to effect removal of substantially all water from said second compartment;
• and one-way fluid port means in said partition wall and adjacent the bottom thereof and operable when said body is tilted to permit residual water in said second compartment to flow therethrough and into and across said first compartment to effect removal of solids, remaining after said body is tilted, from said first compartment by washing it out of said tilted body via said open tailgate.