Soft excavator
AssigneeThe Charles Machine Works, Inc.
InventorsKenneth W. Schuermann, James E. Franklin, Arthur D. Deken
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A soft excavator (10, 90, 110, 130) is disclosed which utilizes a jet of high velocity fluid flow such as air or water flow, preferably supersonic, through a nozzle (48, 92, 112) to excavate a material, such as the ground. A second passage for air flow is provided which is directed by an evacuator skirt (52, 102) in a direction along the excavator generally opposite the direction of discharge of the high velocity excavating flow to entrain the material excavated for disposal.
Claims17
An apparatus for excavating material by use of high velocity fluid from a high pressure fluid source, comprising:
- a member having a first passage formed therein, the first passage having a first end connected to the high pressure fluid source, and a second end;
- a nozzle secured to the member at the second end of the first passage to direct fluid exiting at high velocity from the first passage against the material to be excavated;
- means operative at the excavation site to drive the excavated material away from the excavation site, said driving means connected to the high pressure fluid source, said driving means further being independent of the flow through the first passage so that two separate sources of high velocity fluid are delivered to the excavation site, said driving means and said first passage being concentric;
- and
- said nozzle having a bore formed therethrough connected to the first passage, said bore being tapered inwardly and then outwardly diverging to accelerate the high pressure fluid to supersonic speeds, in the direction of flow of the high velocity fluid.
An apparatus for excavating material by use of a high velocity fluid from a high pressure fluid source, comprising:
- an inner tube having a first end and a second end and a center passage therethrough;
- an outer tube having a first end and a second end, said outer tube concentric with said inner tube to define an annular passage therebetween;
- an excavate control valve mounted between the first end of said inner tube and the source of high pressure fluid to control fluid flow to the center passage;
- an evacuate control valve mounted between the first end of the outer tube and the source of high pressure fluid to control fluid flow to the annular passage;
- a nozzle assembly mounted to the second end of said inner tube and said outer tube to direct fluid from the passage in the inner tube against the material to be excavated, while directing the high pressure fluid flow from the annular passage generally opposite the direction of the high pressure fluid flow exiting from the center passage of the inner tube to generate a force sufficient to convey excavated materials away from the excavation site for disposal.
An apparatus for excavating material by use of high velocity air from a source of high velocity air, comprising:
- a member having a first passage formed therein, the first passage having a first end connected to the high velocity air source, and a second end, said member further having a second passage formed therein, the second passage having a first end connected to the high velocity air source and a second end, said first and second passages being concentric;
- a nozzle secured to the member at the second end of the first passage to direct high velocity air exiting from the first passage against the material to be excavated;
- and
- guide means mounted on the member proximate the excavated material for directing the high velocity air exiting from the second end of the second passage in a direction to drive the excavated material away from the site of excavation;
- and
- the nozzle having a bore formed therethrough connected to the first passage at the second end, said bore being tapered inwardly and then outwardly diverging to accelerate the high velocity air to supersonic speeds to exit from the first passage against the material to be excavated.
A method for excavating material by use of air at high velocity from a high velocity air source, comprising the steps of:
- accelerating the velocity of the air to supersonic speeds;
- directing the discharge of supersonic speed air through as first passage in a member against as site to be excavated;
- and
- discharging high velocity air from a second passage in the member at the excavation site in a direction to drive material excavated from the excavation site away from the excavation site for disposal, the second passage being connected to the source of high velocity air independent of the first passage to deliver two sources of air to the excavation site.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.