Underwater dredging apparatus and cutter head therefor
US4680879A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 28, 1985 |
| Grant date | Jul 21, 1987 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 28, 2005 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC E)Fixed Constructions
- CPC primaryE02F3/9231
- WIPO fieldCivil engineering
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
A boom pivotally mounted for rotation about a vertical axis on a support vehicle which may be a floating barge or heavy truck. The boom is extensible and retractable in the radial direction and mounts, at a distal end, a cable supporting a dredging apparatus. The dredging apparatus in a preferred embodiment comprises a single cutter head assembly mounted above and just forward of a single pump both of which are driven by electric power supplied by a generator on the support vehicle. In a preferred embodiment, the cutter head comprises a central support section and a plurality of blades attached to the central support section at each end with a mid-portion extending outwardly of the support section. In a further preferred embodiment, the pump assembly comprises an electric motor in a sealed housing, connected to a pump including an impeller driven by a shaft connecting the impeller and the electric motor. The rotating shaft is supported by a bearing and between the bearing and the impeller portion of the pump, a mechanical seal is substituted for conventional elastomeric seals. In a further preferred embodiment, where it is desirable to operate two or more floating vessels, each ves…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.