DE20308853U1 - Wood splitter has working-head driven by motor with positioner, rotary drive mechanism, stop-piece, splitter element and divider - Google Patents

Abstract

A connection connects the working-head (12) to a motor-driven positioner (16), with a rotary drive mechanism for turning the splitter element (4). A stop (8) positioned beneath the splitter element, prevents the piece of wood (6) being split from turning with the splitter element. The stop has a divider (10) movable into a horizontal position.

Description

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Wood splitting device

State of the art

The invention relates to a wood splitting device according to the preamble of claim 1.

GB 2073 656 A discloses a wood splitting device with a conical splitting element that has a thread-shaped structure on its conical surface. To split a block of wood, the splitting element is placed with its tip on the block of wood and set in rotation. The thread-shaped structure causes the conical tip to screw into the block of wood, which is then pushed apart by the splitting element and thus split. To split tree stumps, the splitting cone can be attached to a boom of a vehicle, for example a crane, and operated hydraulically there.

The invention is based on the object of specifying a wood splitting device with which a high level of work safety can be achieved. This object is achieved according to the invention by the features of claim 1. Further embodiments of the invention emerge from the subclaims.

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Advantages of the invention

The invention is based on a wood splitting device with a working head, a connecting means for connecting the working head to a motor-operated positioning device, a splitting element and a drive means for the rotational drive of the splitting element.

It is proposed that the wood splitting device comprises a stop for preventing a piece of wood to be split from rotating with the splitting element.

It has been shown that the rotation of a piece of wood around a rotary-driven splitting element, which is connected to a motor-driven positioning device, for example a machine boom of a hay excavator, can be prevented quite easily by pressing the splitting element onto the piece of wood through the positioning device. The friction between the piece of wood and the ground on which it lies can be increased in this way to such an extent that the splitting element can rotate into the piece of wood without the latter rotating around the splitting element. Once the piece of wood has been split, the splitting element can be lifted out of the split piece of wood. However, some pieces of wood, particularly those with many knots, still press relatively firmly against the splitting element even when split. With such woods, the splitting element must be rotated out of the piece of wood. Here too, sufficient pressure can be maintained on the piece of wood to prevent the piece of wood from rotating around the splitting element. The operator of the wood splitting device's intention to rotate the splitting element

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element out of the piece of wood, it can happen that the splitting element is lifted with the help of the positioning device when it is unscrewed. This can cause the piece of wood to rotate rapidly and the piece of wood to become a significant source of danger for people standing nearby.

Such a danger caused by operator carelessness can be avoided if the wood splitting device includes a stop that prevents the piece of wood to be split from rotating. The stop is positioned so that a larger piece of wood rotating around the splitting element hits the stop. The stop can be a rod or a tube that occupies a fixed or adjustable position relative to the splitting element. A wood gripper connected to the wood splitting device can also be used as a stop. The wood gripper can be designed to hold the piece of wood during splitting or can be arranged so that a freely rotating piece of wood hits the wood gripper.

A conical element with a thread-like structure is particularly suitable as a gap element. The drive means can be a motor which is arranged inside or outside the gap element and which is driven in particular hydraulically. An advantageous positioning means is a device which can be connected to a vehicle or which is attached to it, such as a machine boom or a crane arm of a crane. Vehicles with or without their own drive are suitable as vehicles, such as an excavator, a hay excavator, a digging excavator, a tractor, a Unimog or a trailer.

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In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the stop can be positioned under the splitting element. The stop can be pressed into a piece of wood that has already been split and has not yet fallen apart, without the splitting element being pressed into neighboring soil, for example. The stop can thus be used as a dividing element that completely divides a split piece of wood, the two parts of which are still connected by fibers. The stop takes up a position under the splitting element if it is completely or at least large parts of the stop are positioned closer to the ground than the tip of the splitting element. A position diagonally under the splitting element is also considered to be under the splitting element.

It is also proposed that the stop has a cutting means that can be brought into a horizontal position. The cutting means can be introduced into a split piece of wood, similar to an axe, and the piece of wood can be completely cut by a downward striking movement or by a back and forth movement of the cutting means. Parts of a split piece of wood that are still connected to one another by fiber residues or branch attachments can be easily separated from one another in this way. Horizontal is understood to mean a position that is at least 5 largely parallel to the ground or essentially perpendicular to the direction of acceleration of the earth's gravity.

The cutting device is expediently movable vertically, i.e. towards the ground. A vertical movement of the cutting device allows a striking movement from above

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into the split piece of wood, allowing it to be easily divided into two parts.

The splitting of still connected parts of a piece of wood that has already been split can be made easier if the splitting tool has a cross-section that narrows towards the bottom in a horizontal position. The narrower part of the splitting tool is inserted between the still connected parts and fiber connections or branch connections can be cut through or torn. The wider part of the splitting tool, which is further up, is used to push the two parts apart. The cross-section can be wedge-shaped or cutting-shaped, which means that the splitting tool can be used to split like a knife.

The drive means can comprise one or more hydraulic motors. With a drive means comprising two hydraulic motors that can be operated in parallel, a particularly powerful rotary movement of the splitting element can be achieved, whereby only part of the rotational force has to be applied by one motor at a time. The stress on the motors can be kept low, which means that a long service life and high reliability of the motors can be achieved.

If the hydraulic motors can be operated in series, a fast rotation is possible, which is particularly advantageous when unscrewing the splitting element. The motors can be operated in series as well as in parallel. Using a valve, an operator can switch between parallel operation and series operation and

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Choose fast or slow rotation of the splitting element. In this way, with the usually low output of a hydraulic pump installed on a hay excavator, for example, hydraulic motors with a relatively fast movement can be selected through the interaction of two hydraulic motors, and it can still be driven into the wood to be split with high force.

A particularly simple construction of the wood splitting device can be achieved by making the working head movable relative to the positioning device and arranging the drive means, the splitting element and the stop on the working head. The drive means can also be arranged in the working head. The working head can be rotated or pivoted on the positioning device, for example, in order to be able to bring the splitting element or the stop into a good working position.

A further advantage is achieved if the stop is designed to be movable relative to the splitting element and the stop can be used in conjunction with the splitting element as a wood gripper. The piece of wood to be split can be carried to a splitting point without any additional equipment, split there and then loaded onto a wagon, for example. The stop is designed to be movable around a joint in such a way that it can act as a pair of pliers in conjunction with the splitting element, i.e. it can be moved towards the splitting element and can be subjected to a holding force. The holding force can be applied by a hydraulic mechanism.

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The stop advantageously comprises at least two stop arms. A piece of wood can be securely and firmly gripped between the arms. In particular, the arms are parallel and appropriately curved to the splitting element. This prevents the piece of wood from slipping out of the pliers formed by the arms and splitting element.

The working head conveniently includes a receiving device for a wood grapple. With this simple construction, the wood to be split can be easily brought into position and the split pieces of wood can be stacked, for example for removal.

The grapple can be easily rotated and thus brought into a good working position if the pick-up device has a rotator. The rotator provides the drive movement that is used, for example, to rotate the grapple into a good working position. The rotational energy can be transferred from the rotator to the grapple via one or more cardan shafts and cardan joints.

A simple and quick tool change from the splitting element to the wood gripper and vice versa can be achieved if the holding device can be positioned at least partially pointing downwards by a rotary movement of the working head. For example, after the splitting element has been used to split a piece of wood, the gripper can be swiveled in the direction of the split piece of wood by a simple rotary movement of the working head, so that the wood gripper is brought into a position suitable for gripping the pieces of wood. After the gripping process has been completed by the

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With the wood grapple, the splitting element can be brought back into its working position by rotating the working head in the opposite direction. The holding device points downwards if one of the directions in which it points forms an angle of less than 45° to an imaginary vertical line.

In a further embodiment of the invention, it is proposed that a lubricant container is connected to the splitting element. Lubricant can be applied to the surface of the splitting element, which can counteract the adhesion of dirt and in particular resin to the splitting element. This can make it easier for the splitting element to penetrate the piece of wood and reduce the adhesion of the piece of wood to the splitting element. In addition, the risk of the piece of wood rotating around the splitting element is reduced. In addition, wear on the splitting element can be counteracted.

0 The lubricant container can be arranged outside the gap element and connected to the gap element, for example, by a line. However, the lubricant container is expediently arranged inside the gap element. No connection of the lubricant container to the gap element, for example in the form of a coupling, is necessary, which means that a high level of reliability of the lubricant supply to the gap element can be ensured.

A safe and reliable guidance of a lubricant from the lubricant container to the outer surface of the gap element can be achieved by the gap element having an outlet

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Opening through which a connection is formed from the lubricant container to the outer surface of the gap element.

In order to achieve a desired dosage of the lubricant, a lubricant channel can be designed in such a way that the lubricant is drawn onto the outer surface of the gap element by centrifugal force when the gap element rotates. Alternatively, it is also conceivable to use a feed pump coupled to the rotation of the gap element, through which lubricant is fed onto the outer surface when the gap element rotates. It is also possible to provide a conveniently remote-controlled valve through which lubricant can be released at desired times.

The splitting element can comprise a substantially conical head element and a substantially frustoconical body element, the outlet opening being arranged between the head element and the body element. The outlet opening is thus arranged in the immediate vicinity of the head element, which is most stressed when the splitting element penetrates the piece of wood. In addition, a gap between the head element and the body element can be used as an outlet opening, for example, which means that no separate outlet opening needs to be provided.

drawing

Further advantages are apparent from the following description of the drawing. The drawing shows an embodiment of the invention. The drawing, the description and

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the claims contain numerous features in combination. The person skilled in the art will also expediently consider the features individually and combine them into further meaningful combinations.

Show it:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a wood splitting device with a splitting element brought into a working position,

Fig. 2 the wood splitting device with a cutting device brought into working position,

Fig. 3 a cross section through a stop of the

Wood splitting device,

Fig. 4 a wood grapple of the wood splitting device in

Working position,

Fig. 5 a detailed view of the working head and the splitting element of the wood splitting device,

Fig. 6 is a schematic representation of the hydraulic oil

0 Supply of the drive means of the wood splitting

contraption,

Fig. 7 shows a flow diagram through a valve and Fig. 8 shows another flow diagram through the valve.
25

Figure 1 shows a schematic side view of a wood splitting device 2. The wood splitting device 2 comprises a conical splitting element 4 for splitting a piece of wood 6, a stop 8 for preventing the piece of wood 6 to be split from rotating with the splitting element 4. The stop 8 comprises an outward-facing

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of the cutting means 10, which is designed in the form of a cutting edge (Figure 3). The splitting element 4 and the stop 8 are attached to a working head 12, which additionally carries a wood grabber 14. The working head 12 is connected by a connecting means 18 to a positioning device 16 designed as a machine boom of a tractor and is movably mounted thereon. The machine boom is connected to a machine (not shown), for example a tractor, a hay excavator or a body section of a wood splitting device. Due to the movable mounting of the working head 12 on the machine boom, the working head 12 simultaneously serves as a second positioning means, with which the splitting element 4, the stop 8 and the wood grabber 14 can be positioned in a working position.

To split the piece of wood 6, the splitting element 4 is pressed onto the piece of wood 6 with the aid of the machine boom with its tip 20 (Figure 2). The splitting element 4 is then set in a rotary movement by two hydraulic motors 22 and 24 shown in Figure 5, which serve as the drive means of the splitting element 4. A threaded structure 26 is attached to the outer surface of the splitting element 4, through which the splitting element 4 is screwed into the piece of wood 6. The penetration of the splitting element 4 into the piece of wood 6 can also be supported by a pressure force applied to the splitting element 4 by the machine boom. The piece of wood 6 is split by the penetration of the conical splitting element 4 into the piece of wood 6. Depending on the nature of the piece of wood 6, more or fewer fibers 28 remain between the split parts of the piece of wood 6, which can still hold the parts together quite firmly.

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After the splitting process has been completed, the splitting element 4 is pulled out of the piece of wood 6 by lifting it upwards from the machine boom. The pulling out of the splitting element 4 from the piece of wood 6 can be assisted by unscrewing the splitting element 4 from the piece of wood 6, whereby the splitting element 4 is rotated in a direction opposite to that in which it is screwed in. If parts of the split piece of wood 6 are still firmly connected to one another by the fibers 2 8, the parts still press firmly against the splitting element.

4. When the splitting element 4 is lifted, the friction of the parts on the ground is reduced, allowing the parts to rotate with the rotational movement of the splitting element 4. Such a rotational movement is prevented by the stop 8 against which the piece of wood 6 strikes. The splitting element 4 can be lifted out of the split piece of wood 6 and rotated out, with the parts of the piece of wood 6 remaining essentially fixed by the stop 8 and the tip 20 of the splitting element 4.

After the splitting process has been completed and the splitting element 4 has been moved out of the piece of wood 6, it may be that the parts of the split piece of wood 6 are still quite tightly attached to one another by the fibers 28 and thus cannot be transported away separately. To completely split the split piece of wood 6, the wood splitting device 2 can be brought into a splitting position as shown in Figure 2. For this purpose, the working head 12 is rotated by approximately 75° anti-clockwise so that the stop 8 of the working head 12 is positioned so that it is arranged largely under the splitting element 4 and the splitting means 10 comes into a substantially horizontal position. The wood splitting device 2

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The cutting device 2 can now be moved by the machine boom in a direction 32 upwards and in a direction 34 downwards, so that the cutting device 10 can be moved vertically by pressing or striking between the parts of the piece of wood 6. The fibers 28 are thereby divided, torn or torn off from one of the parts, so that the two parts of the split piece of wood 6 can be completely divided and fall apart.

The cutting means 10 has a cross-section as shown in Figure 3, which, when the cutting means 10 is in a horizontal position, becomes narrower in the direction 34 downwards and ends in an edge 36. The cutting of the piece of wood 6 is facilitated by the lower knife-shaped edge 36, which can be used to cut between the pieces of wood.

To remove the parts of the split piece of wood 6, the working head 12 of the wood splitting device 2 is rotated slightly less than half a turn clockwise so that a receiving device 44 for receiving the wood grabber 14 (Figure 5) is aligned downwards and inclined at approximately 20° to an imaginary vertical line. The working head 12 is thus movable such that the splitting element 4, the stop 8 and the receiving device 44 or the wood grabber 14 can be pivoted into a working position.

To grip the parts of the piece of wood 6, the wood gripper 14 comprises pliers 40, which are arranged hydraulically movable in a holding device 42. To enable easy gripping of the parts of the piece of wood 6, the holding device 42 is mounted in a cardanic manner. The rotation is carried out by the

·

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hydraulically driven rotator 44 (Figure 5), which is connected to the holding device 42 by cardan shafts and cardan joints not shown in the figures.

The drive means with the two hydraulic motors 22, 24 is shown in Figure 5. The hydraulic motors 22, 24 are operated hydraulically, whereby pressurized hydraulic oil is fed from a hydraulic pump 48 arranged on a machine, for example a hay excavator, through lines 46, of which only one is shown in Figures 1 to 4, via a valve 50 to the hydraulic motors 22, 24. The hydraulic motors 22, 24 are connected to one another via gears 52, 54, whereby the gear 52 is arranged on a shaft which is connected to the splitting element 4. The rotator 44, which is part of the receiving device 38, is also supplied with hydraulic oil by the compressor.

A hydraulic circuit diagram of the hydraulic motors 22, 24 is shown in Figures 6 to 8. The hydraulic motors 22, 24 can be operated both in series and in parallel. When operated in series, hydraulic oil compressed by the hydraulic pump 48 is fed to the hydraulic motor 22 through a line 56 and drives it. The hydraulic oil leaving the hydraulic motor 22 then flows to the valve 50, which is connected as shown in Figure 8. The hydraulic oil thus reaches the hydraulic motor 24 and also drives it and is then returned to the hydraulic pump 48. In this circuit, a large amount of hydraulic oil, for example 20 liters/minute, flows through both hydraulic motors 22, 24 one after the other, which means that they can be operated in a fast mode.

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When the hydraulic motors 22, 24 are operated in parallel, the valve 50 is connected as shown in Figure 7. The hydraulic oil pressurized in the hydraulic pump 48 is fed through the line 56 to both the hydraulic motor 22 and - bypassing the hydraulic motor 22 - to the valve 50. The hydraulic oil bypassing the hydraulic motor 22 is fed through the valve 50 to the hydraulic motor 24. In this mode of operation, only half of the hydraulic oil flows through each of the hydraulic motors 22, 24, but these hydraulic motors each have the full pressure generated by the hydraulic pump 48 available to them, which is why such an operating mode is suitable for slow and powerful operation of the splitting element 4. The circuit shown in Figures 6 to 8 is only an example and can of course also be designed in a different way that allows the hydraulic motors 22, 24 to be operated in parallel and in series.

The gap element 4 has a lubricant container 58 in its interior, which can be filled with a lubricant through a filling opening 60. The lubricant runs through a filling channel 62 into the lubricant container 58 and from there through a lubricant channel 64 into a gap 68. This gap 68 is arranged between the essentially conical head element 70 of the gap element 4 and the essentially frustoconical body element 72 of the gap element 4. The head element 70 is fastened in the body element 72 with the aid of a fastening element 74, the gap 68 being formed by a number of channels extending in a star shape from the fastening element 0. A lubricant channel 64 protrudes from above into each of these channels, so that the

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Lubricant from the lubricant container 58 can enter through the lubricant channel 64 into each arm of the gap 68 between the body element 72 and the head element 70. From there, the lubricant is guided to outlet openings 76 which form the end of each of the star-shaped channels of the gap 68. The lubricant thus reaches the outer surface 78 of the splitting element 4 and contributes to easy penetration of the splitting element 4 into a piece of wood 6 to be split.

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03.' Wood splitting device 48 hydraulic pump 06.03 Gap element 50 Valve Reference symbol piece of wood 52 gear 2 attack 54 gear 4 Cutting agents 56 Line 6 Working head 58 Lubricant container 8th Wood grapple 60 Filling opening 10 Positioning device 62 Filling channel 12 Connecting elements 64 Lubricant channel 14 Great 68 gap 16 Hydraulic motor 70 Head element 18 Hydraulic motor 72 Hull element 20 Thread structure 74 Fastener 22 Fibers 76 Outlet opening 24 Holding device 78 Exterior surface 26 Direction 28 Direction 30 Edge 32 Recording device 34 Tongs 36 Holding device 38 Rotator 40 Line 42 44 46

Claims (18)

1. Wood splitting device ( 2 ) with a working head ( 12 ), a connecting means ( 18 ) for connecting the working head ( 12 ) to a motor-operated positioning device ( 16 ), a splitting element ( 4 ) and a drive means for the rotational drive of the splitting element ( 4 ), characterized by a stop ( 8 ) for preventing a piece of wood ( 6 ) to be split from rotating with the splitting element ( 4 ). 2. Wood splitting device ( 2 ) according to claim 1, characterized in that the stop ( 8 ) can be positioned under the splitting element ( 4 ). 3. Wood splitting device ( 2 ) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the stop ( 8 ) can be positioned under the splitting element ( 4 ) by a rotary movement of the working head ( 12 ). 4. Wood splitting device ( 2 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the stop ( 8 ) has a cutting means ( 10 ) which can be brought into a horizontal position. 5. Wood splitting device ( 2 ) according to claim 4, characterized in that the splitting means ( 10 ) is vertically movable. 6. Wood splitting device ( 2 ) according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the dividing means ( 10 ) in the horizontal position has a cross-section that narrows downwards. 7. Wood splitting device ( 2 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the drive means comprises two hydraulic motors ( 22 , 24 ) which can be operated in parallel. 8. Wood splitting device ( 2 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the drive means comprises two hydraulic motors ( 22 , 24 ) which can be operated in series. 9. Wood splitting device ( 2 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the working head ( 12 ) is movable relative to the positioning device ( 16 ) and the drive means, the splitting element ( 4 ) and the stop ( 8 ) are arranged on the working head ( 12 ). 10. Wood splitting device ( 2 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the stop ( 8 ) is designed to be movable relative to the splitting element ( 4 ) and the stop ( 8 ) in conjunction with the splitting element ( 4 ) can be used as a wood gripper. 11. Wood splitting device ( 2 ) according to claim 10, characterized in that the stop comprises at least two stop arms, which are curved in particular towards the splitting element. 12. Wood splitting device ( 2 ) according to claim 11, characterized in that the working head ( 12 ) comprises a receiving device ( 38 ) for receiving a wood grapple ( 14 ). 13. Wood splitting device ( 2 ) according to claim 12, characterized in that the receiving device ( 38 ) has a rotator ( 44 ). 14. Wood splitting device ( 2 ) according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that the receiving device ( 38 ) can be positioned at least partially pointing downwards by a rotary movement of the working head ( 12 ). 15. Wood splitting device ( 2 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a lubricant container ( 58 ) is connected to the splitting element ( 4 ). 16. Wood splitting device ( 2 ) according to claim 15, characterized in that the lubricant container ( 58 ) is arranged within the splitting element ( 4 ). 17. Wood splitting device ( 2 ) according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that the splitting element ( 4 ) has an outlet opening ( 76 ) through which a connection is formed from the lubricant container ( 58 ) to the outer surface ( 78 ) of the splitting element ( 4 ). 18. Wood splitting device ( 2 ) according to claim 17, characterized in that the splitting element ( 4 ) comprises a substantially conical head element ( 70 ) and a substantially frustoconical body element ( 72 ) and the outlet opening ( 76 ) is arranged between the head element ( 70 ) and the body element ( 72 ).