Leveling blade, vibrating screed including the blade, and kit for assembling the same

Abstract

A leveling blade for mounting onto a support bracket of a vibrating screed, and a vibrating screed including the same. The leveling blade has a substantially vertical portion for mounting onto the support bracket, as well as a substantially slanted portion and a substantially horizontal portion, which results in the leveling blade having a particular profile. The vibrating screed includes also a vibration-generating assembly, being operatively mounted onto the support bracket of the vibrating screed for imparting vibrations to the leveling blade via the support bracket so as to enable to carry out a surfacing of a substantially malleable material with the vibrating screed by passing said leveling blade provided with vibrations about said substantially malleable material. A kit is also provided for assembling such a vibrating screed.

1 . A leveling blade for mounting onto a support bracket of a vibrating screed, the leveling blade comprising: 
 a substantially vertical portion for removably mounting onto the support bracket of the vibrating screed, said substantially vertical portion having front and rear sides, and first and second ends;    a substantially slanted portion extending rearwardly from the second end of the substantially vertical portion, said substantially slanted portion having inner and outer sides, and first and second ends; and    a substantially horizontal portion extending frontwardly from the second end of the substantially slanted portion, said substantially horizontal portion having top and bottom sides, and first and second ends.    
   
   
       2 . A leveling blade according to  claim 1 , wherein the outer side of the substantially slanted portion is at an angle of about 160 degrees with respect to the rear side of the substantially vertical portion.  
   
   
       3 . A leveling blade according to  claim 2 , wherein the ratio between the length of the rear side of the substantially vertical portion and the length of the bottom side of the substantially horizontal portion is about 0.4, wherein the ratio between the length of the rear side of the substantially vertical portion and the length of the substantially slanted portion is about 1.26, and wherein the top side of the substantially horizontal portion tapers off frontwardly with respect to the bottom side thereof at an angle of about 2 degrees.  
   
   
       4 . A leveling blade according to  claim 3 , wherein transitions between adjacent portions of the leveling blade and the second end of the substantially horizontal portion thereof are substantially rounded off.  
   
   
       5 . A vibrating screed for leveling a surface of a substantially malleable material, the vibrating screed comprising: 
 a support bracket;    a leveling blade mounted on the support bracket; and    a vibration-generating assembly, the vibration-generating assembly being operatively mounted onto the support bracket for imparting vibrations to the leveling blade via the support bracket.    
   
   
       6 . A vibrating screed according to  claim 5 , wherein the vibrating screed comprises a handling assembly, operatively connected to the support bracket via at least one vibration-damping joint, for handling the vibrating screed.  
   
   
       7 . A vibrating screed according to  claim 6 , wherein the handling assembly comprises a pair of handle bars, each handle bar having an end being operatively connected to the support bracket via at least one vibration-damping joint, the ends of the handle bars being each connected to a corresponding connecting plate, each connecting plate being operatively connected to the support bracket via at least one vibration-damping joint.  
   
   
       8 . A vibrating screed according to  claim 7 , wherein each vibration-damping joint comprises a sleeve made of an elastomeric material, and having an inner bore, each vibration-damping joint being connected between a given connecting plate and the support bracket via at least one corresponding fastener inserted into said inner bore and having an extremity in abutment with an outer portion of either one of the given connecting plate and support bracket.  
   
   
       9 . A vibrating screed according to  claim 7 , wherein each handle bar comprises first and second sections operatively connected to one another, the second section being adjustably pivotable with respect to the first section, the handling assembly further comprising a cross-bar extending between the first sections of the handle bars, the second section of each handle bar being adjustably pivotable with respect to the first section thereof and against the cross-bar.  
   
   
       10 . A vibrating screed according to  claim 9 , wherein each handle bar comprises a third section operatively connected to the second section thereof, the third section being adjustably pivotable with respect to the second section along a substantially vertical plane.  
   
   
       11 . A vibrating screed according to  claim 10 , wherein the vibrating screed comprises a control system for controlling an extent of vibrations generated by the vibration-generating assembly, and where an actuator linked to the control system for controlling the same is provided adjacent to a handle of at least one handle bar.  
   
   
       12 . A vibrating screed according to  claim 7 , wherein at least one handle bar is removably provided with a support leg for supporting the vibrating screed when not in use.  
   
   
       13 . A vibrating screed according to  claim 5 , wherein the vibration-generating assembly comprises a motor cooperating with a shaft, the shaft being drivable by the motor and having an extremity provided with an eccentric cam so as to impart vibrations when rotatably driven by the motor.  
   
   
       14 . A vibrating screed according to  claim 13 , wherein the support bracket is substantially L-shaped, having a substantially horizontal portion with top and bottom sides, and a substantially vertical portion with front and rear sides, and wherein the shaft of the vibration-generating assembly is a one-piece shaft, the substantially horizontal portion of the support bracket being provided with an orifice through which the shaft of the vibration-generating assembly extends.  
   
   
       15 . A vibrating screed according to  claim 13 , wherein the eccentric cam is removably mountable onto the extremity of the shaft, the eccentric cam comprising a bore for inserting into the extremity of the shaft, and a transversal hole for receiving a fastener for securing the cam onto the shaft.  
   
   
       16 . A vibrating screed according to  claim 14 , wherein the vibrating screed comprises at least one support bearing for supporting a portion of the shaft of the vibration-generating assembly, beneath the substantially horizontal portion of the support bracket, each support bearing having a hole through which the shaft extends, and being removably connected to a given side of the support bracket, each support bearing being provided with a pair of flanges removably mounted onto to the given side of the support bracket by means of fasteners.  
   
   
       17 . A vibrating screed according to  claim 16 , wherein the vibrating screed comprises a casing removably mounted to the given side of the support bracket and being shaped and sized for encasing each support bearing so as to protect the same, the casing being provided with a hole on a front portion of said casing.  
   
   
       18 . A vibrating screed according to  claim 5 , wherein the vibrating screed comprises a handling assembly, operatively connected to the support bracket, for handling the vibrating screed, the handling assembly comprising a pair of handle bars, ends of the handle bars being each connected to a corresponding connecting plate, each connecting plate being operatively connected to the support bracket via at least one vibration-damping joint, each vibration-damping joint comprising a sleeve made of an elastic material, and having an inner bore, each vibration-damping joint being connected between a given connecting plate and the support bracket via at least one corresponding fastener inserted into said inner bore and having an extremity in abutment with an outer portion of either one of the given connecting plate and support bracket; 
 wherein each connecting plate is substantially rectangular and wherein each connecting plate is operatively connected to the support bracket via a pair of vibration-damping joints being mounted respectively onto corresponding opposite ends of each substantially rectangular connecting plate;    wherein each handle bar comprises first and second sections operatively connected to one another, and wherein the handling assembly further comprises a cross-bar extending between the first sections of the handle bars, the second section of each handle bar being adjustably pivotable with respect to the first section thereof and against said cross-bar, each handle bar further comprising a third section operatively connected to the second section thereof, the third section being adjustably pivotable with respect to the corresponding second section along a substantially vertical plane;    wherein the vibrating screed further comprises a control system for controlling an extent of vibrations generated by the vibration-generating assembly, and where an actuator linked to the control system for controlling the same is provided adjacent to a handle of at least one handle bar;    wherein the vibration-generating assembly comprises a motor cooperating with a shaft, the shaft being drivable by the motor and having an extremity provided with an eccentric cam so as to impart vibration when rotably driven by the motor, the shaft of the vibration-generating assembly being a one-piece shaft, and the support bracket being substantially L-shaped and having a substantially horizontal portion with top and bottom sides, and a substantially vertical portion with front and rear sides, the substantially horizontal portion of the support bracket being provided with an orifice through which the shaft of the vibration-generating assembly extends; and    wherein the vibrating screed further comprises at least one support bearing for supporting a portion of the shaft of the vibration-generating assembly, beneath the substantially horizontal portion of the support bracket, each support bearing having a hole through which the shaft extends, and being removably connected to a given side of the support bracket, each support bearing being provided with a pair of flanges removably mounted onto the given side of the support bracket by means of fasteners.    
   
   
       19 . A kit for assembling a vibrating screed, the kit comprising: 
 a support bracket;    a leveling blade mountable onto the support bracket; and    a vibration-generating assembly, the vibration-generating assembly being operatively mountable onto the support bracket for imparting vibrations to the leveling blade via the support bracket.