Excavation bucket with internal material expulsion device and related method

Abstract

An apparatus for use with an excavation machine to move ground material comprises a bucket configured for collecting ground material and an internal material expulsion device in the bucket and configured for discharging the collected ground material through a rear opening of the bucket, which is opposite to a front opening through which material passes into the bucket during digging. The apparatus includes a deflection member outside the bucket and at or adjacent the rear opening, which is configured to direct discharged material. Thus is provided an apparatus which can be used to substantially simultaneously dig and discharge the excavated material away from the excavated location, in a common digging action.

1 . An apparatus for use with an excavation machine to move ground material, the apparatus comprising:
 a bucket configured for mounting on the excavation machine and to collect ground material, wherein the bucket comprises:
 laterally spaced-apart sidewalls, 
 a peripheral wall spanning laterally between the sidewalls and extending from a top to a bottom of the peripheral wall along a path from a top of the bucket to a rear thereof and then to a bottom of the bucket, 
 wherein the sidewalls and peripheral wall collectively delimit an interior of the bucket for containing ground material and a front opening configured to enable passage of the ground material into the bucket, and 
 a rear opening in the peripheral wall opposite to the front opening and configured to enable passage of the ground material, which is in the bucket, out therefrom; 
   a material expulsion device in the bucket and configured to discharge the collected ground material through the rear opening of the bucket; and   an external deflection member attached to the bucket at or adjacent the rear opening and configured to direct the discharged ground material.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein, when the bucket has a mounting device configured for attaching to the excavation machine, and when the mounting device is attached to the peripheral wall, the deflection member is disposed at or adjacent a proximal side of the rear opening to the mounting device so as to direct material away from the mounting device. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the deflection member is supported for pivotal movement about a substantially laterally oriented pivot axis. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3  wherein, when the bucket has a mounting device configured for attaching to the excavation machine, and when the mounting device comprises a support plate supported generally horizontally and in spaced relation to the peripheral wall, the deflection member is pivotally movable about the pivot axis by at least one actuator operatively supported underneath the support plate. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the deflection member comprises an arcuate deflection surface opposite the rear opening in the bucket and extending from a proximal end at or adjacent the bucket to a distal end spaced from the peripheral wall. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein, when the bucket includes a forward cutting edge at an end of the peripheral wall along a bottom of the front opening, the material expulsion device comprises a rotary member operatively supported for rotation about a substantially laterally oriented rotational axis inside the bucket and configured to move the collected ground material towards the rear opening, and wherein the rotary member is configured to rotate in a downward and rearward direction around the rotational axis. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6  wherein a height of the front opening from a top to a bottom thereof is sized smaller than a diameter of the rotary member. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 6  wherein the rotary member comprises a shaft defining the rotational axis and a plurality of paddle members operatively supported for rotation with the shaft, wherein each paddle member defines a planar leading surface generally facing in the downward and rearward direction of rotation and disposed in angularly trailing relation to a radius of the shaft. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8  wherein the paddle members are spaced from the shaft. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 6  wherein the peripheral wall substantially follows an outer circumferential edge of the rotary member along an angular path extending more than 180 degrees around the rotational axis. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 10  wherein the angular path is less than 270 degrees. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 6  wherein the front opening extends from a bottom to a top thereof between about 90 degrees and about 180 degrees about the rotational axis of the rotary member. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the rear opening comprises a single opening spanning substantially a full width of the bucket between the sidewalls. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein an end of the peripheral wall at the top thereof projects forwardly from the sidewalls of the bucket. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 14  wherein the top end of the peripheral wall is below tops of the sidewalls. 
     
     
         16 . A method of forming a trench or ditch comprising:
 using a bucket mounted on a digging arm of an excavation machine movable in arcuate digging motion, digging ground material from a prescribed location to form the trench or ditch; and   substantially in parallel with digging from the first location, discharging, from the bucket, the ground material in a direction away from the prescribed location.