Suction dredge having rotatable digging tool

Claim 2

SUCTION DREDGING APPARATUS COMPRISING A DIGGING TOOL SUPPORTED FOR ROTATION, SAID DIGGING TOOL HAVING AN OUTER CIRCULAR CONTOUR, MEANS FOR ROTATABLY DRIVING THE DIGGING TOOL, A HOOD PARTIALLY ENCLOSING THE DIGGING TOOL, A SUCTION TUBE, CONNECTION MEANS ESTBLISHING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE SUCTION TUBE AND THE HOOD FOR APPLYING A SUCTION WITHIN THE HOOD, SAID CONNECTION MEANS OPENING INTO SAID HOOD TANGENTIALLY WITH RESPECT TO THE OUTER CONTOUR OF THE DIGGING TOOL, SAID HOOD HAVING A CURVED OUTLINE RADIALLY OFFSET FROM THE CONTOUR OF THE TOOL IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM THE CONNECTION MEANS SUCH THAT SAID TOOL IS SUPPORTED WITHIN SAID HOOD TO DEFINE A RADIAL SPACE THEREIN WHICH IS IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE OPENING BETWEEN THE SUCTION TUBE AND THE HOOD AND WHICH DIMINISHES TOWARDS THE SUCTION TUBE, SAID HOOD INCLUDING TAPERING SIDE PORTIONS EXTENDING LATERALLY OF THE TOOL TO DEFINE AN AXIAL SPACE BETWEEN THE HOOD AND THE CONTOUR OF THE TOOL WHICH IS ALSO IN COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE OPENING BETWEEN THE SUCTION TUBE AND THE HOOD AND WHICH DIMINISHES TOWARDS THE SUCTION TUBE.

Claim 3

SUCTION DREDGING APPARATUS COMPRISING A FIXED SHAFT, A HUB SURROUNDING SAID SHAFT, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID HUB, A PLURALITY OF CUTTING ELEMENTS SECURED TO SAID HUB FOR ROTATION THEREWITH, EACH ELEMENT INCLUDING A LEADING EDGE PORTION AND CURVED SIDE PORTIONS EXTENDING FROM THE LEADING EDGE PORTION TO FORM A GENERALLY V-SHAPED ELEMENT, SAID LEADING EDGE PORTION EXTENDING FROM SAID HUB WITH DECREASING CURVATURE IN THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF THE HUB, SAID CUTTING ELEMENTS BEING ALIGNED IN A PLANE PERPENDICULAR TO THE SHAFT AND BEING REGULARLY ARRANGED ANGULARLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID HUB SUCH THAT THE LEADING EDGE PORTION OF EACH ELEMENT LIES ADJACENT THE TRAILING EDGE PORTION OF AN ADJACENT ELEMENT AND THE ELEMENTS COOPERATIVELY DEFING A SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR OUTER CONTOUR, A HOOD ENCLOSING MORE THAN HALF THE CUTTING ELEMENTS, A SUCTION TUBE, CONNECTION MEANS ESTABLISHING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE SUCTION TUBE AND THE HOOD FOR APPLYING SUCTION WITHIN SAID HOOD, SAID CONNECTION MEANS OPENING INTO SAID HOOD TANGENTIALLY WITH RESPECT TO THE OUTER CONTOUR OF THE ELEMENTS, SAID ELEMENTS BEING SUPPORED WITHIN SAID HOOD TO DEFINE RADIAL AND AXIAL SPACES THEREWITH, A SEGMENT PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED FROM SAID SHAFT AND EXTENDING IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM SUCTION TUBE, SAID SEGMENT COMPRISING A REARMOST PORTION INCLUDING A CENTRAL PORTION AND LATERALLY EXTENDING WINGS AT A HIGHER ELEVATION THAN SAID CENTRAL PORTION, ADJUSTABLE MEANS CONNECTING SAID SEGMENT FROM SAID HOOD FOR VARYING THE ANGULAR POSITION OF THE SEGMENT WITH RESPECT TO SAID HOOD, AND ADJUSTABLE ELEMENTS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID WINGS, SAID WINGS AND SAID CENTRAL PORTION ESTABLISHING BY THE DIFFERENCE OF THE LEVEL THEREBETWEEN THE DEPTH OF PENETRATION OF THE CUTTING ELEMENTS INTO THE GROUND TO BE DREDGED, SAID WINGS RESTING ON THE GROUND AS SAID CUTTING ELEMENTS PENETRATE THEREINTO, SAID ADJUSTABLE ELEMENTS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID WINGS TO ALSO PENETRATE THE GROUND AND EXERT A BRAKING FORCE.

Claim 4

SUCTION DREDGING APPARATUS COMPRISING A FIXED SHAFT, A HUB SURROUNDING SAID SHAFT, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID HUB, A PLURALITY OF CUTTING ELEMENTS SECURED TO SAID HUB FOR ROTATION THEREWITH, EACH ELEMENT INCLUDING A LEADING EDGE PORTION AND CURVED SIDE PORTIONS EXTENDING FROM THE LEADING EDGE PORTION TO FORM A GENERALLY V-SHAPED ELEMENT, SAID LEADING EDGE PORTION EXTENDING FROM SAID HUB WITH DECREASING CURVATURE IN THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF THE HUB, SAID CUTTING ELEMENTS BEING ALIGNED IN A PLANE PERPENDICULAR TO THE SHAFT AND BEING REGULARLY ARRANGED ANGULARLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID HUB SUCH THAT THE LEADING EDGE PORTION OF EACH ELEMENT LIES ADJACENT THE TRAILING EDGE PORTION OF AN ADJACENT ELEMENT AND THE ELEMENTS COOPERATIVELY DEFING A SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR OUTER CONTOUR, A HOOD ENCLOSING MORE THAN HALF THE CUTTING ELEMENTS, A SUCTION TUBE, CONNECTION MEANS ESTABLISHING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE SUCTION TUBE AND THE HOOD FOR APPLYING SUCTION WITHIN SAID HOOD, SAID CONNECTION MEANS OPENING INTO SAID HOOD TANGENTIALLY WITH RESPECT TO THE OUTER CONTOUR OF THE ELEMENTS, SAID ELEMENTS BEING SUPPORED WITHIN SAID HOOD TO DEFINE RADIAL AND AXIAL SPACES THEREWITH, A SEGMENT PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED FROM SAID SHAFT AND EXTENDING IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM SUCTION TUBE, SAID SEGMENT COMPRISING A REARMOST PORTION INCLUDING A CENTRAL PORTION AND LATERALLY EXTENDING WINGS AT A HIGHER ELEVATION THAN SAID CENTRAL PORTION, ADJUSTABLE MEANS CONNECTING SAID SEGMENT FROM SAID HOOD FOR VARYING THE ANGULAR POSITION OF THE SEGMENT WITH RESPECT TO SAID HOOD, AND ADJUSTABLE ELEMENTS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID WINGS, SAID WINGS AND SAID CENTRAL PORTION ESTABLISHING BY THE DIFFERENCE OF THE LEVEL THEREBETWEEN THE DEPTH OF PENETRATION OF THE CUTTING ELEMENTS INTO THE GROUND TO BE DREDGED, SAID WINGS RESTING ON THE GROUND AS SAID CUTTING ELEMENTS PENETRATE THEREINTO, SAID ADJUSTABLE ELEMENTS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID WINGS TO ALSO PENETRATE THE GROUND AND EXERT A BRAKING FORCE.