Material compacting device

Claim 1

A material compacting device for use in conjunction with a storage container such as a truck; comprising in combination an outer casing, an arcuately curved shroud mounted in said casing, an intake hopper in said casing and an ejector outlet in said casing, said shroud extending between said hopper and said outlet, a drum journalled for rotation transversely within said casing and being situated towards said outlet, the peripheral wall of said drum being in close proximity with the concave inner surface of said shroud, a source of power operatively connected to said drum for rotating same and a set of compression vanes, means in said casing to mount said vanes, said means being eccentric to the transverse axis of said drum, said vanes extending through the peripheral wall of said drum and extending and retracting relative to said peripheral wall of said drum as said drum rotates, adjacent vanes, the portion of said peripheral wall therebetween and said shroud defining chambers, the volume of which decreases towards said ejector outlet as said drum and vanes rotate, said shroud being pivotally mounted to said casing by one end thereof adjacent said hopper and adjustable means adjacent the other end thereof normally biassing said shroud towards said drum thereby controlling the compaction of material within said chambers, said means normally biassing said shroud towards said drum including a fluid operating piston and cylinder assembly operatively extending between said shroud and said casing and an accumulator in said casing operatively connected to the cylinder of said piston and cylinder assembly.