Scabbler for scabbling floors contaminated with hazardous materials

Claim 2

Scabbling apparatus comprising: a frame having a forward end, a rearward end and two opposed side surfaces extending divergently from said forward end toward said rearward end at an angle less than 180°; a plurality of pneumatically operable scabbling piston and cylinder assemblies with reciprocable pistons and scabbling bits mounted on said pistons, said assemblies being carried by said frame and being mounted with said pistons reciprocable vertically and with said bits below said frame, and said assemblies being mounted with a single one thereof nearer the forward end of said frame than the remainder of said assemblies; a handle secured to said frame and extending upwardly and rearwardly of said frame for manually moving said apparatus over a surface to be scabbled; means for interconnecting said assemblies with a source of air supplying air at a pressure above atmospheric pressure for supplying such air to said assemblies for reciprocating said pistons; and a tubular vacuum hose connector for receiving a vacuum hose extending from a source of vacuum, said connector extending at least to the bottom of said frame with the bottom end of said connector disposed adjacent to and intermediate said assemblies for vacuum removal of dust created by operation of said assemblies in a scabbling operation.

Claim 3

Scabbling apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein there are three scabbling piston and cylinder assemblies and said single one of said assemblies is one of said three assemblies and said remainder of said assemblies are the remaining two of said assemblies.

Claim 4

Scabbling apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said three scabbling piston and cylinder assemblies are disposed at the apices of an equilateral triangle having one apex nearest said forward end of said frame and having the remaining apices equidistant from said forward end of said frame.

Claim 5

Scabbling apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further comprising transporting means rotatably mounted on said frame rearwardly of said scabbling piston and cylinder assemblies for engaging a surface to be scabbled, said apparatus being free of rotatable transporting means other than transporting means rearwardly of said scabbling piston and cylinder assemblies.

Claim 6

Scabbling means as set forth in claim 4 wherein said handle is pivotally secured to said frame and further comprising flexible and inextensible when rectilinear means interconnecting said handle and said frame for permitting movement of the upper portion of said handle toward said forward end of said frame and limiting movement of said upper portion of said handle away from said forward end of said frame whereby said frame may be tilted around said transporting means to raise said bits with respect to a surface engaged by said transporting means.

Claim 7

Scabbling apparatus as set forth in claim 4 wherein said transporting means is a pair of wheels spaced apart less than the width of said frame in the direction transverse to the direction from said rearward end to said forward end of said frame.

Claim 8

Scabbling apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a plate disposed above said frame, said plate being mounted on said frame for free vertical movement with respect to said frame but within spaced upper and lower limits and means securing said scabbling piston and cylinder assemblies to said plate for movement therewith.

Claim 9

Scabbling apparatus as set forth in claim 7 further comprising a weight in addition to said plate, said means securing said scabbling piston assemblies to said plate and said means for interconnecting said assemblies with a source of air secured to the upper end portions of the cylinders of said scabbling piston and cylinder assemblies for opposing the upward forces of said pistons during reciprocation thereof.

Claim 10

Scabbling apparatus as set forth in claim 7 wherein said frame has openings therethrough for the free passage of said reciprocable pistons therethrough.

Claim 11

Scabbling apparatus as set forth in claim 7 further comprising a skid plate secured to the bottom of said frame, said skid plate having openings therethrough for the passage of said bits.

Claim 12

Scabbling apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a perforate skirt encircling at least part of said frame and extending downwardly from said frame a distance sufficient to engage a surface being scabbled during reciprocation of said pistons, said skirt encircling said bits.

Claim 13

Scabbling apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said handle comprises an air manifold, a manually operable air valve connected to said manifold for controlled supply of air to said manifold and means for interconnecting said valve with a source of air under a pressure above atmospheric pressure and wherein said means for interconnecting said assemblies with a source of air comprises a plurality of air hoses, each of said hoses extending from said manifold to respective ones of said assemblies.

Claim 14

Scabbling apparatus as set forth in claim 10 wherein the weight of said apparatus is selected in relation to the upward forces applied thereto by said pistons, when said pistons are reciprocating and said bits engage a surface to be scabbled, so that said apparatus is supported by said bits and said ski plate moves away from said surface.

Claim 15

Scabbling apparatus as set forth in claim 6 wherein said wheels are disposed with respect to said frame so that with said pistons and said bits reciprocating and in contact with a surface to be scabbled, said wheels are out of contact with said surface.

Claim 16

Scabbling apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said angle is 60°.

Claim 17

Scabbling apparatus as set forth in claim 10 wherein said skid plate has a central opening therethrough below said vacuum hose connector and has grooves extending from said openings to said central opening for the removal of debris from adjacent said bits.

Claim 18

Scabbling apparatus comprising: a frame having a forward end, a rearward end, an upper surface, a lower surface, a pair of opposed side surfaces and a plurality of spaced openings therethrough; a plurality of guides extending upwardly from the upper surface of said frame and having their lower ends secured to said frame; a plate disposed above said upper surface, said plate having openings therethrough receiving said guides and being free to slide vertically on said guides; a plurality of pneumatically operable scabbling piston and cylinder assemblies having cylinders, reciprocable pistons and scabbling bits, said cylinders being secured to said plate and out-of-contact with said frame, with one of said cylinders nearer the forward end of said frame than others thereof and with the pistons thereof extending through respective ones of said openings on said frame, said pistons having a size smaller than said openings in said frame to permit the free passage of said pistons through said openings and said scabbling bits being disposed below said lower surface of said frame; a handle secured to said frame and extending upwardly and rearwardly of said frame for manually moving said apparatus over a surface to be scabbled; means for interconnecting said assemblies with a source of air supplying air at a pressure above atmospheric pressure for supplying such air to said assemblies for reciprocating said pistons; and a tubular vacuum hose connector for receiving a vacuum hose extending from a source of vacuum, said connector extending at least to the bottom of said frame with the bottom end of said connector disposed adjacent to said assemblies for vacuum removal of dust created by operation of said assemblies in a scabbling operation.

Claim 19

Scabbling apparatus comprising: a frame having a forward end, a rearward end, an upper surface, a lower surface, a pair of opposed side surfaces and a plurality of spaced openings therethrough; a plurality of guides extending upwardly from the upper surface of said frame and having their lower ends secured to said frame; a plate disposed above said upper surface, said plate having openings therethrough receiving said guides and being free to slide vertically on said guides; a plurality of pneumatically operable scabbling piston and cylinder assemblies having cylinders, reciprocable pistons and scabbling bits, said cylinders being secured to said plate and out-of-contact with said frame, with one of said cylinders nearer the forward end of said frame than others thereof and with the pistons thereof extending through respective ones of said openings on said frame, said pistons having a size smaller than said openings in said frame to permit the free passage of said pistons through said openings and said scabbling bits being disposed below said lower surface of said frame; a handle secured to said frame and extending upwardly and rearwardly of said frame for manually moving said apparatus over a surface to be scabbled; means for interconnecting said assemblies with a source of air supplying air at a pressure above atmospheric pressure for supplying such air to said assemblies for reciprocating said pistons; and a tubular vacuum hose connector for receiving a vacuum hose extending from a source of vacuum, said connector extending at least to the bottom of said frame with the bottom end of said connector disposed adjacent to said assemblies for vacuum removal of dust created by operation of said assemblies in a scabbling operation.

Claim 20

Scabbling apparatus as set forth in claim 17 further comprising a weight connected to said plate for opposing upward movement thereof, said weight being selected to cause said plate and said assemblies to be supported by said bits with reciprocation of said pistons and thereby, reduce the weight on said frame.