Digging Frozen Ground with a Ripper Bucket

Abstract

To improve the digging capability of small excavators and backhoes in hard and frozen ground, a bucket of special design was selected from among a variety of attachments. This bucket cuts and rips the frozen ground, as lip teeth and a set of staggered teeth attached to the back of the bucket move through an arc during bucket rotation. Digging observations were made using a small mini-excavator and an Army tractor (SEE) with a rear-mounted backhoe. Frozen ground was excavated at several sites under impossible conditions for a conventional bucket. A large variation in excavation rates (3 to 30 cu. yd/hr(2. 3 to 23 cu. m/hr)) was observed, depending on material type, frost thickness, sharpness of the cutters and operator experience.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 1992
Accession Number
ADA254304

Entities

People

  • Bruce E. Brockett
  • Paul V. Sellmann

Organizations

  • Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force Facilities
  • Cold Regions
  • Concrete
  • Construction
  • Engineering
  • Engineers
  • Excavation
  • Geometry
  • Low Temperature
  • Materials
  • New Hampshire
  • Observation
  • Regions
  • Rotation
  • Sharpness
  • Standards
  • Thickness

Readers

  • Geotechnical Engineering.
  • Logistics and Supply Chain Management.