The present disclosure relates to a cutting rotor associated with a machine and, more particularly, to a rotor having an adjustable pitch for milling applications.
Machines, such as cold planers, rotary mixers, and other milling machines, are used for scarifying, removing, mixing, or reclaiming material from surfaces such as, grounds, roadbeds, and the like. Such machines include a rotor enclosed within a rotor chamber. The rotor includes a cylindrical shell member and a number of cutting assemblies mounted on the shell member. When the machine is performing a cutting operation, cutting bits of the cutting assemblies impact the surface and break it apart. Thus, the cutting assemblies are arranged to cut the surface and to leave a milled surface that meets a known texture requirement. Another function of the cutting assemblies is to form an auger that moves material within the rotor chamber to a central area of the rotor chamber from where it can be moved by a conveyor to a truck. U.S. Publ. Appl. No. 2018/0328174 describes a cold planer milling machine having a rotor with a cylindrical shell member with cutting bits extending from an outer surface that impact and cut a surface over which the machine travels.
Departments of transportation around the world have different requirements for finished road texture after the road has been milled. In many instances, the differences are based on whether the road will be opened or closed to traffic prior to repaving the road. In other instances, a very coarse cut profile is all that is required. For a given mill crew, the different job requirements are encountered on a monthly, weekly or even daily basis. To meet the varying job requirements, the mill crews have different rotors on hand that match the various job requirements. The additional rotors constitute additional capital investment that sits idle until needed to meet specific job requirements, and then additional time and labor is required to swap in the required rotor for the rotor currently installed on the machine.
In one aspect of the present disclosure, a rotor for a milling machine is disclosed. The rotor may include an inner drum having a hollow cylindrical shape and an inner drum outer surface, and an outer shell. The outer shell may include a first outer shell portion with a first set of drum cutting assemblies having first cutting bits extending outward from a first shell portion outer surface, wherein each of the first cutting bits is longitudinally spaced from longitudinally adjacent first cutting bits by a pitch distance, and a second outer shell portion with a second set of drum cutting assemblies having second cutting bits extending outward from a second shell portion outer surface, wherein each of the second cutting bits is longitudinally spaced from longitudinally adjacent second cutting bits by the pitch distance. When the first outer shell portion and the second outer shell portion are mounted to the inner drum outer surface in a first pitch configuration, each of the first cutting bits may be longitudinally aligned with a corresponding one of the second cutting bits such that first grooves milled in a work surface by the rotor are spaced by the pitch distance, and, when the first outer shell portion and the second outer shell portion are mounted to the inner drum outer surface in a second pitch configuration, each of the first cutting bits may be longitudinally spaced from longitudinally adjacent second cutting bits by one-half of the pitch distance such that second grooves milled in the work surface by the rotor are spaced by one-half of the pitch distance.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, an adjustable pitch rotor for a milling machine is disclosed. The adjustable pitch rotor may include an inner drum having a hollow cylindrical shape and an inner drum outer surface, an outer shell, and a shell adjustment mechanism. The outer shell may include a first outer shell portion disposed on the inner drum outer surface and having a first set of drum cutting assemblies having first cutting bits extending outward from a first shell portion outer surface, wherein each of the first cutting bits is longitudinally spaced from longitudinally adjacent first cutting bits by a pitch distance, and a second outer shell portion disposed on the inner drum outer surface and having a second set of drum cutting assemblies having second cutting bits extending outward from a second shell portion outer surface, wherein each of the second cutting bits is longitudinally spaced from longitudinally adjacent second cutting bits by the pitch distance. The shell adjustment mechanism may engage the first outer shell portion and the second outer shell portion and may be operable to move the first outer shell portion and the second outer shell portion longitudinally relative to each other. When the shell adjustment mechanism moves the first outer shell portion and the second outer shell portion to a first pitch configuration, each of the first cutting bits may be longitudinally aligned with a corresponding one of the second cutting bits such that first grooves milled in a work surface by the adjustable pitch rotor are spaced by the pitch distance, and, when the shell adjustment mechanism moves the first outer shell portion and the second outer shell portion to a second pitch configuration, each of the first cutting bits may be longitudinally spaced from longitudinally adjacent second cutting bits by one-half of the pitch distance such that second grooves milled in the work surface by the adjustable pitch rotor are spaced by one-half of the pitch distance.
In a further aspect of the present disclosure, an adjustable pitch rotor for a milling machine is disclosed. The adjustable pitch rotor may have a longitudinal axis and may include an inner drum having a hollow cylindrical shape and an inner drum outer surface, a first drum flange having an annular shape and extending radially outward from the inner drum outer surface at a first drum end, a second drum flange having the annular shape and extending radially outward from the inner drum outer surface at a second drum end, and an outer shell. The outer shell may include a first outer shell portion disposed on the inner drum outer surface and having a first set of drum cutting assemblies having first cutting bits extending outward from a first shell portion outer surface, wherein each of the first cutting bits is longitudinally spaced from longitudinally adjacent first cutting bits by a pitch distance, and a second outer shell portion disposed on the inner drum outer surface and having a second set of drum cutting assemblies having second cutting bits extending outward from a second shell portion outer surface, wherein each of the second cutting bits is longitudinally spaced from longitudinally adjacent second cutting bits by the pitch distance. The adjustable pitch rotor may further include a first end ring mounted on the first drum flange and extending axially inward past the first drum flange and overlaying first outer edges of the first outer shell portion and the second outer shell portion, and a second end ring mounted on the second drum flange and extending axially inward past the first drum flange and overlaying second outer edges of the first outer shell portion and the second outer shell portion. The first drum flange and the second drum flange may extend radially outward from the inner drum outer surface by a flange radial length that is at least equal to an outer shell radial thickness so that the first drum flange and the second drum flange engage lateral edges of the first outer shell portion and the second outer shell portion to limit longitudinal movement of the first outer shell portion and the second outer shell portion along the inner drum outer surface. When the first outer shell portion and the second outer shell portion are mounted to the inner drum outer surface in a first pitch configuration, each of the first cutting bits may be longitudinally aligned with a corresponding one of the second cutting bits such that first grooves milled in a work surface by the adjustable pitch rotor are spaced by the pitch distance, and, when the first outer shell portion and the second outer shell portion are mounted to the inner drum outer surface in a second pitch configuration, each of the first cutting bits may be longitudinally spaced from longitudinally adjacent second cutting bits by one-half of the pitch distance such that second grooves milled in the work surface by the adjustable pitch rotor are spaced by one-half of the pitch distance.
Additional aspects are defined by the claims of this patent.
The machine 10 may have a front end 16 and a rear end 18. The front end 16 of the machine 10 may have a front drive assembly 20 and the rear end 18 may have a rear drive assembly 22. Each of the front drive assembly 20 and the rear drive assembly 22 may include a pair of tracks 24. The tracks 24 may be driven by a hydraulic system of the machine 10. Alternatively, the machine 10 may include wheels or other ground engaging technology (not shown) for propelling the machine 10 over a work surface 26. The machine 10 may also include an operator platform 28 with machine control devices for controlling the operation of the machine 10. When the machine 10 is embodied as a manual or semi-autonomous machine, an operator of the machine 10 may sit or stand at the operator platform 28 to operate the machine 10.
The machine 10 may further include a rotor chamber 30 positioned between the front drive assembly 20 and the rear drive assembly 22. The rotor chamber 30 may provide an enclosed space defined by a first side plate 32 and a second side plate (not shown) disposed on a right side and a left side of the machine 10, respectively. A rotor 34 rotatably coupled to the frame 12 lies within the rotor chamber 30. The rotor 34 is positioned between the first side plate 32 and the second side plate. In one example, the rotor 34 is embodied as a height adjustable rotor.
As shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, the cutting assemblies 42 are spirally arranged on the outer shell 36. More particularly, the cutting assemblies 42 on the left side of the rotor 34 as shown are arranged in a clockwise spiral starting from the first end 46 of the rotor 34, whereas the cutting assemblies 42 on the right side of the rotor 34 are arranged in a counter-clockwise spiral starting from the second end 50 of the rotor 34. This arrangement of the cutting assemblies 42 allows movement of removed material to a central portion of the rotor 34 from where the removed material can be moved by a conveyor 60 (
The cutting assemblies 42 will be arranged on the outer shell 36 to cut the work surface 26 and produce a milled surface that meets a prescribed texture requirement. The texture requirement corresponding to the configuration of the rotor 34 may be expressed as a pitch, which is a center-to-center distance between longitudinally adjacent cutting bits 58 and between grooves milled into the work surface 26, and a number of cutting bits 58 that cut into the work surface 26 to form each groove during each 360° rotation of the rotor 34. Consequently, a rotor configuration having a pitch of 30 mm and two cutting bits 58 longitudinally aligned to cut each groove may be expressed as a 30×2 configuration. A rotor configuration having a pitch of 15 mm and one cutting bit 58 cutting each groove may be expressed as a 15×1 configuration. Other rotor configurations with varying pitches and aligned cutting bits 58 are used, but previously-known rotors are limited to a single configuration.
The rotor 34 in accordance with the present disclosure is capable of being adjusted to two or more pitch configurations without removing the rotor 34 from the machine 10, thereby reducing the frequency of replacing the rotor 34 with a different rotor configured specifically for a particular finished road texture.
In
While the rotor 34 as illustrated is adjustable to have two pitch configurations, those skilled in the art will appreciate that adjustable pitch rotors 34 having more than two pitch configurations may be implemented. For example, the outer shell 36 may be divided into three or more outer shell portions. With three outer shell portions, a rotor 34 may have three pitch configurations: 1) a dP×3 configuration with grooves spaced by the pitch distance dP each cut by three cutting bits 58; 2) a dP/3×1 configuration with grooves spaced by one-third of the pitch distance dP each cut by one cutting bit 58; and 3) a dP/2×½ configuration with grooves spaced by one-half of the pitch distance dP and alternating between being cut by one or two cutting bits 58. Further alternative implementations of the adjustable pitch rotor 34 with varying numbers of outer shell portions and pitch configurations are contemplated by the inventor.
As a further alternative, instead of being split into the outer shell portions 38, 40 by a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis 62, the outer shell 36 may be divided into two half outer shell portions by a 45° plane that runs 360° around the rotor 34. In such an implementation, pitch adjustment may be performed by spinning the first outer shell portion relative to the second outer shell portion. Due to the split plane at the 45° angle, the spinning of the outer shell portions 38, 40 relative to each other would cause longitudinal movement that would change the longitudinal spacing of the cutting bits 58 in a similar manner as discussed above for the illustrated embodiment to create first and second pitch configurations.
The inner drum outer surface 72 has a complimentary shape to a first shell inner surface 78 and a second shell inner surface 80 of the outer shell portions 38, 40, respectively. As shown, the surfaces 72, 78, 80 may be cylindrical with an outer diameter of the inner drum outer surface 72 being slightly smaller than an inner diameter of the shell inner surface 78, 80 to minimize any radial gaps and relative radial movement between the surfaces 72, 78, 80. In alternative embodiments, the surfaces 72, 78, 80 may have complimentary non-cylindrical shapes, such as ovoid or elliptical shapes, to produce engagement between the surfaces 72, 78, 80 that will prevent circumferential rotation of the outer shell portions 38, 40 relative to the inner drum 70 when the rotor 34 is operated to cut the work surface 26.
To facilitate adjustment of the outer shell portions 38, 40 as discussed above, the drum flanges 74, 76 are longitudinally spaced apart by a flange distance dF that is greater than a shell portion longitudinal width wSP of the outer shell portions 38, 40 as shown in the schematic cross-sectional view of
Returning to
The end rings 44, 48 and the drum flanges 74, 76 may be configured to assist in retaining the outer shell portions 38, 40 around the inner drum 70 while allowing adjustment between the pitch configurations. Each of the end rings 44, 48 may include a ring end wall 90 having an annular shape, and a ring cylinder guard 92 having an annular shape and extending longitudinally inward from the ring end wall 90. As shown in
In some implementations, the rotor 34 may be outfitted with multiple sets of end rings 44, 48, with each set of end rings 44, 48 having the ring cutting assemblies 52 positioned to correspond to one of the pitch configurations of the rotor 34 so that the pitch of the grooves formed by the ring cutting assemblies 52 at either end of the rotor 34 matches the pitch of the grooves formed by the drum cutting assemblies 42 in the particular pitch configuration. If necessary, the end rings 44, 48 may be split into multiple segments to reduce weight and allow for one or more end ring segments to be swapped while the remaining end ring segments remain secured to the drum flanges 74, 76 to engage and retain the outer shell portions 38, 40. Alternative attachment mechanisms for either temporary or permanent attachment of the end rings 44, 48 to the drum flanges 74, 76 to meet requirements for a particular implementation of the adjustable pitch rotor 34 are contemplated.
In some implementations, the outer shell portions 38, 40 may be moved manually between the pitch configurations. In one embodiment, the rotor 34 may include a locking mechanism (not shown) that may be locked to hold the outer shell portions 38, 40 in one of the pitch configurations, unlocked or released to allow the outer shell portions 38, 40 to move to the another pitch configurations, and then relocked to secure the outer shell portions 38, 40 in the new pitch configuration. The locking mechanism may be any appropriate apparatus that is capable of being engaged and disengaged to alternately lock and unlock the outer shell portions 38, 40.
In alternative embodiments, the rotor 34 may include a shell adjustment mechanism that is operable to move the outer shell portions 38, 40 between the pitch configurations. One embodiment of a shell adjustment mechanism 100 is illustrated in
With this arrangement, the racks 104, 106 will slide longitudinally when the pinion gear 102 rotates in either direction to slide the outer shell portions 38, 40 between the pitch configurations. In some embodiments, the pinion gear 102 may be rotated manually via a wrench or appropriate linkage that may be accessible through one of the ends 46, 50 of the rotor 34. In other embodiments, the shell adjustment mechanism 100 may include an automated drive mechanism such as a pneumatic cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, a solenoid or the like that is operatively connected to the pinion gear 102 and may be actuated to drive the pinion gear 102 in either direction. Base ends of the drive mechanisms may be rigidly connected to the inner drum inner surface 108 to drive the shell adjustment mechanism 100, and gearbox coolant may be stored in a reservoir within the inner drum 70. The shell adjustment mechanism 100 may further include a locking mechanism that may be engaged to secure the rotor 34 in either of the pitch configurations.
The shell adjustment mechanism 100 is exemplary of shell adjustment mechanisms that may be implemented in the rotor 34 to move the outer shell portions 38, 40. Alternative shell adjustment mechanisms that may be installed within the inner drum 70 are contemplated by the inventor. Additionally, shell adjustment mechanisms may be implemented that are installed between the outer shell 36 and the inner drum 70. The configurations of the outer shell 36 and the inner drum 70 may be adjusted to provide a gap between the inner drum outer surface 72 and the shell portion inner surfaces 78, 80. In other implementations, adjustment mechanism recesses may be formed in the inner drum outer surface 72 to receive the shell adjustment mechanism while maintaining a close fit between the shell portions 38, 40 and the inner drum 70. In these implementations, the shell adjustment mechanism may be disposed proximate the intersection of the shell portions 38, 40 to engage both shell portions 38, 40 to move between the pitch configurations when the shell adjustment mechanism is actuated.
The adjustable pitch rotor 34 in accordance with the present disclosure eliminates at least part of the requirement to have multiple cutting rotors to create different finished road textures by providing a single rotor 34 that can be switched between multiple available pitch configurations. In one embodiment illustrated herein, the single rotor 34 can be switched from a dP×2 configuration to a dP/2×1 configuration, and back to the dP×2 configuration. The switching action can be performed with the adjustable pitch rotor 34 installed on the machine 10. Adjustment of the rotor 34 between the pitch configurations can be performed manually via a shell adjustment mechanism such as the rack-and-pinion adjustment mechanism 100 illustrated and described herein, or automated using hydraulic cylinders, power actuators or other powered devices. Use of the adjustable pitch rotor 34 in milling applications can reduce the inventory of rotors and capital requirements of the machine owner through the versatility of the adjustable pitch rotors 34, while also reducing the time and labor that would be required to swap rotors for each different finished road texture that may be required across multiple jobs and departments of transportation for which the milling machine 10 may be used.
While the preceding text sets forth a detailed description of numerous different embodiments, it should be understood that the legal scope of protection is defined by the words of the claims set forth at the end of this patent. The detailed description is to be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possible embodiment since describing every possible embodiment would be impractical, if not impossible. Numerous alternative embodiments could be implemented, using either current technology or technology developed after the filing date of this patent, which would still fall within the scope of the claims defining the scope of protection.
It should also be understood that, unless a term was expressly defined herein, there is no intent to limit the meaning of that term, either expressly or by implication, beyond its plain or ordinary meaning, and such term should not be interpreted to be limited in scope based on any statement made in any section of this patent (other than the language of the claims). To the extent that any term recited in the claims at the end of this patent is referred to herein in a manner consistent with a single meaning, that is done for sake of clarity only so as to not confuse the reader, and it is not intended that such claim term be limited, by implication or otherwise, to that single meaning.