Patent Application
20210131047
The present disclosure relates generally to milling machines and more specifically to cold planers.
In order to repair and resurface pavement such as on roads and in parking lots, the prior surface must often be removed. This is typically achieved by use of a heavy-duty milling machine known as a cold planer. A cold planer cuts the top layer of paving material with a rotating cutting drum having a plurality of radially extending cutting teeth arranged around the circumference of the cutting drum. The cutting drum rotates against the prior road surface and the cutting teeth dig into and tear apart the paved surface. The rotation of the drum also deposits the cut paving material onto a conveyor system which in turn conveys the cut paving material to a truck or similar haul vehicle for disposal.
During the above described milling process, airborne dust is produced as large and small pieces of cut material are forcefully created and tossed around by the cutting drum. This represents a potential issue with decreased air quality in the vicinity of the operator. Many cold planers have some form of dust mitigation, such as ventilation systems that create a vacuum to draw the dust away from the cutting drum and the operator. Many of these ventilation systems exhaust into the conveyor system. However, when dust is added to the conveyor system, it typically remains airborne dust. At the conveyor exit, depending on weather conditions, this airborne dust can be blown back towards the operator.
The prior art has failed to adequately address this issue. US Patent Application No. 2017/350080A1 to Hirman et al. discloses a cold planer ventilation system which utilizes a settling box and a fan to draw dust from the cutting drum and exhaust the dust into the conveyor system. However, further improvements may still be available.
According to one aspect of the disclosure, a dust mitigation system for a cold planer is disclosed. The dust mitigation system may include the following components: a cutting drum; a conveyor system proximate to the cutting drum and adapted to collect cut paving material from the cutting drum and convey the cut paving material to a conveyor system exit; a fan proximate the conveyor system and directing dust from the cutting drum to the conveyor system; a conduit having a first end positioned in the cutting chamber and a second end proximate the fan; a water source; and a conveyor spray nozzle located between the fan and the conveyor system exit and adapted to communicate water from the water source on to the conveyor system such that the dust directed from the fan to the conveyor system is blown through the water.
According to another aspect of the disclosure, a cold planer machine is disclosed. The cold planer machine may include the following components: a frame; an engine; traction devices; an operator cab; a cutting drum; a conveyor system proximate to the cutting drum and adapted to collect cut paving material from the cutting drum and convey the cut paving material to a conveyor system exit; a fan proximate the conveyor system and directing dust from the cutting drum to the conveyor system; a conduit having a first end positioned in the cutting chamber and a second end proximate the fan; a water source; and a conveyor spray nozzle located between the fan and the conveyor system exit and adapted to communicate water from the water source on to the conveyor system such that the dust directed from the fan to the conveyor system is blown through the water
According to yet another aspect of the disclosure, a method for dust mitigation is disclosed. The method may comprise: creating dust while cutting paving material with a cutting system of the cold planer; collecting the dust with a conduit; conveying the dust through the conduit using a fan; discharging the dust from the conduit onto a conveyor system; and spraying the dust on the conveyor system with a water spray from a spray nozzle.
These and other aspects and features of the present disclosure will be more readily understood after reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Referring now to the drawings, and with specific reference to
As shown in
The cold planer 100 also includes a cutting system 120. The cutting system 120 includes a hood 122 disposed beneath the frame 104, a cutting drum 124, and a plurality of cutting tools 126. The hood 122 may partially enclose the cutting drum 124 and defines a cutting chamber 128. The cutting drum 124 may receive power from the engine 106. The cutting drum 124 has a central axis 130 about which the cutting drum 124 rotates, and an outer circumference 132.
When provided with power, the cutting drum 124 rotates about the central axis 130 within the cutting chamber 128. The plurality of cutting tools 126 may be disposed around and radially extend from the outer circumference 132 of the cutting drum 124. The plurality of cutting tools 126, also referred to as bits, are configured to cut the paved surface 102 as is known in the art. More specifically, as the cutting drum 124 rotates, the plurality of cutting tools 126 make repeated contact with the paved surface 102, breaking the surface 102 into pieces 103 and transporting the pieces 103 to a conveyor system 140. The height of the cutting drum 124 may be adjusted to remove a specific depth of material by raising or lowering the cold planer 100 with the hydraulic legs 110. In one embodiment, the cutting system 120 may be adjusted to remove between 1 and 13 inches of material, but of course, such dimensions are merely exemplary and other depths are possible.
In order to collect paving material produced during breaking up of the paved surface 102 by the cutting drum 126, a conveyor system 140 is provided on the cold planer 100. The conveyor system 140 transports the collected material to a conveyor system exit 142 which deposits the material into a discharge location, such as a bed of a transport vehicle 144, which may be a haul truck, or any other type of transport vehicle known in the art.
As subsets of the conveyor system 140, a pickup conveyor 146 and a discharge conveyor 148 may be provided as explained below. The pickup conveyor 146 and the discharge conveyor 148 converge at a conveyor transfer chamber 150. The pickup conveyor 146 is configured to collect paving material from the cutting drum 124 and transport the material to the discharge conveyor 148. The discharge conveyor 148 is configured to collect the material from the exit of the pickup conveyor 128 in the conveyor transfer chamber 150 and transport the material to the conveyor system exit 142. In various embodiments, the discharge conveyor 148 may be hydraulically movable relative to the pickup conveyor 146 in a vertical and/or a horizontal direction so as to adjust the discharge conveyor 148 relative to the desired discharge location 144.
In order to cool the cutting system and further mitigate dust, the cold planar 100 also includes a water system 180. The water system 180 includes a water tank 182 positioned on the frame 104 proximate to the cutting drum 124 and conveyor system 140. The tank 182 is configured to hold a predetermined amount of water and provide water to water nozzles 186,188 via a water pump 184. In various embodiments, some of the water nozzles 186 may be directed towards the cutting chamber 128 to prevent overheating of the cutting drum 124 and cutting tools 126 and/or reduce dust.
In a significant departure from the prior art, the present disclosure further provides at least one of the water nozzles 186 as a conveyor spray nozzle 188, positioned to spray into the discharge conveyor 148. In so doing, the water system 180 facilitates containment of the dust generated by the cold planer 100 and mitigates the volume of dust released to the ambient air. More specifically, the water engages the dust and weighs the dust down to the conveyor 148 so as to deter the dust becoming airborne. The conveyor spray nozzles 188 are positioned between the fan exhaust 172 and the conveyor system exit 142. The conveyor spray nozzles 188 are configured such that the discharging dust is blown through the water spray as it enters the discharge conveyor 148. In various embodiments, the spray nozzles 188 may be positioned at the fan exhaust 172. In other embodiments, the spray nozzles 188 may be positioned at the conveyor system exit 142.
Depending on the size of the cold planer involved, the material being cut, and weather conditions, it may be desirable to adjust the volume of water or spread diameter of the water spray being generated by the nozzles. Accordingly, a width 190 of the water plume 192 generated by the conveyor spray nozzles 188 can be provided in a range of dimensions. For example, in one embodiment, the conveyor spray nozzles 152 may have a 120-degree fan spray. Moreover, the water flow rate may vary as necessary to most effectively contain the dust. In one embodiment the water flow rate may range from 0.35-0.77 GPM. Of course, other types of nozzles and other flow rates are possible.
In operation, the disclosed dust mitigation system and method may be used with cold planers and other similar milling machines in which control of dust is desired. Among other advantages, the system removes airborne dust from the exit of the discharge conveyor which may otherwise be blown towards the machine operator. As a result, the air quality in the vicinity of the operator may be improved.
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.
