Patent Application
20240337076
The present disclosure relates generally to asphalt compactors, and more particularly, to edge compaction wheels for asphalt compactors.
A variety of different machines are known and widely used for compacting a substrate of material such as paving material and various types of soil. In the context of paving systems, compactors are typically either equipped with metallic cylindrical drums, or pneumatic compacting elements formed from rubber or rubber-like materials. A common practice for certain paving endeavors is to employ both drum compactors and pneumatic compactors in a single paving train.
A drum or asphalt compactor typically follows behind a paver and “breaks down” paving material placed by the paver upon a sub-grade, performing an initial treatment to render the paving material suitable for subsequent work. A pneumatic compactor may follow behind the leading compactor and performs what is often described as “kneading” of the paving material, to mix and homogenize the paving material in preparation for finishing with another asphalt compactor.
It is well known in the art to install an edge forming or compaction tool on a compactor to form an edge in a mat of paved material, for example, asphalt. The edge forming tool may be mounted to a frame of the compactor and may include an edge cutting tool or an edge roller depending on specific requirements of an application.
Specific requirements of a particular application may vary (e.g., mat thickness), thus, a paving crew may change out edge compaction tools, such as different size edge compaction wheels, to best suit the particular application. It is envisioned that a modular edge compaction wheel may provide ease to a paving crew and/or operator in changing the desired size of the edge forming tool and reduce the amount of edge forming tools needing transport to job sites.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate various exemplary embodiments and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.
In some embodiments, the compactor 100 is a vibratory asphalt compactor. The compactor 100 is configured to compact and finish an asphalt/bitumen mixture for paving a road surface. The compactor 100 may also be configured to finish the edges of the paved road surface. It should be noted that the compactor 100 may include any other industrial machine including, but not limited to, a large mining truck, an articulated truck and an off-highway truck. In other embodiments, the compactor 100 may be one of various types of machinery used in a number of industries such as mining, agriculture, construction, forestry, waste management, and material handling, among others.
The compactor 100 may include an enclosure on the frame 102 for housing a power source. The power source may be any internal combustion engine known in the art powered by a fuel including, but not limited to, gasoline, diesel, natural gas and/or a combination thereof. In other embodiments, the power source may include power storage devices like batteries, an electric motor, and so on. The power source is configured to provide power to the compactor 100 for mobility and/or other operational needs. The enclosure may also house various other components required for operational control of the compactor 100 including, but not limited to, electrical and/or electronic components, hydraulic and/or pneumatic components.
A front drum 104 and a rear drum 106 may be coupled to the frame 102 as a pair of rotatable compacting elements and/or ground engaging members for mobility. In some embodiments, the front drum 104 and/or rear drum 106 may be replaced by wheels, as shown in
The front drum 104 defines a cylindrical cavity extending axially therethrough. The cylindrical cavity houses a steering shaft 114 having a longitudinal axis X-X′. The steering shaft 114 is connected to the frame 102 by means of a pivotable steering bracket. During operation of the compactor 100, the steering shaft 114 is configured to remain stationary while the front drum 104 rotates about the longitudinal axis X-X′ of the steering shaft 114. Thus, the longitudinal axis X-X′ is the axis of rotation for the front drum 104.
The compactor 100 further includes an edge forming assembly 120, shown in
As seen in
The activating mechanism 325 may be controlled remotely and/or configured to be controlled directly by a work machine (e.g., compactor) to which the edge forming assembly 320 is attached. In some embodiments, the position of the edge compaction wheel mount 331 (e.g., degree of raised and/or lowered) may be detected (e.g., via a rotary encoder) and communicated by the edge forming assembly 320.
If forming edges at greater depths is desired, an attachment fastener 433 may connect a modular edge compaction wheel attachment 434 to the modular edge compaction wheel base 432. In some embodiments, the combination of the modular edge compaction wheel base 432 and the modular edge compaction wheel attachment 434 is configured to form edges of substrates at depths between about 2 inches and about 4 inches, for example.
The abutting faces of the modular edge compaction wheel base 432 and the modular edge compaction wheel attachment 434 may be shaped to engage with each other. Other nesting arrangements are possible. In some embodiments, interfacial engagements may aid in distributing torque and/or other loads.
If forming edges at even greater depths, a supplemental attachment fastener 435 may couple a modular edge compaction wheel supplemental attachment 436 to the modular edge compaction wheel attachment 434. In some embodiments, the combination of the modular edge compaction wheel base 432, the modular edge compaction wheel attachment 434, and the modular edge compaction wheel supplemental attachment 436 is configured to form edges of substrates at depths between about 4 inches and about 6 inches, for example.
The modular edge compaction wheel supplemental attachment 436 may include a supplemental attachment alignment feature 437, such as a bore hole shaped to fit over the attachment fastener 433 that may project out from the face of the modular edge compaction wheel attachment 434 when fastened to the modular edge compaction wheel base 432. Any of the sections of the modular edge compaction wheel assembly 430 may include such alignment features for correctly orienting fastening holes or other formations between the sections.
The modular edge compaction wheel assembly 430 may include other sections configured for different depths and/or different edge shapes.
In some embodiments, modular edge compaction wheel assembly may be configured into various types of edge forming tools (e.g., cutters, pressers, scorers) for forming desired edge shapes and/or profiles.
The various aspects of the edge forming assemblies and/or modular edge compaction wheel assemblies of the present disclosure may be used in any compacting machine or other work machine to assist in forming a variety of edges on a substrate (e.g., asphalt mat). By adapting an edge compaction wheel assembly to be modular, any desired edge can be constructed by combining, adding, and/or removing sections, rather than having to change out an entire edge forming tool on the same mounting apparatus. Advantageously, the modularity of the modular edge compaction wheel assembly allows for fewer edge forming tools, and thus less weight, that have to be hauled to a jobsite.
Before the addition and/or removal of one or more sections of the modular edge compaction wheel assembly, the activating mechanism of the edge forming assembly may be activated to raise the edge compaction wheel mount to enable easier access. After the addition and/or removal of one or more sections of the modular edge compaction wheel assembly, the activating mechanism may be activated to lower the edge compaction wheel mount to the appropriate operating height. Activation of the activating mechanism may be automatic and/or remotely controlled via an operator input, mobile and/or fixed on or near the edge forming assembly.
In some embodiments, the edge forming assembly system may include sensors for detecting which sections of the modular edge compaction wheel assembly are currently installed. In this way, the system may automatically adjust settings or operation to compensate for the particular sections detected. In some embodiments, the compactor and/or other system may be able to detect the thickness of the substrate (e.g., asphalt mat) on which the edge is to be formed by the edge forming assembly. By detecting changes in substrate thickness, the compactor and/or other system may prompt for and/or automatically stop edge forming to allow for adding and/or removing sections of the modular edge compaction wheel assembly to appropriately match the substrate thickness.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed machine without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Other embodiments of the machine will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the modular edge compaction wheel assemblies for compactors disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.
