PAVERS, IN PARTICULAR SLIPFORM PAVERS

Abstract

A machine frame is supported by running gears. A slipform is supported from the machine frame. A material distributor has a distributor element arranged in front of the slipform in the working direction. The distributor includes a distributor arm having at least two boom components articulated to one another, wherein the lower part of the distributor arm is pivotably fastened to the machine frame about a first axis substantially parallel with respect to the working plane of the paver, and the distributor element is pivotably fastened to the upper part of the distributor arm about a further axis substantially parallel with respect to the working plane of the paver. The distributor arm allows the distributor element to move in front of the slipform by pivoting movements of the at least two boom components in order to distribute the material to be laid over the working width of the paver.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to German Patent Application Ser. No. DE 10 2023 130 345.7 filed Nov. 2, 2023, which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Field of the Disclosure

The disclosure relates to a paver, in particular a slipform paver, comprising a machine frame supported by running gears and a laying device for laying material.

Description of the Prior Art

Pavers are used for the laying of unbound and bound layers, such as asphalt or concrete. Slipform pavers, which have a slipform, are used for the laying of concrete surfaces.

Known slipform pavers allow for particularly economical concrete laying. The concrete to be laid is deposited immediately in front of the slipform paver or transported in front of the paver from the side via a conveyor belt. In order to evenly distribute the concrete across the entire laying width, the slipform paver can possess a distributor device, such as a distributor blade or a distributor auger. After distribution, the concrete is homogeneously compacted using electric or hydraulic vibrators. The slipform then shapes the concrete slab to a defined width and thickness while moving forward.

Slipform pavers are known, for example, from DE 10 2011 101 944 A1, DE 10 2006 010 793 A1 (U.S. Pat. No. 7,311,465) and WO 2012/155904 A2.

In practice, the problem arises of evenly distributing a sufficient amount of material, such as concrete, for laying perpendicular to the working direction of the paver. In general, the material is unloaded from the side in front of the paver by an excavator or delivered by truck and dumped in front of the paver in the working direction. It is unavoidable that individual accumulations will form, and therefore the material must be evenly distributed across the entire working width.

EP 3 702 532 B1 (U.S. Pat. No. 11,585,050) describes a paver with a distributor device for distributing the material to be laid in a direction extending transversely to the working direction, which distributor device is arranged in front of the laying device in the working direction. The paver is provided with a front monitoring device which is configured to generate height profile data or signals that describe the height profile of the material deposited in front of the distributor device. In addition, a control device is provided which interacts with the monitoring device and controls the distributor device such that the material is transported from a portion in which the height of the material is greater than a target height to a portion in which the height of the material is smaller than the target height.

DE 10 2011 101 944 A1 describes a paver, in particular a slipform paver, which has a carriage which is fastened to the machine frame with a linear guide such that the carriage can be moved in a direction extending transversely to the working direction of the paver. Two distributor blades pivotable about a horizontal axis are fastened to the carriage and are arranged at a distance from one another. The distributor blades are plate-shaped or blade-shaped elements. By moving the distributor blades transversely to the working direction, the material to be laid can be distributed over the entire working width of the paver.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The object underlying the disclosure is that of creating a paver which simplifies the laying process and allows for improved distribution of the material to be laid over the entire working width. According to the disclosure, this object is achieved by the features of the independent claims. The subject matter of the dependent claims relates to advantageous embodiments of the disclosure.

Another object of the disclosure is to create a distributor device which simplifies the modification of the machine frame in order to change the working width of the paver.

The paver according to the disclosure comprises a machine frame supported by running gears and a laying device for laying material, wherein at least one distributor device is provided which has a distributor element arranged in front of the laying device in the working direction for distributing the material to be laid in front of the laying device. The paver can be a so-called 4-track machine with a front left running gear and a front right running gear and a rear left running gear and a rear right running gear viewed in the working direction, or a so-called 2-track machine with only a left and right running gear. The running gears can be pivotally fastened to the machine frame so that they can be folded down by an angle of 90° into a transport position for loading onto a low-loader.

The paver according to the disclosure is characterized in that the at least one distributor device has a distributor arm which comprises at least two boom components articulated to one another, wherein the lower part or foot part of the distributor arm is fastened to the machine frame so as to be pivotable about an axis substantially horizontal with respect to the working plane of the paver, and the distributor element is fastened to the upper part or head part of the distributor arm so as to be pivotable about an axis substantially horizontal with respect to the working plane of the paver. The distributor arm thus allows the distributor element to move in front of the laying device by means of pivoting movements of the at least two boom components in order to be able to distribute the material to be laid over the working width of the paver.

In this context, the working plane of the paver is understood to mean the surface of the structure to be erected, for example the surface of the concrete slab in the case of a slipform paver. If, for example, the paver is to be angled to produce an inclined surface, the pivot axes will thus not correspond to the horizontal in relation to the earth's surface.

Fastening the distributor arm to the machine frame is understood to mean that the distributor arm is supported by the machine frame. The distributor arm can be fastened to any part of the machine frame. For example, the distributor arm can be pivotably fastened to a member of the machine frame, for example a longitudinal member or transverse member. Suitable brackets can also be used to pivotally fasten the distributor arm, which enables a pivoting movement of the distributor arm.

The distributor arm enables the distributor element to move in a relatively large range of motion such that the material to be laid can be captured and distributed over the entire working width of the paver. The distributor element can be moved not only in the plane of the terrain, but also in a vertical plane, i.e. up or down in relation to the surface of the terrain such that the distributor element can not only capture and move the material to be laid on one side, but can also penetrate the material from above. This simplifies the distribution of the material across the entire working width.

The control system of the distributor arm of the distributor device of the paver according to the disclosure can interact with the front monitoring device known from EP 3 702 532 B1 (U.S. Pat. No. 11,585,050) in order to control the distributor arm in such a way that the material is distributed in front of the paver. The known front monitoring device allows monitoring in front relatively far ahead in the working direction. In combination with the known monitoring device, the advantages of the distributor device of the paver according to the disclosure apply especially since, due to the large range of movement of the distributor arm, the distributor device of said paver can also capture material monitored by the monitoring device which is relatively far away from the laying device in the working direction.

The embodiments of the disclosure described below can comprise one or more of the features or combinations of features mentioned below. A feature designated with an indefinite article can also be present more than once if the indefinite article is not to be understood with an explicit reference to a single use. A designation of features with a number word, for example “first and second”, does not exclude that the number of these features can be greater than the number indicated by the number word. In the description of all the embodiments, the expression “can” is also to be understood as “preferably” or “expediently.”

One embodiment of the paver provides a particular design of the distributor element which fundamentally differs from the known plate-shaped distributor blades. In this embodiment, the distributor element is a body designed as a cookie cutter. Consequently, the distributor element is a body that is open at the top and bottom and is only limited by a circumferential closed side wall. The cookie cutter can in principle have any shape as long as the circumferential wall can penetrate into the material to be laid from above by a corresponding movement of the distributor arm or the distributor element in a vertical direction, and can capture and move the material by a corresponding movement of the distributor arm or the distributor element in a horizontal direction. The distributor element can thus be designed, for example, as a hollow circular, oval, rectangular or polygonal body. In tests, a distributor element in the form of a hollow cylinder or a hollow polygonal body has proven to be effective, which can be pushed or pressed into the material to be laid in the manner of a cookie cutter with relatively low forces. However, the distributor element of the slipform paver according to the disclosure can also be a conventional distributor blade.

The distributor element can pick up and move a certain amount of material which is determined by the volume that is enclosed by the distributor element. In comparison to a plate-shaped distributor blade with which the material to be laid can only be shifted, the distributor element according to the disclosure makes it easier to pick up the material to be laid at a specific location and move the material to a specific location in front of the laying device since a certain amount of material can be captured and cannot be lost during the movement of the distributor element.

In tests, a ratio of the maximum width and the maximum height of the distributor element designed as a hollow body of between 1.5 and 2.5, in particular between 1.7 and 2.3, has proven to be particularly advantageous for the applications occurring in practice. Furthermore, it has proven to be particularly advantageous if the hollow body encloses a volume of between 0.1 and 1 m³, in particular 0.2 and 0.4 m³, for receiving the material to be laid.

The distributor element can be designed in the form of an attachment for the distributor arm such that the paver can be equipped with distributor elements of different designs, i.e. sizes or shapes, for each application. For this purpose, suitable mounts for exchangeably fastening the distributor element belong to the prior art.

The range of motion of the distributor element can be further increased by at least one of the at least two boom components being a telescopic boom component. Compared to a distributor arm with non-telescopic boom components, a more compact design can be achieved with at least one telescopic boom component with the same range of motion.

The range of motion of the distributor element can also be increased further by fastening the lower part or foot part of the distributor arm to the machine frame in order to pivot about an axis substantially vertical with respect to the working plane of the paver, thus achieving a further degree of freedom.

The machine frame of the paver according to the disclosure can have a left frame part extending in the working direction and a right frame part extending in the working direction, and the machine frame can have a frame part that extends transversely to the working direction between the left and right frame parts. The individual frame parts can, in turn, consist of a plurality of parts. Such a construction of the paver allows a distributor device to be fastened to the frame part extending transversely to the working direction midway between the right and left frame parts.

The central arrangement has the advantage that, with appropriate dimensioning, a single distributor device is sufficient to cover the region in front of the laying device over the entire working width of the paver. However, this generally requires for the distributor arm to be pivotably fastened to the machine frame about a substantially vertical axis in order to be able to cover the entire working width of the paver. However, the paver can also have two distributor devices arranged in front of the laying device at a distance from one another in the working direction for distributing the material to be laid in front of the laying device.

The lower part or foot part of the distributor arm can also be fastened to the left or right side of the machine frame in the working direction, for example to the left frame part or the right frame part, directly or via an intermediate part, for example a side arm of a running gear, in such a way that the at least two boom components of the distributor arm extend in a direction transverse to the working direction. If appropriately dimensioned, a distributor device on just one of the two sides may be sufficient to cover the entire region in front of the paver. However, a distributor device can also be provided in the region of both the left and right frame parts. These embodiments in principle do not require a pivoting movement of the distributor arm about a vertical axis, but even a pivot movement about a small radius can considerably increase the width of the region covered by the distributor element.

The frame part of the machine frame extending transversely to the working direction can be variable in length in the transverse direction. Such frame parts belong to the prior art. The frame part can, for example, be designed in such a way that an extension is possible using suitable attachments or telescopic parts. In such a frame part, the distributor device according to the disclosure, which, in contrast to a distributor blade for covering the entire region in front does not in principle need to be fastened to the machine frame so as to move in the transverse direction, has proven advantageous because a carriage movable in the transverse direction is not required which would complicate modifications for increasing or reducing the working width of the paver or render further changes to the machine frame necessary.

A further embodiment provides that a first boom component is articulated to the machine frame by means of a first piston/cylinder arrangement so as to be pivotable about an axis substantially horizontal with respect to the working plane, a second boom component is articulated to the first boom component by means of a second piston/cylinder arrangement so as to be pivotable about an axis substantially horizontal with respect to the working plane, and the distributor element is pivotally articulated to the second piston/cylinder arrangement by means of a third piston/cylinder arrangement.

The controller for actuating the piston/cylinder arrangements can be configured such that by actuating an operating element, at least two piston/cylinder arrangements of the piston/cylinder arrangements are actuated simultaneously such that the distributor arm performs a predetermined movement. In this context, a controller is understood to mean a device which, in conjunction with a hydraulic unit, controls the inflow or outflow of pressure medium for actuating the piston/cylinder arrangements, for example controlling valves in a hydraulic system.

For example, two boom components can be moved in such a way that the distributor element can be moved back and forth in a horizontal plane, for example, without having to operate a plurality of operating elements simultaneously in order to control each boom component separately. For example, the controller can be configured such that, during the pivoting movement of the distributor arm, the distributor element remains in a predetermined angular position, in particular in a position parallel to the ground, in order to be able to move the material. This simplifies the operation of the paver. Such control systems per se belong to the prior art.

An alternative embodiment provides that the first and/or second boom component is designed as a parallelogram guide such that the distributor element remains in a predetermined angular position during the pivoting movement of the distributor arm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the disclosure will be explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a slipform paver according to the disclosure,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the distributor arm of the distributor device of the slipform paver according to the disclosure from FIG. 1,

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the distributor element of the distributor device from FIG. 2,

FIG. 3B is a plan view of the distributor element of the distributor device from FIG. 2,

FIG. 3C is a side view of the distributor element of the distributor device from FIG. 2 from the direction of arrow I,

FIG. 3D is a side view of the distributor element of the distributor device from FIG. 2 from the direction of arrow II,

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a slipform paver according to the disclosure with a central arrangement of the distributor device,

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of another embodiment of the slipform paver according to the disclosure with a central arrangement of the distributor device,

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a slipform paver according to the disclosure with two distributor devices arranged off-center,

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a slipform paver according to the disclosure with a translational movement of the distributor device,

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of another embodiment of the slipform paver according to the disclosure with a lateral arrangement of the distributor device, and

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the control system of the distributor device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a slipform paver as an example of a self-propelled construction machine. The slipform paver has a machine frame 1 which is supported by a running gear 2. The running gear 2 comprises, in the working direction A, a front-left crawler track 3A and a front-right crawler track 3B and, in the working direction A, a rear-left crawler track 4A and a rear-right crawler track 4B which rest on the ground. The crawler tracks 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B are fastened to the machine frame 1 by means of front, left and right lifting devices 5A, 5B and rear, left and right lifting devices 6A, 6B such that the machine frame 1 can be raised or lowered relative to the ground surface. The crawler tracks 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B are pivotally fastened to the machine frame 1 such that they can be folded down by an angle of 90° into a transport position for loading onto a low-loader. The pivoting movement of the crawler tracks 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B is carried out by means of piston/cylinder arrangements 7, 8, 9, 10. FIG. 1 shows the slipform paver in the working position in which the running gears are aligned in working direction A. The following description relates to this position. In this position, the front, left and right side arms 3AA, 3BA of the front, left and right crawler tracks 3A, 3B also extend in working direction A.

The machine frame 1 comprises, in the working direction A, a left frame part 11A, a right frame part 11B and a middle frame part 11C which extends transversely to the working direction A. The middle frame part 11C can be extended or shortened to change the working width of the slipform paver. For this purpose, individual frame pieces 11CA, 11CB, 11CC can be inserted into or removed from the middle frame part 11C.

A laying device 12 (shown largely hidden in FIG. 1) for producing a concrete layer for a roadway is arranged between the outer frame parts 11A, 11B and extends transversely to the working direction A. The laying device 12, which is a slipform of the slipform paver, also has a variable working width which can be adjusted, for example, by inserting and removing individual slipform segments. Such slipforms belong to the prior art. The laying device 12 may also be referred to as a slipform 12.

In addition, the slipform paver comprises a distributor device 13 for distributing the concrete to be laid over the entire working width of the paver in a direction extending transverse to the working direction A. The distributor device 13 is arranged in front of the slipform 12 in the working direction A. The distributor device 13 may also be referred to as a material distributor 13.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the slipform paver with a distributor device 13 arranged midway between the left and right frame parts 11A, 11B, which has a distributor arm 14. FIG. 2 shows an enlarged perspective view of the distributor arm 14.

The distributor arm 14 comprises a first boom component 15 on the machine frame side and a second boom component 16 at the free end of the first boom component 15, which are pivotably connected to one another about an axis 17 horizontal with respect to the working plane. The axis 17 may also be described as substantially parallel to the working plane of the paver. The working plane of the paver is horizontal when the paver is standing on a horizontal surface. The lower part or foot part 15A of the first boom component 15 is pivotably fastened to a pivot part 19 about an axis 18 horizontal with respect to the working plane, and a distributor element 20 is pivotably fastened to the upper part or head part 16A of the second boom component 16 about an axis 21 horizontal with respect to the working plane. To actuate the first boom component 15, a first piston/cylinder arrangement 22 is provided, the piston 22A of which is articulated to the pivot part 19 and the cylinder 22B of which is articulated to the first boom component 15 and, to actuate the second boom component 16, a second piston/cylinder arrangement 23 is provided, the cylinder 23A of which is articulated to the first boom component 15, and the piston 23B of which is articulated to the second boom component 16. By retracting and extending the piston 22A of the first piston/cylinder arrangement 22, the first boom component 15 can be raised and lowered with respect to the ground surface, and by retracting and extending the piston 23B of the second piston/cylinder arrangement 23, the second boom component 16 can be pivoted. The distributor element 20 can be pivoted by retracting or extending the piston 24A of a third piston/cylinder arrangement 24, the cylinder 24B of which is articulated to the second boom component 16, by means of a lever mechanism 27 comprising two levers 25, 26, which mechanism is designed such that the angle of rotation of the distributor element 20 is reduced, and the working torque is increased. Instead of a piston of a piston/cylinder arrangement, a cylinder of the piston/cylinder arrangement can also be articulated to each of the parts, or vice versa.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view and FIG. 3B is an enlarged plan view of the distributor element. FIGS. 3C and 3D show different side views of the distributor element from the direction of arrow I (FIG. 3C) and II (FIG. 3D) from FIG. 1. The distributor element 20 is designed like a cookie cutter by which material on the ground surface, in particular concrete, can be picked up and moved. In the present embodiment, the distributor element 20 is designed like a hollow polygonal body which is open at its top and bottom. The side wall 20A of the hollow body can be made relatively easily from a plurality of rectangular steel plates that are welded together. However, the hollow body can also be a hollow cylinder, for example.

The distributor element 20 is articulated to the second boom component 16 by a mount 20B which comprises two legs 20BA arranged next to one another which span the hollow body. The construction is further reinforced by lateral supports 20BB which engage with the legs 20BA and the side wall 20A.

The pivot part 19 is pivotably mounted on a bracket 29 (FIG. 1) about an axis 30 vertical with respect to the working plane, which bracket is arranged on the machine frame 1 midway between the left and right frame parts 11A, 11B. In the working direction A, the piston 31A of a fourth piston/cylinder arrangement 31 engages with the right side of the bracket 29, and in the working direction A, the piston 32A of a fifth piston/cylinder arrangement 32 engages with the left side of the bracket 29. The cylinders of the piston/cylinder arrangements 31 and 32 hidden by other components in FIG. 1 are connected to a frame part of the machine frame 1. By actuating the fourth and fifth piston/cylinder arrangements 31 and 32, the pivot part 29 can be pivoted to the right or left side in the working direction A. Here, too, the piston and cylinder are again interchangeable when fastening the piston/cylinder arrangement.

FIG. 4 shows a highly simplified schematic representation of the slipform paver from FIG. 1 in a plan view, wherein the corresponding parts are designated by the same reference signs. In working direction A, the front side arms 3AA, 3BA of the running gears 3A to 4B are in the working position. The centrally arranged distributor arm 14 of the distributor device 13 can be pivoted from a starting position extending in the working direction A to both sides within a wide range of motion B. The range of motion B or working range of the distributor arm 14 is limited by the length of the boom components 15, 16 and their pivot angle. An even larger range of motion can be achieved by designing at least one boom component 15, 16 as a telescopic boom component.

FIG. 5 shows a highly simplified schematic view of the slipform paver, in which the first boom component 15 is telescopic. The corresponding parts are again provided with the same reference signs. The first boom component 15 consists of at least two hollow profiles 15A, 15B which run inside one another and can be retracted and extended by one or more piston/cylinder arrangements 15C (shown only schematically in FIG. 5) in order to increase or decrease the range of motion B.

FIG. 6 shows a further embodiment which differs from the embodiment in FIG. 4 or 5 in that, instead of a central distributor device 13, two off-center distributor devices 13′ and 13″ arranged at a distance from one another are fastened to the central frame part 11C of the machine frame 1. The corresponding parts are again provided with the same reference signs. The distributor arms 14′, 14″ of both distributor devices 13′, 13″ are each pivotably mounted on the machine frame 1 about a horizontal axis 30′, 30″. This embodiment allows for a relatively large working range even if the boom components 15′, 15″, 16′, 16″ of the distributor arms 14′, 14″ are relatively short.

The embodiments described above have the advantage that a relatively large working range can be created without the need for a linear guide, which is provided in a conventional distributor device that has a distributor blade that is moved over the entire working width of the slipform paver in order to pick up the material. Since a linear guide is not required, the width of the machine frame can be increased or reduced in width relatively easily.

FIG. 7 shows an alternative embodiment which differs from the embodiment in FIG. 6 in that, instead of the two off-center distributor devices arranged at a distance from one another, only one distributor device 13 is provided which, however, can be moved in a direction running transversely to the working direction A of the slipform paver. A linear guide 31 with a carriage 31A is provided on the middle frame part 11C of the machine frame 1 running transversely to the working direction, to which carriage the distributor arm 14 of the distributor device 13 is fastened. The distributor arm 14 can be pivotably fastened to the carriage 31A about a vertical axis 30″. However, in a translational distributor device, this is generally not necessary to cover a large range of motion. However, this embodiment requires modifications to the linear guide in order to change the working width of the slipform paver.

FIG. 8 shows a further alternative embodiment which differs from the embodiments described above in that the distributor device 13 is fastened to the machine frame 1 in such a way that its distributor arm 14 extends in a direction running transverse to the working direction A. In this embodiment, the distributor arm is fastened to the inside of the side arm 3BA of the right running gear 3B on the right side of the machine frame 1 in the working direction A. The working range B can extend over the entire working width if the length of the boom components 15, 16 is sufficiently dimensioned. This embodiment can also have a distributor device 13 on the inside of the side arm 3AA of the left running gear 3A on the left side of the machine frame 1 in the working direction A. If a distributor device is provided on both the left and right side of the machine frame 1, the entire working width can be covered even with relatively compact distributor devices.

FIG. 9 shows a simplified schematic view of the control system of the piston/cylinder arrangements of the distributor device 13. The control system comprises a controller 33 which may form an independent assembly, or at least a part may be a component of the central control unit (not shown) of the construction machine. The controller 33 can have, for example, a general processor, a digital signal processor (DSP) for continuously processing digital signals, a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other integrated circuits (IC) or hardware components. A data processing program (software) can run on the hardware components to control the individual components. The controller 33 interacts with a hydraulic unit 34 of a hydraulic system which in turn interacts with the piston/cylinder arrangements 22, 23, 24, 31, 32 of the distributor device 13 such that the piston/cylinder arrangements are actuated depending on control commands from the controller. In addition, the control system comprises an input unit 35 for the machine operator, which can comprise at least one switch 35A, button 35B, joystick 35C or touch-sensitive screen 35D (touchscreen). The input unit 35 is connected via a control line 36 to the controller 33, which receives the output signals from the input unit. The controller 33 is configured such that the relevant piston/cylinder arrangements 22, 23, 24, 31, 32 are controlled depending on the output signals from the controller, which correspond to the switching positions of operating elements, for example the position of a switch, button or joystick or the inputs on the touch-sensitive screen (touchscreen), in order to raise or lower the first and/or second boom component 15, 16 and/or to pivot the distributor arm 14 to the left or right. The controller 33 is preferably configured such that by actuating an operating element, at least two piston/cylinder arrangements of the piston/cylinder arrangements 22, 23, 24, 31, 32 are actuated simultaneously, and therefore the distributor element 20 performs a movement along a predetermined path. In a preferred embodiment, for example, the first piston/cylinder arrangement 22 and the second piston/cylinder arrangement 23 are actuated simultaneously such that when the distributor arm 14 is extended, the distributor element 20 remains at a predetermined height. The third piston/cylinder arrangement 24 can be actuated such that the angular position of the distributor element 20 with respect to the ground surface remains unchanged regardless of the position of the first and/or second boom components 15, 16 such that, for example, the distributor element 20 always remains in parallel with the ground surface. This makes the operation of the distributor element 20 easier for the machine operator.

The distributor arm 14 of the distributing device 13 can also have a parallelogram guide known to a person skilled in the art, which is designed such that the boom components 15, 16 or the distributor element 20 carry/carries out a predetermined movement, for example the distributor element 20 remains parallel with the ground upon a movement of the distributor arm 14.

Claims

1-16. (canceled)

17. A slipform paver, comprising: a machine frame;a plurality of running gears for supporting the machine frame;a slipform for laying paving material; andat least one paving material distributor arranged in a working direction in front of the slipform to distribute the paving material in front of the slipform, the at least one paving material distributor including: a distributor arm including at least two boom components articulated to one another, the distributor arm including a lower part pivotably fastened to the machine frame about a first axis substantially parallel with respect to a working plane of the paver; anda distributor element pivotably attached to an upper part of the distributor arm about a further axis substantially parallel with respect to the working plane of the paver, such that the distributor element can be moved in front of the slipform to distribute the paving material by pivoting movements of the at least two boom components.

18. The slipform paver of claim 17, wherein the distributor element includes a body shaped in the manner of a cookie cutter.

19. The slipform paver of claim 17, wherein the distributor element includes a hollow body shaped as a hollow circular, oval, rectangular or polygonal body.

20. The slipform paver of claim 19, wherein the hollow body has a maximum width and a maximum height, and a ratio of the maximum width to the maximum height is in a range of from 1.5 to 2.5.

21. The slipform paver of claim 20 wherein the ratio of the maximum width to the maximum height is in a range of from 1.7 to 2.3.

22. The slipform paver of claim 19, wherein the distributor element encloses a volume in a range of from 0.1 to 1 m3 for receiving the paving material.

23. The slipform paver of claim 22 wherein the volume is in a range of 0.2 to 0.4 m3 for receiving the paving material.

24. The slipform paver of claim 17, wherein at least one of the at least two boom components is a telescopic boom component.

25. The slipform paver of claim 17, wherein the lower part of the distributor arm is pivotably fastened to the machine frame about a third axis substantially vertical with respect to the working plane of the paver.

26. The slipform paver of claim 17, wherein the machine frame includes a left frame part extending in the working direction, a right frame part extending in the working direction, and a middle frame part extending transversely to the working direction.

27. The slipform paver of claim 26, wherein the middle frame part extending transversely to the working direction has a variable length in the transverse direction.

28. The slipform paver of claim 26, wherein the lower part of the distributor arm is fastened to the middle frame part midway between the left and right frame parts.

29. The slipform paver of claim 26, wherein the lower part of the distributor arm is fastened to the middle frame part so as to be movable between the left and right frame parts in a direction extending transverse to the working direction.

30. The slipform paver of claim 17, wherein the at least one paving material distributor includes two paving material distributors arranged at a distance from one another in front of the slipform for distributing the paving material in front of the slipform.

31. The slipform paver of claim 17, wherein: the machine frame includes a left frame part extending in the working direction, a right frame part extending in the working direction, and a middle frame part extending transversely to the working direction; andthe lower part of the distributor arm is fastened to the left or right frame part such that the at least two boom components of the distributor arm extend in a direction transverse to the working direction.

32. The slipform paver of claim 17, wherein: the at least two boom components include a first boom component and a second boom component;the first boom component is pivotably articulated to the machine frame about the first axis by a first piston/cylinder arrangement;the second boom component is pivotably articulated to the first boom component about a second axis by a second piston/cylinder arrangement; andthe distributor element is pivotably articulated to the second boom component by a third piston/cylinder arrangement.

33. The slipform paver of claim 32, further comprising: a controller operable to actuate the first, second and third piston/cylinder arrangements, the controller being configured to actuate at least two of the first, second and third piston/cylinder arrangements simultaneously such that the distributor element performs a movement along a predetermined path.

34. The slipform paver of claim 17, wherein: the at least two boom components include a first boom component and a second boom component, and the first and/or second boom component is configured as a parallelogram guide such that the distributor element remains in a predetermined angular position during a pivoting movement of the distributor arm.