The present invention generally relates to a road finisher comprising a screed plate and a tamper bar, the tamper bar comprising a heating element, and more particularly, relates to a tamper bar for a road finisher and a method of manufacturing a tamper bar comprising a heating element.
Road finishers or asphalt finishers are construction machines for producing asphalt surfaces, also known as pavers. In operation, the road finisher distributes and smoothes bituminous paving material, and may also compact the same. For this, the road finisher basically is equipped with a screed plate for smoothing the paving material, and a tamper bar for precompacting the paving material before it is smoothed. In order to prevent sticking of the bituminous paving material to the paving device, heating devices are employed which heat up the tamper bar and/or the screed plate and which may be implemented on the tamper bar and/or the screed plate, for example, as a multi-layered structure of heating layers applied by thermal spraying.
US 2015/0037097 A1 discloses a road finisher comprising a screed plate and/or tamper bar wherein a heating layer is applied to the screed plate and/or tamper bar by thermal spraying.
However, the solutions known from prior art for heating the tamper bar on the one hand are rather expensive, and on the other hand, require a rather complex production procedure. Since the tamper bar with its tamping surface is subject to high stress, it usually has to be replaced after a certain operating period and thus, together with it, the entire heating device connected thereto has to be replaced too, thus increasing the maintenance costs of the road finisher.
Also, it is only possible to arrange the heating device or to apply the heating layers into a corresponding recess on the backside of the tamper bar opposite to the tamping surface in order to avoid damage or even destruction of the heating device during operation, when the tamping surface hits the ground with high pressure. Thus, the positioning possibilities of the heating device are restricted, since it requires a protected area, whereby possibly even additional protection means may have to be provided. The restricted freedom of positioning may cause, for example, an adverse non-uniform heating-distribution or the generation of hot points next to the contact surfaces as well as rather long heating-up times until the tamper bar has reached the desired operating temperature. Finally, with the known arrangements of heating devices at tamper bars of a road finisher, also high material costs are created, since the entire tamper bar has to consist of a heat-treated material.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a more cost efficient solution of a heated tamper bar for a road finisher. This object is solved by a road finisher having the features according to claim 1, a tamper bar for a road finisher having the features according to claim 12, and a method of manufacturing a tamper bar having the features according to claim 13. Further embodiments of the invention are defined in the respective dependent claims.
According to the invention, a road finisher is provided, comprising a screed plate extending at right angles to the working direction of said road finisher, and a tamper bar disposed rearwardly and/or forwardly of said screed plate in the working direction, wherein at least one electrically operated heating element is present, which is configured so as to heat up a heating surface facing a road subsurface, and wherein said heating element comprises a heating layer at least partially obtained through thermal spraying onto a substrate surface, wherein the tamper bar is made from two parts with an upper tamper bar member and a lower tamper bar member assembled together.
Thus, due to the inventive configuration according to which the tamper bar is made from two parts, only the lower tamper bar functions as the actual tamper device which hits or contacts with its lower surface the ground during the tamping action, and thus is subject to high stress and therefore, strong wear. Thus, the expensive material adapted for withstanding such conditions, as specifically hardened metal, e.g., hardened steel, only has to be used for this lower part and not for the entire tamper bar, thereby saving material costs. Moreover, if, after a certain operation time, wear renders the lower tamper bar unusable, only this part has to be replaced and not the entire tamper bar. A further advantage of the inventive configuration according to which the tamper bar is split into two parts is that the heating element may be applied to either one of the lower surface of the upper tamper bar or the upper surface of the lower tamper bar which actually, after assembling the upper tamper bar to the lower tamper bar, provides a protected space for the heating element where it neither is exposed to high stress nor may it be damaged when positioned sandwiched inbetween the two tamper bar members. This configuration facilitates the production procedure and therefore, reduces production costs. Also, another advantage specifically when applying the heating element to the lower surface of the upper tamper bar is that when the lower tamper bar has to be replaced due to wear, then the heating element being provided on the upper tamper bar does not have to be replaced, too, thereby saving further maintenance costs. The tamper bar is usually a primarily longitudinally extending, beam-like element that is connected to a drive means, for example through a rod being connected to a tamper bar drive such as a driven shaft with an eccentric connecting means. Usually, the tamper bar extends along the width of a screed unit. It is however alternatively possible, that a plurality of tamper bars, being arranged side by side, extend together along the width of the screed unit.
Moreover, it is noted that by using thermal spraying which is defined as a standard in DIN EN 657, the surface to be coated can be coated directly without the need to provide a specifically processed cavity or hole for the heating element which has to be produced by expensive and complex procedures or to apply the heating element by adhesive bonding. Moreover, a heating layer obtained by thermal spraying provides the advantage of being extremely resistant against mechanical stress and allows for optimized heat transfer to the tamper bar. As a result of the implementation of such a heating element having a heating layer obtained by thermal spraying, the initial heating phase can be reduced considerably, which in turn results in reduced fuel consumption and an increased efficiency of the road finisher. Additionally, a heating layer applied by thermal spraying can be easily applied to any structured surface, even to angled structures.
It is noted that the term “heating layer” functionally refers to a coating by means of which a heating effect can be achieved. To this end, the heating layer is connected by suitable connecting means to the power source and can be switched on and off by means of a switch gear unit. The term “heating element” refers to the entire unit consisting of the heating layer and its connections to the power source.
According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the upper tamper bar member has a lower surface which, in the assembled state, contacts an upper surface of the lower tamper bar member, wherein a groove is provided in either one of the lower surface of the upper tamper bar member or the upper surface of the lower tamper bar member. The groove may advantageously be used for applying the heating layer of the heating element so that after assembling the upper tamper bar and the lower tamper bar the heating element is accommodated in an enclosed and thus protected area. The groove thus denotes a depression in the upper surface of the lower tamper bar member and/or in the lower surface of the upper tamper bar, for example obtained via cutting and/or milling. Alternatively, the groove may be used to cover the heating element being applied to the opposite element of the tamper bar. In this case, the groove provides a reception space for accommodating the heating element being connected to the opposite tamper bar element. The key aspect of these embodiments is that the heating layer is buried and thus protected between the upper and lower tamper bar element.
According to a further preferred embodiment, the heating layer is multilayered comprising at least an insulating layer, a strip conductor and a sealing layer. This heating layer is preferably accommodated in the groove, especially without protruding over the surface surrounding the groove. The strip conductor is the layer that is connected to the power source and that heats up when electric current is applied thereto. The sealing layer, by contrast, performs a protective function for the strip conductor and shields the same from the environment on that side of the heating element being opposite to and facing away from the respective tamper bar member. The insulation layer electrically insulates the strip conductor, through which an electric current flows during the heating operation from the tamper bar. To this end, the insulating layer is located between the respective tamper bar member and the strip conductor. It is furthermore possible that the heating layer additionally comprises a further anchor layer between the insulating layer and the tamper bar element.
Further, the heating layer may be applied to a surface of the groove in the upper tamper bar member or it may be applied to a surface of the groove in the lower tamper bar member at least partially and preferably completely by plasma spraying or high velocity oxygen fuel spraying (HVOF). Both plasma spraying and HVOF are examples for a preferred thermal spraying method. These thermal spraying techniques are coating processes in which molten (or heated) materials are sprayed onto a surface. The “feedstock” (coating precursor) is heated by electrical (plasma or arc) or chemical means (combustion flame). A spray torch (or spray gun) is the device performing the melting and acceleration of the particles to be deposited. Plasma spraying, as a subgroup of the thermal spraying methods, is characterized by causing melting to be effected by the high plasma temperature or a gas or gas mixture passing through the plasma torch, which gas or gas mixture has been guided through an arc and ionized. When hitting the surface to be coated, the particles flatten and harden, thus forming a very stable layer of a desired thickness on the surface to be coated.
The groove, in the assembled state of the upper tamper bar member and the lower tamper bar member, may provide an encapsulated cavity for the heating layer. The thus provided cavity offers optimal protection for the heating element so as to ensure a long lifetime of the latter.
According to still another embodiment, the upper tamper bar member forms an intermediate part or spacer between a piston rod connected to an upper surface of the upper tamper bar member and the lower tamper bar member.
The upper tamper bar member and/or the lower tamper bar member is/are made from steel, and wherein especially the lower tamper bar is made from hardened steel. Due to the two-piece structure of the tamper bar, only the lower tamper bar has to be made from the more expensive hardened steel, whereas for the upper tamper bar, a more economical material may be used.
Moreover, at least said insulating layer and/or said sealing layer may be made from an alumina based material, preferably, from alumina with a purity of at least 99.7%.
The strip conductor may consist substantially of nickel, chromium, or an alloy including both nickel and chromium.
According to still a further embodiment of the invention, electrical connections of the heating element are provided on the upper surface of the upper tamper bar member, preferably, in a casing where they are protected from external influences.
It is also advantageous, if the upper tamper bar member is connected to the lower tamper bar member by fixation means, preferably, by screws or bolts. The use of screws and bolts enables an easy and fast assembling of the two tamper bar components.
Moreover, a tamper bar for a road finisher according to the above listed embodiments is provided according to the present invention. The tamper bar which basically is subdivided into a lower tamper bar member and an upper tamper bar member offers the advantages already described above.
Also, according to the invention, a method of manufacturing a tamper bar is provided, comprising the following steps of forming an upper tamper bar member, forming a lower tamper bar member, forming a groove in either one of an upper surface of the lower tamper bar member or a lower surface of the upper tamper bar member, applying a heating layer of a heating element to a surface of the groove via thermal spraying, and assembling the lower tamper bar member and the upper tamper bar member so as to form the tamper bar. The method for manufacturing a tamper bar is very economical, since the heating member, after the assembly of the upper tamper bar member and the lower tamper bar member, does not require any additional production steps for protecting it by additional protection means or the like. Also, the use of thermal spraying for the application of the heating element offers several advantages which already have been described above.
In the method of manufacturing a tamper bar, the heating layer may be multilayered comprising at least an insulating layer, a strip conductor and a sealing layer, wherein the step of applying the heating layer is performed by plasma spraying or HVOF.
In a embodiment of the invention, the upper tamper bar member and the lower tamper bar member are assembled by screwing the upper tamper bar member to the lower tamper bar member, and wherein the method further comprises a step of providing electrical connections in the upper tamper bar member for electrically connecting the heating element to a power source.
The present invention is described in greater detail below with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in the figures.
As shown in
At the upper surface 25 of the upper tamper bar member 8′, the latter is connected to two piston rods 15 such that the upper tamper bar member 8′ functions as a spacer or intermediate part between the lower tamper bar member 8″ and the piston rod 15. The piston rod 15, at its upper end, has connecting means 26 for connecting the tamper bar 8 to a part of a drive means not shown here. In particular, an exciter shaft may be supported in the connecting means 26 of the piston rods 15.
As shown in
The heating layer 18 can be obtained by successively applying the three layers 19, 20 and 21 by means of thermal spraying, in particular, by means of a thermal plasma spraying technique or HVOF, onto the tamper bar 8 (more specifically its metallic support plate 28, see
The strip conductor 21 terminates at both ends at contact points 27 that are connected to an electrical power supply system (not shown). To this end, provision is made, in particular, for contact pins or comparable connecting means, for example, to lead away from the tamper bar 8.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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15003291 | Nov 2015 | EP | regional |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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6124580 | Nottmeier | Sep 2000 | A |
7427174 | Dearing | Sep 2008 | B2 |
8113738 | Mahler | Feb 2012 | B2 |
9249544 | Caputo | Feb 2016 | B2 |
9988771 | Caputo | Jun 2018 | B2 |
20110002738 | Mahler et al. | Jan 2011 | A1 |
20150037097 | Caputo | Feb 2015 | A1 |
20170138001 | Caputo | May 2017 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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9313161 | Oct 1993 | DE |
2599919 | Jun 2013 | EP |
Entry |
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Office Action from related U.S. Appl. No. 15/355,662 dated Aug. 1, 2017. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20170138002 A1 | May 2017 | US |