Guardrail processing apparatus capable of soil removal

Abstract

The application relates to the cutting technical field and particularly relates to a guardrail processing device capable of removing soil, which comprises a cutting device, the cutting device comprises a cutting assembly, a conveying belt and electromagnetic clamps, the cutting assembly is arranged to cut the embedded soil layer part at the bottom of the guardrail and the non-embedded soil layer part at the upper part into two sections along a preset cutting line, a plurality of groups of electromagnetic clamps are arranged on the surface of the conveying belt, the guardrail is fixed and clamped on the electromagnetic clamps and is conveyed to the cutting assembly by the conveying belt to be cut, each group of electromagnetic clamps comprises two clamping areas, after the guardrail is cut, the cut soil-containing cutting section can be clamped by the chuck of the corresponding clamping area, then is continuously conveyed by the conveying belt for a distance and is released from the chuck of the corresponding clamping area, the cut soil-free cutting section is unstable in response to the demagnetization of the chuck in the corresponding clamping area, then falls to one side of the conveying belt under the action of gravity and is directly recycled, and the soil-containing cutting section is recycled after soil removal by adopting a matched post-processing procedure.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the patent application entitled "A guardrail processing equipment and recycling method", application number 202410718908.X, and application date June 5, 2024. Technical Field

[0002] This invention relates to the field of cutting technology, and more specifically to a guardrail processing device capable of removing soil. Background Technology

[0003] Highway guardrails are strip-shaped protective energy-absorbing structures installed on the outer side of the driving lane or in the central median of a highway. When an accident vehicle collides with the guardrail, the guardrail can absorb the collision energy through blocking, deformation, or vehicle climbing, thus buffering and guiding the vehicle and reducing the degree of injury to the driver and passengers. Highway guardrail posts are an important component of highway guardrails; they are responsible for supporting and fixing the guardrail panels or other guardrail components to ensure the stability and safety of the entire guardrail system.

[0004] After removal, highway guardrail posts are difficult to recycle because the soil is firmly embedded in the base of the posts, making them unusable and wasteful. Laser cutting is a common method for cutting metal pipes, using a laser beam to process and cut materials quickly, precisely, and easily automated, making it suitable for dividing and recycling guardrails. However, current technology lacks readily available experience for dividing guardrails using laser cutting, particularly regarding how to classify, collect, and process different guardrail segments during the division process. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the aforementioned problems, this invention provides a guardrail processing equipment and recycling method. Based on a laser cutting host and related supporting post-processing procedures, it can quickly and effectively divide, classify, and post-process guardrails.

[0006] The technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0007] A guardrail processing device includes a cutting device, which includes a cutting assembly, a conveyor belt, and an electromagnetic clamp.

[0008] The cutting component is configured to cut the bottom part of the guardrail embedded in the soil layer and the top part not embedded in the soil layer into two segments along a pre-set cutting line. One of the two segments is a soil-containing cutting segment, and the other is a soil-free cutting segment.

[0009] Multiple sets of electromagnetic clamps are disposed on the surface of the conveyor belt, and the guardrail is fixedly clamped to the electromagnetic clamps and transported by the conveyor belt to the cutting assembly for cutting.

[0010] Each set of electromagnetic clamps includes two clamping areas, each containing at least one clamp. Before the guardrail is cut, the clamp in one clamping area holds the part of the guardrail embedded in the soil, while the clamp in the other clamping area holds the part of the guardrail not embedded in the soil. The clamping positions of the two clamping areas are configured such that after the guardrail is cut, the cut section containing soil can still be held by the clamp in the corresponding clamping area, and then conveyed by the conveyor belt for a certain distance before being released from the clamp in the corresponding clamping area; the cut section not containing soil becomes unstable in the corresponding clamping area in response to the demagnetization of the clamp, and then falls to one side of the conveyor belt under the action of gravity.

[0011] The cutting device also includes a soil-free cutting segment collector disposed on one side of the conveyor belt, used to collect the soil-free cutting segments that fall to the side of the conveyor belt under gravity.

[0012] In the guardrail processing equipment described above, the release point is at the end of the conveyor belt.

[0013] In the guardrail processing equipment described above, the release method is as follows: at the turning position at the end of the conveyor belt, the soil-containing cutting segment is released from the clamp in the corresponding clamping area entirely by gravity; or, at the turning position at the end of the conveyor belt, the soil-containing cutting segment is released from the clamp in the corresponding clamping area in response to the demagnetization of the clamp and by gravity.

[0014] As described above, a guardrail processing device includes two clamps in each clamping area.

[0015] As described above, in a guardrail processing device, the cutting assembly has a cutting head located above the conveyor belt and capable of moving along the extension direction of the cutting line.

[0016] The guardrail processing equipment described above uses a laser cutting head as the cutting head.

[0017] In the guardrail processing equipment described above, the soil-free cutting section collection component is a hoistable box-type collection component.

[0018] As described above, in a guardrail processing device, the box-type collection component is equipped with an inclined guide plate, which automatically straightens the fallen soil-free cut section.

[0019] This invention also provides a method for recycling guardrails using the aforementioned guardrail processing equipment, comprising the following steps:

[0020] S1: The conveyor belt transports the guardrail, which is fixedly clamped in the electromagnetic clamp, to the cutting assembly;

[0021] S2: The cutting component cuts the bottom embedded soil layer and the top unembedded soil layer of the guardrail into two sections along a pre-set cutting line;

[0022] S3: The cut sections without soil are directly recycled, while the cut sections with soil are recycled after soil removal.

[0023] In the guardrail recycling method described above, the soil removal in step S3 employs mechanical treatment and / or liquid softening treatment methods.

[0024] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0025] This invention discloses a guardrail processing equipment and recycling method, based on a laser cutting host (which can also be modified to plasma, electron beam or other high-energy beam cutting hosts) and related supporting post-processing procedures. It can quickly and effectively divide, classify and post-process guardrails. In particular, the cutting device used has low investment and is easy to manufacture. The use of electromagnetic clamps simplifies the mechanical structure and control program. The working mode is mobile and flexible. The supporting post-processing equipment can also remove the soil embedded in the guardrail. Attached Figure Description

[0026] The solutions and advantages of this application will become clear to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

[0027] In the attached diagram:

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the guardrail cutting and processing scheme of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram (front view) of the cutting device structure of the guardrail processing equipment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram (top view) of the cutting device structure of the guardrail processing equipment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the cutting device and supporting post-processing steps of the guardrail processing equipment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 5 for Figure 4 An example of a soil compaction device structure used in the mid-to-post-processing steps.

[0033] Figure 6 for Figure 4 An example of the structure of an internal wall cleaning device used in the intermediate and post-processing steps.

[0034] The modules represented by the various reference numerals in the diagram are:

[0035] The meanings of the reference numerals in the accompanying drawings of this invention are as follows:

[0036] A. Embedded in soil layer; B. Not embedded in soil layer; L. Cutting line.

[0037] 1. Cutting device, 1a. Cutting assembly, 1a1. Cutting head, 1b. Conveyor belt, 1c. Electromagnetic clamp, 1d. Soil-free cutting segment collection component;

[0038] 2. Soil compaction device, 2a. Press, 2b. Compactor, 2b1. Lower compactor, 2b2. Upper compactor, 2b2a. Compactor head, 2c. Soil collection box.

[0039] 3. Inner wall cleaning device, 3a. softening liquid tank, 3b. filter box, 3c. vibratory plate, 3d. spring, 3e. vibratory motor, 3f. water pump A, 3g. water pump B;

[0040] 4. Transmission device;

[0041] 5. Guardrail, 5a. Soil-inclusive cutting section, 5b. Soil-exclusive cutting section. Detailed Implementation

[0042] Example 1

[0043] See Figures 1 to 3 The guardrail processing equipment provided in this embodiment first includes a cutting device 1, which includes a cutting component 1a, a conveyor belt 1b and an electromagnetic clamp 1c.

[0044] The cutting component 1a is used to cut the embedded soil layer A at the bottom of the guardrail 5 and the unembedded soil layer B at the top along the image... Figure 1 The predetermined cutting line L shown in the diagram cuts the material into two segments. Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the middle, there are two sections of guardrail after cutting, one of which is the soil-containing cutting section 5a, and the other is the soil-free cutting section 5b.

[0045] The combined use of the conveyor belt 1b and the electromagnetic clamp 1c brings the advantages of mobility and flexibility to the cutting device of the present invention. Specifically, as shown in... Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, multiple sets of electromagnetic clamps 1c are arranged on the surface of the conveyor belt 1b, and the guardrail 5 is fixedly clamped to the electromagnetic clamps 1c and transported by the conveyor belt 1b to the cutting assembly 1a for cutting.

[0046] In this embodiment, each set of electromagnetic clamps 1c includes two clamping areas, and each clamping area includes two clamps, that is, each set of electromagnetic clamps 1c includes four clamps. Before the guardrail 5 is cut, the two clamps of one clamping area clamp the embedded soil part A of the guardrail 5, and the two clamps of the other clamping area clamp the unembedded soil part B of the guardrail 5.

[0047] It should be noted that the four clamps in this embodiment are just an example. As long as the purpose of this invention can be achieved, their number can be increased, decreased or modified.

[0048] To reduce the use of unnecessary workstation equipment, this embodiment sets the clamping positions of the two clamping areas on the guardrail 5 as follows: after the guardrail 5 is cut, the cut segment 5a containing soil can still be clamped by the two clamps in the corresponding clamping area, and then conveyed a certain distance by the conveyor belt 1b before being released from the two clamps in the corresponding clamping area. Meanwhile, the cut segment 5b without soil becomes unstable in the corresponding clamping area due to the demagnetization of the two clamps, and then falls to one side of the conveyor belt 1b under gravity. Figure 3 It can be seen that one end of the clamped guardrail 5 extends far beyond the edge of the conveyor belt 1b, and the center of gravity of the cut section 5b (excluding soil) after cutting is outside the edge of the conveyor belt 1b.

[0049] In order to collect the soil-free cut segments 5b after cutting, as shown in the figure, the cutting device 1 also includes a soil-free cut segment collector 1d disposed on one side of the conveyor belt 1b, which is used to collect the soil-free cut segments 5b that fall to the side of the conveyor belt 1b under the action of gravity. In this embodiment, the soil-free cut segment collector 1d is a hoistable box-type collector with an inclined guide plate inside, which automatically straightens the fallen soil-free cut segments 5b.

[0050] In this embodiment, the release point for the soil-containing cutting section 5a is at the end of the conveyor belt 1b. Figure 2 As can be seen, at the turning position at the end of conveyor belt 1b, the soil-containing cutting segment 5a can be released from the clamp in the corresponding clamping area. Because a large amount of soil is embedded in the tube of guardrail 5, its own weight is relatively large, and the soil-containing cutting segment 5a can be released completely by gravity, thus overcoming the attraction of the electromagnetic clamp. However, if the attraction provided by the electromagnetic clamp is large, the soil-containing cutting segment 5a may also respond to the demagnetization of the clamp and be released from the clamp in the corresponding clamping area by gravity.

[0051] In this embodiment, the cutting component 1a has a cutting head 1a1 located above the conveyor belt 1b and capable of moving at least along the extension direction of the cutting line L. Preferably, it has multiple degrees of freedom of motion to freely adjust its position. In this invention, the cutting head 1a1 is a laser cutting head. Laser cutting is a commonly used cutting method in metal pipe cutting. It processes and cuts materials using a laser beam, with fast cutting speed, high precision, and easy automation. It is suitable for dividing and recycling guardrails.

[0052] However, after understanding the working principle of the present invention, the above-mentioned laser cutting head can also be extended to other high-energy beam cutting heads such as plasma and electron beam cutting heads.

[0053] As the main equipment of the present invention, the cutting device 1 has a low investment and is easy to manufacture. The use of electromagnetic clamps and self-aligning workstation boxes simplifies the mechanical structure and control program, and the working mode is mobile and flexible.

[0054] Example 2

[0055] Based on the cutting device 1 provided in Embodiment 1, this embodiment further provides a method for recycling guardrails, including the following steps:

[0056] S1: Conveyor belt 1b transports the guardrail, which is fixedly clamped in electromagnetic clamp 1c, to cutting assembly 1a.

[0057] S2: Cutting component 1a cuts the bottom embedded soil layer A and the top unembedded soil layer B of the guardrail into two sections along a pre-set cutting line L.

[0058] S3: The cut section 5b without soil is directly recycled, while the cut section 5a with soil is recycled after soil removal.

[0059] The recycling method for the soil-free cut section 5b has been described in detail in Example 1. Regarding the soil-containing cut section 5a, since the soil is firmly embedded in the guardrail, it is necessary to remove the embedded soil using certain mechanical processing and / or liquid softening methods before it can be recycled. Therefore, this example will now be discussed in conjunction with the attached... Figure 4-6 An exemplary post-processing procedure is provided, which is performed using a soil compaction device 2 and an inner wall cleaning device 3.

[0060] like Figure 4 As shown, in Example 1, the cut soil-containing section 5a is released to a transmission device 4 at the end of the conveyor belt 1b and is then transported by the transmission device 4 to the soil compaction device 2, which is used to compact the soil out of the soil-containing section 5a.

[0061] In this embodiment, the transmission device 4 can be a regular conveyor belt.

[0062] like Figure 5 As shown, the soil compaction device 2 illustrated in this embodiment includes a press 2a and a compaction mold 2b. The compaction mold 2b includes a lower compaction mold 2b1 and an upper compaction mold 2b2. The lower compaction mold 2b1 is disposed on the worktable of the press 2a. The soil-containing cutting section 5a of the guardrail 5 is vertically placed on the lower compaction mold 2b1. The upper compaction mold 2b2 is fixed on the slider of the press 2a and moves up and down with the slider. The upper compaction mold 2b2 is provided with a compaction head 2b2a that matches the inner hole of the soil-containing cutting section 5a. A soil collection box 2c is placed below the lower compaction mold 2b1. As the compaction head 2b2a moves downward under the action of the slider, the soil in the soil-containing cutting section 5a is compacted out by the compaction head 2b2a and falls into the soil collection box 2c.

[0063] In addition to having an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the guardrail 5, the tamping head 2b2a used in this invention also has multiple cutting ribs (not shown in the figure) distributed circumferentially on its outer wall. When the tamping head 2b2a scrapes over the inner wall of the soil-containing cutting section 5a, the cutting ribs leave multiple grooves on the soil remaining on the inner wall of the soil-containing cutting section 5a, which facilitates subsequent softening and wetting.

[0064] Since the inner wall of the soil-bearing cutting section 5a still has residual soil after being processed by the soil compaction device 2 and is difficult to remove by general methods, this embodiment provides an inner wall cleaning device 3. The inner wall cleaning device 3 uses softening and wetting combined with vibration to remove the residual soil on the inner wall of the soil-bearing cutting section 5a after the soil has been compacted.

[0065] like Figure 6 As shown, the inner wall cleaning device 3 exemplified in this embodiment includes a softening liquid tank 3a and a vibrating plate 3c disposed in the softening liquid tank 3a. The softening liquid tank 3a contains softening liquid (water) and overflows the surface of the vibrating plate 3c. The soil-containing cutting section 5a is placed on the vibrating plate 3c.

[0066] In this embodiment, the bottom of the vibratory plate 3c is connected to the bottom of the softening liquid tank 3a by a spring 3d. The vibration mechanism used is a vibration motor 3e set on the top of the vibratory plate 3c. The vibration motor 3e can drive the vibratory plate 3c to vibrate, thereby causing the soil-containing cutting section 5a placed on the vibratory plate 3c to vibrate, thereby causing the residual soil inside the soil-containing cutting section 5a, which has been softened by soaking in the softening liquid, to be removed by vibration.

[0067] As can be seen from the figure, the vibratory plate 3c of this embodiment has a placement platform arranged along the axial direction of the soil-containing cutting section 5a. The vibratory plate 3c itself also has a through hole corresponding to the position of the placement platform. The placement platform does not need to have a complex clamping function. It only needs to be able to support the soil-containing cutting section 5a and make it stably vibrate. The falling soil can sink down through the through hole.

[0068] It should be noted that the means of vibrating the vibratory plate 3c is a preferred means in this embodiment, but not the only means. Modifications made without departing from the concept of the present invention are still within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0069] To ensure the cleanliness of the softening solution in the softening solution tank 3a, a water purification device is installed in the softening solution tank 3a. The water purification device includes a filter box 3b located next to the softening solution tank 3a. A water pump A3f is installed between the bottom of the softening solution tank 3a and the top of the filter box 3b. The dirty water at the bottom of the softening solution tank 3a is pumped by the water pump A3f to the top of the filter box 3b and filtered by the filter screen installed in the filter box 3b. After filtration by the filter screen, the clean water at the bottom of the filter box 3b is pumped back to the softening solution tank 3a by the water pump B3g for recycling.

[0070] It should be noted that the water purification device provided for the softened liquid tank 3a is a preferred means in this embodiment, but not the only means. Modifications made without departing from the concept of the present invention are still within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A guardrail processing device capable of removing soil, comprising a cutting device (1), a soil tamping device (2), and an inner wall cleaning device (3), characterized in that, The cutting device (1) includes a cutting assembly (1a), a conveyor belt (1b), and an electromagnetic clamp (1c). The cutting assembly (1a) is configured to cut the bottom soil-embedded part (A) and the top non-soil-embedded part (B) of the guardrail (5) into two sections along a pre-set cutting line (L). One section is a soil-containing cutting section (5a), and the other section is a soil-free cutting section (5b). Multiple sets of electromagnetic clamps (1c) are set on the surface of the conveyor belt (1b). The guardrail (5) is fixedly clamped in the electromagnetic clamps (1c) and transported by the conveyor belt (1b) to the cutting assembly (1a) for cutting. The soil-free cutting section (5b) is directly recycled. The soil-containing cutting section (5a) is recycled after the soil is removed by the soil tamping device (2) and the inner wall cleaning device (3). The soil compaction device (2) includes a press (2a) and a compaction mold (2b). The compaction mold (2b) includes a lower compaction mold (2b1) and an upper compaction mold (2b2). The lower compaction mold (2b1) is set on the workbench of the press (2a). The soil-containing cutting section (5a) of the guardrail (5) is placed vertically on the lower compaction mold (2b1). The upper compaction mold (2b2) ​​is fixed on the slider of the press (2a). As the slider moves up and down, the upper compaction mold (2b2) ​​is equipped with a compaction head (2b2a) that matches the inner hole of the soil-containing cutting section (5a). A soil collection box (2c) is placed below the lower compaction mold (2b1). As the compaction head (2b2a) moves downward under the action of the slider, the soil in the soil-containing cutting section (5a) is compacted out by the compaction head (2b2a) and falls into the soil collection box (2c). The inner wall cleaning device (3) includes a softening liquid tank (3a) and a vibrating plate (3c) set in the softening liquid tank (3a). The softening liquid tank (3a) is filled with softening liquid and overflows the surface of the vibrating plate (3c). The soil-containing cutting section (5a) is placed on the vibrating plate (3c). The bottom of the vibrating plate (3c) is connected to the bottom of the softening liquid tank (3a) by a spring (3d). The vibration mechanism is a vibration motor (3e) set on the top of the vibrating plate (3c). The vibration motor (3e) drives the vibrating plate (3c) to vibrate, thereby causing the soil-containing cutting section (5a) placed on the vibrating plate (3c) to vibrate, thereby causing the residual soil inside the soil-containing cutting section (5a) that has been softened by soaking in the softening liquid to be removed by vibration. The vibrating plate (3c) has a placement platform set along the axial direction of the soil-containing cutting section (5a). The vibrating plate (3c) itself also has a through hole corresponding to the position of the placement platform. The outer diameter of the tamping head (2b2a) is smaller than the inner diameter of the guardrail (5), and the outer wall of the tamping head (2b2a) is provided with multiple cutting ribs distributed along the circumference.

2. The guardrail processing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The softening liquid tank (3a) is equipped with a water purification device.

3. The guardrail processing equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The water purification device includes a filter box (3b) located next to the softened liquid tank (3a).

4. The guardrail processing equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, A water pump A (3f) is provided between the bottom of the softening liquid tank (3a) and the top of the filter box (3b). The dirty water at the bottom of the softening liquid tank (3a) is pumped by the water pump A (3f) to the top of the filter box (3b) and filtered by the filter screen provided in the filter box (3b).

5. The guardrail processing equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that, It also includes a water pump B (3g). After the dirty water is filtered through the filter screen, the clean water at the bottom of the filter box (3b) is pumped to the softening liquid tank (3a) by the water pump B (3g) for recycling.

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