A modified asphalt penetration test detection device
The integrated and automated modified asphalt penetration testing device solves the problems of low efficiency, large error and cross-contamination in traditional testing, and achieves efficient and accurate asphalt penetration testing.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- SHANDONG KUNDA HIGHWAY MATERIALS CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2026-03-17
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-29
AI Technical Summary
Traditional asphalt penetration testers are inefficient, prone to human error, difficult to clean, and susceptible to cross-contamination, affecting the accuracy and repeatability of test results.
An integrated and automated modified asphalt penetration testing device is adopted, including a dual-station testing design, a rotating connecting seat, a sensitive lever testing mechanism, and an automatic cleaning component, to achieve an efficient and accurate testing and cleaning process.
It achieves efficient and accurate asphalt penetration testing, reduces human error, avoids cross-contamination, and improves the accuracy and repeatability of test results.
Smart Images
Figure CN122108845A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of materials testing technology, and in particular to a device for testing the penetration of modified asphalt. Background Technology
[0002] Asphalt penetration is a core indicator for evaluating asphalt consistency and classifying asphalt grades, and its testing accuracy directly affects engineering quality assessment. Traditional penetration testers are mostly manual single-needle operations, resulting in low testing efficiency. Furthermore, the contact time between the needle tip and the sample surface relies on human judgment, leading to significant subjective errors and affecting the repeatability and comparability of results. Simultaneously, the replacement and cleaning of the standard needle is cumbersome, and frequent disassembly and assembly can easily cause needle damage or positioning deviations, introducing new errors. Some improved devices integrate cleaning functions, but the cleaning station is usually adjacent to or even overlaps with the testing station. Volatile solvents or residues during the cleaning process can easily contaminate the test sample, affecting testing accuracy. Therefore, developing an integrated penetration testing device that can achieve efficient, accurate, and automated testing, and effectively solve the problems of sample contamination and needle cleaning, is of great significance. Summary of the Invention
[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a modified asphalt penetration test device that is highly integrated, automated, accurate, and efficient, in order to solve the problems of low efficiency, large human error, inconvenient cleaning, and easy cross-contamination in the prior art.
[0004] The technical solution adopted in this invention is as follows: a modified asphalt penetration test device, comprising a base with a receiving cavity inside, wherein an exchange motor is disposed within the receiving cavity; a placement chamber for holding an asphalt sample; a connecting seat disposed above the base via a rotating shaft driven by the exchange motor; two independent lifting units symmetrically disposed on both sides of the connecting seat; a standard needle correspondingly disposed on each of the lifting units and driven by them to perform lifting movements; a lever detection mechanism disposed within the lifting units for accurately sensing the contact between the tip of the standard needle and the surface of the asphalt sample; a second rotating shaft fixed to the bottom of the placement chamber and rotatably connected to the bottom of the receiving cavity through the top of the base; a transmission mechanism disposed within the receiving cavity for transmitting power between the first and second rotating shafts; and a cleaning component symmetrically disposed on both sides of the first rotating shaft, along with the placement chamber.
[0005] Furthermore, the lifting unit includes: a U-shaped mounting base fixed to the connecting base; a servo motor fixed to the mounting base; a lifting screw disposed at the output end of the servo motor; at least one guide rod disposed parallel to the lifting screw; a lifting seat threadedly connected to the lifting screw and passing through the guide rod; and a fixing plate disposed on the lifting seat for mounting the standard needle.
[0006] Furthermore, the lever detection mechanism includes: a hinge base fixed to the top of the fixed plate; a sensitive lever horizontally disposed and hinged to the hinge base, and the sensitive lever is connected to the hinge base via a torsion spring to give the standard needle a downward preload; wherein the top of the standard needle is hinged to one end of the sensitive lever; a micro switch disposed below the other end of the sensitive lever; and a limiting shell disposed on the fixed plate for maintaining a predetermined gap with the top of the standard needle in the initial position.
[0007] Furthermore, the transmission mechanism includes: a driving wheel fixed on the first rotating shaft; and a driven wheel fixed on the second rotating shaft; wherein the driving wheel and the driven wheel are meshed and connected, and the transmission ratio is 3:2.
[0008] Furthermore, the cleaning assembly includes: a pair of mounting plates symmetrically disposed on the top of the receiving cavity; A clamping motor is fixed to the mounting plate; a clamping screw is located at the output end of the clamping motor; a pair of clamping blocks are symmetrically arranged and threaded with the clamping screw in opposite directions; a guide hole is provided at the top of the base, and the upper end of each clamping block extends through the guide hole to the top of the base; a pair of connecting rods are respectively located at the upper ends of the two clamping blocks; a pair of scrapers are respectively located on the two connecting rods and can open and close relative to each other, with the shape of their inner working surfaces matching the shape of the needle bar of the standard needle; each scraper has an embedded electric heating element. A sludge collection box is also included, located above the base and below the working area of the scrapers.
[0009] Furthermore, it also includes a liquid storage tank, to which a nozzle is connected via a connecting pipe, the nozzle's spray nozzle facing the working area of the scraper.
[0010] Furthermore, it also includes a hot air drying mechanism, which includes a hot air drying cylinder, inside which a centrifugal fan and a heating element are installed.
[0011] Furthermore, a support frame is provided inside the placement chamber, and a sample dish for holding asphalt samples is fixed inside the support frame.
[0012] Furthermore, a support column is fitted around the rotating shaft, and the bottom of the support column is fixed to the base; an annular groove and a plurality of balls that roll along the groove are provided between the connecting seat and the top of the support column.
[0013] Furthermore, a control panel is provided on the base, and the control panel is electrically connected to the switching motor, the servo motor, the clamping motor, the control valve of the nozzle, and the centrifugal fan.
[0014] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: 1. Through the dual-station testing assembly design, coupled with a rotatable connector, a "one-test-one-standby" or "continuous testing" working mode is realized. When one standard needle is being tested or subsequently cleaned, the other standard needle can be positioned in advance, eliminating the waiting time for changing samples and cleaning needles, and avoiding the accuracy loss caused by frequent disassembly and assembly of standard needles.
[0015] 2. The mechanical-electrically triggered lever detection mechanism, consisting of a sensitive lever pre-tensioned by a torsion spring and a high-sensitivity micro switch, can capture the moment when the needle tip contacts the asphalt surface with extreme precision and objectivity, minimizing the error of human visual judgment and greatly improving the accuracy, repeatability and comparability of the test results.
[0016] 3. The integrated three-step cleaning process—heated scraping, spray cleaning, and hot air drying—achieves rapid, thorough, and automated cleaning of standard needles. The independently designed cleaning station prevents sample contamination during the cleaning process, ensuring needle cleanliness before each puncture, while significantly reducing the operator's workload and the risk of exposure to harmful solvents. Attached Figure Description
[0017] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate the invention and form part of the specification. They are used in conjunction with embodiments of the invention to explain the invention and do not constitute a limitation thereof. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the cavity; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the lifting unit structure; Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the lever detection mechanism; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the transmission mechanism. Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the cleaning component structure; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a hot air drying cylinder; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the storage compartment; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure where the annular groove and ball bearings are fitted together.
[0018] In the diagram: 1-Base; 11-Receiving cavity; 12-Exchange motor; 13-Rotating shaft one; 14-Guide through hole; 15-Control panel; 2-Placement chamber; 21-Rotating shaft two; 22-Support frame; 23-Sample dish; 24-Support column; 3-Connecting seat; 31-Annular groove; 32-Ball bearing; 4-Lifting unit; 41-Mounting base; 42-Servo motor; 43-Lifting screw; 44-Guide rod; 45-Lifting seat; 46-Fixing plate; 5-Standard needle; 6- 61. Lever detection mechanism; 62. Hinge seat; 63. Sensitive lever; 64. Micro switch; 7. Limiting shell; 8. Transmission mechanism; 71. Driving wheel; 72. Driven wheel; 8. Cleaning assembly; 81. Mounting plate; 82. Clamping motor; 83. Clamping screw; 84. Clamping block; 85. Connecting rod; 86. Scraper; 91. Liquid storage tank; 92. Connecting pipe; 93. Nozzle; 94. Hot air drying cylinder; 95. Centrifugal fan; 96. Heating element; 97. Sludge collection box. Detailed Implementation
[0019] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the preferred embodiments described herein are for illustration and explanation only and are not intended to limit the present invention.
[0020] As shown in the figure, a modified asphalt penetration test device is presented. Its core features include the integration of parallel testing, high-precision sensing, automatic cleaning, and precise positioning functions.
[0021] The main body of the device is a base 1, which has an internal cavity 11 for mounting the main drive and transmission components. An exchange motor 12 is fixed inside the cavity 11. The output end of the exchange motor 12 is connected to a vertical rotating shaft 13, which extends upwards through the top of the base 1. A connecting seat 3 is fixed to the top of the rotating shaft 13. Two identical, independent lifting units 4 are symmetrically fixed on both sides of the connecting seat 3, forming a dual-detection station.
[0022] Each lifting unit 4 includes a U-shaped mounting base 41, a servo motor 42 fixed to the top of the mounting base 41, a lifting screw 43 driven by the servo motor 42, two guide rods 44 parallel to the lifting screw 43, a lifting seat 45 threadedly engaged with the lifting screw 43, and a fixing plate 46 fixed on the lifting seat 45. The standard needle 5 is vertically mounted via the fixing plate 46. When the servo motor 42 drives the lifting screw 43 to rotate, it causes the lifting seat 45 to move precisely up and down along the guide rods 44, thereby realizing the lifting and piercing action of the standard needle 5.
[0023] To accurately determine the moment when the needle tip contacts the sample surface, a lever detection mechanism 6 is installed on the top of the fixed plate 46 of each lifting unit 4. This mechanism includes a hinge 61 fixed to the fixed plate 46, a sensitive lever 62 horizontally hinged to the hinge 61, and a highly sensitive microswitch 63. The top of the standard needle 5 is hinged to one end of the sensitive lever 62, and the other end of the sensitive lever 62 is suspended above the trigger head of the microswitch 63. The sensitive lever 62 is connected to the hinge 61 via a torsion spring, which provides a preload force to drive the standard needle 5 downwards, ensuring that the standard needle 5 can stably descend in its free state. Initially, the top of the standard needle 5 is restricted by a limiting shell 64 on the fixed plate 46, maintaining a small initial gap with the bottom of the limiting shell 64. When the standard needle 5 descends and its tip encounters resistance upon contact with the asphalt sample surface, the needle rod stops moving. Meanwhile, the lifting seat 45 continues to descend slightly under the drive of the servo motor. This relative motion causes the top of the standard needle 5 to lift one end of the sensitive lever 62, causing the lever to rotate around its hinge point. The other end then presses down, triggering the microswitch 63 and sending a contact signal. The initial position of the needle rod is immediately recorded, and the servo motor 42 is controlled to pause or run at a very low speed, entering a standby state ready to begin the penetration stage.
[0024] The placement chamber 2 is located on the base 1 and is used to hold the sample dish 23 containing the asphalt sample. The sample dish 23 is stably positioned in the center by the support frame 22 inside the placement chamber 2. A second rotating shaft 21 is fixed to the bottom of the placement chamber 2, which passes through the top of the base 1 and its lower end is rotatably connected to the bottom of the receiving cavity 11 through a bearing. In order to achieve precise cyclic switching between the testing station, the cleaning station and the sample station, a transmission mechanism 7 is set in the receiving cavity 11. The transmission mechanism 7 includes a driving wheel 71 fixed on the first rotating shaft 13 and a driven wheel 72 fixed on the second rotating shaft 21. The two are gear meshed and the transmission ratio is set to 3:2. When the exchange motor 12 drives the connecting seat 3 to rotate 180°, it ensures that the placement chamber 2 rotates 120° each time, which meets the specification requirement that the same sample needs to be tested at three different points.
[0025] To further enhance the rigidity and stability of the equipment, a robust support column 24 is fitted around the outside of the second rotating shaft 21. The bottom of the support column 24 is firmly fixed to the base 1 by flange or welding, providing strong radial support for the second rotating shaft 21 and effectively suppressing any shaking that may occur when the placement chamber 2 rotates. Simultaneously, a concentric annular groove 31 is machined on the top end face of the support column 24, with multiple high-precision balls 32 evenly arranged within this groove 31. This ensures that the connecting seat 3 can operate extremely smoothly and without jamming or drifting when rotating under the drive of the switching motor 12 during station switching, thereby guaranteeing extremely high repeatability positioning accuracy when switching between the dual detection station and the cleaning station.
[0026] The cleaning component 8, as an independent workstation, is symmetrically distributed on both sides of the rotating shaft 13 with the placement chamber 2. Its main body includes a pair of mounting plates 81 fixed to the top of the receiving cavity 11, a clamping motor 82 fixed to the mounting plates 81, and a clamping screw 83 driven by the clamping motor 82. The clamping screw 83 has two threaded sections with opposite thread directions, which respectively engage with two clamping blocks 84. A guide hole 14 is opened at the top of the base 1. The upper ends of the two clamping blocks 84 extend through the guide hole 14 to the top of the base 1 and are each connected to a connecting rod 85. A scraper 86 is installed at the end of each connecting rod 85. When the clamping motor 82 rotates, the two clamping blocks 84 move synchronously in opposite directions under the constraint of the guide hole 14, thereby causing the two scrapers 86 to close or open. The inner working surface of the scraper 86 is machined into a concave arc surface that matches the shape of the standard needle 5 needle bar, ensuring that it can wrap around the needle bar when closed. Each scraper blade 86 has an embedded electric heating element inside, used to heat and melt the asphalt adhering to the needle shaft.
[0027] The cleaning process is a three-step process: First, the scraper 86 closes and clamps the needle rod, and the electric heating element softens the asphalt. Second, the nozzle 93, located near the working area of the scraper 86, sprays cleaning solvent (supplied by the storage tank 91 through the connecting pipe 92) under control for rinsing. Finally, the hot air drying mechanism is activated, and the centrifugal fan 95 and heating element 96 in its hot air drying cylinder 94 generate hot air to quickly dry the cleaned needle rod, ensuring no liquid residue. Waste liquid and impurities generated during cleaning fall into the collection box 97 below for easy centralized cleaning.
[0028] All actions of the device are centrally controlled by the control panel 15 mounted on the base 1. The control panel 15 is electrically connected to the solenoid valves of the switching motor 12, two servo motors 42, clamping motor 82, nozzle 93, electric heating element, centrifugal fan 95, and heating element 96, and can preset or manually control the entire detection-cleaning cycle process.
[0029] Working principle: Before the test begins, the sample dish 23 containing the asphalt sample is placed on the support frame 22 of the placement chamber 2. The program is started via the control panel 15. First, the exchange motor 12 operates, rotating the standard needle 5 of one of the lifting units 4 (designated as unit A) to directly above the placement chamber 2, while the other (unit B) remains in the waiting or cleaning position. The servo motor 42 of unit A drives the standard needle 5 to descend, and the lever detection mechanism 6 automatically determines the contact point and records the displacement data, completing the first puncture test. Subsequently, needle A rises, and the exchange motor 12 drives the connecting seat 3 to rotate 180°. At this time, the standard needle 5 of unit A is sent to the cleaning component 8 station, while the standard needle 5 of unit B is sent directly above the placement chamber 2. Simultaneously, due to the 3:2 transmission ratio, the placement chamber 2 rotates 120° in the opposite direction, changing the test point of the sample. Next, the standard needle 5 of unit B undergoes a second puncture test, while the standard needle 5 of unit A simultaneously undergoes fully automatic cleaning including heating, scraping, spraying, and drying. This cycle allows for efficient, accurate, and automated completion of all testing tasks, without requiring manual intervention in needle cleaning and sample positioning, effectively preventing cross-contamination.
Claims
1. A device for testing the penetration of modified asphalt, characterized in that, include: The base (1) has a cavity (11) inside, and a switching motor (12) is installed inside the cavity (11); Placement chamber (2) is used to hold asphalt samples; The connecting seat (3) is disposed above the base (1) via a rotating shaft (13) driven to rotate by the switching motor (12); Two independent lifting units (4) are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the connecting seat (3); Standard needles (5) are correspondingly set on each of the lifting units (4) and driven by them to perform lifting movements; The lever detection mechanism (6) is set inside the lifting unit (4) and is used to accurately sense the contact between the tip of the standard needle (5) and the surface of the asphalt sample. Rotating shaft 2 (21) is fixed to the bottom of the placement chamber (2) and rotatably connected to the bottom of the receiving cavity (11) through the top of the base (1); A transmission mechanism (7) is disposed in the receiving cavity (11) for transmitting power between the first rotating shaft (13) and the second rotating shaft (21); The cleaning component (8) is symmetrically arranged on both sides of the rotation axis (13) with the placement chamber (2).
2. The modified asphalt penetration test apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lifting unit (4) includes: A U-shaped mounting base (41) is fixed to the connecting base (3); A servo motor (42) is fixed on the mounting base (41); A lifting screw (43) is located at the output end of the servo motor (42); At least one guide rod (44) is arranged parallel to the lifting screw (43); The lifting seat (45) is threadedly connected to the lifting screw (43) and passes through the guide rod (44); A fixing plate (46) is disposed on the lifting seat (45) for mounting the standard needle (5).
3. The modified asphalt penetration test device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lever testing mechanism includes: Hinge (61) is fixed to the top of the fixing plate (46); A sensitive lever (62) is horizontally positioned and hinged to the hinge seat (61), and the sensitive lever (62) is connected to the hinge seat (61) by a torsion spring, so that the standard needle (5) receives a downward preload. The top of the standard needle (5) is hinged to one end of the sensitive lever (62); A micro switch (63) is located below the other end of the sensitive lever (62); A limiting shell (64) is disposed on the fixing plate (46) for maintaining a predetermined gap with the top of the standard needle (5) in the initial position.
4. The modified asphalt penetration test apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transmission mechanism (7) includes: The drive wheel (71) is fixed on the first rotating shaft (13); Driven wheel (72) is fixed on the second rotating shaft (21); The driving wheel (71) is meshed with the driven wheel (72).
5. The modified asphalt penetration test apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cleaning component (8) includes: A pair of mounting plates (81) are symmetrically arranged on the top of the receiving cavity (11); The clamping motor (82) is fixed on the mounting plate (81); A clamping screw (83) is disposed at the output end of the clamping motor (82); A pair of clamping blocks (84) are symmetrically arranged and threadedly engaged with the clamping screw (83), with the thread directions being opposite; The base (1) has a guide hole (14) at its top, and the upper end of the clamping block (84) extends through the guide hole (14) to the top of the base (1). A pair of connecting rods (85) are respectively disposed at the upper ends of the two clamping blocks (84); A pair of scrapers (86) are respectively set on the two connecting rods (85) and can open and close relative to each other. The shape of their inner working surfaces matches the shape of the needle bar of the standard needle (5). Each of the scraper blades (86) is equipped with an electric heating element embedded inside; A sludge collection box (97) is disposed above the base (1) and below the working area of the scraper (86).
6. The modified asphalt penetration test apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that: It also includes a liquid storage tank (91) and a nozzle (93) connected to it via a connecting pipe (92), the nozzle (93) having its spray nozzle facing the working area of the scraper (86).
7. The modified asphalt penetration test apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that: It also includes a hot air drying mechanism, which includes a hot air drying cylinder (94) with a centrifugal fan (95) and a heating element (96) installed inside the hot air drying cylinder (94).
8. The modified asphalt penetration test apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The placement chamber (2) is equipped with a support frame (22), and a sample dish (23) for holding asphalt samples is fixed inside the support frame (22).
9. The modified asphalt penetration test apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating shaft 2 (21) is fitted with a support column (24), the bottom of which is fixed to the base (1); an annular groove (31) and a plurality of balls (32) rolling along the groove (31) are provided between the connecting seat (3) and the top of the support column (24).
10. The modified asphalt penetration test apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The base (1) is provided with a control panel (15), which is electrically connected to the control valves of the switching motor (12), the servo motor (42), the clamping motor (82), the nozzle (93), and the centrifugal fan (95).