PAVING MATERIAL STIRRING AND DISTRIBUTION ROD SYSTEM

Abstract

A compaction assembly can move over particulate material in one direction of movement. The compaction assembly can include a reciprocating agitator section (60) positioned along an axis perpendicular to the direction of movement. The agitator section can move laterally along the axis to agitate the material transversely to the direction of movement. The compaction assembly can further include a smoothing plate (18) mounted behind the agitator section with respect to the direction of movement, the smoothing plate being designed to smooth the material.

Description

Technical area

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to an asphalt paver. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a paver having an asphalt agitation system. State of the art

[0002] Pavers are used to apply, distribute, and compact paving material relatively evenly over a desired area. These machines are regularly used in the construction of roads, parking lots, and other areas where a smooth, durable surface is required for cars, trucks, and other vehicles to drive on. An asphalt paver typically includes a screed to smooth and compact the asphalt material, ideally leaving a surface of uniform depth and smoothness.

[0003] Current screed systems focus on compacting asphalt material to create structurally sound pavements. This can be accomplished either with a vertically moving (up and down) tamper bar system or with a vibration system. Passive compaction can be achieved through the weight of the screed. In such systems, individual material particles are merely actively moved vertically for compaction. This can lead to air pockets in the material and thus to suboptimal results such as crushed aggregates or improperly intermeshed aggregates. Vibrations can provide some lateral action, but are more passive in nature and may not occur in predictable and desired patterns.Pavement quality can be improved on many construction sites by actively moving the asphalt to arrange the aggregates in a predictable, desired manner, resulting in stronger, denser asphalt pavements.

[0004] U.S. Patent No. 6,183,160 provides a screed assembly including a rotatable auger for moving material laterally across the path of travel, a vibrating screed positioned behind the auger for smoothing and finishing the material, and an elongated engaging member reciprocated laterally across the path in a position between the auger and the vibrating screed to enable consolidation of the material. Brief description

[0005] In one example according to this disclosure, a compaction assembly may be configured for moving in a direction of travel over particulate material. The assembly may include a reciprocating agitator section positioned along an axis perpendicular to the direction of travel, the agitator section configured for laterally moving along the axis and for agitating the material transverse to the direction of travel; and a screed mounted downstream of the agitator section with respect to the direction of travel, the screed section configured for smoothing the material. Short description of the drawings

[0006] In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numbers may describe similar components in different views. Like numbers with different letter suffixes may represent different instances of similar components. The drawings illustrate various embodiments discussed in this document generally and by way of example, but not by way of limitation. Fig. 1 shows a side view of a road paver according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 shows a side view of a portion of a compression assembly according to one embodiment. Fig. 3A shows a side view of a portion of a first compaction assembly to illustrate the arrangement of the agitation section according to one embodiment. Fig. 3B shows a side view of a portion of a second compaction assembly according to one embodiment to illustrate the arrangement of the agitation section. Fig. 4A shows a front view of a screed assembly to illustrate the mounting arrangement of the components according to one embodiment. Fig. Figure 4B shows a top view of a screed assembly to illustrate the mounting arrangement of the components according to one embodiment. Fig. Figure 4C shows a side view of a screed assembly to illustrate the mounting arrangement of the components according to one embodiment. Fig. Figure 5A illustrates the movement of the stirring section in one direction over the aggregate. Fig. Figure 5B illustrates the aggregate after stirring according to one embodiment. Fig. 6 shows an alternative front view to illustrate the attachment of a connector assembly according to one embodiment. Detailed description

[0007] Fig. 1 shows a side view of a paver 10 according to one embodiment. The paver 10 generally includes a frame 12 with a set of ground-engaging elements 14, such as tracks or wheels, coupled to the frame 12. The ground-engaging elements 14 may be driven by an engine 13 in a known manner. A screed assembly 16 may be disposed at the rear end of the paver 10 for distributing and compacting paving material into an asphalt pavement 11 having a desired thickness, size, uniformity, crown profile, and cross slope. The paver 10 also includes an operator station 22 with a seat and a console having various controls for controlling the operation of the paver 10. Additional screed assemblies (e.g., screed extensions) may be provided on one or both sides of the paver 10, but are not shown in Fig. 1 not shown for reasons of clarity.

[0008] The paving machine 10 further includes a hopper 26 for storing paving material and a conveyor system having one or more conveyors 15 configured to move paving material from the hopper 26 to the screed assembly 16 at the rear of the paving machine 10. One or more augers 30 are disposed near the front end of the screed assembly 16 to receive the paving material supplied by the conveyor 15 and to distribute the material evenly under the screed assembly 16. Reference to the "front" end of the screed assembly 16 refers to the end of the screed assembly 16 facing in the direction of travel of the paving machine 10 when the paving machine 10 is applying the paving material to a surface (in Fig. 1 to the left). Similarly, reference to a "forward-facing" surface of a component of the screed assembly 16 means a surface facing in the direction of travel of the paver 10 while the paver 10 is applying paving material to a surface, while reference to a "rearward-facing" surface of a component means a surface facing away from the direction of travel of the paver 10 while the paver 10 is applying paving material to a surface (in Fig. 1 to the right).

[0009] The screed assembly 16 can be pivotally coupled behind the paver 10 via a pair of towing arms 17 extending between the frame 12 of the paver and the screed assembly 16. The towing arms 17 can be pivotally connected to the frame 12 so that the relative position and orientation of the screed assembly 16 with respect to the screed frame and the surface being paved can be adjusted by pivoting the towing arms 17, for example, to control the thickness of the paving material applied by the paver 10.

[0010] The screed assembly 16 may include a screed frame 24 with a screed plate 18 coupled to the screed frame 24. The screed plate 18 is designed to float onto the paving material of the asphalt pavement 11 laid on a prepared paving bed and to "smooth" or level and compact the paving material on the base surface, such as a roadway or a cofferdam. The screed assembly 16 may include a tamper bar assembly 20 positioned forward of the screed plate 18 and extending transversely to the direction of travel of the paver 10. The tamper bar assembly 20 may include a tamper bar 41.The tamper bar assembly 20 can be coupled to the screed frame 24 of the screed assembly 16 and configured such that the tamper bar 41 is reciprocated in an upward and downward direction substantially perpendicular to the asphalt pavement 11 and substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel of the paver 10. The tamper bar 20 extends generally transverse to the paving direction across substantially the entire width of the screed plate 18. The tamper bar assembly 20 precompacts the paving material as the paver 10 moves forward, and the screed assembly 16 smooths the paving material to remove air pockets and other voids and create a level paved surface.

[0011] Thus, arrangements and systems according to the embodiments may provide, instead of or in addition to tamper bar assemblies, a compaction assembly for moving in a direction of travel (e.g., direction of travel) over particulate material. A partial view of the assembly is shown in Fig. 2, Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B.

[0012] Fig. 2 shows a side view of a portion of a compression assembly according to one embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2, a deflector plate 50 includes a bottom edge, and the tamper bar 20 is disposed near the bottom edge (e.g., laterally of the central axis and rearward of the bottom edge) of the deflector plate 50. As previously described herein, the tamper bar 20 is configured to move vertically up and down to pre-compact the paving material. Additionally, a wear bar 52 may be disposed laterally adjacent to the tamper bar 20. The wear bar 52 is fixedly connected to the frame 12 and has no movement relative to the frame 12. The front edge of the screed 18 abuts the rear of the wear bar 52. Because they are both fixedly connected to the frame 12, the screed 18 and the wear bar 52 have no relative movement to one another.

[0013] Fig. Figure 3A shows a side view of a portion of a first compaction assembly to illustrate the arrangement of the agitating section 60 according to one embodiment. The reciprocating agitating section 60 can be moved along an axis perpendicular to the direction of movement (axis 54 ( Fig. 2)). The stirring section 60 can move laterally along the axis to stir the material transversely to the direction of movement 54. As shown in Fig. 3A, the screed plate 18 is mounted behind the agitating section 60 with respect to the direction of travel, although in some embodiments the screed plate 18 may not be directly connected to or adjacent the agitating section 60.

[0014] For example, as in Fig. 3A, the tamper bar 20 and the wear bar 52 are arranged between the agitator section 60 and the screed plate 18. If screed extensions are included, the agitator section 60 can be arranged in a similar manner to the corresponding screed plates (in Fig. 3A not shown).

[0015] Fig. 3B shows a side view of a portion of a second compression assembly according to one embodiment to illustrate the arrangement of the agitation section 60. As in Fig. 3B, the tamper bar 20 is not present, and the agitator bar 60 may be in contact or nearly in contact with the wear bar 52. As shown in Fig. 3A, the reciprocating stirring section 60 is shown along an axis perpendicular to the direction of movement (axis 54 ( Fig. 2)). The stirring section 60 can move laterally along the axis to stir the material transversely to the direction of movement 54. If screed extensions are included, the stirring section 60 can be arranged in a similar manner to the corresponding screed plates (in Fig. 3B not shown).

[0016] The movement of the stirring section 60 may be accomplished using a shaft (e.g., an eccentric shaft) or other device used to reciprocate a bar along a path. Fig. 4A, Fig. 4B and Fig. 4C illustrate mounting configurations for shafts and shaft assemblies for actuating the agitator section 60.

[0017] Fig. 4A shows a front view of a compression assembly to illustrate the mounting arrangement of the components according to one embodiment. As shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 4A, the agitator section 401 is connected to the screed frame 400 via an agitator section connecting rod 406. Agitation force is provided to the agitator section 401 using a motor shaft 402 (which may be eccentric, although embodiments are not so limited) and a hub 404 connected to the agitator section connecting rod 406. The connections or linkages may include hydraulic cylinders, linear actuators, or other mechanisms. By actively and intentionally moving the assembly from left to right, air pockets that may not be completely removed during the compaction operations of the screed frame 400 or the asphalt rollers can be reduced or eliminated.

[0018] The agitating section 401 includes a surface 408 for contact with the material (e.g., aggregate, asphalt, etc.). The topographical geometry of the surface 408 should provide surfaces capable of pushing the material horizontally relative to the work surface so that the underside of the agitating section 401 can actively interact with the asphalt mix, aggregate, etc., by pushing the material back and forth horizontally (e.g., from left to right, although embodiments are not limited thereto). The surface 408 may include a plurality of depressions and protrusions that may be differently shaped, such as arcuate, triangular, completely flat, etc. For example, Fig. 4A Indentations and protrusions on surface 408 that include curves or arcs. The curve or recess diameters can be determined based on the size, type, and dimensions of the material and can be the same or a different diameter. The diameter of the features of surface 408 (or the height of the features of surface 408) can be determined based on testing various heights / diameters with various common paving materials. In examples, the diameters or heights are less than the height of large pieces of paving material (e.g., about 50-80% of the size of common pieces of asphalt / aggregate). In examples, agitation section 401 can be removable and replaceable with other agitation sections having different size / diameter surface features to accommodate different materials. Surface 408 can include a wear-resistant material.In examples, the wear-resistant material may include a material with a high chromium content, although embodiments are not limited thereto. In examples, the wear-resistant material includes a high-chromium white iron that can be cast. Alternatively, a machined or forged bar stock may be used, which is subsequently heat-treated to improve wear performance.

[0019] Fig. Figure 5A illustrates the movement of the stirring section 500 in a direction 502. Shapes (e.g., arcs 504) move the aggregate from one side to the other. As Fig. 5A, the aggregate 510 is relatively loose and uncompacted and includes several spaces, gaps, or air pockets 512. Compaction according to the available systems would merely push the aggregate 510 downward, which could result in some air pockets 512 remaining. In contrast, Fig. 5B shows the aggregate 550 after the agitating section 500 has moved the aggregate 550 from side to side, allowing more pieces to be moved into a favorable position and providing an improved interlocking structure with fewer or no air pockets.

[0020] With reference now to Fig. 4B shows Fig. 4B is a top view of a screed assembly to illustrate the component mounting arrangement according to one embodiment. For example, as shown, the connecting rod 406 may space the motor shaft 402 from the agitator section 401. Fig. Figure 4C shows a side view of a screed assembly to illustrate the component mounting arrangement according to one embodiment. As shown, the agitator section 401 is connected to the motor shaft 402 via a connecting rod 406 and hub 404 mechanism.

[0021] Fig. 6 shows an alternative front view to illustrate the attachment of a connecting assembly according to one embodiment. At point 600, an actuator 602 may be mounted, which includes a hydraulic cylinder or an electric linear actuator that extends and retracts to create the desired movement in the stirring section 601. The actuator 602 may be used instead of the actuator described above with reference to Fig. 4A-4C may be used under conditions where vibrations or movements occur at lower frequencies. A connection 604 may be provided between the stirring section 601 and the actuator 602. While motor shafts and actuators are described, other components for generating movement or vibration may also be used to move the compaction assemblies of various embodiments.

[0022] By providing agitation sections, as described herein according to various embodiments, the density and strength of asphalt pavements can be improved. Air pockets and other voids can be removed from the asphalt or other materials, providing interlocking stability throughout the asphalt pavement. Furthermore, the arrangements according to embodiments provide higher densities and smoother surfaces of the finished asphalt pavement. Industrial applicability

[0023] This system is applicable to paving systems that incorporate planks to construct structurally sound road surfaces. As mentioned, although compaction occurs with these paving systems, air pockets or other voids may remain in the road surfaces, reducing their strength.

[0024] The system provides a device for agitating paving material (e.g., aggregate) to achieve better interlocking of the particles. An agitator section may be connected to a motor or other motion-generating device for moving the agitator section laterally transverse to a direction of travel of a paving system. Particles or pieces of aggregate may then vibrate or slide into an improved interlocking position, thus reducing air pockets in the pavement, resulting in increased density and smoothness.

[0025] The above detailed description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the disclosure should therefore be determined by reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents claimed by the claims. QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] US 6,183,160

[0004]

Claims

[1] A compaction assembly designed to move in a direction of movement over particulate material, the assembly comprising: a reciprocating stirring section (60) positioned along an axis perpendicular to the direction of movement, the stirring section being adapted to move laterally along the axis and to stir the material transversely to the direction of movement; and a smoothing plate (18) which is fastened behind the stirring section with respect to the direction of movement, the smoothing plate being designed to smooth the material. [2] The assembly of claim 1, wherein the stirring section is connected to a motor shaft (402) and a hub (404) with a stirring section connecting rod (406), and wherein the stirring force is provided to the stirring section using the motor shaft and the hub. [3] The assembly of claim 2, further including a wear bar (52) between the agitating section and a screed frame (400). [4] The assembly of claim 1, wherein the stirring section is connected to a linear actuator having a stirring section connecting rod, and wherein the stirring force is provided to the stirring section using the linear actuator. [5] The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a tamper bar assembly positioned between the agitating section and the screed plate, the tamper bar assembly including: a rammer connecting rod configured to have a vertical reciprocating motion; and a tamper bar positioned below the sheet to compact the material after stirring. [6] The assembly of claim 1, wherein a tamper bar is configured to move vertically with respect to the direction of movement. [7] The assembly of claim 1, wherein the stirring portion includes a first surface for contact with the material, and wherein the first surface includes a plurality of recesses and projections. [8] The assembly of claim 7, wherein the recesses include curves. [9] The assembly of claim 8, wherein the recesses include equal diameter curves corresponding to a type or size of the material. [10] The assembly of claim 8, wherein a height of at least one protrusion is based on particle dimensions of the material, a type of material, or material particle dimensions.

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