Road Paver Screed Hydraulic Valve Control for Thickness Consistency

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Solution Overview

Problem

Unintentional changes in the distance between the paving screed and the subsurface during the production of road surfaces lead to unevenness, particularly when starting or resuming the manufacturing process, due to hydraulic fluid compression in lifting cylinders, causing the screed to float and form bumps.

Innovation Solution

Electrically controlled valves are used to maintain a constant amount of hydraulic fluid in the lifting cylinders by closing valves during startup, preventing fluid loss and reducing hydraulic system elasticity, thus stabilizing the screed and improving paving quality.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the paver starts moving after the screed is lowered, then the manufacturing process begins, but the hydraulic fluid compresses causing the screed to float and form unevenness

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing process startupVSAvoidlayer thickness consistency
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The valve is closed before the paver starts moving to prevent hydraulic fluid from leaving the cylinder. This preliminary action eliminates the compressibility issue during startup, ensuring the screed maintains constant contact pressure with the road construction material from the beginning of the manufacturing process, thereby preventing floating and unevenness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Stability of the object's composition

If the valve is closed to prevent hydraulic fluid loss, then the screed stability improves, but the device complexity increases due to additional control mechanisms

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvescreed position stabilityVSAvoidvalve control system
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts and addresses only the critical phase (startup) where instability occurs, rather than implementing continuous complex control. A simple valve closure during startup eliminates the need for complex continuous adjustment mechanisms, achieving stability with minimal additional device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Ease of operation

If the hydraulic system allows fluid movement for screed adjustment, then the screed can be positioned accurately, but the system elasticity causes floating during startup

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvescreed positioningVSAvoidroad surface uniformity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The hydraulic control is segmented into two distinct phases: positioning phase (valve open) and manufacturing phase (valve closed). This segmentation allows the system to benefit from hydraulic flexibility during positioning while eliminating compressibility issues during actual road construction, thereby achieving both ease of operation and manufacturing precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This approach prevents the screed from floating and forming unevenness, ensuring a consistent layer thickness and enhancing the quality of the road surface by minimizing the elasticity of the hydraulic system.

Implementation Method 1

The compression of the hydraulic fluid is caused by the resistance of the road construction material on the screed, which is reflected in the lifting cylinders as a pressure increase or compression.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCompression: Compression

Implementation Method 2

When the paving screed is lowered onto the road construction material to be paved, hydraulic fluid or hydraulic oil is sucked into the cylinder sides of the lifting cylinders due to the gravity acting on the paving screed.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectGravity: Gravitation

Data Source

PatentEP3266934B1Road finisher and method for producing a road pavement
Publication Date: 2019.02.13 DYNAPAC GMBH
  • EP3266934B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3266934B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3266934B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Road pavers (10) are used to produce road surfaces. To regulate the thickness of the road surface layer, a screed (17) is lowered or raised. Particularly at the beginning or when resuming the production process, the elasticity of the screed's hydraulics (17) can unintentionally cause unevenness in the road surface. The application provides a road paver (10) and a method for producing a road surface that improves the quality of the road surface to be produced. This is achieved by electrically controlling at least one valve (37) attached to the cylinder sides of the lifting cylinders (22) after the screed (17) has been lowered, and by closing the valves (37) to maintain a constant amount of hydraulic fluid in the cylinder sides (29) when the road paver (10) starts up.