PDC Shear Cutter Picks for Asphalt Milling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Milling and grinding machines in the asphalt and pavement industries face challenges in efficiently removing road material and markings without damaging the surface, leading to reduced tool life and safety issues due to uneven road surfaces.
Innovation Solution
The use of polycrystalline diamond compacts (PDCs) with a substantially planar working surface and nonlinear cutting edges on milling drum picks to shear and cut road material, allowing for precise removal of road surfaces and markings while minimizing surface damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional milling and grinding machines are used to remove road material, then material removal is achieved, but tool wear increases and useful life decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) tips attached to steel pick bodies. The PDC provides extreme hardness for cutting asphalt and pavement materials, while the steel body provides structural support. This composite approach allows the cutting edge to wear minimally while the entire tool remains structurally sound, significantly extending tool life compared to conventional steel-to-steel contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the material parameter of the cutting tip from conventional steel to polycrystalline diamond compact. This parameter change increases the hardness and wear resistance of the cutting edge, allowing it to maintain sharpness much longer while removing road material, thus resolving the contradiction between productivity and tool life.
2Productivity
If road surface is ground down to remove markings, then markings are removed, but surface damage and unevenness increase
Solution Approach 1:
The PDC tips are specifically designed with different geometries and orientations for different functions: some are optimized for cutting and removing material efficiently, while others are configured for shearing and slicing through markings with minimal impact on the underlying road surface. This local differentiation of cutting characteristics allows selective removal of markings while preserving the road surface quality.
3Productivity
If picks crush road material, then material removal occurs, but PDC performance is reduced compared to shearing function
Solution Approach 1:
The picks are designed to rotate as they engage the road material, allowing the PDC cutting edge to maintain optimal orientation for shearing action. The rotation enables the PDC to slice through material rather than crush it, maximizing the cutting efficiency and performance of the diamond compact while maintaining high productivity.
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 solution extends the life of road surfaces and tools by providing efficient material removal and surface smoothing, improving safety through effective water drainage channels and precise marking application, while reducing wear on equipment.
Implementation Method 1
a substantially planar working surface of the PDC engages the road surface. Engaging the road surface with the substantially planar working surface may shear and/or cut through the road surface
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure relates to a system for removing road material. In an embodiment, the system may include a milling drum and at least one pick mounted on the milling drum. Furthermore, the pick may include polycrystalline diamond at least partially forming one or more working surfaces of the pick.