Road Scraper Wing Articulation for Uneven Surface Cleaning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing roadway cleaning devices are inefficient in handling uneven surfaces and varying widths, often requiring multiple passes to effectively remove materials like snow, ice, and debris.
Innovation Solution
A scraping device with pivotable lateral wings and multiple force-generating mechanisms, allowing adjustable width and enhanced maneuverability to adapt to uneven surfaces and obstacles, facilitated by actuators and compression springs for efficient material handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the scraping device uses a fixed-width design, then the structure is simple, but it cannot adapt to varying roadway widths and uneven surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The scraping device employs pivotable lateral wings that can rotate about vertical pivot axes, allowing the device to dynamically adjust its working width and adapt to varying roadway conditions. The wings can pivot between different angular positions to accommodate uneven surfaces and different roadway widths, transforming a static structure into a dynamic, adaptable system.
Solution Approach 2:
The scraping device is divided into multiple independent sections: a central support structure and two separate lateral wings. Each wing can pivot independently about its own vertical pivot axis, allowing selective adjustment of each section to adapt to local surface conditions while maintaining overall structural integrity.
2Productivity
If the scraping device uses a fixed configuration, then manufacturing is easy, but it requires multiple passes to clean uneven surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The pivotable wings enable the scraping device to dynamically adjust its configuration during operation to match the underlying roadway surface. By rotating the wings to align with surface contours, the device achieves better contact and cleaning efficiency in a single pass, eliminating the need for multiple passes required by fixed configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The device changes its geometric parameters (wing angle, working width) during operation to adapt to varying roadway conditions. The pivot axes allow continuous adjustment of wing positions, changing the effective cleaning width and angle to optimize performance for different surface conditions without requiring multiple passes.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the scraping device has adjustable width mechanisms, then it adapts to uneven surfaces, but the force-generating mechanisms become complex
Solution Approach 1:
The compression springs are configured to automatically generate the necessary forcing forces as the wings pivot and contact the roadway surface. The springs utilize the natural motion and weight of the wings themselves, converting gravitational and inertial forces into effective cleaning pressure, eliminating the need for separate complex active force-generating mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The force-generating mechanism dynamically adapts to wing position through the compression springs, which automatically adjust the forcing forces based on the current angular position and contact conditions. This dynamic force generation follows the wing motion, providing appropriate pressure at each stage of the cleaning cycle without requiring complex control systems.
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
The device provides versatile and efficient cleaning of roadway surfaces by adapting to uneven terrain and varying widths, improving cleaning quality and reducing the need for multiple passes.
Implementation Method 1
a first force-generating mechanism comprising at least one compression spring mounted between the upper section and the bottom section to exert a first return force urging the bottom section downwards with reference to the upper section
Data Source
AI summary
The device includes two opposing lateral wings forming the right and left sides of the scraping device. Each wing includes an upper section through which the wing is attached to the central support about a vertical pivot axis, and a bottom section that is pivotable with respect to the upper section about a first horizontal pivot axis. Each wing can follow the unevenness of the roadway surface and may also include parts that can pivot backwards in case of a frontal impact with an obstacle. The scraping device offers a very high degree of versatility and can clean various kinds of roadway surfaces with an unprecedented level of efficiency.