Automated Road Surfacing with Expandable Webbing and Aggregate
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for deploying and filling webbing for road materials and maintenance rely heavily on manual labor, leading to high costs and material deposition outside desired areas, causing erosion and inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
A road surfacing system with a mobile frame equipped with a webbing conveyor, filler distributor, automatic welder, and vibration plate to automate the process of laying expandable webbing and filling it with sand, gravel, or aggregate, reducing manual labor and containing materials within the desired area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If manual labor is used to deploy and fill webbing for road materials, then flexibility and adaptability are maintained, but construction costs increase and material containment is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the mobile frame's own movement to deploy webbing through the conveyor system, and uses its own filler distributor to fill the webbing pockets, making the system self-sufficient and eliminating the need for separate manual deployment and filling operations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operations with an automated system combining a mobile frame, conveyor belt mechanism, and filler distributor, transforming labor-intensive manual work into an integrated mechanical automation system
2Manufacturing precision
If manual labor is used to deposit webbing and filler, then material placement control is difficult, but automation equipment complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The webbing is divided into multiple pockets that can be individually filled, and the filler distributor is segmented to deposit material into specific pockets along the conveyor, enabling precise material placement control through modular segmentation
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile frame integrates multiple functions including webbing transport, expansion, welding, and filler distribution into a single multi-functional platform, reducing overall system complexity while achieving precise material placement
3Productivity
If manual deployment methods are used, then equipment investment is low, but construction speed is slow and labor costs are high
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor belt enables continuous webbing deployment and the mobile frame allows continuous movement along the road, eliminating stop-and-go manual operations and maintaining continuous productive action throughout the road surface laying process
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the webbing deployment function and filler distribution function into a single integrated mobile system, allowing both operations to occur simultaneously and continuously, thereby increasing overall productivity
4Object-affected harmful factors
If manual labor deposits materials, then material containment is poor causing erosion, but automated containment systems increase complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The webbing pockets provide localized containment at each specific location where filler is deposited, and the conveyor system ensures material is placed only in designated pockets, creating local quality control that prevents erosion without requiring complex overall containment structures
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 system significantly reduces manual labor and construction costs while minimizing erosion by automating the deployment and filling of webbing, enabling faster road surface laying and maintaining material containment.
Implementation Method 1
a webbing connector mounted on the frame and adjacent to the webbing receiving end of the webbing conveyor; the webbing connector is an automatic welder
Implementation Method 2
a vibration plate mounted on the frame adjacent to the webbing distributing end of the webbing conveyor
Data Source
AI summary
An automated system for creating a road from sand, gravel or aggregate in conjunction with expandable webbing is provided in which expandable webbing and sand, gravel or aggregate may be positioned and deployed by the system to form a road surface. A series of pins may restrain and transport the webbing. An automatic welder may connect sections of webbing. A hopper, conveyor and auger may receive and distribute the sand, gravel or aggregate. The sand, gravel and aggregate may be combined with the expandable webbing and then settled into place in the ground using a vibration plate.