Worm Gear Screed Height Adjustment with Conical Clutch
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing height adjusting devices for road finishers are bulky and expensive due to the need for toggle joints and linkage systems to absorb the weight of ground elements, and they lack a simple method for adjusting the setting angle between the base plate and the ground.
Innovation Solution
The use of worm gears interconnected via a transmission gear to facilitate vertical adjustments, with a conical clutch allowing independent adjustment of the setting angle, and ball-and-socket joints for flexibility in angle adaptation, eliminating the need for additional load-bearing components and enabling precise height adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If toggle joints and linkage systems are used to support ground elements, then the ground elements can be adjusted vertically, but the device becomes bulky and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the load-bearing function from the adjustment mechanism by introducing separate support legs that carry the ground element weight independently of the worm gear actuators. This allows the adjustment system to be simplified to only what is necessary for height control, eliminating the need for complex toggle joints and linkage systems while maintaining vertical adjustment capability
Solution Approach 2:
The system is divided into separate functional components: support legs for load bearing, worm gears for height adjustment, and actuators for control. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function, resulting in a more compact and cost-effective overall structure
2Measurement precision
If worm gears are used for height adjustment, then precise vertical positioning is achieved, but the actuator must handle significant loads
Solution Approach 1:
The load-bearing function is extracted from the actuator-worm gear system and assigned to separate support legs. This allows the actuators to be sized for precision control rather than for supporting the full weight of ground elements, significantly reducing actuator load while maintaining precise height adjustment capability
3Adaptability or versatility
If the setting angle is adjusted by displacing one adjusting member while keeping the other unchanged, then angle adaptation is possible, but the mechanism becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the height adjustment and setting angle adjustment functions into a single integrated mechanism. By allowing both adjusting members to be displaced simultaneously through the worm gear system, the device achieves angle adaptation without requiring separate adjustment mechanisms, thereby reducing overall complexity while maintaining versatility
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 reduces the complexity and cost of the height adjusting system while allowing for simple and precise adjustment of the setting angle, ensuring efficient operation and adaptability to different angles of inclination.
Implementation Method 1
The adjusting members are configured as worm gears. The worm gears of a pair are interconnected for the purpose of transferring rotary movement via a transmission gear
Implementation Method 2
ball-and-socket joints for flexibility in angle adaptation
Data Source
AI summary
There are described a height adjusting device for an extendable screed plate for a road finisher and a road finisher comprising such a device. A ground element of the extendable screed plate is disposed with two pairs of worm gears on a top part of the extendable screed plate for vertical displacement thereon, wherein the worm gears of each pair are interconnected by a power transmission for concomitant actuation. Each pair is provided with a releasable clutch, preferably a conical clutch, by means of which the connection between an adjusting member of a pair and the associated transmission gear can be broken.