Road structure – process – or apparatus – Apparatus – Material distribution means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-12
2001-02-27
Lillis, Eileen D. (Department: 3673)
Road structure, process, or apparatus
Apparatus
Material distribution means
C404S101000, C404S108000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06193437
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to paving machines, and more particularly to paving machines having a hopper for receiving paving material from a loading vehicle.
Paving machines or “pavers” generally include a front-mounted hopper for receiving paving material and a rear-mounted screed which floats on the material to be paved. The screed is articulated on the chassis of the paver via tension arms. Paving material is deposited into the hopper by a separate “loading” vehicle and is conveyed from the hopper by means of a longitudinal conveyor device to a distributor auger located in front of the screed. The material is distributed over the paving width by the distributor auger and is paved or leveled by means of the screed.
The loading vehicle is placed in front of the paving vehicle and is pushed by the paver until all the material to be paved has been emptied into the hopper. The loading vehicle is then exchanged with another loading vehicle having a full load of paving material.
Generally, when the course to be paved, such a roadway, an airport runway, etc., is relatively wide and/or is desired to have a relatively large finished thickness, the quantity of paving material in the hopper is insufficient to ensure that the paver is supplied continuously with an adequate amount of paving material. Due to insufficient supply of material, the paving vehicles must be frequently changed, therefore causing production interruptions that significantly increase the overall time for laying a course of paving material.
One known method to avoid such production interruptions is to use a loading vehicle with a very large hopper and a conveyor connected with the paving machine. Generally, other loading vehicles are used to supply the “fixedly” connected loading vehicle. This type of loading system clearly requires a considerable additional outlay in terms of personnel and machinery.
It would be desirable to have a paving system in which production interruptions occurring due to a change of loading vehicles transporting the material to be paved are avoided.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect, the present invention is a paver with a longitudinal conveyor device conveying to a distributor auger and with a hopper comprising two hopper halves, a transverse or lateral conveyor device drivable by a drive system and disposed in each of the hopper halves, with bottom or base portions of each hopper half adjacent to each lateral conveyor device being tiltable relative to or toward the respective lateral conveyor device. Each lateral conveyor device extends from the outer edge of the respective hopper half to the longitudinal conveyor device. This hopper structure enables two loading vehicles to be simultaneously placed in front of the paver, with one loading vehicle in front of each hopper half, the loading vehicles being emptied of paving material into the hopper half located behind the particular vehicle. At one hopper half, loading of paving material from a loading vehicle may be carried out, while simultaneously at the other hopper half, the loading vehicle may be changed, so that sufficient material for paving may always be provided to the screed and production interruptions caused by a lack of paving material may be avoided.
The tiltability or pivotability of the bottom or base portions ensures that substantially all of the paving material in the hopper halves is supplied to the lateral conveyor devices, which convey the paving material to the longitudinal conveyor device.
In another aspect, the present invention is also a loader for pavers, which is generally similar to a paver but does not have a screed or a distributor auger, and possibly does not include a driver's cab. The longitudinal conveyor device of the loader extends beyond a rear end of the loading vehicle, in order to transfer the material conveyed by it onto a following paver and/or a separate conveyor device leading to a following paver. As all of the elements of the loader are present in the paver, there is no need for a detailed description or separate depiction of the loader, such that reference is instead made to the description below of the exemplary embodiment of a paver.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3997277 (1976-12-01), Swisher, Jr. et al.
patent: 5529434 (1996-06-01), Swisher, Jr.
patent: 5735634 (1998-04-01), Ulrich et al.
patent: 26 28 325 (1978-01-01), None
patent: 296 12 034 U (1996-09-01), None
ABG Allgemeine Baumaschinen Gesellschaft mbH
Hartmann Gary S.
Lillis Eileen D.
Ussai Mark A.
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