Road Building Machine Of Adjustable Working Width

Abstract

A road building machine is provided with side frames mounted on running gear sets; with connecting and working elements extending between the side frames; with extension elements permitting adjustment of the working width of the connecting and working elements; with the connecting, working, and extension elements extending through openings in the side frames and projecting outwardly therefrom on each side of the machine; with guides on the connecting, working, and extension elements permitting adjustment of the working width; and with releasable fastenings permitting the connecting, working, and extension elements to be clamped in place once the working width has been adjusted.

Description

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to road building machines and, more particularly, to road building machines having an adjustable working width.

Road building machines of variable and adjustable width are already known in the art. Changes in the working width are required to enable the road building machine to build or surface roads of different widths.

In so-called finishing machines, changes in the working width of the machine can be effected by modification of the width of the trailing part of the machine which contains the working elements. The drive means, propulsion means, material handling devices, and control means are combined in a basic vehicle of fixed width. The vehicle travels over the substrate upon which the trailing working elements lay the surfacing material.

In a type of road building machine known as a travelmixer, two separate side frames are provided with running gear sets, the side frames being connected exclusively by detachable elements. In operation, the running gear sets of the side frames run outside the area upon which material is to be laid, i.e., on the right and left-hand sides of the roadway.

In the above-described types of machines it is usual to interconnect the detachable members, i.e., the working elements or connecting elements, by screw and/or knock-out fastenings to enable extensions to be added to the working and connecting elements.

In the case of road building machines having separate side frames, the bearing connection between the left and right-hand side frames must be undone and the components of the machine temporarily supported. This requires the use of jacks and chocks. Moreover, the available working widths depend upon the available graduated sizes of the extensions. Intermediate widths cannot be obtained.

According to the preferred embodiment of this invention, there is provided a road building machine having side frames mounted on running gear sets and provided with openings through which the connecting, working, and extension elements project on each side. The connecting and working elements extend between the side frames and are arranged to be of adjustable working width by means of the extension elements. Guides are provided on the connecting, working, and extension elements so that the working width may be adjusted and these elements thereupon clamped in the adjusted position by releasable fastenings.

This road building machine provides significant advantages. The working width of the machine is independent of the dimensional gradation of the extensions, and, when the working width is being changed, the load-bearing cooperation of the elements of the machine is not lost at any stage of the process. It is therefore not necessary to provide separate temporary supports for the connecting and working elements. All that has to be done is to attach the extensions to the ends of their associated connecting and working elements on the outside of the side frames of the machine and then, after the releasable fastenings have been slackened off, to move the side frames across the longitudinal axis of the road until the necessary width has been established.

The working elements and their extensions, as well as the connecting elements and their extensions, conveniently have the same circumferential cross section. This ensures that the elements will all fit the available open cross sections of the openings in the side frames.

The guides extend collinearly along the working elements and their extensions and collinearly along the connecting elements and their extensions. Connecting flanges are provided in such a way that they do not interfere with the continuity of the guides. These features permit the road building machine to be very conveniently adjusted to a different working width.

With particular advantage, the running gear sets on the side frames can be swiveled about vertical axes. Thus, when the releasable fastenings have been slackened off, the side frames may be moved on their running gear sets, while the connecting elements and extensions remain stationary, until the desired width has been established.

The above features of this invention can be applied quite generally to road building machines of diverse types. A preferred embodiment of a finishing machine is hereinafter particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic front elevational representation of a road finishing machine according to the preferred embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II -- II in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows part of the machine of FIGS. 1 and 2 during the process of increasing its working width.

FIG. 4 shows the same part of the machine as FIG. 3 at a later stage during the process of increasing its working width.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of one form of the joint between the connecting element and its extension shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the joint between the connecting element and its extension shown in FIG. 5.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a road finishing machine comprising two side frames 1 and 2, each provided with running gear sets 3 and 3'. Connecting elements 4 and working elements 5 extend between and through side frames 1 and 2. It will be understood that a plurality of connecting elements 4 as well as a plurality of working elements 5 will be provided in such a machine. However, for the sake of clarity, only one connecting element 4 is actually shown in the drawing, and the two working elements 5 shown in the drawings are indicated as being a compacting beam 6 and a screed hopper 7.

Side frames 1 and 2 are of symmetrical construction and contain openings 8 through which the ends of connecting and working elements 4 and 5 project. Openings 8, as well as connecting and working elements 4 and 5, are fitted with guides 9 and 10, which are described in more detail below.

Side frames 1 and 2 are provided with fastening or fixing elements which cooperate with connecting elements 4 and working elements 5. These fastening elements permit side frames 1 and 2 and connecting and working elements 4 and 5 to be rigidly fixed at any working width of the road building machine.

As shown in FIG. 3, which illustrates one side of the machine shown in FIG. 1, extensions 11 are associated with connecting elements 4. Extensions 11 are designed to match connecting elements 4 and can be attached thereto in order to lengthen them. Similarly, extensions 12 are designed to match working elements 5 and can be attached thereto in order to lengthen them.

In order to increase the working width of the machine, extensions 11 and 12 are first attached to the corresponding connecting elements 4 and working elements 5 either on one or both sides of the machine, but outside of the side frames 1 and 2. This is done by means of flange joints. At this stage, it is not necessary to detach side frames 1 and 2 from connecting elements 4. Consequently, it is also unnecessary to provide temporary support for the parts of the machine located between side frames 1 and 2.

When extensions 11 and 12 have been attached by flange joints to their corresponding connecting elements 4 and working elements 5, the running gear sets 3 and 3' under side frames 1 and 2 are turned through 90.degree. about vertical axes so that they point across the direction of travel of the machine during normal operation. After the fastening elements between side frames 1 and 2 and connecting elements 4 and working elements 5 have been slackened off, the side frames 1 and 2 can be moved outwards on their running gear sets 3 and 3' to increase the width of the machine. It will be understood that this procedure is by no means restricted to machines fitted with track laying running gear sets and that conventional wheel running gear would serve just as well. FIG. 4 shows the arrangement after side frame 1 has been moved to the required overall width. All that remains to be done is to tighten the fastening elements on side frames 1 and 2 to re-establish rigid connections between the side frames and extensions 11 and 12. A reduction of the working width of the machine can be accomplished in an analogous manner.

Extensions 11 and 12 for lengthening connecting elements 4 and working elements 5 are always attached to or detached from the ends of their associated connecting and working elements on the outer sides of side frames 1 and 2 of the machine. This is possible because the middle portion of the machine need not be temporarily supported. The time needed for adjusting the working width of the machine is thus substantially shortened by the proposed form of construction.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate an example of one particular joint between a connecting element 4 and its extension 11. The two elements 4 and 11 are of substantially the same diameter, the connecting element 4 being tubular with guides comprising projections 10 extending along the length thereof and projecting radially therefrom. Projections 10 are received in cooperating grooves 9 in an opening 8 of side frame 1. Alternative guides, e.g., slideways, slots, and other conventional means, may be employed.

A fastening element 13 in the form of a clamping screw is shown schematically in the drawing. Alternatively, eccentric clamping means are particularly suitable for the described purpose of establishing a load-bearing fastening between the side frames 1 and 2 and the connecting and working elements 4 and 5.

Flange-type joints 14 and 14' are provided for attaching an extension element 11 to a connecting element 4. Naturally, projections 10 must extend along the length of extension 11 (as indicated by 10' in FIG. 6). The guides 10 of the extensions 12 for the working elements 5 also extend along the length of those extensions.

Claims

I claim:

1. A road building machine of adjustable working width, comprising side frames mounted on running gear sets that may be swiveled about vertical axes between a position permitting forward movement of the road building machine on the running gear sets and another position permitting lateral movement of the side frames on the running gear sets to adjust the working width of the road building machine; connecting and working elements for spanning the distance between the side frames and projecting outwardly through openings in the side frames on each side of the road building machine; extension elements for attachment to end portions of the connecting and working elements that project outwardly from the openings in the side frames; the openings and the connecting, working, and extension elements having guideways to facilitate lateral movement of the side frames along the connecting, working, and extension elements to adjust the working width of the road building machine; and fastening means for clamping the side frames and the connecting and working elements or their respective extension elements together when the working width of the road building machine has been adjusted to a desired working width.

2. A road building machine of adjustable working width as in claim 1 wherein the connecting elements and their respective extension elements have the same circumferential cross sections, and the working elements and their respective extension elements have the same circumferential cross sections.

3. A road building machine of adjustable working width as in claim 2 wherein the guideways of the connecting, working, and extension elements are formed on the outer peripheral surfaces of those elements with the guideways of the connecting elements and their respective extension elements collinearly extending along the length thereof and with the guideways of the working elements and their respective extension elements collinearly extending along the length thereof, and wherein end portions of the connecting, working, and extension elements are provided with connecting flanges by which the connecting elements and their respective extension elements may be attached together without interfering with the continuity of the guideways formed on the outer peripheral surfaces thereof and the working elements and their respective extension elements may be attached together without interfering with the continuity of the guideways formed on the outer peripheral surfaces thereof.

4. A road building machine of adjustable working width as in claim 1 wherein the guideways of the connecting, working, and extension elements are formed on the outer peripheral surfaces of those elements with the guideways of the connecting elements and their respective extension elements collinearly extending along the length thereof and with the guideways of the working elements and their respective extension elements collinearly extending along the length thereof, and wherein end portions of the connecting, working, and extension elements are provided with connecting flanges by which the connecting elements and their respective extension elements may be attached together without interfering with the continuity of the guideways formed on the outer peripheral surfaces thereof and the working elements and their respective extension elements may be attached together without interfering with the continuity of the guideways formed on the outer peripheral surfaces thereof.