Reclaiming drum having interchangeable rectangular and V-shaped paddles

• US 10,640,934 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2017
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Power Systems Incorporated (Caterpillar Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Power Systems Incorporated (Caterpillar Incorporated)
• Inventors: Magee, Kevin James, Persano, Mario, Sansone, Dario
• Primary Examiner(s): Kreck, Janine M
• Application Number:
  US15/810,402
• Publication Number:
  US 20190143562A1
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B28D 1/186 Tools therefor, e.g. having exchangeable cutter bits B28D1/181 takes precedence; bits for picks or pick-holders for mining or quarrying E21C35/18
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 23/065 Recycling in place or on the road, i.e. hot or cold reprocessing of paving in situ or on the traffic surface, with or without adding virgin material or lifting of salvaged material; Repairs or resurfacing involving at least partial reprocessing of the existing paving in situ mixing of hydraulic cement concrete E01C19/025; apparatus for in-plant recycling E01C19/1004, E01C19/1036
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 23/088 Rotary tools, e.g. milling drums for forming recesses to receive marking materials E01C23/0946
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 23/127 rotary, e.g. rotary hammers

Abstract

A paddle for a reclaiming drum may include a block of material configured for attachment to a leading edge of a flighting supporting a cutting bit on the reclaiming drum, and the block of material may assist in breaking up and mixing material removed from a surface by the cutting bit as the reclaiming drum is rotated and moved into the surface. The paddle may include two ear portions protruding from opposite sides of a flat, centrally-located, aft-facing surface of the block of material, each of the ear portions including an inwardly-facing chamfered surface configured to interface with an outwardly-facing, leading edge chamfered surface of the flighting such that a gap is maintained between a flat leading edge surface of the flighting located in between the outwardly-facing chamfered surfaces and the flat, centrally-located, aft-facing surface of the block of material when the block of material is attached to the flighting.

Claims

1. A paddle for a reclaiming drum comprising:

a block of material configured for attachment to a leading edge of a fighting supporting a cutting bit on the reclaiming drum, the block of material assisting in breaking up and mixing of material removed from a surface by the cutting bit as the reclaiming drum is rotated and moved into the surf ace; and

two ear portions protruding from opposite sides of a flat, centrally-located, aft-facing surface of the block of material, each of the ear portions being free of any openings to receive a fastener for connecting the paddle to the fighting and including an inwardly-facing chamfered surface configured to interface with an outwardly-facing, leading edge chamfered surface of the fighting such that a gap is maintained between a flat leading edge surface of the fighting located in between the outwardly-facing chamfered surfaces and the flat, centrally-located, aft-facing surface of the block of material when the block of material is attached to the fighting,

wherein the two ear portions are symmetrically arranged on both sides of a centerline of the block of material.

2. The paddle of claim 1, wherein the paddle only contacts the fighting when attached to the fighting along the inwardly-facing chamfered surfaces of the two ear portions such that a preload exerted by the paddle on the fighting when the paddle is attached to the fighting includes at least a force component orthogonal to one or more fasteners attaching the paddle to the flighting.

3. The paddle of claim 1, wherein the block of material includes a plurality of axial openings extending through the block of material and located along a centerline of the block of material, each of the axial openings configured to receive a fastener for connecting the paddle to the fighting.

4. The paddle of claim 1, wherein each of the ear portions further includes an outwardly-facing surface that tapers inwardly from a proximal end of the ear portion at the block of material to intersect with the inwardly-facing chamfered surface at a distal end of the ear portion.

5. The paddle of claim 1, wherein the ear portions extend parallel to each other along the majority of the length of the block of material.

6. The paddle of claim 1, wherein a distance between lines of intersection where proximal edges of each of the inwardly-facing chamfered surfaces of the ear portions meet the flat, centrally-located, aft-facing surface of the block of material is less than a distance between lines of intersection where the outwardly-facing chamfered surfaces of the fighting meet the flat leading edge surface of the fighting.

7. The paddle of claim 1, wherein the block of material is generally rectangular and extends outwardly from a centerline of the block of material past each of the ear portions along a length of the block of material.

8. The paddle of claim 1, wherein the inwardly-facing chamfered surfaces of the ear portions form an angle relative to a central axial plane of the paddle that falls within a range from approximately 30 degrees to approximately 60 degrees.

9. The paddle of claim 1, wherein the block of material is generally V-shaped in configuration.

10. A cutting tool for a reclaiming drum, comprising:

a plate-like fighting configured to be connected to the reclaiming drum at a first end in general alignment with a rotational direction of the reclaiming drum and supporting a cutting bit at a second end of the fighting; and

a paddle, wherein the paddle includes;

a block of material configured for attachment to a leading edge of the fighting, the block of material assisting in breaking up and mixing of material removed from a surface by the cutting bit as the reclaiming drum is rotated and moved into the surface; and

two ear portions protruding from opposite sides of a flat, centrally-located, aft-facing surface of the block of material, each of the ear portions including an inwardly-facing chamfered surface configured to interface with an outwardly-facing, leading edge chamfered surface of the fighting such that a gap is maintained between a flat leading edge surface of the fighting located in between the outwardly-facing chamfered surfaces and the flat, centrally-located, aft-facing surface of the block of material when the block of material is attached to the flighting.

11. The cutting tool of claim 10, wherein the paddle only contacts the flighting when attached to the fighting along the inwardly-facing chamfered surfaces of the two ear portions such that a preload exerted by the paddle on the fighting when the paddle is attached to the flighting includes at least a force component orthogonal to one or more fasteners attaching the paddle to the flighting.

12. The cutting tool of claim 10, wherein the block of material includes a plurality of axial openings extending through the block of material and located along a centerline of the block of material, each of the axial openings configured to receive a fastener for connecting the paddle to the fighting.

13. The cutting tool of claim 10, wherein each of the ear portions further includes an outwardly-facing surface that tapers inwardly from a proximal end of the ear portion at the block of material to intersect with the inwardly-facing chamfered surface at a distal end of the ear portion.

14. The cutting tool of claim 10, wherein the ear portions extend parallel to each other along the majority of the length of the block of material, and are symmetrically arranged on both sides of a centerline of the block of material.

15. The cutting tool of claim 10, wherein a distance between lines of intersection where proximal edges of each of the inwardly-facing chamfered surfaces of the ear portions meet the flat aft-facing surface of the block of material is less than a distance between lines of intersection where the outwardly-facing chamfered surfaces of the fighting meet the flat leading edge surface of the fighting.

16. The cutting tool of claim 10, wherein the block of material is generally rectangular and extends outwardly from a centerline of the block of material past each of the ear portions along a length of the block of material.

17. The cutting tool of claim 10, wherein the inwardly-facing chamfered surfaces of the ear portions form an angle relative to a central axial plane of the paddle that falls within a range from approximately 30 degrees to approximately 60 degrees.

18. The cutting tool of claim 10, wherein the block of material is generally V-shaped in configuration.

19. A reclaiming drum, comprising:

a head having a cylindrical outer peripheral surface;

a plurality of flightings separately joined at a first end to the reclaiming drum at spaced apart locations around the outer peripheral surface of the head;

a tool mounting block fixedly connected to a second end of each of the plurality of flightings;

a cutting bit disposed within each tool mounting block;

a paddle removably connected at a leading edge of each of the plurality of flightings;

and

at least one fastener passing through the paddle and a radially extending portion of one of the plurality of flightings,

wherein each paddle includes;

a block of material configured for attachment to the leading edge of the fighting,

and

two ear portions protruding from opposite sides of a flat, centrally-located, aft-facing surface of the block of material, each of the ear portions including an inwardly-facing chamfered surface configured to contact an outwardly-facing, leading edge chamfered surface of the fighting such that a gap is maintained between a flat leading edge surface of the fighting located in between the outwardly-facing chamfered surfaces and the flat, centrally-located, aft-facing surface of the block of material when the block of material is attached to the fighting.

20. The reclaiming drum of claim 19, wherein the block of material is configured as one of a rectangular-shaped block or a V-shaped block.