Apparatus and method for forming a continuous strip of paving
First Claim
1. A self-propelled apparatus for concurrently grading a ground surface and slip forming a continuous strip of paving material along the graded ground surface, characterized by the ability to grade the ground surface substantially coextensively with the successive placement of the paving material, and wherein the concurrent grading and slip forming operations can be performed along a curvilinear path while closely maintaining the lateral alignment of the graded ground surface with the placement of the paving material, and comprisinga frame;
- prime mover means mounted on said frame for propelling said apparatus along the ground surface and including a plurality of wheel members supporting said frame;
mold means carried by said frame for receiving the paving material and forming the same into a continuous strip of predetermined lateral width as the apparatus moves along the ground;
trimmer means having a length in the lateral direction substantially less than the overall lateral width of the apparatus for grading the ground surface and for conveying the excavated ground material to the side thereof;
means mounting said trimmer means laterally to said frame and in advance of said mold means and so as to permit lateral translational movement thereof; and
control means mounted on said frame for selectively laterally translating said trimmer means during movement of the apparatus along the ground surface, and so that said trimmer means may be made to closely follow the desired placement of said strip of the paving material.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for concurrently preparing a ground surface and forming a continuous strip of paving material thereon, and which is characterized by the ability to simultaneously grade the ground surface substantially coextensively with the successive slip forming of the pavement material. The apparatus includes a ground trimmer and a following slip former, with the trimmer being laterally translatable with respect to the slip former so that the concurrent grading and slip forming functions can be performed along a curvilinear path while closely maintaining the lateral alignment of the graded ground surface with the successive placement of the paving material. Thus excessive ground surface is not graded, and no area requiring preparation is omitted. The trimmer includes helical flighting mounted on a drive shaft, and a plurality of cutting members arranged on the shaft in predetermined, circumferentially offset relative arrangement which eliminates excessive vibrations and interference with the slip forming operation.
64 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A self-propelled apparatus for concurrently grading a ground surface and slip forming a continuous strip of paving material along the graded ground surface, characterized by the ability to grade the ground surface substantially coextensively with the successive placement of the paving material, and wherein the concurrent grading and slip forming operations can be performed along a curvilinear path while closely maintaining the lateral alignment of the graded ground surface with the placement of the paving material, and comprising
a frame; -
prime mover means mounted on said frame for propelling said apparatus along the ground surface and including a plurality of wheel members supporting said frame; mold means carried by said frame for receiving the paving material and forming the same into a continuous strip of predetermined lateral width as the apparatus moves along the ground; trimmer means having a length in the lateral direction substantially less than the overall lateral width of the apparatus for grading the ground surface and for conveying the excavated ground material to the side thereof; means mounting said trimmer means laterally to said frame and in advance of said mold means and so as to permit lateral translational movement thereof; and control means mounted on said frame for selectively laterally translating said trimmer means during movement of the apparatus along the ground surface, and so that said trimmer means may be made to closely follow the desired placement of said strip of the paving material. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A trimmer for grading the ground surface and adapted for operation with a slip form paver or the like, and characterized by the absence of excessive vibrations during operation, and comprising
a housing, a drive shaft rotatably mounted within said housing and defining a longitudinal rotational axis; -
helical flighting mounted coaxially about said shaft and defining a helical channel between the flighting, a plurality of cutting members mounted to said shaft in a helical arrangement and within said channel, said cutting members being circumferentially and laterally offset from each other so that they strike the ground at regular intervals and such that in the majority of instances, cutting members from laterally non-adjacent portions of the channel strike the ground in sequence, and power means mounted to said housing for selectively rotating said shaft. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of forming a continuous strip of paving material along a graded ground surface and comprising the steps of
excavating and leveling the ground surface by moving a trimmer along a path of travel, while continuously depositing a paving material upon the excavated and leveled ground surface to form a continuous strip of paving material and including moving a slip former along the excavated and leveled ground surface immediately downstream of the trimmer, while controlling the direction of movement of both the trimmer and slip former in accordance with the direction of an external control line, and including moving the trimmer independently of the slip former during movement along curvilinear portions of the path of travel, whereby the excavated and leveled ground surface and the strip of paving may be closely aligned during all portions of the path of travel.
Specification