Asphalt paver with remixer
OwnerJustin Pratherinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wheeled asphalt paver vehicle provides a combination of a remixing hopper and a paving screed in a single vehicle. An optional loading conveyor carried by the vehicle facilitates loading of asphalt mix or other paving material into the hopper. A mixer within a lower portion of the hopper keeps the asphalt materials mixed therein. An output conveyor draws asphalt material from the hopper and into a screed for laying onto a surface over which the vehicle is traveling. An optional flow diverter between the output conveyor and the screed is adjustable to provide a greater proportion of the asphalt material to a left side or a right side of the screed. The vehicle can conveniently be controlled by fewer operators than when a separate paver vehicle and a separate remixer vehicle are utilized.
Claims13
A paving system, comprising in combination:
- a wheeled vehicle including an asphalt mix carrying hopper;
- a conveyor supported by said vehicle and feeding asphalt mix into said hopper, said conveyor located forward of said hopper;
- at least one remixer within a lower portion of said hopper;
- an output conveyor located at least partially rearward of said remixer and carrying asphalt mix upwardly and rearwardly out of said hopper to a paver subassembly;
- said screed assembly including a screed which receives asphalt mix from an output end of said output conveyor to lay down a layer of asphalt behind the screed assembly;
- wherein at least one flow diverter is interposed between said output end of said output conveyor and said screed, said flow diverter moving asphalt mix in a greater proportion left or in a greater proportion right, to keep the screed filled in a more balanced fashion with asphalt mix than if no said flow diverter were provided;
- and
- wherein said at least one flow diverter includes a flapper of elongate form pivotable about a hub at one end of said flapper, said hub configured to cause said flapper to pivot about an axis non-parallel with a direction of flow of asphalt mix past said at least one flow diverter.
A paving system, comprising in combination:
- a wheeled vehicle including an asphalt mix carrying hopper;
- a conveyor supported by said vehicle and feeding asphalt mix into said hopper, said conveyor located forward of said hopper;
- at least one remixer within a lower portion of said hopper;
- an output conveyor located at least partially rearward of said remixer and carrying asphalt mix upwardly and rearwardly out of said hopper to a paver subassembly;
- said screed assembly including a screed which receives asphalt mix from an output end of said output conveyor to lay down a layer of asphalt behind the screed assembly;
- wherein at least one flow diverter is interposed between said output end of said output conveyor and said screed, said flow diverter moving asphalt mix in a greater proportion left or in a greater proportion right, to keep the screed filled in a more balanced fashion with asphalt mix than if no said flow diverter were provided;
- wherein said at least one flow diverter includes two diverters, including a left diverter and a right diverters;
- and
- wherein a middle divider is located downstream of said left diverter and said right diverter and between said left diverter and said right diverter.
A paving vehicle, comprising in combination:
- a wheeled frame;
- an asphalt material containing hopper;
- a mixer within said hopper;
- a screed carried by said wheeled frame, said screed located downstream from said hopper;
- an output conveyor with at least a lower forward end thereof located within said hopper, and an upper rearward end of said output conveyor leading from said lower forward end toward said screed;
- wherein said mixer within said hopper includes an auger rotating about an axis non-parallel with a direction of flow of said asphalt material along said output conveyor;
- wherein said output conveyor includes a belt with a plurality of ribs extending laterally from said belt, said belt rotating upon at least two spindles at opposite ends of said belt, and with a slide surface located beneath said belt and close enough to said belt that asphalt material slides up said slide surface when said belt is rotating about said spindles with a lower portion of said belt moving upward along a path parallel with said slide service;
- wherein a chute is located downstream of said output conveyor and upstream of said screed, said chute including at least one flow diverter adjacent thereto and movable to divert flow of asphalt material exiting said output conveyor in a greater proportion to a left side of said screed or in a greater proportion to a right side of said screed;
- and
- wherein a small hopper sized smaller then said hopper including said mixer therein, is located downstream of said chute and upstream of said screed, and wherein at least one distribution auger is located between said small hopper and said screed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.