Adjustable width mold
AssigneeWirtgen GmbH
InventorsHarry Wenzelmann, Winfried von Schönebeck, Michael Engels
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An adjustable width mold apparatus for a slipform paver includes a center portion and left and right sideform assemblies. The center portion has left and right lateral ends. Left and right adjustable width support assemblies are connected between the sideform assemblies and the center portion. One or more spacers may be received between each sideform assembly and the center portion to adjust the width of the mold apparatus. The spacers may be hung on a plurality of hanger rods. Each of the hanger rods may have a hydraulic nut on one end thereof for clamping the spacers between the sideform assembly and the center portion.
Claims24
An adjustable width mold apparatus for a slipform paver, the mold apparatus comprising:
- a center portion;
- a left sideform assembly;
- a right sideform assembly;
- a left adjustable width support assembly connected between the left sideform assembly and the center portion;
- a left actuator for extending and retracting the left adjustable width support assembly;
- a right adjustable width support assembly connected between the right sideform assembly and the center portion;
- a right actuator for extending and retracting the right adjustable width support assembly;
- a plurality of left side hanger rods extending between the left sideform assembly and the center portion;
- one or more left side spacers configured to be received on the left side hanger rods between the left sideform assembly and the center portion;
- and
- a plurality of hydraulic nuts, each hydraulic nut being attached to a respective one of the hanger rods and configured to apply a clamping force to clamp the one or more left side spacers between the left sideform assembly and the center portion.
A method of adjusting a width of a mold apparatus of a slipform paver, the method comprising:
- (a) extending a linear actuator to extend a sideform assembly away from a center portion of the mold apparatus thereby providing a space between the sideform assembly and the center portion;
- (b) placing one or more spacers in the space between the sideform assembly and the center portion;
- (c) retracting the linear actuator and thereby moving the sideform assembly toward the center portion of the mold apparatus and reducing the space between the sideform assembly and the center portion;
- and
- (d) clamping the one or more spacers between the sideform assembly and the center portion by applying hydraulic pressure to a plurality of hydraulic nuts attached to a plurality of tensioning rods extending between the sideform assembly and the center portion thereby tensioning the tension rods.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.