Apparatus and method for delivering liquid coolant to drum mounted cutting tools

In a roadway processing machine having a hollow, cylindrically walled, shaft mounted, imperforate drum, said drum having an internal chamber for accommodating a liquid coolant, cutting tools mounted on the drum and extended outwardly from the surface of the cylindrical wall of the drum, and support means and drive means for rotating the drum on its shaft axis in a first direction and for moving the drum over a work surface to be milled with the cutting tools in operative contact with the work surface, of the improvements wherein:

• means for introducing a liquid coolant into said internal chamber of the drum;
• said wall of the drum having a plurality of openings to allow liquid coolant to pass out of the drum, a plurality of tool holders mounted on the drum, cutting tools mounted on the tool holders, each tool holder having slot means in communication with an opening in the drum and the exterior of the tool holder whereby liquid coolant continuously flows from the interior chamber through a slot means to the outside of the tool holder and cutting tool mounted thereon to cool said cutting tool, and rod means mounted on each tool holder, said rod means being located in said slot means to restrict the continuous flow of liquid coolant to the outside of the tool holder and tool mounted thereon, said rod means being loosely mounted in said slot means to allow the rod means to freely move with respect to the tool holder associated with each rod means.

In a roadway processing machine having a hollow, cylindrically walled, shaft mounted, imperforate drum, said drum having an internal chamber for accommodating a liquid coolant, cutting tools mounted on the drum and extended outwardly from the surface of the cylindrical wall of the drum, and support means and drive means for rotating the drum on its shaft axis in a first direction and for moving the drum over a work surface to be milled with the cutting tools in operative contact with the work surface, of the improvement wherein:

• means for introducing a liquid coolant into said internal chamber of the drum;
• said wall of the drum having a plurality of openings to allow liquid coolant to pass out of the drum, a plurality of tool holders mounted on the drum, cutting tools mounted on the tool holders, each tool holder having slot means in communication with an opening in the drum and the exterior of the tool holder whereby liquid coolant continuously flows from the interior chamber through a slot means to the outside of the tool holder and cutting tool mounted thereon to cool said cutting tool, and rod means mounted on each tool holder, said rod means being located in said slot means to restrict the continuous flow of liquid coolant to the outside of the tool holder and tool mounted thereon, each of said tool holders includes slot means having a radial slot extending generally radially outward from the drum in open aligned relation to one of the openings of the drum wall and a transverse slot extending transversely of the radial slot, said transverse slot open to the radial slot and to the outside of the tool holder at a side facing in the direction of the movement of the tool holder with respect to the drum axis as the drum is rotated in its first direction, said transverse slot extends entirely through said tool holder;
• and
• the rod means includes at least a bolt which extends through said transverse slot in the tool holder and is retained in that slot by a bolt head retaining member on one end and a bolt nut retaining member on the other.

In a machine for processing material having a hollow cylindrical walled, shaft mounted drum, said drum having an internal chamber for accommodating liquid coolant, cutting tool means mounted on the drum and extended outwardly from the surface of the cylindrical wall of the drum, support means for rotatably supporting the drum for rotation about the longitudinal axis of the drum, and drive means for rotating the drum about its axis in a first direction and for moving the drum over a work surface with the cutting tool means in operative contact with the work surface, the improvement wherein:

• means for introducing a liquid coolant into the interior chamber of the drum, said wall of the drum having a plurality of openings to allow the liquid coolant to flow out of the drum, said cutting tool means including a plurality of tool holders mounted on the drum, cutting tools mounted on the tool holders, each tool holder having a radial slot in alignment with one of the openings in the drum and a transverse slot open to the radial slot and to the outside of the tool holder at at least a side facing in the direction of movement of tool holder, rod means mounted on each tool holder, said rod means being located in said transverse slot to restrict the continuous flow of liquid coolant to the outside of the tool holder and cutting tool mounted thereon, said
• rod means includes a bolt and a sleeve on the bolt;
• the transverse tool holder slot is open from the radial slot to a first end of the transverse slot at a first side of the tool holder in the direction toward which the drum rotates;
• said bolt and sleeve being anchored in sealing relation to a second end of the transverse tool holder slot;
• said sleeve extends outwardly of the tool holder through the first end of the transverse slot and the bolt extends outwardly of the sleeve;
• and
• a nut on an end of the bolt extending out past the first side of the tool holder is tightened against the sleeve, the length of the sleeve being such that the clearance provided between the nut and the first side of the tool holder is sufficient so as not to impede flow of coolant from the drum to the cutting tool to below the amount needed to provide the desired cooling of the cutting tool.

In a roadway processing machine having a hollow cylindrically walled, shaft mounted drum, said drum having an internal chamber for accommodating a liquid coolant, cutting tool means mounted on the drum and extending outwardly from surface of the cylindrical wall of the drum, support means for rotatably supporting the drum for rotation about the longitudinal axis thereof, drive means for rotating the drum in a first direction and moving the drum over a working surface to be milled with the cutting tool means in operative contact with the working surface, the improvement wherein:

• means for introducing a liquid coolant into said interior chamber of the drum, said wall of the drum having means with a plurality of openings to allow liquid coolant to continuously flow out of the drum through said openings and impinge upon and cool the cutting tool means,
• one end of said drum shaft having an axially extending liquid coolant access opening between the end of the shaft and the interior chamber of the hollow drum;
• and
• the means for introducing liquid coolant into said interior chamber of the drum includes
• a coolant tank carrying liquid coolant mounted on said support means, a liquid coolant supply gland connected to said one end of the drum shaft, and
• a coolant supply conduit open from said tank through the liquid coolant supply gland to said liquid coolant access opening in said drum shaft.

In a roadway processing machine having a hollow walled, shaft mounted drum, said drum having an internal chamber for accommodating a liquid coolant, cutting tool means mounted on the drum and extended outwardly from a surface of a cylindrical wall of the drum, support means for rotatably supporting the drum for rotation about the longitudinal axis thereof, drive means for rotating a drum in a first direction and moving the drum over a working surface to be milled with the cutting tool means in operative contact with the working surface, the improvement comprising:

• means for introducing a liquid coolant into said interior chamber of the drum, said wall of the drum having means with a plurality of openings to allow liquid coolant to continuously flow out of the drum through said openings and impinge upon and cool the cutting tool means, one end of the drum shaft having an axially extended liquid coolant axis opening between the end of the shaft and the interior of the chamber of the hollow drum, and means for introducing liquid coolant into said interior chamber of the drum including a coolant tank carrying liquid coolant mounted on said support means, a liquid coolant supply gland connected to said one end of said drum shaft, and a liquid coolant supply conduit open from the tank to the liquid coolant supply gland to supply said liquid coolant to the axis opening in said drum shaft, said means with a plurality of openings including a plurality of tool holders mounted on the drum, cutting tools mounted on the tool holders, each tool holder having slot means in communication with the opening in the drum and the exterior of the tool holder whereby liquid coolant continuously flows from the interior chamber through the slot means to the outside of the tool holder and cutting tool mounted thereon to cool said cutting tool, and rod means mounted on each tool holder, said rod means being located in said slot means to limit the rate of continuous flow of liquid coolant to the outside of the tool holder and cutting tool mounted thereon, said rod means comprising a bolt and nut assembly loosely mounted on the tool holder to allow the bolt and nut assembly to freely move with respect to the tool holder.

In a roadway processing machine having a hollow walled, shaft mounted drum, said drum having an internal chamber for accommodating a liquid coolant, cutting tool means mounted on the drum and extended outwardly from a surface of a cylindrical wall of the drum, support means for rotatably supporting the drum for rotation about the longitudinal axis thereof, driven means for rotating a drum in a first direction and moving the drum over a working surface to be milled with the cutting tool means in operative contact with the working surface, the improvement comprising:

• means for introducing a liquid coolant into said interior chamber of the drum, said wall of the drum having means with a plurality of openings to allow liquid coolant to continuously flow out of the drum through said openings and impinge upon and cool the cutting tool means, one end of the drum shaft having an axially extended liquid coolant axis opening between the end of the shaft and the interior of the chamber of the hollow drum, and means for introducing liquid coolant into said interior chamber of the drum including a coolant tank carrying liquid coolant mounted on said support means, a liquid coolant supply gland connected to said one end of said drum shaft, and a liquid coolant supply conduit open from the tank to the liquid coolant supply gland to supply said liquid coolant to the axis opening in said drum shaft, said means with a plurality of openings including a plurality of tool holders mounted on the drum, cutting tools mounted on the tool holders, each tool holder having slot means in communication with the opening in the drum and the exterior of the tool holder whereby liquid coolant continuously flows from the interior chamber through the slot means to the outside of the tool holder and cutting tool mounted thereon to cool said cutting tool, and rod means mounted on each tool holder, said rod means being located in said slot means to limit the rate of continuous flow of liquid coolant to the outside of the tool holder and cutting tool mounted thereon, said slot means having a radial slot extended generally radial outwardly from the drum in open aligned relation with one of the openings through the drum wall and a transverse slot extending transversely of the radial slot, said transverse slot being open to the radial slot and to the outside of the tool holder at least at a side facing in the direction of movement of the tool holder during rotation of the drum, said rod means having a lesser cross sectional area than that of the transverse slot, said rod means extended through and out of the transverse slot to provide a continuously open cross sectional liquid coolant flow area to allow the continuous flow of liquid coolant to cool the cutting tool.