Methods and apparatus for making an asphalt-aggregate pavement

The method of laying an asphalt-aggregate pavement mat comprising the steps of:

• (a) operating a finishing machine of the type having a screed for forming an asphalt-aggregate pavement mat;
• (b) operating a plurality of delivery trucks to transport the asphalt-aggregate material in a sequential manner from an asphalt plant to the job site;
• (c) providing a self-propelled mobile apparatus which includes:
• (i) hopper means,
• (ii) first conveyor means for receiving the asphalt-aggregate material from a delivery truck and for advancing the material to the hopper means, and
• (iii) second conveyor means for transporting the asphalt-aggregate material laterally from the hopper means to the finishing machine;
• (d) shuttling the self-propelled mobile apparatus back and forth between the delivery trucks and the finishing machine for intermittently delivering the asphalt-aggregate material from the former to the latter;
• and
• (e) transferring the asphalt-aggregate material from the self-propelled mobile apparatus to the finishing machine while the former is positioned to one side of the latter.

The method of laying an asphalt-aggregate pavement mat comprising the steps of:

• (a) operating a finishing machine of the type having a screed for forming an asphalt-aggregate pavement mat;
• (b) operating a plurality of delivery trucks to transport the asphalt-aggregate material in a sequential manner from an asphalt plant to the job site;
• (c) providing a self-propelled mobile apparatus which includes:
• (i) a chassis supporting hopper means in substantial symmetrical relationship with the longitudinal centerline of the chassis,
• (ii) first conveyor means arranged substantially symmetrically with the longitudinal centerline of the chassis for receiving the asphalt-aggregate material from a delivery truck and for advancing the material to the hopper means, and
• (iii) second conveyor means in the form of a swinging conveyor which may be swung horizontally such that the discharge end thereof alternately extends beyond each lateral extremity of the self-propelled mobile apparatus for transferring the
• asphalt-aggregate material from the self-propelled mobile apparatus to the finishing machine while the former is positioned to one side of the latter;
• (d) operating the self-propelled mobile apparatus for transferring the asphalt-aggregate material from the delivery trucks one at a time to the finishing machine ;
• and
• (e) operating said first conveyor means for transferring material from a truck to said hopper means at a rate in the range of about 800-1200 tons per hour.

A self-propelled mobile apparatus for supplying asphalt-aggregate material from a delivery truck to a finishing machine comprising:

• (a) chassis means including ground engaging mobile support means and steering means for at least a part of the support means;
• (b) motive power means carried by chassis means and connected to at least a part of said support means;
• (c) hopper means mounted on said chassis means;
• (d) first conveyor means mounted on said chassis means and having a receiving portion adapted to receive the asphalt-aggregate material as it is discharged from the delivery truck, said first conveyor means having a receiving end with a width at least as great as the width of the bed of the delivery truck for rapidly receiving the contents of the latter, said first conveyor means also having a delivery portion for discharging the asphalt-aggregate material into said hopper means;
• (e) second conveyor means mounted on said chassis means for transporting the asphalt-aggregate material to the finishing machine;
• and
• (f) transversely disposed third conveyor means mounted in the lower portion of said hopper means for delivering the asphalt-aggregate material to said second conveyor means.

A self-propelled mobile apparatus for supplying asphalt-aggregate material from a delivery truck to a finishing machine comprising:

• (a) chassis means including ground engaging mobile support means and steering means for at least a part of the support means;
• (b) motive power means carried by chassis means and connected to at least a part of said support means;
• (c) hopper means mounted on said chassis means in substantial symmetrical relationship with the longitudinal centerline of the chassis means and having a capacity at least as large as the capacity of the delivery truck;
• (d) first conveyor means mounted on said chassis means in substantial symmetrical relationship with the longitudinal centerline of the latter and having a receiving portion adapted to receive the asphalt-aggregate material as it is discharged from the delivery truck, said receiving portion having a width at least as great as the width of the delivery truck, said first conveyor means also having a delivery portion for discharging the asphalt-aggregate material into said hopper means;
• (e) second conveyor means mounted on said chassis means for transporting the asphalt-aggregate material to the finishing machine;
• and
• (f) transversely disposed screw auger means mounted in the lower portion of said hopper means for delivering the asphalt-aggregate material to said second conveyor means.