US 5,851,085 AGranted

Method and apparatus for spraying a tack material from a paving machine having a gravity feed hopper

AssigneeAstec Industries, Inc.

InventorThomas R. Campbell

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A paving machine employs in combination a gravity feed HMA hopper and a tack spray assembly and storage tank. Use of the gravity feed hopper permits all HMA or other paving material stored therein to be discharged directly on top of the paving machine's distributing auger. Moreover, because the gravity feed hopper takes up a relatively small percentage of the horizontal area of the paving machine, a chassis of standard or near standard dimensions can receive a tack storage tank of sufficient capacity to permit the paving machine to operate an entire day without stopping the machine to refill the storage tank. Therefore, if used in conjunction with an HMA shuttling apparatus, the paving machine can simultaneously coat a surface to be paved with a tack material and pave that surface with HMA for prolonged periods of time without stopping to refill either the HMA hopper of the tack storage tank.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A paving machine comprising:

(A) a chassis having a rear end portion;
(B) a distributing auger mounted on said rear end portion of said chassis and extending transversely across said chassis;
(C) a gravity feed hopper mounted on said rear end portion of said chassis;
(D) discharge means, having an inlet communicating with said gravity feed hopper and an outlet located directly above said distributing auger, for discharging paving materials directly on top of said distributing auger, wherein said gravity feed hopper feeds all paving materials stored therein to said discharge means without employing any internal conveyors and without the aid of any external conveyors;
(E) a screed which is mounted on said chassis behind said distributing auger and which works paving materials into a mat, wherein said distributing auger is located between said gravity feed hopper and said screed;
(F) a storage tank which is mounted on said chassis in front of said gravity feed hopper and which stores a tack material;
and
(G) a tack material spray assembly which receives tack material from said storage tank and which sprays tack material onto a surface to be paved at a location in front of said discharge opening.

5 more elements

A paving machine comprising:

(A) a chassis having a rear end portion;
(B) a distributing auger mounted on said rear end portion of said chassis and extending transversely across said chassis;
(C) a gravity feed hopper mounted on said rear end portion of said chassis and having a lower discharge opening which discharges paving materials directly on top of said distributing auger and an upper inlet configured to receive paving materials directly from a paving material delivery device located off board said paving machine, wherein said gravity feed hopper feeds all paving materials stored therein to said discharge opening without employing any internal conveyors and without the aid of any external conveyors, wherein said gravity feed hopper includes
a storage portion for storing paving materials, said storage portion including 1) an upper section for increasing the capacity of said gravity feed hopper, said upper section having a relatively constant width and terminating at an open top, and 2) a lower generally frusto-conical section having an upper end of enlarged cross section and a lower end of reduced cross section, said upper end of enlarged cross section being connected to said upper section,
a discharge portion for directing paving materials from said storage portion to said discharge opening, a discharge portion upper end connected to said lower end of reduced cross section and a bottom end in which said discharge opening is formed, and
a gate for selectively closing said discharge opening, said gate being mounted on said discharge portion of said gravity feed hopper, and wherein 1) said discharge opening is located between said storage portion and said distributing auger and 2) said discharge portion is inclined downwardly and rearwardly towards said distributing auger so as to direct paving materials towards said distributing auger without the aid of any external conveyors;
(D) a screed which is mounted on said chassis behind said distributing auger and which works paving materials into a mat;
(E) a storage tank which is mounted on said chassis in front of said gravity feed hopper and which stores a tack material;
and
(F) a tack material spray assembly which receives tack material from said storage tank and which sprays tack material onto a surface to be paved at a location in front of said discharge opening.

7 more elements

A paving machine comprising:

(A) a chassis having a rear end portion;
(B) a distributing auger mounted on said rear end portion of said chassis and extending transversely across said chassis;
(C) a gravity feed hopper mounted on said rear end portion of said chassis and having a lower discharge opening which discharges paving materials from said paving machine, wherein said gravity feed hopper feeds all paving materials stored therein to said discharge opening without employing any internal conveyors and without the aid of any external conveyors, and wherein said gravity feed hopper has a capacity of over 10 tons;
(D) a screed which is mounted on said chassis and which works paving materials into a mat;
(E) a storage tank which is mounted on said chassis in front of said gravity feed hopper and which stores a tack material, said storage tank having a capacity of over 1000 gallons;
and
(F) a tack material spray assembly which receives tack material from said storage tank and which sprays tack material onto a surface to be paved at a location in front of said discharge opening.

4 more elements

A method comprising:

(A) feeding paving materials directly into a gravity feed hopper of a paving machine from a paving material delivery device located off-board said paving machine, said paving materials including hot mix asphalt, said gravity feed hopper being mounted at a rear end portion of a mobile chassis of said paving machine;
(B) storing said paving materials in said gravity feed hopper, wherein the steps (A) and (B) comprise feeding over 10 tons of paving materials into said gravity feed hopper and storing over 10 tons of paving materials in said gravity feed hopper;
(C) storing a tack material in a storage tank mounted on said chassis in front of said gravity feed hopper;
(D) feeding tack material from said storage tank to a tack spray assembly mounted on said chassis;
(E) spraying a layer of tack material onto a surface to be paved using said tack spray assembly;
(F) discharging said paving materials from a discharge opening of said gravity feed hopper directly on top of a distributing auger extending transversely across said mobile chassis, wherein all of the paving materials stored in said gravity feed hopper are fed out of said gravity feed hopper and onto said distributing auger without employing any internal conveyors and without the aid of any external conveyors;
then
(G) distributing said paving materials onto said layer of tack material using said distributing auger;
and then
(H) working said paving materials into a mat using said paving machine.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/777,774Filed 30 Dec 1996 · continuation in part
Priority: 29 Sep 1994
Granted: 22 Dec 1998
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

E01C 19/174
Application by spraying or throwing: apparatus with pump-discharge
E01C 19/405
Adapted to impart a smooth finish to the paving, e.g. tamping or vibrating finishers: with spreading-out, levelling or smoothing means other than…
E01C 19/48
Machines, tools or auxiliary devices for preparing or distributing paving materials, for working the placed materials, or for forming,…: for…
E01C 19/4853
With tamping or vibrating means for consolidating or finishing, e.g. immersed vibrators, with or without non-vibratory or non-percussive…

Family

Serial314,348Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 29 Sep 1994
Serial389,257Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 16 Feb 1995
US 5,533,828 AParent of this continuation-in-part
US 5,615,973 AParent of this continuation-in-part
US 5,851,085 AThis patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.