EP2064394B1

EP2064394B1 - Device and method for widening an existing roadway

Info

Publication number: EP2064394B1
Application number: EP07808584A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Martinus Hogenes
Original assignee: Reproad BV
Current assignee: Reproad BV
Priority date: 2006-09-18
Filing date: 2007-09-17
Publication date: 2010-06-30
Anticipated expiration: 2027-09-17
Also published as: WO2008035966A3; EP2064394A2; ATE472639T1; DE602007007496D1; WO2008035966A2; NL2000239C2

Abstract

A device for widening an existing roadway (8) present on a ground surface (7), comprising a vehicle (1) having a chassis (6)made up of wheels or caterpillar tracks, which vehicle (1) is provided with a cutting device (5) mounted to one side of the chassis, which cutting device is provided with a cutter (51) for cutting a trench (9) in the ground surface (7) beside the chassis, wherein the device ' (4) further comprises a sawing device, which is disposed ahead of the cutting device (5), seen in the direction of travel, which sawing device (4) has a saw blade (41) extending substantially in the vertical plane that extends in the direction of travel of the vehicle (1), which plane is substantially contiguous to' the side of the cutter (51) that faces towards the chassis (6).

Description

The invention relates to a device for widening an existing roadway (which term is understood to include the paving of a shoulder directly adjacent to the roadway) present on a ground surface, comprising a vehicle that can be moved forward over the existing roadway, which vehicle comprises a chassis made up of wheels or caterpillar tracks and which has a direction of travel, a lateral orientation perpendicular thereto and a vertical orientation perpendicular thereto, which vehicle is provided with a cutting device mounted to one side of the chassis, which cutting device is provided with a cutter for cutting a trench in the ground surface beside the chassis, in such a manner that an edge is removed from the side of the roadway on the side of the cutter that faces towards the chassis whilst simultaneously therewith a trench is formed directly adjacent to the new edge of the roadway, which trench, seen from the chassis, extends up to the side of the cutter remote from the chassis. Such a device is known from US-A-5,315,770 .
In the known device, the cutter is a drum cutter, which comprises a drum which is rotatable about a substantially laterally extending axis, with a cylindrical main body portion, on which cutter teeth are mounted. The cutter rotates in the same direction as the wheels or the caterpillar tracks of the vehicle in order to obtain an edge of the roadway as acute as possible, whilst the removed material is collected at the rear side and conveyed to a collecting container by means of a conveyor belt.
The trench formed by the known device may be filled with a selected paving material that is known per se, such as an asphalt or gravel paving, clinkers, grass-concrete blocks and the like. The width and the depth of the trench are selected to match the desired extra width of the roadway to be widened or the shoulder to be paved, and the width and the adjusted depth of the vertically adjustable cutter of the known device correspond to the width and the depth of the trench to be formed. If 50 cm wide grass-concrete blocks are placed in the trench, for example, the trench, and thus the cutter, will have a width of 50 cm or a multiple thereof. Generally the device is most suitable for forming trenches having a width of about 10 cm to about 100 cm.
GB 2 246 499 A discloses a device for trimming a road verge, comprising a vehicle that can be moved forward over the existing roadway, which vehicle comprises a chassis made up of wheels and which has a direction of travel, a lateral orientation perpendicular thereto and a vertical orientation perpendicular thereto, which vehicle is provided with a scraper blade and a deflecting device mounted to one side of the chassis, whereby the device further comprises a cutting disc, which is disposed ahead of the scraper blade and the deflecting device, seen in the direction of travel, said cutting disc extending substantially in the vertical plane that extends in the direction of travel of the vehicle and being capable of making a saw-cut in the road surface.
There is proposed a device for widening an existing roadway according to claim 1.
According to the invention, the device comprises a sawing device, which is disposed ahead of the cutting device, seen in the direction of travel, which sawing device has a saw blade extending substantially in the vertical plane that extends in the direction of travel of the vehicle, which plane is substantially contiguous to the side of the cutter that faces towards the chassis, which sawing device is capable of making a saw-cut in the road surface.
The latter is more specifically understood to mean that the lower part of the saw blade, which extends into the road surface in which the saw-cut is to be made, extends in the plane of the cutter side that faces towards the chassis, or that said part for example extends obliquely between the inner vertical plane of the cutter and the chassis, spaced therefrom by a small distance.
A drum cutter as used in the prior art produces a ragged edge on the side of the roadway, making it impossible to achieve a perfect joint with the widened part or the shoulder paving. The pre-treatment with the saw results in a tight, acute edge of the existing roadway, and a seamless connection of the widened part to the existing roadway.
Preferably, the drum cutter according to the invention can rotate in two directions. In the case of a very hard asphalt road surface, for example, it is preferable to have the cutter rotate in the opposite direction of the wheels or caterpillar tracks, because otherwise there is a danger that the cutter will not cut through the asphalt but dig into in the uppermost part of the asphalt, in which case the cutter will act as a driven wheel, turning the device into a runaway machine. If a saw-cut according to the invention were not used, however, a reversed direction of rotation would lead to a very ragged edge of the roadway.
The saw blade is preferably a circular saw blade, which is rotatable about a substantially laterally extending axis. Preferably, the saw blade is vertically adjustable with respect to the chassis. Such a mobile sawing device for making a saw-cut in a road surface is known per se and described in EP-A-1 045 072 , for example. The cutter and the saw blade are preferably vertically adjustable independently of each other, for example by means of hydraulic adjusting means.
Preferably, the saw blade includes a small angle in downward direction towards the chassis with said vertical plane, such that, seen in downward direction, a saw-cut can be made which is inclined towards the centre of the roadway. The saw and the cutter are in that case adjusted so that the side of the cutter that faces towards the chassis touches the upper side of the saw-cut made in the road surface by the saw. In this way the connection of the widened part of the roadway or the shoulder paving to the existing roadway can be further optimised, for example if clinkers are placed in the trench, because the presence of any unevennesses or debris that remained behind on the side of the saw-cut in the road surface will not necessarily have to stand in the way of said desired, seamless connection.
The invention also relates to a method for widening an existing roadway present on a ground surface, wherein a vehicle comprising a chassis made up of wheels or caterpillar tracks is moved forward in a direction of travel over the existing roadway, which vehicle has a lateral orientation perpendicular to the direction of travel and a vertical orientation perpendicular thereto, and which vehicle is provided with a cutting device mounted to one side of the chassis, which cutting device is provided with a cutter for cutting a trench in the ground surface beside the chassis, by means of which an edge is removed from the side of the roadway on the side of the cutter that faces towards the chassis whilst simultaneously therewith a trench is formed directly adjacent to the new edge of the roadway, which trench, seen from the chassis, extends up to the side of the cutter remote from the chassis, wherein a sawing device is disposed ahead of the cutting device, seen in the direction of travel, which sawing device has a saw blade extending substantially in the vertical plane that extends in the direction of travel of the vehicle, which plane is substantially contiguous to the side of the cutter that faces towards the chassis, which sawing device makes a saw-cut in the road surface before the cutter forms the trench.
The invention will now be explained in more detail on the basis of an embodiment thereof as shown in the figures, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a device according to the invention;
Figure 2 is a schematic rear view of the cutter and the saw blades of the device of figure 1; and
Figure 3 is a sectional view of a roadway that has been widened by using the invention.

The device for widening an existing roadway comprises a self-propelled vehicle 1 having a chassis with four caterpillar tracks 6. The forward direction of the vehicle is indicated by means of the arrow 11. A cutting device 5 is mounted to one side of the vehicle 1, beside the chassis, which cutting device comprises a housing 52, in which a drum cutter 51 is mounted. The drum cutter 51 consists of a rotatable drum, on the cylindrical surface of which cutter teeth are mounted. The axis of the drum extends horizontally in lateral direction. The drum cutter 51 can be moved up and down in the housing 52 by hydraulic means for the purpose of adjusting the cutting depth. The cutter 51 has a width that is selected in dependence on the trench 9 to be cut, for example in the order of 10 cm - 100 cm. The cutter 51 rotates in forward direction while cutting, i.e. in the same direction as the caterpillar tracks 6. The direction of rotation can be selectively reversed, however. During the cutting operation, liquid from a liquid tank 3 is sprayed or atomised in the housing 52 so as to prevent the formation of dust as much as possible. Receiving means (not shown) transport the removed material to a conveyor belt, by means of which the material can be discharged to a container that drives behind the vehicle.
A sawing device 4 is disposed ahead of the cutting device 5, beside the chassis. The sawing device 4 comprises a housing 42, in which a rotary saw blade 41 is mounted. The saw blade 41 is suitable for sawing asphalt or concrete. The saw blade 41 can be moved up and down in the housing 42 by hydraulic means for the purpose of adjusting the sawing depth. During the sawing operation, liquid from the liquid tank 3 is sprayed in the housing 42 so as to cool the saw and prevent the formation of dust as much as possible.
The axis of the saw blade 41 extends substantially in horizontal, lateral direction, but it is adjustable through an angle alpha, as will be explained in more detail yet with reference to figure 2. When the saw blade 41 is set in a vertical orientation (alpha = 0 degrees), the saw blade 41 is so positioned that it extends in substantially the same plane as the inner vertical plane of the cutter 51, i.e. in said vertical plane or at a very small distance therefrom in the direction of the chassis.
When the device is used for forming a trench 9 as shown in figure 3, the saw blade 41 is set at an angle alpha to the vertical plane. Moreover, the saw blade 41 is set so that the saw blade 41 intersects the inner vertical plane of the cutter 51 at a height that corresponds to the depth d of the trench 9 to be cut, or just above said height, so that the lower part of the saw blade that extends into the road surface extends between the inner vertical plane of the cutter 51 and the chassis. The cutter 51 and the saw blade 41 are both set to the desired cutting and sawing depth. The angle alpha is exaggerated in figure 2 for clarity, in practice it will often be smaller than illustrated herein.
During operation, the device drives over the roadway 8. During said movement, the saw blade 41 makes a vertical saw-cut, or a saw-cut inclined at the aforesaid angle, in the road surface 8 at a small distance from the existing edge of the roadway. The cutter 51 is disposed behind the saw blades and removes the separated part of the roadway together with part of the ground surface, thus forming a trench 9. Said trench 9 is then filled with a material 10 which is suitable for realising the intended shoulder paving or widening of the roadway.

Claims

A device for widening an existing roadway (8) present on a ground surface (7), comprising a vehicle (1) that can be moved forward over the existing roadway, which vehicle comprises a chassis (6) made up of wheels or caterpillar tracks and which has a direction of travel, a lateral orientation perpendicular thereto and a vertical orientation perpendicular thereto, which vehicle (1) is provided with a cutting device (5) mounted to one side of the chassis (6), which cutting device is provided with a cutter (51) for cutting a trench (9) in the ground surface (7) beside the chassis (6), in such a manner that an edge is removed from the side of the roadway (8) on the side of the cutter (51) that faces towards the chassis (6) whilst simultaneously therewith a trench (9) is formed directly adjacent to the new edge of the roadway (8), which trench, seen from the chassis (6), extends up to the side of the cutter (51) remote from the chassis (6), characterised in that the device further comprises a sawing device (4), which is disposed ahead of the cutting device (5), seen in the direction of travel, which sawing device (4) has a saw blade (41) extending substantially in the vertical plane that extends in the direction of travel of the vehicle (1), which plane is substantially contiguous to the side of the cutter (51) that faces towards the chassis (6), which sawing device (4) is capable of making a saw-cut in the road surface (8).
A device according to claim 1, wherein the cutter (51) is vertically adjustable with respect to the chassis (6).
A device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the saw blade (41) is vertically adjustable with respect to the chassis (6).
A device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the cutter (51) and the saw blade (41) are vertically adjustable independently of each other.
A device according to any one of the preceding claims 1-4, wherein the saw blade (41) includes a small angle in downward direction towards the chassis (6) with said vertical plane.
A device according to any one of the preceding claims.1-5, wherein the saw blade (41) is a circular saw blade, which is rotatable about a substantially laterally extending axis.
A device according to any one of the preceding claims 1-6, wherein the cutter (51) is a drum cutter, comprising a drum which is rotatable about a substantially laterally extending axis, which has a cylindrical surface on which cutter teeth are mounted.
A device according to any one of the preceding claims 1-7, wherein the device comprises discharge means (2) for discharging removed paving and ground surface material to a collecting container.
A method for widening an existing roadway (8) present on a ground surface (7), wherein a vehicle (1) comprising a chassis (6) made up of wheels or caterpillar tracks is moved forward in a direction of travel over the existing roadway, which vehicle has a lateral orientation perpendicular to the direction of travel and a vertical orientation perpendicular thereto, and which vehicle (1) is provided with a cutting device (5) mounted to one side of the chassis (6), which cutting device is provided with a cutter (51) for cutting a trench (9) in the ground surface (7) beside the chassis (6), by means of which an edge is removed from the side of the roadway (8) on the side of the cutter (51) that faces towards the chassis (6) whilst simultaneously therewith a trench (9) is formed directly adjacent to the new edge of the roadway (8), which trench, seen from the chassis (6), extends up to the side of the cutter (51) remote from the chassis (6), characterised in that a sawing device (4) is disposed ahead of the cutting device (5), seen in the direction of travel, which sawing device (4) has a saw blade (41) extending substantially in the vertical plane that extends in the direction of travel of the vehicle (1), which plane is substantially contiguous to the side of the cutter (51) that faces towards the chassis (6), which sawing device (4) makes a saw-cut in the road surface (8) before the cutter (51) forms the trench (9).
A method according to claim 9, wherein the saw blade (41) includes a small angle in downward direction towards the chassis (6) with said vertical plane, and wherein the saw blade (41) makes a saw-cut that is inclined towards the centre of the roadway (8), seen in downward direction.
A method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the side of the cutter (5) that faces towards the chassis (6) touches the upper side of the saw-cut made in the road surface (8) by the saw.
A method according to claim 9, 10 or 11, wherein the trench (9) is filled with a paving material (10).