FR2530694A1 - Mobile installation for bridging cracks in road surfaces. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a mobile installation for bridging cracks in road surfaces, comprising a vehicle comprising a front station for preparing cracks with a thermal lance, a central station for supplying energy and fluids, and a rear station for the dispensing of sand and sealing product. The installation is characterised in that it comprises means cooperating in such a way as to coordinate the speeds of progression of the operator using the front station, of progression of the motor vehicle and of progression of the operator or operators using the rear section, the said means of coordination comprising in the front section, on the one hand, an automatic spooler 14 of the supply hose 15 of the thermal lance 12 and, on the other hand, a jib having articulated arms 25, 26, 27, 28 for supporting the hose between the spooler and the lance, and in the rear station a device 37 for controlling the steering 38, gears 40 and brake 39. Application to roadworks.

Description

 The present invention relates to an installation for bridging cracks in road surfaces.

 Asphalt road surfaces are affected, under various influences by the formation of cracks without losing their other characteristics. It is therefore necessary to fill these cracks with sealing and bridging operations using an appropriate sealant, in particular mixtures of bitumens and elastomers, synthetic rubbers, chemical additives and mineral fillers.

The operations to be carried out are as follows:
-preparation of cracks by a thermopneumatic process,
-application of the sealant, previously heated to as constant a temperature as possible,
optionally, micro-graveling using dry gravel with a particle size of for example between 1 and 2 mm.

The known materials used for sealing and bridging cracks include the following essential components:
1) a device for preparing cracks, the type of which
the most sophisticated is the one known as
"3et Blaster", which is actually a thermal lance provided
at the end of a melan's ignition chamber
compressed air and propane in combustion conditions
spontaneous stability, the hot air coming out of the lance
a temperature of around 16580C and at a speed of
915 m / s to ensure drying of the red coating
tier, cleaning the edges of the crack and stripping
resurgences and, in addition, to provide the binder with
heat coating facilitating the attachment of the product
sealing applied hot (140 to 1800C);
20) a central station for the supply of energy and fluid
usually comprising an internal combustion engine, a
air compressor and a reserve of combustible gas
(propane) in the form of bottles;
30) a sealant melter, in most
cases of the type with indirect heating by enclosure
containing hot oil, the enclosure itself
heated with a propane burner;
40) a sealant dispenser in the state
fluid and possibly a sand dispenser.

 In known embodiments, these components can be in the form of relatively independent structures; for example, the motor-compressor unit and the thermal lance are separated from the melter associated with the sealant dispenser and also from the sand dispenser.

 I1 also exist embodiments where these components are assembled on a vehicle fitted with wheels and comprising in front the thermal lance system, in the center the engine, the compressor and the melter and at the rear the sealant dispenser and the sand distributor; the vehicle has two steered wheels at the front and two driving wheels at the rear, actuated by a suitable transmission which also allows automatic forward movement in slow motion.

 Generally, these known materials are used in the following manner: on a carriageway with two lanes of traffic in opposite directions, an operator placed in front of the machine prepares the cracks using the thermal lance, an operator placed in rear performs the application of sealant in the conditioned cracks, a third operator also placed behind the machine takes care of the sand and the replenishment of sealant and sand; in addition, two people ensure the alternation of traffic, in accordance with road traffic regulations. We therefore realize that it takes at least five operators to conduct a crack bridging site.

In addition, in known embodiments involving a motor vehicle, the following difficulties are encountered:
-the operator placed in front and handling the lance
thermal crack preparation performs its
work with a certain speed of advancement which
is a function of the existence of the front cracks
of the machine, but it is obvious that its
progression is not necessarily adapted to that
of the operator (s) behind the machine
and bridging and sandblasting the cracks
existing in this area. There is, moreover, in fact,
three gaits of progression, namely
. the appearance of the front operator,
. the appearance of the rear operators, and
the appearance of the machine often switched on
automatic operation.

Coordination by voice transmission is also
difficult to establish between operators placed in
back and forth and located some distance
each other because their voices are covered by the
significant engine, compressor, and traffic noise
road.

 The object of the invention is to remedy this shortcoming and also to provide other advantages over known embodiments.

 According to the invention, the mobile installation for bridging cracks in road surfaces, comprising a motor vehicle comprising a front station for preparing thermal lance cracks, a central station for supplying energy and fluids and a rear distribution station sealant and sand, is characterized in that it comprises means cooperating so as to coordinate the gaits of progression of the operator using the front position, progression of the motor vehicle, and progression of the operator (s) using the rear post, said coordination means comprising respectively in the front post, on the one hand, an automatic reel of the supply hose for the thermal lance and, on the other hand, a bracket with articulated support arms of the hose between the reel and the lance, and in the rear post a steering, speed and brake control device.

According to other particularities of the installation according to the invention:
-To dry the sand placed in the sand tank, there is a heating system comprising a coil through which the engine exhaust gases pass, or else hot oil from the melter.

 -To dry the sand placed in the sand tank, a double wall is provided in the sand tank delimiting a volume in which the engine exhaust gases or hot oil from the melter are passed.

 -To precisely control the melting temperature of the sealant, there is provided in the product circuit a thermograph-recorder cooperating with an oil temperature sensor and an automatic regulating device.

 -I1 is provided a fixing primer tank which is in communication with the compressor, so as to feed, if necessary, a crack preparation lance.

 -The mobile vehicle is provided in the middle of an upright on which is fixed a triangular traffic sign comprising three regulatory flashing lights, in particular of the "triflash" type.

Other advantages and characteristics of the invention will be highlighted, in the following description, given by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the appended drawings in which:
Fig.l is an overall perspective view of the cracks bridging installation according to the invention, during operation on a dual-use road; and
Fig.2 is a distribution diagram of the different energies and fluids in the installation according to the invention.

 As shown in FIG. 1, the installation for bridging cracks in road surfaces according to the invention comprises as known components a motor vehicle, designated as a whole by 1 and consisting of a chassis 2, steer-front wheels 3 and rear wheel drive 4.

 I1 is provided in the vehicle a motor-gearbox group 5 which actuates the drive wheels 4 and which can comprise Up to eight speeds ranging from two to 20 8+. There is further provided a compressor 6 intended to supply compressed air to the elements which need it, a source of combustible gas, in particular propane, constituted by bottles 7, a melter 8 of sealant, on which is disposed a casing 9 in which the barrel containing the product is placed so that its content pours into the tank provided in the melter. As indicated above, the melter is of the type with indirect heating by hot oil, and it is equipped with a propane burner designated by FIG. 1. It is further provided, in a conventional manner, a sandpit 11.

It can be considered that this mobile installation comprises, as in the known embodiments, the following stations:
-a front station used by a moving operator
in front of the vehicle to ensure, using a
launches 12 thermal "3 and Blaster", cracks it
meeting on the road;
-a central power and fluid supply station
consisting of the gearbox-motor group 5,
the compressor 6.1 propane cylinders 7, the fon
8, 9 and
-a rear post consisting of a distributor of
sealant 21 connected to the melter 8 and a
sand distributor 24 connected to the sand tank 11.

 On the vehicle chassis, there is also a driving position comprising, in a conventional manner, a seat 17, a steering wheel 18, a brake lever 19 and a gear shift lever 20.

 We will now consider the various improvements made in accordance with the present invention to such a known system.

 As has been specified above, the operator who works with the thermal lance 12 to carry out the preparation of cracks, such as F1 in FIG. 1, can progress more or less quickly than the operator or operators placed behind the machine and working with the lance for spreading sealant 21 and the sand distribution nozzle 24.0na therefore sought, to ensure a programmed and automatic advancement of the machine according to the bridging of the cracks which take place / rear coordinate the 'progression of the front operator with that of the rear operator (s), and also in relation to the advancement of the vehicle.

This problem has been solved in accordance with the present invention by cooperation of the following means:
-In the front station, instead of the flexible hose for supplying the thermal lance 12 being connected directly to the propane and compressed air distribution box 16, an automatic reel 14 is provided, on the one hand, the hose enters at 13 and leaves at 15 and, on the other hand, a bracket with articulated arm, designated as a whole by 25.

This bracket comprises a support 26, which may have a hoop shape hooking on the front of the chassis, this support supporting an arrow with articulated arms 27, 28 being able to execute pivoting movements in a horizontal plane; besides provided on each of the arms 27, 28, respective hooks 29, 30 which fulfill two functions, namely, of supporting the hose 15 as it is unwound from the reel 14 and, on the other hand, of supporting , when the machine is started, the thermal lance, the ignition of which initially requires adjustment by trial and error to obtain a correct mixture. This system with reel and bracket therefore allows the operator placed in front of the machine to unwind , or to leave rewound, the supply hose of its lance 12 without taking account of what is happening behind.

The additional advantage is obtained by eliminating the causes of wear and tear encountered in known embodiments where the hose rubs on the ground and risks, moreover, when. the machine engages on it, to be excessively heated when it passes below the melter.

 One indicated e-n F2 and F'2 of the cracks finished of preparation.

-In the rear post of the machine, there is provided a jib with articulated arms 3l, similar to the jib 25 and comprising a riser 32, which can also have a hoop shape, two articulated arms 33, 34 and hooks 35, 36
The purpose of this bracket is to support the hose supplying sealing product to the spreading nozzle 21.

In fact, this hose 22 is double and comprises, as shown in FIG. 2, a supply hose 22A and a hose 22B returning to the melter. No support has been provided for the hose 23 connecting the sand tank 11 to the sand distribution nozzle 24 but this could be envisaged in the context of the present invention. To allow operators handling, on the one hand, the lance 21 for spreading sealant and, on the other hand, the sand distribution nozzle 24, to work independently of the progress of the operator before , there is a rear driving device designated as a whole by 37. This device comprises three levers, namely a steering control lever 38 which acts on the front wheels via a wheelhouse or a transmission with hydraulic cylinder, not shown, a brake lever 39 and a gear shift lever 40. Thus, the operator (s) placed at the rear can adjust the speed of the vehicle and, if necessary, steer or stop it, according to the progress of their crack bridging work. In FIG. 1, a crack has been indicated at F "2 which has been previously prepared and which is first conditioned, as indicated in F3, by bridging using a shoe shoe tool of known type and , on the other hand, as indicated in F4 by sandblasting using a nozzle also of known type.

 The installation also presents other improvements intended to simplify the operations and to improve the quality of the bypass.

Thus, the temperature of the sealant must be kept within a narrow range so that the sealant can be pumped and spread without difficulty. Thus, for example, in the arm of the product known under the commercial designation "Cariphalte JS", which consists of a homogeneous mixture of a special bitumen, synthetic rubbers, chemical additives and a mineral filler, it it is necessary to maintain the temperature of this product at 1600C + lO0C
Consequently, there is provided in the machine a recording thermograph, designated by 41 in FIG. 2, cooperating with an indicator for sensing the temperature of the heating oil and an automatic regulation device, not shown.

 The sand to be spread on the bridging joint must be used in the dry state and slightly warmed to increase its adhesion with the sealant. To solve this problem, special equipment is provided in accordance with the present invention for the sand tank 11. The latter may internally comprise a tubular coil, or else an annular chamber delimited by a double-wall structure. sand located inside the ilion tank passes the exhaust gases from engine M through FIG. 2, as shown schematically in 43,44. It is also possible to pass hot oil from the melter through the coil or the annular chamber, as shown diagrammatically in 45 and 46. In the pipe 47 for supplying compressed air to the sand tank, provision is made a control valve-48 and a pressure switch 49.

 In certain regions, it is required to prepare cracks by spraying an additive primer.

chage, for example a product known under the commercial designati.on "Cariphalte CP". To allow the machine to carry out this application, a second tank 50 is provided for this attachment primer, the tank being connected by a pipe 51 to the compressor C.

 Another improvement concerns the following fact.

It has been found that the lance 21 for spreading sealant can be obstructed by solidification of this product in periods of pause that are too long between spreading operations. To remedy this drawback, provision is made, as shown diagrammatically in the drawings by line 56, for a propane supply hose from a small burner 57 for reheating the nozzle 21.

 Mobile installations operating on roads are subject to strict safety regulations. As indicated above, the classic sites require the intervention of two people who ensure the alternation of circulation with mobile stakes for example. In the installation according to lnvenvion, an attempt has been made to solve the security problem while reducing the personnel to the minimum and, for this purpose, it is provided, on the one hand, on each side of the road and at a distance ; 'initiating the length of the mobile site, two three-color lights, designated by 52.53 in Figure 1 and controlled by quartz. In addition, the vehicle is equipped with a triangular panel equipped with three flashing lights, for example of the type' Triflash ", this panel designated by 54 in Figure 1 being fixed with an upright at a height in accordance with the regulations in force. It is thus possible to eliminate the two people who would otherwise be necessary to ensure safety The traffic lights are each provided with a battery and, to perfect the equipment of the mobile installation has provided, in the area of the rear cockpit, a compartment, not visible in the figures and intended to receive the batteries for recharging. st ensured from the alternator A by means of a wire which leads to a battery charger designated schematically by 55 in FIG. 2.

 Of course, the present invention is in no way limited to the embodiments described and shown; it is susceptible of numerous variants accessible to those skilled in the art, depending on the applications envisaged and without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Claims (6)

 - CLAIMS  Mobile installation for bridging cracks in road surfaces, comprising a motor vehicle comprising a front station for preparing thermal lance cracks, a central station for supplying energy and fluids and a rear station for distributing sealant and of sand, characterized in that it comprises mayens cooperating so as to coordinate the gaits of progression of the operator using the front position, of progression of the motor vehicle, and of progression of the operator (s) using the rear position , said coordination means comprising respectively in the front station, on the one hand, an automatic reel (14) of the supply hose (15) due to the thermal lance (12) and, on the other hand, a bracket with articulated arms (25,26,27,28) for supporting the hose between the reel and the lance and, in the rear post, a device (37) for controlling direction (38), speeds (40) and brake (39 ).  2. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that to dry the sand placed in the sand tank (11) there is provided a heating system comprising a coil (42) traversed by the engine exhaust gases (43, 44) or by hot oil (45,46) from the melter.  3. Installation according to claim l, characterized in that to dry the sand placed in the sand tank <11) there is provided in the sand tank a double wall delimiting a volume in which the exhaust gases are passed from engine (43,44) or hot oil (45,46) from the melter.  4. Installation according to claim l, characterized in that to precisely control the melting temperature of the sealant product, there is provided a thermograph recorder (4l), cooperating with a sensor for capturing the temperature of the oil of heater and an automatic regulator.  5. Installation according to claim l, characterized in that there is provided a dtaccrochage primer tank (50) which is in communication with the compressor (6), so as to feed, if necessary, a crack preparation lance .  6. Installation according to claim l, characterized in that the mobile vehicle is provided in the middle of an upright on which is fixed a triangular sign (54) signaling comprising three regulatory flashing lights, in particular of the "triflash" type.