US3625120A

US3625120A - Road repair truck

Info

Publication number: US3625120A
Application number: US51079A
Authority: US
Inventors: Joseph Nagy
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-06-30
Filing date: 1970-06-30
Publication date: 1971-12-07
Anticipated expiration: 1988-12-07

Abstract

A vehicular truck equipped for road repair work is described, including a repair materials hopper, a front discharge chute and a drive worm conveyor mechanism for transporting road repair material from the hopper through the chute for deposit in a pavement ''''pothole'''' or the like to be repaired, is described. The discharge end of the material chute carries a rake movable up and down, from side-to-side and from front-to-back, through the use of hydraulic piston control mechanism controllable by a single operator in the truck cab, for spreading the deposited material evenly over the pavement defect being repaired. A hydraulically controlled roller, also controlled by the single operator in the cab, is mounted at the rear end of the truck for use in rolling the deposited and raked repair material to complete the road repair operation.

Description

United States Patent Primary E.raminer.lacob L. Nackenoff Attorney-James .l. Cannon ABSTRACT: A vehicular truck equipped for road repair work is described, including a repair materials hopper, a front discharge chute and a drive worm conveyor mechanism for transporting road repair material from the hopper through the chute for deposit in a pavement pothole" or the like to be repaired, is described. The discharge end of the material chute carries a rake movable up and down, from side-to-side and from front-to-back, through the use of hydraulic piston control mechanism controllable by a single operator in the truck cab, for spreading the deposited material evenly over the pavement defect being repaired. A hydraulically controlled roller, also controlled by the single operator in the cab. is

PATENTEU DEC 7197! SHEET 1 0F 2 INVENTOR. JOSEPH Ill/4G) PATENTEU nu: 71911 sum 2 OF 2 INVENTOR. oOSEP/l Away ROAD REPAIR TRUCK This invention relates to pavement repair apparatus and is directed particularly to a road repair truck having means for automatically depositing, raking and rolling road repair material in pavement defects such as potholes for convenient and economical road maintenance.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a road repair truck having a hopper for holding a supply of road repair material such as hot or cold mix asphalt, a discharge chute for depositing the repair material in the pavement or road hole to be filled, conveying means for automatically conveying a predetermined amount of material through the chute, power driven remote control means for evenly raking the deposited material in place, and remotely controllable roller for rolling the placed and raked material to complete the repair operation.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a road repair truck of the above nature having a drivers cab at the front, from which position the vehicle is driven from place to place, and including hydraulic means remotely controlled by the truck operator in the driver's cab for moving the rake in three dimension, that is, up and down, side to side, and front to back, for remotely effecting the raking operation, and wherein the driving of the truck, depositing of the road repair material, and the raking and rolling thereof can be carried out on a continuous basis by a single operator.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a novel road repair apparatus suitable for use with either hot or cold asphalt road repair mixes, tar, sand, and the like materials commonly used in road repair and service work.

Yet another object is to provide a road repair truck of the character described that is fully automatic to the extent that it can be operated in road repair operations by a single operator having a full view of the road surface area being worked and without any necessity for his leaving the cab during the road repair work.

Other objects, features and advantages will be apparent from the following description when read with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a road repair truck embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view thereof; and

FIG. 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIG. 2 in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, reference numeral in FIGS. 1 and 2 designates, generally, a preferred form of road repair truck embodying the invention, the same being comprised of a truck framework 11 supported by a pair of front wheels 12 and a pair of rear wheels 13 and having a drivers cab 14 at one side of the front provided with the usual driving control mechanism (not illustrated) and a steering wheel, indicated at 15, for driving the vehicle as one would an ordinary truck. Inasmuch as the engine, spring-mounted undercarriage for the

wheels

12 and 13, etc. are similar to the corresponding mechanisms in ordinary vehicular trucks, they are not illustrated and described herein in detail.

The truck framework 11, at the rear portion thereof, supports a repair material hopper 16 having a transversely extending rear vertical wall 17, an inwardly inclined front wall 18, and inwardly inclined sidewalls l9 and 20. Outward of the inwardly

inclined sidewall

19 and 20 are respective spaced, parallel sidewalls 21, 22 defining narrow inwardly inclined spaces therebetween for the purpose hereinafter appearing. The lower ends of the outer sidewalls 21 and 22 merge into spaced, parallel vertical wall end portions 23, 24 respectively, extending centrally from front to back at the bottom of the hopper 16. The lower ends of the walls ends portions 23, 24 are welded or otherwise secured to a horizontal bottom plate 25 supported in spaced relation above the truck framework 1 1.

A helical conveyor or drive worm 26 is disposed longitudinally within the recess at the bottom of the hopper 16, being journaled at its rear end in the rear vertical wall of the hopper, whereat upon an outwardly extending shaft portion thereof, it carries a driven gear 27. The driven gear 27 is drivingly connected, through a drive chain 28, with a pinion gear 29 carried at the rear end of a drive shaft 30. The drive shaft 30 is appropriately journaled, at its rear end, in the rear vertical wall 17 of the hopper l6, and, at its forward end, in a support bearing 31 secured with respect to the bottom plate 25. A universal joint 32 drivingly interconnects the drive shaft 30 with a second drive shaft 33 (partially illustrated) driven by the truck engine (not illustrated).

The front end of the drive worm 26 extends into the rear end portion of a cylindrical conveyor tube 34 communicating at the bottom recess of the hopper 16. The conveyor tube 34 extends horizontally and centrally forward to terminate just short of the truck framework 11, with respect to which it is securely fixed by appropriate support mechanism (not illustrated). A flexible downwardly extending, arcuate repair material chute 35 has its upper end fitted over the outer end of the conveyor tube 34 so as to receive material being fed through said conveyor tube by the drive worm 26, while at the same time permitting substantial movement of the lower end of the chute 35 in the manner and for reasons hereinbelow more particularly described.

The lower, downwardly extending end of the arcuate material chute 35 is substantially rectangular in shape, as indicated at 36, being elongated in the transverse direction, and carries a triangular rake 37, the prongs of which are normally disposed in spaced parallel above the roadway along which the truck is moving.

Means is provided for controllably moving the lower end of the material chute 35 and its associated rake 37 in the forward and backward or back and forth direction with respect to the front of the truck framework 11. To this end, a hydraulic piston cylinder 38 is supported at its rear end, through a universal ball joint 39, by a support bracket 40 fixed with respect to the truck framework 11. The forwardly extending piston rod 41 of the hydraulic piston cylinder 38 connects, at its outer end, with the triangular rake 37. Control of hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic piston cylinder 38 in turn controls the back and forth movement of the rake 37.

Means is also provided for controlling the up and down movement of the material chute 35 and its associated rake 37. To this end, a second hydraulic piston cylinder 42 is provided, the rear end which is supported, through a universal ball joint 43, by a support bracket 44 secured with respect to the truck framework 11. The outer end of the piston rod 45 associated with the hydraulic piston cylinder 42 is linked to an outer end portion of the back and forth movement hydraulic piston cylinder 38, whereby said cylinder can be moved up and down by the control of hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic piston cylinder 42.

Means is also provided for moving the lower end of the material chute 35 and its associated rake 37 from side to side with respect to the truck framework 11. To this end, a third hydraulic piston cylinder 46 is provided, the rear end of which is secured, through a universal ball joint 47, to a support bracket 48 fixed with respect to the truck framework 11. The forward end of the piston rod 49 associated with the hydraulic piston cylinder 46 is pivotally linked with a forward end portion of the back-and-forth hydraulic piston cylinder 38, to control the side-to-side movement of said cylinder in accordance with the control of hydraulic fluid flowing through the hydraulic piston cylinder 46. As illustrated in FIG. 2 the hydraulic flow circuits (not illustrated) of the hydraulic piston cylinder 42, controlling up-and-down movement of the material chute 35 and its associated rake 37, will be controlled by an up-anddown" control lever 50 in the driver's cab 14; the hydraulic piston cylinder 46 controlling side-to-side or right and left movement of the material chute 35 and its associated rake 37, will be controlled by a right and left control lever 51 in the drivers cab 14; and hydraulic piston cylinder 38 controlling forward and backward movement of the material chute 35 and its associated rake 37, will be controlled by a "forward and backward control lever 52 in the driver's cab 14.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, a longitudinally extending gas burner 53 is arranged just below the bottom arcuate wall position 68 immediately above which the drive worm turns, for the purpose of feeding repair material being fed through the hopper 16 just prior to its being dispensed through the material chute 35. The gas burner 53 is fed at its rear end by a gas supply pipe 54 leading from a cylindrical gas tank 55 supported transversely at the rear end of the truck framework 1 l. A gas flow control valve 56 in the supply pipe 54 serves to regulate the heat supplied to the repair material being conveyed through the chute 35.

A heavy cylindrical roller 59 is joumaled between angular support brackets 60 and 61 for support between upstanding support arms 62 and 63 at the rear end of the truck framework 11, whereat said arms are pivotally connected. Hydraulic piston cylinders 64 pivotally connected at their lower ends to opposed end portions of the truck frame 11 and having piston rods 66 linked, as indicated at 67 with respect to angular support brackets 60 and 61 provide means for lifting the roller 59 up above the roadway when not in use.

In use of the road repair truck a suitable road hole or crack patching material will be supplied to the hopper 16, said hopper being large enough to hold material for large number of road or pavement repairs of usual type to be made, such as "pothole" for example. The repair material, of a nature suitable for the particular type of defect in the roadway sought to be repaired will ordinarily be in the form of a liquid binder mixed with suitable aggregate material, such as tar and gravel of the desired consistency. Various hot and cold asphalt mixtures are particularly well suited for use with the road repair truck embodying the invention. When hot mixes are used, the gas burner 53 will ignited and set at a suitable flame height to keep the mixture in a loose enough state to permit conveying through chute 35 and working in the road hole being repaired, as is hereinbelow more particularly described.

After the repair truck is positioned with the outer end opening 36 of the chute 35 directly above the hole to be repaired, the material drive worm conveyor 26 will be set into operation to move the repair material forwardly through the material chute 35. A foot pedal 69 in the driver's cab 14 is preferably provided for setting the worm gear 26 in operation through appropriate clutch mechanism controlling rotation of drive shaft 33, which mechanism may be of conventional structure and therefore is not herein more particularly described. As soon as sufficient repair material has been deposited in the hole or other pavement defect to be repaired, the clutch 69 will be disengaged to terminate the fiow of material. lt will be understood that the operator in the cab 14, through appropriate glass panels at the front of said cab, has full view of the pavement area immediately to the front of the truck so that he can oversee all the various steps of a road repairing operation. After a required amount of road repair has been deposited in the pothole or other pavement defect to be repaired, the front end of the chute 35 and its associated triangular rake 37 will be lowered and moved from right to left and forward and backward by means of the respective control levers 50, 51 and 52 to evenly distribute the material within and at a substantially uniform distance above the road level in the vicinity of the hole to allow for compacting by roller 59. The road repair truck will then be driven forwardly over the hole being repaired so that the roller 59 is over the hole, whereupon it will be lowered by actuation of the hydraulic piston cylinder 64 into contact with the raked material. In and out action of a roller control piston rod 66 will cause the roller to move back and forth over the filled area to compact the road repair material in place, thereby completing the repair operation. if the rolling operation required should be more extensive than can be accommodated by control of the hydraulic piston cylinder 64, the whole truck can be moved back and forth over a span sufficient to complete the rolling operation.

In instances where heavy, highly compacted, viscous repair materials are used, it is contemplated that the space between the inwardly

inclined sidewalls

19, 20 and their respective spaced parallel sidewalls 21 and 22 can be utilized to feed oil down into the bottom hopper chamber or recess in which the drive worm 26 rotates to lubricate and thereby aid in the forward movement of material for discharge through the chute 35.

An important advantage of the invention resides in the fact that it can be driven and operated by one man without leaving the vehicle cab, thereby being unusually economical in operation. The fully automatic operation of the road repair truck moreover results in rapid performance, permitting the repair of a large number of minor road defect such as potholes by a single operator in a single workday. Working in cooperation with a material supply truck operated by another workman, a two-man team can repair many miles of roadway in a single workday. It is also to be noted that the repair truck can also be used as a road sander, during which operation the truck would be driven slowly forward while sand was fed continuously from the hopper through the discharge chute 35. In such use, it will be understood that the discharge opening at the bottom of the material chute 35 could be of an appropriate size, especially as to width, for the desired distribution of the sand.

While I have illustrated and described herein only one form in which my invention can conveniently be embodied in practice, it is to be understood that this form is presented by way of example only and not in a limiting sense. The invention, in brief, comprises all the embodiments and modifications coming within the scope and spirit of the following claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a road repair truck, the combination comprising a vehicle frame, a pair of front wheels and a pair of back wheels rollably supporting said vehicle frame, a road repair materials hopper having inclined sides and a rounded bottom supported upon said vehicle frame, a conveyor screw in said rounded bottom, means for driving said screw, conveyor tube means communicating with the rounded bottom of said hopper and extending from the forward end of said hopper, a flexible discharge chute connected to the forward end of said conveyor tube means and having a discharge end extending downwardly over the front end of said vehicle frame for dispensing road repair material therefrom, said conveyor screw conveying road repair material from said hopper to said discharge chute for deposit in a pavement hole to be repaired, a rake device secured to the discharge end of said discharge chute, piston means for moving said discharge end and said rake comprising three hydraulic piston cylinders, one for sideto-side motion, one for front-to-back motion and one for upand-down action, said hydraulic piston cylinders being arranged to move said deposit end with respect to the forward end of said vehicle for evenly depositing and raking road repair material, control means from operator station on the vehicle whereby road repair material may be fed to the repair area by operation of said conveyor screw and proper positioning of said discharge end of said discharge chute whereby the discharge materials may be raked by said rake into said repair area, and roller means including control means therefor for compacting said road repair material to complete a repair of a pavement.

2. In a road repair truck as defined in claim 1, including means on the rear of said truck to retract and lower said roller into position to roll and smoothly compact said road repair material to conform to the contour surface of said pavement.

3. ln a road repair truck as defined in claim 1, including heating means along the length of the rounded bottom portion of said hopper.

4. In a road repair truck as defined in claim 1, wherein said rake is of V-shape and is secured to the rectangular discharge end of said discharge chute.

5. A road repair truck as defined in claim 1, wherein said material conveyor screw comprises an elongated worm driven road surface over which the repair truck moves.

7. A road repair truck as defined in claim 1, wherein said operators station comprises an operators cab having transparent panels therein mounted at the front and to one side of said vehicle frame, said chute moving means further comprising manually actuatable means for individually controlling said hydraulic piston cylinders.

Claims

1. In a road repair truck, the combination comprising a vehicle frame, a pair of front wHeels and a pair of back wheels rollably supporting said vehicle frame, a road repair materials hopper having inclined sides and a rounded bottom supported upon said vehicle frame, a conveyor screw in said rounded bottom, means for driving said screw, conveyor tube means communicating with the rounded bottom of said hopper and extending from the forward end of said hopper, a flexible discharge chute connected to the forward end of said conveyor tube means and having a discharge end extending downwardly over the front end of said vehicle frame for dispensing road repair material therefrom, said conveyor screw conveying road repair material from said hopper to said discharge chute for deposit in a pavement hole to be repaired, a rake device secured to the discharge end of said discharge chute, piston means for moving said discharge end and said rake comprising three hydraulic piston cylinders, one for side-to-side motion, one for front-to-back motion and one for up-and-down action, said hydraulic piston cylinders being arranged to move said deposit end with respect to the forward end of said vehicle for evenly depositing and raking road repair material, control means from operator station on the vehicle whereby road repair material may be fed to the repair area by operation of said conveyor screw and proper positioning of said discharge end of said discharge chute whereby the discharge materials may be raked by said rake into said repair area, and roller means including control means therefor for compacting said road repair material to complete a repair of a pavement.

3. In a road repair truck as defined in claim 1, including heating means along the length of the rounded bottom portion of said hopper.

5. A road repair truck as defined in claim 1, wherein said material conveyor screw comprises an elongated worm driven member rotatably journalled in the bottom of said hopper, and a conveyor tube communicating at the one end with said bottom of said hopper in coaxial alignment with said worm driven member, the other end of said conveyor tube being in communication with the inlet end of said chute.

6. A road repair truck as defined in claim 1, wherein said conveyor tube extends substantially horizontally to the front of said vehicle frame, and wherein said discharge chute is of arcuate shape along its length with its discharge end facing the road surface over which the repair truck moves.

7. A road repair truck as defined in claim 1, wherein said operators station comprises an operator''s cab having transparent panels therein mounted at the front and to one side of said vehicle frame, said chute moving means further comprising manually actuatable means for individually controlling said hydraulic piston cylinders.