WO2000069694A1

WO2000069694A1 - Wheel cleaning

Info

Publication number: WO2000069694A1
Application number: PCT/GB2000/001851
Authority: WO
Inventors: Thomas James Smith; Peter A. Clifford
Original assignee: Wheelclean (International) Ltd.
Priority date: 1999-05-15
Filing date: 2000-05-15
Publication date: 2000-11-23
Also published as: AU4597200A; GB9911318D0

Abstract

A wheel-cleaning apparatus comprises a bath (1) through which a truck can be driven, and a track or grid made of transverse bars (23), passing through the bath. The track has a first section (12), towards the entry end of the bath, followed by a second section (14) leading to the exit end of the bath. The first section is immersed when the bath is filled with water, and the second section is a ramp rising out of the water when the bath is filled, and has associated with it one or more spray devices (22-28) arranged to spray the wheels of a vehicle as it passes over. A tray (34) under the ramp section guides water back into the bath, and the spray water is recycled from the bath via a filter (31) and an auxiliary tank (30).

Description

HEEL CLEANING

The present invention relates to apparatus for removing the mud from the wheels of trucks, lorries and other vehicles such as are used in muddy locations, for instance on building sites.

It is desirable to ensure that vehicles leaving a site do not track mud all over the public road. Moreover regulations governing the amount of mud that can be deposited on the road are continually becoming stricter. In theory one could hose down the wheels after every visit with a high-pressure hose, but this is extremely time-consuming to the point of impracticability. Moreover such a method is wasteful of water, and there are also regulations governing runoff from sites, particularly contaminated sites such as landfill.

An apparatus has therefore been devised to enable mud to be removed from lorry wheels simply as the lorry is driven through it. Such an apparatus is shown in GB patent no. 2239848 in the names of Smith and Stubbs . The apparatus consists of a large rectangular tank which can be filled with water to a depth of about 0.5 m, and tracks running up a ramp, over the end wall and into the tank, down into it, lengthways through it and over and down again out of the tank. In fact there are two separate tanks, one for each track. The tracks run under the water level for most of the length of the respective tanks and are constructed of transverse bars, such as angle irons, welded to a suitable frame with the vertex upwards. As the truck travels over the tracks the tyres are "massaged" by the relatively sharp vertices of the bars to release caked mud, and the loosened mud is washed off as the vehicle travels through the tank. Most of the muddy water then drips off the vehicle as it travels down the exit ramp. The wheel -cleaner described above has been very successful, particularly in a version with a single tank or bath for the entire truck. However, some problems remain. One is that there is still some run- off of water as the truck leaves the cleaning apparatus, and as water laps over the end of the tank. Another is that the tracks and the tank do tend to become clogged with mud, reducing the effectiveness of the cleaning. These problems are dealt with in the applicant's earlier application No. GB 2344277.

It is an object of the invention to provide a still more effective wheel-cleaning apparatus, in particular one in which a spray is used to intensify the cleaning process. According to the invention there is provided a wheel -cleaning apparatus comprising a bath through which a vehicle, or part of a vehicle, can be driven, and a track or grid made of transverse bars, passing through the bath, in which the track has a first section, towards the entry end of the bath, and a second section towards the exit end of the bath, the first section being designed to be immersed when the bath is filled with water, and the second section being raised so that at least part of it is out of the water when the bath is filled; and in which the second section has associated with it one or more spray devices arranged to spray the wheels of a vehicle as it passes over the second section.

One preferred feature is an additional reservoir for water or other cleaning fluid, the reservoir being in communication with the main volume of the bath via a filter, so that the fluid in the bath as a whole can be recycled, while still providing a clean enough wash; this recycling avoids contamination of the surroundings. Advantageously the bath has a generally flat, level base under the first section, and perhaps under the second section also, but the second section of the track, which is preferably a continuously rising ramp, has a draining tray immediately underneath the ramp, rising out of the water, and sloping back into the main body of the bath to contain water within the apparatus. The tracks can as before be continuous across the width of the tank, or split with a gap in the middle. The reservoir, if present, can be located below the ramp between the two halves, if appropriate, and can have a filter or mesh near the bottom end of the ramp, through which liquid can pass from the main body into the reservoir. A pump is then provided to supply the sprays from the reservoir.

Ideally the spray is directed substantially horizontally, and preferably backwards, i.e. against the direction of travel of the vehicle. This allows a spray to be directed against the flat of the tyres without a vertically rising spray or mist being created, obscuring the driver's view. It is possible to prevent any water rising more than about 1 m from the surface.

Some of the spray devices can be located beneath the track directed substantially horizontally, between the ascending bars, against the direction of travel of the vehicle, so as to strike the tread of a tyre as it passes along the track. This is much more effective at removing mud from the tyre treads than spray devices which are directed at the wheels from the side. The layout of the apparatus effects a double cleaning action: first the bumpy passage over the submerged track loosens mud from the wheels, and then the high- pressure spray removes the loosened mud from the treads of the tyres .

The point where the track rises in a ramp might typically be somewhat over half-way along the tank, a significant feature of embodiments of the invention being that there is at least one revolution of the tyres, say about 4 m of horizontal travel, located above the waterline, i.e. accessible to the sprays. For a washing apparatus that is set into the ground the tracks can be at the top of the tank wall at ground level . The water for the sprays can be taken directly from the tank, in which case it has to be filtered, or from a separate source. There can be various sets of spray nozzles per wheel track (i.e. per track half) , a set under the tyres, a set on the outer side of the vehicle, and sets on the central area; and furthermore there can be a catcher tray or trays immediately underneath the ramp section and a further spray arranged to sluice down the trays into the main bath. For a better understanding of the invention embodiments of it will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1A is a plan view and Fig. IB a side view of a wheel -cleaning apparatus representing an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view in more detail of the exit end of the apparatus ;

Fig. 3A is a section of the entry end of the tank; Fig. 3B is a section near the exit end; and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the exit end of the bath, showing the ramp .

As Fig. 1A shows, the bath 1 is essentially a rectangular box about 15 m long and 3 m wide. The height of the side walls 3 is about 150 cm, while the end walls 5a, 5b, are as shown in Fig. 3 about 53 and 78 cm high respectively, the distance to which the box is to be inset into the ground (often the bath will be used on a rising slope) . The side walls serve essentially as splash protection. Lifting lugs for transporting the apparatus can be seen in the diagram. In use the bath is filled with water 10, i.e. to a height of about 50 cm, just below the rim of the end walls .

Running the length of the bath, and in most embodiments also for some distance beyond it at either end, for instance as a ramp, is a track, not shown in Fig. 1, along which the vehicle, such as a truck, can drive. The track consists of a grid, or several consecutive grids, of transverse bars 23 spaced at a sufficiently large interval, say about 15-20 cm, to shake the wheels of the vehicle as it passes and thus to dislodge mud from the tyres. In fact, at least in the latter section of the track, there would usually be two separate grids, left and right, as shown in Fig. 2. In an entry section 12 representing the first 7.5 m or so of the tank, after a descending ramp (not shown) , the track rests level on a 10 cm box section at the bottom of the tank, so that the wheels are immersed in water to a depth of about 35 cm. In the last 6 m or so of the tank, in an exit section 14, the track rises on a continuous ramp, the latter section of which, a length of 4 m or thereabouts, representing a complete revolution of a wheel, rises clear of the water level. In fact the ramp ends at a greater height than that of the entry end wall 5a. The ramp is supported on six supports 20, three each side as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, and on the end wall 5b. The support s can be vertical box sections welded to transverse channel sections 21, and intermediate section are also present. In this part of the apparatus are arranged various spray nozzles fed by main and side manifolds running longitudinally. There are two side manifolds 26 running the length of the exit section 14 of the tank (i.e. 6 m), one shorter central manifold 24 and two lower manifolds 22 of intermediate length, all made for instance of steel channel or of pipe; 18 mm pipe has been used to good effect. These, with the transverse bars of the track, can be seen in Fig. 2. The cross-section of the bars, namely an inverted right-angled bar, can also be seen, in particular in Fig. 4.

A further manifold 28 is located along the length of the end wall 5b. All the manifolds are level except for the ones 22 under the ramps, which follow the slope of the ramps, and all are or can be welded to the ramps or to the bath, as the case may be, though the central manifold 24 is preferably not fixed. Schematically indicated for the central and lower manifolds are spray nozzles 50, 52; there are nine of these on the lower manifolds 22, spaced one every two bars starting soon after the point 11 where the ramp leaves the waterline, i.e. for the last 4 m or thereabouts, representing a typical tyre circumference. The bars are cut away to accommodate the sprays. The nozzles on the lower sprays 22 are directed horizontally and backwards along the length of the tank, as shown in Fig. 4, reference 18. These jets strike the underside of the tyres, the water scattering largely downwards, back into the tank, so that little mist is created, and visibility is unimpaired. The side sprays 26 are likewise directed horizontally, having eleven nozzles each in this embodiment. This time the aim is transversely to the tank. The middle spray 24, whose manifold is about 2 m long, can be directed slightly upwards from pairs of nozzles, since any mist caused is under the vehicle and harmless.

Underneath each of the two ramp tracks is a tray 34 following the ramp and sealing the space underneath it to form a cavity 36. This tray catches water running off from the wheels and the sprays, so that it can run down to the main bath, as can best be seen in Fig. 4. In between the spaces formed by the two trays 34, the side walls, the end wall and internal vertical walls is a central auxiliary tank or reservoir 30, covered by removable plates 32 and by a mesh 31 located so that at least some of it is under the water level. The plates and mesh generally follow the ramp slope. Water from the main bath can pass through the mesh 31 into the reservoir 30, from where it is sent via flanged suction channels 37 by a pump (not shown) to the manifolds, staring with the end manifold 28. The water is thus all recycled. Meanwhile the end manifold 28, which has perhaps half a dozen jets, sluices dirty water down the trays 34 and back into the main bath.

In use a vehicle such as a truck is driven at a speed of about 10 kmhf¹ along the track through the bath. It travels first over the submerged section, the tyres being "massaged" by the bars, and then up the ramp. As it passes along the ramp and out of the water any or all of the sprays are operated to remove the loosened dirt from the tyres. Operation of the sprays can be continuous or automatic, triggered by the vehicle. As a wheel begins to rise up the ramp it is first sprayed on the upper region by the side jets; because the side manifolds are horizontal while the wheel travels up the point of impact drifts down the wheel, so that the wheel is cleaned top to bottom as well as in the treads. Finally the vehicle travels away from the bath and off the site. If the bath is raised the vehicle must first travel down an exit ramp, but in the present embodiment the exit ramp is essentially at ground level.

Any or all of the features described can be combined in the cleaning system of the invention. Systems have been described exhibiting a surface level with the ground, though in principle raised systems are possible. There can be further track sections within the bath, such as a level section after the ramp.

Claims

1. A wheel -cleaning apparatus comprising a bath (1) through which a vehicle, or part of a vehicle, can be driven, and a track or grid made of transverse bars (23) or the like, passing through the bath, in which the track has a first section (12) , towards the entry end of the bath, and a second section (14) towards the exit end of the bath, the first section being designed to be immersed when the bath is filled with water, and the second section including a ramp so that at least part of it is out of the water (11) when the bath is filled; and in which the second section has associated with it one or more spray devices (22, 24 ...) arranged to spray the wheels of a vehicle as it passes over the second section.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, in which a tray (34) is located under the section of the track, at least from the point where it leaves the water, so as to return water to the bath.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 , further comprising a recycling arrangement for feeding water from the bath to the spray devices.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3 , in which the recycling arrangement includes an additional reservoir (30) in communication with the main volume of the bath via a filter (31) , so that the fluid in the bath as a whole can be recycled.

5. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, in which in the second section (14) of the track is divided into left-and right-hand wheel tracks.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, in which the spray devices include longitudinal channels (22) running under the wheel tracks, channels (26) to the outer side of the wheel tracks, and a channel (24) between the wheel tracks, each channel being fitted with one or more nozzles (50, 52) .

7. An apparatus according to claim 4 and 5, in which the reservoir (30) is located centrally below and between the two wheel tracks.

8. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, in which the second section (14) rises continuously from the end of the first section to the end of the bath.

9. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, in which the exit end (5b) of the bath is higher than the entry end (5a) .

10. A method for cleaning the wheels of a vehicle by driving the vehicle along a track through a bath filled with water, in which a section of the track rises out of the water at the exit side for a distance at least equalling the circumference of the wheels, and in which a spray is directed at the wells from below at at least one point in the said section.