Interchangeable unit for texturing ground surface work and road construction machine having such an interchangeable unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12428792-B2
Application number	US-202418597618-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2024
Priority date	Apr 24, 2020
Publication date	Sep 30, 2025
Grant date	Sep 30, 2025

Abstract

The present invention relates to an interchangeable unit ( 28 ) for material-removing work on a subsoil (U) starting from ground surface (A), the interchangeable unit ( 28 ) being designed for operational physical and functional coupling to a machine frame ( 12 ) of a road construction machine ( 10 ), the interchangeable unit ( 28 ) comprising:
a housing ( 30 ), a removal tool ( 32 ), which is mounted on the housing ( 30 ) so as to be rotatable about a working axis (R) and of which a circumferential section protrudes from a working opening ( 30 c ), a drive belt pulley ( 62 ), which is rotatably mounted on the housing ( 30 ) and is able to be coupled to a drive belt ( 58 ), a transmission gear unit ( 76 ), which transmits torque and rotary motion from the drive belt pulley ( 62 ) to the removal tool ( 32 ) by reversing the direction of rotation, at least the axis of rotation (P 62 ) of the drive belt pulley ( 62 ) running at a distance from the working axis (R).

According to the invention, a working shaft assemblage ( 74 ) penetrates a housing wall ( 30 d ) of the housing ( 30 ), the working shaft assemblage ( 74 ) connecting the removal tool ( 32 ) with a working gear component ( 70 ) situated on the side of the housing wall ( 30 d ) facing away from the removal tool ( 32 ) for equidirectional joint rotation, the transmission gear unit ( 76 ) being situated between the drive belt pulley ( 62 ) and the working gear component ( 70 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of retooling a road construction machine, comprising:
disconnecting from a machine frame of the road construction machine a first milling unit including a milling drum configured to mill a ground surface to remove the ground surface, the milling drum prior to the disconnecting being functionally coupled to a belt drive of the road construction machine;
replacing the first milling unit with a second milling unit including a grooving drum configured to texture the ground surface;
functionally coupling the grooving drum to the belt drive of the road construction machine; and
providing the second milling unit with an increased drive ratio relative to the belt drive, as compared to a drive ratio of the first milling unit relative to the belt drive, so that the grooving drum is rotated at a higher rotational speed than was the milling drum for a given speed of the belt drive, wherein the providing the second milling unit with an increased drive ratio relative to the belt drive is accomplished by providing a transmission gear unit between the belt drive and the grooving drum.

2. A method of retooling a road construction machine, comprising:
disconnecting from a machine frame of the road construction machine a first milling unit including a milling drum configured to mill a ground surface to remove the ground surface, the milling drum prior to the disconnecting being functionally coupled to a belt drive of the road construction machine;
replacing the first milling unit with a second milling unit including a grooving drum configured to texture the ground surface;
functionally coupling the grooving drum to the belt drive of the road construction machine;
providing the second milling unit with an increased drive ratio relative to the belt drive, as compared to a drive ratio of the first milling unit relative to the belt drive, so that the grooving drum is rotated at a higher rotational speed than was the milling drum for a given speed of the belt drive; and
reversing a rotational direction of the grooving drum as compared to a rotational direction of the belt drive.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein:
the reversing is accomplished by providing a transmission gear unit between the belt drive and the grooving drum.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
shielding the transmission gear unit from the grooving drum with a separating wall.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the grooving drum has a smaller circular cutting diameter than did the milling drum.

6. A method of retooling a road construction machine, comprising:
disconnecting from a machine frame of the road construction machine a first milling unit including a milling drum configured to mill a ground surface to remove the ground surface, the milling drum prior to the disconnecting being functionally coupled to a belt drive of the road construction machine;
replacing the first milling unit with a second milling unit including a grooving drum configured to texture the ground surface;
functionally coupling the grooving drum to the belt drive of the road construction machine;
providing the second milling unit with an increased drive ratio relative to the belt drive, as compared to a drive ratio of the first milling unit relative to the belt drive, so that the grooving drum is rotated at a higher rotational speed than was the milling drum for a given speed of the belt drive; and
accelerating the grooving drum towards an operating speed using a start-up motor.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
separating the start-up motor from the grooving drum with a start-up clutch.

8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
braking the grooving drum using the start-up motor to resist rotation of the grooving drum.

9. A method of retooling a road construction machine, comprising:
disconnecting from a machine frame of the road construction machine a first milling unit including a milling drum configured to mill a ground surface to remove the ground surface, the milling drum prior to the disconnecting being functionally coupled to a belt drive of the road construction machine;
replacing the first milling unit with a second milling unit including a grooving drum configured to texture the ground surface;
functionally coupling the grooving drum to the belt drive of the road construction machine;
providing the second milling unit with an increased drive ratio relative to the belt drive, as compared to a drive ratio of the first milling unit relative to the belt drive, so that the grooving drum is rotated at a higher rotational speed than was the milling drum for a given speed of the belt drive; and
changing a speed transmission ratio between a motor of the road construction machine and the belt drive by changing a first output belt pulley to a second output belt pulley of a different diameter.

10. A method of retooling a road construction machine, comprising:
disconnecting from a machine frame of the road construction machine a first milling unit including a milling drum configured to mill a ground surface to remove the ground surface, the milling drum prior to the disconnecting being functionally coupled to a belt drive of the road construction machine;
replacing the first milling unit with a second milling unit including a grooving drum configured to texture the ground surface;
functionally coupling the grooving drum to the belt drive of the road construction machine; and
providing the second milling unit with an increased drive ratio relative to the belt drive, as compared to a drive ratio of the first milling unit relative to the belt drive, so that the grooving drum is rotated at a higher rotational speed than was the milling drum for a given speed of the belt drive;
wherein a working axis of the grooving drum after the replacing is at a greater distance from the machine frame than was a working axis of the milling drum prior to the disconnecting.

Assignees

• Wirtgen Gmbh

Inventors

• Winkels Sebastian
• Bungarten Dieter

Classifications

• E01C23/127

  rotary, e.g. rotary hammers · CPC title

• E01C23/0933

  rotary, e.g. circular-saw joint cutters · CPC title

• E01C19/43

  Machines or arrangements for roughening or patterning freshly-laid paving courses, e.g. indenting rollers · CPC title

• E01C23/088 Primary

  Rotary tools, e.g. milling drums {(for forming recesses to receive marking materials E01C23/0946)} · CPC title