Construction machine, in particular road milling machine, recycler or stabilizer, as well as drive train for construction machines of this type

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-RE48268-E
Application number	US-201815934603-A
Country	US
Kind code	E1
Filing date	Mar 23, 2018
Priority date	Apr 15, 2005
Publication date	Oct 20, 2020
Grant date	Oct 20, 2020

Abstract

A construction machine, in particular road milling machine, recycler or stabilizer, with a machine frame (4) that is carried by a chassis (2) with a working drum (6) and a drive train (8) comprising at the least a drive engine (10), a traction mechanism (12) for the mechanical drive of the working drum (6) with a drive element, an output element and a traction element (30), a device (14) for switching the torque between the drive engine (10) and working drum (6), and device (16) for driving at least one hydraulic pump; it is provided that elements of the drive train (8) are divided into at least two groups, the first group (3) shows at least the drive engine (10), the second group (5) shows at least the drive element (11) of the traction mechanism, and where the first and the second groups (3, 5) are connected to one another via an articulated coupling device (20).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of operating a construction machine, the construction machine including a machine frame carried by a chassis, a working drum, and a drive train, the drive train including at least a drive engine component, a traction drive component for driving the working drum, a clutch component, and a hydraulic pump drive component, and a traction drive for driving the working drum including a drive pulley, a driven pulley attached to the working drum, and a drive belt connecting the pulleys, the method comprising:
(a) driving a subset of the components of the drive train from the drive engine component with an articulated coupling connected between the drive engine component and the subset of the components, the subset including at least the drive pulley of the traction drive component for driving the working drum, the clutch component and the hydraulic pump drive component, with the clutch component being located between the hydraulic pump drive component and the drive pulley;
(b) supporting the drive engine component from the machine frame elastically with a first spring stiffness; and
(c) supporting the subset of the components from the machine frame in a rigid manner or with a second spring stiffness, the second spring stiffness being relatively higher than the first spring stiffness;
wherein the drive engine component has an output axis aligned with an input axis of the hydraulic pump drive component and with an input axis of the drive pulley prior to operation of the construction machine; and
wherein in step (a) the articulated coupling accommodates a lack of alignment between the output axis of the drive engine component and the input axes of the hydraulic pump drive component and the drive pulley due to dynamic movement of the drive engine component relative to the subset of the components during operation of the construction machine.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in step (a), accommodating movement of the drive engine component relative to the subset of the components of the drive train by articulation of the articulated coupling.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
step (c) further comprises rigidly supporting the subset of the components from the machine frame.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
in step (a) the articulated coupling is torsionally rigid.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
in step (a), the articulated coupling comprises a cardan shaft.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
in step (a), the articulated coupling is torsionally flexible.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein:
in step (a), the articulated coupling comprises an elastomeric coupling.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
in step (a), the subset of the components further includes the clutch component, and the hydraulic pump drive component, and wherein the drive pulley of the traction drive component, the clutch component and the hydraulic pump drive component are jointly supported as a combined subset entity; and
step (c) further comprises supporting the combined subset entity from the frame in the rigid manner or with the second spring stiffness.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
in step (a), the subset of the components of the drive train further includes the clutch component and the hydraulic pump drive component, with the clutch component being located between the hydraulic pump drive component and the traction drive component.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
operating the clutch component and thereby switching on and off the a torque from the drive engine component to the working drum.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
in step (a), the clutch component is connected to the drive engine component, and the articulated coupling is located between the clutch component and the subset of the components of the drive train.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein: A method of operating a construction machine, the construction machine including a machine frame carried by a chassis, a working drum, and a drive train, the drive train including at least a drive engine component, a clutch component, a hydraulic pump drive component, and a traction drive for driving the working drum including a drive pulley, a driven pulley attached to the working drum, and a drive belt connecting the pulleys, the method comprising:
(a) driving a subset of the components of the drive train from the drive engine component with an articulated coupling connected between the drive engine component and the subset of the components, the subset including at least the drive pulley of the traction drive and the clutch component;
(b) supporting the drive engine component from the machine frame elastically with a first spring stiffness; and
(c) supporting the subset of the components from the machine frame in a rigid manner or with a second spring stiffness being relatively higher than the first spring stiffness;
wherein the drive engine component has an output axis aligned with an input axis of the clutch component and with an input axis of the drive pulley prior to operation of the construction machine;
wherein in step (a), the subset of the components of the drive train further includes the clutch component, and the articulated coupling is connected between the hydraulic pump drive component and the subset of the components; and
wherein in step (a) the articulated coupling accommodates a lack of alignment between the output axis of the drive engine component and the input axes of the clutch component and the drive pulley due to dynamic movement of the drive engine component relative to the subset of the components during operation of the construction machine.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the traction drive component includes a drive pulley, a driven pulley attached to the work drum, and a drive belt connecting the pulleys.

14. A construction machine, comprising:
a machine frame carried by a chassis;
a working drum;
a drive train including at least the following elements:
a drive engine;
a traction drive assembly for mechanically driving the working drum, the traction drive assembly including a drive element pulley, an output element a driven pulley, and a traction element drive belt connecting the pulleys;
a clutch for switching the a torque between the drive engine and the working drum; and
a hydraulic pump drive; and

wherein the elements of the drive train are divided into at least a first subset and a second subset; and
wherein the drive train further includes an articulated coupling connecting the first subset to the second subset; and
wherein the first subset includes at least the drive engine; and
wherein the second subset includes at least one element selected from the group consisting of:
the hydraulic pump drive;
the clutch; and
the drive element pulley of the traction drive assembly; and

wherein the first subset is attached to the machine frame elastically with a lower spring stiffness so that transmission of vibrations to the machine frame is reduced, and the second subset is attached to the machine frame with a higher spring stiffness or in a rigid manner;
wherein the clutch is connected between the hydraulic pump drive and the drive pulley;
wherein the drive engine has an output axis aligned with an input axis of the hydraulic pump drive and with an input axis of the drive pulley prior to operation of the construction machine; and
wherein the articulated coupling accommodates a lack of alignment between the output axis of the drive engine and the input axes of the hydraulic pump drive and the drive pulley due to dynamic movement of the first subset relat

Assignees

• Wirtgen Gmbh

Inventors

• Busley Peter
• Simons Dieter

Classifications

• E01C23/127

  rotary, e.g. rotary hammers · CPC title

• B60K2025/022

  by a mechanical transmission · CPC title

• B60K17/28

  characterised by arrangement, location, or type of power take-off · CPC title

• B60K17/04

  characterised by arrangement, location or kind of gearing · CPC title

• B60K17/02

  characterised by arrangement, location, or kind of clutch · CPC title