Abstract:
A traverse carriage and operator arrangement for transversely adjusting the abrader unit or units of a mobile surface abrading apparatus to facilitate more precise abrading of the underlying road or other surface. In a preferred embodiment the traverse carriage is mounted on a cross-member by means of rollers and is operated by a specially designed, fluid-operated cylinder horizontally oriented in the mobile surface abrading apparatus and attached to the traverse carriage and the apparatus frame for moving the traverse carriage along the cross-member and positioning the abrader unit a selected distance along the cross-member transverse to the longitudinal movement of the mobile surface abrading apparatus.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    Various types of mobile surface abrading apparatus are known in the art. These apparatus are typically characterized by vehicles of specific design carrying one or more abrader units designed to impinge an abrasive material against the surface as the vehicles move over the surface to modify the surface for cleaning, surface preparation, or to provide better traction for rubber tire vehicle traffic. One of the functions of these devices is the requirement for making multiple passes over the surface in order to treat the surface in one or more overlapping passes, which must join each other precisely to provide an evenly abraded surface.  
           [0003]    The traverse carriage and operator or positioning device of this invention are designed to precisely adjust one or more abrader units transversely to the longitudinal axis of a mobile surface abrading apparatus to facilitate a more accurate overlap and a broader multiple pass operation and accompanying increased operating efficiency, which translates into reduced operating expense. The traverse carriage and operator include a traverse carriage or weldment movably mounted by means of a sliding device or rollers transversely on a cross-member such as an I-beam, fixed to the vehicle chassis and positioned by a cylinder or actuator device attached between the vehicle and the carriage for moving the carriage from side-to-side in selected increments to achieve optimum efficiency in swath overlap and width enhancement of the underlying surface to be treated.  
           [0004]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0005]    Several U.S. patents describe typical mobile surface abrading apparatus having adjustable abrader units. Most of the units described in these patents have the abrader unit (or blast head) rigidly mounted to the vehicle chassis and do not allow vertical movement of the abrader unit or horizontal or transverse abrader movement. These devices use resilient, (typically rubber) seals between the blast head and the surface to prevent the escape of abrasive. These seals are supposed to correct surface unevenness.  
           [0006]    It is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved traverse carriage and positioning operator for moving a carriage or weldment transversely to the longitudinal movement (or travel) of a mobile surface abrading carrying vehicle, to position one or more abrader units attached to the carriage in a selected path of abrasion over a surface to be treated.  
           [0007]    Another object of this invention is to provide a traverse carriage and operator or positioning device for suspending one or more abrader units in a precise location over a surface to be textured or treated and transversely operating the abrader unit to cover a desired swath or treatment path relatively parallel to, but not necessarily centered with, the path of the host vehicle.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    These and other objects of the invention are provided in a traverse carriage and operator for suspending one or more abrader units in a mobile surface abrading vehicle or apparatus over a surface to be treated, which traverse carriage includes a weldment movably mounted by means of a friction-reducing sliding device or rollers on a cross-member (typically an I-beam) fixed to the carrying vehicle or apparatus and designed to transversely traverse the cross-member in selected increments responsive to operation of a positioning device or operator to precisely position the abrader unit or units carried by the weldment over a selected area of the surface during operation of the mobile surface abrading unit or apparatus. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]    The invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of a preferred traverse carriage and operator cylinder of this invention, carrying an abrader unit;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 is a top view of the traverse carriage and operator cylinder;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 is an end view taken along line A-A in FIG. 2 of the traverse carriage and operator cylinder illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 4 is a top view of a typical double-action fluid operator cylinder designed for attachment to the traverse carriage and the mobile surface abrading apparatus frame and transversely operating and adjusting the traverse carriage with respect to the longitudinal axis of the mobile surface abrading apparatus;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 5 s  a front view of a typical actuator which may be substituted for the fluid cylinder operator illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line C-C of the traverse carriage and operator cylinder illustrated in FIG. 1;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line D-D of the traverse carriage and operator cylinder illustrated in FIG. 1; and  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the traverse carriage double-action fluid operator cylinder for operating the traverse carriage of this invention in a preferred embodiment. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0018]    Referring now to FIGS.  1 - 3  of the drawings, a traverse carriage for mounting on a typical mobile surface abrading apparatus (not illustrated), is indicated by reference numeral  1 . The traverse carriage  1  is typically characterized by a weldment  2 , fitted with a pair of spaced-apart, upper horizontal rollers  3 , each rotatably mounted on an upper horizontal roller flange  4  by means of corresponding upper horizontal roller mount shafts  5 , which are each seated and tightened by a shaft nut  6 . Two spaced-apart top vertical rollers  8  are vertically oriented in spaced-apart relationship on respective top vehicle roller mount shafts  9 , attached to top vehicle roller mount plates  10 , that are secured to the top of the weldment  2 . A pair of spaced-apart lower horizontal rollers  11  are horizontally mounted on corresponding lower roller mount pins  11   a , also mounted on the weldment  2 . The weldment body  12  includes a weldment foot  13  on each end thereof, to which are attached a stay plate  14  and a pair of spaced-apart lower connecting arms  42 , pivoted in place by means of foot pins  43 . The opposite ends of the pivotally-mounted lower connecting arms  42  are each pivotally attached to a corresponding lower abrader unit bracket  30  of an abrader unit  33 , (illustrated in phantom) by means of a mount pin  26 , as further illustrated in FIG. 1. The weldment  2  is pivotally connected to the abrader unit  33  by means of a pair of spaced-apart upper connecting arms  22 , each of which is attached to the upper segment of the weldment  2  by means of corresponding upper forward connecting brackets  21  and upper forward arm mount pins  23 . The opposite ends of each of the upper connecting arms  22  are also pivotally secured to the abrader unit  33  by means of mount pins  26 , extending through corresponding upper abrader unit brackets  25 . Accordingly, it will be appreciated from a consideration of FIG. 1 that the abrader unit  33  is allowed to articulate vertically with respect to the transversely-operated weldment  2  by operation of the upper connecting arms  22  and the lower connecting arms  42 .  
         [0019]    As further illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, this vertical articulation of the abrader unit  33  is facilitated by operation of a lift cylinder  28 , secured at one end thereof to an upper lift cylinder bracket  31 . The lift cylinder piston rod  29  of the lift cylinder  28  is attached at the free end to a corresponding bracket (not illustrated) mounted on the abrader unit  33 , to facilitate raising and lowering the abrader unit  33  by extension and retraction of the lift cylinder piston rod  29  and articulation of the upper connecting arms  22  and the lower connecting arms  42 .  
         [0020]    Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, a cross-member  16  is fixed between opposite sides of the vehicle frame  34 , illustrated in FIG. 2, and includes a web  17  with a top flange  18  and a bottom flange  19  terminating the top and bottom of the web  17 , as illustrated. The upper horizontal rollers  3  are designed to traverse the front edge of the top flange  18  of the cross-member  16 , while the top vertical rollers  8  simultaneously traverse the flat top of the top flange  18  of the cross-member  16 , as further illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Furthermore, at the same time, the lower horizontal rollers  11  engage and traverse the rear edge of the bottom flange  19  of the cross-member  16 . Accordingly, the upper horizontal rollers  3 , top vertical rollers  8  and lower horizontal rollers  11  serve to stabilize the weldment  2  as the weldment  2  traverses the cross-member  16  in a controlled manner, as hereinafter described.  
         [0021]    Controlled traversal of the weldment  2  on the cross-member  16  is typically effected by means of a carriage travel cylinder  35  mounted in a carriage travel cylinder bracket  36 , typically welded to, and extending from the weldment body  12 , as further illustrated in FIG. 1. Referring to FIGS. 1, 2,  4 ,  6  and  8  of the drawings, the carriage travel cylinder  35  is preferably characterized by an in-line carriage travel cylinder rod  37 , that extends from each end of the carriage travel cylinder  35 , respectively, and is joined internally of the carriage travel cylinder  35  to a piston disc  40 , defining a pair of cylinder chambers  39 , as illustrated in FIG. 8. One end of the carriage travel cylinder piston  37  is attached to one side of the vehicle frame  34 , typically by means of a bracket  38 , while the opposite end of the carriage travel cylinder rod  37  is unattached. Consequently, fluid pressure applied in sequence to the carriage travel cylinder  35  in the cylinder chambers  39  on either side of the piston  40 , causes the piston  40  to traverse the cylinder chambers  39  of the carriage travel cylinder  35  and thus move the weldment  2  equally in either direction on the cross-member  16 , within the length of operation or “stroke”, of the carriage travel cylinder  35 .  
         [0022]    Alternatively, referring to FIG. 5 of the drawings, an actuator  45  can be substituted for the carriage travel cylinder  35 , typically with the actuator base  46  secured to the vehicle frame  34  by means of a cylinder bracket  38 , for example, and the jacking rod  47  of the actuator  45  mounted on the bracket  36 , as illustrated with respect to the carriage travel cylinder  35  in FIG. 8.  
         [0023]    It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art from a consideration of the drawings that both the carriage travel cylinder  35  and an actuator  45  may be used interchangeably in order to move the weldment  2  from side-to-side transversely between the respective vehicle frame elements  34 , to control the swath or area of treatment of the abrader unit  33 . Appropriate fluid such as air and hydraulic fluid can be used to operate the carriage travel cylinder  35  and electric current can be used to operate the actuator  45  and various controls, fluid cylinder hoses, valves, wires and switches and other apparatus necessary for controlling the carriage travel cylinder  35  and the actuator  45  can be implemented to selectively move the weldment  2  on the cross-member  16 , according to the knowledge of those skilled in the art. Furthermore, the size and speed of the carriage travel cylinder  35  or the actuator  45  may be chosen to accord with the weight and operating requirements of the weldment  2  and the accompanying abrader unit  33  and facilitate movement of the weldment  2  in a transverse direction along the cross-member  16  with the necessary speed and incremental accuracy to achieve the desired adjoining abraded surface overlap beneath the abrader unit  33 .  
         [0024]    While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above, it will be recognized and understood that all modifications may be made in the invention and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications that may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.