Abstract:
The invention relates to a vehicle with a milling arrangement on top. The milling arrangement includes a milling device for grinding an upper tunnel wall surface like tunnel ceilings of traffic tunnels. Such a vehicle with the milling arrangement according to the invention is suitable for treating tunnel walls such that a desired surface roughness and the removal of carbon black results. This assures that a lining which is applied to the tunnel ceiling and wall surface is sufficiently attached to said surfaces.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of European Application No. EP 05077162.5, filed Sep. 21, 2005, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to a milling arrangement for tunnel walls more particular tunnel ceilings. Such a device is placed on a vehicle to treat tunnel ceilings of traffic tunnels.  
         [0003]     As a consequence of exhaust fumes produced by the traffic traveling through tunnels the tunnel walls become covered with a layer of carbon black. In case of a fire in the tunnel the carbon black layer as well as the concrete can start to bum due to very high temperatures which typically occur in case of tunnel fires. In order to improve the safety of existing tunnels it is desirable to apply a fire resistant lining to the tunnel ceiling in order to avoid the hazard of a quick spreading of the fire via the ceiling surface. To assure a sufficient attachment from the fire resistant lining to the existing tunnel ceiling and wall surface, the carbon black has to be removed and the surface has to have a suitable roughness.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     The invention provides a vehicle with a milling arrangement on top, the milling arrangement comprising a milling device for grinding an upper tunnel wall surface. Such a vehicle with the milling arrangement according to the invention is suitable for treating tunnel walls such that a desired surface roughness results.  
         [0005]     Preferably the milling device is in height adjustable with respect to the vehicle such that the milling device can be used in an arbitrary tunnel irrespective of the tunnel dimensions.  
         [0006]     In a preferred embodiment the milling arrangement comprises a support base and a guide extending in a first direction upwardly from the support base, the milling device being arranged movably along the guide. The support base can be supported by the vehicle, whereas the guide allows for the height adjustment of the milling device with respect to the support base and thus the vehicle.  
         [0007]     In a further preferred embodiment the milling device is tiltable around two orthogonal axes which extend orthogonally with respect to the first direction. The fact that the milling device is tiltable allows for the cutting tool to follow closely the shape of the tunnel wall, such that a uniform grinding of the surface is achieved.  
         [0008]     In an especially preferred embodiment the guide comprises two parallel guiding tracks each comprising a pair of spaced apart parallel cylindrical members, wherein the space between the cylindrical members is such that a guiding roll can move between them while engaging both cylindrical members. This allows for a tilting movement of the guiding roll between the cylindrical guiding members and thus a tilting of the milling device. The guiding rolls are rotatably mounted on the casing of the milling device such that also a tilting movement around the axis of the rolls of the milling device is possible.  
         [0009]     Preferably the guiding rolls have a substantially diabolic shape. This shape delimits the axial movement of the rolls, such that the rolls cannot disengage from the guides.  
         [0010]     Preferably the milling arrangement comprises hydraulic means for pressing the milling device against the tunnel wall with a predetermined constant pressure. This improves a uniform grinding of the tunnel surface. In a further preferred embodiment the hydraulic means comprise a hydraulic cylinder which is coupled with one end to the guide and with the other end to the milling device.  
         [0011]     In a preferred embodiment the milling device comprises a casing and a rotatable milling drum which is arranged in the casing. Preferably the drum comprises two side plates and a plurality of rods situated on an imaginary cylinder, on which rods a plurality of space apart milling elements are rotatably arranged. Preferably the milling drum is in height adjustable with respect to the casing so as to allow adjustment of the cutting depth of the milling device.  
         [0012]     It is envisaged that an upper tunnel wall surface is grinded by placing a milling arrangement as is described hereabove on the fork of a forklift and the forklift is driven through the tunnel.  
         [0013]     The invention will be described in more detail in the following description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawing. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a milling arrangement,  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  shows a front elevational view of the arrangement of  FIG. 1  in a first state,  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  shows a side elevational view of the arrangement of  FIG. 1 ,  
         [0017]      FIG. 4  shows a front elevational view of the arrangement of  FIG. 1  in a second state,  
         [0018]      FIG. 5  shows a side elevational view of the arrangement of  FIG. 1  with its milling device in a first tilted state,  
         [0019]      FIG. 6  shows a front elevational view of the arrangement of  FIG. 1  with its milling device in a second tilted state,  
         [0020]      FIG. 7  shows an elevational view of a milling drum suitable for the arrangement of  FIG. 1 ,  
         [0021]      FIG. 8  shows a perspective view of a milling element of the milling drum of  FIG. 7 ,  
         [0022]      FIG. 9  shows a perspective view of a spacer ring of the milling drum of  FIG. 7 ,  
         [0023]      FIG. 10  shows a truck with the milling arrangement of  FIG. 1  on top, and  
         [0024]      FIG. 11  shows the milling arrangement of  FIG. 1  which is lifted by a forklift to treat a tunnel wall. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0025]     In  FIGS. 1-3  is shown a milling arrangement  1 . The milling arrangement  1  comprises a support base  2 . In the shown example the support base  2  comprise a support frame which is formed of longitudinal beams  3  and lateral beams  4  in this particular example each with a U-shaped cross section. The support base  2  could however also be of a different structure, e.g. out of other types of beams or even formed as a single support plate.  
         [0026]     On each side of the base  2  on the beams  3  is placed a pair of two spaced apart tubular guiding elements  5  with a cylindrical outer shape. The tubular guiding elements  5  extend from the support base  2  upwardly and parallel to each other. As is best seen in  FIG. 3  between the tubular guiding elements  5  a space  6  is present in which a guiding roll  7  is moveable.  
         [0027]     The milling arrangement  1  comprises a milling device  10 . The milling device  10  comprises a casing  11  in which the milling tool  20  that will be described in more detail below is rotatably arranged. Suspended under the casing  11  is provided a driving motor  12  for the milling tool  20 . The motor  12  drives a shaft of the milling tool  20  by means of a driving belt  13  (see  FIG. 1 ), which is shielded by casing parts  11   a  and  11   b.    
         [0028]     The abovementioned guiding rolls  7  are rotatably mounted on each side of the casing  11  as is best seen in  FIG. 2 . The guiding rolls are preferably of diabolic shape.  
         [0029]     On each side is provided a hydraulic actuator  14 , which is with an upper end  14   a  attached to the shaft  15  of the roll  7 . The lower end  14   b  of the hydraulic actuator  14  is attached to an attachment plate  16  that is fixedly attached to both guiding elements  5  of the pair e.g. by means of bolts and nuts or the like.  
         [0030]     In  FIGS. 1-3  the actuators  14  are in the retracted state. Consequently the milling device  10  is also in a retracted state. By feeding hydraulic fluid to the actuators  14  they can extended and consequently the milling device  10  is moved upwardly along the guiding elements  5 . Accordingly the height of the milling device  10  with respect to the base  2  can be adjusted to a maximum extended state which is shown in  FIG. 4 . In an extended state the milling tool of the milling device  10  is pressed to the tunnel wall with a certain predetermined constant pressure. Unevenness of the tunnel wall can be compensated for by compression of one or both of the actuators  14  against the pressure of the hydraulic fluid.  
         [0031]     As can be seen in  FIG. 5  the casing  11  can be tilted around the rotation axis  7   a  of the guiding rolls  7 . In this way the orientation of the milling tool  20  is automatically adapted to the shape of the tunnel wall, which might typically be arcuate.  
         [0032]     In  FIG. 6  is shown that the casing  11  is tiltable around an axis which is perpendicular with respect to the rotation axis  7   a  of the guiding rolls  7  and perpendicular with respect to the longitudinal direction of the guiding elements  5 . The guiding rolls  7  have such a diabolic shape that they provide enough play with respect to the guiding elements  5  that they can be tilted between the guiding elements  5  and thus that the milling device  10  as a whole can be tilted (see  FIG. 6 ). In this tilted state the hydraulic fluid in the actuator  14  on the right in the figure is compressed to a greater extent than in the left actuator  14 . An unevenness of the tunnel wall can thus be compensated for.  
         [0033]     In  FIG. 7 a  possible embodiment of the milling tool  20  is shown. The milling tool  20  comprises a milling drum which has two side plates  21  with a circular disc shape. The side plates  21  are interconnected by rods  22 . On the rods  22  are provided milling or cutting elements  24  of which a perspective view is shown in  FIG. 8 . The shown milling or cutting element  24  is a ring shaped element with teeth  24   a . The milling elements  24  are freely rotatable with respect to the rods  22 . Between the milling elements  24  are provided distance rings  25  of which a perspective view is shown in  FIG. 9 . On different rods  22  the milling elements  24  are positioned mutually staggered such that the whole surface of the wall is treated when the drum is rotated. Depending on the surface to be treated the cutting elements can have different shapes, e.g. with differently shaped teeth.  
         [0034]     In each side plate  21  is provided an opening  26  through which a driving shaft (not shown) can be inserted. The driving shaft is driven by the motor  12  by means of the belt  13 . Preferably the driving shaft has a polygon cross sectional shape and the openings  26  are of a complementary shape with the shaft.  
         [0035]     On the lower side of the support  2  U-shaped elements  30  are provided as is e.g. visible in  FIG. 1  or  2 . These elements  30  are placed at a distance such that a fork  51  of a forklift  50  can be inserted in them (see  FIG. 11 ). The milling arrangement  1  can thus be lifted by a forklift such that it can be placed on a truck or another utility vehicle  40  to drive through a tunnel  41  of which the wall  42  has to be treated, as is shown in  FIG. 10 .  
         [0036]     Another possibility is to drive with the forklift  50  through the tunnel  41  while it lifts the milling arrangement  1 . In such a way the tunnel wall  42  can be treated as is shown in  FIG. 11 .