Patent Publication Number: US-8967908-B1

Title: Slipform paver, as well as method for adjusting the width of a mold device

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a slipform paver, as well as to a method for adjusting the width of a mold device of a slipform paver. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Such slipform pavers serve the purpose of producing road pavements made of concrete. Known slipform pavers comprise a tractor, which may also be termed basic machine or carrier machine and consists of a machine frame and four ground-engaging units, where the tractor carries different working devices for the production of a concrete roadway, where a concrete mold extending transverse to the roadway is used to form the concrete. 
     As the desirable width of a concrete roadway may vary in the event of acceleration lanes or in the event of a general change in the number of traffic lanes, conversion of the slipform pavers is frequently required which may take up several hours of conversion time depending on the necessary extent of the conversion work. 
     Such interruptions in operation are undesirable so that slipform pavers have already been developed the machine frame of which can be adjusted telescopically (WO 2002/101150, WO 99/50503). 
     According to WO 2002/101150, not only the machine frame is adjustable telescopically but also all of the working devices. A disadvantage created by this prior art is the reduced stiffness in particular with a telescopically extendable concrete mold. 
     It is already known from WO 2010/120722 to adjust a concrete mold to the adjusted working width by way of an end portion of the mold body being moved away from a central mold element hydraulically by means of a piston-cylinder unit integrated into the mold body, and multi-part intermediate elements being then mounted in the resulting gap each of which is assembled from several segments to form one intermediate element. It is necessary in this arrangement to support the end portion and the intermediate elements to be inserted on a joint plank resting on the ground, with the concrete mold being rested on said plank. Once the desired number of intermediate elements has been inserted and mounted, the end portion of the mold body is moved inward again hydraulically in order to firmly press together all the mold segments. It is of disadvantage in this design that one each additional hydraulic device is required on both sides of the machine and that the mounting effort still takes up a great deal of time as a result of the individual intermediate elements being assembled from several segments. 
     Furthermore, dividing an intermediate element into several segments has a negative impact on the stiffness of the mold element and thus also on the modulus of resistance of the entire mold device in the working direction as well as in the direction of gravity. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Starting from such prior art, it is the object of the invention to further develop a slipform paver of the type first mentioned above and a method for adjusting the width of the concrete mold of a slipform paver to a change in the working width in such a way that the equipment-related effort and the conversion times are reduced and that the modulus of resistance of the concrete mold of the slipform paver is increased. 
     The invention advantageously provides for the permanent outer mold element to be permanently attached to one of the cross members and/or one of the longitudinal members and for the outer mold element to be movable with the working width adjustment of the machine frame. As the outer mold element, being the end piece of a concrete mold, is permanently connected to the telescopable cross member and/or the longitudinal member, it can be pulled outward during the adjustment of the working width together with the cross member and/or the longitudinal member without any additional hydraulic devices for this purpose being required on the concrete mold. Following the insertion of exchangeable intermediate elements between the fixed mold element and the outer mold element, all the mold elements can be pressed together via the working width adjustment until resting against one another. 
     Adjustment of the working width can be effected by means of ground-engaging units aligned essentially parallel to the mold device or orthogonal to the working direction respectively, where a moving apart of the machine frame may also be effected by means of a steering action of the ground-engaging units widening the track width with or without hydraulic support by telescopic cylinders of the machine frame without the ground-engaging units having to be aligned orthogonal to the working direction. 
     It is preferably provided for the mold device to comprise no less than one permanent central mold element arranged preferably centrally relative to the basic frame, and no less than two permanent outer mold elements movable relative to the basic frame. 
     As the insertable exchangeable mold elements of different widths can be suspended completely and integrally on a supporting device arranged above the mold elements, with said supporting device interconnecting all the mold elements arranged next to one another, no additional mounting work is required for assembling the mold elements. In particular, no flat supporting elements resting on the ground below the concrete mold are required as the integrally formed mold elements are merely suspended. 
     Together with the concrete mold, the supporting device forms an unsupported and self-supporting structure. 
     When adjusted to the minimum working width, all permanent mold elements rest next to one another, and when adjusted to a wider working width, exchangeable mold elements can be suspended at the supporting device between the permanent mold elements. 
     It is preferably provided for the supporting device to comprise supporting beams which are guided above the no less than one central mold element in a longitudinally movable fashion and are permanently coupled with the outer mold elements. The supporting beams are preferably arranged in dual arrangement parallel to one another and may themselves be rigidly attached to the outer mold elements in an exchangeable fashion. 
     A further development of the invention intends for the mold device and the supporting device to be bisected in such a manner that the central mold element, to form an adjustable camber in the center of the working width, comprises two mold elements coupled to one another in an articulated fashion, each of said mold elements being coupled to one each outer mold element respectively by means of a supporting device. In this way, the two halves of the mold device can be arranged in the shape of a roof to adjust a camber for the concrete layer to be produced so that the concrete layer is elevated in the center of the roadway as opposed to the roadway shoulders. 
     It may also be provided in this arrangement for the central mold element to be attachable to the basic frame and/or the outer mold elements to be attachable to the cross member and/or the longitudinal member in a height-adjustable fashion. 
     It is preferably provided for the supporting beams of the divided mold device to extend above the same as well as parallel to and offset from one another in the working direction. The supporting beams of the divided mold device can thus not collide on the halves of the mold device in the area of the central mold element when the minimum working width is adjusted. 
     The ground-engaging units may be pivotable about no less than 90° at the ends of the longitudinal members. This allows for the ground-engaging units to be oriented in the working direction for the working mode on the one hand, and to be aligned transverse to the working direction for the transport mode, for example, for the transport on trailers of a truck. When aligned in their position transverse to the working direction, they are also suited to accomplish adjustment of the working width of the telescopable frame and, in the process, to additionally pull outward or move inward the outer mold elements in accordance with the desired working width. 
     The ground-engaging units are preferably arranged at the lower end of lifting columns which may be coupled to the longitudinal members by means of pivoting arms. 
     The ground-engaging units may be transferred into a desirable position either via the pivoting arms or via a steering action about no less than 90° or by means of both options. 
     In a preferred embodiment, it is intended for the supporting beams of the supporting device to be permanently fixed in place on the upper side of the permanent outer mold elements and to be accommodated in the no less than one central permanent mold element in one each sliding guide arranged on the upper side. Arrangement on the upper side offers the advantage of saving space in the working direction of the slipform paver. This is important as the basic frame and mold device below the basic frame must not exceed a certain width in working direction if the slipform paver is transported on a truck. 
     After having been suspended, the exchangeable mold elements are mounted on the supporting device in a movable fashion so long as they are not locked with neighbouring mold elements. 
     It is understood that any combination of exchangeable mold elements of different widths is insertable between the permanent mold elements to increase the working width. In this arrangement, the individual mold elements may exhibit a width of, for example, between 10 cm and 200 cm. 
     The exchangeable mold elements are integrally formed and are suspended on the supporting device as a single-part element so that no mounting work is incurred on the mold elements apart from the mutual interlocking of neighbouring mold elements themselves. 
     In this arrangement, the single-part design of the mold element is of particular advantage as the mold element forms a closed cross-sectional profile so that a high modulus of resistance is formed against forces acting on the mold element against the working direction and in the direction of gravity. The modulus of resistance to torsion is also and specifically increased significantly. The mold device assembled from such mold elements exhibiting a closed cross-sectional profile therefore exhibits a multiple of stiffness compared to mold elements assembled from several segments. 
     In accordance with the method according to the present invention to adjust the width of a mold device of a slipform paver to a pre-selected working width, the following is provided:
         coupling no less than one permanent outer mold element to a cross member telescopable in width direction and/or to a longitudinal member connected to the cross member,   moving the no less than one outer mold element with the working width adjustment of the machine frame, and   inserting and/or removing exchangeable mold elements at a supporting device extending above the mold elements.       

     For example, an exchangeable mold element having a first width may be exchanged for an exchangeable mold element having a different, second width. 
     In this process, insertion or removal can be effected without supporting the mold elements against the ground. Using integrally formed mold elements dispenses with mounting work for assembling the exchangeable mold elements while at the same time increasing the modulus of resistance of the concrete mold. 
     In the following, one embodiment of the invention is explained in greater detail with reference to the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The following is shown: 
         FIG. 1  a slipform paver in accordance with prior art, 
         FIG. 2  a perspective schematic view of the slipform paver with the mold device according to the present invention, 
         FIG. 3  a side view of the slipform paver according to the present invention, 
         FIG. 4  a perspective view of the mold device, 
         FIG. 5   a  a cross-section along line Va-Va of the supporting devices of the mold device in  FIG. 4 , 
         FIG. 5   b  a cross-section along line Vb-Vb of the supporting devices of the mold device in  FIG. 4 , 
         FIG. 5   c  a cross-section along line Vc-Vc of the supporting devices of the mold device in  FIG. 4 , 
         FIG. 6  the mold device in spread-apart condition, and 
         FIG. 7  the mold device in closed condition. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  shows a slipform paver as it is known from WO 2002/101150, the details of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     The slipform paver comprises a tractor  2  including a machine frame  4  with longitudinal members  8  extending parallel to the working direction and telescopable cross members  18  extending transverse to the working direction for variable adjustment of the working width. The cross members  18  are supported in ( FIG. 2 ) or at a basic frame  20 , where a total of four cross members  18  project, at variable length, from a basic frame  20  arranged in the center of the working width and are connected to the longitudinal members  8 . The basic frame  20  may also be referred to as a central frame module. 
     The cross members  18  are arranged offset from one another at or in the basic frame  20  allowing for example, the working width to be varied between 3 m and 8 m. The cross members  18  may also be capable of multiple telescoping if it is intended for larger working widths to be adjustable. 
     One each ground-engaging unit  14  is articulated, for example, guided in a parallelogram-like fashion, at the front and rear ends of the longitudinal members  8 . This enables the track width to be adjusted without changing the working width, with two each parallelogram guides or one pivoting arm  16  with a piston-cylinder unit being intended that connect the ground-engaging units  14  to the longitudinal member  8  in a pivotable fashion. 
     In addition, the ground-engaging units  14  at the ends of the longitudinal members  8  can be pivoted about a minimum angle of 90° so that the slipform paver can be loaded on a flatbed truck transverse to its working direction without exceeding the maximum permissible transport width. 
     Furthermore, lifting columns  12  arranged between the ground-engaging units  14  and the machine frame  4  allow height adjustment of the machine frame  4  in a known fashion. 
     Reference is made to the specification of WO 2002/101150 in regard to the further details of the working devices shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 2  shows a schematic, perspective view of the slipform paver according to the invention where the basic frame  20  carries a platform or cabin for the operator and driving devices which, in  FIG. 2 , are summarized under the reference symbol  22 . The arrangement of the telescopable cross members  18  inside the basic frame can, in principle, be inferred from  FIG. 1 . As can be inferred from  FIG. 2 , a bisected mold device  28 ,  32  (concrete mold) is arranged underneath the basic frame  20 , said mold device  28 ,  32  extending over the entire working width and comprising permanent mold elements  40   a ,  40   b ,  42   a  and  42   b  as well as exchangeable mold elements  44 ,  46 ,  48 ,  50  that may feature identical or different widths. The exchangeable mold elements may, for example, feature a width of between ten centimeters and two meters enabling the width of the mold device  28 ,  32  to be adjusted to any desired working width of the slipform paver. 
     The outer permanent mold elements  42   a ,  42   b  are rigidly attached either to the cross member  18  arranged above them at that end of the same facing the longitudinal member  8 , and/or to the longitudinal member  8  itself ( FIG. 3 ) so that, when the ground-engaging units  14  are in a position pivoted about 90°, not only the working width of the machine frame  4  can be altered but the outer permanent mold elements  42   a ,  42   b  are additionally pulled outward. This results in a distance from the central permanent mold element  40   a ,  40   b  which enables the exchangeable mold elements  44 ,  46 ,  48 ,  50  to be inserted into the gap having formed. 
     To this effect, a self-supporting supporting device  54   a ,  54   b  is intended above the permanent mold elements  40   a ,  40   b ,  42   a ,  42   b  which connects all the mold elements  40  to  50 . 
     All the permanent or permanent and exchangeable mold elements  40  to  50  are lockable with neighbouring mold elements. 
     After suspending, the exchangeable mold elements  44  to  50  are mounted on the respective supporting device  54   a ,  54   b  in a movable fashion so that the mold elements  40  to  50 , so long as they are not yet locked with neighbouring mold elements, can be brought into a desired position without additional aids being required. In particular, no support means against the ground is required. This is of advantage as even ground is rarely available on construction sites for conversion of the slipform paver. 
     Each supporting device  54   a ,  54   b  comprises no less than two supporting beams  56 ,  58  extending parallel to one another which are fixed in place at the outer permanent mold element  42   a  or  42   b  respectively, as shown in  FIG. 5   c . It is preferred for the supporting beams  56 ,  58  to have a square or cuboid cross-sectional profile, each being fixed in place in two brackets  60 ,  61  arranged next to one another transverse to the working direction. The ends of the supporting beams  56 ,  58  pointing towards the center of the slipform paver are supported at the central permanent mold element  40   a ,  40   b  in sliding guides  64 ,  65  respectively. If all or some of the exchangeable mold elements  44  to  50  are removed and the outer permanent mold elements  42   a ,  42   b  moved inward by means of the ground-engaging units  14 , the supporting beams  56 ,  58  can be moved inward through the sliding guides  64 ,  65 . 
     In the process, the supporting beams  56 ,  58  of the one mold half  28  and the parallel supporting beams  56 ,  58  of the other mold half  32  are offset from one another in the working direction so that they cannot collide when the minimum working width is adjusted. 
     On their upper side, the exchangeable mold elements  44  to  50  comprise no less than two hooks  70 ,  71  offset in the working direction which can reach over the supporting beam  56  or  58  respectively so that the exchangeable mold element  44  to  50  can be placed onto the supporting beams  56 ,  58  in a transversely movable manner and positioned exactly in the working direction. 
     The hooks  70 ,  71  are curved in the working direction, may also be pointed in the opposite direction. A height adjustment device may be intended at the hooks  70 ,  71  so that fine adjustment of the height position of an exchangeable mold element  40  to  50  is possible. 
     The bisection of the mold device  28 ,  32  enables a camber to be adjusted preferably in the center of the working width by way of the central mold elements  40   a ,  40   b  being connected in an articulated fashion at their bottom edge and, at their upper edge, comprising an adjustment device not presented in detail for adjustment of the angle of the camber. 
       FIG. 6  shows the situation where a relatively wide exchangeable mold element  48  is to be inserted, for example, by means of a lift truck, into the gap between the permanent mold element  40   b  and the exchangeable mold element  50 . 
     It can be inferred from  FIG. 7  how the supporting beams  56 ,  58  reach over the central mold element  40   b  if only one exchangeable mold element  50  is inserted in the mold half  32 .