Patent Description:
Production facilities for making asphalt concrete mixes to be used as a paving composition are well-known. Feed materials for these facilities include aggregate materials and asphalt cement, which serves as a binder for the asphalt concrete mix. The aggregate materials may be provided in the form of virgin aggregate materials or in the form of recycled asphalt product ("RAP"), which also provides an additional source of asphalt cement. In the production of HMA, these aggregates and binders are generally mixed in an approximate <NUM>% to <NUM>% ratio, by weight. It is preferable that these various aggregate sources be sufficiently dried, heated and mixed with binder and preferably completely coated with the binder.

Coating (i.e., the extent to which asphalt cement has covered the surface of the aggregate and has been absorbed by fines) is achieved through the use of various configurations of mixing and drying equipment. For example, some conventional asphalt concrete production plants employ a rotating dryer drum in which aggregates and binders are introduced. A burner is located at one end of the drum and the input feed materials are moved along the drum through the heated gases generated by the burner in either parallel flow or counter-current flow to an outlet. A separate mixer, such as a rotating drum mixer or a pugmill, is employed to mix the heated and dried aggregate materials with liquid asphalt cement. <CIT> discloses a machine for producing pitched gravel or pitched sand, with an inner drum as per the preamble of claim <NUM>. <CIT> discloses a continuous mixing apparatus for granular material and viscous liquid.

Another type of asphalt concrete production plant employs a dryer/mixer that dries and heats the aggregate material and also mixes it with asphalt cement. With initial reference to <FIG>, one such type of dryer/mixer is the DOUBLE BARREL® brand counterflow dryer/mixer <NUM> that is sold by Astec, Inc. of Chattanooga, Tennessee. This dryer/mixer <NUM> includes a generally cylindrical outer drum <NUM> mounted on a common frame <NUM> in an inclined manner and a heating chamber comprised of a generally cylindrical inner drum <NUM> that is adapted to rotate with respect to the outer drum. The inner drum <NUM> is rotatably mounted on the frame <NUM> by a plurality of bearings <NUM> and is driven to rotate by a suitable motor <NUM>. A burner <NUM> directs a flame <NUM> generally axially into the interior of inner drum <NUM>.

Inner drum <NUM> has at its first (upper) end <NUM> a virgin aggregate inlet <NUM> and a combustion products outlet <NUM> and has at its second (lower) end <NUM> a plurality of openings <NUM> forming heated and dried virgin aggregate outlets. Inner drum <NUM> also supports a plurality of paddles <NUM> that are each mounted onto pedestals or shanks <NUM> and extend into a mixing chamber <NUM> formed between the inner drum <NUM> and the outer drum <NUM>. Thus, the paddles <NUM> are generally located between the second (lower) end <NUM> and a middle portion <NUM> of the inner drum <NUM> that is located between first end <NUM> and the second end, wherein the location of the middle portion of the inner drum roughly corresponds with the upper end <NUM> of the outer drum. The interior of the inner drum <NUM> is functionally separated into a combustion zone located in the vicinity of the burner flame <NUM> and a drying zone located between the combustion zone and the first end <NUM> of the drum <NUM>.

Outer drum <NUM> is separated from the inner drum <NUM> by a sufficient distance to form mixing chamber <NUM> which is sufficiently wide enough to provide clearance for the paddles <NUM>. Outer drum <NUM> has an upper inlet <NUM>, a virgin aggregate inlet <NUM> cooperating with the openings <NUM> of the inner drum <NUM>, and an asphalt mix outlet <NUM>. Outer drum <NUM> also receives suitable equipment (not shown) for injecting liquid asphalt into the mixing chamber <NUM>.

In this particular case, in use, virgin aggregate is fed into the virgin aggregate inlet <NUM> of the inner drum <NUM> via a suitable conveyor <NUM> and is heated and dried as it travels downwardly through the inclined drum <NUM> counter to the direction of the flame <NUM> via direct exposure to the hot gases generated from the burner <NUM>. Heated and dried aggregate in the second end <NUM> of the drum <NUM> falls through openings <NUM> in the drum, through the inlet <NUM> in the outer drum <NUM>, and into the mixing chamber <NUM>. RAP may be simultaneously fed into mixing chamber <NUM> from the upper inlet <NUM> by a suitable conveyor <NUM> and is mixed by the paddles <NUM> with the heated and dried virgin aggregate. Liquid asphalt is also normally injected at this time, thereby forming an asphalt paving mix. In addition to mixing the virgin aggregate, RAP, and liquid asphalt, the paddles <NUM> also convey the resulting mix to the mixing chamber outlet <NUM>, where the mix is discharged from counterflow dryer <NUM>. Combustion products formed during operation of counterflow dryer <NUM> rise out of the inner drum <NUM> through outlet <NUM> and are conveyed to a downstream device such as a baghouse.

In <FIG>, the inner drum <NUM> is shown in a flat "unrolled" configuration to provide a "layout map," which shows an outer surface 12A of the inner drum to which the paddles <NUM> are mounted. This type of layout map is often used in the industry to track changes and to provide clarity when making adjustments to the location and orientation of paddles <NUM> in a dryer/mixer <NUM>. As illustrated by the layout map, paddles <NUM> extend along the length of the inner drum between the openings <NUM> at the second end <NUM> and approximately the middle portion <NUM> of the inner drum. Further, paddles <NUM> are placed into spaced-apart rows <NUM> that extend between the openings <NUM> and the middle portion <NUM> of the inner drum <NUM>. Along each row <NUM>, paddles <NUM> are spaced apart from one another to form an interstitial space <NUM> (shown in <FIG>) through which a material lead <NUM> may pass.

Material leads <NUM> are essentially the pathways that aggregate material takes (traveling in the direction indicated by the arrow head) as it passes through the mixing chamber. In particular, in use, as the inner drum <NUM> rotates in direction R, aggregate travels through the mixing chamber by passing through the interstitial spaces <NUM> in direction F to asphalt mix outlet <NUM> (<FIG>). If paddles <NUM> are positioned in such a way that material passes through the mixing chamber without contacting a paddle, there is a risk that the material will be insufficiently coated. For this reason, paddles <NUM> are ideally positioned along the rows <NUM> so that no asphalt mix exits the mixing chamber without contacting the paddles.

Conventional asphalt plant dryers, however, suffer from several disadvantages. For example, depending on (i) the nature of the aggregate type and gradation, (ii) the binder type, and (iii) other related factors, complete coating of the aggregate with the binder may be difficult to achieve. Additionally, since bituminous and other binders are, by their nature, meant to bind aggregates together to create a stable road surface, their physical nature is to be cohesive. Though this is a desirable property of the final HMA product, this cohesiveness can result in buildup of aggregate and binder on surfaces and components within the mixing equipment. Under some conditions, this buildup can then break away from the surfaces and components onto which they accrete, which may result in problematic contamination of the final HMA product.

Various attempts have been made to try to overcome these problems. For example, the configuration and pattern of mixing components (e.g., paddles <NUM>) within the dryer/mixer <NUM> have been reconfigured in an attempt to improve desirable aggregate coating and to reduce undesirable buildup. In particular, various shapes of paddles <NUM> have been introduced to increase the level of shear and the orientation of the paddles have been changed to increase retention time of the aggregate and binder mixture (i.e., to slow the progress of aggregate and binder through the dryer/mixer). Other attempts have been made to reduce buildup and/or improve aggregate coating. These efforts include, but are not limited to, changes in the manner and location of binder injection, changes to the manner and location of dust introduction into the mixing process, use of various components to mechanically scrub surfaces onto which buildup accretes, post-production hydraulic cleaning, and the application of surface coatings and/or release agents/sprays to the surfaces of the dryer/mixer.

Certain of these various improvement attempts have been moderately effective in achieving the desired result of improved coating and reduced buildup. However, in several instances, they also caused other unintended consequences. In particular, the most notable of these consequences was an increase in the amount of power required to rotate the inner drum <NUM> during the mixing process to produce HMA product at the desired rate of production. Increasing the residence time of material within the inner drum <NUM> increases the depth of the material bed, which, in turn, requires increased power to turn the drum. Additionally, in many cases, the use of certain historically-successful paddle orientations within existing paddle configurations resulted in the dust inlet becoming fouled with accreted material to the point of malfunction.

Other attempts to solve the issues above has also resulted in marginal success under certain conditions, but that marginal success was not justified by the cost increases, maintenance increases, and other unintended consequences that they caused. For example, the location of dust introduction was changed such that dust was introduced later in the mixing process. While this change resulted in a decrease in the buildup of accreted material within the mixer/dryer, a desirable result, it also resulted in decreased coating performance, an undesirable result. Additionally, the mechanical scrubbing of surfaces provided some success. However, depending on the aggregate and binder properties, the components that were used to perform the scrubbing were, themselves, fouled with buildup. It was found that surface coatings and release agents/sprays were largely ineffective.

What is needed, therefore, is a dryer apparatus and production method that provides improved aggregate heating and aggregate coating (i.e., transfer of binder onto the aggregate surface), preferably providing complete aggregate coating, and that results in minimal to no buildup while also allowing for a desired production rate to be maintained at a minimum horsepower.

The use of the terms "a", "an", "the" and similar terms in the context of describing embodiments of the invention are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms "comprising", "having", "including" and "containing" are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning "including, but not limited to,") unless otherwise noted. The terms "substantially", "generally" and other words of degree are relative modifiers intended to indicate permissible variation from the characteristic so modified. The use of such terms in describing a physical or functional characteristic of the invention is not intended to limit such characteristic to the absolute value which the term modifies, but rather to provide an approximation of the value of such physical or functional characteristic.

Terms concerning attachments, coupling and the like, such as "attached", "connected" and "interconnected", refer to a relationship wherein structures are secured or attached to one another either directly or indirectly through intervening structures, as well as both moveable and rigid attachments or relationships, unless otherwise specified herein or clearly indicated as having a different relationship by context. The term "operatively connected" is such an attachment, coupling or connection that allows the pertinent structures to operate as intended by virtue of that relationship.

The use of any and all examples or exemplary language (e.g., "such as" and "preferably") herein is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and the preferred embodiments thereof, and not to place a limitation on the scope of the invention. Nothing in the specification should be construed as indicating any element as essential to the practice of the invention unless so stated with specificity.

The above and other problems are addressed by an inner drum as defined in the appended claim <NUM>, for use in a dryer/mixer in connection with the production of an aggregate-binder mix. The dryer/mixer includes a fixed outer drum surrounding the inner drum such that the inner drum may rotate within the outer drum. A mixing chamber is formed between an outer surface of the inner drum and an inner surface of the outer drum, and virgin aggregate and a binder are mixed together to form an aggregate-binder mix in the mixing chamber. The dryer/mixer also includes an aggregate inlet through which virgin aggregate may be passed into the mixing chamber, a binder inlet through which a binder may be passed into the mixing chamber, and a mix outlet through which the aggregate-binder mix may be passed out of the mixing chamber.

The inner drum also includes a plurality of mixing paddles disposed on the outer surface of the inner drum and arranged in a plurality of rows. The mixing paddles are configured to rotate through the mixing chamber as the inner drum rotates within the outer drum and to mix together aggregate and binder located within the mixing chamber. An interstitial space is formed between each adjacent pair of rows of mixing paddles through which the aggregate and binder may pass. Material leads extend along the mixing chamber. When the inner drum is rotated, aggregate material preferentially travels along these material leads as a result of a location and orientation of the mixing paddles. At least one interstitial mixing paddle is located on the outer surface of the inner drum and is further located in one of the interstitial spaces at one of the material leads. The interstitial mixing paddle is configured to rotate through the mixing chamber as the inner drum rotates within the outer drum and to mix together aggregate and binder located within the mixing chamber. In certain embodiments, the interstitial mixing paddle is reversed in direction, compared to the other mixing paddles. In those cases, the mixing paddles induce movement in the aggregate material away from the aggregate inlet, whereas the interstitial mixing paddle induces movement in the aggregate material towards the aggregate inlet.

Also disclosed is a method for forming an aggregate mix as defined in the appended claim <NUM>, that includes the step of providing a dryer/mixer according to an embodiment of the present invention, such as the dryer/mixer described above. The method also includes the steps of passing virgin aggregate into the mixing chamber via the aggregate inlet and passing asphalt into the mixing chamber via the asphalt inlet. Next, the method includes the step of inducing movement of a portion of the aggregate in a forward direction F away from the aggregate inlet and along the plurality of material leads with the plurality of mixing paddles by rotating the inner drum in a direction R with respect to the outer drum such that the aggregate is mixed with the asphalt to form an aggregate mix. Also, the method includes the step of inducing movement of at least a portion of the aggregate with the interstitial mixing paddle by rotating the inner drum in the direction R. Lastly, the method includes the step of passing the aggregate mix out of the mixing chamber via the mix outlet. In certain embodiments of the method, the movement induced by the interstitial mixing paddle is in a retrograde direction F' toward the aggregate inlet.

Further advantages of the invention are apparent by reference to the detailed description when considered in conjunction with the figures, which are not to scale so as to more clearly show the details, wherein like reference numerals represent like elements throughout the several views, and wherein:.

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference characters designate like or corresponding characters throughout the several views, there is shown in <FIG> an inner drum <NUM> for use in a dryer/mixer, such as dryer/mixer <NUM> (shown in <FIG>) in place of inner drum <NUM>, in connection with the production of an aggregate-binder mix. It is noted here that, in the embodiments illustrated by this disclosure, the binder is asphalt and the inner drum <NUM> is used for the batch production of asphalt concrete in an HMA system and production process. However, the inner drum <NUM>, including as part of a dryer/mixer, and also the methods disclosed herein may also be used in other industries as well.

As above, the dryer/mixer preferably includes a fixed outer drum designed to surround the inner drum <NUM> such that the inner drum may rotate within the outer drum. A mixing chamber is formed between an outer surface of the inner drum and an inner surface of the outer drum. Virgin aggregate and a binder may be mixed together to form an aggregate-binder mix within the mixing chamber. The dryer/mixer also provides an aggregate inlet, such as openings <NUM> and/or virgin aggregate inlet <NUM>, through which virgin aggregate may be passed into the dryer/mixer and/or the mixing chamber. Similarly, the dryer/mixer also provides a binder inlet, such as upper inlet <NUM>, through which a binder may be passed into the mixing chamber. Lastly, the dryer/mixer provides a mix outlet, such as asphalt mix outlet <NUM>, through which the aggregate-binder mix may be passed out of the mixing chamber.

Now, with continued reference to <FIG> and with further reference to <FIG>, a preferred inner drum <NUM> is shown in a flat "unrolled" configuration to provide a "layout map. " According to certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, mixing paddles <NUM> are attached to the outer surface <NUM>00A of the inner drum <NUM> and are arranged in rows (two of which are generally shown by lines <NUM> in <FIG> and <FIG>). Preferably, mixing paddles <NUM> are placed in these rows <NUM> and are spaced continuously across the outer surface 100A of the inner drum <NUM> along an entire length of the mixing chamber. An interstitial space <NUM> is formed between each adjacent pair of rows <NUM> of mixing paddles <NUM>. These interstitial spaces <NUM> are sized to allow aggregate and binder to pass through them. Next, material leads extend along at least a portion of the mixing chamber (one of which is generally shown by arrow <NUM> in <FIG>). As noted above, material leads <NUM> are essentially the pathways that aggregate material and asphalt take as they move through the mixing chamber along the length of the inner drum <NUM>. Lastly, at least one interstitial mixing paddle <NUM> is attached to the outer surface 100A of the inner drum <NUM>.

Unlike the mixing paddles <NUM>, which are placed along the rows <NUM>, the interstitial mixing paddle <NUM> is preferably located in one of the interstitial spaces <NUM> between the rows. Interstitial mixing paddles <NUM> may each be located within a different one of two or more interstitial spaces <NUM>. These two or more interstitial spaces <NUM> may each be adjacent one another or may not be located adjacent one another (i.e., such that there is at least one empty interstitial space between two interstitial spaces that are populated with a interstitial mixing paddle <NUM>). The same or different numbers of interstitial mixing paddles <NUM> may populate different interstitial spaces <NUM>. For example, in certain preferred embodiments, two interstitial mixing paddles <NUM> are located within a single interstitial space <NUM>, while more than two (or fewer than two) interstitial mixing paddles are located within another interstitial space.

Unlike the mixing paddles <NUM>, the interstitial mixing paddles <NUM> are preferably not spaced continuously across the outer surface 100A of the inner drum <NUM>. On the other hand, like the mixing paddles <NUM>, each interstitial mixing paddle <NUM> is preferably positioned at one of the material leads <NUM>. Placing the paddles <NUM>, <NUM> at the material leads <NUM> helps to ensure that the material moving along the material leads comes into contact with the paddles. For this reason, in preferred embodiments, each material lead <NUM> passes through each interstitial space <NUM> at least once along the length of the mixing chamber. Furthermore, in preferred embodiments, at least one mixing paddle <NUM> and/or interstitial mixing paddled <NUM> is positioned at each material lead <NUM>.

With continued reference to <FIG> and with further reference to <FIG>, the paddles <NUM>, <NUM> each preferably include a leading face <NUM> for contacting (e.g., pushing) aggregate material during the mixing process, which is described in more detail below, and also a shank <NUM> for connecting the paddles to the outer surface 100A of the inner drum <NUM>. Preferably, once the paddles <NUM>, <NUM> are attached to the inner drum <NUM>, each is fixedly held in a selected orientation (i.e., angle) with respect to the shank <NUM> and the inner drum <NUM>. In this description, the orientation of the paddles <NUM>, <NUM> is defined based on the orientation of the leading face <NUM>. For example, the paddles <NUM>, <NUM> are oriented at an angle θ equal to <NUM>° when oriented vertically and the leading face <NUM> is pointed away from aggregate inlet <NUM> (shown in <FIG>). The paddles <NUM>, <NUM> are oriented at an angle θ equal to <NUM>° when oriented horizontally (i.e., parallel with axis A) and the leading face <NUM> is pointed upwards away from the mixing chamber. In this particular embodiment, each of the mixing paddles <NUM> is oriented at an angle θ of approximately <NUM>°. The orientation of the interstitial mixing paddle <NUM> is offset from the orientation of the mixing paddles <NUM> by approximately <NUM>° and is, therefore, oriented at an angle θ of approximately <NUM>°.

When the inner drum <NUM> is used to produce an aggregate mix, virgin aggregate and asphalt are first passed into the mixing chamber via the aggregate inlet and asphalt inlet, respectively. Next, the inner drum <NUM> is rotated about axis A (<FIG>) in direction R. This rotation of the inner drum <NUM> causes the mixing paddles <NUM> and the interstitial mixing paddle <NUM> to each rotate through the mixing chamber of the dryer/mixer. The leading face <NUM> of each of the paddles <NUM>, <NUM> tends to move and direct the aggregate (and asphalt) material within the mixing chamber. The motion of the mixing paddles <NUM> induces movement of a portion of the aggregate in a forward direction F away from aggregate inlet <NUM> as the inner drum <NUM> rotates. Similarly, like mixing paddles <NUM>, the motion of the interstitial mixing paddle <NUM> induces movement of a portion of the aggregate as the inner drum <NUM> rotates. In each case, this movement of the aggregate facilitates the mixing of aggregate with the asphalt.

In general, aggregate material prefers or would tend to travel along the material leads <NUM> (in the direction indicated by the arrow) as a result of the location and orientation of the mixing paddles <NUM>. Thus, as shown in <FIG>, the aggregate material tends to travel from one mixing paddle <NUM> to the next mixing paddle in the forward direction F as the inner drum <NUM> is rotated. In some cases, the interstitial paddle <NUM> also causes the aggregate material to tend to travel from in the forward direction F. However, the direction that the aggregate material ultimately travels depends on the orientation (i.e., the angle θ) of the paddles <NUM>, <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, if one of the paddles <NUM>, <NUM> is oriented at an angle θ that is greater than <NUM>°, such that the right-hand side of the paddle is higher than the left-hand side (as viewed in <FIG>), the paddle is likely to induce movement of the aggregate in a retrograde direction F' toward the aggregate inlet <NUM> instead of away from it. This is manifested by a flow of the aggregate material along reversed path <NUM>' that is different from (and preferably opposite to) the material lead <NUM>. An advantage of movement of aggregate in the retrograde direction F' is that such motion would increase the residence time and provide more time for mixing of aggregate and asphalt to occur.

Thus, in certain embodiments, it may be possible for mixing paddles <NUM> to direct aggregate material in two different direction. In those cases, for example, a first group of mixing paddles <NUM> may be arranged and oriented to induce movement of a portion of the aggregate in the forward direction F away from the aggregate inlet as the inner drum rotates in direction R. At the same time, a second group mixing paddles <NUM> induces movement of a portion of the aggregate in a retrograde direction F' towards the aggregate inlet as the inner drum rotates. Additionally or alternatively, the interstitial mixing paddle <NUM> may be configured to induce movement of a portion of the aggregate in either the forward direction F or in the retrograde direction F' as the inner drum rotates, depending on the angle θ of the interstitial mixing paddles.

Claim 1:
An inner drum (<NUM>) for use in a dryer/mixer (<NUM>) in connection with the production of an aggregate-binder mix, wherein the dryer/mixer includes a fixed outer drum (<NUM>) surrounding the inner drum (<NUM>) such that the inner drum may rotate within the outer drum, a mixing chamber (<NUM>) formed between an outer surface (100A) of the inner drum and an inner surface of the outer drum (<NUM>) where virgin aggregate and a binder are mixed together to form an aggregate-binder mix, an aggregate inlet (<NUM>) through which virgin aggregate may be passed into the mixing chamber (<NUM>), a binder inlet (<NUM>) through which a binder may be passed into the mixing chamber (<NUM>), and a mix outlet (<NUM>) through which the aggregate-binder mix may be passed out of the mixing chamber (<NUM>), the inner drum (<NUM>) further comprising:
a plurality of mixing paddles (<NUM>) disposed on the outer surface (100A) of the inner drum and arranged in a plurality of rows (<NUM>), wherein the mixing paddles (<NUM>) are configured to rotate through the mixing chamber (<NUM>) as the inner drum (<NUM>) rotates within the outer drum (<NUM>) and to mix together aggregate and binder located within the mixing chamber;
an interstitial space (<NUM>) formed between each adjacent pair of rows (<NUM>) of mixing paddles (<NUM>) through which the aggregate and binder may pass;
a plurality of material leads (<NUM>) that extend along the mixing chamber (<NUM>) and along which aggregate material preferentially travels as a result of a location and orientation of the plurality of mixing paddles (<NUM>); characterized by
at least one interstitial mixing paddle (<NUM>) disposed on the outer surface (100A) of the inner drum and located in one of the interstitial spaces (<NUM>) and also positioned at one of the material leads (<NUM>), wherein the interstitial mixing paddle (<NUM>) is configured to rotate through the mixing chamber (<NUM>) as the inner drum (<NUM>) rotates within the outer drum (<NUM>) and to mix together aggregate and binder located within the mixing chamber.