MASS SYSTEMS

FIELD

[0001 ] The inventive concepts relate to surface compactors that include cylindrical drums for compaction of a substrate, cylindrical drums for surface compactors, and

components thereof.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Surface compactors are used to compact a variety of substrates including soil, asphalt, and other materials. Surface compactors are provided with one or more compacting surfaces for this purpose. For example, a roller compactor may be provided with one or more cylindrical drums that provide compacting surfaces for compacting substrates. Roller compactors use the weight of the compactor, applied through the rolling cylindrical drum(s), to compress the surface of a substrate.

SUMMARY

[0003] One embodiment of the inventive concepts is directed to a cylindrical drum or drum with pads for a surface compactor machine. The cylindrical drum includes a cylindrical drum shell defining a cylindrical interior volume and having an outer compacting surface, and a mass system arranged within the cylindrical interior volume of the cylindrical drum shell. The mass system includes first and second head plates spaced apart in an axial direction, a plurality of mass plates between the pair of head plates, wherein the plurality of mass plates are spaced apart from one another and from the first and second head plates in the axial direction, and a tuning plate extending between the first and second head plates and contacting the plurality of mass plates, wherein the tuning plate defines spacings between adjacent ones of the plurality of mass plates.

[0004] A cylindrical drum for a surface compactor machine according to further embodiments includes a cylindrical drum shell having a cylindrical interior volume and including an outer compacting surface for compacting a substrate, and a mass system arranged within the cylindrical interior volume of the cylindrical drum shell. The mass system includes first and second circular head plates spaced apart from one another in an axial direction, and a plurality of circular mass plates coaxially arranged between the pair of head plates. The plurality of mass plates are spaced apart from one another and from the first and second head plates in the axial direction. Each of the head plates has a first outer diameter, and each of the mass plates has a second outer diameter that is less than the first outer diameter. A load of the mass system is transferred to the cylindrical drum shell through the first and second head plates.

[0005] A mass system for a rolling compactor drum according to some embodiments includes first and second head plates spaced apart from one another in an axial direction, a plurality of mass plates between the pair of head plates, wherein the plurality of mass plates are spaced apart from one another and from the first and second head plates in the axial direction, and a tuning plate extending between the first and second head plates and contacting the plurality of mass plates, wherein the tuning plate defines spacings between adjacent ones of the plurality of mass plates.

[0006] A mass system for a rolling compactor drum according to further embodiments includes first and second circular head plates spaced apart from one another in an axial direction, and a plurality of circular mass plates coaxially arranged between the pair of head plates, wherein the plurality of mass plates are spaced apart from one another and from the first and second head plates in the axial direction, wherein each of the head plates has a first outer diameter, and wherein each of the mass plates has a second outer diameter that is less than the first outer diameter.

[0007] Other mass systems and/or drums for compactor machines will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon review of the following drawings and shall be included within this description and protected by the accompanying claims. Moreover, it is intended that all embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented separately or combined in any way and/or combination unless expressly excluded.

ASPECTS

[0008] According to one aspect, a cylindrical drum for a surface compactor machine includes a cylindrical drum shell defining a cylindrical interior volume and having an outer compacting surface, and a mass system arranged within the cylindrical interior volume of the cylindrical drum shell. The mass system includes first and second head plates spaced apart in an axial direction, a plurality of mass plates between the pair of head plates, wherein the plurality of mass plates are spaced apart from one another and from the first and second head plates in the axial direction, and a tuning plate extending between the first and second head plates and contacting the plurality of mass plates, wherein the tuning plate defines spacings between adjacent ones of the plurality of mass plates.

[0009] According to one aspect, each of the mass plates may include a circular plate having a central aperture therethrough, and the mass system may further include a support member extending between the first and second head plates and through the central apertures of the plurality of mass plates.

[0010] According to one aspect, the support member may include a cylindrical tube having an outer diameter, and the central apertures of the mass plates may include circular apertures having diameters equal to the outer diameter of the cylindrical tube.

[0011 ] According to one aspect, each of the head plates may include a circular plate having an outer diameter, and the cylindrical drum shell may have an inner diameter that is equal to the outer diameter of the head plates.

[0012] According to one aspect, the outer diameter of the head plates may be a first outer diameter, and each of the plurality of mass plates may have a second outer diameter that is less than the first outer diameter.

[0013] According to one aspect, the tuning plate may include a plurality of notches corresponding to the plurality mass plates.

[0014] According to one aspect, each of the notches may have a width equal to a width of a corresponding one of the plurality of mass plates and may be configured to receive an outer periphery of the corresponding one of the plurality of mass plates.

[0015] According to one aspect, the tuning plate may include a plurality of projections between adjacent ones of the notches, wherein the projections maintain lateral spacing between adjacent ones of the mass plates. [0016] According to one aspect, the cylindrical drum may further include a plurality of tuning plates extending between the first and second head plates.

[0017] According to one aspect, the cylindrical may further include an eccentric mass and a motor coupled to the eccentric mass. The motor is configured to vibrate the cylindrical drum by rotating the eccentric mass about an axis of rotation, and the tuning plates may be configured to reduce resonance of the mass system at vibration frequencies generated by rotation of the eccentric mass.

[0018] According to one aspect, the cylindrical drum, the first and second head plates and the plurality of mass plates may be coaxially arranged. That is centers of rotation of the cylindrical drum, the first and second head plates and the mass plates may be arranged along a common axis.

[0019] According to one aspect, the plurality of mass plates may be evenly spaced between the head plates. In other aspects, the plurality of mass plates may be unevenly spaced between the head plates.

[0020] According to one aspect, a cylindrical drum for a surface compactor machine includes a cylindrical drum shell having a cylindrical interior volume and including an outer compacting surface for compacting a substrate, and a mass system arranged within the cylindrical interior volume of the cylindrical drum shell. The mass system includes first and second circular head plates spaced apart from one another in an axial direction, and a plurality of circular mass plates coaxially arranged between the pair of head plates. The plurality of mass plates are spaced apart from one another and from the first and second head plates in the axial direction, Each of the head plates has a first outer diameter, and each of the mass plates has a second outer diameter that is less than the first outer diameter. A load of the mass system is transferred to the cylindrical drum shell through the first and second head plates. The mass plates are suspended from the drum shell by the head plates.

[0021 ] According to one aspect, the mass system may further include a tuning plate extending between the first and second circular head plates and contacting the plurality of circular mass plates. The tuning plate defines spacings between adjacent ones of the plurality of circular mass plates. [0022] According to one aspect, the tuning plate may include a plurality of notches corresponding to the plurality mass plates, wherein each of the notches has a width equal to a width of a corresponding one of the plurality of mass plates and is configured to receive an outer periphery of the corresponding one of the plurality of mass plates.

[0023] According to one aspect, each of the mass plates may have a circular aperture therethrough, and the mass system may further include a cylindrical support member extending between the first and second head plates and through the circular apertures of the plurality of mass plates.

[0024] According to one aspect, the cylindrical drum shell may have an inner diameter that is equal to the first outer diameter of the head plates.

[0025] According to one aspect, a mass system for a rolling compactor drum includes first and second head plates spaced apart from one another in an axial direction, a plurality of mass plates between the pair of head plates, wherein the plurality of mass plates are spaced apart from one another and from the first and second head plates in the axial direction, and a tuning plate extending between the first and second head plates and contacting the plurality of mass plates, wherein the tuning plate defines spacings between adjacent ones of the plurality of mass plates.

[0026] According to one aspect, a mass system for a rolling compactor drum includes first and second circular head plates spaced apart from one another in an axial direction, and a plurality of circular mass plates coaxially arranged between the pair of head plates, wherein the plurality of mass plates are spaced apart from one another and from the first and second head plates in the axial direction, wherein each of the head plates has a first outer diameter, and wherein each of the mass plates has a second outer diameter that is less than the first outer diameter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further

understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate certain non-limiting embodiments of inventive concepts. In the drawings: [0028] Figure 1 is a side view of a surface compactor machine according to some embodiments of inventive concepts;

[0029] Figure 2 is a partial cutaway perspective view of a cylindrical drum for a surface compactor including a conventional mass spool;

[0030] Figure 3 is a perspective view of a vibration assembly having an eccentric shaft that is rotated by a motor and which may be used with the surface compactor machine of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of inventive concepts;

[0031 ] Figure 4 is a perspective view of a spool mass system that may be provided in a cylindrical drum of a surface compactor according to some embodiments of inventive concepts;

[0032] Figure 5 is a top view of a mass plate according to some embodiments of inventive concepts; and

[0033] Figures 6A and 6B are side views of tuning plates according to some

embodiments of inventive concepts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0034] Figure 1 illustrates a self-propelled roller-type surface compactor machine 10 according to some embodiments of inventive concepts. The surface compactor machine 10 can include a chassis 16, 18, rotatable drums 12 at the front and back at of the chassis, and a driver station including a seat 14 and a steering mechanism (e.g., a steering wheel) to provide driver control of the compaction machine. Moreover, each drum may be coupled to the chassis 16, 18 using a respective yoke 17, 19. One or both of the drums 12 may be driven by a drive motor in the chassis under control of the driver to propel the surface compactor machine 10. An articulable coupling 11 may be provided in the chassis to facilitate steering about a vertical axis. Each of the drums 12 includes a drum shell 15 having a cylindrical outer surface that forms a compacting surface for compacting an underlying substrate, such as asphalt, gravel, soil, etc. One or both of the drums 12 each includes at least one eccentric shaft that is rotated as discussed below to generate vibration forces that assist with compaction of the substrate. One or both of the drums 12 may have a two-part "split drum" construction including two adjacent drums arranged to rotate about a common axis of rotation to facilitate steering and reduce shear stress on the material being compacted.

[0035] A surface compactor machine 10 according to some embodiments may include only a single drum 12 at the front or rear of the chassis 16, 18, and the other drum may be replaced, for example, by a pair of drive wheels (not shown).

[0036] To effectively compact a substrate, it is desirable for the drum 12 to have a large mass. For example, a typical drum 12 for a surface compactor machine 10 may have a mass of about 2000 kg to about 5000 kg, depending on the intended application of the surface compactor machine 10. Such a large mass is typically not provided by the outer drum shell of the drum 12 itself, as it is difficult to manufacture a drum shell having such a large mass. For example, a typical drum shell has a mass of approximately 2500 kg, while some applications require a drum 12 to have a mass in excess of 4000 kg. The drum shell, which is one of the most costly parts of a surface compactor machine, is formed from rolled steel. Increasing the thickness of the drum shell to increase its mass may require prohibitively large amounts of energy and/or be excessively costly.

[0037] As a result, the mass of the drum shell itself may not be easily scalable. Rather, the extra mass needed for the drum 12 is typically provided by a mass system that is housed within an interior space of the drum shell.

[0038] For example, a conventional mass system for a surface compactor machine may include a mass spool mounted with the drum shell. Figure 2 is a partial cutaway perspective view of a cylindrical drum shell 15 for a surface compactor machine 10 including a conventional mass spool 100 mounted within the drum shell 15. The mass spool 100 includes a hollow spool tube 110 and a pair of spaced apart spool head plates 120 on opposite ends of the spool tube 110. The spool head plates 120 may be arranged coaxially with the spool tube 110 and may include circular apertures 128 therein so that an interior cylindrical portion of the spool tube 110 is accessible.

[0039] The spool head plates 120 may have an outer diameter that is substantially the same as an inner diameter of the drum shell 15, and may be arranged coaxially with the drum shell 15. A substantial portion of the mass of the entire drum 12 may be provided by the mass spool 100, although the mass spool 100 may or may not provide a majority of the mass of the drum 12.

[0040] An excitation system may be provided within the drum shell 15 for vibrating the drum 12 during compaction operations. In particular, the excitation system may extend at least partially into the interior cylindrical space within the spool tube 110.

[0041 ] Figure 3 is a perspective view of an excitation system including a vibration assembly 200 having an eccentric shaft 230 that is rotated by a motor 220, and which may be used with the surface compactor machine of Figure 1 according to some embodiments of inventive concepts.

[0042] The motor 220 is connected through a gear assembly 222 and a shaft 234 to rotate the eccentric shaft 230. In one embodiment, the motor 220 is a hydraulic motor capable of rotating the eccentric shaft 230.

[0043] The eccentric shaft 230 has a center of mass that is radially offset from its rotation axis. The eccentric shaft 230 may be coaxially aligned with or radially offset from the rotational axis of the drum 12 in which it resides. The motor 220 may be mounted to an interior space of the drum shell 15 or mounted outside the drum shell 15, such as mounted to a yoke. Rotation of the eccentric shaft 230 generates vibration forces, which are transferred through a support assembly to the cylindrical roller surface of the drum shell 15 forming a compacting surface that compacts the substrate. The support structure includes sidewalls of the drums 12 and couplers to the motors 220 and 210 and/or the shafts 234 and 232.

[0044] In order to provide drums having varying total masses, different sized mass systems may be provided within the drum shell 15 of the drum 12. However, customizing the total mass of a mass system for a particular application, or providing different mass systems altogether, may be difficult and/or expensive.

[0045] A mass system according to embodiments of the inventive concepts includes a mass spool system having a modular design in which the mass of the system can be customized. In particular, the mass of the mass spool system (and, consequently, the mass of the drum 12) can be incrementally increased or decreased by adding or subtracting standardized mass plates to/from the mass spool. In some embodiments, the mass plates may be substantially annular in shape. Moreover, in some embodiments, the mass plates may be spaced apart from one another such that the mass plates are approximately evenly distributed across the mass system. In other embodiments, the mass plates may be unevenly spaced apart. The spacing of the mass plates may be selected such that the mass system substantially avoids vibrational modes at vibration frequencies associated with an excitation system in the drum 12.

[0046] Figure 4 is a perspective view of a spool mass system 300 that may be provided in a cylindrical drum 12 of a surface compactor 10 according to some embodiments of inventive concepts. Figure 5 is a top view of mass plates 330 according to some embodiments of inventive concepts, and Figure 6 is a side view of a tuning plate 340 according to some embodiments of inventive concepts.

[0047] Referring to Figures 4-6, a spool mass system 300 includes a hollow spool tube

310 and a pair of spaced apart spool head plates 320 on opposite ends of the spool tube 310. The spool head plates 320 may be arranged coaxially with the spool tube 310 and may include circular apertures 328 therein so that an interior cylindrical portion of the spool tube 310 is accessible. A plurality of spool mass plates (or mass plates) 330 are provided on the spool tube 310 between the spool head plates 320. The spool tube 310 thus acts as a support member for the mass plates 330. The mass plates 330 may be generally circular rings including circular apertures 338 in the centers thereof, and may be mounted on the spool tube 310 in a coaxial arrangement with the spool tube 310 and the spool head plates 320.

[0048] The spool tube 310 may have an outer diameter, and the central apertures 338 of the mass plates 330 may be circular apertures having diameters equal to the outer diameter of the spool tube 310.

[0049] The spool head plates 320 may have an outer diameter that is substantially the same as an inner diameter of a drum shell 15 in which the mass system 300 is mounted. Thus, when the spool mass system 300 is mounted in the drum shell 15, the spool head plates 320 may engage an inner surface of the drum shell 15 so that the weight of the spool mass system 300 can be transmitted through the spool head plates 320 to the drum shell 15 during compacting operations. [0050] In contrast, the mass plates 330 may have outer diameters that are smaller than the outer diameters of the spool head plates 320, so that the mass plates 330 may not directly contact the inner surface of the drum shell 15. Thus, the weight of the spool mass system 330 may not be transmitted to the drum shell 15 directly through the mass plates 330, but rather indirectly through the spool head plates 320. This may allow for relaxed design requirements for the mass plates 330 and/or enable the use of a wider range of materials from which the mass plates 330 can be constructed. For example, the mass plates 330 may be formed using a material that may not be optimized for weight bearing. In contrast, the design and/or materials of the spool head plates 320 and spool tube 310 may be selected for bearing weight rather than providing mass. In some embodiments, the head plates 320, spool tube 310 and mass plates 330 may be formed from steel, a steel alloy, cast iron, cast steel, a composite material, a steel powder material, and/or cast aluminum. In some embodiments, the head plates 320, spool tube 310 and mass plates 330 may be formed of the same material, while in other

embodiments they may be formed from different materials.

[0051 ] In addition to the mass plates 330, a series of tuning plates 340 are provided in the spool mass system 300. The tuning plates 340 extend between opposing head plates 320 and contact the mass plates 330. In some embodiments, a plurality of tuning plates 340 may be provided in the spool mass system 300. The plurality of tuning plates 340 may be

circumferentially spaced about a central axis of the spool tube 310. The tuning plates 340 may function to hold the mass plates 330 in place, and may also help to prevent/reduce the spool mass system 300 from resonating at vibration frequencies generated by the excitation system in the drum 12. The tuning plates 340 may define positions/spacing of the mass plates 330 between the spool head plates 320. The mass plates 330 may be spaced apart from one another, and may also be spaced apart from the spool head plates 320 by distances defined by the tuning plates 340. The distances between adjacent tuning plates 340 may be uniform or non-uniform to achieve a particular design requirement. For example, it may be desirable for mass plates 330 near the center of the spool mass system 300 to be spaced more closely together in the axial direction than the mass plates 330 near outer ends of the spool mass system 300, or vice versa, depending on the frequency, force, and/or location of the vibrational force imparted to the spool mass system 300 by the vibration assembly 200.

[0052] In some embodiments, the tuning plates 340 may be provided with a series of notches 342 that receive respective ones of the mass plates 330 and projections 344 between the adjacent notches that define spacing between adjacent mass plates 330 and/or outermost mass plates 330 and the spool head plates 320. Each notch 342 may receive an outer periphery of a mass plate 330. Each of the notches 342 may have a width equal to a width of a corresponding one of the plurality of mass plates 330 so that each notch 342 can receive a respective one of the mass plates 330. The projections 344 are located between adjacent mass plates 330 and provide appropriate spacing between the mass plates 330. The mass plates 330 may include corresponding notches 332 that engage the notches 342 in the tuning plates. It will be appreciated that the notches 342, 332 are optional features, and that the tuning plates 340 may be attached to the mass plates 330 through other means, such as using external or internal fasteners. Figure 5 illustrates embodiments of mass plates 330 with (Fig. 5(b)) and without (Fig. 5(a)) notches 332. Figure 6 illustrates examples of tuning plates 340 having evenly (Fig. 6(a)) and unevenly (Fig. 6(b)) spaced notches 342.

[0053] By having a modular design, the mass system may have reduced manufacturing costs while providing increased design flexibility. In particular, the spool mass system 300 allows the weight of a drum 12 to be scalable and easily customized. Table 1 illustrates an example of the scalability of a mass system and drum that can be achieved according to embodiments of the inventive concepts. In particular, the total mass of the mass plates may vary as mass plates are added, while the masses of the spool tube, head plates and drum shell remain constant. In the illustrated example, the mass of a drum 12 can be scaled from 2467 kg to 4507 kg as the number of mass plates in the mass spool is increased from 0 to 6.

340 4 1360 248 1668 532 19 3827

340 5 1700 248 1668 532 19 4167

340 6 2040 248 1668 532 19 4507

ble 1 - Drum Mass Scalability

[0054] Various embodiments are described herein by way of non-limiting examples in the context of the roller-type surface compactor machine 10. It is to be understood that the embodiments are not limited to the particular configurations disclosed herein and may furthermore be used with other types of surface compactor machines.

[0055] When an element is referred to as being "connected", "coupled", "responsive",

"mounted", or variants thereof to another element, it can be directly connected, coupled, responsive, or mounted to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected", "directly coupled", "directly responsive", "directly mounted" or variants thereof to another element, there are no intervening elements present. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity. The term "and/or" and its abbreviation "/" include any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0056] It will be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements/operations, these elements/operations should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element/operation from another element/operation. Thus, a first element/operation in some embodiments could be termed a second element/operation in other embodiments without departing from the teachings of present inventive concepts. The same reference numerals or the same reference designators denote the same or similar elements throughout the specification.

[0057] As used herein, the terms "comprise", "comprising", "comprises", "include",

"including", "includes", "have", "has", "having", or variants thereof are open-ended, and include one or more stated features, integers, elements, steps, components or functions but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, elements, steps, components, functions or groups thereof. Furthermore, as used herein, the common abbreviation "e.g.", which derives from the Latin phrase "exempli gratia," may be used to introduce or specify a general example or examples of a previously mentioned item, and is not intended to be limiting of such item. The common abbreviation "i.e.", which derives from the Latin phrase "id est," may be used to specify a particular item from a more general recitation.

[0058] Persons skilled in the art will recognize that certain elements of the above- described embodiments may variously be combined or eliminated to create further embodiments, and such further embodiments fall within the scope and teachings of inventive concepts. It will also be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the above-described embodiments may be combined in whole or in part to create additional embodiments within the scope and teachings of inventive concepts. Thus, although specific embodiments of, and examples for, inventive concepts are described herein for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of inventive concepts, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. Accordingly, the scope of inventive concepts is determined from the appended claims and equivalents thereof.