Dual paver

Claim 2

A dual paver comprising: a pair of individual, self-contained paver tractors correspondingly disposed in spaced, side-by-side relationship, each of said tractors including means to propel said tractor along a roadway, material handling means for depositing and distributing paving material upon the roadway at the rear of said tractor, and individual paver control means for operating said tractor along the roadway; means articulately interconnecting said tractors to maintain substantially said relationship therebetween; a transverse screed assembly spaced rearwardly of said material distributing means of both of said tractors, said screed assembly being pulled along the roadway by both of said tractors and connected thereto by means permitting said screed assembly to floatingly engage and transform into a single mat paving material deposited and distributed on the roadway by said material handling means of both of said tractors, said screed assembly including two individual screeds disposed in spaced end-to-end relation to each side of the longitudinal center axis of the dual paver, each of said individual screeds together with one of said tractors comprising an individual paver, and a central screed section interposed between said individual screed ends and secured thereto, said screed section having means connected into each of said individual screeds for bowing said screed assembly about said axis, said screed assembly connecting means including at least one pair of forwardly extending screed pull arms, said one pair of pull arms having rearward connections to said screed assembly adjacent thE outboard ends thereof and forward pivotal connections to the respective outboard sides of said tractors, and screed-adjusting means having a pair of means respectively operatively associated with said pair of screed pull arms for altering the fore-and-aft inclinations of said screed assembly as the dual paver proceeds along the roadway; and dual paver control means disposed thereon including means operatively associated with said individual paver control means of both of said tractors for conjoint operation thereof as a unit along the roadway.

Claim 3

The dual paver of claim 1 wherein said interconnecting means comprises a pair of rigid spacing members transversely disposed in spaced fore-and-aft relation between and removably connected at their respective ends to said tractors, and brace means removably connected between diagonally opposite locations on the adjacent inboard sides of said tractors, each of said connections permitting some vertical movement of said tractors relative to each other as the dual paver proceeds along the roadway.

Claim 4

the dual paver of claim 2 wherein said brace means comprises a single rigid brace member removably connected at one end to one of said tractors adjacent the connection of one end of said afterspacing member thereto and at its other end to the other of said tractors adjacent the connection of the diagonally opposite end of said forward spacing member thereto.

Claim 5

The dual paver of claim 3 wherein each of said spacing and brace members comprises a central sleeve portion and outer end portions oppositely threaded into the respective ends of said sleeve, whereby the length of each of said members is adjustable by rotation of said sleeve and thereby the spacing between said tractors may be varied.

Claim 6

The dual paver of claim 1 wherein said screed-adjusting means also includes a pair of power-operated means and a pair of sensing means respectively operatively associated with said power-operated means to control operation thereof responsive to rise and fall of said tractors along the roadway for maintaining said screed surface at desired inclinations.

Claim 7

The dual paver of claim 5 wherein said pair of sensing means are respectively disposed on said pair of screed pull arms and respectively control operation of said pair of power-operated means, each of said sensing means being responsive to rise and fall of its adjacent outboard side of one of said tractors.

Claim 8

The dual paver of claim 1 wherein said means connecting said screed assembly to said tractors also includes flexible means connecting said center screed section to said tractors to assist in pulling said screed assembly along the roadway.

Claim 9

A dual paver comprising: a pair of individual, self-contained paver tractors correspondingly, disposed in spaced, side-by-side relationship, each of said tractors including means to propel said tractor along a roadway, material handling means for depositing and distributing paving material upon the roadway at the rear of said tractor, and individual paver control means for operating said tractor along the roadway; means articulately interconnecting said tractors to maintain substantially said relationship therebetween; a transverse screed assembly spaced rearwardly of said material-distributing means of both of said tractors, said screed assembly being pulled along the roadway by both of said tractors and connected thereto by means permitting said screed assembly to floatingly engage and transform into a single mat paving material deposited and distributed on the roadway by said material-handling means of both of said tractors, said screed assembly including two individual screeds disposed in spaced end-to-end relation with respect to the longitudinal center axis of the dual paver, each of said individual screeds together with one of said tractors comprising an individual paver, each of said individual screeds having an individual screed extension secured to said end thereof and abutting each other substantially at said axis, said screEd extensions being connected to each other by means permitting variation in the inclination of said extensions relative to each other about said abutment, said screed assembly connecting means including two pairs of forwardly extending screed pull arms, each pair of said pull arms having rearward connections adjacent the ends of one of said individual screeds and forward pivotal connections to the respective sides of the corresponding one of said tractors, and screed-adjusting means having two pairs of means operatively associated with said pairs of screed pull arms for altering the fore-and-aft inclinations of said individual screeds and extensions as the dual paver proceeds along the roadway; and dual paver control means disposed thereon including means operatively associated with said individual paver control means of both of said tractors for conjoint operation thereof as a unit along the roadway.

Claim 10

A dual paver comprising: a pair of individual, self-contained paver tractors correspondingly, disposed in spaced, side-by-side relationship, each of said tractors including means to propel said tractor along a roadway, material handling means for depositing and distributing paving material upon the roadway at the rear of said tractor, and individual paver control means for operating said tractor along the roadway; means articulately interconnecting said tractors to maintain substantially said relationship therebetween; a transverse screed assembly spaced rearwardly of said material-distributing means of both of said tractors, said screed assembly being pulled along the roadway by both of said tractors and connected thereto by means permitting said screed assembly to floatingly engage and transform into a single mat paving material deposited and distributed on the roadway by said material-handling means of both of said tractors, said screed assembly including two individual screeds disposed in spaced end-to-end relation with respect to the longitudinal center axis of the dual paver, each of said individual screeds together with one of said tractors comprising an individual paver, each of said individual screeds having an individual screed extension secured to said end thereof and abutting each other substantially at said axis, said screEd extensions being connected to each other by means permitting variation in the inclination of said extensions relative to each other about said abutment, said screed assembly connecting means including two pairs of forwardly extending screed pull arms, each pair of said pull arms having rearward connections adjacent the ends of one of said individual screeds and forward pivotal connections to the respective sides of the corresponding one of said tractors, and screed-adjusting means having two pairs of means operatively associated with said pairs of screed pull arms for altering the fore-and-aft inclinations of said individual screeds and extensions as the dual paver proceeds along the roadway; and dual paver control means disposed thereon including means operatively associated with said individual paver control means of both of said tractors for conjoint operation thereof as a unit along the roadway.

Claim 11

The dual paver of claim 8 wherein said interconnecting means comprises a pair of rigid spacing members transversely disposed in spaced fore-and-aft relation between and removably connected at their respective ends to said tractors, and brace means removably connected between diagonally opposite locations on the adjacent inboard sides of said tractors, each of said connections permitting some vertical movement of said tractors relative to each other as the dual paver proceeds along the roadway.

Claim 12

The dual paver of claim 9 wherein said brace means comprises a single rigid brace member removably connected at one end to one of said tractors adjacent the connection of one end of said afterspacing member thereto and at its other end to the other of said tractors adjacent the connection of the diagonally opposite end of said forward spacing member thereto.

Claim 13

The dual paver of claim 10 wherein each of said spacing and brace members comprises a central sleeve portion and outer end portions oppositely threaded into the respective ends of said sleeve, whereby the length of each of said members is adjustable by rotation of said sleeve and thereby the spacing between said tractors may be varied.

Claim 14

The dual paver of claim 8 wherein said screed-adjusting means also includes two pairs of power-operated means, a first pair of sensing means operatively associated with one pair of said power operated means and a second pair of sensing means operatively associated with the other pair of said power-operated means, all said sensing means being responsive to rise and fall of said tractors along the roadway for maintaining said bottom surfaces at desired inclinations.

Claim 15

The dual paver of claim 12 wherein said first pair of sensing means are disposed on respective ones of the inboard pair of said screed pull arms and responsive to rise and fall of their respective adjacent inboard sides of said tractors along the roadway.

Claim 16

The dual paver of claim 13 wherein said second pair of sensing means is responsive to rise and fall of the respective outboard sides of said tractors along the roadway.

Claim 17

The dual paver of claim 13 wherein respective ones of said second pair of sensing means are disposed upon both of said screed pull arms of respective ones of said tractors and responsive to rise and fall of the respective outboard sides of said tractors along the roadway.

Claim 18

The dual paver of claim 13 including a traveling string line comprising elongated ski means slidably engaging the roadway and a string line stretched between spaced locations on said ski means, said ski means being disposed between and longitudinally with respect to the inboard sides of said tractors, said first pair of sensing means operatively engaging said string line, and means articulately connecting said ski means to at least one of said tractors so that said ski means is slidably propelled along the roadway independently of rise and fall of said tractors.

Claim 19

The dual paver of claim 8 wherein the bottom surfaces of said screed extensions are normally in substantially coplanar relation to each other, aNd including means resiliently connecting the abutting ends of said screed extensions and normally resiliently maintaining said bottom surfaces in said planar relation.

Claim 20

The dual paver of claim 17 wherein said resilient means comprises a preloaded spring capsule removably secured to both the abutting ends of said screed extensions.

Claim 21

A dual paver comprising: a pair of individual, self-contained paver tractors correspondingly disposed in spaced, side-by-side relationship, each of said tractors including means to propel said tractor along a roadway, material handling means for depositing and distributing paving material upon the roadway at the rear of said tractor, and individual paver control means for operating said tractor along the roadway including an individual paver control console disposed thereon carrying means for electrically individually operating said propelling and material handling means thereof; means articulately interconnecting said tractors to maintain substantially said relationship therebetween; a transverse screed assembly spaced rearwardly of said material distributing means of both of said tractors, said screed assembly being pulled along the roadway by both of said tractors and connected thereto by means permitting said screed assembly to floatingly engage and transform into a single mat paving material deposited and distributed on the roadway by said material-handling means of both of said tractors; and dual paver control means disposed thereon and operatively associated with said individual paver control means of both of said tractors for conjoint operation thereof as a unit along the roadway, said dual paver control means including a dual paver control console disposed on said dual paver carrying conjoint means for electrically simultaneously operating said tractor propelling means of both of said tractors and separate means for electrically individually operating said material-handling means of each of said tractors.

Claim 22

A dual paver comprising: a pair of individual, self-contained paver tractors correspondingly disposed in spaced, side-by-side relationship, each of said tractors including means to propel said tractor along a roadway, material handling means for depositing and distributing paving material upon the roadway at the rear of said tractor, and individual paver control means for operating said tractor along the roadway including an individual paver control console disposed thereon carrying means for electrically individually operating said propelling and material handling means thereof; means articulately interconnecting said tractors to maintain substantially said relationship therebetween; a transverse screed assembly spaced rearwardly of said material distributing means of both of said tractors, said screed assembly being pulled along the roadway by both of said tractors and connected thereto by means permitting said screed assembly to floatingly engage and transform into a single mat paving material deposited and distributed on the roadway by said material-handling means of both of said tractors; and dual paver control means disposed thereon and operatively associated with said individual paver control means of both of said tractors for conjoint operation thereof as a unit along the roadway, said dual paver control means including a dual paver control console disposed on said dual paver carrying conjoint means for electrically simultaneously operating said tractor propelling means of both of said tractors and separate means for electrically individually operating said material-handling means of each of said tractors.

Claim 23

The dual paver of claim 19 wherein each of said tractors includes an individual paver control electrical junction means, said junction means having an individual paver control electrical conduit means connected at one end into said propelling and material-handling means of said tractor and removably connected at its other end to said individual control console thereof; and wherein said dual paver includes a dual paver control electrical junction means having a dual paver control electrical conduit means connected at one end to said dual junction means and at its other end to said dual control console, both of said individual control conduit means being also removably connectable to said dual junction means upon disconnection thereof from both of said individual control consoles.

Claim 24

A dual paver comprising: a pair of individual, self-contained paver tractors correspondingly disposed in spaced, side-by-side relationship, each of said tractors having means to propel said tractor along a roadway including an engine, a pair of endless ground-engaging tracks disposed at respective sides of said tractor and driven by said engine through a pair of clutches, and a throttle for varying the operating speed of said engine, material-handling means for depositing and distributing paving material upon the roadway at the rear of said tractor, and individual paver control means for operating said tractor along the roadway including an electrical control circuit having a pair of relays for respectively controlling said clutches, said clutches being engaged when said clutch relays are energized, and a relay for controlling said throttle, the speed of said engine being increased when said throttle relay is energized, both of said clutch relays having relay contacts in circuit with said throttle relay such that said throttle relay is not energized unless at least one of said clutch relays is energized; means articulately interconnecting said tractors to maintain substantially said relationship therebetween; a transverse screed assemblY spaced rearwardly of said material distributing means of both of said tractors, said screed assembly being pulled along the roadway by both of said tractors and connected thereto by means permitting said screed assembly to floatingly engage and transform into a single mat paving material deposited and distributed on the roadway by said material-handling means of both of said tractors; and dual paver control means disposed thereon and operatively associated with said individual paver control means of both of said tractors for conjoint operation thereof as a unit along the roadway, said dual paver control means including an electrical interlock circuit having first and second interlock relays normally energized during paving, said first interlock relay having relay contacts in shunt relation with said clutch relay contacts of the second one of said tractors and said second interlock relay having relay contacts in shunt relation with said clutch relay contacts of the first one of said tractors such that when both of said clutch relays of said first tractor are energized but both of said clutch relays of said second tractor are deenergized, said first interlock relay contacts maintain the throttle relay of said second tractor energized, and when both of said clutch relays of said second tractor are energized but both of said clutch relays of said first tractor are deenergized, said second interlock relay contacts maintain the throttle relay of said first tractor energized.

Claim 25

A dual paver comprising: a pair of individual, self-contained paver tractors correspondingly disposed in spaced, side-by-side relationship, each of said tractors having means to propel said tractor along a roadway including an engine, a pair of endless ground-engaging tracks disposed at respective sides of said tractor and driven by said engine through a pair of clutches, and a throttle for varying the operating speed of said engine, material-handling means for depositing and distributing paving material upon the roadway at the rear of said tractor, and individual paver control means for operating said tractor along the roadway including an electrical control circuit having a pair of relays for respectively controlling said clutches, said clutches being engaged when said clutch relays are energized, and a relay for controlling said throttle, the speed of said engine being increased when said throttle relay is energized, both of said clutch relays having relay contacts in circuit with said throttle relay such that said throttle relay is not energized unless at least one of said clutch relays is energized; means articulately interconnecting said tractors to maintain substantially said relationship therebetween; a transverse screed assemblY spaced rearwardly of said material distributing means of both of said tractors, said screed assembly being pulled along the roadway by both of said tractors and connected thereto by means permitting said screed assembly to floatingly engage and transform into a single mat paving material deposited and distributed on the roadway by said material-handling means of both of said tractors; and dual paver control means disposed thereon and operatively associated with said individual paver control means of both of said tractors for conjoint operation thereof as a unit along the roadway, said dual paver control means including an electrical interlock circuit having first and second interlock relays normally energized during paving, said first interlock relay having relay contacts in shunt relation with said clutch relay contacts of the second one of said tractors and said second interlock relay having relay contacts in shunt relation with said clutch relay contacts of the first one of said tractors such that when both of said clutch relays of said first tractor are energized but both of said clutch relays of said second tractor are deenergized, said first interlock relay contacts maintain the throttle relay of said second tractor energized, and when both of said clutch relays of said second tractor are energized but both of said clutch relays of said first tractor are deenergized, said second interlock relay contacts maintain the throttle relay of said first tractor energized.

Claim 26

The dual paver of claim 21 including a pair of sensing means, each of said sensing means being responsive to rise and fall of one of said tractors along the roadway for maintaining said screed assembly at desired inclinations, and an electrical override circuit connecting said sensing means and both of said clutch relays of said tractor such that said clutch relays are deenergized in the event said sensing means is disabled; and wherein said electrical interlock circuit of said dual paver control means also includes third and fourth interlock relays normally energized during paving, said third interlock relay being connected into said override circuit of the first one of said tractors so that said third interlock relay is deenergized in the event said sensing means of said first tractor is disabled and having relay contacts connected into said control circuit of the second one of said tractors so that said clutch relays thereof are deenergized in the event said third interlock relay is deenergized, said fourth interlock relay being connected into said override circuit of said second tractor so that said fourth interlock relay is deenergized in the event said sensing means of said second tractor is disabled and having relay contacts connected into said control circuit of said first tractor so that said clutch relays thereof are deenergized in the event said fourth interlock relay is deenergized.

Claim 27

A dual paver comprising: a pair of individual, self-contained paver tractors correspondingly disposed in spaced, side-by-side relationship, each of said tractors including means to propel said tractor along a roadway, material-handling means for depositing and distributing paving material upon the roadway at the rear of said tractor, and individual paver control means for operating said tractor along the roadway; means articulately interconnecting said tractors to maintain substantially said relationship therebetween; a transverse screed assembly spaced rearwardly of said material-distributing means of both of said tractors, said screed assembly being pulled along the roadway by both of said tractors and connected thereto by means permitting said screed assembly to floatingly engage and transform into a single mat paving material deposited and distributed on the roadway by said material-handling means of both of said tractors, said screed assembly including two screed portions disposed in abutting end-to-end relation and articulately connected to each other by means permitting variation in the incLination of said portions relative to each other about said abutment, said screed assembly connecting means including two pairs of forwardly extending screed pull arms, each pair of said pull arms having rearward connections to one of said screed portions and forward pivotal connections to the respective sides of the corresponding one of said tractors, and screed-adjusting means having two pairs of means operatively associated with said pairs of screed pull arms for altering the fore-and-aft inclinations of said screed portions as the dual paver proceeds along the roadway, said screed-adjusting means including two pairs of power-operated means, a first pair of sensing means operatively associated with one pair of said power-operated means and a second pair of sensing means operatively associated with the other pair of said power-operated means, all said sensing means being responsive to rise and fall of said tractors along the roadway for maintaining said screed portions at desired inclinations, said first pair of sensing means being operatively associated with respective ones of the inboard pair of said screed pull arms and responsive to rise and fall of their respective adjacent inboard sides of said tractors along the roadway; and dual paver control means disposed thereon including means operatively associated with said individual paver control means of both of said tractors for conjoint operation thereof as a unit along the roadway.

Claim 28

A dual paver comprising: a pair of individual, self-contained paver tractors correspondingly disposed in spaced, side-by-side relationship, each of said tractors including means to propel said tractor along a roadway, material-handling means for depositing and distributing paving material upon the roadway at the rear of said tractor, and individual paver control means for operating said tractor along the roadway; means articulately interconnecting said tractors to maintain substantially said relationship therebetween; a transverse screed assembly spaced rearwardly of said material-distributing means of both of said tractors, said screed assembly being pulled along the roadway by both of said tractors and connected thereto by means permitting said screed assembly to floatingly engage and transform into a single mat paving material deposited and distributed on the roadway by said material-handling means of both of said tractors, said screed assembly including two screed portions disposed in abutting end-to-end relation and articulately connected to each other by means permitting variation in the incLination of said portions relative to each other about said abutment, said screed assembly connecting means including two pairs of forwardly extending screed pull arms, each pair of said pull arms having rearward connections to one of said screed portions and forward pivotal connections to the respective sides of the corresponding one of said tractors, and screed-adjusting means having two pairs of means operatively associated with said pairs of screed pull arms for altering the fore-and-aft inclinations of said screed portions as the dual paver proceeds along the roadway, said screed-adjusting means including two pairs of power-operated means, a first pair of sensing means operatively associated with one pair of said power-operated means and a second pair of sensing means operatively associated with the other pair of said power-operated means, all said sensing means being responsive to rise and fall of said tractors along the roadway for maintaining said screed portions at desired inclinations, said first pair of sensing means being operatively associated with respective ones of the inboard pair of said screed pull arms and responsive to rise and fall of their respective adjacent inboard sides of said tractors along the roadway; and dual paver control means disposed thereon including means operatively associated with said individual paver control means of both of said tractors for conjoint operation thereof as a unit along the roadway.

Claim 29

The dual paver of claim 23 wherein the bottom surfaces of said screed portions are normally in substantially coplanar relation to each other, and including means resiliently connecting the abutting ends of said screed portions and normally resiliently maintaining said bottom surfaces in said planar relation.

Claim 30

The dual paver of claim 24 wherein said resilient means comprises a preloaded spring capsule removably secured to both the abutting ends of said screed portions.

Claim 31

The dual paver of claim 23 wherein said second pair of sensing means is responsive to rise and fall of the respective outboard sides of said tractors along the roadway.

Claim 32

The dual paver of claim 26 wherein respective ones of said second pair of sensing means are disposed upon both of said screed pull arms of respective ones of said tractors and responsive to rise and fall of the respective outboard sides of said tractors along the roadway.

Claim 33

The dual paver of claim 23 including a traveling string line comprising elongated ski means slidably engaging the roadway and a string line stretched between spaced locations on said ski means, said ski means being disposed between and longitudinally with respect to the inboard sides of said tractors, said first pair of sensing means operatively engaging said string line, and means articulately connecting said ski means to at least one of said tractors so that said ski means is slidably propelled along the roadway independently of rise and fall of said tractors.