Exhaust manifold for asphalt concrete heating apparatus

Claim 2

Equipment for heating of the upper strata of asphalt concrete pavement, or the like, comprising in combination: a heating chamber having chamber-forming walls including a roof adapted to overlie an area of the pavement to be heated, said chamberforming walls including downwardly extending peripheral side portions having lower edges thereof adapted to be closely spaced to the pavement, heater means positioned within said heating chamber for heating the pavement therebeneath wherein the improvement comprises a horizontally disposed exhaust manifold means positioned over said roof and having an exhaust opening formed at one end thereof, and conduit means formed between said heating chamber and said horizontally disposed exhaust manifold, and passing through said roof, whereby hot gases formed within said chamber, as a result of the products of combustion produced by said heater means, pass through said conduit means to be discharged through said exhaust opening, said exhaust opening being located at an end of said horizontally disposed exhaust manifold means located adjacent a forwardmost portion of said roof and being turned downwardly in front of a frowardmost wall portion of said chamber-forming walls to direct hot gases emanating from said heating chamber onto the pavement preceding said heating chamber when moving over the asphalt concrete pavement in a forward direction.

Claim 3

The equipment for heating the upper strata of asphalt concrete pavement according to claim 1, wherein said conduit means is formed of a plurality of discrete spaced apart aligned tubes extending upwardly from said chamber, through said roof and terminating within said horizontally disposed manifold means.

Claim 4

The equipment for heating the upper strata of asphalt concrete pavement according to claim 2, wherein said plurality of discrete spaced apart aligned tubes are arranged in a direction corresponding to a fore-and-aft direction of the equipment, with regard to the direction of travel of the equipment over the pavement to be heated, said exhaust opening of said horizontally disposed exhaust manifold means being positioned adjacent the forward most portion of said roof.

Claim 5

The equipment for heating the upper strata of asphalt concrete pavement according to claim 2, further including gas flow direction means formed within said horizontally disposed exhaust manifold means for urging said hot gases emanating from said heating chamber in a direction from said plurality of spaced apart tubes toward said exhaust opening to provide uniform gas flow through said horizontally disposed exhaust manifold means.

Claim 6

The equipment for heating the upper strata of asphalt concrete pavement according to claim 4, wherein said gas flow direction means formed within said horizontally disposed exhaust manifold means includes a baffle element extending along the length of said horizontally disposed exhaust manifold means and extending transversely therein substantially the entire width thereof, said baffle element dividing said horizontally disposed exhaust manifold means into a cold air-flow passage and a hot gas-flow passage, said baffle element including a plurality of spaced apart flutes through which forced air passes from said cold air flow passage into said hot gas flow passage for urging the direction of air flow and hot gases through said manifold toward said exhaust opening, and means connected to said horizontally disposed exhaust manifold means for supplying a quantity of air under pressure to said cold air flow passage.

Claim 7

The equipment for heating the upper strata of asphalt concrete pavement according to claim 5, wherein said baffle element extends the length of said horizontally disposed exhaust manifold and is angularly positioned therein to provide a cross-sectional area at said closed end of said hot gas flow passage which iS in the order of about between 15% and 35% the total area within the exhaust manifold, and to provide a cross-sectional area of said air flow passage which is in the order of about between 50% and 90% the total area within said exhaust manifold and wherein said baffle is positioned within said exhaust manifold, immediately adjacent said downwardly turned flared end, to provide a cross-sectional area of said hot gas passage which is in the order of about between 50% and 90% the total cross-sectional area, and to provide a cross-sectional area of said air flow passage which is in the order of about 10% and 35% the total cross-sectional area within said exhaust manifold.

Claim 8

The equipment for heating the upper strata of asphalt concrete pavement according to claim 1, wherein said horizontally disposed exhaust manifold means includes a pair of separate laterally spaced apart exhaust manifold units positioned on opposite sides of said roof and providing means for preheating the upper strata of the asphalt concrete pavement on both sides of said equipment preceding the direction of travel of the equipment over the pavement.

Claim 9

The equipment for heating the upper strata of asphalt concrete pavement according to claim 7, wherein said exhaust opening of said horizontally exposed exhaust manifolds on each side of said roof each include turned downwardly flared end portions, said turned downwardly flared end portions being directed laterally outwardly of the direction of travel of the equipment so as to provide preheating action of the asphalt concrete roadway in front of the equipment and sufficiently to the lateral extent thereof to insure proper heating of the entire width of the asphalt concrete pavement as the equipment passes thereover.

Claim 10

The equipment for heating the upper strata of asphalt concrete pavement according to claim 8, wherein said flute means formed in said baffle element are respectively positioned within said horizontally disposed exhaust manifold between selected ones of a plurality of spaced apart tubes providing said conduit means between the heating chamber and said manifold, thereby providing a contoured surface against which hot gas flow from said tubes impinge to direct hot gas flow toward said exhaust opening.

Claim 11

Equipment for heating asphalt concrete pavement and the like comprising a heating chamber having a roof and depending sidwalls, and exhaust manifold structure comprising in combination: an exhaust manifold housing horizontally disposed over said roof of the heating chamber, said housing having side, top, and bottom walls, a closed end and an open end forming an outlet thereof, aperture means formed within said bottom wall, means connecting the interior of said heating chamber with said aperture means whereby hot gases to be exhausted can enter said housing and be discharged from said outlet, and gas flow directing means formed within said housing for urging said hot gases entering therein through said aperture means to flow in a direction toward said exhaust opening, said gas flow directing means including a baffle element extending along the length of said horizontally disposed exhaust manifold housing and extending transversely therein substantially the entire width thereof, said baffle dividing said housing into a cold-air flow passage and a hot-gas flow passage, said baffle including a plurality of spaced apart flutes through which forced air can pass from said cold-air flow passage into said hot-gas flow passage for urging the direction of air flow and hot gases through said housing toward said exhaust opening, and means connected to said housing for supplying a quantity of air under pressure to said cold-air flow passage, whereby the hot gases entering the hot-gas flow passage through said aperture means is urged to said exhaust opening as a result of forced air passing through said flutes from said cold-air flow passage to said hot-gas flow passage.

Claim 12

Equipment for heating asphalt concrete pavement and the like comprising a heating chamber having a roof and depending sidwalls, and exhaust manifold structure comprising in combination: an exhaust manifold housing horizontally disposed over said roof of the heating chamber, said housing having side, top, and bottom walls, a closed end and an open end forming an outlet thereof, aperture means formed within said bottom wall, means connecting the interior of said heating chamber with said aperture means whereby hot gases to be exhausted can enter said housing and be discharged from said outlet, and gas flow directing means formed within said housing for urging said hot gases entering therein through said aperture means to flow in a direction toward said exhaust opening, said gas flow directing means including a baffle element extending along the length of said horizontally disposed exhaust manifold housing and extending transversely therein substantially the entire width thereof, said baffle dividing said housing into a cold-air flow passage and a hot-gas flow passage, said baffle including a plurality of spaced apart flutes through which forced air can pass from said cold-air flow passage into said hot-gas flow passage for urging the direction of air flow and hot gases through said housing toward said exhaust opening, and means connected to said housing for supplying a quantity of air under pressure to said cold-air flow passage, whereby the hot gases entering the hot-gas flow passage through said aperture means is urged to said exhaust opening as a result of forced air passing through said flutes from said cold-air flow passage to said hot-gas flow passage.

Claim 13

The equipmEnt for heating asphalt concrete pavement and the like according to claim 10, wherein said open end outlet is turned downwardly and flared laterally to have a width at said outlet greater than the width between said side wall of said housing along the major longitudinal extent thereof.

Claim 14

The equipment for heating asphalt concrete pavement and the like according to claim 10, wherein said baffle element extends the length of said housing and is angularly disposed between said closed end and said outlet to provide a cross-sectional area at said closed end of said hot-gas flow passage which is in the order of about between 15% and 35% the total cross-sectional area within said housing, and to provide a cross-sectional area of said air-flow passage which is in the order of about between 50% and 90% the total area within said exhaust manifold and wherein said baffle is positioned within said housing adjacent said open end forming said outlet to provide a cross-sectional area of said hot-gas passage which is in the order of about between 50% and 90% the total cross-sectional area, and to provide a cross-sectional area of said air-flow passage which is in the order of about 10% and 35% the total cross-sectional area within said housing.

Claim 15

The equipment for heating asphalt concrete pavement and the like according to claim 10, wherein said flute means formed in said baffle element are five in number, said flute means being positioned within said horizontally disposed housing to be located between said plurality of spaced apart aligned apertures forming said aperture means, thereby providing a contoured surface against which hot gas flow from said aligned apertures into said hot-gas flow passage toward said exhaust opening.