Segmented rotor

Claim 2

In a road or soil working machine having a rotor of predetermined width and cutting teeth mounted on the rotor for cutting a strip of corresponding width in a surface, the improvement comprising: the rotor including a shaft, a plurality of segments each having a circular shape and defining together a width equal to said predetermined width, and a plurality of said cutting teeth mounted on each of said segments, said segments including a plurality of subsegments each defining a sector of said circular shape, said rotor further including first means for removably attaching each said subsegment to said shaft, second means for removably attaching each said subsegment to the other subsegment of the same segment, whereby any number of segments can be added to and removed from said shaft without disconnecting said shaft from said road working machine, in order to define a rotor having a width different from said predetermined width, and third means for removably attaching each said rotor segment to adjacent rotor segments.

Claim 3

The road working machine of claim 1, wherein said shaft includes a plurality of radially extending mounting flanges, and said first means comprises means for removably attaching said subsegments to said mounting flanges.

Claim 4

The road working machine of claim 2, wherein said first means and said second means for removably attaching comprise threaded fasteners.

Claim 5

The road working machine of claim 1, wherein said third means for removably attaching comprises connecting elements and threaded fasteners for securing each said connecting element to each of two adjacent rotor segments.

Claim 6

The road working machine of claim 1, wherein one of said rotor segments is a base segment secured at one end of said shaft, said base segment being included in rotors of any selected width, and said first means for removably attaching each said subsegment to said shaft and said second means for removably attaching each said subsegment to the other subsegment of the same segment are accessible only from a side of each said segment distal to said base segment, whereby rotor segments other than said base segment are added to said shaft in series beginning adjacent said base segment and are removed in series from the end of the shaft distal to said base segment.

Claim 7

The road working machine of claim 1, wherein said cutting teeth are removably secured to said rotor segments.

Claim 8

The road working machine of claim 1, wherein the subsegments of each rotor segment define a joint with one another, the joint of each rotor segment being circumferentially spaced from the joints of adjacent rotor segments by 90°.

Claim 9

The road working machine of claim 7, wherein each mounting flange defines an annular pattern of unevenly spaced apertures, said annular pattern repeating at 90° intervals, and a corresponding pattern of apertures on each of said rotor subsegments in alignment with said annular pattern on each said mounting flange, said threaded fasteners being received in said aligned apertures to secure said rotor segments in discrete positions circumferentially offset from one another by 90°.

Claim 10

The road working machine of claim 1, further comprising a cover mounted over said rotor and a baffle being adjustably secured to said cover, said baffle depending from said cover and defining a partition between an end rotor segment and the corresponding end of the rotor to confine loose material to under the rotor segments.

Claim 11

The road working machine of claim 9, wherein said cover includes a plurality of sets of openings spaced axially with respect to said rotor and said baffle includes a set of openings corresponding to any one of the sets of openings in said cover, said cover further including threaded fasteners receivable in said any one set of the openings in the cover and the corresponding set of openings in said baffle to secure said baffle in any one of a plurality of positions spaced axially along said rotor.

Claim 12

The road working machine of claim 10, wherein said cover further includes end walls and an adjustable brace extending between one of said endwalls and said baffle.

Claim 13

In a road or soil working machine having a rotor of predetermined width and cutting teeth mounted on the rotor for cutting a strip of corresponding width in a surface, the improvement comprising: the rotor including a shaft, a plurality of segments each having a circular shape and defining together a width equal to said predetermined width, and a plurality of said cutting teeth mounted on each of said segments, said segments including a plurality of subsegments each defining a sector of said circular shape, said rotor further including first means for removably attaching each said subsegment to said shaft, and second means for removably attaching each said subsegment to the other subsegment of the same segment, whereby any number of segments can be added to and removed from said shaft without disconnecting said shaft from said road working machine, in order to define a rotor having a width different from said predetermined width; said shaft including a plurality of radially extending mounting flanges, and said first means comprising means for removably attaching said subsegments to said mounting flanges, and the road working machine further comprising protection rings removably attached to the mounting flanges to which rotor segments are not attached, said mounting flanges defining a plurality of openings for receiving threaded fasteners, and said protection rings defining a plurality of openings in alignment with the openings of the mounting flanges, and threaded fasteners extending through said aligned openings to secure said protection rings to said mounting flanges, said protection rings extending radially beyond said mounting flanges and comprising a plurality of discrete elements each defining a sector of said protection ring.

Claim 14

In a road or soil working machine having a rotor of predetermined width and cutting teeth mounted on the rotor for cutting a strip of corresponding width in a surface, the improvement comprising: the rotor including a shaft, a plurality of segments each having a circular shape and defining together a width equal to said predetermined width, and a plurality of said cutting teeth mounted on each of said segments, said segments including a plurality of subsegments each defining a sector of said circular shape, said rotor further including first means for removably attaching each said subsegment to said shaft, and second means for removably attaching each said subsegment to the other subsegment of the same segment, whereby any number of segments can be added to and removed from said shaft without disconnecting said shaft from said road working machine, in order to define a rotor having a width different from said predetermined width; said shaft including a plurality of radially extending mounting flanges, and said first means comprising means for removably attaching said subsegments to said mounting flanges, and the road working machine further comprising protection rings removably attached to the mounting flanges to which rotor segments are not attached, said mounting flanges defining a plurality of openings for receiving threaded fasteners, and said protection rings defining a plurality of openings in alignment with the openings of the mounting flanges, and threaded fasteners extending through said aligned openings to secure said protection rings to said mounting flanges, said protection rings extending radially beyond said mounting flanges and comprising a plurality of discrete elements each defining a sector of said protection ring.

Claim 15

The road working machine of claim 12, further comprising third means for removably attaching each said rotor segment to adjacent rotor segments.

Claim 16

In a road or soil working machine having a rotor of predeter:mined width and cutting teeth mounted on the rotor for cutting a strip of corresponding width in a surface, the improvement comprising: the rotor including a shaft, a plurality of segments each having a circular shape and defining together a width equal to said predetermined width, and a plurality of said cutting teeth mounted on each of said segments, said segments including a plurality of subsegments each defining a sector of said circular shape, said rotor further including first means for removably attaching each said subsegment to said shaft, and second means for removably attaching each said subsegment to the other subsegment of the same segment, whereby any number of segments can be added to and removed from said shaft without disconnecting said shaft from said road working machine, in order to define a rotor having a width different from said predetermined width; one of said rotor segments being a base segment secured at one end of said shaft, said base segment being included in rotors of any selected width, and said first means for removably attaching each said subsegment to said shaft and said second means for removably attaching each said subsegment to the other subsegment of the same segment being accessible only from a side of each said segment distal to said base segment, whereby rotor segments other than said base segment are added to said shaft in series beginning adjacent said base segment and are removed in series from the end of the shaft distal to said base segment; each subsegment comprising a semicylindrical shell having an inner surface and an outer surface, a semicircular head disc secured to said inner surface, and a bulkhead plate secured at each end of said semicylindrical shell, each said bulkhead plate abutting a mating bulkhead plate on the other subsegment, said abutting bulkhead plates having aligned apertures, and threaded fasteners received in said aligned apertures to secure said subsegments to one another.

Claim 17

In a road or soil working machine having a rotor of predeter:mined width and cutting teeth mounted on the rotor for cutting a strip of corresponding width in a surface, the improvement comprising: the rotor including a shaft, a plurality of segments each having a circular shape and defining together a width equal to said predetermined width, and a plurality of said cutting teeth mounted on each of said segments, said segments including a plurality of subsegments each defining a sector of said circular shape, said rotor further including first means for removably attaching each said subsegment to said shaft, and second means for removably attaching each said subsegment to the other subsegment of the same segment, whereby any number of segments can be added to and removed from said shaft without disconnecting said shaft from said road working machine, in order to define a rotor having a width different from said predetermined width; one of said rotor segments being a base segment secured at one end of said shaft, said base segment being included in rotors of any selected width, and said first means for removably attaching each said subsegment to said shaft and said second means for removably attaching each said subsegment to the other subsegment of the same segment being accessible only from a side of each said segment distal to said base segment, whereby rotor segments other than said base segment are added to said shaft in series beginning adjacent said base segment and are removed in series from the end of the shaft distal to said base segment; each subsegment comprising a semicylindrical shell having an inner surface and an outer surface, a semicircular head disc secured to said inner surface, and a bulkhead plate secured at each end of said semicylindrical shell, each said bulkhead plate abutting a mating bulkhead plate on the other subsegment, said abutting bulkhead plates having aligned apertures, and threaded fasteners received in said aligned apertures to secure said subsegments to one another.

Claim 18

The road working machine of claim 14, wherein said rotor segments are cylindrical, said rotor segments being contiguous with one another to define a drum.

Claim 19

The road working machine of claim 15, wherein said first means and said second means comprise threaded fasteners.

Claim 20

The road working machine of claim 14, wherein said head disc is positioned between the base end and the distal end of its rotor segment.

Claim 21

The road working machine of claim 14, wherein said head disc is positioned at the base end of its rotor segment, and a flange disc is secured to the inner surface of each semicylindrical shell at the distal end of the rotor segment, said head disc having apertures spaced along an arc and said flange discs having corresponding apertures spaced along an arc and aligned with said apertures in said head disc, and threaded fasteners received in said aligned apertures for securing the flange discs of each rotor segment directly to the head disc of the adjacent rotor segment.

Claim 22

The road working machine of claim 18, wherein the flange disc of each of the rotor segments defines an arcuate female pilot portion and the head disc of each of said rotor segments lying beyond the distal end of the base segment defines an arcuate male pilot portion mating with said arcuate female pilot portion of the adjacent rotor segment, whereby radial support is provided at both ends of the rotor segments.

Claim 23

In a road or soil working machine having a rotor of predetermined width and cutting teeth mounted on the rotor for cutting a strip of corresponding width in a surface, the improvement comprising: the rotor incuding a shaft, a purality of segments each having a circular shape and defining together a width equal to said predetermined width, and a plurality of said cutting teeth mounted on each of said segments, said segments including a plurality of subsegments each defining a sector of said circular shape, said rotor further including first means for removably attaching each said subsegment to said shaft, and second means for removably attaching each said subsegment to the other subsegment of the same segment, whereby any number of segments can be added to and removed from said shaft without disconnecting said shaft from said road working machine, in order to define a rotor having a width different from said predetermined width; the road working machine further comprising end rings secured to said rotor at the axial ends of the rotor in abutment with said rotor segments, said end rings supporting a plurality of cutting teeth, said end ring cutting teeth being positioned circumferentially more closely to one another than the cutting teeth on the rotor segments for more efficient edge cutting.

Claim 24

In a road or soil working machine having a rotor of predetermined width and cutting teeth mounted on the rotor for cutting a strip of corresponding width in a surface, the improvement comprising: the rotor incuding a shaft, a purality of segments each having a circular shape and defining together a width equal to said predetermined width, and a plurality of said cutting teeth mounted on each of said segments, said segments including a plurality of subsegments each defining a sector of said circular shape, said rotor further including first means for removably attaching each said subsegment to said shaft, and second means for removably attaching each said subsegment to the other subsegment of the same segment, whereby any number of segments can be added to and removed from said shaft without disconnecting said shaft from said road working machine, in order to define a rotor having a width different from said predetermined width; the road working machine further comprising end rings secured to said rotor at the axial ends of the rotor in abutment with said rotor segments, said end rings supporting a plurality of cutting teeth, said end ring cutting teeth being positioned circumferentially more closely to one another than the cutting teeth on the rotor segments for more efficient edge cutting.

Claim 25

The road working machine of claim 20, wherein each end ring comprises a pair of semicircular sections.

Claim 26

The road working machine of claim 20, wherein said end rings are secured to said rotor segments.