6-Bit Hydraulic Manifold and Its Use in Spreading Salt
Disclosed is a system for precisely controlling distribution of saline, which employs a 6-bit manifold employing 6 solenoid valves for controlling the flow of hydraulic fluid therethrough. The manifold is in hydraulic fluid communication with motor valves. A mathematical formula or a lookup table determines the amount of saline distributed. The system is devoid of feedback. The 6-bit manifold can be employed on a salt spreader vehicle for controlling an improved flighted auger assembly for distributing granular salt from the rear of a salt spreader vehicle. The auger assembly has 3-stages of increasing diameter flights. The largest flight is at a discharge end of the auger assembly. A choke surrounds the ultimate auger flight at the auger assembly discharge end. The space between the choke and the ultimate flight is between about ⅛ and ¼ inch.
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STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCHNot applicable.
BACKGROUNDThe present disclosure relates to roadway snow and ice control and more particularly to a system that employs a six-bit hydraulic manifold onboard a dump truck and in a stationary brine control assembly.
A variety of commercial proposals involve spreading granular salt, brine, or brined salt on roadways for snow and ice control. Such proposals include, for example, U.S. Patents Nos. Re 33,835, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,318,226, 5,988,535, 6,446,879, and 7,108,196. A related proposal for making brine is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,736,153.
Despite such advances in this art, inconsistence in salt spreader output from the dump truck, auger bypass, and inaccurate reporting of salt usage still exist. Considering that in a moderately severe winter, salt usage by the State of Ohio, for example, could exceed $100,000,000 annually, there is a strong drive to improve such salt roadway distribution.
One method to decrease salt usage would be to enable salt spreader trucks to place light loads (say, 100 to 200 pounds/mile). Right now minimum accurate salt usage ranges from about 400 pounds/mile on up to 1,000 pounds/mile or more.
Of course, additional improvements in the salt spreading operation could save additional governmental funds, as well as more reliably spread salt and brined salt on roadways for ice and snow control.
It is to such improvements that the present disclosure is addressed.
BRIEF SUMMARYDisclosed is a system for precisely controlling distribution of saline, which employs a 6-bit manifold employing 6 solenoid valves for controlling the flow of hydraulic fluid therethrough. The manifold is in hydraulic fluid communication with motor valves. A mathematical formula or a lookup table determines the amount of saline distributed. The system is devoid of feedback. The 6-bit manifold can be employed on a salt spreader vehicle for controlling an improved flighted auger assembly for distributing granular salt from the rear of a salt spreader vehicle. The auger assembly has 3-stages of increasing diameter flights. The largest flight is at a discharge end of the auger assembly. A choke surrounds the ultimate auger flight at the auger assembly discharge end. The space between the choke and the ultimate flight is between about ⅛ and ¼ inch.
For a fuller understanding of the nature and advantages of the present method and process, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The drawings will be described in greater detail below.
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONAs disclosed above, the ability to dispense salt in finer quantities is one way to reduce unnecessary use/consumption of salt in connection with the formation of brine and the dispensing on roadways of salt, brine, and brined salt. The six-bit manifold disclosed herein is a component that achieves such reduced salt consumption, along with additional features disclosed herein.
Referring initially to
Housed within building area, 26, as indicated by the dashed line, is the brining complex, such as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,736,153. Components include a brine/vegetable matter tank, 28 (BEET), recycle tank (RECYC), 30, calcium chloride tank, 32 (CaCl), blend tank, 34 (BLEND), a first brine tank, 36 (BRINE), a second brine tank, 38 (BRINE), a brine maker, 40, a semi fill hose, 42, and truck fill hose, 44. Each of the tanks 28-38 are 10,000 gallon tanks made of and/or lined with material resistant to corrosion by salt and brine.
Referring now to the piping schematic in
BEET tank 28 also has a positive displacement pump, 60, powered by a hydraulic motor, 62, running to a bypass valve, 64, having a recirculation line indicated by the dotted line and also running through a check valve, 66, into mixer tube 58. In similar fashion, CaCl tank 32 also has a positive displacement pump, 68, powered by a hydraulic motor, 70, running to a bypass valve, 72, having a recirculation line indicated by the dotted line and also running through a check valve, 74, into mixer tube 58.
The flow exiting mixer tube 58 runs through a valve, 76, which has a flow back through a check valve, 78, into blend tank 34 and a flow running through a check valve, 80, to another tee, 82, and into truck fill hose 44. The material in blend tank 34 flows through a check valve, 84, into tee 82 and onward to truck fill hose 44.
Material in brine tank 38 can be pumped by a pump, 86, through a check valve, 88, and into a tee, 90, to truck fill hose 44. Alternatively, material in brine tank 38 can be pumped by a high volume pump, 92, and into semi fill hose 42.
Referring now to
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Referring to
Referring to
Referring now to
Referring now to a 6-bit hydraulic manifold, 116, six-solenoid controlled orifices of different size are shown. In particular, a solenoid, 118, uses a suitably sized orifice for a 0.25 gpm (gallon per minute) flow; a solenoid, 120, uses a suitably sized orifice for a 0.5 gpm (gallon per minute) flow; a solenoid, 122, uses a suitably sized orifice for a 1.0 gpm (gallon per minute) flow; a solenoid, 124, uses a suitably sized orifice for a 2.0 gpm (gallon per minute) flow; a solenoid, 126, uses a suitably sized orifice for a 4.0 gpm (gallon per minute) flow; and a solenoid, 128, uses a suitably sized orifice for a 8.0 gpm (gallon per minute) flow. Manifolds 130 and 132 are identical to manifold 116. Manifold 116 controls the BEET tank; manifold 130 controls the CaCl tank; and manifold 132 controls the Brine tank 38.
Associated with manifold 116 is a compensator, 134, functioning to provide a constant speed or pressure drop for motor 62 BEET tank 28. Compensators 136 and 138 generally provide the same function as compensator 134 for CaCl tank motor 70 and the brine tank motors 50 and 52, respectively. Operator input for the mixing of concentration in BEET tank 28 is at pump 60; pump 58 for CaCl tank 32, and pumps 46/48 controlled by valve 140 and manifold 132 for brine tanks 36, 38. Operator input for motor 85 of pump 86 is through valve 142 (truck fill brine only) and motor 91 of pump 92 through valve 44 (semi fill), and motor 109 of pump 110 through valve 146 (stir blend tank or truck fill from blend tank) and motor 113 of pump 114 through valve 148 (stir BEET tank).
Referring now to
When the operator rotates knob 170 to select “mix”, operation proceeds to block 184 where the operator pulls knob 174 “on”. Operation proceeds to box 186 where the computer selects the current mix recipe. Operation then proceeds to box 188 where the pumps 46, 48, 60, and 68 are activated to begin delivery of product. At box 190, the operator pushes knob 174 in to stop delivery of product. Operation then ends at box 192.
When the operator rotates knob 170 to select “brine”, operation proceeds to block 194 where the operator pulls knob 174 “on”. Operation proceeds to box 196 where the computer selects brine only pump 86. Operation then proceeds to box 198 where pump 86 is activated to begin delivery of product. At box 200, the operator pushes knob 174 in to stop delivery of product. Operation then ends at box 202. Referring now to
The computer retains a formula in memory for calculating/determining the combination of each aperture to be open/closed by their respective solenoid valves. As an example of such calculations for Brine and CaCl, the following is given:
AG_GPM=0.356*AG_SET
CALC_GPM=0.356*CALC_SET
BRINE_GPM=0.712*BRINE_SET
TOTAL_GPM=AG_GPM+CALC_GPM+BRINE_GPM
AG_%−(AG_GPM/TOTALGPM)*100
CALC_%=(CALC_GPM/TOTALGPM)*100
BRINE_%=(BRINE_GPM/TOTALGPM)*100
Referring now to
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Referring to
Unlike the plant 6-bit manifold, the truck 6-bit manifold uses a lookup table, an example of which is given in
Referring to
The circuit power supply is represented at block 286. This power supply, providing two levels of power, distributes such levels where required as represented at arrow 288. Supply 286 is activated from the switch inputs of truck control panel (
While the device and method have been described with reference to various embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope and essence of the disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but that the disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. In this application all units are in the metric system and all amounts and percentages are by weight, unless otherwise expressly indicated. Also, all citations referred herein are expressly incorporated herein by reference.
Claims
1. A system for precisely controlling distribution of saline, which comprises:
- a 6-bit manifold comprising 6 solenoid valves for controlling the flow of hydraulic fluid therethrough, said manifold in hydraulic fluid communication with motor valves for controlling the distribution of saline in the form of one or more of granular salt or brine, the amount of saline distributed being determined by a mathematical formula or a lookup table, said system devoid of feedback.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein said 6-bit manifold has apertures sized for controlling ¼, ½, 1, 2, 4, and 8 GPM of saline delivery.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein said 6-bit manifold controls between about 100 and 1000 pounds/mile of saline delivery.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein said 6-bit manifold uses a lookup table or formula for determining the delivery of saline.
5. The system of claim 1 mounted in a saline delivery vehicle.
6. The system of claim 5 in combination with an improved flighted auger for distributing granular salt from the rear of a salt spreader truck, which comprises:
- (a) said auger having 3-stages of increasing diameter flights, the largest flight being at a discharge end of said auger; and
- (b) a choke surrounding said ultimate auger flight at the auger discharge end, space between said choke and said ultimate flight being between about ⅛ and ¼ inch.
7. Method for precisely controlling distribution of saline from a vehicle, which comprises:
- controlling from said vehicle the distribution of saline in the form of one or more of granular salt or brine with a 6-bit manifold comprising 6 solenoid valves for controlling the flow of hydraulic fluid therethrough, said manifold in hydraulic fluid communication with motor valves for controlling the distribution of saline in the form of one or more of granular salt or brine, the amount of saline distributed being determined by a mathematical formula or a lookup table, said system devoid of feedback.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein said delivery of saline is controlled by said 6-bit manifold having apertures sized for controlling ¼, ½, 1, 2, 4, and 8 GPM of saline delivery.
9. The method of claim 7, wherein said delivery of saline controlled by said 6-bit manifold ranges between about 100 and 1000 pounds/mile of saline delivery.
10. The method of claim 7, wherein a lookup table or formula is used by said 6-bit manifold for determining the delivery of saline.
11. An improved flighted auger assembly for distributing granular salt from the rear of a salt spreader vehicle, which comprises:
- (a) said auger assembly having 3-stages of increasing diameter flights, the largest flight being at a discharge end of said auger; and
- (b) a choke surrounding said ultimate auger flight at the auger assembly discharge end, space between said choke and said ultimate flight being between about ⅛ and ¼ inch.
12. The improved flighted auger assembly of claim 11, wherein said salt spreader vehicle has a bed for storage of granular salt and said bed is fitted with a vibrator for urging granular salt into said auger assembly.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 22, 2013
Publication Date: Feb 26, 2015
Applicant: H.Y.O., Inc (Columbus, OH)
Inventors: James A. Kime (Columbus, OH), Jack L. Kime (Columbus, OH)
Application Number: 13/972,978
International Classification: E01H 10/00 (20060101);