Loads on cutter teeth for removing asphalt pavement

Abstract

Machines and equipment for asphalt pavement milling are widely used throughout the world. With the growth of road construction, the demand for this class of machinery also rises. At the same time, the optimization of design and technological parameters of the milling machines is impossible without a comprehensive study of processes of milling asphalt concrete with the working elements of a cutter. The article provides a brief overview of different approaches to find out the loads on the working bodies of various machines, as well as indicates the advantages and disadvantages of these approaches. We describe the design of a pendulum stand used to study the processes of milling asphalt concrete with a single tooth cutter. We also describe the method of operation of such a stand. The design of the pendulum stand allows us to determine the cutting work, the average, and the instantaneous cutting forces. The work also provides the result of tests of cutting elements during their interaction with samples of asphalt concrete of different grades that are widely used in road construction. We also show the non-linear dependence of cutting resistance forces on the temperature and thickness of penetration of a cutting element. It is noted that working with a slight tooth penetration leads to low energy efficiency of the work process. It is also noted that temperature affects cutting resistance forces significantly less in asphalt concrete containing high amount of gravel.