GB2134165A

GB2134165A - Device for removing bodies e.g. cats' eyes from road surfaces

Info

Publication number: GB2134165A
Application number: GB08402144A
Authority: GB
Inventors: George James
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1983-01-27
Filing date: 1984-01-27
Publication date: 1984-08-08
Also published as: GB8402144D0; GB2134165B

Abstract

The present invention provides a device for removing objects e.g. cats' eyes imbedded in a roadway which device comprises a burner adapted to direct heat onto the roadway to soften the roadway around the object in the roadway; and a member adapted to surround the plan area over which the burner softens the roadway and having a cutting edge adapted to bear against the roadway and to be driven into the roadway so as to form a cut in the surface of the roadway around the object to be removed. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Device for removing bodies from road surfaces The present invention relates to a device for removing objects which have been imbedded into a road surface, notably for the removal of cats eyes.

Often road markings are imbedded into the surface of the road so that they are permanently fixed into the road. Thus, for example, the reflective road markings known as cats eyes are set into the road surface by cutting away a generally rectangular hole in the asphalt/tar macadam road surface layers and bedding the box holding the cats eyes into an asphalt seating within the hole.

However, it is also often necessary to remove such markers from the road during re-surfacing or repair of the roadway. The conventional way of doing this is to cut away the roadway around the box with a pneumatic drill or the like and then to lever the box out of the road. This is a time consuming operation and is expensive. It would be desirable to have a simple method for removing the box without the need to bring a drill and power source on site for each cats eye box to be removed. I have devised such a means.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a device for removing objects embedded in a roadway which device comprises a burner adapted to heat the latter and thereby to soften the roadway around the object in the roadway; and a member adapted to surround the plan area over which the burner softens the roadway and having a cutting edge adapted to bear against the roadway and to be driven into the roadway so as to form a cut in the surface of the roadway around the object to be removed.

The term roadway is used herein to denote in general any surface which is formed from a heat softenable material and includes asphalt surfaces, for example terraces, car parks and pathways, as well as tarmac roads and the like. For convenience, the present invention will be described hereinafter in terms of the removal of cats eyes from a tarmac/asphalt road.

The device of the invention comprises a burner set within a generally rectangular box-like member. The member is formed with a sharpened lower edge which can be driven into the road surface so as to form a groove or cut in the road surface to the desired depth to enable an operator to break out the cats eye box from the road with a minimum of effort.

The burner can be of any suitable type, e.g. a gas, kerosene or oil burner. Preferably, the burner is of the pumped or self pressurising type so that the fuel burns with a hot flame which can be played directly onto the road surface. Typical of such burners is that described and claimed in my co-pending Application No. 2105837.

The burner is sufficiently powerful to cause softening of the road surface to the desired depth in a short period of time, preferably less than 2 minutes. Typically this will require that the burner deliver from 100 to 250 kilowatts of heat per square metre of the area on which it is to play.

The burner will preferably cause a flame to play directly onto the road surface. However, it is within the present invention for the flame not to strike the road surface, but to play wholly or in part onto the rectangular member so as to cause the road surface to be softened by the heat at the edge of the member resting on the surface of the road.

The burner can be fixedly mounted on the boxlike member; or can be separate from the member, so that the burner can be located on a number of different sizes or types of member. If, desired the mounting can incorporate a means which permits adjustment of the distance between the burner orifice and the road surface.

In this way the device can be made to suit a variety of conditions both of road surface materials and also of working conditions, e.g. for wet road surfaces it may be desired to have the flame playing hard onto the road surface, whereas for dry conditions the flame need only lightly play on the road surface. The burner is mounted above the member or adjacent its upper face so as to play onto or into the box-like member which defines the plan perimeter of the area of the road surface to be cut into.

The lower edge of the box-like member conveniently also forms the cutting edge which is to be driven into the road surface. Thus, it is preferred to form the box-like member as an hardened steel rectangular member having a sharpened lower edge forming the cutting edge.

The cutting edge of the box-like member can be formed as a single unit, or more preferably, is formed as a series of chisel-like sections which are mounted within suitable channels in a supporting framework. The chisel-like sections can be individually driven into the road surface, thus reducing the risk of tilting of the box-like member if it should overlie a particularly hard stone or other body within the road.

Preferably, the burner is mounted on a handle by which the device can be manoeuvred with the box-like member as a separate unit which is placed into position around a cats eye and having a top seating into which the burners locates.

Preferably, the handle has the burner pivotably mounted at its extremity so that it can tilt to lie flat upon the bow-like member. It is also preferred that the device be provided with one or more wheels upon which the device can be moved and a throttle control for the burner.

A particularly preferred form of the device of the invention will now be described by way of illustration with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic vertical section through the device; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of the device of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view through a preferred form of the box-like member.

The device comprises a handle 1 having a pressurised paraffin burner 2 located at the lower end of the handle. Generally midway down the handle is mounted a fuel tank 3 incorporating a pressurising pump 4. The pump 4 can be of any suitable type, for example of the manually reciprocated type commonly used in kerosene lamps and the like. Handle 1 is provided with an axle 5 carrying a pair of ground wheels 6 upon which the device can be moved.

The lower face of the burner has a flame guide, typically a cruciform member 7, which protrudes from the burner and serves to locate the burner in an aperture in the upper face of a box-like member 8 which is to be placed on the roadway around the cats eye which is to be removed.

Member 8 comprises a generally rectangular blade member 9 carrying bolted or otherwise affixed to its upper periphery a cap 10 having a generally central aperture 11 therein into which the base of the burner and the flame guide 7 can be located. The lower periphery of member 9 is ground or otherwise formed with a knife edge to form the cutting edge of member 8. If desired, the cutting edge can be provided with one or more sharp protrusions 12 which penetrate the cold roadway to aid location of member 8 before the roadway has been softened enough for the knife edge to be driven in.

As shown in Figure 3, the knife edge is preferably formed as a series of chisels 20 whose shanks 21 are mounted in a series of longitudinal grooves or bores through the cap member 10. If desired, the shanks can be spring loaded so that the chisels retract after being struck downwardly.

In operation, the device of the invention is positioned so that the cats eye to be removed lies substantially centrally within the plan area of the box-like member 8. The burner 2 is located in the aperture in cap 10 and it is ignited or its flame is increased by opening the throttle control so as to give a flame of the desired intensity playing onto the road surface. The flame causes the road surface to become soft and the underlying road te be heated by conduction and to be softened as well. If desired, the heat can be sufficient to burn away some of the upper surface of the road and the surface can be raked off as it is burnt or softened to aid penetration of the heat to the desired depth into the road.

When the desired depth of the road has been softened, usually after about 10 to 60 seconds, the knife-like lower edge to member 9 or the chisels 20 are driven into the road to form a groove around the cats eye box. Typically, this cutting edge of member 9 is driven into the roadway by separate blows in sequence around the perimeter of cap member 10 or on the upper end of the shanks 21 of the chisels. However, the groove can be cut in short sectors spaced around the perimeter. By having member 8 formed as a series of individual chisels 20, problems due to tilting of the device as one side of a unitary member 8 penetrates the road are reduced. In some cases the road may be sufficiently soft for the weight of the device to be enough to cause the cutting edges of the member 8 to sink into the road surface to the desired extent without the need to apply extra force.

When the groove or cut around the cats eye box has been cut by driving the member 8 into the road surface to the desired extent, the device is removed and the box can then be prised out of the road with only minor effort.

By forming the box-like member 8 separate from the burner, it is possible to remove the burner and move it to the next object to be removed, leaving member 8 in position. Member 8 retains heat and maintains the roadway in a soft condition until an operator can remove the object from the roadway. This gives greater flexibility in operation and extends the timer interval between softening the roadway with the burner and the time when the object must be removed before the roadway cools and re-hardens.

The device of the invention enables cats eye boxes and other objects imbedded in a road surface to be removed rapidly and simply without the need to use noisy and cumbersome pneumatic drills which require compressors and towing vehicles to support them. Furthermore, it is possible for one person to use the device to cut the groove around the cats eye box. A second person can then prise the box out of the road at a later time, whilst the first man moves on to the next box to be removed, thus speeding up the removal of the boxes. Also, the device of the invention removes only a marginal amount of material from the road around the box, aiding replacement of the box after road re-surfacing, as compared to drilling methods where a significant area of the road around each box is removed and has to be made good.

The invention thus provides a method for removing objects imbedded in a roadway, which method comprises heating up the roadway around the object using a device of the invention; cutting a groove in the heated roadway by causing the lower cutting edge of the rectangular member to penetrate into the roadway; and removing the object.

Whilst the invention has been described above in terms of the removal of objects already imbedded in the roadway, it can also be applied to cutting out a recess in the roadway into which the object can then be fitted. In this case the device of the invention cuts the recess at the intended location of the object, e.g. the cats eye. Since the device can be sized so that it cuts away only just sufficient material to accommodate the object, the object can be bedded directly into an asphalt seat within the recess and little or no making good of the roadway is required.

Claims

1. A device for removing objects imbedded in a roadway which device comprises a burner adapted to heat the roadway to soften the latter around the object therein; and a member adapted to surround the plan area over which the burner softens the roadway and having a cutting edge adapted to bear against the roadway and to be driven into the roadway so as to form a cut in the surface of the roadway around the object to be removed.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the burner delivers from 100 to 250 kilowatts of heat per square metre of the area on which it is to play.

3. A device as claimed in either of claims 1 or 2 wherein the burner is adapted to play wholly or in part onto the surrounding member so as to cause the road surface to be softened by conduction of heat via the edge of the member.

4. A device as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the surrounding member is formed as a box-like member having a sharpened lower edge forming the cutting edge.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4 wherein the cutting edge of the box-like member is formed as a series of chisel-like sections which are mounted within suitable channels in a supporting framework.

6. A device as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the burner is that claimed in my co-pending Application No. 2105837.

7. A device as claimed in any of the preceding claims substantially as hereinbefore described with respect and as shown in any one of the accompanying drawings.

8. A method for removing an object imedded in a roadway, which method comprises heating up the roadway around the object using a device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims; cutting a groove in the heated roadway by causing the lower cutting edge of the surrounding member to penetrate into the roadway; and removing the object.