Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
~045487
This invention relates J~nerally to surface
heaters and dryers, and ~ore particularly, to an apparatus
for melting snow and ice. The apparatus also is useful in
many other applications wherein heat is required.
Many different types of apparatus are known in
the prior art for removal of snow and ice from ground sur-
faces and the like, and various types of prior art devices
or apparatus utilize heat for melting snow and ice.
However, such prior art devices are not wholly satisfactory
due to the complexity of construction of some such devices
and the corresponding expense in manufacturing them and in
operating the devices to melt snow and ice, and further,
such prior art devices either are not capable of heating
and drying a large enough surface area at a time or must
be operated at such a slow speed as to render them imprac-
tical and unsuitable for their intended use. Still further,
such prior art devices are limited for use in the environ-
ment for which they are particularly designed, and they are
not suitable for use in other applications wherein heat is
required.
For exampl2, some prior art devices have chambers
lined with refractory material for retaining heat, while
others have relatively small discharge areas for heat,
and still others utilize such elements as electrical resis-
tance means or heat lamps and the like for producing the
desired heat.
-These devices are limited by their construction
and design as to the amount of heat they are capable of pro-
ducing, and further, in some prior art devices wherein flame
is applied directly to the surface to be treated, they are
not suitable for use except in very limited circumstances.
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The provision of some economical, reliable st-uc-
ture ~or removing snow and ice from ground surfaces is
highly desirable, since methods currently used are exceed-
ingly expensive and damaging to the environment. For
example, the most commonly used method of removing snow
and ice from surfaces such as roadways, parking lots, air-
port runways and the like is to apply salt to the surface
and/or to plow the surface with large, expensive snow plows
and blowers. The use of salt is not only very expensive,
being in the neighborhood of about $25.00 to $30.00 per
mile per application, but is also not very effective in
removing snow and ice, since frequently the salt is applied
during hours of darkness and substantial melting of the
snow and ice does not occur until the sun shines on the
surface the following day. Moreover, the salt applied to
the surface is destructive to the surface itself, and re-
sults in considerable flaking and breaking up of road
surfaces during the winter months, and also damages or
destroys vegetation adjacent the surface, and the salt
even finds its way into water supplies and the like.
Prior art devices of the type which utilize heat
to melt the snow and ice are not capable of generating
sufficient heat to effectively remove the snow and ice, as
pointed out above, and are, therefore, not suitable for
removing snow and ice from highways or airport runways and
the like, where large areas must be cleaned in relatively
short periods of time.
Accordingly, the application of salt to the sur-
face and the use of snow plows and blowers are almost
gniversally relied upon, notwithstanding the recognized
drawbacks and deficiencies. For example, snow plows and
blowers do not remove all of the snow and ice from a
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5487
surface, and a thin layer OL 1~4 to l/2 inch or more of snow
andice is left on a surface after a snow plow or bl~-,7er is
used thereon.
Irhe present invention not only solves the above
problems very effectively and economically, but also solves
other long standing problems in many other fields.
For example, in the construction industry, many
millions of dollars and thousands of man hours have been lost,
in addition to long construction delays, due to inclement
weather conditions which require that construction on high-
ways, buildings and the like be halted. As one example, in
the construction of highways when asphalt is being laid the
surface must be dry, and if even a small drizzle or light
rain occurs and the surface is wetted, asphalt cannot be laid
until the sun dries the surface. If this occurs when one or
more trucks loaded with asphalt on the way to the job site
or are already at the job site, the asphalt cannot be laid on
the wet surface and is generally disposed of at a great cost
to the construction company, and ultimately to the public.
With the present invention, the heater and dryer could be run
along the surface and would thoroughly dry the surface, even
during a light rain to permit the asphalt to be immediately
laid down, or even in the event of a heavy rain, the dryer of
the present invention could be run across the surface and
would dry the surface in a matter of minutes, thereby enabling
asphalt to be laid on the surface. Moreover, asphalt highways
are generally constructed by first laying down a surface of
asphalt and then placing oil on the surface and thereafter
applying some sort of bonding material, such as sand and the
like to the oil, after which another coat of blacktop or
asphalt is laid. If the present invention is used, it can be
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lU45487
run over the first layer of asphalt ~rawing oil to the sur-
face and softening the first layer, thereby enabling a sub~
sequent layer of asphalt or blacktop to be placed directly
on the first layer without the use of a bonding material or
the like.
Moreover, in the construction of buildings and the
like, if a rain occurs, access roads to the construction site
become muddy and inaccessible to heavy equipment and trucks,
such as concrete trucks and the like, and construction delays
are experienced while waiting for the access roadways to dry.
The heater and dryer according to the present invention can
be driven over these access roads after heavy rainfalls and
will dry and bake the access roads to a dry, hard condition
in a matter of minutes, thus avoiding costly and time^
consuming construction delays.
Similar results can be achieved in the agricultur-
al industry, wherein the heater and dryer according to the
present invention can be run over fields to remove moisture
therefrom and prepare them for harvesting of crops and the
like, or the heater and dryer of the present invention can
even be used to burn off weeds and insects and the like from
field crops and is particularly applicable in the tobacco
industry. Additionally, the present invention can be used
to make fire breaks and the like.
F~rther, in the roofing industry construction
personnel must wait until a roof surface is dry before apply-
ing various materials thereto. For example, a dew must be
permitted to dry in the morning before the roof can be worked
on, or in the winter months, frost, snow, rain and the like
makes it impossible to work on a roof. With the present in-
vention, a small unit can be placed on a roof and run over
the surface thereof to dry frost, snow, rain, dew or the like
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1045487
in a matter of minutes, thus enabling const~uction to pro~
ceed without delay.
Still further, in citrus groves and the like crop
growers use smudge pots and the like to warm the temperature
of the air to prevent freezing and damaging of crops, and
these smudge pots are only partially effective, whereas with
the present invention a heater and dryer can be run up and
down the rows of citrus trees or the like, discharging heated
air and thereby effectively warming the atmosphere to prevent
damage to the crops.
Still further, blacktop roads experience what is
known as dry rot, wherein the oil in the material of the
road settles and the surface becomes crumbly and dry. A
heater and dryer in accordance with the present invention can
be run over such blacktop roads, and the heat will ~ring the ,
oil back to the surface and restore the roadway to a like new
condition.
Similar results are obtained on concrete airport
runways having expansion joints therein. Such runways in the
past have been subject to damage due to moisture entering the
expansion joints and then freezing and forcing the tar and
the like in the joints to the surface where it is broken up,
and large amounts of money must be expended to restore or
replace these expansion joints. With the present invention,
the heater and dryer can be run across such runways, parti-
cularly at the expansion join~s, and the temperature or heat
will soften the tar in the expansion joints and cause it to
flow into the joints, restoring them to a condition at least
as good as new, and in some cases even better than the joints
as originally applied.
Other uses of the invention are in sports, wherein
the heater and dryer could be run over playing fields to dry
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~0459~87
them and prepare them for the per~ormance of an athletic event
thereon, or on race tracks, whether ~hey be for horse racing
or automobile racing, to dry and prepare the sur~ace.
In accordance with the present invention, there is
provided a surface heater and dryer, comprising: a housing
having an upper air intake portion; an air heating portion
connected to the air intake portion to receive air thererom;
and a lower, air discharge shroud portion, blower means mounted
in the air intake portion for drawing atmospheric air into the
housing and discharging it into the air heating portion;
burner means mounted in the air heating portion for heating
the air forced therethrough; air bypass vane means in the
housing adjacent the burner and located to be in operative
relationship relative to that burner, such that when the vane
means is closed, the air from the blower is forced through the
burner, and when the vane means is open, a portion of the air
is caused to flow in bypassing relationship to the burner;
fuel vaporizer tubes connected to and between a source of
liquid fuel and the burner and disposed between the burner
and air discharge shroud portion, such that liquid fuel
flowing through the vaporizer tubes is vaporized by the heat
from the burner prior to the fuel being fed to the burner to
thus increase the temperature output of the burner; movable
vapor control means operatively associated with the vaporizer
tubes and having a plurality of positions to control the
passage of heated air over the tubes, whereby in one position
thereof the amount of fuel vaporized is reduced, and in another
position thereof the amount of vaporization of the fuel is
increased; and the shroud portion including a forwardly ex-
tending portion extending beneath the air intake portion and
having a forwardly facing air discharge opening and an open
bottom, such that air heated by the burner is discharged both
in a forward direction and in a downward direction against
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1(~45487
the surface to be heated and dried.
In use, the device of the present invention not
only melts the snow and ice, but evaporates the moisture,
leaving the surface dry. This result also makes the device
very effective in evaporating moisture and drying the surface
after a rainfall, or where the surface has been wetted due to
other causes.
Also, the design of the device is such that heate~
saturated air is discharged, thus utilizing the device with
maximum efficiency. Further, a suitable hydrocarbon fuel is
used in the device, such as gasoline, diesel fuel, propane
or butane, and the like. In a preferred embodiment, propane
is used.
Accordingly, the present invention not only has
great utility as a snow melter and dryer, wherein savings of
up to 99% can be realized, but also has great usefulness in
many other applications, such as those enumerated above.
The invention is described further, by way of illus-
tration, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a single
heater and dryer unit according to a first form of the
invention, shown in position on the front end of a truck;
Figure Z is a front perspective view similar to
Figure 1 of a plurality of single units according to a second
form of the invention connected together in side-by-side
relationship;
Figure 3 is a rear perspective view of one of the
units of Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a rear perspective view of the multiple
units of Figure 2, and showing a portion of the mounting
apparatus and fuel control means therefor;
Figure 5 is a somewhat diagrammatic view in eleva-
tion of a unit such as shown in Figure 1 and with a plurality
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~0~4~7
of hood ext~rsions on the front thereof;
Figure 6 is a view i.n section taken along line6-6 in Figure 5;
Figure 7 is a view taken along line 7-7 in Figure
5;
Figure 8 is a longitudinal, vertical, sectional
view of the heater and dryer of Figur~ 5;
Figure 8A is a sectional view taken along line
8A-8A of Figure 8, showing the brace member for the extensions;
Figure 9 is a perspective view of the vaporizer
tubes and control vanes therefor as used in the device herein;
Figure 10 is a perspective view of that portion
of the mounting structure for the heater and dryer which
mounts to the front of a truck or other vehicle, and showing
the hydraulic ram thereof in a lowered position;
Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 10, with
the hydraulic ram in an extended position to elevate the
heater and dryer carried thereby;
; Figure 12 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional
view of a portion of the apparatus, showing the arrangement
of blower, control vanes, and burner; and
: Figure 13 is a perspective view of the mounting
structure for the heater and dryer of the invention.
In the drawings, wherein like reference numerals
indicate like parts throughout the several views, a first and
preferred form of heater and dryer unit 10 in accordance with
the invention is shown in Figure 1 mounted to the front of
a suitable vehicle, such as a truck T or the llke, by means
of suitable, articulated mounting means or structure M.
Referring also to Figures 5 to 8 and 12, details of con-
struction of the preferred form of the invention are clearly
seen. The heater and dryer uni.t 10 comprises a housing 11 of
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1045487
sheet metal or other suitab]e, sufficiently rigid sheet
material, having an upwardly and fo~Jardly disposed intake
portion 12 with an inlet opening 13 through the bottom there-
of for intake of ambient air. A suitable blower means 14,
preferably of the centrifugal type and one suitable e~ample
of which is available from Loren Cook Company of Canada,
Catalogue No. 15M17D, having a capacity of 2,750 or more
cubic feet pe~r minute, is used to draw air in through inlet
13 and force the air through an intermediate duct portion 15
and into a heater portion 16. The blower operates at a sub-
stantially constant velocity and power for the blower motors
is furnished by either an engine driven hydraulic pump or an
electric generator carried by the propelling vehicle. The
duct portion 15 has a plurality of guide vanes 17 therein for
guiding the air discharged from the blower 14 smoothly and
efficiently around the bend in the duct portion 15 to direct
the air over a suitable heater 18 mounted within the heater
portion 16 of the housing. The heater 18 is preferably of the
type which burns propane and one suitable model thereof is a
TAH Burner, Catalogue No. 320TAH by Eclipse Inc. of Rockford,
Illinois. This burner is a low pressure burner and has a
capacity of 3,200,000 BTU per hour, and air heated thereby is
discharged into a shroud or hood portion 19 of the housing.
The burners are ignited and controlled from an electronic
control panel in the cab of the propelling vehicle, and this
panel (not shown) monitors and provides a safety control over
the burners. The burners are operated from llOV power from
an engine driven generator of the propelling vehicle. The
heater 18 is of a smaller cross-sectional configuration than
the heater section 16 of the housing, and air bypass passages
20 and 21 are thus provided at opposite sides of the heater 18.
Suitable air bypass control vanes or directional vanes 22 and
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10~5~87
23 are pivotally mount~d at the entrance to the hypass passages
20 and 21 for controlling the amount of air passiny through
the burner 18 and thus for controlling the length of flame
from the burner. Thus with the bypass vanes 22 and 23 closed,
as shown in Figure 5, for example, all of the air discharged
from the blower 14 passes through the burner 18 and is heated
thereby and the flame is at its maximum length, and if a lower
temperature of the air discharged from the unit 10 and shorter
flame is desired, the vanes 22 and 23 are pivoted to their
open position, as seen in Figure 12, so that a portion of the
air discharged from blower 14 goes through the passages 20
and 21 in bypassing relationship to the heater 18. Any
suitable control means, not shown, for effecting opening and
closing of the vanes 22 and 23 may be provided, such as
hydraulic, electrical or mechanical means.
For further controlling the degree to which the
air is heated by the burner 18, a plurality of fuel vaporizing
tubes 24 in the form of a loop are provided adjacent the dis-
charge from the burner 18, and liquid fuel supplied from a
suitable source carried in a tank on the truck T, for example,
is vaporized by the heat from the burner 18 and then fed to
the burner, thereby increasing the efficiency and temperature
output of the burner. In order to control the degree o~
vaporization of the fuel and thus to control the temperature
output of the burner, a plurality of vapor control vanes 25
and 26 are pivotally disposed adjacent the vaporizer tubes
24 for pivotal movement into a closed position in overlying
relationship to the vaporizer tubes and to an open position
pivoted away from the vaporizer tubes. In the closed posi-
tion, the vapor control vanes 25 and 26 shield the vaporizer
tubes from the heated air discharged from the burner, so that
the liquid fuel is not heated and vaporized to the same extent
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104548~
as it is when the vanes 25 and Z6 are open, thus ~.ermitting
the heated air from the burner to pass over the vaporizer
tubes. Any suitable means for controlling pivotal action of
the vapor shields or vanes 25 and 2~ may be provided, such as
hydraulic, electrical or mechanical means (not shown). qhe
vanes 25 and 26 are carried by elongate, pivotal rods 27
covered with suitable heat insulation to prevent warping of
the rods when they are heated.
A pair of sliding profile plates 28 and 29 are
provided at opposite sides of the burner housing portion 16,
immediately below the burner 18 and above vanes 25 and 26.
With regard to the blowers and heaters, more than
one unit of each can be used in each unit of the device, if
desired, in order to obtain greater control of temperature
and air flow.
The inside of the heater section 16 of the housing
is lined with a suitable insulating material 30, preferably
having a thickness of about 1-1/4 inches on all sides of the
housing, and this insulation extends downwardly into the dis-
charge hood or shroud 19. The insulation can be of any
suitable type and thickness to withs~and temperatures of
from about 2600F to about 3000F. As seen in Figure 8, a
curved plate 31 is fixed in the lower rear portion of discharge
housing 19, and the insulation 32 curves forwardly and down-
wardly in overlying relationship to the plate 31 to effect
a smooth transition and discharge of air from the shroud. The
curve~ plate 31 and other metal structure of the device in
the lower rearmost section thereof is preferably made of
stainless steel to withstand the high temperature in this
area. Further, the discharge hood or shroud 19 extends for-
wardly below and beyond the intake portion 12 of the housing
and has a downwardly and forwardly sloping upper wall 33. A
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1~4S487
suitable support lor the insulation, such as a wire mesh
screen 34 or the like, is supported ln the housing in spaced
relation below the upper wall 33, and insulation 35 is
secured thereon and a dead air space 36 is defined between
the screen 34 and wall 33. Thus, although the temperature
may reach as much as 230~F or more within the housing por-
tion 19, the wall 33 is not hot to the touch. A recircula-
ting damper or vane 37 is pivotally secured in the sloping
upper wall 33 over an opening 38 therethrough, and is opera-
ted between its open and closed positions by any suitable
means to control the recirculation of heated air through
the opening 38 and to the intake opening 13 for the blower
14. A wire mesh screen 39 is secured over the opening 13
in the intake housing 12 for preventing entry of debris and
the like into the blower 14. Heated air from the heater 18
is thus confined within the shroud 19 and is discharged
through the open bottom thereof over a relatively large sur-
face area, and the forward end of the shroud is open at 40
such that the heated air is also discharged in a forward
direction from the shroud and in use, when the heater and
dryer unit 10 is moved along a surface for melting snow and
ice and the like, the heated air discharged through the ~or-
ward end 40 melts the snow and ice in advance of the path
of movement of the heater and dryer unit, and as the heater
and dryer unit moves onto the area of melted snow and ice,
the water therefrom is evaporated and dried by the heated
air discharged beneath the shroud 19. Of course, circum-
stances may occur wherein the snow and/or ice is at a depth
such that the forwardly discharged heated air will not melt
all of it, and the balance of this snow and ice is, therefore,
melted when the heater and dryer unit is positioned thereover
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1C~45487
during cont nued advancelnent of the unit along the surface.
The amount of moisture left upon the surface can be controlled
by the adjustment of forward speed or by varying the tempera-
ture from the burners~ Further, melting and drying is accom-
plished by heated air and there is no contact of flame on the
surface being treated.
A slightly modified heater and dryer unit 10' is
- illustrated in Figure 3, and this form of the invention is
substantially identical to that previously described, except
that rather than having the air intake opening 13 thereof
disposed horizontally, the air intake is angularly disposed
at 13'. In all other respects, this form of the invention
is identical to that previously described.
Also seen in this Figure is a portion of the con-
trol manifold 41 for supplying and controlling the flow of
fuel to the burner 18, and a pressure regulator 42 is con-
nected in the manifold for regulating the pressure of fuel
supplied to the burner to a sufficiently low value, typically
measured in ounces, for proper operation of the low pressure
burner.
The mounting means M for mounting either of the
units 10 or 10' to the front of a vehicle, such as truck T
or the like, includes a pair of channels 43 and 44 secured
to opposite sides of the shroud 19 and extending longitudin-
ally thereof for receiving a pair of longitudinally extending
arms 45 and 46 on a lift structure or carriage 47 secured to
the vehicle T. A pair of links or bars 48 and 49 are pivot-
ally connected to the arms 45 and 46 and extend rearwardly
therefrom and are connected to a portion of the vehicle on
which the unit is carried, and a pair of chains or similar
means 50 and 51 are attached at one end to the housing 11 at
an upper portion thereof and are extended rearwardly and con-
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1()4548,~
nected to the vehicle to prevent forward tilting of the unit.
If desired, a vertically extending post 52 may be fixedly
connected ~ith the cross-piece attached to the arms 45 and
46, and a hydraulic lift mechanism 53 connected therewith
for raising and lowering the unit as desired.
Each of the units 10 and 10' is approximately six
feet long from the front to the back thereof and three feet
wide, and the unit 10 is approximately four feet high,
whereas the unit 10' is slightly higher, due to the inclined
air intake 13'. Moreover, with both of the units disclosed,
the flame does not touch the surface, but extends not closer
than about 1-1/2 inches above the surface such as the ground
or the like. In fact, looking at Figure 12, when the device
is operating to produce a temperature of about 2000~F, the
length of flame is from about 24 to 28 inches, and the dis-
tance from the burner to the area at 32 must be on the order
of 32 inches to prevent flame contact with the ground.
A plurality of the units 10' are assembled together
in side-by-side relationship in Figure 2 to form a unit or
assembly 54 approximately twelve feet wide and six feet long.
The individual units 10' comprising the multiple unit 54 are
all substantially identically constructed, and are identical
in construction and operation to the single units previously
described, with the exception that channel members 44' and
45' are provided only on the outside edges of the endmost
units in the assembly.
Further, as seen in Figure 4, fuel inlet manifolds
55 and 56 are connected with the backs of the units 10' in
the assembly 54, and the upper manifold 55 is connected
through a conduit 57 with a source of vaporized fuel, while
the lower manifold 56 is connected through a conduit 58 with
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1~454~37
a source of liquid fuel. The vapor and liquid masifolds are
connected by conduit Means 59 having solenoid valves 60 and
Zl therein for controlling the flow of vapor and liquid fuel,
respectively, and a pressure regulator 62 is connected in
pipe or conduit 59 between the valves and the respective
burner to regulate the pressure of fuel supplied to the
burner. Each of the manifolds is connected with a respec-
tive pop-off valve 63 and 64.
Further, as seen in Figure 2, a temperature probe
or thermostat 65 is connected through the upper wall 33 of
each of the units 10'. When an assembly of units is pro-
vided as in this figure, if one of the three foot units
fails to operate, the remaining units will continue to func-
tion, since they all are provided with separate controls, and
the entire twelve foot assembly is thus not out of operation.
Further, the heat from each burner is confined to its associa-
ted unit to prevent an excessive amount of heat buildup.
The mounting means M' for the multiple unit 54
comprises a yoke assembly 66 including a pair of spaced apart,
2Q parallel box beams or the like 67 and 68 having forwardly ex-
tending arms 69 and 70 connected across the opposite ends of
the beams and extending forwardly for insertion into the
channel members 44' and 45'. Diagonally extending braces
71 and 72 are connected between the box beams 67 and 68 to
rigidify the structure. An upstanding post 73 is welded or
otherwise suitably secured at its lower end on top of the
rearmost box beam 67, and a pair of diagonal braces 74 and
75 are connected therewith for bracing the post.
A carriage or lift assembly 76 is mounted to the
front of the vehicle, such as to the bumper B of the truck
or the like, and includés a horizontally extending box beam
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104S4~7
77 having pairs of spaced apart brackets or lugs 78 and 79
at the opposite ends thereof. A pair of spaced apart, up-
standing, parallel channel members 80 and 81 are welded or
otherwise suitably secured at their lower ends to the box
beam 77, and a horizontally extending box beam or channel
member 82 is welded or otherwise suitably affixed to the
upper ends of the upstanding posts 80 and 81 and joins the
upper ends thereof. A horizontally extending angle member
83 is welded or otherwise suitably affixed to the vertical
posts 80 and 81 between the upper and lower ends thereof,
and a hydraulic ram 84 is pivotally mounted at one end
thereof on the angle member. A pair of angle brackets 85
and 86 are welded or otherwise suitably affixed to the hori-
zontally extending member 82 and one end of a lift arm 87 is
pivotally connected between the angle brackets. The ram 84
is connected at its other end to the lift arm 87 between
the ends thereof, and the other end of the lift arm 87 is
pivotally connected to the upper end of the upstanding post
73 of the yohe 66. A pair of forwardly extending arms 88
and 89 are pivotally connected between the brackets 78 and
79 on the box beam 77 and extend forwardly therefrom and are
pivotally connected to the box beam 67 of the yoke 66. Thus,
a parallelogram type linkage or connection is provided
between the yoke and vehicle, whereby the assembly 54 of
heater and dr~er units 10' may be elevated and lowered rela-
tive to the surface. The arms 88 and,89 could comprise
hydraulic rams if desired.
In order to adjust the angular position of the
assembly 54 relative to the surface, the channel members 44'
and 45' at opposite sides thereof increase in width toward
the forward ends thereof, and a pair of adjustment bolts 90
and 91 are threaded from above and below the arms 69 and 70,
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104548~
respectively, into engagement there~ith, and pivot bolts P
are extended through the channel members near the rearmost
ends thereo~, whereby upon adjustment of the adjustment
bolts 90 and 91 the assembly 54 is caused to tilt up or down
about an axis extending adjacent the rear edge of the assembly
and defined by the pivot bolts P, to thus compensate for
changes in weight and for surface variations. For example,
when a snow melting and/or drying operation is initiated,
the supply of liquid propane on the truck may be full and
1~ after a period of time of operation of the burners, the
amount of liquid propane is reduced, thereby reducing the
weight on the truck, enabling the rear portion of the truck
to rise, with the result that the assembly 54 is lowered
relative to the surface. Thus, the adjustment bolts 90 and
91 provide a manual means for compensating for this effect,
or hydraulic rams for automatic tilt can be used.
In Figure 10, the ram 84 is shown in a collapsed
condition and the assembly 54 would thus be lowered to
adjacent the surface of the ground, and in Figure 11 the ram
is extended and the assembly 54 would thus be elevated from
the ground for conveyance or travel of the assembly when the
burners are not in use, or for applications wherein a higher
elevation of the assembly relative to the ground is desired.
In Figure 4, an extension or addition 22 is
pivotally connected to the forward edge of the shroud 19 by
means of a hinge or the like 93, and a hydraulic ram 94 is
connected therewith for raising and lowering the extension
92. The extension is provided in situations, for example,
wherein it is desired to concentrate the heat over a larger
surface area. Further, suitable supporting elements, such
as skids ~not shown) or casters 95 and 96 or the like, are
provided at the corners of the assembly in Figure 4 for
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supporting it relative to a ground surface. Still further,
an asbestos or other suitable heat resistant skirt 97 is
secured to the extension 92 in depending relationship
therefrom to aid in confining the heat to the area beneath
the shroud and extension.
In Figure 5, a still further extension 98 is
pivotally connected to the forward edge of extension 92, and
in this embodiment the ram 94 connects to a bracket 99
attached at the position shown in phantom line in Figure 5.
An asbestos or other suitable heat resistant skirt 100 is
also fixed to extension 98, and a pivotal or flexible ~urtain
101 is affixed to the forward edge thereof. Chains or other
suitable means 102 and 103 are secured to the underside of
the extensions in a position to engage on the surface over
which the assembly is being transported, such that in the
event a heavy snowfall or a thick layer of ice is encounteredj,
the chains, which will glow red hot, aid in breaking up the
snow and ice to facilitate melting and drying thereof. In
other words, when a heavy layer of snow or ice is encountered
the heat tends to be reflected therefrom and the efficiency
of the assembly is, accordingly, reduced. The chains break
up the snow or ice and thus reduce or eliminate the reflec-
tive capabilities thereof, whereby the temperature or hot
air from the assembly is effective to melt and dry the ice
or snow.
The temperature in the extensions and beneath the
main shroud 19 becomes progressively less as the distance is
increased from the main shroud. For example, the temperature
in the forwardmost extension 98 may be approximately 300F,
and the temperature in the middle or first extension 92 may
be approximatelY 150F less than the temperature beneath the
main shroud 19. With two extensions attached to the front
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~U45487
end of the units, as in Figures 5 Gr 8, the length of the
assembly is approximately twelve feet and the width is
approximately twelve feet. Thus, 144 square feet of sur-
face area may be dried or otherwise treated at a time. To
prevent heat warpage of the extensions, a brace B in the
form of a bridge strut is welded or otherwise suitably
fixed to the extensions at desired locations, as seen in
Figure 8A, for example.
Thus, a snow melter and dryer is provided in
accordance with the teachings of the present invention which
is exceptionally economical to operate and which is very
simple and durable in construction, and which may be
operated along a ground surface, such as a highway or
airport runway or the like, to melt snow and ice therefrom,
and under some conditions to dry the surface, depending upon
the speed of operation and temperature of the heated air
discharged from the device. For example, the device is
most effective if operated immediately when a snowfall
begins, and when the accumulation is an inch or less, the
device effectively dries the surface and, in fact, the
surface becomes slightly warmed, thereby delaying further
accumulation o snow thereon. In fact, with the device as
described an accumulation of snow of about one inch can be
effectively melted from a surface with a speed of operation
of the device approaching fifteen to twenty miles per hour.
The efficiency and economy of operation of the device is due
at least partly to the fact that there is less than a l~
heat loss.
Further, as set forth herein, the device has
many other uses, and the savings in cost and time to muni-
cipalities, construction companies, airport operators and
the like is evident. For example, a small two foot unit
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1045487
could be provided for use on sidewalks and the like.
F~lrther, the environmental advantages of the
invention are significant.
As this invention may be embodied in several
forms without departing from the spirit or essential
characteristics thereof, the present embodiment is,
therefore, illustrative and not restrictive, since the
scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims
rather than by the description preceding them, and all
changes that fall within the metes and bounds of the
claims or that form their functional as well as conjointly
: cooperative equivalents are, therefore, intended to be
embraced by those claims.
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