US1278663A - Process of making surfacing material for roads and the like. - Google Patents

Description

CALVERT R. HUNT, OF OSCEOLA, MISSOURI.

PROCESS OF MAKING SURFACING MATERIAL FOR ROADS AND THE LIKE.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

lie it known that I. (ALvnn'r It. IIUNT, a citizen of the I -nited States. residing at Osceola, in the county of St. (flair and State. of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Making Surfacing Material for Roads and the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mate-rial for surfacing roads. making bricks and for other uses, and to the process of producing such material. and the prime object of the invention is to produce. a material which can be compacted by rolling. tamping or otherwise, into a durable. waterproof. tough and tenacious, malleable aml homogeneous mass which will not creep or dry out and crack and crumble under extremes of temperature: and shall possess all of the desirable qualities of a good dirt road when the same is smooth. hard. dry and dustless; and shall not become muddy or slippery in wet and other inclement weather; or wash out unless the road' is completely undermined.

Another object is to produce a material for surfacing and analogous uses. at a cost so low as to make its use practicable on country high 'ays and roads.

More specifically, my object is to produce a thoroughly kneaded mixture, of any kind of soil. clay or other earthy material in its natural cold and damp or untreated state, and asphaltum or other binder. hot or cold, liquid. plastic or solidified: which has such affinity for the earthy material that the mixture when compacted. shall constitute a mass possessing the durable qualities above set forth.

It is a well known fact that the ideal road is a dirt road when dry. hard and smooth. but that such a road is objectionable because the earth has little or no binding properties and hence becomes dusty under heavy traflic and muddy and full of rats in rainy weather. and of course where freezing weather follows rainy weather. such road sometimes becomes almost impassable.

Various methods have been proposed and many patented. for producing a surfacing material having all of the desirable and none of the objectionable features of a good dirt road. One of such methods contemplates the use of ordinary soil or the like, mixed with a suitable heated liquid or plastic binder, but stipulates that the soil or Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 17', 1917.

chine with measured quantities of the in Patented Sept. 10, 1918.

Serial No. 149,694. i

the like must be thoroughly dried, heated and pulverized before. being mixed with the binder. and that. the drying and heating operation must be performed as or almost simultaneously with the mixing of such dried and hot material with the hot binder, and one such patent of which I have knowledge, distinctly states that if the soil or the like, is cold and damp, the binder upon contact with such soil or the like, will chill and congeal and will not properly mix therewith.

I have discovered that a very durable paving or surfacing material, can be pro 70 duced by taking ordinary earthy material when cold and damp as inits naturalstate, and kneading the same and a binder together. The binder thus treatedmay be of liquid, plastic or solidified character and either hot or cold, such for example, as asphaltum or any equivalent thereof, and I have furthermore discovered that a kneaded mixture such as that last mentioned. may be compacted into a dense. malleable, homo geneous roadway brick or slabpossessing all of the advantages or desirable qualities hereinbefore enumerated.

In carrying out my process for producing material of the character proposed, I'85 preferably employ a power driven machine for thoroughly kneading a binder and earthy material or a binder and earthy material containing granular material, in natural condition. and for comminutingthe ingredients of the homogeneous product.

I have found that to produce the best results. it is necessary to employ earthy material or the like, and the binder, in predetermined relative proportions. eighty six per cent. of the earthy material to fourteen per cent. of the binder. being a good and economical proportion. and therefore provide means for supplying the kneading magredients mentioned, experience and tests determining the proportion of ingredients necessary to produce a mixture in which the binder is most intimately and uniformly distributed.

The preferred plant for producing the. surfacing material. will consist of a motor vehicle equipped with a kneading machine and disintegrat-or. means for supplying measured quantities of earthy material or 110 the like. to the kneading machine. means for supplying measured quantities of a binder to the kneading machine, means for transmitting power to the kneading and distintegrating machines, and means to effect the transfer of the kneaded material from the kneading machine, to the disintegrator. The plant also contemplates the use of a conveyer for delivering the material discharged by the disintegrator, at a suitable point on the ground, or into a bin or a vehicle by which it may be conveyed to the point of use. If the material is to be made into pavin slabs or bricks, it may pass from the disintegrator direct to a n1oldingmachine.

Preliminary to laying the paving or surfacing material, the road must or should first be brought to the desired grade and compress-ed. Should there be any surplus material scraped from the road in this operation, it can be used in the production of the paving or surfacing material. It is preferable to avoid disturbing a road by plowing or harrowing it any more than is necessaryto bring it to the proper grade, as such road will constitute a splendid bed or foundation without expensive treatment, upon which the paving or surfacing material may be compacted. \Vhere an artificial bed or base is desired, it may be provided, the surfacing material, can be laid and compacted with equal facility upon a natural or artificial base or bed.

When the road has been brought to the desired grade, the surfacing material is disposed thereon in an suitable manner, preferably by means 0 dumping wagons. The material is then spread out over the road to the required depth and-compacted b rolling or tamping, or in any other suitable manner.'

Hydrated lime, in suitable proportion may be mixed with the earth. or earthy material or the like, to impart a toughening and hardening effect to the road. The hydrated lime has the property of facilitating the mixing process as well as toughening and hardening the product, and should be mixed with the cold soil or the like, prior to the introduction of the binder, which may be employed in either a hot or cold condition, as in either condition, it will thoroughly impregnate or permeate the mass as the same is kneaded or worked in the mixing operation.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced a material possessing the desirable qualities set forth,

over which as a roadway, trafiic can pass the like,

use in surfacing roads,

It is to be understood that the term earthy 7 material is used in its generic sense,'and means any earthy materlal capable of absorbin moisture, and that. within the term granu ar material 1s comprehended silica,

crushed slag, Joplin grit and the like, which, when mixed with the earthy material and binder, tends to increase the durability and hardness of the product when compacted.

I claim:

1. The process of producing material for use insurfacing roads, making brick and the like, consisting in taking earthy material and kneading it in a cold and damp state with a binder until the mixture is susceptible of being compacted into a" dense,

malleable and homogeneous mass.

The process of producing materialfor use in surfacing roads, making terial in a cold and damp state and a binder having adhesive and waterproof properties, and kneading the said ingredients thoroughly together, and then passing the mixture through a disintegrator -to comminute the same.

3. The process of producing'materi'al for use in surfacing roads, making brick and consisting in taking earthy material and a cold solid binder, and crushing and kneading said material together until susceptible of being compa'ctedinto' a dense, malleable and homogeneous mass.

4. The process of producing material for making brickand the like, consisting in taking cold and damp earthy material and a cold solid binder possessing adhesive and water proof properties, and crushing and kneading said materials together until homogeneous, and than passing the mixture through a disintegrator to comminute thesame.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

K. M. THORPE, G. Y. THORPE.

brick and the like, consisting in taking earthy ma