[0001] The present invention relates to the maintenance and repair of road and other surfaces
and in particular to the repair of pot holes.
[0002] Any road, pavement or other surface designed to sustain traffic (e.g. of motorised
vehicles, bicycles or people) requires maintenance and repair. Surfaces used worldwide
include asphalt, concrete, tarmac, and composite types. It can be an expensive and
continuous challenge to maintain the quality of the road surfaces, and in many countries
the problem is acute. For example, the condition of UK roads is deteriorating due
to a combination of harsh winters and insufficient maintenance.
[0003] This is an extensive problem and has not been effectively addressed. Public finances
often do not run to full scale re-surfacing. Particularly during difficult economic
conditions, road maintenance budgets are limited or cut, which can lead to more pot
holes being left unfilled. This is clearly a safety problem for the travelling public.
Unfilled potholes can cause significant damage to cars and other vehicles, and can
cause accidents.
[0004] Costs are rising, and local authorities are often required by law to address any
issues associated with pot holes within a short period of time from them being reported.
[0005] Improvements and cost savings in surface maintenance and repair are of great interest
to not only the public sector but also the private sector. Whether carrying out repairs
on privately owned roads or contracted to carry out repairs on public roads, it is
important to carry out repairs quickly and in a cost-effective manner, and it is also
important that the repairs are of sufficient quality and structurally competent so
that they stand the test of time.
[0006] Particularly where there is a backlog of required repairs, short term "quick patch"
and mend repairs have a tendency to be adopted, for safety reasons and as protection
against compensation claims. Over the long term, the "quick patch" repairs have been
identified as being vastly more expensive than more competent repair.
[0007] Before discussing the details of the present invention, known repair procedures will
now be described in more detail.
[0008] To our knowledge there are fundamentally at least three types of procedure which
are commercially utilised in the repair of pot holes:
- a. The "slap and dash method" involves little or no preparation of the pot hole to
receive surfacing material and consists of placing and compacting surfacing material
in the pot hole. This is most often used for an emergency repair.
- b. The "cutting method" uses a Stihl or similar saw to cut around the hole, generally
in a square or rectangle, and then the existing material is removed within the cut
perimeter with breakers/ jack hammers and replaced with new compacted material.
- c. The "planing method" uses a planer which utilises a longitudinal breaking/ scouring
/planing action to cut and remove the defective material. This machine is generally
utilised for replacing longer defective areas of pavement and is not considered cost
effective for pot hole repairs.
[0009] The advantages and disadvantages of each system are as follows
- a. The "slap and dash method" is quick and requires minimal time to undertake and
therefore less disruption to traffic, and uses relatively unskilled labour. However,
the repair has a short life time and therefore is not cost effective.
- b. The "cutting method" utilises fairly unskilled labour and "off the shelf" available
equipment. However, there is generally significant noise and dust associated with
the cutting and removing of material operation, a diligent workforce is required,
over cut on corners creates weak points in the pavement which are prone to disintegration,
and a rectangular repair is not the most stable solution. There are also safety issues
associated with using saws in a public environment.
- c. The "planing method" provides good results and can remove material from defective
areas. However, it requires costly plant and equipment on site, skilled labour operatives,
and more extensive traffic management. It only tends to be cost effective on longer
lengths of defective pavement. Furthermore it may require Stihl saw or similar cutting
of the ends of the planed section, and therefore comes with the associated disadvantages
as described above.
[0010] Aside from these methods there are numerous documents which disclose other arrangements
which do not seem to have been adopted commercially due to various limitations. For
example,
WO 2011/124887 refers to a pot hole repairing machine with a rotational cutting head. This document
discloses a rotating linear blade, which in practice will not be the most effective
for use on roads, particularly where surfaces are made from asphalt or similar durable
materials.
[0011] US 4,968,101 discloses a vertical asphalt and concrete miller. It is stated to be a multipurpose
rotary cutting machine and refers to disparate applications including "concrete milling,
road surface planing, post hole digging, cutting tree stump roots and pothole repair".
It contains separate disclosures of various distinct types of cutting heads each with
a particular purpose. For example, one arrangement, used primarily for asphalt and
sub-surface material removal, contains a cutting head which is a shaft with cutting
bits along the vertical extent of said shaft. Another arrangement, used "to remove
bumps and smooth the road surface", is a planing head; we infer that this arrangement
would require not only rotational movement but also translational movement as the
positioning of the bits as illustrated in this document would otherwise leave part
of the surface unplaned. A further arrangement is used to cut around manhole castings
and other items.
[0012] KR 2013 0019731 A discloses a road maintenance apparatus having a circular cutting apparatus, a grinding
apparatus, a vacuum suction apparatus, a loading unit, a crane and an adhesive accommodation
unit. The circular cutting apparatus has a blade unit on its undersurface to form
a circular installation groove by cutting. The grinding apparatus forms a square-shaped
installation groove by grinding or grinds an upper protrusion of a precast block installed
in the installation groove. The vacuum suction apparatus sucks up material generated
by cutting of the circular cutting apparatus. The crane lifts up a precast block from
the loading unit and installs it in the groove. The adhesive accommodation unit accommodates
an adhesive to fix a precast block to the installation groove.
[0013] The present invention brings improvements over the above-mentioned methods of pot
hole repair, and addresses problems and shortcomings in various known methods and
products.
[0014] From a first aspect the present invention provides a rotary cutting head for pothole
repair comprising a plate with peripheral cutting teeth for cutting a circle around
the pothole and inner grinding teeth for grinding out material within the circle,
wherein the inner grinding teeth are located in a plurality of angular and radial
positions, and are not on the same radial line, characterised in that the inner grinding
teeth (26) are neither located in a purely linear nor a purely rotational manner,
but have random locations spread across the plate.
[0015] In the present invention, the grinding teeth are located across the base of the cutting
head, rather than in a purely linear manner. In this way the teeth are oriented in
a different way to those along a single blade line. In a single blade line, such as
that disclosed in
WO 2011/124887, teeth are located along a single straight line, and together form a blade; additionally,
they are not located on the base of a plate. In contrast, in the present invention,
there are grinding teeth which are located in a plurality of angular and radial positions.
The grinding teeth are offset from each other. The grinding teeth are positioned so
that, when the plate is rotated, they grind out material in a substantially uniform
manner across the entirety of the circular cross-section.
[0016] Planing teeth such as those disclosed in for example
US 4,968,101 are not effective when used in a purely rotational manner as they do not cover the
surface in a sufficiently uniform manner. The present invention permits the cutting
of a suitable hole around a pot hole using rotational action without translational
motion.
[0017] An essential feature of the present invention is that not all the grinding teeth
are on the same radial line. Spacing apart the grinding teeth across the cross-sectional
area of the cutting head enhances the grinding action, balances the device and makes
it more durable, and minimises the time required for grinding out road material.
[0018] The cutting head may take the form of a disc which in use spins in the horizontal
plane, with cutting teeth around the circumference, and grinding or milling teeth
attached to the underside of the disc.
[0019] The present invention allows the efficient preparation of a cylindrical hole which
may then be filled.
[0020] The formation of a circular section is advantageous because it avoids over cut problems
which are associated with the "cutting method" described above. By "over cut" is meant
the cutting of lines beyond the boundary of the hole being prepared. The continuous
circular boundary cut in accordance with the present invention avoids the presence
of exterior cuts which can leave residual weaknesses which are more susceptible to
weathering.
[0021] The cutting and subsequent filling of a square or rectangular hole results in a repair
which may be feathered at corners and edges which as a consequence may be where future
weathering or damage may initiate. In contrast the cutting and filling of a vertically
sided cylindrical hole results in a repair which is more durable.
[0022] Whilst the cutting of a circular boundary brings advantages as described above, yet
further advantages arise from the combination of this feature with the use of teeth
to mill or grind out material within that circle. These teeth (referred to herein
as grinding teeth, scouring teeth or milling teeth) are typically positioned across
the underside of the cutting head. They loosen and gouge out the road surface material
in a step which is integral with the circular cutting step. This means that no separate
step of loosening and removal of the road material is required.
[0023] The apparatus may be vehicular mounted, e.g. on a lorry or other vehicle, thereby
in some embodiments utilising hydraulics on the vehicle as "donor" hydraulics, which
enables works to be undertaken in a relatively short time. Alternatively the apparatus
may be used as or with an individual pack, e.g. an individual hydraulic power pack;
in that way the work can still be carried out quickly but further flexibility is provided.
[0024] The work may be undertaken within a confined space thereby eliminating the dust hazard
if used in the public domain.
[0025] The invention is flexible in that it is able to cater for repairs of different sizes
by using different sizes of cutting heads and able to cater for different depths of
repair with the same equipment. Preferred sizes include between 0.5 and 2 m diameter
e.g. between 0.75 and 1.5 m diameter though other sizes are possible. Preferred depths
are up to 500mm, e.g. 30mm to 300mm, e.g. 50mm to 100mm though other depths are possible.
[0026] Prototypes have been tested and have been shown to allow quicker repair than traditional
methods currently used.
[0027] An additional benefit is that the present invention gives "surety" on the amounts
of material to be excavated and used. Pothole repairing companies currently face problems
due to the over- and under-ordering of surfacing material used in the repairs; material
can be difficult to obtain at short notice if it is under-ordered (due to the relatively
small amounts utilised) and disposal of excess amounts from over-ordering is costly.
The controlled and defined circular cut means that it is clear exactly how much material
is required; this improves efficiency and reduces costs.
[0028] Further advantages of the use of central grinding teeth in combination with peripheral
cutting teeth are reduction of noise (no jack hammers, breakers etc. are required)
and removal of the requirement for additional equipment and additional operatives
associated with using conventional breakers to break out the material from the area
to be repaired.
[0029] The benefits of quicker repair should not be underestimated. Closure of a road or
part thereof causes considerable inconvenience and economic penalty and has safety
implications. If a repair can be completed within a reduced time from those at present,
crash cushion vehicles can be utilised in many situations on the highways, thus excluding
the requirement for costly traffic management and with the added advantage of less
disruption to the travelling public. Any reduction in the amount of time required
is beneficial, from a commercial and safety point of view.
[0030] The device makes a vertical circular perimeter cut to the surfacing and also cuts
the material within the circumference, to depths of surfacing as required.
[0031] Preferably the grinding or scouring teeth extend downwards to approximately the same
extent as (or less than) the perimeter teeth. This ensures that the extent of the
hole is defined by a clean-cut cylindrical surface.
[0032] Preferably one or more of the grinding teeth extend radially outwards to, or near
to, the perimeter, so as to ensure that grinding occurs to the extent of the perimeter
cut.
[0033] Sufficient teeth are provided so as to allow for effective cutting and grinding of
a cylindrical hole. The number of circumferential cutting teeth may for example be
within the range of 1 to 20, e.g. between 2 and 10, e.g. between 3 and 7. Optionally
the number of circumferential cutting teeth may be between 1 and 10, e.g. between
1 and 5, e.g. between 1 and 3, per metre of circumference. The number of grinding
teeth may for example be between 7 and 50, e.g. between 8 and 30, e.g. between 10
and 20. Optionally the number of grinding teeth may be between 30 and 100, e.g. between
40 and 80, e.g. between 50 and 60, per square metre of cross-sectional area. All of
these possible numbers are however merely examples and the number of teeth may be
outside these ranges, depending for example on the nature of the road surface, and
the nature and arrangement of the teeth.
[0034] According to the invention, the grinding teeth appear to have random locations spread
across the plate. In another, non-claimed variant, the grinding teeth may be positioned
in a spiral manner. In any case the teeth are positioned so as to ensure that rotation
brings about substantially overall grinding of the cylindrical hole across the circular
cross-section.
[0035] A further advantage of positioning grinding teeth in a plurality of radial positions
is that it reduces the need for the teeth to push or sweep a large bulk of material.
In contrast, a blade such as that disclosed in
WO 2011/124887 would need to act on all the material in front of it, i.e. effectively a half-cylinder,
and will encounter very high resistance.
[0036] The teeth may be straight (i.e. perpendicular to the plate) or angled, or there may
be a combination of straight or angled teeth. Optionally, one, some or all of the
grinding teeth may be angled. Optionally, one, some or all of the cutting teeth may
be angled.
[0037] Preferably one or some, optionally most or all, of the grinding teeth, are angled
and/or located in such a manner as to enhance the grinding action and/or to excavate
material and guide it towards the perimeter.
[0038] Optionally, means may be provided to collect, e.g. by vacuum, the ensuing debris
from the excavation. The material is finely ground and can be recycled rather than
going to landfill, thus reducing the carbon footprint of the repair and bringing additional
economic benefit.
[0039] The perimeter teeth and/or the internal teeth may be integral to the plate or alternatively
may be replaceable such that new teeth may be used to replace worn teeth. Preferably
the grinding teeth are distinct teeth rather than being arranged in the form of a
blade. The circumferential teeth may be distinct teeth or may be arranged in the form
of a saw blade.
[0040] Optionally one or more of the inner grinding teeth may be positioned and/or angled
so that it/ they function as the peripheral cutting teeth.
[0041] The teeth can be made from a variety of materials which may include hardened steels
and alloys. The tips of the teeth may be of tungsten carbide or a hardened steel or
alloy. Use may be made of available proprietary "teeth".
[0042] The plate may be made of steel or an alloy, optionally a mild steel.
[0043] The plate may be rotated by a hydraulic feed driving a hydraulic motor which in turns
rotates a shaft attached to the circular plate.
[0044] Optionally there may be a cut out valve on the hydraulic drive system to prevent
the system components being overloaded
[0045] The plate may be rotated at speeds which may be varied, for example to suit prevailing
site conditions and density of materials being removed. Rotational speeds may be variable
and typically may be between 30 and 200 rpm, however rotational speeds may vary below
and above these values to suit prevailing conditions.
[0046] The cutting head may be a single plate. Alternatively, the cutting head may be a
composite item comprising a hub and one or more rings which may be used together to
provide tools of different sizes. In this way one or more rings can be fastened, e.g.
bolted, onto the hub and/or onto other rings. The further rings may be bolted on according
to requirements. For example the apparatus may be tailored as required on site when
it becomes apparent exactly what size diameter is required. Or may be adjusted in
accordance with a pre-determined procedure, e.g. cutting a batch of holes of one size
followed by cutting a batch of holes of a different size.
[0047] A composite apparatus brings further advantages in that it avoids the need to carry
several interchangeable complete cutting heads, and allows parts of the apparatus
to be replaced or repaired without needing to service the whole apparatus.
[0048] Different types of ring may be used to provide a variety of different types of composite
cutting head, and to allow tailoring according to requirements. For example, a composite
cutting head may comprise one or more "spacer" ring which does not have teeth. In
this way the apparatus may be adapted to for example allow the cutting of a circular
line around a structure, e.g. ironworks, e.g. a manhole, without grinding inside the
circle (as this would damage the ironwork). In another example, a central circular
area may be left unground, and an annular hole may be ground between two concentric
circles.
[0049] In order to accommodate pavement repairs around and/or to facilitate repairs to ironworks,
the cutting head, if composed of several rings, may have one or more cutting / grinding
rings protrude below the level of the main disc by means of spacer blocks to enable
either a perimeter single circular cut, several concentric cuts or several concentric
cuts with the grinding out of the material between them.
[0050] The apparatus may be enclosed, for example with a shielding enclosure, so as to contain
any excavated material within the enclosure.
[0051] The apparatus may be used so as to core two or more separate cylindrical holes which
may overlap and/or which may be linked by linear cuts.
[0052] From a further aspect the present invention provides a method of pothole repair comprising
excavating a cylindrical hole around a pothole using the cutting head of the present
invention.
[0053] The present invention will now be described in more specific and non-limiting detail
with reference to the following examples and figures in which:
Figures 1 to 3 show prior art methods of pot hole repair, in cross section (figures
1a, 2a, 3a and 3b) and plan view (figures 1b, 2b and 3c);
Figure 4 shows, schematically, a cutting head in accordance with the present invention
from the side (figure 4a) and from below (figure 4b);
Figure 5 is a photograph of a cutting head in accordance with the present invention;
Figures 6a and 6b show in cross section and plan view a vehicle with a cutting head
in accordance with the present invention;
Figure 6c shows a cutting head (rotating disk) in use;
Figure 7 shows a pot hole with material cut away and at the periphery; and
Figures 8a and 8b show a cutting plate different from the present invention.
[0054] Some prior art methods of pot hole repair are exemplified in figures 1 to 3.
[0055] The slap and dash method shown in figure 1 entails simply filling a pot hole 1 with
asphalt or other material. Edge 2 of the pot hole, which usually has a feathered edge,
is typically not treated in any way prior to filling, so the repair has a short life
expectancy.
[0056] Figure 2 shows the use of a Stihl saw 6 to cut around pot hole 1. Material 7 is removed
using breakers to leave a rectangular cut to depth 8.
[0057] Disadvantageously, there is a surfacing over cut 10 at the corners. The pot hole
is replaced with a rectangular fill 11.
[0058] Figure 3 shows a longer pot hole 14 (typically it would be longer than illustrated)
and the use of a longitudinal apparatus 16 with cutters on a continuous tread to plane
the area. Additional material 18 may be cut out at the edges. Cutting at the end of
the planed sections typically results in over cut 21 at the corners. Again, the treated
hole 20 is filled with asphalt or other material.
[0059] One example of a cutting head in accordance with the present invention is shown in
figure 4. This has a rotating shaft 24 and a cutting disk unit 28 carrying internal
teeth 26 which may be angled or straight and outside perimeter cutting teeth 25 which
are typically either below or level with the internal teeth. Holes 32 may optionally
be present to assist in the dispersal of material when the depth of the hole cut is
greater than the depth of the cutter. The two types of teeth 25, 26, on plate 28,
can also be seen in the photograph (figure 5).
[0060] With reference to figures 6a, 6b and 6c, cutting head 28 is positioned over a pot
hole 1, and is connected via rotating shaft 24 to a hydraulic or other motor 37 (two
possible positions are indicated in figure 6a) on vehicle (e.g. lorry, JCB, bob cat,
etc.) 36. Means 38 are provided to lower and raise the cutting disc. A vacuum pipe
40 may be used to remove material and a screen 41 may be positioned around the cutting
area. Means 42 may be provided to adjust the horizontal position of the cutting disc.
In use, cut material 44 may be transported to the outside of the disc.
[0061] Figures 7a and 7b show the effects of the machine cutting the area for the pot hole
repair. These depict the pot hole 1, the perimeter of the cut 47, and material transported
from its original location 48 to location 44 at the outside of the perimeter.
[0062] With reference to figures 8a and 8b a variant comprises a cutting unit 28 made up
of multiple components which may reside on a backing plate 54 and may be connected
with connectors 53. Ring sections 57 may be bolted on or removed to suit the diameter
of the hole required and edge cut teeth 58 may be relocated to accommodate different
hole diameters 55A,B,C.
Non-limiting example of pothole repair procedure
[0063]
- a. The diameter of the hole and depth of hole to be cut are determined, and the appropriate
cutting disc chosen.
- b. The machine is located with the donor vehicle and machine adjustable mountings
over the area to be cut.
- c. The machine is lowered to approximately 50mm over the area to be cut, rotated at
the appropriate speed then slowly lowered, cutting of the perimeter edge and cutting/grinding/
planing/milling of the material within the perimeter cut circumference commencing.
- d. Lowering continues until the prescribed depth of material is cut.
- e. The material cut or excavated within the perimeter may be dispersed to the perimeter
of the hole excavated. This will depend upon the angle of the cutting/milling/planing
heads used with the plate circumference.
- f. The material so cut may be removed by several methods including a vacuum machine
attached to the donor vehicle.
- g. The donor vehicle being re-located if angled cutting/milling/planing heads are
not in use.
- h. A system of interchangeable plates or single plates may be used as alternatives
to accommodate variations in the size of holes to be cut.
1. A rotary cutting head (28) for pothole repair comprising a plate with peripheral cutting
teeth (25) for cutting a circle around the pothole and inner grinding teeth (26) for
grinding out material within the circle, wherein the inner grinding teeth are located
in a plurality of angular and radial positions, and are not on the same radial line,
characterised in that the inner grinding teeth (26) are neither located in a purely linear nor a purely
rotational manner, but have random locations spread across the plate.
2. A rotary cutting head (28) as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least some of the inner
grinding teeth (26) are offset from each other.
3. A rotary cutting head (28) as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the diameter
of the circle is between 0.5 m and 2 m.
4. A rotary cutting head (28) as claimed in any preceding claim comprising grinding teeth
(25, 26) which are angled.
5. A rotary cutting head as claimed in any preceding claim in the form of a single plate.
6. A rotary cutting head as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4 in the form of a composite
item comprising a hub and one or more rings instead of the plate, optionally wherein
one or more of the rings do not carry teeth.
7. Apparatus (36) comprising a rotary cutting head (28) as claimed in any preceding claim
and means for removal of the excavated material.
8. Apparatus (36) as claimed in claim 7 wherein the means for removal comprise vacuum
means (40).
9. Vehicle (36) comprising a rotary cutting head (28) as claimed in any of claims 1 to
6 or an apparatus as claimed in claim 7 or claim 8.
10. Use of a rotary cutting head (28) as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6, or an apparatus
(36) as claimed in claim 7 or claim 8, or a vehicle as claimed in claim 9, for repairing
a pothole.
11. Use as claimed in claim 10 wherein excavation is carried out to a depth of 50 to 100
mm.
12. Method of repairing a road or pavement comprising cutting a cylindrical hole (47)
around a pot hole (1) using a cutting head (28) as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6,
removing cut material (48), and filling and compacting asphalt and/or other material
into the cylindrical hole.
1. Rotationsschneidkopf (28) zur Schlaglochreparatur, umfassend eine Platte mit Schneidzähnen
(25) am Rand zum Ausschneiden eines Kreises um das Schlagloch und inneren Schleifzähnen
(26) zum Herausschleifen von Material in dem Kreis, wobei sich die inneren Schleifzähne
in einer Vielzahl von Winkel- und Radialpositionen befinden und nicht auf derselben
Radiallinie liegen, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die inneren Schleifzähne (26) weder auf rein lineare noch rein rotationsbezogene
Weise positioniert sind, sondern über die Platte verteilte willkürliche Lagen aufweisen.
2. Rotationsschneidkopf (28) nach Anspruch 1, wobei mindestens einige der inneren Schleifzähne
(26) voneinander versetzt sind.
3. Rotationsschneidkopf (28) nach einem der vorangehenden Ansprüche, wobei der Durchmesser
des Kreises zwischen 0,5 m und 2 m beträgt.
4. Rotationsschneidkopf (28) nach einem der vorangehenden Ansprüche, umfassend Schleifzähne
(25, 26), die schräggestellt sind.
5. Rotationsschneidkopf nach einem der vorangehenden Ansprüche in Form einer einzigen
Platte.
6. Rotationsschneidkopf nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 4 in Form eines Verbundartikels,
umfassend eine Nabe und einen oder mehrere Ringe statt der Platte, wobei optional
einer oder mehrere der Ringe keine Zähne tragen.
7. Vorrichtung (36), umfassend einen Rotationsschneidkopf (28) nach einem der vorangehenden
Ansprüche und Mittel zum Abführen des herausgelösten Materials.
8. Vorrichtung (36) nach Anspruch 7, wobei die Mittel zum Abführen Saugmittel (40) umfassen.
9. Fahrzeug (36), umfassend einen Rotationsschneidkopf (28) nach einem der Ansprüche
1 bis 6 oder eine Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 7 oder Anspruch 8.
10. Verwendung eines Rotationsschneidkopfs (28) nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 6 oder
einer Vorrichtung (36) nach Anspruch 7 oder Anspruch 8 oder eines Fahrzeugs nach Anspruch
9 zum Reparieren eines Schlaglochs.
11. Verwendung nach Anspruch 10, wobei das Herauslösen bis zu einer Tiefe von 50 bis 100
mm ausgeführt wird.
12. Verfahren zum Reparieren einer Straße oder eines Gehwegs, umfassend das Schneiden
eines zylindrischen Lochs (47) um ein Schlagloch (1) unter Verwendung eines Schneidkopfs
(28) nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 6, Abführen von geschnittenem Material (48) und
Füllen und Verdichten von Asphalt und/oder anderem Material in das zylindrische Loch.
1. Tête de découpe rotative (28) à des fins de réparation de nids-de-poule comportant
une plaque avec des dents de découpe périphériques (25) servant à découper un cercle
autour du nid-de-poule et des dents de meulage intérieures (26) servant à retirer
par meulage le matériau à l'intérieur du cercle, dans laquelle les dents de meulage
intérieures sont situées dans une pluralité de positions angulaires et radiales, et
ne sont pas sur la même ligne radiale, caractérisée en ce que les dents de meulage intérieures (26) ne sont ni situées d'une manière purement linéaire
ni d'une manière purement rotative, mais ont des emplacements aléatoires répartis
en travers de la plaque.
2. Tête de découpe rotative (28) selon la revendication 1, dans laquelle au moins certaines
des dents de meulage intérieures (26) sont décalées les unes par rapport aux autres.
3. Tête de découpe rotative (28) selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes,
dans laquelle le diamètre du cercle est entre 0,5 m et 2 m.
4. Tête de découpe rotative (28) selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes,
comportant des dents de meulage (25, 26) qui sont inclinées.
5. Tête de découpe rotative selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, sous
la forme d'une seule plaque.
6. Tête de découpe rotative selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 4, sous la
forme d'un article composite comportant un moyeu et une ou plusieurs bagues au lieu
de la plaque, éventuellement dans laquelle une ou plusieurs des bagues ne portent
pas de dents.
7. Appareil (36) comportant une tête de découpe rotative (28) selon l'une quelconque
des revendications précédentes et des moyens de retrait de matériau de déblaiement.
8. Appareil (36) selon la revendication 7, dans lequel les moyens de retrait comportent
des moyens d'aspiration (40).
9. Véhicule (36) comportant une tête de découpe rotative (28) selon l'une quelconque
des revendications 1 à 6 ou un appareil selon la revendication 7 ou la revendication
8.
10. Utilisation d'une tête de découpe rotative (28) selon l'une quelconque des revendications
1 à 6, ou d'un appareil (36) selon la revendication 7 ou la revendication 8, ou d'un
véhicule selon la revendication 9, servant à des fins de réparation d'un nid-de-poule.
11. Utilisation selon la revendication 10, dans lequel le déblaiement est effectué jusqu'à
une profondeur de 50 à 100 mm.
12. Procédé de réparation d'une route ou chaussée comportant l'étape consistant à découper
un trou cylindrique (47) autour d'un nid-de-poule (1) en utilisant une tête de découpe
(28) selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 6, l'étape consistant à retirer
le matériau découpé (48), et l'étape consistant à remplir et compacter de l'asphalte
et/ou autre matériau dans le trou cylindrique.