DEVICE FOR CONVEYING FLUID MATERIALS

Abstract: Device (1) for conveying fluid materials, said device consisting of a frame (2) supporting a telescopic boom structure (3) and a hose (4) fitted inside the telescopic boom structure (3), said materials being passed through said hose. The invention is characterized in that the outermost member (3a) of the telescopic boom structure (3) consists of a rigid tube slidably fitted inside the preceding member (3b) of said structure, the end (4a) of the hose (4) inside this member being connected to the feed end (3a') of said rigid tube (3a).

Description: DEVICE FOR CONVEYING FLUID MATERIALS The present invention relates to a device for conveying fluid materials as defined in claim 1. German patent publication DE 2,055,228 describes a concrete conveyor comprising a set of tele¬ scopic booms and a hose through which concrete is con- • veyed. Moreover, the device is provided with a winding drum on which the hose is wound and from which it is unwound as required. A problem with the previously known devices is that the telescopic boom structure is generally rela¬ tively heavy. Consequently, this sets rather, narrow * limits on the extension length of the boom structure. Especially ' the weight of the outermost parts of the telescopic structure have a considerable effect on the extension length. Another problem with previously known devices is that the flexible hose used in connection with the telescopic boom structure has a rough interior surface retarding the motion of the material conveyed through the hose. Therefore, the pump used for moving the ma¬ terial is subject to a hard strain, naturally depending on the material being pumped. A further problem with previously known de¬ vices is that protection and cooling arrangemets must be provided to protect the end of the hose attached to the outermost member of the telescopic boom structure if the device is used e.g. for fire-fighting purposes. The object of the present invention is to eliminate or at least to reduce the above-mentioned drawbacks. The device of the invention is characterized by what is presented in claim 1. The device of the invention comprises a frame provided with a telescopic boom structure and a hose for conveying a fluid material, the hose being fitted inside the telescopic boom structure. According to the invention, the outermost member of the telescopic boom structure consists of a rigid tube slidably fitted inside the preceding member of said structure, the end of the hose inside this member being connected to the feed end of said rigid tube. In an embodiment of the device, the member preceding the outermost one in the telescopic boom structure is provided with internal sliding rings placed at a distance from each other, said rings supporting the outermost member as it slides through them. In an embodiment of the device, the outermost member of the telescopic boom structure is provided with a nozzle placed at the delivery end of the member. In an embodiment of the device, the nozzle is provided with a valve, e.g. a magnetic valve, permit¬ ting remote control. In an embodiment of the device, a flexible tube is provided at the delivery end of the outermost member of the telescopic boom structure. In an embodiment of the device, the outermost member of the telescopic boom structure consists of a metal pipe. The invention has the advantage that the outer- most member of the telescopic boom structure is of a simple construction. Another advantage of; he invention is that the outermost member of the telescopic boom structure is relatively light and yet sturdy. A furter advantage of the invention is that the outermost member of the telescopic boom structure can be easily connected to the rest of the boom struc¬ ture. Moreover, the invention has the advantage that the extension length of the boom structure can be in¬ creased as compared to previously known telescopic boom structures without increasing the stress moment. Furthermore, the invention allows a more efficient conveyance of fluid materials through the device. The outermost member of the telescopic boom structure is a tube with a smooth interior surface, presenting a low frictional opposition to the flow of the material. Regarding the material flow -in the critical part of the boom structure, a considerable improvement is thus achieved as compared to earlier soulutions. This is of great importance e.g. in the case of concrete as the material conveyed. In addition, the device of the invention can be used in fire-fighting without protecting or cooling the outermost member of the telescopic boom strμσture. The end of this member can be brought close to the fire. Besides, the invention permits simple mounting of a nozzle and/or valve on the outermost member of the telescopic boom structure. A further advantage of the invention is that the end of the telescopic boom structure can be easily directed and the material will flow in a clearly defined direction. This is important e.g. in fire-fighting. In the following, the invention is described in detail by referring to the appended drawings, in which: Fig. 1 presents an embodiment of the device of the invention in lateral view; Fig. 2 illustrates the outermost member of the telescopic boom structure and the manner in which it is connected to the rest of the structure; Fig. 3 shows the telescopic boom structure of fig.2 as sectioned along line A-A; Fig. 4 shows the boom structure of fig.2 as sectioned along line B-B. , The device of the invention comprises a frame 2 supporting a telescopic boom structure 3, a hose 4 for conveying a " fluid material, and a winding drum 5. The hose 4 is fitted inside the telescopic boom structure and part of it is wound on the drum 5 at least when the device is not being used. The telescopic boom structure 3 consists of two or more elongated telescopic members 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d movable relative to each other and mounted at least partially inside each other. The outermost member 3a of the telescopic boom structure 3 consists of a rigid tube slidably mounted inside the preceding telescopic member 3b. The end 4a of the hose 4 inside the telescopic boom structure 3 is connected to the feed end of the rigid tube 3a. The telescopic boom structure 3 is provided with at least one hydraulic motor 7, by means, of which the telescopic members of 3a, 3b, 3c and the hose can be moved. The hose 4 is fitted inside the telescopic boom structure 3. Thus it is well protected against external stresses and impacts. The hub 6 of the winding drum 5 is attached to the frame 2 of the device 1. At least part of the hose 4 is wound on the reel 4c when the device is in the rest position. From the reel 4c. an extension 4b of the hose 4 goes through the hub 6 into the frame 2. The hose extension 4b leads out from inside the frame, e.g. into a pump unit 8. This can be provided with a suitable additional hose 4d through which the material in question is pumped into the device 1. Mounted in conjunction with the winding drum 5 is a power means, e.g. a hydraulic motor 9, enabling the drum 5 to be : rotated in the desired direction, depending on whether the hose 4 is to be coiled off from the reel 4c or on to the reel 4c. The telescopic member 3b preceding the outer¬ most one in the boom structure is provided with intern¬ al sliding rings 12 placed at a distance from each other. These sliding rings 12 support the outermost member 3a or rigid tube of the telescopic boom struc- ture as it slides through them. The end 4a of the hose 4 and the feed end 3a 1 of the the outermost member 3a of the telescopic boom structure 3 are preferably provided with flanges 13a, 13b, respectively. The ends 4a, 3a' of the hose 4 and the tube 3a are coupled together by the flanges 13a, 13b by means of bolts 14. In certain applications of the device of the invention, it is preferable to provide the delivery end 3a" of the outermost member 3a of the telescopic boom structure 3 with a nozzle 10. The nozzle is preferably provided with a valve 14, e.g. a magnetic valve, which can be adjusted via remote control. Alternatively, instead of a nozzle 10, the delivery end 3a" of the outermost member 3a of the telescopic boom structure 3 can be provided with a flexible tube 15 with a support 16. By means of the flexible tube 15, the material pumped through the device can easily be directed manually to the target. In this case, the telescopic boom structure 3 need not be accurately directed at the target, because the tube 15 can be bent and adjusted as far as its length permits. This is an important feature e.g. when the device 1 is used for conveying concrete. The-outermost member 3a of the telescopic boom structure 3 consists of a rigid and durable tube, preferably made of metal, with a smooth interior surface. Mounted between the telescopic boom structure 3 and the frame 2 is a hydraulic cylinder 12 enabling the boom structure 3 to be turned vertically about its pivot 17 relative to the frame 2. The operation of the. device of the invention can be controlled in a centralized manner via a control unit 11. E.g. the hydraulic motors 7 actuating the telescopic members 3 as well as the hydraulic cylinder 12, the ' hydraulic motor 9 of the winding drum 5 and the pump unit 8 are all connected to the control unit 11. Also, the possible valves provided in conjunction with the hose 4 can be controlled via the control unit 11. The control unit can be placed in the immediate vicini- 5. ty of the device 1 or at a suitable distance from it. Thus, if the device 1 is mounted on a vehicle, the control unit may be placed in the cabin of the vehicle. In principle, the device of the invention works as follows. For example, when a suitable fluid 0 material is to be conveyed from a transport container into a storage container using the device of the invention, mounted in conjunction with the storage container, the device is operated as follows. The end 3a" of the outermost member 3a (or the end of the 5 flexible tube 15 in fig. 2 ) . of the telescopic boom structure is brought into contact with the transport container by operating the hydraulic cylinder 12 to lift the boom structure 3 to a sufficient height and the hydraulic motors 7 to extend the telescopic members 0 3a, 3b, 3c to a sufficient distance from the frame 2. Simultaneously, the required length of the hose 4 is automatically unwound from the reel 4c of the winding drum 5 by means of the hydraulic motor 9 in synchronism with the telescoping action of the boom structure 3. 5 After the end 3a" has been connected to the transport container, the pump 8 is started and the material in the transport container is conveyd through the hose into the storage container. After the transport container has been emptied, the end 3a" is detached 0 from the transport container, whereupon the telescopic " members 3a, 3b, 3c are driven into one another by the hydraulic motors 7 and the boom structure is lowered to a suitable rest position. If necessary, the device 1 can be turned about the verical axis of the frame 2 to 5 a desired position. The device of the invention can be used to handle many kinds of fluid materials, e.g. liquids. gases, solid, granular or powdered materials and various mixtures thereof. Moreover, it is to be noted that these materials or mixtures thereof can be conveyed in a manner known in itself, e.g. using underpressure or overpressure or transfer air, or the material can be pumped through the hose 4 in a desired direction using the pump 8. A remote-controlled nozzle 10 can be employed e.g. when the device of the invention is used in fire-fighting to convey fluid materials such as water or fire foam. The device of the invention can also be applied in the conveyance of materials like concrete, ^ coarse- aggregate, gravel and sand. A significant advantage with the device is that the outermost member 3a of the boom structure can be relatively long in relation to the total length of the structure, so that a large range of adjustment and radius of operation, e.g. 4 - 20 m, of the boom structure is achieved. In the foregoing, the invention has been described by referring to only one of its preferred embodiments, but it is obvious that the invention can be implemented in various ways within the scope of the idea of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Device (l) for conveying fluid materials, said device consisting of a frame (2) supporting a telescopic boom structure (3) and a hose (4) fitted inside the telescopic boom structure (3) , said materi¬ als being passed through said hose, c h a r a c¬ t e r i z e d in that -the outermost member (3a) of the telescopic boom structure (3) consists of a rigid tube slidably fitted inside the preceding member (3b) of the telescopic boom structure, the end (4a) of the hose (4) inside this member being connected to the feed end (3a") of said rigid tube (3a). 2. Device according to claim 1, c h a r a c- t e r i z e d in that the member (3b) preceding the outermost one in the telescopic boom structure (3) is provided with internal sliding rings (12) placed at a distance from each, other, said rings supporting the outermost member (3a) as it slides through them. 3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the outermost member (3a) of the telescopic boom structure (3) is provided with a nozzle (10) placed at the delivery end (3a") of the member. 4. Device according to claim 3, c h a r a c¬ t e r i z e d in that the nozzle (10) is provided with a valve (14), e.g. a magnetic valve, which can be adjusted via remote control. 5. Device according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that a flexible tube (15) is provided at the delivery.end (3a") of the outermost member (3a) of the telescopic boom structure (3) . 6. Device according to any one of the pre¬ ceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the outermost member (3a) of the telescopic boom structure (3) consists of a metal pipe.

Inventors: MINKKINEN RISTO JUHANI, MINKKINEN, RISTO, JUHANI
Applicants: MINKKINEN RISTO J, MINKKINEN, RISTO, JUHANI
Application year: 1990
Main classification: A62C31
IPC codes: A62C31, B65G53, E04G21, F16L3