A DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM FOR CONCRETE

Abstract: The concrete distribution system includes a pump vehicle (1) and a bulk concrete transportation tank vehicle (10), both of which are equipped with rotatable tanks. In the pump vehicle (1) the pump (4) is located between the cab (2) and the tank (3) and the discharge opening (6) is arranged to pour the concrete mass into the feed funnel (7) of the pump (4). The pump vehicle (1) includes devices to prevent the overfilling of the feed funnel (7) of the pump, in which case the pump (4) does not require continual supervision.

Description: A Distribution system for Concrete The object of the invention is a distribution system f concrete consisting of at least two tank vehicles, including pump vehicle equipped with a cab, which carry through-flow bu tanks equipped with an internal spiral, and a pump between t cab and the tank, and in which the loading opening of the bu tank is located at the rear of the vehicle and the dischar opening is set to discharge the bulk concrete into the funn of the pump; and which system includes at least one ta vehicle for bulk cargo transportation intended to transport t bulk concrete to the pump vehicle. The invention is intend for use in connection with both spray-concreting vehicles a those used for normal casting. Here bulk concrete mea generally various kinds of surfacing and other cpnstruction masses. Concrete spraying that takes place underground is usual carried out using a special vehicle designed for the purpos In known concrete spraying and pump vehicle there is a tan pump and pipework carried on a jib and it can carry o concrete spraying independently at the work site. One kno concrete spraying vehicle is the type Normet NT, 120 Spraym tic™. This chassis- steered vehicle is power by a dies motor, its front section includes the cab and a jib system carry the spraying pipes and nozzles. The rear section of t chassis includes a rotatable conical tank, which is ' locat with the opening facing rearwards. The pump is located benea this opening in such a way that its input opening is benea the opening of the tank. When using a vehicle of this kind, work takes place in such way that it is used to fetch concrete from a plant above grou and then the entire vehicle is driven along tunnels to the wo site and the diesel motor is stopped. Electro-hydraulic pow units are used to feed the concrete to the pump. The supply concrete to the pump is taken care of by one man at the rear the vehicle while in the cab a second man takes care of t spraying of the concrete and the control of the jib. In cas like this the efficiency of the spraying work is poor, if ther is a long journey between the concrete plant and the work site Often the underground spiral driveway and the rest of th journey together are several kilometers. The return journey t fetch a new batch of concrete takes time, and during this tim the vehicle is away from spraying operations. The patent application publication DE 2,264,088 shows a tan trailer that is intended for concrete distribution, which i equipped with a pump to transfer the mass to the point of use In this the feed funnel is located beneath the discharge funne of the tank. Here too one man is required to supervise the pum and possible jointed jib and another at the point of use of th concrete mass to supervise the casting. A tank trailer of thi kind is poorly adapted to use in mines, because the discharg of the bulk concrete demands considerable vertical space. O the other hand the tractor intended to pull the trailer canno be freed on account of lack of space. The intention of this invention is to create a new type o distribution system that is more efficient than the previou ones for both concrete spraying and casting. The characteris tics features of the system in accordance with the inventio are presented in the accompanying Patent Claims. The mai principle of the invention is to arrange the pump vehicle i such a way that it need not itself fetch the mass from abov ground. Secondly the pump in it is located behind the cab an its feed funnel is equipped with a device to prevent overfil ling, so that one man can supervise the pump, the jib, and th use of the concrete, when a single employee is sufficient a the point of work. The overfilling of the feed funnel is most advantageousl prevented by connecting it tightly to the discharge opening o the tank by means of a joint that permits rotation. The use o various kinds of sensors to give an alarm if overfilling take place is possible in principle, but they are of dubiou reliability. In addition the interruption of the rotation the tank prevents it being filled. From the point of view of the invention it is of nearly consequence whether the matter is one of concrete spraying casting carried out by pumping concrete. In practice spray concrete is normal bulk concrete, which is dispersed in nozzle by compressed air. The filling of the tank from the rear takes place in some kno way. Most advantageously the system includes a bulk concre vehicle in accordance with Patent Claim'5. Here the techniqu known from the German application publication 2,263,088, patent publication 240,594, or Finnish patent applicati 890221 can be applied. In this system the bulk tank of the pu vehicle can have a smaller capacity than previously, becau the system includes separate bulk concrete transportati vehicles. A horizontal tank that is open at both ends or o end can only be less than half filled, * but this is not disadvantage. The concrete mass flows through the tank of t pump vehicle and pumping is not interrupted for even the ti that it takes to fill the tank. The other advantageous forms of the realization of the invent on are explained in connection with the examples of implement tion that are shown later. In what follows the invention is illustrated with the aid the accompanying illustrations, which show various forms application of a system in accordance with the invention. Figure 1 shows vehicles of a system intended for concre spraying Figure 2 shows spraying and pump vehicles Figure 3 shows the connection between the pump and tank the vehicle in Figure 2 Figure 4 shows the vehicle in Figure 2 seen from the rear Figure 5 shows a bulk concrete vehicle The use of a system in accordance with the invention f spraying concrete in mine tunnels is shown in Figure 1. typical underground construction the working height is smal The principal components of the system are the pump vehicle and the tank vehicle 10. The pump vehicle 1 is continually the point of work and its efficiency is thus excellent compar to previous systems. The transportation of the bulk concre from the concrete plant above ground and pump vehicle ' .1 tak place with tank vehicle 10. Close to the point of work th turns round and reverses in such a way that the dischar opening 13 of its tank 11 penetrates the feed opening 5 of ta 3. The concrete mass is here discharged by rotating tank horizontally, when the internal spiral pushes the mass out in tank 3. It may be assumed that in practice the tank capacity the pump vehicle is sufficient for c. 3.5 m 3 and that t capacity of the tank 11 of the transfer vehicle is sufficie for c. 4.5 m 3 effective capacity. Vehicles 1, 10 include locating devices 17 and 18, in this ca a pin and a hole, by means of which ' it is ensured that t discharge opening 13 remains in place in relation to t opposing feed opening 5. This is quite essential, as t vehicles have suspension. Under difficult conditions support legs 19 or 20 of one other of the vehicles 1, 10, by means of which alternative either the pump vehicle 1 or the tank vehicle 10 is raised order to locate the rear end. A situation of this kind on arises if the vehicles 1 and 10 approach one another different slopes. In the situation in Figure 1, that is on completely level surface, there is no need to use the suppo legs 19 or 20. The principal components of the pump vehicle 1 are a cab 2, bulk concrete tank 3, and concrete pump 4, Figure 2. The fro of the vehicle also includes a jib system 12 for concre spraying. Here too the mass moves out of tank 3 by means of t internal spiral 8, when the tank is rotated. The mass th flows out of the discharge opening 6 directly into the fe funnel 7. When the discharge opening 6 of the tank 3 and t feed funnel 7 of the pump 4 are tightly connected, there is longer any need to supervise pump 4. Tank 3 can revol continuously and moves the mass from the discharge opening 6 much as there is space for in the feed funnel 7, but the stat pressure of the concrete mass in the raised feed funnel prevents overflow. The feed funnel 7 is open at the top, that the washing and servicing of the equipment is easy. The tight connection 14 between the tank 3 and the feed funn 7 of the pump 4 shown in Figure 4 is quite central to t operation of the pump vehicle 1. The funnel 7 includes a rubb flange 15, which is arranged to press against the conic surface 16 of the tank 3. The concrete mass that is press into the funnel 7 further presses the rubber flange 15 again the conical surface 16, so that the connection remains tig even when loaded. Figure 4 shows the pump vehicle 1 from the rear. The fe opening 5 is formed of a large rubber flange 21, the diamet of which is about 1.5 and the diameter of the opening in is about 0.6 m. This makes possible a large difference of ang between the tanks 3 and 11 to be coupled together. The chassis of the pump vehicle 1 has a swivelling rear cov 9, which can be pressed against the rubber flange 15 f example during temporary transportation or mixing of the mass Vehicle 1 needs no more than one person to supervise the enti operation of the pump vehicle 1. In practice the person in t cab 2 supervises the operation of the spraying nozzles a controls the jibs 12 that direct them, because the feeding pump 4 no longer requires continual supervision. When the pu vehicle is used for normal casting, the pump and the jib equi ment is most advantageously controlled from the point casting itself by means of a suitable remote-control device. Figure 5 shows a bulk concrete tank vehicle 10, the principa task of which is to transport bulk concrete from a concret plant to the tank of a pump vehicle. Vehicle 10 includes rotatable tank 11, inside of which there is a spiral 8 to mov the mass out of the tank. The discharge opening 13 of the tan 11 is arranged to fit the feed opening 5 of tank 3 in such way that the discharge opening 13 fits suitably inside fee opening 5. Here this horizontal transfer of the mass is know from the aforementioned patent publications. The pumping of th concrete and its spraying is not disturbed during the fillin of tank 3. Even under difficult conditions the operator of th pump vehicle need interrupt his work only while coupling i taking place.

Claims: Patent Claims 1. A concrete distribution system formed from a least two tank vehicles (1, 10) , which includes a pump vehicl (l) equipped with a cab (2), which carries a rotatabl through-flow bulk concrete tank (3) with an internal spiral and with a pump (4) located between the cab and the tank (3) and in which the feed opening of the bulk concrete tank (3) i located at the rear of the vehicle and the discharge openin (6) is arranged to pour the mass into the fee funnel (7) o the pump (4) ; and which distribution system includes at leas one tank vehicle (10) intended to transport bulk concrete t the pump vehicle (1), characterized in that the pump vehicl (1) includes devices to prevent the overfilling of the fee funnel (7) of the pump (4) , when the pump (4) does not requir continual supervision. 2. A system in accordance with Patent Claim 1 characterized in that the feed funnel (7) of the pump (4 extends above the discharge opening and that it is connected t the discharge opening by a tight connection (14) that permit rotation, in which case the static pressure of the mass tha collects high in the feed funnel (7) prevents overflow. 3. A system in accordance with Patent Claim 2 characterized in that the connection (14) that permits rotatio consists of a rubber flange (15) attached to the feed funne (7) and the conical surface (16) of the rotatable tank (3) tha presses against it. 4. A system in accordance with Patent Claim 2 characterized in that the tank (3) includes a rear hatch (9 and that the rotation device is adapted to rotate the tan alternatively in either direction. 5. A system in accordance with Patent Claim 2 characterized in that the tank (3) of the pump vehicle (1) ha a feed opening (5) with a large rubber flange (21) , th diameter of which is at least twice that of the free opening. 6. A system in accordance with Patent Claim 2 characterized in that the system includes a bulk concret transportation vehicle (10), which is equipped with a rotatabl tank (11) on a horizontal axle, in which there is an interna spiral (8) and the discharge opening (13) of which tank (11 faces backwards, and that the pump vehicle (1) and tank vehicl (10) of the system are adapted to one another in such a wa that the tank vehicle (10) can discharge the concrete mas horizontally into the feed opening (5) at the rear of the bul concrete tank (3) of the pump vehicle (1). 7. A system in accordance with Patent Claim 6 characterized in that the pump vehicle includes pipework fo spraying connected to the concrete pump (4) and a jib syste (12) supported on the front of the vehicle to carry th pipework and nozzles. 8. A system in accordance with Patent Claim 6, characterized in that both the pump vehicle (1) and the tan vehicle (10) include locating devices (17, 18) by means o which the discharge opening (13) of the tank vehicle (10) i kept in place in relation to the feed opening (5) of the pum vehicle (1) during the transfer of the mass. 9. A system in accordance with Patent Claim 8, characterized in that both the pump vehicle (1) and the tan vehicle (10) include support legs (19, 20) located at the rear, by means of which the.rear of one or other vehicle (1, 10) ca be raised if required for location.

Inventors: MINKKINEN RISTO, MINKKINEN, RISTO
Applicants: MINKKINEN RISTO, MINKKINEN, RISTO
Application year: 1990
Main classification: B28C5
IPC codes: B28C5