Abstract:
An apparatus for pitching and splitting a masonry block is provided. The apparatus includes a first pitching blade configured to move in a first direction. A second pitching blade is disposed adjacent to the first pitching blade, and the two pitching blades are separated by a distance that is small enough so that the splits initiated by each blade join into a single plane, thereby pitching and splitting the masonry block without the need for a splitting blade.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is related to U.S. application Ser. No. 11/583,592, entitled “CONCRETE BLOCK SPLITTING AND PITCHING APPARATUS AND METHOD,” and U.S. application Ser. No. 10/182,006, entitled “MASONRY BLOCK MULTI-SPLITTING APPARATUS AND METHOD,” commonly owned, filed herewith and incorporated by reference for all purposes. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention pertains to the field of concrete block manufacturing, and more specifically to a concrete block splitting and pitching apparatus and method for splitting a concrete block into two or more sections and pitching the edges of the sections in a single step, using only pitching blades. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Prior art systems and methods for manufacturing concrete blocks have included splitting devices that use two or more diametrically-opposed blades in a press, where the blades cause the concrete block to split into two parts. Some of the prior art concrete block splitters further include ridges or projections to create random variations on the concrete block, so as to manufacture a plurality of blocks that do not appear to be identical, to simulate a hand-made or naturally-occurring block. 
     In addition, prior art systems and methods have included pitching devices that pitch the edges of a concrete block. These pitching devices are also used to create random variations to simulate hand-made or naturally-occurring block. As such, the prior art concrete block manufacturing systems and methods teach away from creation of features on a concrete block in a controlled manner. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention, a concrete block splitting and pitching apparatus and method are provided that allow a concrete block to be split and pitched in a single step. 
     In particular, a system and method for splitting and pitching a concrete block are provided that allow the pitching of the concrete block to be controlled so as to create controlled features on the pitched surface. 
     In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus for pitching and splitting a masonry block is provided. The apparatus includes a first pitching blade configured to move in a first direction. A second pitching blade is disposed adjacent to the first pitching blade, and the two pitching blades are separated by a distance that is small enough so that the splits initiated by each blade join into a single plane, thereby pitching and splitting the masonry block without the need for a splitting blade. 
     The present invention provides many important technical advantages. One important technical advantage of the present invention is an apparatus and method for splitting and pitching a concrete block that allows the concrete block to be split and pitched in a single step using two pitching blades only, so as to create a pitched edge on a split face of a masonry block without the need for a splitting blade. 
     Those skilled in the art will further appreciate the advantages and superior features of the invention together with other important aspects thereof on reading the detailed description that follows in conjunction with the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram of an edge view of a blade assembly in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram of a side view of a blade assembly in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram of an edge view of a blade assembly with parallel staggered blades in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a diagram of a side view of a blade assembly with parallel and axially staggered blades in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a diagram of a side view of a blade assembly with aligned parallel blades in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a diagram of a blade assembly with vertically staggered blades in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a diagram of a pitching blade with a crown in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a diagram of a pitching blade with cornered edges in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 9  is a diagram of a concrete block in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 10  is a diagram of a press in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 11  is a diagram of a concrete block in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 12  is a diagram of a concrete block in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 13  is a diagram of a pitching blade assembly in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 14  is a diagram of a pitching blade assembly adjusting to a surface irregularity in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In the description that follows, like parts are marked throughout the specification and drawings with the same reference numerals. The drawing figures might not be to scale and certain components can be shown in generalized or schematic form and identified by commercial designations in the interest of clarity and conciseness. 
       FIG. 1  is a diagram of an edge view of a blade assembly  100  in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Blade assembly  100  allows a block, such as one formed from concrete, masonry, or other suitable materials (all hereinafter referred to in general as a concrete block) to be split and pitched in a single step, as opposed to requiring multiple steps and stations for splitting and pitching. 
     Blade assembly  100  includes splitting blade  102  and pitching blades  104  and  106 . Each of splitting blade  102  and pitching blades  104  and  106  are secured in grooves  112 ,  114  and  110 , respectively, of blade holder  108 , which can be an interchangeable blade holder assembly, a static blade holder assembly that is part of a larger cutting machine, or other suitable blade assemblies. In one exemplary embodiment, pins, screws, clamps, or other suitable devices or materials can be used to secure splitting blade  102  in groove  112  and pitching blades  104  and  106  in grooves  114  and  110 , respectively. The shape of splitting blade  102  and pitching blades  104  and  106  can likewise be altered, such as to interlock with grooves  112 ,  114  and  116 , respectively, or for other suitable purposes. 
     Splitting blade  102  and pitching blades  104  and  106  are made from suitable material for splitting concrete blocks, such as steel or other suitable blade material. Pitching blades  104  and  106  are inset a distance “X 1 ” and “X 2 ,” respectively, from splitting blade  102 , such that when blade holder  108  is moved towards the concrete block to be split and pitched, splitting blade  102  encounters the concrete block first and causes the block to split. Pitching blades  104  and  106  then encounter the block after it has been split so as to cause the split edge of the block to be pitched. Furthermore, splitting blade  102  can be used to affect the action of pitching blades  104  and  106 , such as by increasing the height difference “X 1 ” and “X 2 ” so that splitting blade  102  applies a force against the split face of the concrete block. In this exemplary embodiment, the spacings “X 1 ,” “X 2 ,” “Y 1 ” and “Y 2 ” as shown can be varied as suitable to create different pitch depths, spacing, to decrease the amount of force required to perform the pitching and splitting operations, to control the quality of the pitching and splitting operations so as to reduce random variations in the split or pitched surfaces, or for other suitable purposes. 
     Splitting blade  102  and pitching blades  104  and  106  can be removed to allow them to be replaced, such as to modify the height difference “X 1 ” or “X 2 ,” the spacing “Y 1 ” or “Y 2 ,” to replaced blades after they have been damaged or worn, or for other suitable purposes. Further variations of exemplary pitching blades  104  and  106  are shown in side view in  FIGS. 2 ,  5 ,  6  from the view as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     In operation, blade assembly  100  is used in conjunction with other blade assemblies to split a concrete block and to pitch the resulting edges in a single combined splitting and pitching operation. The separation “Y 1 ” and “Y 2 ” between the plane of splitting blade  102  and the planes of pitching blades  104  and  106 , respectively, and “X 1 ” and “X 2 ” between the edge of splitting blade  102  and between the edge of pitching blades  104  and  106 , respectively, can be varied to control the quality of the pitched edge that is formed after splitting. In one exemplary embodiment, the width of splitting blade  102  can be controlled so as to separate the segments of the split concrete block so as to prevent interference between the segments as they are split, which can create random variations that might not be desired. Other suitable variations described herein can also or alternatively be used to control the pitching of edges after splitting. 
       FIG. 2  is a diagram of a side view of blade assembly  200  in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Blade assembly  200  includes splitting blade  102  and pitching blade  104 . Splitting blade  102  and pitching blade  104  are held by blade holder  108 . In addition, the offset “X 1 ” between splitting blade  102  and pitching blade  104  is shown in  FIG. 2 . 
     In operation, blade assembly  200  is moved towards a concrete block in the direction of the arrow to split the concrete block and to pitch the edges of the concrete block in a single step. In one exemplary embodiment, blade assembly  200  can be part of a hydraulic, pneumatic, electric or mechanical press that simultaneously moves blade assembly  200  down onto the concrete block to be split, two other blade assemblies sideways against the concrete block, and one additional blade assembly upwards against the concrete block. When blade assembly  200  is used for each blade assembly, each edge of the two block pieces that are formed from the concrete block that is being split can be pitched. The pitched surface created using blade assembly  200  can be controlled to have predetermined characteristics based on the orientation of splitting blade  102  and pitching blade  104 , such as by increasing the planar separation “Y 2 ” or the edge height separation “X 1 ” as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  is a diagram of an edge view of blade assembly  300  with parallel staggered blades in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Blade assembly  300  includes splitting blade  302  and pitching blades  304 ,  306 ,  308  and  310 ,  312 , and  314 . Each of the splitting and pitching blades are held by blade holder  316  in corresponding slots. As shown, pitching blades  304 ,  306 ,  308  and pitching blades  310 ,  312 , and  314  are parallel to and staggered from each other so as to create a staggered pitching effect. A side view of the arrangement of splitting blade  302  and pitching blades  304 ,  306 , and  308  is shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     In addition, pitching blades  304 ,  306 ,  308  and pitching blades  310 ,  312 , and  314  are separated from splitting blade  302  by a distance of Y 4 , Y 5 , Y 6 , Y 1 , Y 2  and Y 3 , respectively, and the cutting edge of pitching blades  304 ,  306 ,  308  and pitching blades  310 ,  312 , and  314  are separated from the cutting edge of splitting blade  302  by a distance of X 4 , X 5 , X 6 , X 1 , X 2  and X 3 , respectively. In this manner, the separation between the pitching blades and the splitting blade can be controlled so as to reduce the amount of force required to split and pitch the concrete block, to control the pitching of the concrete block edges after splitting so as to eliminate unwanted random variations, and for other suitable purposes. 
       FIG. 4  is a diagram of a side view of blade assembly  400  with parallel and axially staggered blades in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Blade assembly  400  includes splitting blade  302  and pitching blades  304 ,  306  and  308 , each of which is held by blade holder  316 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , pitching blade  304  is parallel to and axially offset from splitting blade  302  by a different amount than the axial offset of pitching blades  306  and  308 , which are also parallel to splitting blade  302 . In this manner, an axially-scalloped pitching effect can be created on each block that is split and pitched using blade assembly  400 . 
       FIG. 5  is a diagram of a side view of blade assembly  500  with aligned parallel blades in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Blade assembly  500  includes splitting blade  102 , pitching blades  104 , and blade holder  108 . Unlike blade assembly  400 , which has a plurality of pitching blades that are axially staggered, the pitching blades of blade assembly  500  are not axially offset but lie alongside the same horizontal axis. In this manner, the pitching cuts made by pitching blades  104  do not form an axially-scalloped pitching effect, and the scalloped pitching effect created by blade assembly  500  might result in some random variations that cause concrete blocks created using blade assembly  500  to contain certain desired random variations while retaining a scalloped effect. 
       FIG. 6  is a diagram of blade assembly  600  with vertically staggered blades in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Blade assembly  600  includes splitting blade  102  and pitching blades  104 ,  104 ′ and  104 ″, each of which are held by blade holder  108 . Although the edge view of  FIG. 1  necessarily obscures the vertical variations in the height of blades  104 ,  104 ′ and  104 ″,  FIG. 6  shows these vertical variations, which can be used to create a controlled and axially-aligned scalloped pitching effect on the edges of a concrete block after it has been split by splitting blade  102  of blade assembly  600 . Likewise, by vertically staggering the height of pitching blades  104 ,  104 ′ and  104 ″, the amount of force required to split and pitch the concrete block can be decreased, such as where it is desirable to reduce the amount of force that is required to split and pitch concrete blocks in order to meet machine press design loading, to conserve power, or for other suitable purposes. 
       FIG. 7  is a diagram of pitching blade  700  with a crown in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Pitching blade  700  includes crown  702  that rises to a peak in the center of pitching blade  700 . In this manner, the force required to pitch the block being operated on is decreased by focusing the force at the maximum height of crown  702 . Pitching blade  700  also helps to reduce random variations that can result from a flat pitching blade, where the pitching action can start unevenly at various points along the length of the flat pitching blade. 
       FIG. 8  is a diagram of pitching blade  800  with cornered edges in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Pitching blade  800  includes cornered edges  802  and  804 . In this exemplary embodiment, providing a corner on cornered edges  802  and  804  can help to prevent cracking or other unintended effects on the concrete block section that has been split, which can create random variations in the appearance of the pitched surface. 
       FIG. 9  is a diagram of concrete block  900  in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Concrete block  900  is shown being split into two sections,  902  and  904 . Splitting blades  906 A and  906 B are used to split concrete block  900  into sections  902  and  904  by impacting with the block before pitching blades  908 A,  908 B,  910 A and  910 B. Afterwards, pitching blades  908 A and  908 B on one side of the split and pitching blades  910 A and  910 B on the opposite side of the split interact with the block so as to pitch the edges of sections  902  and  904  at the split, shown as pitch break in  FIG. 9 . Two additional sets of splitting and pitching blades can also be used that move perpendicular to the direction of motion shown in  FIG. 9 . In this manner, a split concrete block having a pitched edge can be created in a single step. 
     As previously discussed, the spacing of splitting blades  906 A and  906 B relative to pitching blades  908 A,  908 B,  910 A and  910 B can also be varied so as to control the location of the pitch break. For example, if the difference in height between the splitting blades and the pitching blades is sufficient, the splitting blades will provide an axial force to the split face of each concrete block section that will cause the pitch break to elongate as shown. Even a slight difference in height between the splitting blades and the pitching blades will affect the dimensions of the pitch break, making the dimensions more controlled due only to the presence of pitching blades adjacent to the splitting blades and the presence of the newly-split concrete block sections adjacent to each other. In this manner, the dimensions of the pitch break are controlled not only by the pitching blades but also by the configuration of all of the blades in the blade assembly as well as the combined splitting and pitching operation that leaves the split concrete block sections adjacent to each other during the pitching operation. 
       FIG. 10  is a diagram of press  1000  in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Press  1000  includes base  1002  which contains splitting blade  1004  and pitching blade  1006 . Likewise, blade holder  1008  holds a corresponding splitting blade  1012  and pitching blade  1010 . For splitting the block from the side and pitching the edges on the side, blade holder  1014  holds pitching blade  1016  and splitting blade  1018  and blade holder  1020  holds pitching blade  1022  and splitting blade  1024 . Instead of the splitting and pitching blade configurations shown in  FIG. 9 , other suitable blade configurations, such as those shown herein or other suitable variations described herein, can also or alternatively be used. 
     In operation, blade holder  1008  is moved downwards, such as by a pneumatic press or other suitable presses capable of providing sufficient force to split concrete block  1026 . Likewise, base  1002  can be recessed so as to hold concrete block  1026  up and can include movable splitting blade  1004  and pitching blade  1006  that can be raised, such as by a pneumatic press, in coordination with splitting blade  1012  and pitching blade  1010 . In this manner, splitting blades  1012  and  1004  interact with concrete block  1026  so as to create a split through concrete block  1026 . 
     Likewise, blade holders  1014  and  1020  are moved laterally so as to cause splitting blades  1018  and  1024  to interact with concrete block  1026  at the same time that splitting blades  1012  and  1004  interact with concrete block  1026  so to form a uniform split through concrete block  1026 . After concrete block  1026  has been split by splitting blades  1004 ,  1012 ,  1018  and  1024 , pitching blades  1006 ,  1010 ,  1016 , and  1022  interact with concrete block  1026  so as to pitch the edges of concrete block  1026  along the split. In this manner, concrete block  1026  can be split into two blocks and the edges of each block can be pitched in a single action. 
       FIG. 11  is a diagram of concrete block  1100  in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Concrete block  1100  includes pitched area  1102  and split face  1104 . Pitched area  1102  is formed by pitching blades that are uniform along the length and sides of the splitting assembly. Split face  1104  is formed by splitting blades that are diametrically opposed to each other. 
       FIG. 12  is a diagram of concrete block  1200  in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Concrete block  1200  includes scalloped sections  1202 A through  1202 L and split face  1204 . As discussed previously, multiple pitching blades can be used to form scalloped sections  1202 A through  1202 L. By using pitching blades that are offset axially, scalloped sections  1202 A through  1202 L can be overlapped, or by aligning them and staggering the action of pitching blades by having different pitching blade heights, the scalloped sections can also be overlapped, uniform or can have other desired configurations. 
       FIG. 13  is a diagram of a pitching blade assembly  1300  in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Pitching blade assembly  1300  includes press  1302 , compressible material  1304  and blade holder assembly  1306 . Blade holder assembly  1306  includes two pitching blades  1308  and  1310 , separated by a distance “X.” If the distance “X” is less than the distance beyond which pitching blades  1308  and  1310  will operate as separate splitting blades, then pitch breaks  1314  and  1316  will form in concrete block  1312 , and will propagate together to form split break  1318 . The maximum separation distance will be a function of the material characteristics and dimensions of 
       FIG. 14  is a diagram of a pitching blade assembly  1400  adjusting to a surface irregularity in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown, concrete block  1312  includes surface irregularity  1402 , which causes pitching blades  1308  and  1310  to conform to the surface of concrete block  1312 . Compressible material  1304  allows blade holder assembly  1306  to shift, so as to allow pitching blades  1308  and  1310  to conform to surface irregularity  1402  of concrete block  1312 , which avoids improper propagation of pitch breaks  1314  and  1316 . 
     Although exemplary embodiments of a system and method of the present invention have been described in detail herein, those skilled in the art will also recognize that various substitutions and modifications can be made to the systems and methods without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.