Abstract:
A self-climbing formwork has a stationary climbing shoe ( 18 ) structured for attachment to a wall anchor point and a climbing cylinder ( 10 ) having a lower end directly contacting the climbing shoe ( 18 ) to form a hinge, the hinge defining a pivoting movement of the climbing cylinder ( 10 ) relative to the climbing shoe ( 18 ). A support ( 30 ) is provided on an upper end of the climbing cylinder ( 10 ), the support ( 30 ) having a protrusion defining a U-shaped recess. A climbing rail ( 22 ) is structured to be held in position by the climbing shoe ( 18 ) relative to the anchor point and guided along the wall through cooperation with the climbing shoe ( 18 ). Upon extension of the climbing cylinder ( 10 ), the support ( 30 ) engages beneath an upper engagement point ( 24″, 24″ ) of the climbing rail ( 22 ) at the U-shaped recess to urge the climbing rail ( 22 ) in an upward direction.

Description:
This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 11/993,023 filed Dec. 19, 2007 as the national stage of PCT/DE2006/001043 filed on Jun. 20, 2006 and also claims Paris Convention priority from DE 10 2005 030 335.8 filed Jun. 29, 2005, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a self-climbing formwork and/or a self-climbing scaffold unit with a climbing cylinder which is provided for raising or lowering a formwork and/or a scaffold unit along a wall of a building. 
     Self-climbing formworks are known wherein the lift cylinders are affixed to climbing rails which run along a wall during a climbing process. 
     DE 21 54 188 A1 discloses and describes a device for concreting pillars. A pillar is concreted in a formwork which is surrounded by scaffolding. The formwork is moved along the individual pillar sections by means of a climbing cylinder. At its lower end the climbing cylinder is fixed by means of a pressure plate on a pillar section which has already hardened. At its upper end the climbing cylinder is provided with two opposed pressure ribs which are pivotally mounted and in this way can be moved past cross members of the scaffolding. During a lifting movement of the climbing cylinder, the pivoted-out pressure ribs engage in recesses on the scaffolding and abut against the cross members of the scaffolding. 
     It is the object of the invention to construct a climbing cylinder on a self-climbing formwork or on a self-climbing scaffold unit in such a manner that it can be used and also shifted more easily. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The object is achieved according to the invention by the features of the independent claim. 
     Commercially available lift cylinders which operate and are embodied for example as hydraulically operating lift cylinders can be used as climbing cylinders. The lift cylinders only need to be adapted to the invention at their respective free ends whereby at one end, a fixing connection is provided at one fixed anchor point of the wall and at the other end, a support is provided at the free end of the piston of the lift cylinder, which can engage in bearing bolts of the climbing rails at any points of the climbing rails. The climbing rails can carry formwork, platforms and any other bracing which can be raised or lowered with the climbing rails by means of the climbing cylinder or cylinders. The climbing rails can also be integrated in a scaffold unit which can receive and carry formwork in addition to other units. When a lowering or raising process has been completed by means of the climbing cylinder or cylinders, the climbing cylinder or cylinders can be shifted to other anchor points for a new movement process of the climbing rails. 
     The climbing cylinder or cylinders are placed at locating points formed on the climbing shoe or shoes. Consequently, always the same fastening points on the climbing shoe or shoes and the climbing cylinder or cylinders are used for holding the climbing cylinder or cylinders on the climbing shoe or shoes. The climbing system can thus have a simple structure and any scope for incorrect connection for a fixed mounting of the climbing cylinder is eliminated. When the climbing cylinders are placed on the climbing shoes, the climbing cylinder or cylinders are supported on the climbing shoe or shoes during a lifting process. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the climbing cylinder or cylinders are affixed to a climbing shoe or shoes which are attached to the wall in a fixed position. This has the advantage that the climbing cylinder or cylinders can always be attached at the same fixing points of climbing shoes which are fixed to the wall at the anchor points provided. An anchor point thus bears the climbing shoe which guides the climbing rails along the wall at a defined distance and can at the same time hold the climbing rail permanently in one position. The climbing cylinder uses the climbing shoe as a fixed bearing and the climbing cylinder can raise or lower the climbing rail by means of a piston stroke. 
     In a further embodiment, the climbing cylinder or cylinders are pivotally hinged at the fixed fixing, namely the anchor point or the climbing shoe. This has the advantage that when the piston is withdrawn into the housing of the climbing cylinder, the climbing cylinder can be pivoted out of engagement with the bearing bolts of the climbing rail, whereby when the piston retracts into the housing of the climbing cylinder, a bearing bolt impinging upon the catch of the climbing cylinder pivots the climbing cylinder to such an extent that the piston can be retracted into the housing of the climbing cylinder without any interference. 
     If, in this connection, the climbing cylinder is fixed in a spring-mounted manner at the anchor point and/or the climbing shoe, it can automatically pivot back into its initial position as soon as the free end of the climbing cylinder is no longer in contact with a bearing bolt. 
     The support of the climbing cylinder at the free end is advantageously embodied as a catch, as already stated, which can be brought into engagement with a bearing bolt of the climbing rail in a particularly simple manner. It is likewise simple to release the bearing connection between the catch and the bearing bolt by retracting the piston into the housing of the climbing cylinder. The catch is non-pivotally hinged to the piston and at the same time, at the support, in this case the catch, a mounting plate is provided as a counterbearing for abutment against the respective climbing rail. This has the advantage that no moments from the bearing load of the climbing rail are introduced into the piston rod when the climbing cylinder raises or lowers a climbing rail. 
     It is understood that the spacing of the bearing bolts at the climbing rail or rails is matched to the possible piston stroke of a climbing cylinder. The piston path of a climbing cylinder is always longer than the spacing of adjacent bearing bolts on a climbing rail. A climbing cylinder must always be able to retract its piston rod with the catch hinged thereon to such an extent that the catch can automatically pivot into a position in which the catch can reliably grasp below a bearing bolt of the climbing rail. When a climbing process has been completed, the climbing cylinder or cylinders are moved to adjacent anchor points or climbing shoes so that another climbing process can be carried out after another concreting section has been completed. The climbing cylinder can be moved together with hydraulic hoses connected to the climbing cylinders or the climbing cylinders are uncoupled from the hydraulic hoses by means of quick connectors for the process of shifting to other fixed mounting points. After the climbing cylinder has been replaced, the hydraulic connection between the climbing cylinder and a hydraulic unit is made again. 
     In one exemplary embodiment the following figures show a section of a wall on which a climbing cylinder is fixed which holds a rail to which various attachments can be fixed. 
     It is understood that the bearing bolts of the climbing rails can also be replaced by technically equivalent means. Thus, matched catches or supports of a sliding shoe can also engage in through openings on the climbing rails or projections can be constructed on the climbing rails which can be gripped or grasped from below by corresponding supports of the sliding shoe. 
    
    
     
       In the figures: 
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
         FIG. 1  shows a climbing cylinder of a self-climbing formwork according to the invention in side view on a wall consisting of a first and a second concreting section; 
         FIG. 2  shows a further side view to  FIG. 1  with the climbing cylinder according to the invention in the extended state; and 
         FIG. 3  shows a side view with a climbing cylinder according to the invention showing how this pivots on the fixed mounting when the piston retracts. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The figures in the drawings show the climbing cylinder according to the invention and the associated parts highly schematically so that the structure and the operating mode of the climbing cylinder can be clearly shown. 
       FIG. 1  shows a climbing cylinder  10  in the retracted state as attached to a wall  12  of a building. The figure shows sections of a first concreting section  14  and a second concreting section  16 . A climbing shoe  18  is fixed on an anchor point on the first concreting section  14  in a fixed position. The climbing shoe  18  guides and holds a climbing rail  22  in position by means of a catch  20 . At points of the first and/or the second concreting section  14 ,  16  not shown there is provided at least one further climbing shoe which together with the climbing shoe  18  shown holds the climbing rail  22  guided on the wall  12 . 
     The catch  20  of the climbing shoe  18  can grasp under the bearing bolts  24 ,  24 ′,  24 ″,  24 ″ according to the position of the climbing rail  22 . In the position shown in the figure the catch  20  grasps under the bolt  24 ′ so that the climbing rail  22  is held against its gravitational force on the wall  12  so that it cannot be displaced. 
     The climbing cylinder  10  has a housing  26  in which a piston  28  is guided so that it can be displaced hydraulically. Hinged at the free end of the piston  28  is a support  30  on which a mounting plate  32  is provided. The support  30  has an opening suitable for receiving a bearing bolt  24  to  24 ′″. In the retracted state of the piston  28  the support  30  is located so far under the bearing bolts  24  to  24 ′″ that it can be pivoted without any interference into a position suitable for grasping below a bearing bolt  24  to  24 ′″. 
     The climbing shoe  18  is constructed in two parts as a wall shoe  34  and sliding shoe  36 . The wall shoe  34  is fixed in position at an anchor point of the wall  12  and the sliding shoe  36  is fixed in a hinged manner on the wall shoe  34 . The catch  20  is pivotally mounted in the sliding shoe  36  such that it locks in the position shown in the figure and if a pressure is exerted on the opposite side of the catch which has a sloping section, the catch  20  can pivot so far into the housing of the sliding shoe  36  that it is no longer in engagement with the bearing bolts  24  to  24 ′″. 
     The climbing cylinder  10  has a housing  37  by which means the climbing cylinder  10  can be placed on a shaft  38  of the sliding shoe  36 . When the climbing cylinder  10  is placed on the shaft  38  by means of the housing  37 , a safety bolt  40  secures the articulated connection and the climbing cylinder  10  can only be removed from the shaft  38  by unlocking the safety bolt  40 , and withdrawing it. The climbing cylinder  10  can be pivoted about the shaft  38  when it is placed thereon. Between a mounting plate of the sliding shoe  36  and the housing  37  there is provided on the housing  37  a rubber or toughened element  41  which presses the climbing cylinder  10  into the position shown in the figure. If the piston  28  of the hydraulically operated climbing cylinder is extended, the support  30  engages beneath the bearing bolt  24 ′″ and during a further extension of the piston  28 , the climbing rail  22  is raised. 
       FIG. 2  shows the climbing cylinder  10  in a fully extended position. The piston  28  is fully extended from the housing  26  and the climbing rail  22  has been raised by means of the climbing cylinder  10  in the direction of the arrow  42 . The entire load of the climbing rail  22  and the associated attachments of the climbing rail  22  rest on the support or supports  30  of the climbing cylinder  10 . In the position shown in the figure, the catch  20  of the climbing shoe  18  is out of engagement with the bearing bolt  24  which during raising of the climbing rail  22  in the direction of the arrow  42 , has temporarily pressed the catch  20  into the climbing shoe  18  so that the lift process could be carried out in the direction of the arrow  42  without hindrance. 
     Compared with the position of the climbing rail  22  in  FIG. 1 , the climbing rail  22  in  FIG. 2  has been raised by a path length whose length is determined by the distance of the catch  20  from the bearing bolt  24 ′. During the lifting process the climbing cylinder  10  is supported on the shaft  38  of the climbing shoe  18 . By abutting against the climbing rail  22  so as to restrict the pivot path, the mounting plate  32  prevents the support  30  from being able to pivot further under load and prevents any moments from being introduced into the piston  28  of the climbing cylinder  10  under the bearing load of the support  30  by the climbing rail  22 . The mounting plate  32  thus has the function of a counterbearing. By means of the lifting movement shown in  FIG. 2 , the climbing rail  22  climbs along the concreting sections  14 ,  16  in the direction of the arrow  42  and if the piston  28  is now retracted slightly, the bearing bolt  24  rests on the catch  20  and the climbing shoe  18  now bears the entire load of the climbing rail  22  by means of the catch  20 . The support  30  of the climbing cylinder  10  is then relieved of weight (see  FIG. 3 ). 
       FIG. 3  shows the climbing cylinder  10  in the non-fully-retracted state. The piston  28  is not fully retracted into the housing  26 . If the climbing cylinder  10  is now retracted further compared with the state of movement of the climbing cylinder  10  in  FIG. 2 , the support  30  impinges upon its lower side, which is constructed as sloping, against the bearing bolt  24 ″. If the piston  28  is retracted further into the housing  26 , the bearing bolt  24 ″, being held at its distance from the wall  12  by means of the spaced climbing shoe  18  so that it cannot be displaced on the climbing rail  22 , presses the climbing cylinder  10  out of its alignment shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  into a pivoted position as shown in  FIG. 3 . The climbing cylinder  10  pivots about the shaft  38  so far in the direction of the wall  12  that it can completely bypass a bearing bolt, in this case the bearing bolt  24 ″. When the climbing cylinder  10  is pivoted, the climbing cylinder  10  is pivoted from its aligned position against a spring force produced by the rubber or toughened element  41  and if the support  30  is free from any hindrance such as the bearing bolt  24 ″, as result of the spring force of the rubber or toughened element  41 , the climbing cylinder  10  pivots back into its position free from spring loading, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . It is shown in  FIG. 3  how the safety bolt  40  secures the hinge around the shaft  38  so that the housing  37  is securely held on the shaft  38 . The piston  28  can be retracted so far into the housing  26  that the support  30  is automatically brought back into a position which can receive the bearing bolt  24 ″ (a comparable position of the support  30  as in  FIG. 1 ). The support  30  then comes into engagement with the bearing bolt  24 ″ if the piston  28  is withdrawn slightly from the housing  26 . The support  30  is non-pivotably mounted at said upper end of said climbing cylinder. 
     The spacings of the bearing bolts on the climbing rail  22  are matched to the piston stroke length of the climbing cylinder  10  so that the desired climbing strokes can be carried out. The climbing rail  22  also has other through openings which can be used for fixing bracings, platforms and formwork. The climbing rail itself is shown cut in the figures. The figures only show half of the climbing rail used here which is composed of two U-profiles and joined together at a distance by means of bearing bolts. 
     A climbing cylinder  10  of self-climbing formwork in the building area is provided such that it can move climbing rails  22  along a wall  12  in a vertical direction  42 . At one end the climbing cylinder  10  has a fixing for an anchor point of the wall and at the other end a support  30  is provided on the climbing cylinder  10 , which can be brought into engagement with the climbing rail  22  such that it can both bear as well as displace the climbing rail  22 . The climbing cylinder  10  can be fixed at an anchor point of the building to which a climbing shoe  18  is attached. 
     Each climbing rail  22  has a first upper engagement point  24 ′″ and a second upper engagement point  24 ″ disposed below and at a separation from the first upper engagement point  24 ′″ as well as a first lower engagement point  24 ′ and a second lower engagement point  24  disposed below and at a separation from the first lower engagement point  24 ′. The self-climbing formwork has a first operative configuration (see  FIG. 1 ) in which the climbing cylinder  10  is retracted and the U-shaped recess of the support  30  is disposed below the first upper engagement point  24 ′″ of the climbing rail  22  with the first lower engagement point  24 ′ of the climbing rail  22  seating on and supported by the climbing shoe  18 . In a second operative configuration of the self-climbing formwork (see  FIG. 2 ), the climbing cylinder  10  is extended and the U-shaped recess of the support  30  directly contacts a lower side of the first upper engagement point  24 ′″ of the climbing rail  22  with the first lower engagement point  24 ′ of the climbing rail  22  being lifted upwardly away from the climbing shoe  18 . In a third operative configuration of the climbing formwork (see  FIG. 3 ), the climbing cylinder  10  is once more retracted and the U-shaped recess of the support  30  is pivoted away from the second upper engagement point  24 ″ of the climbing rail  22  with the second lower engagement point  24  of the climbing rail  22  then seating on and being supported by the climbing shoe  18 .