Patent Publication Number: US-9833926-B2

Title: Concrete product machine vibrator-mold interface

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This is a non-provisional patent application claiming the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/206,364, which was filed Aug. 18, 2015, and which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND 
     Field 
     This application relates generally to a concrete product machine and, more specifically, to such a machine that imparts vibration to a concrete product mold. 
     Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
     It is known for concrete product machines to include concrete molds and vibrator assemblies that impart vibration to the concrete molds. It is also known for interfacing surfaces of joints between concrete molds and vibrator assemblies tend to distort over time, loosening the joints and degrading performance. 
     SUMMARY 
     A concrete product machine comprising a vibrator assembly comprising a vibrator shaft supported for rotation about a vibrator shaft axis by a first vibrator bearing set carried by a first vibrator bearing housing. A mold assembly is carried by the vibrator assembly and comprises a concrete product mold carried by a first mold support member. The first mold support member is carried by the first vibrator bearing housing. A first mold assembly support joint comprises first and second support surfaces of the first vibrator bearing housing engaging respective first and second support surfaces of the first mold support member in a tapered fit. 
    
    
     
       DRAWING DESCRIPTIONS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a concrete product machine; 
         FIG. 2  is an orthogonal view of a prior art concrete product machine; 
         FIG. 3  is an orthogonal view of the concrete product machine of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is an orthogonal fragmentary view of a vibrator bearing housing of the concrete product machine of  FIG. 1  received in a housing-receiving pocket of a mold support member of the concrete product machine; 
         FIG. 5  is cross-sectional front view of the vibrator bearing housing and mold support member of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of the vibrator bearing housing and mold support member of  FIG. 4  taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 5 ; and 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the vibrator bearing housing and mold support member of  FIG. 4  taken along line  7 - 7  of  FIG. 5 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A concrete product machine, generally shown at  10  in the drawings, comprises a vibrator assembly  12  including first and second vibrator shafts  14 ,  16 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the first vibrator shaft  14  may be supported for rotation about a first vibrator shaft axis  18  on a first vibrator bearing pair  20  comprising axially-spaced forward and aft vibrator bearing sets  22 ,  24  carried by fore and aft vibrator bearing housings  26 ,  28 . As is also shown in  FIG. 3 , the second vibrator shaft  16  may be supported for rotation about a second vibrator shaft axis  30  on a second vibrator bearing pair  32  that, like the first vibrator bearing pair  20 , comprises axially-spaced forward and aft vibrator bearing sets (not shown) carried by forward and aft vibrator bearing housings  34 ,  36 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the machine  10  includes a mold assembly  38  that is carried by the vibrator assembly  12  and that includes a concrete product mold  40  carried by forward and aft mold support members  42 ,  44 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the forward mold support member  42  may be carried by the forward vibrator bearing housings  26 ,  34  of the first and second vibrator bearing pairs  20 ,  32 . The aft mold support member  44  may be carried by the aft vibrator bearing housings  28 ,  36  of the first and second vibrator bearing pairs  20 ,  32 . 
     As is best shown in  FIGS. 4-7 , fasteners  46  may extend through two housing through-holes  48  formed in each of the vibrator bearing housings  26 ,  28 ,  34 ,  36  and may also extend through support member through-holes  50  formed in the mold support members  42 ,  44  to fasten the forward vibrator bearing housings  26 ,  34  to the forward mold support member  42  and the aft vibrator bearing housings  28 ,  36  to the aft mold support member  44 . 
     The machine  10  may also include four mold assembly support joints  52 . As best shown in  FIG. 5 , each of the four mold assembly support joints  52  may comprise first and second support surfaces  54 ,  56  of one of the vibrator bearing housings  26 ,  28 ,  34 ,  36  engaging respective first and second support surfaces  58 ,  60  of one of four bearing housing receiving pockets  62 , two of which are formed in each of the mold support members  42 ,  44  in a tapered fit. 
     As best shown in  FIGS. 3 and 5 , the first and second support surfaces  54 ,  56  of each of the vibrator bearing housings  26 ,  28 ,  34 ,  36  may be disposed in a diagonally outward and upward facing orientation relative to one another and to earth gravity, respectively. Likewise, the first and second support surfaces  58 ,  60  of each bearing housing receiving pocket  62  may be disposed in a diagonally inward and downward facing orientation relative to one another and earth gravity, respectively. 
     In other words, the first support surface  54  of each of the vibrator bearing housings  26 ,  28 ,  34 ,  36  may be angled relative to the second support surface  56  of each of the vibrator bearing housings  26 ,  28 ,  34 ,  36  such that respective upper ends of the first and second support surfaces  54 ,  56  of each of the vibrator bearing housings  26 ,  28 ,  34 ,  36  are disposed closer to one another than respective lower ends of the first and second support surfaces  54 ,  56  of each of the vibrator bearing housings  26 ,  28 ,  34 ,  36 . Likewise, the first support surface  58  of each bearing housing receiving pocket  62  may be angled relative to the second support surface  60  of each bearing housing receiving pocket  62  such that respective upper ends of the first and second support surfaces  54 ,  56  of each bearing housing receiving pocket  62  are disposed closer to one another than respective lower ends of the first and second support surfaces  54 ,  56  of each bearing housing receiving pocket  62 . 
     The first support surface  54  of each of the vibrator bearing housings  26 ,  28 ,  34 ,  36  and the second support surface  56  of each of the vibrator bearing housings  26 ,  28 ,  34 ,  36  may subtend an angle in the range of 1-179 degrees, and, as shown in the drawings, may preferably subtend an angle of approximately 120 degrees. The first support surface  58  of each bearing housing receiving pocket  62  of each mold support member  42 ,  44 , and the second support surface  56  of each bearing housing receiving pocket  62  of each mold support member  42 ,  44  subtend an angle in the range of 1-179 degrees, and preferably subtend an angle of approximately 120 degrees. 
     The first support surface  54  of one or more of the vibrator bearing housings  26 ,  28 ,  34 ,  36  may be angled within the range of 1-89° relative to an upward-facing top surface  64  of that vibrator bearing housing. Likewise, the first support surface  58  of one or more of the bearing housing-receiving pockets  62  may also be angled within the range of 1-89° relative to a downward-facing upper pocket surface  66  of the or each bearing housing receiving pocket  62 . 
     As best shown in  FIG. 5 , the first support surface  54  of one or more of the vibrator bearing housings  26 ,  28 ,  34 ,  36  may preferably be angled 60° relative to the second support surface  56  of that vibrator bearing housing as shown in the drawings. Likewise, and as is also best shown in  FIG. 5 , the first support surface  58  of one or more of the bearing housing receiving pockets  62  may preferably be angled 60° relative to the second support member support surface of the or each pocket  62 . 
     As is also best shown in  FIG. 5 , the first and second angled support surfaces  54 ,  56  of one or more of the vibrator bearing housings  26 ,  28 ,  34 ,  36  may each preferably be angled 30° relative to the upward-facing top surface  64  of the or each vibrator bearing housing. Likewise, the first and second angled support surfaces of one or more of the bearing housing-receiving pockets  62  may each preferably be angled 30° relative to the downward-facing upper pocket surface  66  of the or each bearing housing-receiving pocket  62 . 
     As best shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , there may be a gap  68  between an upward-facing top surface  64  of each vibrator bearing housing and a downward-facing upper pocket surface  66  of each bearing housing-receiving pocket  62 . The upward-facing top surface  64  of each vibrator bearing housing may extend between upper ends of the angled support surfaces  54 ,  56  of the vibrator bearing housing, and the downward-facing surface at the top of each housing-receiving pocket  62  may extend between upper ends of the angled support surfaces of each pocket  62 . 
     The upward-facing top surface  64  of each of the vibrator bearing housings  26 ,  28 ,  34 ,  36  and the downward-facing upper pocket surface  66  of each pocket  62  may be spaced from one another when the vibrator bearing housings  26 ,  28 ,  34 ,  36  are received in the bearing housing-receiving pockets  62  and the angled support surfaces  54 ,  56  of the vibrator bearing housings  26 ,  28 ,  34 ,  36  are engaging the respective angled support surfaces of the pockets  62 . The presence of the gap  68 , i.e., the spacing between the downward and upward-facing surfaces  64 ,  66 , insures that mold loads are carried by the angled support surfaces  54 ,  56  of the vibrator bearing housings  26 ,  28 ,  34 ,  36  and receiving pockets  62  rather than by the upward-facing vibrator bearing housing top surfaces  64  and the downward-facing pocket upper pocket surfaces, and that considerable wearing of the angled support surfaces  54 ,  56  of the vibrator bearing housings  26 ,  28 ,  34 ,  36  and/or housing-receiving pockets  62  would have to take place before any of the upward-facing surfaces  64  of the vibrator bearing housings  26 ,  28 ,  34 ,  36  and the downward-facing upper pocket surfaces  66  would come into contact with each other. 
     In the disclosed embodiment the initial gap measurement of the gap  68  between the upward-facing top surface  64  of each bearing housing and the downward-facing upper pocket surface  66  at the top of each bearing housing-receiving pocket  62  may be  0 . 129  inches. However, in other embodiments, any other suitable initial gap measurement may be used. Also, the gap measurement may decrease over time as the angled support surfaces  54 ,  56  of the bearing housings  26 ,  28 ,  34 ,  36  and bearing housing-receiving pockets  62  wear. 
     A concrete product machine constructed as described above, because of the tapered fit provided between the vibrator bearing housings  26 ,  28 ,  34 ,  36  and the mold support members  42 ,  44 , provides and maintains a tighter connection between the vibrator assembly  12  and the mold assembly  38  than would otherwise be provided, reduces mold face wear, and prevents fastener breakage by reducing horizontal vibration. 
     This description, rather than describing limitations of an invention, only illustrates one embodiment of the invention recited in the claims. The language of this description is therefore exclusively descriptive and is non-limiting. 
     Obviously, it&#39;s possible to modify this invention from what the description teaches. Within the scope of the claims, one may practice the invention other than as described above.