Protective device for concrete pumping hose couplers

A protective device for a coupler of a hose for pumping concrete, comprising:

• a first device half and a second device half, each defining a curved coupler recess and configured to interlock to form a complete enclosure around a hose coupler;
• each device half comprising a polymeric interior support material and a coupler receiver aperture conforming to the coupler's outer diameter;
• a detent pin having a shaft, spring-loaded ball bearings, a spring, and a pull ring, the shaft configured to pass through a detent pin receiver in each device half and engage a detent pin lock receiver with a metal insert;
• a sacrificial exterior layer disposed over the interior support material and comprising a polymer having a Shore D hardness of 50-60;
• a wear indicator comprising a honeycomb scaffold structure disposed between the exterior layer and the interior support material;
• and
• a coupler channel formed in the enclosure to engage a flange or protrusion of the hose coupler and prevent longitudinal movement.

A method of protecting a concrete surface from abrasion caused by a coupler of a hose for pumping concrete, comprising:

• providing a protective device comprising a first device half and a second device half, each device half defining a curved interior shape configured to engage an exterior profile of a coupler of a hose for pumping concrete, each device half comprising a sacrificial exterior layer disposed over support material, wherein the exterior layer comprises a material having lower hardness than the support material, and one or more wear indicators positioned beneath the sacrificial exterior layer and structurally distinct from the support material such that the one or more wear indicators are configured to become visible from beneath the sacrificial exterior layer upon wearing away of the sacrificial exterior layer;
• positioning the first device half and the second device half around a coupler of a hose for pumping concrete;
• engaging the curved interior shapes of each device half with the exterior profile of the coupler;
• removably engaging the first and second device halves by hand-operation without tools to form a removable enclosure about the coupler.