US 4,036,564 AGranted

Concrete pumping apparatus

OwnerJohn A. Richardsinventor

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Abstract

A concrete hopper has a plurality of arcuate channels in its bottom portion, preferably lined with a resilient material, such as rubber. The hopper includes a discharge end with discharge outlets formed therein in communication with the channels. A sliding sleeve-piston combination is associated with each channel for segregating and discharging a portion of the concrete through its associated discharge outlet. In other words, the sleeves are alternately filled by moving them through the hopper, and the pistons are operated to force the concrete out of the sleeves. A slide valve assembly including a discharge nozzle for connecting to a discharge hose and a pair of wear plates controls the discharge of pumped concrete from the discharge outlets. Hydraulic control means are included which automatically program the sequential operation of the sliding sleeve-piston combinations and the sliding valve. The pumping apparatus is designed to prevent the crushing of rock during shifting of the slide valve by being constructed so that the ends of the pistons and sleeves when fully extended lie in the same plane as the wear faces of the valve wear plates.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A concrete pumping apparatus, comprising:

a concrete hopper including a discharge end, said hopper having a plurality of longitudinally extending channels defined in its bottom portion to collect plastic concrete supplied to said hopper, said discharge end having a discharge outlet in communication with each of said channels:
slide valve means mounted on said discharge end of said hopper for controlling the discharge of concrete from said discharge outlets, said slide valve means including a fixed wear plate mounted on said hopper discharge end and a movable wear plate, said fixed wear plate having openings aligned with said discharge outlets and said movable wear plate having an opening for selective alignment with said openings in said fixed wear plate, said fixed and movable wear plates having planar wear faces that make sliding contact with each other in a predetermined plane of contact whereby selectively shifting said movable wear plate with respect to said fixed wear plate the discharge of concrete from said discharge outlets may be controlled;
concrete confining sleeves mounted in each of said channels for reciprocating movement along the axes of said channels, each of said concrete confining sleeves having a discharge end that lies in a given plane so that the sleeve discharge ends may be positioned in the plane of contact of the wear surfaces of said wear plates, each of said concrete confining sleeves being movable between a retracted position where it is substantially withdrawn from said hopper and a fully extended position where it communicates with one of said discharge outlets and has its discharge end positioned in the plane of contact of the wear surfaces of said wear plates, said sleeves being operable during their extension through plastic concrete in said hopper to receive and confine concrete therein;
concrete-pumping pistons mounted within each of said sleeves for reciprocating movement therein, each of said pistons including a flat concrete-contacting face and being movable from a retracted position to a fully extended position within its respective sleeve so that said flat piston face is in the plane of its associated sleeve end, whereby said piston and sleeve ends may both be positioned in the plane of contact of the wear faces of said wear plates;
and
control means connected to said movable wear plate, to said sleeves and to said pistons for selectively programming the movement of said sleeves and pistons and effecting the shifting of said movable wear plate so that whenever said concrete pumping apparatus is operated plastic concrete within said hopper is received in and pumped out of said sleeves through said slide valve means sequentially through each of said discharge outlets.

3 more elements

A concrete pumping apparatus, comprising:

a concrete hopper including a discharge end, said hopper having a plurality of longitudinally extending channels in its bottom portion to collect plastic concrete supplied to said hopper, said discharge end having a discharge outlet in communication with each of said channels;
a concrete-confining sleeve associated with each of said channels, each of said sleeves being mounted for reciprocating movement along the longitudinal axis of the one of said channels with which it is associated from a retracted position where it is substantially withdrawn from said hopper to an extended position where said sleeve extends into the one of said discharge outlets with which it is associated, each of said sleeves being operable during its extension through plastic concrete within said hopper to receive and confine concrete therein;
sleeve driving means connected with each of said sleeves for selectively moving said sleeves between their retracted and extended positions;
a piston mounted within each of said sleeves;
piston driving means connected with each of said pistons for selectively extending said piston within the one of said sleeves with which it is associated to discharge concrete confined therein out of the associated one of said discharge outlets;
piston retracting means for retracting an extended one of said pistons whenever its associated sleeve is retracted;
a fixed wear plate mounted externally on said discharge end of said hopper and having openings in alignment with said discharge outlets;
a movable wear plate having a discharge opening therein and a discharge nozzle on one side thereof in communication with the opening therein;
low friction bearing means mounting and holding the other side of said movable wear plate in sliding contact with said fixed wear plate in sealing relationship thereto, whereby by selectively positioning said movable wear plate said discharge nozzle may be aligned and thereby connected in communication with any selected one of said discharge outlets in said fixed wear plate;
selectively operable positioning means connected to said movable wear plate for aligning said discharge nozzle in communication with any selected one of said discharge outlets;
and
control means connected to said sleeve driving means, to said piston driving means and to said positioning means for selectively operating said sleeve driving, piston driving and movable wear plate positioning means in a programmed sequence, whereby whenever said concrete pumping apparatus is operated plastic concrete within said hopper is pumped sequentially through said discharge outlets and out of said discharge nozzle.

9 more elements

A concrete pumping apparatus, comprising:

a concrete hopper including a discharge end, said hopper having first and second longitudinally extending channels defined in its bottom portion to collect plastic concrete supplied to said hopper, said discharge end having a discharge outlet in communication with each of said channels;
slide valve means mounted on said discharge end of said hopper for controlling the discharge of concrete from said discharge outlets, said slide valve means including a fixed wear plate mounted on said hopper discharge end and a movable wear plate, said fixed wear plate having openings aligned with said discharge outlets, and said movable wear plate having an opening for selective alignment with said openings in said fixed wear plate, said fixed and movable wear plates having planar wear faces that make sliding contact with each other in a predetermined plane of contact whereby by selectively shifting said movable wear plate with respect to said fixed wear plate the discharge of concrete from said discharge outlets may be controlled;
first and second concrete confining sleeves mounted for reciprocating movement along the axes of said first and second channels, respectively, each of said concrete confining sleeves having a discharge end that lies in a given plane so that the sleeve discharge ends may be positioned in the plane of contact of the wear surfaces of said wear plates, each of said concrete confining sleeves being movable between a retracted position where it is substantially withdrawn from said hopper to a fully extended position where it communicates with one of said discharge outlets and has its discharge end positioned in the plane of contact of the wear surfaces of said wear plates, said sleeves being operable during their extension through plastic concrete in said hopper to receive and confine concrete therein;
first and second concrete-pumping pistons mounted within said first and second sleeves, respectively, for reciprocating movement therein, each of said pistons including a flat concrete-contacting face and being movable from a retracted position where it is substantially withdrawn from said hopper to a fully extended position within its respective sleeve so that said flat piston face is in the plane of its associated sleeve end, whereby said piston and sleeve ends may both be positioned in the plane of contact of the wear faces of said wear plates;
and
control means connected to said movable wear plate, to said sleeves and to said pistons for selectively programming the movement of said sleeves and pistons and effecting the shifting of said movable wear plate so that whenever said concrete pumping apparatus is operated plastic concrete within said hopper is received in and pumped out of said sleeves through said slide valve means sequentially through each of said discharge outlets.

3 more elements

Concrete pumping apparatus, comprising:

a hopper for receiving a concrete mix, said hopper having a bottom wall, opposed end walls and upwardly and outwardly sloping side walls, said bottom wall including a plurality of parallel, semi-cylindrical channels, one of said end walls having a discharge outlet axially aligned with each of said channels;
valve means mounted upon said one end wall including a fixed wear plate having an opening axially aligned with each of said discharge outlets, a movable wear plate slidably engaged with said fixed wear plate and having an opening selectively positionable in axial alignment with one of said discharge outlets, a discharge nozzle mounted for movement with said movable wear plate and communicating with said opening in said movable wear plate, and means for shifting said movable wear plate and discharge nozzle relative to said fixed wear plate to selectively allow discharge of concrete mix through said hopper discharge outlets;
a cylindrical sleeve mounted for reciprocating movement along each of said semi-cylindrical channels from a retracted position wherein the discharge end thereof is substantially withdrawn from said hopper to a fully extended position where it is received in its associated discharge outlet and has its discharge end positioned in the plane of contact of the wear surfaces of said wear plates;
a piston slidably mounted in each of said cylindrical sleeves operable to eject concrete confined therein, each of said pistons having a concrete-contacting face that lies in the plane of contact of the wear surfaces of said wear plates when the pistons are in their fully extended position;
and
means connected with said cylindrical sleeves and pistons and operable in timed relation with said movable wear plate shifting means for operating the same in sequence to effect pumping of concrete mix from said hopper.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 05/167,959Filed 2 Aug 1971
Granted: 19 Jul 1977
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

F04B 9/117
Having plural pumping chambers: the pumping members not being mechanically connected to each other
F04B 7/0291
The valving being fluid-actuated: the distribution being realised by moving the cylinder itself, e.g. by sliding or swinging
F04B 15/023
The fluids being viscous or non-homogeneous: supply of fluid to the pump by gravity through a hopper, e.g. without intake valve
F04B 19/022
Having movable cylinders: reciprocating cylinders