Concrete product molding and curing plant methods and apparatus
OwnerFrancisco Trevino-Gonzalesinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Green concrete products, such as building products, are placed on pallets. Those pallets are transported to a kiln for curing and from the kiln after cure by an overhead crane. Pallets are lowered into and removed from open top kilns layer by layer being supported by movable support ledges, for example rotatable toggles, at each layer position which permit vertical entry and removal of the pallet layers. Three kiln compartments permit continuous production, one being filled, one being emptied and the third curing a load of pallet layers.
Claims19
Apparatus for processing concrete products in a curing kiln, comprising in combination,
- a curing kiln,
- input means for positioning pallets containing green concrete products into single layered sets of pallets in end to end relationship,
- output means for receiving the sets of pallets from the kiln with the products having been cured,
- a set of kiln compartments with removable top cover plates for providing an access opening dimensioned for receiving and removing the sets of pallets arranged in end to end relationship vertically inside the kiln,
- pallet supporting means inside the kiln compartments for disposing the single layered pallet sets in spaced vertical layers during curing of the green concrete products without interfering with vertical positioning of pallets in the spaced vertical layers, and
- transport means for moving the sets of pallets into the kiln compartments into position on the pallet supporting means and out of the kiln compartments after curing of the green concrete products from the curing position on said pallet supporting means
- wherein the pallet supporting means further comprises a set of movable support segments for movement into and out of position for supporting the sets of pallets in the spaced vertical layers, and reciprocal positioning means for moving the support segments into and out of position respectively for supporting the sets of pallets and for moving the sets of pallets out of the kiln compartments.
A concrete curing kiln system comprising an open top kiln, displaceable shelving means at a set of spaced vertical positions within the kiln comprising a set of shelf sections and displacement means for respectively moving individual shelf sections of the set of shelf sections from a loading position vertically supporting individual sets of pallets loaded with concrete products to an entry position permitting entry of the individual sets of pallets into individual ones of the set of spaced vertical positions without impeded vertical positioning of the individual sets of pallets wherein the displacement means further comprises a set of movable support segments mounted on the kiln for movement into and out of the loading position for supporting the individual sets of pallets, and reciprocal positioning means for moving the support segments into and out of the loading positions respectively for supporting the individual sets of pallets and for moving the individual sets of pallets out of the kiln.
The method of curing concrete products in a kiln serviced by a product loading crane comprising the steps of:
- placing a plurality of pallets containing green molded concrete products into single layered sets of pallets in end to end relationship,
- grasping with the loading crane individual single layered sets of pallets in end to end relationship and retaining the individual sets of pallets in the end to end relationship in a stable supported position with a mechanism of the crane,
- moving the individual sets of pallets with the crane,
- vertically moving the individual single layered sets of pallets into different individual ones of a plurality of vertical layer positions within the kiln for curing, and
- supporting the individual sets of pallets in the individual vertical layer positions within the kiln while curing the green molded concrete products on the pallets with movable pallet supporting means that respectively permit individual vertical positioning of the individual sets of pallets within the kiln and individual movement of the individual sets of pallets out of the kiln, which movable pallet supporting means comprise reciprocal positioning means for moving pallet supporting members into and out of position for respectively supporting the individual sets of pallets and permitting vertical positioning of the individual sets of pallets within the kiln for curing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.