Method of forming a concrete retaining wall block in a front face up position
OwnerMichael James Wardellinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of forming a concrete retaining wall block having a front face and an opposed back face in a front fact up position. The method includes inserting a plurality of tines of a horizontal core puller into a plurality of holes in the bottom of a mold such that the a plurality of tines are positioned to form a dovetail slot and chamfers in the back face of a concrete retaining wall block; and pressing and vibrating a semi-dry concrete mix feed into the mold with a head to form a concrete retaining wall block having a relief stamped in its front face and to form the dovetail slot and chamfers its back face. The method allows the dimensions of the concrete retaining wall block to be exact and consistent from cycle to cycle of the method.
Claims7
A method of forming a concrete retaining wall block having a front face and an opposed back face in a front face up position comprising:
- providing a mold having at least one hole for receiving at least one associated tine of a horizontal core puller;
- inserting the at least one tine in the associated at least one hole;
- positioning a feedbox containing a semi-dry concrete mix over the mold;
- feeding the concrete mix from the feedbox into the mold;
- pressing and vibrating the concrete mix in the mold with a head comprising at least one shoe to form a concrete retaining wall block;
- allowing the concrete retaining wall block to set within the mold until the concrete retaining wall block is solid enough to stay together;
- removing the at least one tine from the mold by pulling the at least one tine backwards from the mold;
- stripping the concrete retaining wall block from the mold;
- and
- allowing the concrete retaining wall block to cure;
- wherein the improvement comprises:
- inserting the at least one tine into the associated at least one hole wherein the at least one hole is located at a bottom of the mold and wherein the at least one tine is positioned to form at least one slot in the back face of the concrete retaining wall block;
- providing a head comprising at least one shoe for stamping a relief in the front face of the concrete retaining wall block;
- and
- pressing and vibrating the concrete mix in the mold with the head by inserting the head into a top of the mold to form a concrete retaining wall block in the front face up position such that the front face of the concrete retaining wall block is stamped with the relief by pressing the at least one shoe of the head against a top surface of the concrete mix and the at least one slot is formed in the back face of the concrete retaining wall block.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.