Patent Application
20130312727
The invention relates generally to the manufacture of concrete wall blocks. More specifically, it relates to equipment and processes for the creation of faces on concrete wall blocks, especially a block splitter.
Retaining walls are used in various landscaping projects and are available in a wide variety of styles. Numerous methods and materials exist for the construction of retaining walls. Such methods include the use of natural stone, poured concrete, precast panels, masonry, and landscape timbers or railroad ties.
A widely accepted method of construction of such walls is to dry stack concrete wall units, or blocks. These blocks are popular because they are mass produced and, consequently, relatively inexpensive. They are structurally sound and easy and relatively inexpensive to install. Because they are made of concrete, they are durable. They can be given a desired appearance such as, for example, natural stone.
Typically, retaining wall blocks are manufactured to have the desired appearance on the front face (i.e., the outer face of a wall) because only the front is visible after the wall is constructed. It is highly desirable to have the front face of the wall system have a natural stone appearance, and many approaches are used in the art to treat or process concrete to evoke the appearance of natural stone, including splitting the block, tumbling the block to weather the face and edges of the face, and using processing or texturing equipment to impart a weathered look to the concrete. Typically, blocks are formed as mirror image pairs joined at a front face which are then subsequently split using a block splitter, as known in the art, to provide a rough appearing front surface on the split blocks.
Automated equipment to split block is well-known, and generally includes a splitting apparatus comprising a supporting table and opposed, hydraulically-actuated splitting blades. A splitting blade is typically a substantial steel plate that is tapered to a relatively narrow or sharp knife edge. The blades typically are arranged so that the knife edges will engage the top and bottom surfaces of the workpiece in a perpendicular relationship with those surfaces, and arranged in a coplanar relationship with each other. In operation, the workpiece is moved onto the supporting table and between the blades. The blades are brought into engagement with the top and bottom surfaces of the workpiece. An increasing force is exerted on each blade, urging the blades towards each other. As the forces on the blades are increased, the workpiece splits (cracks) generally along the plane of alignment of the blades. These machines are useful for the high-speed processing of blocks. They produce an irregular, rock-face finish on the blocks. Because no two faces resulting from this process are identical, the blocks are more natural in appearance than standard, nonsplit blocks.
There is a need for a block splitter assembly that provides a more complex form to the block than the standard block splitters.
The invention provides a block splitter assembly that provides a more complex form to the block than the standard splitter assembly. The invention provides these more complex forms by using multiple blades to split and form the block.
In particular, the invention provides a block splitter assembly comprising first lower and second upper opposed splitter blade assemblies. The first splitter blade assembly has a single first splitting blade and exactly two first forming blades. One first forming blade is disposed to the right of and one first forming blade is disposed to the left of the first splitting blade. The two first forming blades have forming edges. The first splitting blade has a splitting edge that is straight. The first splitting blade has a greater maximum vertical dimension than the maximum vertical dimension of the two first forming blades. The second splitter blade assembly has a single second splitting blade and exactly two second forming blades. One second forming blade is disposed to the right of and one second forming blade is disposed to the left of the second splitting blade. The two second forming blades have forming edges. The second splitting blade has a splitting edge that is straight. The second splitting blade has a greater maximum vertical dimension than the maximum vertical dimension of the two second forming blades. The splitting edge of the first splitting blade are opposed to the splitting edge of the second splitting blade.
The invention provides a block splitter assembly comprising first lower and second upper opposed splitter blade assemblies. The first splitter blade assembly has a first splitting blade and two first forming blades. One first forming blade is disposed to the right of and one first forming blade is disposed to the left of the first splitting blade. The two first forming blades have forming edges. The first splitting blade has a splitting edge that is straight. The first splitting blade has a greater maximum vertical dimension than the maximum vertical dimension of the two first forming blades. The second splitter blade assembly has a second splitting blade and two second forming blades. One second forming blade is disposed to the right of and one second forming blade is disposed to the left of the second splitting blade. The two second forming blades have forming edges. The second splitting blade has a splitting edge that is straight. The second splitting blade has a greater maximum vertical dimension than the maximum vertical dimension of the two second forming blades. The splitting edge of the first splitting blade is opposed to the splitting edge of the second splitting blade. The forming edges of the first forming blades and the forming edges of the second forming blades are curved.
The invention provides a block splitter assembly comprising first lower and second upper opposed splitter blade assemblies. The lower splitter blade assembly has a lower splitting blade and first, second, and third lower forming blades. The first lower forming blade is disposed to the right of and the second and third lower forming blades are disposed to the left of the lower splitting blade. The lower forming blades have forming edges. The lower splitting blade has a splitting edge that is straight. The lower splitting blade has a greater maximum vertical dimension than the maximum vertical dimension of the lower forming blades. The first, second, and third lower forming blades have longitudinal lengths, and the longitudinal length of the first lower forming blade is equal to or greater than the sum of the longitudinal lengths of the second and third lower forming blades. The upper splitter blade assembly has an upper splitting blade and first, second, and third upper forming blades. The first upper forming blade is disposed to the right of and the second and third upper forming blades are disposed to the left of the upper splitting blade. The upper forming blades have forming edges. The upper splitting blade has a splitting edge that is straight. The upper splitting blade has a greater maximum vertical dimension than the maximum vertical dimension of the upper forming blades. The first, second, and third upper forming blades have longitudinal lengths, and the longitudinal length of the first upper forming blade being equal to or greater than the sum of the longitudinal lengths of the second and third upper forming blades. The splitting edge of the lower splitting blade is opposed to the splitting edge of the lower splitting blade.
The invention provides a splitter blade assembly having a single splitting blade and exactly two forming blades. One forming blade is disposed to the right of and one forming blade is disposed to the left of the splitting blade. The two forming blades have forming edges. The splitting blade has a splitting edge that is straight. The splitting blade has a greater maximum vertical dimension than the maximum vertical dimension of the two forming blades.
The invention provides a splitter blade assembly having a splitting blade and first, second, and third forming blades. The first forming blade is disposed to the right of and the second and third forming blades are disposed to the left of the splitting blade. The forming blades have forming edges. The splitting blade has a splitting edge that is straight. The splitting blade has a greater maximum vertical dimension than the maximum vertical dimension of the forming blades. The first, second, and third forming blades have longitudinal lengths, and the longitudinal length of the first forming blade are equal to or greater than the sum of the longitudinal lengths of the second and third forming blades.
The invention provides a method of producing a concrete block comprising: (i) providing a block splitter assembly comprising first lower and second upper opposed splitter blade assemblies, (ii) placing a concrete workpiece in the block splitter assembly at a splitting position to be engaged by the first and second splitter blade assemblies; and (iii) with the workpiece at the splitting position, activating the first and second splitter blade assemblies to engage the workpiece and thereby split and form the workpiece. The block splitter assembly can be any block splitter assembly described herein.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
The invention relates to the splitting of concrete wall block workpieces to create a more complex appearance to the faces of concrete retaining wall blocks that result from splitting the workpieces. Block splitter assemblies are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,321,740 B1 and 6,874,494 B2, the contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein. The invention may be used with any variety of blocks molded or formed through any variety of processes.
The invention provides a block splitter assembly comprising first lower and second upper opposed splitter blade assemblies. The first splitter blade assembly has a single first splitting blade and exactly two first forming blades. One first forming blade is disposed to the right of and one first forming blade is disposed to the left of the first splitting blade. The two first forming blades have forming edges. The first splitting blade has a splitting edge that is straight. The first splitting blade has a greater maximum vertical dimension than the maximum vertical dimension of the two first forming blades. The second splitter blade assembly has a single second splitting blade and exactly two second forming blades. One second forming blade is disposed to the right of and one second forming blade is disposed to the left of the second splitting blade. The two second forming blades have forming edges. The second splitting blade has a splitting edge that is straight. The second splitting blade has a greater maximum vertical dimension than the maximum vertical dimension of the two second forming blades. The splitting edge of the first splitting blade are opposed to the splitting edge of the second splitting blade.
In one embodiment, the forming edges of the first forming blades are opposed to the forming edges of the second forming blades. In another embodiment, the forming edges of the first forming blades and the forming edges of the second forming blades are curved. In an embodiment, the forming edges of the first forming blades and the forming edges of the second forming blades have ends and the ends curve away horizontally from the first and second splitting blades, respectively. In an embodiment, the forming edges of the first forming blades and the forming edges of the second forming blades are curved in a generally C-shaped curve.
In one embodiment, the first splitting blade and the second splitting blade have longitudinal lengths and the first and second splitting blades have constant vertical dimensions along their longitudinal lengths. In an embodiment, the forming edges of the first forming blades and the forming edges of the second forming blades have ends and midpoints and the ends have greater vertical dimensions than the midpoints. In an embodiment, the forming edges of the first forming blades and the forming edges of the second forming blades are curved vertically in a generally C-shaped curve. In an embodiment, the forming edges of the first forming blades and the forming edges of the second forming blades have ends and the ends curve away horizontally in a generally C-shaped curve from the first and second splitting blades, respectively.
In one embodiment, the first and second opposed splitter blade assemblies are identical except for their opposed orientation. In one embodiment, the first splitting blade and the second splitting blade have a longitudinal length of from 250 mm to 500 mm. In an embodiment, the first splitting blade and the second splitting blade have a longitudinal length of approximately 460 mm. In one embodiment, the first splitting blade, the second splitting blade, and the four first and second forming blades all have the same longitudinal length. In one embodiment, the maximum vertical dimension of the first splitting blade differs from the maximum vertical dimension of the two first forming blades by from 2 mm to 5 mm. In an embodiment, the edges of the two first forming blades are separated by a distance of from 20 mm to 80 mm. In one embodiment, the block splitter assembly further comprises first and second side knife assemblies.
The invention provides a block splitter assembly comprising first lower and second upper opposed splitter blade assemblies. The first splitter blade assembly has a first splitting blade and two first forming blades. One first forming blade is disposed to the right of and one first forming blade is disposed to the left of the first splitting blade. The two first forming blades have forming edges. The first splitting blade has a splitting edge that is straight. The first splitting blade has a greater maximum vertical dimension than the maximum vertical dimension of the two first forming blades. The second splitter blade assembly has a second splitting blade and two second forming blades. One second forming blade is disposed to the right of and one second forming blade is disposed to the left of the second splitting blade. The two second forming blades have forming edges. The second splitting blade has a splitting edge that is straight. The second splitting blade has a greater maximum vertical dimension than the maximum vertical dimension of the two second forming blades. The splitting edge of the first splitting blade is opposed to the splitting edge of the second splitting blade. The forming edges of the first forming blades and the forming edges of the second forming blades are curved.
The invention provides a block splitter assembly comprising first lower and second upper opposed splitter blade assemblies. The lower splitter blade assembly has a lower splitting blade and first, second, and third lower forming blades. The first lower forming blade is disposed to the right of and the second and third lower forming blades are disposed to the left of the lower splitting blade. The lower forming blades have forming edges. The lower splitting blade has a splitting edge that is straight. The lower splitting blade has a greater maximum vertical dimension than the maximum vertical dimension of the lower forming blades. The first, second, and third lower forming blades have longitudinal lengths, and the longitudinal length of the first lower forming blade is equal to or greater than the sum of the longitudinal lengths of the second and third lower forming blades. The upper splitter blade assembly has an upper splitting blade and first, second, and third upper forming blades. The first upper forming blade is disposed to the right of and the second and third upper forming blades are disposed to the left of the upper splitting blade. The upper forming blades have forming edges. The upper splitting blade has a splitting edge that is straight. The upper splitting blade has a greater maximum vertical dimension than the maximum vertical dimension of the upper forming blades. The first, second, and third upper forming blades have longitudinal lengths, and the longitudinal length of the first upper forming blade being equal to or greater than the sum of the longitudinal lengths of the second and third upper forming blades. The splitting edge of the lower splitting blade is opposed to the splitting edge of the lower splitting blade.
In one embodiment, the forming edges of the lower forming blades are opposed to the forming edges of the upper forming blades. In an embodiment, the forming edges of the lower forming blades and the forming edges of the upper forming blades are curved. In one embodiment, the forming edges of the lower forming blades and the forming edges of the upper forming blades have ends and the ends curve away horizontally from the lower and upper splitting blades, respectively. In an embodiment, the forming edges of the lower forming blades and the forming edges of the upper forming blades are curved in a generally C-shaped curve.
In an embodiment, the lower splitting blade and the upper splitting blade have longitudinal lengths and the lower and upper splitting blades have constant vertical dimensions along their longitudinal lengths. In one embodiment, the forming edges of the lower forming blades and the forming edges of the upper forming blades have ends and midpoints and the ends have greater vertical dimensions than the midpoints. In an embodiment, the forming edges of the lower forming blades and the forming edges of the upper forming blades are curved vertically in a generally C-shaped curve. In an embodiment, the forming edges of the lower forming blades and the forming edges of the upper forming blades have ends and the ends curve away horizontally in a generally C-shaped curve from the lower and upper splitting blades, respectively.
In one embodiment, the lower and upper opposed splitter blade assemblies are identical except for their opposed orientation. In an embodiment, the lower splitting blade and the upper splitting blade have a longitudinal length of from 250 mm to 500 mm. In an embodiment, the maximum vertical dimension of the lower splitting blade differs from the maximum vertical dimension of the lower forming blades by from 2 mm to 5 mm. In an embodiment, the block splitter assembly further comprises first and second side knife assemblies.
The invention provides a splitter blade assembly having a single splitting blade and exactly two forming blades. One forming blade is disposed to the right of and one forming blade is disposed to the left of the splitting blade. The two forming blades have forming edges. The splitting blade has a splitting edge that is straight. The splitting blade has a greater maximum vertical dimension than the maximum vertical dimension of the two forming blades.
In one embodiment, the forming edges of the forming blades are curved. In another embodiment, the forming edges of the forming blades have ends and the ends curve away horizontally from the splitting blade. In an embodiment, the forming edges of the forming blades are curved in a generally C-shaped curve.
In one embodiment, splitting blade has a longitudinal length and the splitting blade has a constant vertical dimension along its longitudinal length. In an embodiment, the forming edges of the forming blades have ends and midpoints and the ends have greater vertical dimensions than the midpoints. In an embodiment, the forming edges of the forming blades curved vertically in a generally C-shaped curve. In an embodiment, the forming edges of the forming blades have ends and the ends curve away horizontally in a generally C-shaped curve from the splitting blade.
The invention provides a splitter blade assembly having a splitting blade and first, second, and third forming blades. The first forming blade is disposed to the right of and the second and third forming blades are disposed to the left of the splitting blade. The forming blades have forming edges. The splitting blade has a splitting edge that is straight. The splitting blade has a greater maximum vertical dimension than the maximum vertical dimension of the forming blades. The first, second, and third forming blades have longitudinal lengths, and the longitudinal length of the first forming blade are equal to or greater than the sum of the longitudinal lengths of the second and third forming blades. In an embodiment, the forming edges of the forming blades are curved.
The invention provides a method of producing a concrete block comprising: (i) providing a block splitter assembly comprising first lower and second upper opposed splitter blade assemblies, (ii) placing a concrete workpiece in the block splitter assembly at a splitting position to be engaged by the first and second splitter blade assemblies; and (iii) with the workpiece at the splitting position, activating the first and second splitter blade assemblies to engage the workpiece and thereby split and form the workpiece. The block splitter assembly can be any block splitter assembly described herein. In one embodiment, the block splitter assembly further comprises first and second side knife assemblies and the first and second side knife assemblies engage the workpiece at the same time that the first and second splitter blade assemblies engage the workpiece. In one embodiment, the method splits the workpiece into two blocks and in another embodiment the method splits the workpiece into three blocks.
Turning now to the Figures, the block splitter assemblies and other aspects of this invention are shown and described.
In
An upper or second splitter blade assembly 30 may also be seen in
In operation, the workpiece 60 is generally centered in the block splitter according to known practices as seen in
In operation, the first and second splitter blade assemblies may travel anywhere from about ⅝ to one inch (1.59 to 2.54 cm) into the top and bottom surfaces of the workpiece 60. Since the splitting blades 40, 41 are ⅝ inch (1.59 cm) higher in the case of splitting blade 40 (or lower in the case of splitting blade 41) than the forming blades 50, 51, the first and second splitter blade assemblies must travel at least this distance into the top and bottom surfaces of the workpiece 60. The workpiece 60 is then split as shown in
As will be well understood by one of skill in the art, the splitting machine may include opposed hydraulically activated side knife assemblies which preferably impinge upon the block with the same timing and in the same manner as the opposed first and second splitter blade assemblies 20, 30. The side knife assemblies could be formed similarly to the first and second splitter blade assemblies 20, 30 to produce similar removed portions. In addition, variations in the splitter blade assemblies could be used to produce blocks having removed portions on just the top and bottom of the face of a block, the top and bottom and sides, the top and sides, or the sides only.
In
An upper or second splitter blade assembly 430 may also be seen in
The height of the edge 445 of the first splitting blade 440 is, for example, 69.85 mm, and is the same as the height of the first splitter blade assembly (Hsba). The height of the edges 455 of the forming blades 450 (Hfbe) is, for example, 66.68 mm, at the ends 425 of the first splitter blade assembly 420. For example, moving from the ends 425 of the first splitter blade assembly 420 to the center of the assembly 420, the heights of the edges 455 of the forming blades 450 are 66.68 mm from the ends 425 to 12.7 mm from the ends 425, and then the heights decrease gradually from 66.68 to 53.97 mm over the distance from 12.7 mm from the ends to 114.3 mm from the ends.
For example, the edges 455 of the forming blades 450 are 69.85 mm (Wsba) apart from each other at the ends 425 of the first splitter assembly 420. Moving from the ends 425 of the first splitter blade assembly 420 to the center of the assembly 420, the distance between the edges 455 of the forming blades is 69.85 mm from the ends 425 to 12.7 mm from the ends 425, and then the distance decreases gradually from 69.85 to 31.75 mm over the distance from 12.7 mm from the ends to 114.3 mm from the ends. As shown in
The second splitter blade assembly 430 is identical to the first splitter blade assembly 420 except for its orientation relative to the workpiece 460.
In alternative embodiments, various dimensions and angles could be changed. For example, the heights of the edges 455 of the forming blades 450 could be 66.68 mm from the ends 425 to 12.7 mm from the ends 425, and then the heights could decrease gradually from 66.68 to 61.91 mm over the distance from 12.7 mm from the ends to 114.3 mm from the ends.
The block splitter assembly 410 operates similarly to the block splitter assembly 10.
In operation, the workpiece 460 is generally centered in the block splitter according to known practices as seen in
In operation, the first and second splitter blade assemblies may travel anywhere from about ⅝ to one inch (1.59 to 2.54 cm) into the top and bottom surfaces of the workpiece 460. Since the splitting blades 440, 441 are a maximum of ⅝ inch (1.59 cm) higher in the case of splitting blade 440 (or lower in the case of splitting blade 441) than the forming blades 450, 451, the first and second splitter blade assemblies must travel at least this distance into the top and bottom surfaces of the workpiece 460.
It is possible and within the scope of the invention to split the workpiece into more than two pieces. Generally, the splitting assemblies act on the block with a pressure ranging from about 600 to 1000 psi (42.2 to 70.3 kg/cm2), and preferably about 750 to 800 psi (52.7 to 56.2 kg/cm2).
As will be well understood by one of skill in the art, the splitting machine may include opposed hydraulically activated side knife assemblies which impinge upon the block with the same timing and in the same manner as the opposed first and second splitter blade assemblies 420, 430. The side knife assemblies could be formed similarly to the first and second splitter blade assemblies 420, 430 to produce similar removed portions. In addition, variations in the splitter blade assemblies could be used to produce blocks having removed portions on just the top and bottom of the face of a block, the top and bottom and sides, the top and sides, or the sides only. In addition, the heights of and distances between the forming blades and the shapes of the forming blades can be varied to produce different blocks.
First splitter blade assembly 620 has a bottom housing 673 beneath the splitting and forming blades. Bottom housing 673 has top holes 675, side holes 677, and a deflector 679. When a workpiece is split, the removed portions can fall through top holes 673 and then through side holes 677. These top and side holes allow the removed portions to fall away from the splitting and forming blades so the removed portions do not impede the process. The deflector 679 helps to send the removed portions out the side holes. The first blade assembly 620 is otherwise somewhat similar to the first blade assembly 420. For example, the length of the first splitting blade is 457.6 mm, the height of the first splitting blade is 69.85 mm as measured from the top of the bottom housing 673, and the width between the edges 655 of the forming blades 650 at the ends of the first blade assembly 620 is 31.75 mm.
Although particular embodiments have been disclosed herein in detail, this has been done for purposes of illustration only, and is not intended to be limiting with respect to the scope of the following appended claims. In particular, it is contemplated by the inventors that various substitutions, alterations, and modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims. For instance, the choices of materials or variations in shapes are believed to be a matter of routine for a person of ordinary skill in the art with knowledge of the embodiments disclosed herein.
This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 13/887,844, filed May 6, 2013, which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 13/185,618, filed Jul. 19, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,448,634 B2, issued May 28, 2013, which is a divisional of U.S. Ser. No. 12/133,798, filed Jun. 5, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,302,591 B2, issued Nov. 6, 2012, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/933,309, filed Jun. 6, 2007, entitled “Block Splitter Assembly and Method of Producing Wall Blocks”, the contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60933309 | Jun 2007 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12133798 | Jun 2008 | US |
| Child | 13185618 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 13887844 | May 2013 | US |
| Child | 13955527 | US | |
| Parent | 13185618 | Jul 2011 | US |
| Child | 13887844 | US |
