The present invention relates to a climbing system for raising shuttering panels from one section of a wall towards a higher section in order to continue the shuttering work on that new section for the subsequent concreting thereof, with the additional possibility of using the system to raise scaffolding or displace loads in general, both vertically and horizontally.
The climbing system is of the type that includes an upright or guide rail that can move up the wall and a bracket arrangement, whereto the shuttering is solidly joined, which is moveable in relation to the upright, with the particularity that neither of these two elements is fixed to the ground.
The bracket arrangement and the upright are attached by climbing heads, which are joined by a hydraulic cylinder and which have rockers that push on flanges defined in the upright or rest on said flanges, thus raising the upright in relation to the wall or raising the bracket arrangement in relation to the upright, respectively.
It is the object of the invention that each of the heads incorporates a handle that changes the position of the rockers depending on the working phase of the system, i.e. to raise the upright, raise the bracket arrangement or for subsequent concreting, thus aiding and simplifying the action of the system.
Another object of the invention is a safety mechanism that prevents the heads from accidentally changing from one operating position to another.
Patent of Invention U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,912 relates to a “Climbing shuttering system for successive concreting of high vertical walls”, which basically consists of a horizontal support structure from which a plurality of vertical beams are appended with shuttering panels for concreting connected thereto in parallel. The beams rest on a horizontal platform that moves vertically due to the action of a hydraulic cylinder, in such a way that once the walls at one height have been cast the platform is raised, thereby also raising the vertical beams and the shuttering panels to cast the walls at another height. To fix the position of the platform at a particular height the system uses articulated pawls that rest on notches that must be made in the concreted walls or pillars, which must get higher as the shuttering progresses. The platforms are raised from one section of shuttering to the next in one operation, i.e. by means of a single stroke of the cylinder.
Patent of Invention U.S. Pat. No. 4,147,483 also discloses “Climbing shuttering for casting concrete structures such as dams or retaining walls”, which has a structure attached to a shuttering panel that climbs up the already concreted wall driven by the action of a hydraulic cylinder, the base whereof is attached to a triangular structure, which, due to the action of an actuator, can be separated from the wall to then ascend until it is anchored to anchoring points situated at a higher level. This means that the wall must have a means of anchoring to enable the anchoring and forward movement of the triangular structure along the wall.
British Patent no. 2021672 relates to climbing shuttering that requires uprights or support profiles that are fixed to the ground, which must present the total height to be shuttered, with sliding heads mounted thereon whereto a support or bracket arrangement is fixed with the shuttering elements attached thereto, in such a way that the heads, and therefore also the shuttering elements, can be displaced vertically in relation to the support profiles fixed to the ground.
Specifically, the system uses an upper head and a lower head that have pulleys that slide on the upright and a pivoted latch arm that can rest and press on flanges or blocks provided at fixed intervals along the surface of the upright. The system also incorporates an intermediate head that is joined to the upper head by means of a hydraulic cylinder, which raises the upper head as it extends and with it raises the whole shuttering structure, while the system uses the intermediate head to rest on the blocks or flanges on the upright.
In this system, the bracket arrangement rises in relation to the upright but the upright remains fixed to the ground.
Patent of Invention EP0373617 relates to a “Displaceable platform movable sectionwise on a wall”, which has a means of anchoring to the wall and carrier rails separated from the wall on which the bracket arrangement moves, serving as a base for a platform on which the shuttering rests. The system incorporates a drive mechanism to determine, on the one hand, the vertical movement of the carrier rails, and on the other hand, to raise the platform and therefore also the shuttering in relation to the carrier rails, all of which uses the wall as a base without resting on the ground.
Specifically, the device includes two slide shoes, attached to one another by a double-acting hydraulic cylinder. The shoes can slide in relation to the carrier rails, having for this purpose bent pivoted levers that have transversal spigots at the ends, which are housed in a toothed displacement rack on the carrier rail and which work their way stepwise up the toothed displacement rack due to the action of the hydraulic cylinder. In this system, the upright and the bracket arrangement are raised alternately but the mechanisms that enable this are very complex.
European Patent no. 0681635 relates to a self-climbing device also comprising an upright that can ascend vertically in relation to the wall to be cast and a bracket arrangement that supports the shuttering elements, which can, in turn, slide in relation to the upright.
The bracket arrangement is attached to the upright by means of two heads, an upper and a lower head, which are joined to each other by a hydraulic cylinder. Each head includes a rotating rocker or locking element that either rests against the flanges provided in the upright to raise the bracket arrangement or pushes the upright upwards by means of said flanges.
For the rocker to work in the different phases involved in raising the shuttering, each of the heads includes a rotating control member that is mounted on the same axis as the rocker and control cams provided along the length of the upright, alternating with the flanges thereof, to act on the control member.
In this manner, the control cams act on the control member engaging it with the locking member or rocker, in such a way that in one direction of movement, the control cam makes the locking member rotate so that it comes into contact with one of the flanges on the upright, whilst in the other direction it allows a certain tilting motion of the rocker to pass the flanges on the upright, without having to apply any force.
The control cams have two active faces, depending on whether the heads are moving up or down and, consequently, the control members of the heads also have two active arms that act in each direction of movement.
Of course, there are means of locking the control members and the locking members of each head in order to allow the necessary movement of the rocker in each of the upward phases involved in raising the shuttering.
The object of the invention is a climbing system that is easy and simple to use in any of the working phases thereof, also including a measure to prevent the system from accidentally passing from one mode of operation to another.
The climbing system is of the type that is based on the use of an upright that moves in relation to the wall to be cast, and a bracket arrangement that, in turn, moves in relation to the upright, the upright having a plurality of flanges or blocks that serve as support and transmit impetus for the devices that enable the movement of the upright and the bracket arrangement.
The system is of the type that includes two climbing heads, an upper and a lower head, joined by means of a hydraulic cylinder that slides along the upright, the upper climbing head being permanently joined to the bracket arrangement that supports the shuttering panels.
The heads comprise a body with upper and lower wings that encircle the profile of the upright relative to which they longitudinally slide, the upper head being attached by its lower end to the body of the hydraulic cylinder, whilst the lower head is attached to the rod of said cylinder.
According to the object of the invention, the heads include a handle that is solidly joined to the transversal axis whereon the rocker is mounted, said handle having the possibility of three different operating positions that cause the rocker to rotate according to the phase of raising the shuttering that is to be performed, it being anticipated that a compression spring be included to press against the rocker at all times in order to maintain its operating position whilst allowing the rocker to tilt slightly.
The rocker has a practically triangular form and its two vertices situated on the same inclined plane are bevelled to define an upper face and an upper front face, at 90°, on one of the vertices, and a lower face and a lower front face, at 90°, on the other vertex.
The upper and lower faces will constitute the active faces of the rocker as they are the faces that transmit the stresses, either by pushing the upright, by means of flanges thereon, in the phase whereby the upright is raised, or by resting thereon, by means of one of its flanges, in the phase whereby the bracket arrangement is raised, whilst the front faces remain in contact with the surface of the upright, thereby preventing the rotation of the rocker in the positions of force thereof and maintaining the operating position of the head.
However, when the inclined plane of the rockers is in contact with one of the flanges on the upright during its upward or downward movement, it can tilt slightly, compressing the spring in such a way that once the position of the flange has been passed the spring forces the rocker to resume its position.
Specifically, the rocker can occupy three different positions that must always be achieved by changing the position of the handle, these being:
To limit the movement of the rocker as it tilts in each of the aforesaid operating positions a safety device is used, which comprises a spring positioner that is housed, depending on the operating position of the handle and the rocker, in holes defined in an outer cover of the head, to interact with an inner disc that is mounted on the axis of the rocker and therefore moves with the movement of the rocker. The inner disc has a peripheral notch that defines a groove inside which the spring positioner is housed and acts, in such a way that as the rocker tilts the spring positioner will come into contact with one of the ends of said groove, thus limiting its tilting movement.
Three holes have been provided for the insertion of the positioner, which define the limit of tilting movement of the rocker in each of the operating positions thereof and, specifically, an upper hole that limits the tilting movement of the rocker as the bracket arrangement is raised, a lower hole that limits the tilting movement of the rocker as the upright is raised and a central hole that corresponds to the neutral position of the rocker. In the centre of the groove in the inner disc there is a hole or recess that coincides in position with the central hole of the outer cover, wherein the spring positioner is inserted, preventing the rocker from moving in either direction and thus securing the neutral position thereof.
The rocker is thereby prevented from tilting excessively and accidentally passing from the position for raising the upright into the position for raising the bracket arrangement or vice versa.
The climbing system can be used not only to raise shuttering, but also for scaffolding or other structures and it can also serve to move beams, structures or different loads horizontally simply by being positioned horizontally and, specifically, to move formwork carriages for bridges, launching girders, bridge cranes, tunnel shuttering and, in general, any structure that involves a kinematic phase.
To complement this description and in order to aid a better understanding of the invention's characteristics, according to a preferred practical embodiment thereof, there is a set of illustrative and non-limiting drawings integral to said description, which are as follows:
FIG. 1.—Is a side view showing the climbing system for shuttering attached to the wall with the shuttering disposed on an upper storey ready to cast the next section of the wall.
FIG. 2.—Is a detailed view of the previous figure showing the bracket arrangement, upper and lower heads, hydraulic cylinder and upright.
FIG. 3.—Is an exploded view of the upper head.
FIG. 4.—Is a cross-section view of the upper head with the rocker situated in the neutral position.
FIG. 5.—Is a cross-section view of the upper head with the rocker situated in the position for raising the upright.
FIG. 6.—Is a cross-section view of the upper head with the rocker situated in the position for raising the bracket arrangement.
FIG. 7.—Is a perspective view of the safety device showing the outer cover with the holes that define the limit of the tilting movement of the rocker for its different positions, and the inner disc that moves with the movement of the rocker.
FIG. 8.—Is a side view of the upper head showing the neutral position of the rocker with the inner disc abutting against the spring positioner inserted in the central hole of the outer cover.
FIGS. 9A and 9B.—Are side views of the upper head showing the position of the rocker for raising the bracket arrangement, with the inner disc in the situation immediately prior to abutting against the spring positioner inserted into the upper hole (
FIGS. 10A and 10B.—Are side views of the upper head showing the position of the rocker for raising the upright with the inner disc in the situation immediately prior to abutting against the spring positioner inserted into the lower hole (
FIGS. 11A to 11D.—Are side views corresponding to the principal phases involved in raising the upright showing the movement of the upright and the cylinder.
FIGS. 12A to 12I.—Are side views showing all the phases involved in raising the upright.
FIGS. 13A to 13D.—Are side views corresponding to the principal phases involved in raising the bracket arrangement showing the movement of the upright and the cylinder.
FIGS. 14A to 14I.—Are side views showing all the phases needed to raise the bracket arrangement.
FIG. 15.—Is a side view corresponding to the sequence of descent of the upright.
FIG. 16.—Is a side view corresponding to the sequence of descent of the bracket arrangement.
The climbing system for shuttering and suchlike basically comprises an upright (1), which can be fixed or can move vertically in relation to a wall (2), and a bracket arrangement (3), which can also be fixed or can move vertically in relation to the wall (2) with a movement relative to the upright (1), having mounted thereon a shuttering structure (4) for casting sections of the wall (2).
In addition to this basic configuration, the climbing system also incorporates an upper head (5) attached to the bracket arrangement (3) by means of lugs (25) and which is also solidly joined to the body of a hydraulic cylinder (6) the rod whereof is attached to a lower head (7), both heads (5) and (7) having a body (8) with upper (9) and lower (10) wings defining therebetween guides that encircle the upright (1), the body (8) comprising a rocker (11) mounted on a transversal axis (12) against the action of a spring (13) with which it is in permanent contact, the rocker (11) constituting a contact surface with prismatic flanges (14) defined on the upright (1) to raise or lower the bracket arrangement (3) or the upright (1) due to the displacement of the hydraulic cylinder (6).
The rocker (11) is practically triangular in form, with an inclined plane that, as it makes contact with the flanges (14) on the upright (1) in its upward or downward movement, tilts against the action of the spring (13) and presses it so that, once the flange (14) has been passed, it subsequently resumes its position, this inclined plane ending in a bevelled upper vertex with an upper face (15), and a bevelled lower vertex with a lower face (17).
The rocker (11) can be tilted by means of an outer handle (19) attached to the transversal axis (12), which defines the different operating positions of the head and, specifically, a position for raising the upright wherein the upper face (15) of the rocker (11) is in a horizontal position, as can be observed in
On the upper vertex of the rocker (11), perpendicular to the upper face (15), there is an upper front face (16) that is in contact with the surface of the upright (1), preventing its rotation in the position for raising the upright as it pushes on the flange (14), whilst on the lower vertex of the rocker, perpendicular to the lower face (17), there is a lower front face (18) that is in contact with the surface of the upright, preventing its rotation in the position for raising the bracket arrangement as it rests on the flange (14).
However, in the other direction of movement the rocker (11) is in contact by its inclined plane with one of the flanges (14) on the upright as it moves, being able to tilt slightly, compressing the spring (13), in such a way that, once the position of the flange (14) has been passed, the spring (13), which is loaded, pushes and returns the rocker to its position.
The system also incorporates a safety device that comprises an inner disc (21) that moves with the tilting movement of the rocker (11) and which has a peripheral notch that defines a groove (23), which works with a spring positioner (20) that is housed, depending on the operating position of the rocker, in one of the three (24), (24′), (24″) holes provided in the outer cover (22) of the head, in such a way that the tilting movement of the rocker is limited when the spring positioner (20) comes into contact with the edges of the groove (23) in the inner disc (21).
Specifically, there is an upper hole (24) wherein the spring positioner (20) is inserted to define the position that limits the tilting movement of the rocker (11) as the bracket arrangement (3) is raised, a central hole (24′) that defines the neutral position of the rocker (11), and a lower hole (24″) wherein the spring positioner (20) is inserted, which defines the position that limits the tilting movement of the rocker (11) as the upright is raised (1), there being in the central area of the groove (23) a hole or recess that coincides in position with the central hole (24′) of the outer cover, wherein the spring positioner (20) is inserted, preventing the rocker from moving in either direction and thus securing the neutral position of the rocker.
The climbing system works according to the phases described below:
These operations are repeated as many times as necessary until the desired higher level for anchorage on the wall (2) is achieved. This can be observed in
The upright (1) is anchored to the anchoring point provided in the wall (2). During these phases, the bracket arrangement (3) has remained fixed to the wall and, consequently, the upper head (5) has not moved during any of the previous phases. The position of the rocker is then changed using the handle, situating it in the position for raising the bracket arrangement, i.e. with its lower face in a horizontal position, as can be observed in
The cylinder then extends until the rocker of the lower head (7) rests on the lower flange of the upright (1), as can be observed in
The four last phases or operations described above are then repeated, as shown in
The bracket arrangement (3) is anchored to the wall (2), as can be observed in
From this position, to begin another phase of raising the upright (1), the position of the rockers (11) must be changed by actuating the handle (19) and the aforedescribed process is repeated.
As aforesaid, the operations involved in raising the upright (1) and the bracket arrangement (3) are automatic, i.e. once the heads have been positioned in the corresponding function using the handle, it is not necessary to touch them until all the corresponding working phases have finished.
The lowering operation is less usual and somewhat more complex as it is necessary to change the position of the heads, actuating the handle on each stroke, both to lower the upright (1) and to lower the bracket arrangement (3).
Basically, to lower the upright (1) it is necessary to make it rest on the rocker of the lower head (7) and lower it by resting it on the hydraulic cylinder (6). The upright (1) has to fall due to its weight, which means that on the descent thereof it must be ensured that the upper head (5) is in the position for raising the bracket arrangement, so that the flanges (14) on the upright (1) can pass to the rocker (11) of the upper head (5). When the lower head (7) is moved, it must be the upper head (5) that supports the upright (1), making it necessary to change the operating position of the rocker (11) using the handle (19).
To lower the bracket arrangement (3) it is necessary to rest it on the lower head (7) and lower the upper head (5) that is solidly joined to the bracket arrangement (3). It must be ensured that, when the bracket arrangement is descending, the upper head (5) can pass the flanges (14) on the upright (1), which means that the rocker (11) must be in the position for raising the upright. When the lower head (7) must move and pass over a flange (14) to seek another point on which to rest, the rocker (11) of the lower head (7) must be positioned in the position for raising the upright in order to pass the flange (14) and must then resume the position for raising the bracket arrangement to rest on the flange (14) again.
The upright (1) is lowered following the sequence shown in
Then, the bracket arrangement (3) is lowered following the sequence shown in
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/ES03/00605 | 11/27/2003 | WO | 00 | 5/30/2006 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2005/054604 | 6/16/2005 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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3593392 | Lambertini | Jul 1971 | A |
3779678 | Scheller | Dec 1973 | A |
4147483 | Rovera | Apr 1979 | A |
4611784 | Gallis | Sep 1986 | A |
5630482 | Schw orer | May 1997 | A |
6276912 | Röck | Aug 2001 | B1 |
6530552 | Bergaretxe | Mar 2003 | B2 |
20020121586 | Gates | Sep 2002 | A1 |
20030052249 | Waldschmitt | Mar 2003 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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0155217 | Sep 1985 | EP |
0373617 | Dec 1989 | EP |
0681635 | Jan 1994 | EP |
2021672 | Dec 1979 | GB |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20070119116 A1 | May 2007 | US |