There are many different concrete pumping designed systems. The most common one is two cylinders Piston Pump. Amongst other components, with in existing system, they all have pump cylinders stationed and fastened to the outside back flat wall of the hoper, somewhat above the hoper's floor and aligned inside the hoper thru the same size opening on the hoper forming an alignment inside the hoper with the wear plate, wear ring and swing tube which is situated inside the hoper, thru which concrete is pumped into the pump's outlet, situated on front of pump's hoper.
I've operated a Concrete Pump for several years. That is hard job with lot of responsibility during pumping, as all that equipment has to be cleaned and on hurry as concrete can set hard in short time. It can be also stressful and nerve braking when things are going wrong and they often do. Having more and more cars on the roads and obstacles concrete deliveries are often delayed between trucks and working with concrete is limited to time. I have recognised need for an improved pumping system to overcome some short falls of existing concrete pumping systems.
For example;
The problems above are overcome by the present invention.
Pump in this invention have two rotating pumping cylinders, (cylinder ‘a’ and cylinder ‘b’) and funnel like hoper. “6” In this design pump cylinders are fastened to rotating pressure plate “1” to which on other side is fastened rotating wear plate “2” and together with exchange box and hydraulic cylinders rotating clock and anti clock ways by 180 degrees. Rotating' wear plate is pressed and sliding against stationary wear plate, “3” which is fastened to stationary pressure plate. “4” Stationary pressure plate is retained on the access gate “5”. One hole of stationary pressure plate (concrete passage way between hoper and concrete pump charging cylinder) is connected to concrete pump hoper “6” on the other side and trough access gate via flexible ruber pipe “9” and via 90 degrees metal pipe bend and via flexible joint. “12”. The other hole of stationary pressure plate (concrete passage way between concrete pump discharging cylinder and pump's outlet flange) is connected to the pump's outlet flange “7” on the other side and trough access gate via flexible tuber pipe “10”.
Access gate is attached to rotating pressure plate's housing “8” with hinges and safety laches. By realising safety laches, the access gate together with stationary pressure plate, stationary wear plate, Hoper and pump's outlet swings on hinges away from rotating pressure plate's housing as mach as 120 degrees, which is very handy in event of inspection or replacement of wear plates, or piston caps and piston's oil seals.
Hoper is of funnel shape, and concrete slide down to the bottom of the hoper and trough 90 degree is install an removable Auger and inner side is covered by neoprene ruber to provide better sliding of concrete by force of gravity to the bottom of hoper and into pump's cylinders.
Hoper is placed on outer side of access gate and connected to top of ninety degrees pipe bend via flexible joint to allow levelling of the hoper when pump is placed on non level ground.
The neoprene ruber pipes are being vulcanised to metal flanges on each end, and placed between stationary pressure plate and 90 degrees pipe bend and between stationary pressure plate and pump's outlet. The neoprene ruber pipes have two functions; one is to provide flexible isolation between stationary wear plate and pump's outlet, as well as flexible isolation between stationary wear plate and 90 degrees pipe bend. Another function is to pressure stationary pressure and wear plates against rotating wear plate so to seal and prevent leaking of slurry at time of rotating wear plate is rotating. It is beneficial to provide additional pressure on stationary wear plate only at the time of pumping but not when rotating wear plate is rotating. It will minimize wear of wear plates. This is achieved by four small hydraulic rams.
Rotation of rotating wear plate, rotating pressure plate and pump cylinders is achieved by placement of steel wire rope round rotating cylinder, “11” and attached to cylinder at half way. Two ends are attached to two hydraulic rams. One hydraulic ram pull the rope and rotate the rotating cylinder in one direction by 180 degrees and than when pistons in pump cylinders rich there destination than other hydraulic ram pull other end of wire rope in other direction and rotate rotating cylinder by 180 degrees in other direction. This sequence is being repeated as long as pump is in action. This rotation can also be achieved with bidirectional hydraulic motor trough gears. In that case, instead of wire rope on rotating cylinder would haw to be a gear or sprocket and chain coupled with bidirectional hydraulic motor. It is beneficial to rotate rotating assembly in same direction all the time instead alternate to counter inertia of rotating assembly and have beneficial use of gravity.
Timing of rotation of rotating cylinder depend precisely on position of the pistons in pump. cylinders. For this reason it is necessary to have some sort of tracking devices to track pistons in pump cylinders and start rotation of wear plate and pump cylinders, when piston in pump cylinder reach maximum destination and concrete has been discharged , and in same time other cylinder has being fully charged with concrete from hoper, hydraulic pressure in hydraulic rams which drive pistons in pump cylinder is off. When rotation of pump cylinders by 180 degrees is completed hydraulic pressure to hydraulic rams which drive the pistons in pump cylinders is restored, and concrete is flowing again. This sequence is repeated. In this invention I use system where hall effect transistor detect passing by magnet. whose movement is same as piston in pump cylinder. The signal is than amplified and used for activating solenoids on hydraulic valves.
Pumps sequence is as follow:
When hoper is full of concrete and pump is switched on piston in charging cylinder will start to trowel away from hoper and concrete will flow in cylinder by gravity and suction. When piston is come to the end detection system will switch off piston and will switch on hydraulic motor which will rotate rotating assembly by 180 degrease, meaning that pumps full cylinder mowe to get in line with pumps output, and empty cylinder will become in lien with hoper output. Detection system will switch rotation off and switch pistons on again. Piston on full cylinder will push concrete out of pumps outlet and empty cylinder will become charged with concrete. This process is repeated until pump is switched off.
The benefits of this invention system are multiple.
1) Due to shape and inside contour of hoper, entire volume of concrete delivered in hoper, naturally by force of gravity slide to bottom of hoper and into pump's cylinder. As a result, all of the concrete is being pumped out and there is not dry concrete build up in hoper, during the course of the day's work. Cleaning complete pump, hoper, pistons, cylinders, and pump outlet, could not take more than five minutes.
2) Inspection or replacement of fast wearing parts on this invention is very easy and quick, because of unhindered access and it consist only of four parts. Two wear plates and two piston caps. Time that is needed to replace all four parts is up to thirty minutes. Drawing “A” E” F” show cross section of major parts of invention. Drawings “B”, “C”, “D” show major parts of invention from different angle. (not to scale)
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2007249107 | Nov 2007 | AU | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/AU08/01658 | 11/10/2008 | WO | 00 | 4/29/2010 |