Patent Application
20240368907
The present application claims priority to Japanese patent applications No. 2023-076369 filed on May 2, 2023. The contents of the foregoing applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
The present disclosure relates to a processing apparatus for surface treatment of concrete and a method of surface treatment of concrete.
In a process of placing concrete on a floor surface of an earth floor or a carport, surface treatment is generally performed to level off and smooth the surface of undried concrete placed on the floor surface and to remove laitance formed on the surface of the concrete. Such surface treatment is generally performed by an operator's manual procedures using a wooden trowel or a metal trowel, with a view to preventing vibration from being applied to the undried concrete. When a location for surface treatment has a large area, a device called a “trowel machine” as disclosed in, for example, JP No. 2007-100426A may be used.
The manual procedures of surface treatment, however, have problems, for example, heavy physical load on the operator and the difficulty in finding a skilled worker assuring the high finishing quality. The method using a machine device such as a trowel machine, on the other hand, has a difficulty in carriage of the machine device into a constructing location having a small constructing area, for example, an earth floor of a general house, a floor surface of a carport or a scarcement, and in handling of the machine device in such a constructing location. The trowel machine is configured to rotating a member corresponding to a metal trowel along the surface of concrete as an object to be processed. The rotating of the member along the surface of undried concrete is, however, likely to spread the laitance and make it difficult to sufficiently remove the laitance. Accordingly, a manual procedure using a wooden or metal trowel may be required for removal of the laitance after the process of using the trowel machine.
One object of the present disclosure is to provide a technique of facilitating surface treatment of undried concrete in the process of placing concrete on a floor surface.
According to one aspect, there is provided a processing apparatus used for surface treatment of undried concrete. The processing apparatus of this aspect comprises a single roller having a cylindrical shape including a side face which comes into contact with the undried concrete; a main body portion provided with the single roller at a bottom to be supported on the undried concrete by the single roller, and mounted a driving unit that includes a motor configured to rotationally drive the single roller; a front trowel attached to the main body portion to position in front of the single roller; a rear trowel attached to the main body portion to position in rear of the single roller; and a handle portion extended rearward and obliquely upward from the main body portion and provided with a grip component that is gripped by an operator, wherein the processing apparatus is configured to bring an edge of the front trowel into contact with a surface of the undried concrete by an operation of lifting up the grip component in an upward direction to tilt a front side of the main body portion downward about the single roller as a supporting point, and is configured to bring an edge of the rear trowel into contact with the surface of the undried concrete by an operation of lifting down the grip component in a downward direction to tilt a rear side of the main body portion downward about the single roller as the supporting point; the driving unit is configured to change over a rotating direction of the roller between a forward direction and a rearward direction; the grip component is provided with an operation part that enables the operator to perform a changeover operation of the rotating direction of the roller; and the side face of the roller is configured to be flat and smooth, such as to enable the roller to smooth and level off the surface of the undried concrete with self-propelling and idling the roller.
According to the processing apparatus of above aspect, the single roller receives the weight of the main body portion and presses the surface of the undried concrete, while sliding the front trowel or the rear trowel, so as to readily smooth and level off the surface of the undried concrete. The simple configuration of supporting the main body portion by the single roller facilitates the operation of bringing either the front trowel or the rear trowel into contact with the surface of concrete bout the roller as the supporting point. Additionally, the processing apparatus of the first aspect enables the operator to readily change over the rotating direction of the roller by the operator's operation of the nearby operation part. The configuration of using the single roller that is rotationally driven enables the operation of handling the main body portion via the grip component to be readily performed with self-propelling or idling of the roller. Furthermore, the processing apparatus of the aspect is motor-driven. This configuration suppresses unnecessary vibration from being applied to the undried concrete and thereby suppresses deterioration of the finishing quality of concrete.
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.
The illustration of
The processing apparatus 10 is used for surface treatment to level off and smooth the surface of undried concrete and to remove laitance, in a placing process of placing concrete on a floor surface. The procedure of the process of placing concrete and the laitance will be described later.
The processing apparatus 10 includes a main body portion 15 provided on a bottom thereof with a single roller 12 and a pair of trowels 13 for performing surface treatment of concrete; and a handle portion 16 held by the operator OP to handle the main body portion 15. The details of the configuration of the main body portion 15 will be described later.
The handle portion 16 includes a connecting shaft component 17 extended rearward and obliquely upward from the main body portion 15; and a grip component 18 provided on an upper end of the connecting shaft component 17. The connecting shaft component 17 is configured by, for example, a metal member in a straight bar-like shape. The connecting shaft component 17 is connected with a lower location on a rear side of the main body portion 15 in such a state that an angle of the connecting shaft component 17 to the main body portion 15 is fixed, as shown in
The grip component 18 is configured by a bar-like member extended horizontally to both right and left from an upper end of the connecting shaft component 17. This configuration allows the operator OP to hold the grip component 18 with left and right hands. In the first embodiment, the grip component 18 is provided with an operation part 40 operated by the operator OP to drive the single roller 12 of the main body portion 15. The details of the operation part 40 will be described later.
The operator OP stands behind the main body portion 15, holds the grip component 18 of the handle portion 16 with keeping the standing posture, and operates the main body portion 15 to perform surface treatment of undried concrete by using the processing apparatus 10. A concrete operation method of the processing apparatus 10 for surface treatment of undried concrete will be described later.
The following describes the details of the configuration of the processing apparatus 10 with reference to
The main body portion 15 includes a hollow housing body 20 that has an approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape with longitudinal sides thereof in the left-right direction and that is open on a lower side thereof. The housing body 20 is configured by a plurality of frame members 21 provided to form a framework and a plurality of cover members 22 stretched across the respective frame members 21.
The frame members 21 and the cover members 22 are made of, for example, a metal such as aluminum or stainless steel. The frame members 21 and the cover members 22 may, however, be made of a material other than the metal and may be configured by, for example, a resin member such as a plastic member or a CFRP member. The cover members 22 may be omitted.
The single roller 12 in a cylindrical shape is attached to a bottom of the main body portion 15. Hereinafter, the single roller 12 will simply be referred to as a “roller 12”. The roller 12 is placed inside of an opening on the lower side of the housing body 20. The roller 12 is held in the main body portion 15 in such a state as to be rotatable about a center shaft thereof as a rotation axis. In use of the processing apparatus 10, the roller 12 is placed on undried concrete and supports the main body portion 15.
The roller 12 is provided on the bottom of the main body portion 15. In the first embodiment, the roller 12 is placed at the center in the Y direction of the bottom of the main body portion 15. The direction of the center shaft of the roller 12 corresponds to the X direction. The length in the X direction of the roller 12 is slightly shorter than the width of the main body portion 15 and may be, for example, about 20 to 80 cm. The diameter of the roller 12 may be, for example, about 3 to 30 cm. The length of the roller 12 may be, for example, about 30 to 80 cm.
In the first embodiment, the roller 12 is configured by a resin cylindrical member. The roller 12 may be made of a material other than the resin and may be configured by, for example, a metal member. The configuration that the roller 12 is made of a resin material, however, allows for weight reduction of the main body portion 15 and enhances the ease of handling of the processing apparatus 10 by the operator.
In the processing apparatus 10, the main body portion 10 is supported by the roller 12. Accordingly, in the process of surface treatment of undried concrete, the undried concrete is effectively pressed by the roller 12 which the load of the main body portion 15 is applied to.
In the first embodiment, a side face of the roller 12 that is in contact with the surface of concrete is configured to be flat and smooth. It is preferable to round the respective ends of the side face of the roller 12. This configuration suppresses a streak-like trace from being left on the surface of undried concrete, after the roller 12 is moved.
In the first embodiment, the roller 12 is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the main body portion 15. This configuration facilitates replacement of the roller 12. Furthermore, this configuration enables the roller 12 to be detached from the main body portion 15 and to be readily cleaned, after the use of the processing apparatus 10.
Referring to
The motor 26 is placed in an area above the roller 12 inside of the housing body 20. The motor 26 is configured by, for example, a DC brushless motor. The motor 26 may have a rated output of, for example, about 30 to 100 W. In the first embodiment, the motor 26 may be driven at a rotation speed in at least a range of 0 to 100 rpm.
The transmission mechanism 27 is provided on a lateral side of the motor 26 and the roller 12. The transmission mechanism 27 serves as a speed reducer configured to reduce the rotation speed generated by the motor 26 and to output a torque corresponding to a speed reduction ratio to the roller 12. The transmission mechanism 27 includes a timing belt 27b configured to transmit the rotational driving force from the motor 26 to the roller 12. In the first embodiment, the timing belt 27b is placed in a case provided on a side face of the housing body 20. In another embodiment, for example, a chain may be used in place of the timing belt 27b.
In the processing apparatus 10, the roller 12 is rotationally driven by the motor 26. Unlike a configuration using an internal combustion engine, such as an engine, this configuration suppresses unnecessary vibration from being caused in the undried concrete, when the roller 12 is driven on the surface of the undried concrete. Accordingly, this configuration suppresses the undried concrete from vibrating in the course of surface treatment and thereby suppresses deterioration of the finishing quality of concrete.
In the first embodiment, as shown in
The main body portion 15 is further equipped with a control unit 28 and a power source unit 29. The control unit 28 is placed inside of the housing body 20 and is connected with the motor 26 and with the power source unit 29 by non-illustrated wiring. The control unit 28 is connectable with the operation part 40 described later by wireless communication, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark). The control unit 26 may, however, be connected with the operation part 40 by wire.
The control unit 28 includes a control circuit configured to control the electric power supplied from the power source unit 29 to the motor 26; a control circuit configured to control rotation drive of the motor 26; and a control circuit configured to control the communication with the operation part 40. The control unit 28 controls the rotation drive of the motor 26, in response to the operator OP's operation of the operation part 40, so as to control the rotation drive of the roller 12.
According to the embodiment, in response to the operator OP's operation that is received via the operation part 40, the control unit 28 controls the driving unit 25 to change over a rotating direction of the roller 12 by the rotational driving force of the motor 26 between a forward direction indicated by an arrow F and a rearward direction indicated by an arrow R shown in
The power source unit 29 is provided on an upper face of the housing body 20. The power source unit 29 is configured by a storage battery enabled to repeat charging and discharging, for example, a lithium-ion battery. According to the embodiment, the power source unit 29 is configured by two storage batteries. The configuration of the power source unit 29 by the storage battery allows for omission of a power cord used for connection with an external power supply and thereby enhances the ease of handling of the processing apparatus 10.
The power source unit 29 is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the main body portion 15. The power source unit 29 is provided on the upper face of the housing body 20 as described above. This enables the operator OP to readily access the power source unit 29 and to readily attach and detach the power source unit 29.
As described above, the pair of trowels 13 are provided on the bottom of the main body portion 15. The procedure of surface treatment of concrete by using the processing apparatus 10 causes the surface of undried concrete to be rubbed by edges 13e of the trowels 13 that moves following the motion of the roller 12, so as to smooth and level off the surface of concrete. The details will be described later.
In the first embodiment, the respective trowels 13 are placed on a front side and on a rear side of the roller 12 respectively across intervals from the roller 12. In the description below, the trowel 13 provided on the front side of the roller 12 is also called the “front trowel 13f”, and the trowel 13 provided on the rear side of the roller 12 is also called the “rear trowel 13r”. In the description below, when there is no need to specifically make a discrimination between the front trowel 13f and the rear trowel 13r, the front trowel 13f and the rear trowel 13r are collectively called the “trowel 13”.
In the first embodiment, the trowel 13 is configured by a flat plate-like member having an approximately rectangular plate surface. It is preferable that the trowel 13 is configured to be bent or bowed by elastic deformation. It is preferable that the trowel 13 is configured by, for example, a stainless steel thin plate having the high rust-preventing effects and the high strength.
The length of the trowel 13 is preferably greater than the length of the roller 12. The length in the Y direction of the trowel 13 may be, for example, about 1 to 15 cm. The thickness of the trowel 13 may be, for example, about 0.1 to 3.0 mm. According to the embodiment, the front trowel 13f and the rear trowel 13r have substantially the same shapes and have substantially the same dimensions. According to another embodiment, the front trowel 13f and the rear trowel 13r may have different shapes and may have different dimensions.
The trowel 13 is attached to the main body portion 15 in such a state that the plate surface thereof faces in the vertical direction and that an edge 13e forming a longitudinal side thereof is placed along the roller 12. The front trowel 13f is held by the main body portion 15 by coupling fixation parts 31 provided on an upper face of the front trowel 13f with a coupling part 32 provided on a front face of the main body portion 15. The rear trowel 13r is held by the main body portion 15 by coupling fixation parts 31 provided on an upper face of the rear trowel 13r with a coupling part 32 provided on a rear face of the main body portion 15.
When the main body portion 15 is tilted about the roller 12 as the supporting point such as to lower a front part thereof, the edge 13e forming a longitudinal side on the front side of the front trowel 13f is enabled to come into contact with the surface of undried concrete. When the main body portion 15 is tilted about the roller 12 as the supporting point such as to lower a rear part thereof, the edge 13e forming a longitudinal side on the rear side of the rear trowel 13r is enabled to come into contact with the surface of undried concrete.
The coupling part 32 serving to cause the trowel 13 to be held by the main body portion 15 as described above is configured to adjust a height position and an inclination angle of the trowel 13 relative to the main body portion 15. The coupling part 32 includes a pair of slide members 33, a pair of holding elements 34, and a pair of swinging elements 35.
The pair of slid members 33 are configured by linear long plate-like members and are placed along the vertical direction such as to be arranged in parallel in the width direction thereof. The respective upper ends of the pair of slide members 33 are connected with each other by means of a connection bar 33b laid in the X direction.
The pair of slide members 33 are held by the pair of holding elements 34 provided on outside of the housing body 20. The pair of holding elements 34 are configured by rectangular frame-like members. The pair of slide members 33 are inserted into and held by the frames of the pair of holding elements 34 fastened to the main body portion 15.
The pair of swinging elements 35 are connected with the lower ends of the pair of slide members 33 to be swingable in the Y direction. The trowel 13 is connected with the lower ends of the pair of swinging elements 35 via the fixation parts 31 provided on the upper face of the trowel 13.
The holding element 34 is provided with a first fastener member 36. The first fastener member 36 is mounted to fasten the holding element 34 and the slide member 33. The slide member 33 is fixed to the holding element 34 by fastening the first fastener member 36. Loosening the first fastener member 36 allows for a linear motion of the slide member 33 relative to the holding element 34. The operator OP loosens the first fastener members 36 to move the slide members 33 in the vertical direction, so as to adjust the height position of the trowel 13 relative to the main body portion 15 as shown by an arrow H in
The swinging element 35 is provided with a second fastener member 37. Fastening the second fastener member 37 controls the swinging motion of the swinging element 35 relative to the slide member 33. The operator OP loosens the second fastener members 37 to swing the sliding elements 35 relative to the slide members 33, so as to adjust the inclination angle of the trowel 13 relative to the main body portion 15 as shown by an arrow S in
As described above, the configuration of the processing apparatus 10 of the embodiment enables the operator OP to arbitrarily adjust the height position and the inclination angle of the trowel 13 relative to the main body portion 15 by loosening the first fastener members 36 and the second fastener members 37. This configuration enables the operator OP to readily regulate the contact state of the edge 13e of the trowel 13 relative to the surface of concrete just as the operator OP intended, based on the conditions of the concrete, such as the hardness and the water content. This configuration thus readily enhances the finishing quality of surface treatment of concrete.
The fixation part 31 is connected with the lower end of the swinging element 35 by fastening a third fastener member 38. The trowel 13 is readily detached from the swinging elements 35 by loosening the third fastener members 38. This configuration allows for easy replacement of the trowel 13 in the processing apparatus 10. This configuration also enables the trowel 13 to be readily detached and cleaned after the use of the processing apparatus 10.
The operation panel 41 is provided with a main power button 42 and a plurality of speed adjustment buttons 43. The operator OP presses the main power button 42 to operate ON/OFF of the power of the processing apparatus 10. The plurality of speed adjustment buttons 43 are arranged in a line. The operator OP selects and presses one speed adjustment button 43 corresponding to the operator OP's desired rotation speed among the plurality of speed adjustment buttons 43 to change the rotation speed of the roller 12. According to the embodiment, the rotation speed of the roller 12 is changeable among a high speed, a medium speed, and a low speed.
The drive switch element 45 is provided at such a position that allows the operator OP to operate the drive switch element 45 with the thumb of the hand gripping the grip component 18. The dive switch element 45 includes a forward switch 46 and a rearward switch 47. While the operator OP keeps pressing the forward switch 46, the motor 26 continuously generates the rotational driving force for rotating the roller 12 in a forward direction. While the operator OP keeps pressing the rearward switch 47, on the other hand, the motor 26 continuously generates the rotational driving force for rotating the roller 12 in a rearward direction. When the operator OP does not operate the drive switch element 45, the motor 26 is stand-by with stopping the rotation drive.
Referring to
The following describes a process of placing concrete with reference to
At step S10, the operator OP spreads crushed stones on a basement layer BL that is a soil layer on a surface of a constructing location to form a crushed stone layer SL covering over the entire constructing location. The crushed stone layer SL is formed to have, for example, a thickness of about 5 to 15 cm.
At step S20, the operator OP places a formwork that surrounds and divides an area where concrete is to be poured, with a view to suppressing concrete from spreading over to any undesired locations. At step S30, the operator OP places reinforcing steel members RF on the crushed stone layer SL within the formwork. The reinforcing steel members RF are configured by, for example, wire meshes formed by assembling wires in a lattice form. The reinforcing steel members RF configure an internal framework of a concrete layer CL and suppresses solidified concrete from cracking or the like.
At step S40, the operator OP pours freshly mixed concrete into the formwork to form a concrete layer CL including the reinforcing steel members RF inside thereof. The concrete layer CL is formed to have, for example, a thickness of about 5 to 15 cm. The processing performed at step S40 levels off significant irregularities on the surface of the concrete layer CL and flattens the concrete layer CL.
Water present inside of the concrete generally rises to the surface of the undried concrete after the processing of step S40 with elapse of a time period after concrete placing. This phenomenon or the water rising by this phenomenon is called “bleeding water”. A “laitance” that is a thin layer of cement and aggregate particles in the concrete rising with such bleeding water is likely to be formed on the surface of the undried concrete.
Solidification of concrete without sufficiently removing the laitance is likely to cause cracks in the surface layer of concrete or is likely to deteriorate the visual quality of concrete. In the case where fresh concrete is placed on the concrete solidified without sufficient removal of the laitance, the laitance formed on the surface of the existing concrete as a lower layer is likely to interfere with bonding of the fresh concrete as an upper layer with the existing concrete as the lower layer. At subsequent step S50, the processing apparatus 10 is accordingly used to perform surface treatment for removal of the laitance with smoothing and leveling off the surface of the undried concrete layer CL.
At step S50, the operator OP places the main body portion 15 of the processing apparatus 10 on the undried concrete layer CL and operates the main body portion 15 via the handle portion 16 to perform surface treatment of the undried concrete layer CL. Operation methods of the processing apparatus 10 at step S50 will be described after description of a subsequent step S60.
At step S60, the operator OP removes the processing apparatus 10 from the top of the concrete layer CL and waits until the concrete is dried. After the concrete is dried, the operator OP removes the formwork and performs a finishing work on the concrete and other required finishing works. This series of processing completes the process of placing the concrete.
The following describes operation methods of the processing apparatus 10 at step S50 with reference to
In the state that the edge 13e of the front trowel 13f is in contact with the surface of concrete, the first operation method rotates the roller 12 in a rearward direction indicated by a solid-line arrow R by means of the motor 26 and moves the main body portion 15 rearward with the rotational driving force of the motor 26 as the propulsion force. This causes the surface of the undried concrete to be pressed by the roller 12 and subsequently causes the surface of the concrete to be rubbed by the edge 13e of the front trowel 13f that moves following the motion of the roller 12. This operation method thus readily smooths and levels off the surface of concrete and effectively removes the laitance.
In the state that the edge 13e of the front trowel 13f is in contact with the surface of concrete, the second operation method causes the roller 12 rotationally driven by the motor 26 to idle with keeping in contact with the surface of concrete and moves the main body portion 15 rearward. The state that “the roller 12 idles” means the state that causes the roller 12 rotationally driven by the motor 26 to move at a moving speed different from a circumferential velocity of the rotation drive of the roller 12 and to slide on the surface of concrete.
The roller 12 idles when the main body portion 15 is pulled via the handle portion 16 to move rearward, in the state that the roller 12 is rotated in a forward direction indicated by a broken-line arrow F by means of the motor 26. In another example, the roller 12 may idle when the main body portion 15 is pulled via the handle portion 16 to move rearward at a speed higher than the circumferential velocity of the roller 12 by the rotational driving force of the motor 26, in the state that the roller 12 is rotated in the rearward direction indicated by the solid-line arrow R by means of the motor 26.
The second operation method causes the surface of concrete to be rubbed by friction of the roller 12 and to be smoothed and leveled off by sliding of the edge 13e of the subsequent front trowel 13f, with removing the laitance. This configuration enables the surface of concrete to be effectively smoothed and leveled off in the case of, for example, hard concrete. This configuration also enables the laitance beginning to accumulate on the surface of concrete to be effectively removed.
In the state that the edge 13e of the rear trowel 13r is in contact with the surface of concrete, the third operation method rotates the roller 12 in a forward direction indicated by a solid-line arrow F by means of the motor 26 and moves the main body portion 15 forward with the rotational driving force of the motor 26 as the propulsion force. This causes the surface of the undried concrete to be pressed by the roller 12 and subsequently causes the surface of the concrete to be rubbed by the edge 13e of the rear trowel 13r that moves following the motion of the roller 12. Like the first operation method described above, this operation method thus readily smooths and levels off the surface of concrete and effectively removes the laitance.
In the state that the edge 13e of the rear trowel 13r is in contact with the surface of concrete, the fourth operation method causes the roller 12 to idle by the rotational driving force of the motor 26 with keeping in contact with the surface of concrete and moves the main body portion 15 forward. The roller 12 idles when the main body portion 15 is pressed via the handle portion 16 to move forward, in the state that the roller 12 is rotated in a rearward direction indicated by a broken-line arrow R by means of the motor 26. In another example, the roller 12 may idle when the main body portion 15 is pressed via the handle portion 16 to move forward at a speed higher than the circumferential velocity of the roller 12 by the rotation drive of the motor 26, in the state that the roller 12 is rotated in the forward direction indicated by the solid-line arrow F by means of the motor 26. The fourth operation method takes advantage of the friction of the roller 12 and the sliding of the edge 13e of the rear trowel 13r to effectively perform smoothing and leveling-off of the surface of concrete and the removal of laitance, like the second operation method.
The contact conditions of the rear trowel 13r with the surface of concrete are more easily visible to the operator OP, compared with the contact conditions of the front trowel 13f with the surface of concrete. Accordingly, both the third operation method and the fourth operation method more easily enable the operator OP to perform the operations with visually checking the finishing quality of surface treatment, compared with the first operation method and the second operation method.
The configuration of the embodiment enables the operator OP to perform the surface treatment at step S50 shown in
As described above, the processing apparatus 10 rotates the roller 12 by means of the motor 26. This configuration suppresses vibration from being generated by actuation of the processing apparatus 10 and thereby suppresses vibration from being applied to the undried concrete in the course of surface treatment. Accordingly, this configuration suppresses deterioration of the finishing quality of concrete caused by applying the vibration to the undried concrete layer CL.
The processing apparatus 10 has the simple configuration as described above. This facilitates reduction in size and weight of the processing apparatus 10. Additionally, the processing apparatus 10 is readily handled and is turned in a small space by the operator OP operating the handle portion 16 as described above. Accordingly, the processing apparatus 10 is favorably used in working places having relatively small constructing areas, for example, an earth floor of a general house, a floor surface of a carport and a scarcement. The processing apparatus 10 is favorably used in, for example, constructing locations having the areas of not larger than 15 m2 and constructing locations having the width of not greater than 1 m.
The processing apparatus 10 enables the operator OP to perform the surface treatment of undried concrete by the simple operations in a standing posture, i.e., control of the rotation of the roller 12 and the operations of the main body portion 15 via the handle portion 16. This configuration significantly reduces the physical burden on the operator OP, compared with surface treatment by manual procedures using a wooden trowel or a metal trowel. This configuration also reduces a variation in quality of surface treatment caused by a difference in technical skills among operators OP.
In the processing apparatus 10, the operation part 40 is provided on the grip component 18 near the hands of the operator OP. This configuration enables the operator OP to easily control the rotation of the roller 12 and easily perform the finishing operations using the trowels 13, while visually checking the surface conditions of concrete. Accordingly, this readily enhances the finishing quality of the surface of concrete.
As described above, the processing apparatus 10 and the method of surface treatment of undried concrete according to the first embodiment remarkably reduce the operator's load, while suppressing deterioration of the finishing quality of concrete. These configurations of the first embodiment also significantly reduce the working time and the cost required for placing concrete.
The processing apparatus 10A of the second embodiment is configured to be self-propelled with omission of the handle portion 16 but otherwise has a similar configuration to the configuration of the processing apparatus 10 of the first embodiment. The processing apparatus 10A of the second embodiment has the center of gravity that is adjusted such as to place the processing apparatus 10A stably on the surface of undried concrete in a posture of inclination of the main body portion 15, so as to bring either the edge 13e of the front trowel 13f or the edge 13e of the rear trowel 13r into contact with the surface of concrete. The operator OP causes the roller 12 to be rotationally driven in the forward direction or in the rearward direction as described in the first embodiment by remote operations via the non-illustrated operation part 40.
In the process of surface treatment of concrete according to the second embodiment, for example, the operator OP operates the processing apparatus 10A as described below. The operator OP places the main body portion 15 on the undried concrete layer CL in such a posture that the edge 13e of the front trowel 13f is in contact with concrete and then rotates the roller 12 in the rearward direction by means of the motor 26 such as to self-propel the main body portion 15 rearward. The operator OP alternatively places the main body portion 15 on the concrete layer CL in such a posture that the edge 13e of the rear trowel 13r is in contact with concrete and then rotates the roller 12 in the forward direction such as to self-propel the main body portion 15 forward by the rotation drive of the roller 12. These operations enable the surface of undried concrete to be rubbed by the edge 13e of the trowel 13e that moves following the motion of the roller 12, while being pressed by the roller 12. This accordingly allows for smoothing and levelling-off of the surface of concrete and removal of the laitance.
The processing apparatus 10A of the second embodiment is allowed to be self-propelled by the remote operation and to thereby perform surface treatment of concrete. This configuration further facilitates the surface treatment of concrete and further reduces the operator OP's operation load. Additionally, the processing apparatus 10A and the method of surface treatment of concrete using the processing apparatus 10A according to the second embodiment have a variety of functions and advantageous effects similar to those described above with regard to the first embodiment.
The present disclosure is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments described above but may also be implemented by a variety of modified configurations as described below. The modifications described below should be interpreted as only examples of the aspects of implementing the technical features of the present disclosure, like the respective embodiments described above.
In the respective embodiments described above, the processing apparatus 10 or 10A may be provided with only one of the front trowel 13f and the rear trowel 13r. In other words, the trowel 13 may be provided on at least one of the front side and the rear side of the roller 12. This modified configuration still allows for smoothing and levelling-off of the surface of concrete and removal of the laitance by moving the trowel 13 on the surface of undried concrete, following the motion of the roller 12.
In the respective embodiments described above, the trowel 13 may be connected with the main body portion 15 at a fixed height position and at a fixed inclination angle. In the respective embodiments described above, either one of the front trowel 13f and the rear trowel 13r may be placed such that the edge 13e thereof is brought into contact with the surface of concrete even in the state that the main body portion 15 is not tilted about the roller 12 as the supporting point.
In the processing apparatuses 10 and 10A of the respective embodiments described above, the roller 12 may be configured to be rotatable in only either one of the forward direction and the rearward direction. According to the first embodiment described above, the operation part 40 may be provided in a location other than the grip component 18 of the handle portion 16.
In the processing apparatuses 10 and 10A of the respective embodiments described above, a plurality of the rollers 12 may be provided on the bottom of the main body portion 15. The plurality of rollers 12 may be arrayed in the front-rear direction or may be aligned in the width direction on the bottom of the main body portion 15. The plurality of rollers 12 may be configured to be respectively driven by individual driving units 25 and to be individually controlled with regard to the rotating direction and the rotation speed. Accordingly, a first roller and a second roller may be configured to be rotated in directions opposite to each other.
The present disclosure may be implemented by various aspects described below.
According to a first aspect, a processing apparatus, which is used for surface treatment of undried concrete, is provided. The processing apparatus of the first aspect comprises a single roller having a cylindrical shape and a side face which comes into contact with the undried concrete, a main body portion provided with the single roller at a bottom to be supported on the undried concrete by the single roller, and mounted a driving unit that includes a motor configured to rotationally drive the single roller, a front trowel attached to the main body portion to position in front of the single roller, a rear trowel attached to the main body portion to position in rear of the single roller; and a handle portion extended rearward and obliquely upward from the main body portion and provided with a grip component that is gripped by an operator at an upper end. The processing apparatus is configured to bring an edge of the front trowel into contact with a surface of the undried concrete by an operation of lifting up the grip component in an upward direction to tilt a front side of the main body portion downward about the single roller as a supporting point, and is configured to bring an edge of the rear trowel into contact with the surface of the undried concrete by an operation of lifting down the grip component in a downward direction to tilt a rear side of the main body portion downward about the single roller as the supporting point. The driving unit is configured to change over a rotating direction of the single roller between a forward direction and a rearward direction. The grip component is provided with an operation part that enables the operator to perform a changeover operation of the rotating direction of the single roller. The side face of the single roller is configured to be flat and smooth, such as to enable the single roller to smooth and level off the surface of the undried concrete with self-propelling and idling the single roller.
The processing apparatus of the first aspect uses the single roller that receives the weight of the main body portion to press the surface of the undried concrete, while sliding the front trowel or the rear trowel, so as to readily smooth and level off the surface of the undried concrete. The simple configuration of supporting the main body portion by only single roller facilitates the operation of bringing either the front trowel or the rear trowel into contact with the surface of concrete bout the roller as the supporting point. Additionally, the processing apparatus of the first aspect enables the operator to readily change over the rotating direction of the roller by the operator's operation of the nearby operation part. The configuration of using the single roller that is rotationally driven enables the operation of handling the main body portion via the grip component to be readily performed with self-propelling or idling of the roller. Furthermore, the processing apparatus of the first aspect is motor-driven. This configuration suppresses unnecessary vibration from being applied to the undried concrete and thereby suppresses deterioration of the finishing quality of concrete.
In the processing apparatus of the first aspect described above, the driving unit may be placed above the roller in the main body portion.
The processing apparatus of the second aspect enables the undried concrete to be more effectively pressed by the roller which a load of the driving unit is applied to.
In the processing apparatus of either the first aspect or the second aspect described above, a battery configured to supply electric power to the motor is placed on an upper face of the main body portion to be attachable to and detachable from the main body portion.
The processing apparatus of the third aspect enables the operator to readily access the battery. This configuration facilitates, for example, replacement of the battery in the course of the surface treatment and enhances the operation efficiency of surface treatment of the undried concrete.
In the processing apparatus of any one of the first aspect, the second aspect and the third aspect described above, the operation part includes a forward switch and a rearward switch configured to be pressed by the operator, and the driving unit is configured to keep rotating the single roller in the forward direction while the forward switch is kept pressing, to keep rotating the single roller in the rearward direction while the rearward switch is kept pressing, and to stop the motor while neither the forward switch nor the rearward switch is pressed.
The processing apparatus of the fourth aspect further facilitates the operator's operation of rotationally driving the roller.
In the processing apparatus of any one of the first aspect, the front trowel and the rear trowel are adjustable in heights and inclination angles with respect to the main body portion.
The processing apparatus of the fifth embodiment enables the contact conditions of the front trowel and the rear trowel with the surface of the undried concrete to be readily adjusted. This configuration accordingly further improves the surface conditions of the concrete after the surface treatment.
According to a sixth aspect, there is provided a method of surface treatment of concrete by using the processing apparatus of any one of the first aspect, the second aspect, the third aspect, the fourth aspect and the fifth aspect described above. The method of the sixth aspect comprises placing the single roller such that the side face of the single roller comes into contact with the undried concrete and tilting the main body portion about the single roller as a supporting point such that an edge of either one of the front trowel and the rear trowel comes into contact with the undried concrete, and smoothing and levelling off the surface of the undried concrete by pressing with the single roller and by sliding of the edge of the front trowel or the rear trowel, while self-propelling or idling the single roller.
The method of the sixth aspect utilizes the processing apparatus of any one of the above aspects and thereby enables the operator to perform surface treatment of undried concrete more readily and further enhances the finishing quality of concrete.
According to a seventh aspect, there is provided a processing apparatus used for surface treatment of undried concrete. The processing apparatus of the seventh aspect comprises a roller placed on the undried concrete; a main body portion provided with the roller that is mounted to a bottom of the main body portion and equipped with a driving unit configured to rotationally drive the roller; a trowel attached to the main body portion to be placed on at least one of a front side and a rear side of the roller, such that an edge of the trowel comes into contact with surface of the undried concrete; and a handle portion extended and protruded rearward and obliquely upward from the main body portion and provided at an upper end thereof with a grip component that is gripped by an operator.
The processing apparatus of the seventh aspect readily smooths and levels off the surface of the undried concrete and readily removes the laitance by pressing and friction of the roller and by sliding of the edge of the trowel. Furthermore, the processing apparatus of the seventh aspect enables the operator to integrally operate the roller and the trowel via the handle portion, with keeping the standing posture. This configuration ensures easy handling of the processing apparatus even in a narrow constructing location. Accordingly, the processing apparatus of the seventh aspect enables the operator to efficiently perform surface treatment of undried concrete and reduces the operator's load.
In the processing apparatus of the seventh aspect described above, the trowel may be provided on both the front side and the rear side of the roller.
The processing apparatus of the eighth aspect is provided with the trowels on both the front side and the rear side of the roller. This configuration enables the sliding of the trowel to follow the motion of the roller, both in the case of moving the roller forward and in the case of moving the roller rearward. This configuration thus more efficiently achieves smoothing and levelling-off of the surface of the undried concrete.
The processing apparatus of the eighth aspect described above may be configured such as to tilt a front side of the main body portion downward about the roller as a supporting point and to bring an edge of the trowel on the front side into contact with a surface of the undried concrete by an operation of lifting up the grip component in an upward direction, and such as to tilt a rear side of the main body portion downward about the roller as the supporting point and to bring an edge of the trowel on the rear side into contact with the surface of the undried concrete by an operation of lifting down the grip component in a downward direction.
The processing apparatus of the ninth aspect enables the operator to readily adjust the contact conditions of the trowel on the front side and the trowel on the rear side with the surface of concrete by an operation of swinging the main body portion about the roller as the supporting point via the grip component. This configuration thus further facilitates the surface treatment of undried concrete by using the processing apparatus.
In the processing apparatus of any one of the seventh aspect, the eighth aspect and the ninth aspect described above, the trowel may be connected with the main body portion in such a state that a height and an inclination angle of the trowel relative to the main body portion are adjustable.
The processing apparatus of the tenth aspect enables the operator to adjust the contact conditions of the edge of the trowel with the surface of concrete based on the conditions of concrete more readily.
In the processing apparatus of any one of the seventh aspect, the eighth aspect, the ninth aspect, and the tenth aspect described above, the driving unit may be configured to change over a rotating direction of the roller between a forward direction and a rearward direction, and the grip component may be provided with an operation part that enables the operator to perform a changeover operation of the rotating direction of the roller.
The processing apparatus of the eleventh aspect enables the operator to change over the rotating direction of the roller by operating the nearby operation part. This configuration enhances the operability and the ease of handling of the processing apparatus. This configuration accordingly assures the more efficient surface treatment of undried concrete.
According to a twelfth aspect, a processing apparatus, which is used for surface treatment of undried concrete, is provided. The processing apparatus of the twelfth aspect comprises a roller placed on the undried concrete; a main body portion provided with the roller that is mounted to a bottom of the main body portion and equipped with a driving unit configured to rotationally drive the roller; and a trowel attached to the main body portion to be placed on at least one of a front side and a rear side of the roller, such that an edge of the trowel comes into contact with surface of the undried concrete.
The processing apparatus of the twelfth aspect readily smooths and levels off the surface of the undried concrete and readily removes the laitance by pressing and friction of the roller and by sliding of the edge of the trowel.
According to a thirteenth aspect, there is provided a method of surface treatment of undried concrete. The method of the thirteenth aspect comprises a process of moving a roller, which is rotated by a rotational driving force transmitted from a driving unit, in such a state that a side face of the roller comes into contact with surface of the undried concrete, (a) with using the rotational driving force as a propulsion force or (b) with idling the roller by the rotational driving force; and a process of moving a plate-like trowel following the roller, in such a state that an edge of the trowel comes into contact with the surface of the undried concrete.
The method of the thirteenth aspect readily smooths and levels off the surface of the undried concrete and readily removes the laitance by pressing and friction of the roller and by sliding of the edge of the trowel.
The present disclosure is not limited to the configurations of the processing apparatuses and the methods according to the aspects described above but may be implemented by a variety of other aspects. The present disclosure may be implemented by an aspect with omission of part of the configuration, such as the handle portion, or by an aspect with part of the configuration replaced by a configuration exerting an equivalent function.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-76369 | May 2023 | JP | national |
