US3317194A

US3317194A - Concrete mixer

Info

Publication number: US3317194A
Application number: US559808A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert E Heltzel
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1966-06-23
Filing date: 1966-06-23
Publication date: 1967-05-02
Anticipated expiration: 1984-05-02

Description

R. E. HELTZEL CONCRETE MIXER May 2, 1967 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 23, 1966 INVENTOR Robert E. Heltzel ATTORNEYS 4 M MM R. E. HELTZEL CONCRETE MIXER May 2, 1967 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 23, 1966 INVENTOR Robert E. Heltzel 101mm g ATTORNEYS R. E. HELTZEL CONCRETE MIXER May 2, 1967 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 23, 1966 United States Patent 3,317,194 CONCRETE MIXER Robert E. Heltzel, 6922 Mines Road, Warren, Ohio 44484 Filed June 23, 1966, Ser. No. 559,808 9 Claims. (Cl. 259-161) The present invention relates to concrete mixer and has for an object to provide, in conjunction with a mobile read-mix batching plant, a concrete mixer of a construction and mode of operation adapting it particularly for use in conjunction with such plant and its batchers. To this end the concrete mixer of this invention is constructed for compact collapse on a mobile platform or frame which may be a chassis of a vehicle subject to being hitched to a tractor or the like for over-the-highway move ment to the side of building operations.

Another object of the invention is to provide a concrete mixing unit involving a rotary mixing drum having support from the mobile frame by which it may execute the movements of rising, moving forward and. finally tilting to discharge the load into trucks or other vehicles by which the concrete may be shifted locally to the site of operations. I

A further object of the invention is to achieve these purposes by relatively simple rugged constructions adapted for swift, easy control and operations, all well adapted to conventional construction of the drum, its drive mechanism and the conventional operations of charging and discharging the drum.

A further object of the invention is to reduce time operations of bringing to the site any necessary quantity of mixed material in the shortest possible time period.

A still further object of the invention is to arrange coordinate batching plants and concrete mixers to substantially shorten set-up time and to admit of rapid supply operations on short notice.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claimsappended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout theseveral views:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a mobile readymix batching plant in a set-up position for use at the site of road or other building operation, and illustrating in conjunction therewith a concrete mixer constructed in accordance with the invention in a jacked or blocked up position ready to receive the mix from the batching plants and illustrating in dotted lines a discharge position of the mixing drum.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of the mixer shown in a collapsed position on a mobile frame with an attachment to a tractor or the like for over-thehighway transportation from site to site.

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away and parts shown in section, showing the blocked up position of the mixer frame and the mixer in an elevated position.

FIGURE .4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3, showing the cradle and its mixing drum tilted to the discharge position.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view showing a form of construction of the base mobile frame, the intermediate lift frame and the cradle or tilt frame apart from the mixing drum.

Referring more particularly to the drawings in FIG- URE l A shows a mobile ready-mix batching plant susceptible of over-the-highway transportation and which is adapted to be installed at or near the site of concrete operations such as road building, and such apparatus inordinances relative to lateral 33 pivoted at their lower ends 34,

eludes batchers 10 delivering batched materials through a chute 11 to a charging spout 12 for charging concrete mixers of various types including the mixing apparatus of the present invention.

Referring to FIGURE 4 the mixer of the invention comprises generally a rotary mixing drum B mounted for rotation in a cradle C which is pivotally carried by an intermediate frame D from a base frame E.

The drum B has a charging end 13 and a discharging end 14 and will preferably have a rear frusto-conical end portion 15 sloping to the charging end 13 and a forward frusto-conical end portion 16 sloping to the discharge opening 14.

The cradle C will contain the usual rollers for supporting the drum B for rotary motion on the circular tracks 17 and 18 which are secured to the frusto-conica1 rear and

forward portions

15 and 16 so as to maintain all parts of the equipment within perimeter lines not greater than the perimeter of the central cylindrical body portion of the drum in order to comply with state and municipal projections from highway traveling vehicles.

The drum B may be rotated by suitable motors 19 of any usual type which are supported from forwardly projecting structural members 20 of the cradle C. 7 These members 20 of the cradle carry trunnions or pivots 21 for rotatably supporting the drum at a forward portion for angular movement for the purpose of discharge.

The trunnions 21 are mounted in horns or brackets 22 projecting upwardly and forwardly from a forward portion of the intermediate frame D.

To rearwardly projecting structural members 23 on the rear portion of the cradle C are pivoted, as indicated at 24, the plunger or piston elements 25 of hydraulic rams, the cylinders of which are indicated at 26 as being pivoted as indicated at 27 to rear portions of the intermediate frame D. The

rams

25 and 26 are operative to rotate the drum B about the axis provided by the pivots 21 from the position of FIGURE 3 to that of FIGURE 4 and return.

A second set of hydraulic rams identified by the plungers or pistons 28 and the cylinders 29 are provided to raise and lower the intermediate frame D relatively to the base frame E. The movable portions 28 of the rams are pivoted at 30 to a forward portion of the intermediate frame D and the cylinders 29 or static parts of these rams are pivoted at 31 to the base frame E at relative positions which will permit the rams to assume diagonal attitudes sloping forwardly and upwardly from an intermediate portion of the base frame E to a front portion of the intermediate frame D when the rams are in the distended position with the intermediate frame D elevated as in FIGURE 4.

The base and intermediate frames E and D are connected together by pairs of front and

rear links

32 and 35 to the base frame E and at their

upper ends

36, 37 to the intermediate frame D.

As shown in FIGURE 5 the links form parallelogram linkages at opposite sides of the frame of the device and the

links

32 and 33 are arranged to cross the

rams

28, 29 so that

such links

32, 33 fold down rearwardly while the

rams

28, 29 are folded down forwardly.

The base frame E, carrying the mixer unit, will preferably be equipped with suitable supporting wheels 38 and v 39 for overthe-highway travel to and from the site.

As shown in FIGURE 2 the forward end of the frame E will be connected to a draw bar 40, turntable or other draft device, by which the mixer can be coupled up to a tractor or other towing unit for movement from site to site. The draft member 40 can conveniently be detached when the mixer unit is in operative position, as shown in FIGURE 1, which will provide ample clearance in front of this unit into which transit mixers or other conveyances may be backed up in a favorable position to receive the load of mixed concrete from the drum.

When in the position of FIGURE 1, the mobile frame E will preferably be jacked up with the

wheels

33 and 39 elevated above the ground, as for instance on the blocks 41.

Referring more particularly to FIGURE 5, the base frame E may be made from suitable structural units, for instance the side beams 42 and 43 which are illustrated to be of I-beam form while appropriate cross beams 44 are supplied, welded or otherwise connected to the longitudinal runners or beams 42 and 43.

The intermediate frame D may be constructed in similar manner with

longitudinal beams

45 and 46 with cross beams 47 appropriately spaced apart. Front end cross beams 48 are provided with suitable pairs of perforated ears 49 to pivotally receive the pivot pins 30 which connect the ram members 28 to the intermediate frame D.

The cradle C is omitted for clearness in FIGURE which shows the double construction of the brackets 22 and also shows pads 50 and 51 on the rear upper corner portions of the intermediate frame D on which the rear portion of the cradle C is adapted to rest in the positions of FIGURES 2 and 3, when the plunger members 25 are telescoped together and into the ram cylinders 26.

The material and substantial parts of the invention lie in a mobile unit, usually in the form of a wheeled trailer, for detachable connection to a tractor of some kind for over-the-highway transportion to the site of concrete laying operations in which a conventional or other mixing drum is supported for the usual rotary mixing motion in a cradle, which cradle in turn is mounted pivotally for dumping or discharge in an intermediate elevatable frame deriving its support from a main frame which may be the chassis of the vehicle.

The mode of operation is to hitch a truck or tractor to the unit involving a fifth wheel or some other detachable connection between the tractor and the mixing unit, by which the mixing unit is transported over the highway to the site of operations. When such site is reached the unit is detached from the tractor and blocked in a position with its wheels elevated so that it During this over-the-highway movement the parts will be in the collapsed position of FIGURE 2 with the intermediate frame D resting upon the base frame E and the cradle C and its drum B supported directly from the intermediate frame D. When assembling the device to the batcher, the mobile mixer unit will be backed into position partially at least beneath the batching units It) and with its receiving end opening into close juxtaposition with the charging spout 12.

In FIGURE 3 the frusto-conical end of the drum B is projected downwardly, partially broken away and partially shown in section, so that its receiving opening in the lowermost position will be accurately fitted to the open end of the open end of the charging spout 12.

The charge receiving opening 52 of the drum B may be slightly greater in diameter than the diameter of the charging spout 12 so that, if desired, when the drum descends from the position of FIGURE 3 to its lowermost position the receiving opening 52 may settle in at least slight overlapping relation with the outermost edge portion of the charging spout 12. This is permissible by reason of the

linkage

32 and 33 which compels forward movement of the drum incident to its ascending motion. The distance between the

centers

34 and 35 is equal substantially to the distances between the

centers

36 and 37. The words forward and rearward are used as a mere convenience as applying to the forward and rear ends of the mobile base frame B so as to identify the charging and discharging ends of the drum B. These words is then immobilized.

forward and rearward have no function or constructional significance with respect to the invention.

During transportation and setting up at the site of operations, the parts will be in the position of FIGURE 2 with the axis of the mixing drum B substantially horizontal, or in other words in a mixing attitude.

The action of the linkage 32. and 33 in conjunction with the frames E and D is to not only elevate the mixing drum B but to shift it forwardly not only away from the receiving spout but also to a position where its discharge end will be clear of the frames D and E and above an open space into which receiving vehicles may enter so that when the hopper B is pivotally moved by the

rams

25, 26 the receiving trucks will be immediately beneath the discharge end 14 of the drum, which discharge opening may be open at all times.

The forwardly inclining brackets 22 will aid in projecting the drum B in a suitable forward position while maintaining its center of gravity back of the vertical line passing through the pivotal axis 21.

Although I have disclosed herein the best form of the invention known to me at this time, I reserve the right to all such modifications and changes as may come within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A concrete mixer comprising (a) a base frame,

(b) an intermediate frame,

(c) means between the frames for causing lifting and lowering movements of the intermediate frame,

(d) linkage connecting the frames acting to move the intermediate frame forwardly and backwardly incident to lifting and lowering movements,

(e) a cradle tilt frame pivotally mounted at one end to the intermediate frame,

(f) means between the intermediate frame and the cradle for rocking the latter about its pivotal axis, and

(g) a mixing drum rotatably carried by said cradle.

2. A concrete mixer as claimed in claim 1 in which said mixing drum comprises (h) a discharge end adjacent the pivotal axis, and

(i) a charge end adapted to move toward and from a batching supply chute on lowering and lifting movements of the intermediate frame.

3. A concrete mixer as claimed in claim 1, further comprising (h) a material delivery chute of a batching unit having a delivery end positioned to deliver batched material to the drum in its position of rest in the cradle with the intermediate frame in the lower position so that as the intermediate frame is lifted the drum will be at the outset shifted away from the supply chute and on return downward movement the linkage will cause the charging end of the drum as it is being lowered to shift into cooperative position with respect to the chute.

4. A concrete mixer as claimed in claim 1 in which said linkage comprises (h) parallel links pivoted at spaced points to said base and intermediate frames.

5. A concrete mixer as claimed in claim 4 in which the spaced points on the two frames are (i) substantially equal in length to provide a parallelogram linkage.

6. A concrete mixer as claimed in claim 4 in which the links are (i) at least four in number with two such links at each sides of the frames.

7. A concrete mixer as claimed in claim 1, further comprising (h) brackets on the intermediate frame extending upwardly and forwardly therefrom in upper portions of which said cradle frame is pivoted at end portions thereof adjacent the charging end of the drum.

8. A concrete mixer as claimed in claim 1 in which the lifting and lowering means is connected between the base and intermediate frames so that its direction of thrust in elevating the intermediate frame is in a diagonal attitude in the direction of lift and forward movement of the intermediate frame.

9. A concrete mixer as claimed in claim 1 in which said lifting and lowering means between the base and intermediate frames are hydraulic rams and the means for rocking the cradle about its pivotal axis are hydraulic rams connected between rear end portions of the intermediate frame and cradle.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner.

10 R. W. JENKINS, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. A CONCRETE MIXER COMPRISING (A) A BASE FRAME, (B) AN INTERMEDIATE FRAME, (C) MEANS BETWEEN THE FRAMES FOR CAUSING LIFTING AND LOWERING MOVEMENTS OF THE INTERMEDIATE FRAME, (D) LINKAGE CONNECTING THE FRAMES ACTING TO MOVE THE INTERMEDIATE FRAME FORWARDLY AND BACKWARDLY INCIDENT TO LIFTING AND LOWERING MOVEMENTS,