US3857328A

US3857328A - Concrete placer assembly

Info

Publication number: US3857328A
Application number: US00399103A
Authority: US
Inventors: E Taylor
Original assignee: JI Case Co
Current assignee: Case LLC
Priority date: 1973-09-20
Filing date: 1973-09-20
Publication date: 1974-12-31
Anticipated expiration: 1991-12-31

Abstract

A concrete placer assembly is disclosed herein which includes a concrete receiving hopper and a pumping cylinder carried by a support. The support consists of a channel-shaped member that is attached to an intermediate portion of the cylinder with a pair of braces extending from opposite ends of the member and connected to the cylinder adjacent one end thereof. The hopper is supported by the opposite end of the cylinder and a pair of arms extending from the member and connected to the upper end of the hopper. The cylinder thus forms an integral part of the support which has wheels at opposite ends of the member to define a portable unit.

Description

United States Patent [191 Taylor 1 1 CONCRETE PLACER ASSEMBLY [75] Inventor: Eugene D. Taylor, Kenosha, Wis.

[73] Assignee: J. 1. Case Company, Racine, Wis. [22] Filed: Sept. 20, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 399,103

[ 52] U.S. Cl 92/129, 417/900, 417/231 [51] Int. Cl. F04b 15/02, F04b 11/00 [58] Field of Search 417/231, 519, 900, 454, 417/539; 92/129 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,640,629 6/1953 Thomson et a1. 417/900 2,698,583 1/1955 House et al 417/231 2,957,430 10/1960 Naeff 417/900 3,140,801 7/1964 De11iagatti.... 417/900 3,266,433 8/1966. Mason 417/900 3,609,065 9/1971 Wilson 417/900 3,659,970 5/1972 McElroy 417/900 Dec. 31, 1974 Primary ExaminerWilliam L. Freeh Attorney, Agent, or FirmDressler, Goldsmith,

Clement & Gordon, Ltd.

[57] ABSTRACT A concrete placer assembly is disclosed herein which includes a concrete receiving hopper and a pumping cylinder carried by a support. The support consists of a channel-shaped member that is attached to an intermediate portion of the cylinder with a pair of braces extending from opposite ends of the member and con nected to the cylinder adjacent one end thereof. The hopper is supported by the opposite end of the cylin- 5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTED 1 74 sum 10? 2 1 CONCRETE PLACER ASSEMBLY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to apparatus for conveying fluent materials, such as concrete.

With the recent emphasis on the use of concrete for high-rise building structures, various concrete pumps have been proposed for transporting concrete or a plastic mass to a level a considerable distance above the ground.

One unit that has found a remarkable degree of com- 1 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention contemplates a concrete placer assembly that can be manufactured at a minimum cost and produce a sturdy unit that can easily be transported by a vehicle, such as a truck.

The concrete placer assembly or pumping apparatus consists of a pumping cylinder and a hopper for supplying concrete to the pumping cylinder. The hopper and pumping cylinder are connected to a support or frame that includes a channel member connected to an intermediate portion of the'cylinder with one end of the cylinder connected to a lower portion of the hopper while the upper portion of the hopper is supported by a pair of arms rigidly secured to the member. The remainder of the support consists of first and second braces extending forwardly from the member and connected to a free end of the pumping cylinder. The entire unit is carried by a pair of wheels connected to the U-shaped or channel-shaped member. With the support described above, the concrete pumping cylinder forms an integral part of the support and interconnects the support with the hopper.

The support may also include a platform connected to the member and located above the cylinder for supporting an engine or other power unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a perspective view of the concrete placer assembly;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the concrete placer with the power unit deleted therefrom;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view as viewed generally along line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view as viewed along line 44 of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms. there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment illustrated.

FIG. 1 of the drawings discloses a concrete placer assembly or pumping apparatus, generally designated by the reference numeral 10. Concrete pumping apparatus 10 consists of the pumping cylinder 12, a hopper 14 for receiving concrete and delivering concrete to the cylinder and a support 16 for the hopper and pumping cylinder as well as the power unit or engine 18.

According to the present invention, the support 16 is constructed so that the pumping cylinder becomes an integral part of the support or structure that carries th other partsof the unit.

Referring to FIGS. 2-4, support 16 consists of a member 20 that has wheels 22 connected to opposite ends thereof (see FIG. 1). The member 20 is channelshaped in cross section and has a base 24 with a pair of legs 26 extending from the opposite edges of base 24.

other and are transversely spaced from each other by- I a dimension that is substantially equal to the diameter of the pumping portion of cylinder 12. One leg of each channel is secured, as by welding, to elongate member 20 so that the channels and elongate member cooperate to define a cylinder receiving cradle.

The intermediate portion of the cylinder is received into the cradle and is fixedly secured therein by a pair of straps 34 connected to one leg of each channel through bolts 36. If desired, the forward portions of channels 32 that extend beyond elongate member 20 may be further rigidified by. a suitable support 38 welded to the lower legs of the channels.

The pumping cylinder 12 may be of the type disclosed in Schaible Patent No. RE 27,534 which consists of a delivery line 40 having an open end connected to an opening in the lower end of hopper l4 through'a suitable connector 42. A power or fluid ram 44 may consist of a conventional fluid ram that has its piston rod extending into delivery line 40 with a piston connected to the end of the piston rod.

The piston rod (not shown) is reciprocated between opposite extreme positions by supplying fluid to opposite ends of ram 44 through conduits 45. n

The remainder of the support 16 consists of first and

second braces

46 and 48 that each have one end secured to one leg 26 of intermediate member 20 at opposite ends thereof. The opposite ends of

braces

46 and 48 have extensions 50 that extend forwardly beyond the free end of power ram 44 with a hitch element or means 52 secured to the forward ends of the extensions. The extensions are secured directly to the cylinder adjacent the free end thereof through a bracket 54 so that the pumping unit or cylinder 12 forms a major component of the support 16. A jack 56 may be used to hold hitch 52 above the ground.

As indicated above, the forward open end of pumping cylinder 40 is connected to an opening in the lower end of forward wall that forms part of hopper 14. This connection provides part of the support for hopper 14 I I on intermediate member 20. The additional support for hopper 14 is provided by brace means 60 between intermediate member 20 and the upper end of hopper l4. Brace means 60 consists of one or more plates 62 having mounting pads 64 secured to opposite ends thereof.

One mounting pad for each brace means 60 is secured to one leg 26 of member 20 through bolts 66 while the opposite mounting pads are secured to the vertical wall forming part of hopper 14 adjacent the upper end thereof by bolts 68. Thus, the hopper is cantilevered on the trailing end of the support or trailer 16 by two arms extendingfrom intermediate member 20 adjacent opposite ends thereof and connector 42. This arrangement considerably simplifies the removal of the hopper should the need arise.

The remainder of the concrete placer assembly is similar tothat shownand claimed in co-pending application Ser. No. 398,203 for concrete pumping apparatus filed Sept. I7, 1973. This apparatus consists of a shuttle valve 70 that is located in hopper l4 and has one end or an outlet end 72 connected directly to a delivery line 74 through sleeve 76. Sleeve 76 provides the coupling between shuttle valve 30 and delivery line 74 while still allowing for rotating movement of the shuttle valve about the axis of delivery line 74. The shuttle valve is moved between first and second positions by a pumping cylinder 12 is in communication with hopper '14 for receiving concrete while the fluid ram 44 is fluid ram 78 so that in one position, the open end of port that forms part of a concrete pumping apparatus. The support or trailer has a minimum number of inexpensive parts and the working elements of the pumping apparatus, i.e. the concrete pumping cylinder 12 and hopper 14 can readily be removed in a matter of minutes by merely removing several bolts and sleeve 42.

I claim:

1. Concrete pumping-apparatus including an elongate pumping cylinder, a concrete receiving hopper, and a support, said support comprising an elongate member having wheels at opposite ends; clamp means connecting an intermediate portion of said cylinder directly to an intermediate portion of said member with said cylinder extending substantially perpendicular to said elongated member; connecting means connecting an open end of said cylinder-to said hopper; brace means having one end connected to said member and an opposite end connected to said hopper first and second elongate braces, said braces each having one end connected to said member adjacent respective ends of said member, said braces having opposite ends connected to said cylinder adjacent the free end thereof so that said cylinder forms a major part of said support.

2. Concrete pumping apparatus as defined in claim 1,

in which said support includes a platform connected to said member and located above said cylinder for supporting an engine.

3. Concrete pumping apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which said member is substantially channel-shaped in cross section and has a base and a pair of legs and in which said cylinder is connected to said base.

4. Concrete pumping apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which said cylinder is centered between opposite ends of said member) 5. Concrete pumping apparatus as defined in claim 1, further including hitch means connected to said opposite ends of said braces.

Claims

1. Concrete pumping apparatus including an elongate pumping cylinder, a concrete receiving hopper, and a support, said support comprising an elongate member having wheels at opposite ends; clamp means connecting an intermediate portion of said cylinder directly to an intermediate portion of said member with said cylinder extending substantially perpendicular to said elongated member; connecting means connecting an open end of said cylinder to said hopper; brace means having one end connected to said member and an opposite end connected to said hopper; first and second elongate braces, said braces each having one end connected to said member adjacent respective ends of said member, said braces having opposite ends connected to said cylinder adjacent the free end thereof so that said cylinder forms a major part of said support.

2. Concrete pumping apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which said support includes a platform connected to said member and located above said cylinder for supporting an engine.

4. Concrete pumping apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which said cylinder is centered between opposite ends of said member.

5. Concrete pumping apparatus as defined in claim 1, further including hitch means connected to said opposite ends of said braces.