EP3061891B1 - Discharging mechanism for a concrete bucket comprising a receptacle for the leakage of the laitance - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a dump mechanism provided to be fixed under a concrete dump site, and a concrete bucket equipped with such a dump mechanism.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Some sites using concrete, for example for the construction of buildings or engineering structures, use buckets comprising a large upper opening receiving the concrete, said large opening overlooking a truncated hopper-shaped body or trunk- pyramidal whose inclined edges converge downwards to direct the concrete towards the center where there is a chute equipped with a shutter, forming a maneuverable hatch under the command of a site manager. The control of the erasure of such a flap results in a free flow of concrete in a flexible pipe which is placed under the chute and which leads the concrete to a formwork, also called banche, in which the concrete takes the desired form.

Concrete dumps generally comprise upper attachment means for suspending them to a crane, to successively present them to the device delivering the concrete, which may be a truck or a concrete mixer installed on the site, then the present on top of the formwork receiving this concrete flowing from the flexible pipe.

A type of dump mechanism known, presented in particular by the document FR-A1-2850692 , a document disclosing the features of the preamble of claim 1, comprises an upper flange which is screwed under the hopper of the bucket and which extends below by a vertical duct of short length, having a rectangular cross section.

A closing flap pivoting about a horizontal axis disposed above the above-mentioned duct, and operated by an external lever, penetrates into said duct through a through slot made in a lateral face of this duct so as to fit into its interior. interior passage and close this one entirely. In the open position, still called rest or opening, the flap retracts outwardly by completely clearing the passage in the conduit, which allows the descent of the concrete contained in the body of the bucket.

The aforementioned vertical duct is entirely housed in a conical protective outer casing forming a funnel which has a large upper opening and whose base is extended by a circular underpass connected to the discharge pipe leading the concrete directly into the formwork. Such an outer casing, by its funnel shape, thus containing the emptying mechanism, allows to receive all the leaks coming from this mechanism, in particular those coming from the slot in which the shutter pivots in its movements back and forth .

The base of this vertical duct has a periphery substantially fitted on the inner surface of the conical envelope, this construction making it possible to produce a continuous flow surface of the concrete sliding in the duct and then in the lower part of the funnel.

In addition, because the adjustment of the duct on the inner surface of the casing gives a reduced clearance between these two parts, so splashing and splashing of concrete is limited when opening the flap. Indeed, a rapid descent of the concrete placed in the body of the bucket can cause a sudden compression of the air contained in the evacuation hose, in the case where the end of this pipe dipped in concrete already distributed in the formwork and which consequently obstructs this end. In this case, there is a rise of strongly compressed air in the pipe, which can project drops of laitance towards the outside. causing splashing if they find a fairly large passage in the duct of the dump mechanism.

Such a phenomenon of lateral leakage of laitance around the emptying mechanism is observed in particular at the slot receiving the closure flap, which has the effect of causing a progressive filling, by the milt, the receptacle formed by the conical protective envelope around the conduit, receptacle that must be emptied manually when the bucket is placed on the ground, for example by a tilting of this envelope.

Furthermore, the envelope is an independent part of the emptying mechanism and therefore represents additional manufacturing costs; in the same spirit, the special operations it requires to empty it require time and also entail additional costs.

Another known device for protecting against splashing includes plates forming a rear tray disposed below the emptying system, on the side of the slot used for the passage of the movable flap, in order to receive the milt flowing through it. slot. It is also necessary in this case to provide an additional assembly forming such a tilting rear tray for emptying, which is necessarily bulky, and perform periodically this emptying operation.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is intended in particular to eliminate all the disadvantages of the prior art.

It therefore proposes for this purpose a dump mechanism of a concrete body whose body forms a hopper which, in the working position, is arranged vertically vertically, said mechanism, intended to be fixed below said body, comprising a vertical duct of rectangular cross section having on its rear face a horizontal slot receiving a flap which is movable between a position said working or closing, in which it completely closes the passage inside said duct, and a so-called rest or opening position in which the flap is erased to allow free flow of the concrete vein via the interior passageway in the conduit, said emptying mechanism being characterized in that it further comprises an outer spoiler in the form of a receptacle whose bottom and two sides are integral with the rear face of the vertical duct, the bottom being born below the slot and extending upward to a level greater than that of said slot so that the receptacle thus formed is adapted to receive the milt flowing through this slot, the rear face of the vertical duct further having, at its base between the birth of the bottom of the receptacle and the slot, a hole opening into the inner passage and into the receptacle below the movable flap.

An advantage of this emptying mechanism is that the spoiler is a compact element, simple and economical, can easily be attached to the side of the emptying system to form the receptacle of laitance leakage, which leaks are then through the aforementioned drilling , automatically directed downstream of the movable flap to the drain pipe below.

In addition, in case of overpressure of air in the discharge pipe below the flap, when it opens, this air can easily rise and escape through the bore to open into the receptacle formed by the spoiler, which receives then the drops of milt projected avoiding their dispersion to the outside.

The emptying mechanism according to the invention may further comprise one or more of the following features, which may be combined

Advantageously, each of the two flanks of the spoiler is formed by a flange which is substantially disposed in the extension of one of the two lateral faces, respectively left and right, of the vertical duct.

In this construction, the upper contour of each of the two flanges is adjusted to just below the deflection of the movable flap.

Advantageously, the vertical duct extends below by inclined lower planes converging towards the vertical axis of symmetry of said duct.

In this case, the bottom of the outer spoiler may constitute a rearward extension of one of the lower inclined planes.

According to a preferred construction, the bore between the spoiler and the passage inside the duct is formed in the immediate vicinity of the base of the rear face of the duct.

Preferably, the movable flap is constituted by a metal sheet whose each lateral end is directly fixed to the base of a pivoting bar disposed on one side of this mechanism.

Also preferably, the movable flap pivots about a transverse horizontal axis disposed above this mechanism in a substantially median plane of the emptying mechanism.

According to yet another particularly advantageous construction, the drilling between the spoiler and the passage inside the conduit is in the form of a light which extends parallel to the slot.

The invention also has as a second object a concrete body whose body forms a hopper which, in the working position, is arranged vertically vertically and which has at its base an opening equipped with a dump mechanism made in accordance with one of any of the preceding features.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed specifications of the invention are given in the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that these drawings have no other purpose than that of illustrating the text of the description and that they therefore in no way constitute a limitation of the scope of the invention.

• les Figures 1 et 2 sont des vues en perspective, présentées suivant deux angles différents, d'une benne à béton équipée d'un mécanisme de vidage selon l'invention ;
• la Figure 3 est une vue en perspective du mécanisme de vidage selon l'invention ;
• la Figure 4 est une vue du côté arrière de ce mécanisme de vidage ;
• la Figure 5 est une vue suivant le plan axial de coupe V-V de ce même mécanisme de vidage, le volet mobile de ce mécanisme occupant sa position dite de travail ou de fermeture;
• la Figure 6 est une vue de détail du réceptacle du mécanisme de vidage représenté à la Figure 5, et
• les Figures 7 et 8 sont des vues identiques aux Figures 5 et 6, le volet mobile du mécanisme de vidage occupant cette fois sa position dite de repos ou encore d'ouverture.

In these drawings:

• the Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views, presented at two different angles, of a concrete bucket equipped with a dump mechanism according to the invention;
• the Figure 3 is a perspective view of the emptying mechanism according to the invention;
• the Figure 4 is a view of the back side of this dump mechanism;
• the Figure 5 is a view along the axial plane of section VV of the same emptying mechanism, the movable flap of this mechanism occupying its so-called working or closing position;
• the Figure 6 is a detailed view of the receptacle of the emptying mechanism shown in FIG. Figure 5 , and
• the Figures 7 and 8 are views identical to Figures 5 and 6 , the mobile flap of the emptying mechanism occupying this time its so-called rest position or opening.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The Figures 1 and 2 represent according to two different perspectives a concrete bucket 2 having an upper part of rectangular section constituted by vertical plates 4, which sheets extend below by four inclined faces which make up the lower and essential part of the body of the bucket 2 in the form of hopper 6, here truncal-pyramidal but which could also be frustoconical. The walls of this hopper 6 converge downwards on a central opening surrounded by a flat lower fastening flange 8, made from a very thick sheet, rectangular or square, pierced near its four holes angles for the passage rods of bolts or other members 28 for fixing a dump mechanism.

In the working position, the body of the bucket 2 is disposed vertically vertically, that is to say at its center the The concrete that it contains flows vertically and the concrete vein that passes through the central opening with its hopper at the bottom also flows vertically.

A emptying mechanism 30, fixed below the lower flange 8, comprises a vertical control rod 32 disposed on one side of the body of the bucket which will be called "front side" throughout the rest of the description and which, on the Figures 1 and 2 , is indicated by the arrow marked "AV".

Traditionally, the top of the bucket 2 receives, in the middle of each of its front and rear faces, a vertical bar 18 whose upper end terminates in a lifting loop 10 provided to attach the bucket to a crane. The upper opening of the bucket 2 is closed on the left side, by an inclined plate 20, and on each front and rear face, by a vertical plate 22, which leaves only open the right side for the entrance 14 of the concrete .

In the example shown, the left side of the bucket 2 receives a frame comprising two parallel support bars 12 which are arranged in a vertical plane, inclined towards the right side down, and which form a curvature to finish downwards. by a portion which is slightly inclined relative to the horizontal plane and which is arranged below the emptying mechanism 30. The two support bars 12 are interconnected at their lower ends by a reinforcing bar 16 forming a "U" inverted and they are also interconnected, in their rectilinear parts, by a stiffening plate 26 which extends to the truncated-pyramidal portion of the body of the bucket, slightly above the fastening flange 8.

The frame makes it possible to place the bucket 2 on the ground with the crane, by tilting it to the side following the rounding of its two support bars 12, with a view to cleaning or storing it while protecting its mechanism. emptying 30 and the control device it has in the lower part.

The Figures 3 to 8 show in more detail the emptying mechanism 30, which comprises in known manner a vertical duct 34 of rectangular section formed by four welded sheets which terminate in the upper part by a rectangular flat upper fastening flange 36 adapted to be fixed, for example by four bolts 28 arranged in the corners, to the fastening flange 8 provided in the part bottom of the hopper 6 of the bucket 2, and which terminate at the bottom by an outlet 40 of circular section receiving on its outer contour a flexible pipe 24 for discharging the concrete which will be maintained around the outlet duct 40 by a collar clamping, this in order to adjust the lower end of the pipe 24 in a form or form in which will be poured concrete in the bucket 2.

In the construction shown, the vertical duct 34 is extended downwards by four inclined and convergent planes 38 towards the vertical axis of symmetry 54 of said duct 34, which planes 38 terminate in the vertical cylindrical outlet 40 intended to receive the pipe 24. evacuation of concrete.

In the middle of each of its lateral faces, respectively right and left, the vertical duct 34 receives on the outside a fixed bar 42 which is welded and which rises vertically away from the axis 54 to escape the lower volume of the 2. A movable bar 44, disposed substantially parallel to each fixed bar 42, outside thereof, is connected to said fixed bar by an upper articulation of horizontal axis 46.

Each movable bar 44 has a wide base receiving a control arm 48 facing the front of the bucket 2. The front ends of the two control arms 48 are connected by a transverse bar 50 which receives in the middle the vertical control rod 32 allowing, by pulling, to rotate the movable bars 44 about the transverse horizontal axis 46 of their upper joints.

The two large bases of the movable bars 44 also support, by their rear parts, a transverse flap 52 for closing the vertical duct 34, said shutter constituting a hatch of longitudinal section in an arc of a circle, formed by a curved sheet having a constant radius of curvature centered on the axis 46 of the upper joints. The flap 52 for closing the duct 34 penetrates inside said duct via a horizontal slot 68 disposed on the rear face 70 of the duct 34, and it fits between the two lateral faces of said duct 34 to come into a so-called working, or closing, up to the front face, position which is represented at the Figure 5 and in which it completely closes the internal passage 56 of this duct 34.

Advantageously, the closing flap 52 is constituted by a sheet each of whose two rear lateral ends is directly fixed to the base of a movable bar 44, which simplifies the manufacture.

If it strongly lowers the control rod 32, the operator raises the movable bars 44 by pivoting them backwards, which has the effect of rolling back the closure flap 52 and thus completely open the vertical duct 34. The entire internal passage 56 of the vertical duct 34 is thus completely disengaged, which then has only smooth walls, thus allowing the concrete contained in the body of the skip 2 to slide towards the discharge pipe 24.

The rear face 70 of the vertical duct 34 is moreover endowed throughout its width with a plate inclined backwards and upwards, this in order to form a spoiler 66 of U-shaped section whose bottom 60 rises upwards and ends slightly above the slot 68 receiving the movable flap 52.

The upper end of each of the two sidewalls 64 of the spoiler 66, advantageously arranged in the extension of a lateral face, respectively left and right, of the vertical duct 34, comprises a sheet-metal rim, said flange 64 having a rounded upper contour for to come exactly below the clearance of the closure flap 52. The bottom 60 and the two flanks 64 of the spoiler 66 thus constructed will thus constitute, with the rear face 70 of the duct 34, a receptacle fitted below this flap.

The container-shaped spoiler 66 is thus designed to collect the products that can flow through the slot 68, in particular the miltness of the concrete.

In addition, the base of the rear face 70 of the vertical duct 34 which is thus equipped with the receptacle 66 comprises a bore 62 allowing a natural flow of the milt coming into the receptacle 66. This drilling 62 is advantageously made in the form of a horizontal light which therefore extends parallel to the slot 68. The milt indeed descends along the inclined bottom 60 of the spoiler 66 and thus reaches the light 62 it crosses to finally descend into the discharge pipe 24. During the emptying of the bucket in the discharge pipe, when the emptying mechanism 30 is open, thus both a descent of the concrete, directly into the discharge pipe 24, and a recovery in the same pipe 24 of the milt which could have passed through the slot 68 towards the outside of the duct 34.

In addition, in the event that, at the beginning of the descent of the concrete in the discharge pipe 24, the lower end of this pipe would have been obstructed by concrete in the formwork to be filled, all the laitance driven by the compressed air which rises violently and which comes out through the light 62 or through the slot 68 is recovered in the receptacle 66 and down again in this pipe 24. This avoids splashing and splashing to the outside which would soil the site and force clean up.

It should also be noted that, at the end of the emptying of the bucket 2, there is no particular operation to be performed to empty the receptacle 66 since it has emptied continuously through the light 62.

The receptacle 66 has the advantage of only slightly increasing the size of the emptying mechanism 30. Moreover, it can be formed economically, its bottom 60 being for example a simple sheet extending the inclined rear face of a lower plane 38.

It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the only preferred embodiments described above.

On the contrary, it embraces all the possible variants of embodiment, insofar as the latter do not go beyond the scope delimited by the appended claims which define the scope of the present invention.

Claims (10)

1. Discharging mechanism (30) for a concrete bucket (2) the body of which forms a hopper (6) which, in the working position, is disposed generally vertically, the said mechanism, designed to be fixed under the said body, comprising a vertical conduit (34) of rectangular transverse section having on its rear face (70) a horizontal slot (68) receiving a shutter (52) which is able to move between a so-called working or closed position, in which it totally blocks the internal passage (56) of the said conduit (34), and a so-called resting or open position in which the shutter (52) is withdrawn in order to allow free flow of the stream of concrete via the internal passage (56) of the said conduit, characterised in that it additionally comprises an external projection (66) in the form of a receptacle of which the bottom (60) and the two flanks (64) are formed integrally with the rear face (70) of the vertical conduit (34), the bottom (60) starting under the slot (68) and extending upwards to a level above that of the said slot (68) so that the receptacle (66) so formed is capable of receiving the cement slurry flowing through this slot, the rear face (70) of the vertical conduit (34) additionally having at its base between the start of the bottom (60) of the receptacle (66) and the slot (68) an opening (62) debouching into the internal passage (56) and into the receptacle (66) under the movable shutter (52).
2. Discharging mechanism according to claim 1, characterised in that each of the two flanks (64) of the projection (66) is formed by a lip which is substantially disposed in the extension of one of the two side faces, respectively on the left and the right, of the vertical conduit (34).
3. Discharging mechanism according to claim 2, characterised in that the upper contour of each of the two lips (64) is adjusted to just clear the underside of the movable shutter (52).
4. Discharging mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the vertical conduit (34) is extended underneath with lower walls (38) which are inclined and converge towards the vertical axis of symmetry (54) of the said conduit.
5. Discharging mechanism according to claim 4, characterised in.that the bottom (60) of the external projection (66) forms an extension towards the rear of one of the lower walls (38).
6. Discharging mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the opening (62) is formed in the immediate vicinity of the base of the rear face (70) of the conduit (34).
7. Discharging mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the movable shutter (52) is formed by a sheet each side end of which is fixed directly to the base of a pivoting bar (44) disposed on one side of this mechanism.
8. Discharging mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the movable shutter (52) pivots around a transverse horizontal axis (46) disposed above this mechanism in a substantially median plane of the discharging mechanism (30).
9. Discharging mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the opening (62) is embodied in the form of a slit which extends parallel to the slot (68).
10. Concrete bucket (2) the body of which forms a hopper (6) which, in the working position, is disposed generally vertically, the said hopper having at its base an opening fitted with a discharging mechanism (30), characterised in that this discharging mechanism (30) is embodied according to any one of the preceding claims.

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