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(11) | EP 1 825 981 A2 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Hopper and pump unit to be mounted on a cement mixer lorry |
| (57) Hopper and pump unit to be mounted on a cement mixer lorry for conveying over a distance
concrete or other material discharged by the said mixer lorry, characterized in that
said unit is mounted on a frame (3) and in that means are envisaged for being able
to unload onto the ground, if necessary, this frame with the pump and hopper unit
and for loading it again, so as to allow this same unit to be parked on the building
site or other place of use and allow the cement mixer lorry to move independently
of this unit, so as to be able to fill the mixer lorry with a greater quantity of
concrete or other material, means being envisaged for allowing the said pump and hopper
unit to operate also when it is on the ground.
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[0001] The present invention relates to pumps usually of the hydraulically operated type which at present are mounted with a hopper in a permanent manner on cement mixer lorries, underneath the discharge outlet of the revolving drum, in order to receive from the chute the concrete or other material transported, so as to pump it over a distance to the various places where it is used. The pumps may be of different types, for example of the rectilinear reciprocating type or rotating type, for example peristaltic pumps. These units are relatively bulky and heavy, for example weighing up to about 2500 kg, and therefore are essentially equivalent in weight terms to about one cubic metre of concrete. To avoid exceeding the transportable weight limit beyond which administrative sanctions and fines would be incurred because of obvious problems relating to road transportation safety, at present a cement mixer lorry with the pumping unit mounted is able to transport on average about seven cubic metres of concrete, with the mixer lorry not being used to the maximum of its capacity.
[0002] In this technical sector, the invention proposes important improvements as per the appended Claim 1 and the subsequent dependent claims, whereby the pump and hopper unit is mounted on a frame which in turn is mounted on the cement mixer lorry with the possibility, if required, of being unloaded onto the ground and left on the building site and being able to be operated by the hydraulic control unit of the said cement mixer lorry by means of pipes with quick-action connections or being able to be operated independently with its own motor. With this solution, after initial transportation of material to be pumped, the cement mixer lorry may make subsequent trips without the pump and hopper unit and for this reason may transport a greater quantity of material, for example up to about 8 cubic metres compared to the present 7 cubic metres, with the obvious economic advantages resulting from this condition.
[0003] In the description which follows, a unit comprising hopper and pump of the peristaltic type, together with means which allow adjustment of the longitudinal tension of the pumping pipe, are illustrated purely by way of a non-limiting example.
[0004] Further characteristic features of the apparatus in question and the advantages arising therefrom will emerge more clearly from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, provided purely by way of a non-limiting example in the figures of the accompanying plates of drawings, in which:
- Figs. 1 and 2 are schematic side elevation views of the pumping unit mounted on the cement mixer lorry and during unloading onto the ground or loading, respectively;
- Fig. 3 is a schematic and top plan view of the means for loading and unloading the pumping unit onto and from the cement mixer lorry, respectively;
- Fig. 4 is a schematic and front elevation view of the pump and hopper unit with a power generator for independent operation;
- Figs. 5 and 6 show, with parts cross-sectioned, details taken along the cross-sectional lines V-V and VI-VI in Figure 4.
[0005] From Figures 1 to 4 it can be seen that the apparatus comprises a pumping unit 1, for example of the peristaltic type, with associated actuating motor, not shown, mounted with any desired and appropriate configuration on a base frame 3 provided with feet 103 for resting stably on the ground, together with a hopper 2 with an associated actuating motor 102, which receives the concrete or other product from the cement mixer lorry, so as to fluidify it and feed it to the suction inlet 101 of the pump which with its delivery outlet 201 is connected to the pipe 4 for conveying over a distance the concrete pumped by the means 1. According to the invention, the hopper 2 may be fixed firmly to the frame 3 and/or to the body of the pump 1, for example by means of special brackets 202.
[0006] The frame 3 may be of the type formed as one piece or may be of the composite type which can, for example, be lengthened telescopically in the horizontal direction, as shown in Figure 4, so as to be able to mount if necessary on the extended part 203 of this frame additional means such as, for example, a power generator 5 which allows independent operation of the pump/hopper unit 1, 2 and which consists, for example, of a combustion engine or an electric motor for activating a hydraulic control unit able to power the motor and any other actuators of the parts 1 and 2, which are usually hydraulically operated.
[0007] The dimension D of the frame 3 with the parts 1 and 2 mounted thereon is such as not to exceed the transverse dimension of the cement mixer lorry A so that this assembly may be mounted at the rear of the said cement mixer lorry as shown in Figure 1. For this purpose, the frame 3 is provided, along its side that is able to be directed towards the mixer lorry, with at least one pair of hitching lugs 6, 106 for example formed by horizontal pins suitable for being firmly gripped by the hook-shaped and forked ends 107 of a pair of parallel arms 7 which are pivotably mounted with the other end 8 on brackets 9 fixed to the frame T of the cement mixer lorry. The pivot 8 may for example consist of a horizontal shaft which is rotatably supported by the ends of the brackets and which has, keyed thereon, the ends of the arms 7 which, with their middle section, are interconnected by a cross-piece 10 hinged in the middle with the rod of a cylinder and piston unit 11 pivotably mounted with its body on suitable supports 12 fixed to the frame T of the cement mixer lorry. When the cylinder 11 is in the retracted position as shown in Figure 1, the frame 3 with the pump and hopper unit 1, 2 is raised at the rear of the cement mixer lorry and is firmly attached to the latter owing to a suitable retaining form of the forks 107 of the arms 7 and also owing to the fact that special brackets 13, 113 of the frame 3 (Fig. 3) are fixed by means of screws and/or other suitable means 14, 114 to corresponding supports 15, 115 integral with the frame T of the cement mixer lorry. When the assembly 1, 2, 3 is associated with the cement mixer lorry as shown in Figure 1, the hopper 2 is in a condition such that the concrete discharged from the mixer lorry may be introduced by means of gravity, via the chute S provided. The hydraulic motors of the parts 1 and 2 are operated by means of a special control distributor, not shown, making use of the hydraulic control unit with which the cement mixer lorry is provided and by means of suitable pipes provided at at least one end with quick-action coupling devices, all of which such that, if necessary, these pipes may be disconnected, the pump 1 may be detached from the delivery pipe 4, the fixing screws 14 of Figure 3 may be removed and the hydraulic cylinder 11 may be actuated so as to extend as shown in Figure 2, so that the frame 3 with the parts 1 and 2 may be positioned on the ground and may be disengaged from the arms 7 which are then brought back into the high rest position as shown in broken lines, so as to allow the cement mixer lorry to leave the site and be filled again with fresh material, in this case the mixer lorry being able to be filled with a greater quantity of product than that which it transported before when the assembly 1, 2 and 3 was mounted on it. When the full cement mixer lorry returns to the site, it is moved towards the unit 1, 2 and 3 which is parked on the ground and connected to the latter by means of the delivery pipe 4 and by means of hydraulic feeder pipes of the motors for the parts 1 and 2. At the end of use, the assembly 1, 2 and 3 may be easily mounted again on the mixer lorry, by means of easy, fast and safe operations. It is understood that the device shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 is a schematic and basic device which may be assisted by means which may be easily deduced and realized by persons skilled in the art to ensure the operating safety of the assembly 1-3 and keep this assembly with the frame 3 always oriented horizontally and in any case prevent significant swinging thereof about the hitching lugs 6, 106. These means may, for example, comprise at least one further gripping or bearing point on the frame 3 and at least one further swing arm on the cement mixer lorry so as to provide a system with a parallelogram or also hinged quadrilateral structure which may be easily realized by persons skilled in the art on the basis of the sole description provided. When designing the swinging-arm hoisting device it must be remembered that, when the assembly 1-3 is raised onto the cement mixer lorry, the arms 7 are situated preferably in a vertical position or also slightly beyond the top dead centre with respect to the vertical ideal plane which contains the pivots 8, so that the cylinder 11 is not under load.
[0008] In order to facilitate the operations of moving the apparatus 1-3 towards and correctly positioning it with respect to the cement mixer lorry, being parked on the ground and having to be filled by the same mixer lorry, it is envisaged that the base frame 3 may be designed so as to be equipped also with wheels partly of the steering type or the said frame 3 may be provided with additional hitching lugs so that it may be raised slightly by the site crane, all of which in a manner which may be deduced and easily realized by persons skilled in the art.
[0009] With reference to Figures 5 and 6 a description is now given of the solution used by the applicant to allow adjustment of the longitudinal tension of the flexible pipe of the peristaltic pump 1 and facilitate, if necessary, replacement of this pipe, although the hopper 2 is fixed to the body of the said pump 1, as already mentioned by means of the brackets 202 shown in Figure 4. In Figure 5, 101 denotes the flange of the suction inlet of the pump 1 which terminates in a metal collar 301, while 302 denotes the metal flange of the discharge outlet of the hopper 2 which also terminates in a collar 402 which has a diameter smaller than the collar 301 mentioned above, is axially aligned with the latter and has, fixed thereon, by means of an annular clamp 17, the usually tapered end 116 of the flexible pumping pipe 16, the outer diameter of which is usually smaller than that of the collar 301, in order to prevent interference between the parts and consequent wear of the pumping pipe. Since the internal body of the pump must be isolated from the outside, also because the correct degree of vacuum is formed and maintained inside it by suitable means, the part of the pipe 16 which is close to the securing collar 402 has, fixed thereon, by means of a clamping ring 18 a sleeve 19 made of suitable elastomer material which is sealingly mounted over the said collar 301.
[0010] In Figure 6, 201 denotes the metal flange of the delivery outlet of the pump 1 which is also provided with a special collar 401 from which the pumping pipe 16 emerges with suitable radial play, which pipe, by means of an annular clamp 117, is fixed with the other - usually tapered - end 116' to one end of a metal collar 20 provided in the middle with an outer flange 120 which has, in angularly opposite positions, at least one pair of holes 21, 21' which are passed through, with sufficient radial play, by corresponding threaded stud bolts 22, 22' which are fixed with one end to the said flange 201 and these stud bolts have, screwed thereon before and after the flange 120, nuts 23, 23' and lock nuts 24, 24' which, when adjusted, allow axial displacement of the collar 20 away from the flange 201 and creation of the desired longitudinal tension of the pumping pipe 16 which in this case is also provided in the region of the part supported by the collar 20 with an elastomer sleeve 19' which is fixed by a clamping ring 18' and which is sealingly mounted over the collar 401.
[0011] The more projecting ends of the stud bolts 22, 22' have, fixed thereon, by means of nuts 25, 25', the flange 126 with through-holes 27, 27' of a collar 26 which, with its end with a widened inner diameter, houses the discharge end of the collar 20 and an annular shim 28 with seals 29 at the ends. When the nuts and lock nuts 23, 23' and 24, 24' are adjusted in order to regulate the longitudinal tension of the pumping pipe 16, the end of the collar 20 which slides inside the collar 26 must be able to be inserted increasingly further inside this latter collar and this condition must be able to be achieved by means of replacement of the shim 28 with other shorter shims or by means of special machining to shorten this shim or also by initially forming the shim 28 by means of the addition of several small shims alongside each other so that small intermediate shims may simply be removed gradually. The outlet end 226 of the collar 26 is designed for removable and sealed connection by means of clamps of the known type to the concrete delivery pipe 4 which can be seen in Figure 4 and in Figures 1 and 2. In Figure 6, 30 and 130 denote bellow covers which protect the thread of the stud bolts 22, 22' from dirt.
[0012] In Figure 4, 501 denotes a quick-action closing and opening hatch which is situated in the bottom zone of the intake duct 101 of the pump 1 and which is particularly useful for routine and extraordinary maintenance operations, for example for internal cleaning of the pump body, in the event of breakage of the pumping pipe 16. Still with reference to Figure 4, 502 denotes a further easy-action closing and opening hatch which is provided in the side and bottom part of the hopper 2, aligned with the discharge outlet of the said hopper and consequently with the suction inlet of the pump 1. Via this hatch it is possible to introduce a washing gun L inside the hopper 2 so as to facilitate internal cleaning of the assembly in question, without having to perform complex operations. Still with the aim of facilitating cleaning of the said hopper and pump assembly, it is envisaged being able to extract easily the collar 402 of the discharge outlet of the hopper 2 from the mouth 116 of the flexible pipe of the pump 1 (Fig. 5) after obviously releasing the clamp 17, pivoting the said hopper 2 about the upper points 602 for fixing its brackets 202 to the body of the pump 1, as shown in broken lines in the same Figure 4.
1. Hopper and pump unit to be mounted on a cement mixer lorries for conveying over a
distance concrete or other material discharged from the said mixer lorry, characterized in that said unit is mounted on a frame (3) and in that means are envisaged for being able to unload onto the ground, if necessary, this
frame with the pump and hopper unit and for loading it again, so as to allow this
same unit to be parked on the building site or other place of use and allow the cement
mixer lorry to move independently of this unit, so as to be able to fill the said
mixer lorry with a greater quantity of concrete or other material, means being envisaged
for allowing the said pump and hopper unit to operate also when it is on the ground.
2. Hopper and pump unit according to Claim 1), in which the active means for loading
and unloading the said unit onto and from the cement mixer lorry are mounted on the
latter.
3. Hopper and pump unit according to Claim 1), in which the active means for loading
and unloading the said unit onto and from the cement mixer lorry are mounted on the
frame which carries the said unit.
4. Hopper and pump unit according to Claim 1), characterized by operation with hydraulic actuators and motors which are powered by a hydraulic control
unit situated on the cement mixer lorry and with connection to the latter by means
of delivery and discharge pipes provided with quick-action coupling devices.
5. Hopper and pump unit according to Claim 1), characterized by operation with hydraulic actuators and motors which are powered by a hydraulic control
unit situated on the frame (3) which carries the said unit and which is operated by
a combustion engine or electric motor (5) mounted on the said frame (3).
6. Hopper and pump unit according to any one or more of the preceding claims, in which
the said support frame (3) is designed with a telescopic form which can be lengthened
horizontally so as to be able to support the power generator (5) which allows the
said unit to operate independently.
7. Hopper and pump unit according to any one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that, when the said unit is mounted on the cement mixer lorry, the hopper (2) is situated
at a height such that it may be fed by means of gravity by the chute (S) with which
the said mixer lorry is provided.
8. Hopper and pump unit according to Claim 2), in which at least one pair of arms (7)
are pivotably mounted at the rear of the cement mixer lorry on special flanges (9)
which are fixed to the frame (T) of this lorry, said arms being able to be pivoted
about their bottom pivot (8) by means of one or more hydraulic cylinders (11) which
are suitably fastened to the frame of the said cement mixer lorry and the said arms
being designed so as to have their active ends with forks (107) and/or other suitable
means for removable connection to corresponding hitching lugs (6, 106) provided on
the frame, all of which so that, as a result of the action of the said arms, the frame
(3) with the unit in question may be easily loaded or unloaded onto or from the mixer
lorry.
9. Hopper and pump unit according to Claim 8), in which the said arms (7) are assisted
by the action of stabilizing means so as to keep the said base frame (3) in a position
which is always substantially horizontal or in any case so as to prevent undesirable
swinging movements thereof, both during loading and during unloading.
10. Hopper and pump unit according to Claim 8), characterized in that, when the said cylinder (11) is in the retracted position, the frame (3) with the
pump and hopper unit (1, 2) is raised at the rear of the cement mixer lorry and is
firmly attached to the latter owing to a suitable retaining form of the forks (107)
of the raising arms (7) also and owing to the fact that special brackets (13, 113)
of the frame 3 may be fixed with screws and/or other suitable means (14, 114) to corresponding
supports (15, 115) integral with the frame (T) of the cement mixer lorry.
11. Hopper and pump unit according to Claim 8), characterized in that, when the said unit (1-3) is raised onto the cement mixer lorry, the raising arms
(7) are situated preferably in a vertical position or even slightly beyond the top
dead centre with respect to the ideal vertical plane which contains their bottom pivots
(8), so that the hydraulic cylinder (11) is not under load.
12. Hopper and pump unit according to any one or more of the preceding claims, in which
the said frame (3) is provided with feet (103) for stably resting on the ground and
for correct positioning with respect to the cement mixer lorry, so as to be able to
be loaded again by the latter, the said frame (3) being designed so as to be fitted
with wheels also partly of the steering type or may be provided with auxiliary hitching
lugs for connection to the site crane.
13. Hopper and pump unit according to one or more of the preceding claims, in which the
said pump (1) is of the peristaltic type and may be oriented in any suitable manner
with the axis of rotation of its rotor.
14. Hopper and pump unit according to Claim 13), in which the hopper (2) is fixed to the
base frame (3) of the said unit and/or to the stator of the pump (1) by means of special
brackets (202).
15. Hopper and pump unit according to Claim 14), in which the suction inlet of the pump
(1) is provided with a flange (101) having a metal collar (301), while the discharge
outlet of the hopper (2) is provided with a metal flange (302) which also terminates
in a collar (402) having a diameter smaller than the abovementioned collar (301) and
is axially aligned with the latter, said collar (402) having, fixed thereon by means
of an annular clamp (17), the usually tapered end (116) of the flexible pumping pipe
(16), the outer diameter of which is usually smaller than that of the said collar
(301) of the pump, in order to prevent interference between the parts and consequent
wear, the part of the pumping pipe (16) which is close to the said securing collar
(301) having, fixed thereon, by means of a clamping ring (18) a sleeve (19) made of
suitable elastomer material which is sealingly mounted over the said collar (301)
of the pump body, the inner cavity of which is thus sealingly closed with respect
to the exterior.
16. Hopper and pump unit according to Claim 15), in which the delivery outlet of the pump
(1) is provided with a metal flange (201) provided with a collar (401) from which
the pumping pipe (16) emerges with suitable radial play, which pipe, by means of an
annular clamp (117), is fixed with the other - usually tapered - end (116') to one
of the ends of a metal collar (20) provided with a middle outer flange (120) which
has, in angularly opposite positions, at least one pair of holes (21, 21') which are
passed through, with sufficient radial play, by corresponding threaded stud bolts
(22, 22') which are fixed with one end to the said flange (201) and these stud bolts
have, screwed thereon before and after the said flange (120), nuts (23, 23') and lock
nuts (24, 24') which, when adjusted, allow axial displacement of the said collar (20)
away from the flange (201) of the pump body, so as to perform the desired longitudinal
tensioning of the pumping pipe (16) which is provided in the region of the part supported
by the said securing collar (20) with an elastomer sleeve (19') which is fixed by
a clamping ring (18') and which is sealingly mounted over the said collar (401) of
the pump body.
17. Hopper and pump unit according to Claim 16), in which the more projecting ends of
the stud bolts (22, 22') have, fixed thereon, by means of nuts (25, 25'), the middle
outer flange (126) with through-holes (27, 27') of a collar (26), the end of which,
directed towards the tensioning collar (20), has a widened inner diameter so as to
house the corresponding end of this collar (20) and an annular shim (28) with seals
(29) at the ends, all of which being envisaged in such a way that, when the said nuts
and lock nuts (23, 23' and 24, 24') are adjusted in order to regulate the longitudinal
tension of the pumping pipe (16), the end of the tensioning collar (20) may be inserted
inside the collar (26) situated after it owing to the space which is created therein
by replacement of the said shim (28) with the other shorter shim or by means of special
machining to shorten this shim or also by initially forming the shim (28) by means
of the addition of several small shims alongside each other so that small intermediate
shims may simply be removed gradually, the outlet end (226) of the said latter collar
(26) being designed for removable and sealed connection by means of clamps of the
known type to the concrete delivery pipe (4).
18. Hopper and pump unit according to one or more of the preceding claims, in which the
intake duct (101) of the pump (1) is provided in a bottom zone with a quick-action
closing and opening hatch (501), useful for routine and extraordinary maintenance
operations, for example for internal cleaning of the pump body, in the event of breakage
of the pumping pipe (16).
19. Hopper and pump unit according to any one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the side and bottom part of the hopper (2) is provided, aligned with the discharge
outlet of the said hopper and consequently the suction inlet of the pump (1), with
an easy-action closing and opening hatch (502) via which it is possible to introduce
a washing gun (L) into the hopper (2) so as to facilitate internal cleaning of the
unit in question, without having to perform complex operations.
20. Hopper and pump unit according to any one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that, in order to facilitate cleaning of the said unit, it is envisaged being able to
extract easily the collar (402) of the discharge outlet of the hopper (2) from the
mouth (116) of the flexible pipe of the pump (1), after obviously releasing the fixing
clamp (17), pivoting the said hopper (2) about the upper points (602) for fixing its
brackets (202) to the body of the pump (1).