Closeable connecting piece for a mould and a mould provided with a closeable connecting piece

Abstract

 The invention relates to a closeable connecting piece for a mould, which closeable connecting piece comprises a cylinder and a piston movable therein, wherein via the frontside of the cylinder concrete can be introduced into the mould. The cylinder is provided with an inlet opening for concrete which can be introduced via the frontside of the connecting piece into the mould. By means of the piston in a first position the inlet opening can be shut off. According to the invention it applies that
- in the first position of the piston, a first section situated near the frontside of the cylinder in the first position sealingly contacts the inner wall of the cylinder wall;
- in the first position of the piston, a second section situated next to the first section and at a greater distance of the frontside of the cylinder, over at least part of the length of the second section the second section does not sealingly contact the inner wall of the cylinder over the entire circumferential direction of the piston; and the cylinder wall has an opening tor cleaning the interior of the connecting piece when the piston is in the first position. The invention also relates to a mould.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a closeable connecting piece for a mould, which closeable connecting piece comprises a cylinder and a piston movable therein, wherein the cylinder has a frontside and a backside, wherein

• the frontside has an opening for introducing concrete into the mould; and
• the cylinder comprises a cylinder wall provided with an inlet opening for concrete and is arranged for connecting to a conduit for feeding concrete,

wherein the piston in the cylinder is displaceable between a first position and a second position, the piston has a piston frontside and a piston sidewall, wherein in the first position of the piston the piston frontside is near the frontside of the cylinder and the piston sidewall shuts off the inlet opening for concrete, and in the second position the piston frontside is at a distance of the frontside and the piston sidewall unblocks the inlet opening for concrete to provide a passage between the inlet opening for concrete and the opening in the frontside of the cylinder for introducing concrete into the mould.

[0002] Such a shut-off connecting piece is known in the art, for example from EP1923527.

[0003] A problem presented by the known closeable connecting piece is that after using it one or more times it has to be taken apart in order to ensure the reliable operation thereof. This will lead to a fall in production.

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a closeable connecting piece that will solve the problem mentioned hereabove to a great extent.

[0005] To this end the closeable connecting piece according to the invention is characterised in that the piston

• in the first position of the piston has a first section situated near the frontside of the cylinder which in the first position sealingly contacts the inner wall of the cylinder wall; as well as
• in the first position of the piston has a second section situated adjacent to the first section and at a greater distance from the frontside of the cylinder, wherein the inlet opening for concrete is shut off by the second section and over at least part of the length of the second section the second section does not sealingly contact the inner wall of the cylinder over the entire circumferential direction of the piston; and

wherein the cylinder wall has an opening for cleaning the interior of the connecting piece when the piston is in the first position.

[0006] The closeable connecting piece according to the invention allows for the cleaning of the closeable connecting piece after the introduction of concrete into the mould and during the setting of concrete in the mould, that is to say while the piston is in the first position. Because of the design of the second section little or no concrete will set in the closeable connecting piece and the closeable connecting piece can be used for a larger number of settings before it has to be taken apart. Furthermore, a closeable connecting piece according to the invention can be taken apart more easily since less set concrete residue will be present which complicates the disassembly. The piston and the cylinder are suitably manufactured from steel. The cylinder may be designed to be very open as long as it can guide the piston between the first and the second position and allows both for the sealing function of the piston in the first position as well as for providing an effective path for the transfer of the concrete toward the mould. In practice, the closeable connecting piece will be a closeable connecting piece that can be connected to a mould, wherein the frontside is arranged for connecting to the mould. When discussing the length of the second section, a length is meant parallel to the direction of movement of the piston.

[0007] An advantageous embodiment is characterized in that the piston is displaceable from the first position to the second position and vice versa by means of a screw, and the screw is exposed in the lumen of the connecting piece as a result of which it can be cleaned via the opening for cleaning the interior of the connecting piece.

[0008] Thus, the screw can also be cleaned well and time-consuming revision will be necessary less frequently.

[0009] According to an advantageous embodiment the cylinder wall is provided with an opening for feeding a lubricant to the piston sidewall.

[0010] The lubricant, such as grease, will make it more difficult for concrete to adhere to the material of the piston and/or the cylinder.

[0011] An advantageous embodiment is characterized in that the inlet opening for concrete is provided with a socket to which the conduit for feeding concrete can be connected, wherein the socket is at an angle with the longitudinal direction of the cylinder and the socket is rotatable with respect to the cylinder, wherein the rotational plane is at an angle with the longitudinal axis of the socket.

[0012] Thus, the connecting piece can be adapted to different shapes of moulds or to the locations of moulds, in order to connect the fairly stiff feeding conduit for concrete that will be connected to the socket, without undesirable sharp curves. In principle - in order to avoid suction - the socket will always be in such a position that used washing water can flow away.

[0013] According to an advantageous embodiment the piston has been designed at the side of the inlet opening for concrete as being flat.

[0014] This reduces the length of the circumferential edge of the inlet opening and therewith the possibility for concrete and/or concrete fluid to end up between the piston and the cylinder wall.

[0015] The present invention also relates to a mould provided with a closeable connecting piece according to the invention.

[0016] Such a mould comprises both detachable connecting pieces and connecting pieces that form an integral part of thereof.

[0017] The present invention will now be illustrated by reference to the drawing, in which

fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional top view of a connecting piece according to the invention with a piston in a second position;

fig. 2 is a similar top view to that of fig. 1, but now with the piston in the first position; and

fig. 3 is a side view of the device of fig. 1.

[0018] Fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional top view of a connecting piece 100 according to the invention attached to a wall of a mould W (shown shaded; the reference line indicates a side of the wall of the mould W that is facing the lumen of the mould). The connecting piece 100 comprises a cylinder 101 and a piston 102. The cylinder 101 is defined by a cylinder wall 103, wherein the piston 102 is arranged to sealingly contact the interior 104 of the cylinder wall 103. The cylinder 101 has an inlet opening 105 for feeding liquid (not set) concrete mixture, shortly referred to as concrete. In the shown embodiment the connecting piece 100 is therefore provided with a socket 106 to which a feed pipe for concrete can be connected. The piston 102 is displaceable between a second position (shown in fig. 1) in which the inlet opening 105 is unblocked and concrete can flow via the socket 106, the inlet opening 105, and an opening 107 through which the concrete can be introduced in the mould; and a first position of the piston 102 in which a piston sidewall 501 of the piston 102 shuts off the inlet opening 105. In this first position, the frontside 200 of the piston 102 also shuts off the opening 107. Concrete introduced in the mould will set in the first position of the piston 102 in the mould. To prevent concrete from setting in the socket 106, the socket 106 will be cleaned shortly after the introduction of the concrete into the mould, by flushing the still not set concrete from the socket 106 using water. The piston 102 is brought from the first position to the second position and vice versa by rotating a screw 110. The word "cylinder" should not be interpreted mathematically. A cross section that is not round, such as a rectangular is fine. The frontside 200 of the piston 102 and the screw mechanism are preferably designed such that the first position is a terminal position, wherein the frontside 200 is in the same plane as the side of the wall of the mould W that is facing the lumen of the mould. The hereinbefore described aspects of the connecting piece are known in the art per se.

[0019] The piston 102 of the connecting piece 100 according to the invention has a first section 121 and a second section 122. The first section seals over the circumference of the piston 102 in the first position (fig. 2) at the side of the opening 107 for introducing concrete into the mould against the interior 104 of the cylinder wall 103. The second section 122 that shuts off the inlet opening 105 in the first position of the piston 102, however, does not contact over at least part of the length thereof (considered in the direction in which the piston 102 is movable) along the entire circumferential edge of the piston 102 with the interior 104 of the cylinder wall 103. The connecting piece 100 is provided with at least 1 opening for cleaning the interior of the connecting piece 100 in the first position of the piston 102. This cleaning takes place by introducing water. For feeding the water the same opening can be used, but from an ergonomic point of view and/or in view of the strength of the cylinder 101 it will be preferred to have a feeding opening 150 which is situated higher than a lower situated opening 151 for the discharge of water containing residue of concrete mixture. The opening 151 is preferably situated at the underside of the connecting piece 100, so that the water will drain by itself. Alternatively, the used washing liquid can be eliminated by suction via opening 150 or 151, if the latter is not situated at the lowest part in the cylinder wall 103, however, this is not preferred. The opening 151 may be provided with a hose or the like, for leading away the used water from the workplace. In the embodiment shown it is the cylinder wall 103 that is provided with the openings 150, 151, but opening 150 may for instance be situated in the backplate 160 of the connecting piece 100. In the embodiment disclosed here, the opening 150 is designed such that via 1 opening water can be introduced in both chamber 301 and chamber 302. The opening 151' is situated at such a distance to the frontside 200 (and outside section 2), that when the piston 102 is in the first position, no concrete can flow via opening 151. Likewise, the opening 150 is also arranged in the cylinder wall 103 in such a way that when the piston 102 is in the first position, no concrete can flow through opening 150. The backside 401 of the piston 102 serves to enhance the guidance of the piston 102 in the cylinder 101, yet it does not have a sealing function. When the backside 401 does not contact over the circumference against the inner wall 104, in particular at the part of the backside 401 that is situated lowest in the state where it is mounted to a mould, 1 hole 151 will suffice for cleaning both spaces 301 and 302. The cylinder 101 may, at the part that is situated away from the frontside of the connecting piece 100, be designed to a large extent to be very open, as long as the guidance of the piston 102 is guaranteed and the forces exerted on the connecting piece 100 can be withstood effectively.

[0020] The piston 102 and the cylinder 101 are suitably manufactured from steel. For an effective contact and proper sliding a lubricating nipple 303 is provided, for the introduction of grease.

[0021] In order to move the piston 102 the backplate 160 is provided with a through opening 601, together with an organ 602 connected to the backplate 160, which organ 602 is provided with screw thread. By turning the screw 110, for instance using a key or a handle, the screw 110 will move through the organ 602 and the through opening 601 in the backplate 160. At the backside 401 the piston 102 is held captured between two nuts 603, 603' secured to the screw 110. The screw 110 is freely rotatable in a recess 604 at the backside of the piston 102.

[0022] Fig. 3 shows the connecting piece 100 in a side view, with in the cylinder wall 103 the opening 150. The piston and the screw mechanism have been omitted in this figure. It can be seen that the socket 106 is rotatable (by the loosening and then tightening of bolts 701). Thus, the connecting piece 100 can be adapted to different shapes of moulds or locations of moulds, in order to connect the fairly stiff feeding conduit for concrete, that will be connected to the socket 106, without undesirable sharp curves. The socket 106 will in principle - in order to avoid extraction by suction - always be in a such a position that used washing water can flow away.

[0023] Here, the present embodiment has been described using a preferred embodiment, but it will be understood that a plurality of variations within the scope of the accompanying claims are possible. For example, the connecting piece can be arranged such that the centreline of the cylinder is not perpendicular with respect to the mould.

Claims

1. Closeable connecting piece (100) for a mould (W), which closeable connecting piece (100) comprises a cylinder (101) and a piston (102) movable therein, wherein the cylinder (101) has a frontside and a backside, wherein

- the frontside has an opening (107) for introducing concrete into the mould (W); and

- the cylinder (101) comprises a cylinder wall (103) provided with an inlet opening (105) for concrete and is arranged for connecting to a conduit for feeding concrete,

wherein the piston (102) in the cylinder (101) is displaceable between a first position and a second position, the piston (102) has a piston frontside (200) and a piston sidewall (501), wherein in the first position of the piston (102) the piston frontside (200) is near the frontside of the cylinder (101) and the piston sidewall (501) shuts off the inlet opening for concrete, and in the second position the piston frontside (200) is at a distance of the frontside and the piston sidewall (501) unblocks the inlet opening for concrete to provide a passage between the inlet opening (105) for concrete and the opening (107) in the frontside of the cylinder for introducing concrete into the mould, characterized in that the piston (102)

- in the first position of the piston (102) has a first section (121) situated near the frontside of the cylinder (101) which in the first position sealingly contacts the inner wall (104) of the cylinder wall (103); as well as

- in the first position of the piston (102) has a second section (122) situated adjacent to the first section (121) and at a greater distance from the frontside of the cylinder (101), wherein the inlet opening (105) for concrete is shut off by the second section (122) and over at least part of the length of the second section (122) the second section (122) does not sealingly contact the inner wall (104) of the cylinder (101) for the entire circumferential direction of the piston (102); and

wherein the cylinder wall (103) has an opening (150) for cleaning the interior of the connecting piece (100) when the piston (102) is in the first position.

2. Closeable connecting piece according to claim 1, wherein the piston (102) is displaceable from the first position to the second position and vice versa by means of a screw (110), and the screw (110) is exposed in the lumen of the connecting piece (100) as a result of which it can be cleaned via the opening (150) for cleaning the interior of the connecting piece (100).

3. Closeable connecting piece (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cylinder wall (103) is provided with an opening (300) for feeding a lubricant to the piston sidewall (501).

4. Closeable connecting piece (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the inlet opening (105) for concrete is provided with a socket (106) to which the conduit for feeding concrete can be connected, wherein the socket (106) is at an angle with the longitudinal direction of the cylinder (101) and the socket (106) is rotatable with respect to the cylinder (101), wherein the rotational plane is at an angle with the longitudinal axis of the socket (106).

5. Closeable connecting piece (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the piston (102) has been designed at the side of the inlet opening (105) for concrete as being flat.

6. Mould provided with a closeable connecting piece (100) according to any of the preceding claims.

Drawing