Delivery device for thick substance

Abstract

The invention relates to a conveying device for thick materials, particularly for conveying concrete, comprising two conveying cylinders by means of which thick material can be conveyed from a collection container into a conveying line. The conveying cylinders can be driven such that one of the cylinders performs a pumping stroke while the other simultaneously performs a suction stroke. A pipe diverter, connected to the conveying line, is pivotally mounted on the collection container and can be driven by a shaft rotatably mounted in a front bearing such that it alternately connects the conveying line to the conveying cylinder performing the pumping stroke. According to the invention, the shaft is mounted in the front bearing via two bearing points and is separable from the pipe diverter. The invention further relates to a method for disassembling the pipe diverter of such a conveying device for thick materials.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a viscous material conveying device, in particular a concrete pump, according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] Special high-viscosity pumps are typically used to convey viscous materials such as concrete. These pumps employ hydraulically driven cylinders to pump the material from a collection container (e.g., a feed hopper) into a delivery line. The cylinders in these pumps have an opening at one end that connects to a corresponding suction opening in the housing of the collection container, allowing the viscous material to be drawn in and then pumped into the delivery line.

[0003] Typically, such high-solids conveying devices are operated as twin-cylinder pumps with two counter-acting delivery cylinders. Inside the high-solids collection tank, a pipe diverter, usually designed as an S-pipe, is pivotally mounted. One end of this diverter is permanently connected to the delivery line and rotatable relative to it. A typically hydraulic drive pivots the diverter back and forth so that the other opening alternately covers the two suction ports. The drives of the delivery cylinders and the diverter are coordinated so that the diverter is always connected to the delivery cylinder currently performing a pumping stroke. This cylinder pumps the high-solids into the delivery line, while the other delivery cylinder, performing a suction stroke, draws high-solids from the interior of the high-solids collection tank.

[0004] The pipe diverter, which is a wear part and therefore requires regular maintenance or replacement, is typically rotatably mounted on a rigidly connected shaft in a front bearing on the front wall of the solids collection tank, where the suction openings for the conveying cylinders are located. A rotary actuator, typically consisting of two hydraulic rotary cylinders connected to a pivot lever mounted on or integrated into the shaft, is attached to the tank housing to drive the rotation of the shaft and pipe diverter. In the area of ​​the front bearing, the forces of the rotary actuator are transmitted as torque to the pipe diverter via the pivot lever, and the bearing also absorbs the loads on the pipe diverter resulting from pump operation.A second, rear bearing is normally located at the rear of the thick material collection container in the area of ​​the conveying line and allows the pipe diverter to rotate relative to it.

[0005] Known solutions typically involve a design with a relatively thick and heavy base plate serving as the front wall (or part of the front wall) of the solids collection tank, housing the diverter valve drive, a one-piece front diverter valve bearing, and a diverter valve with an integrated shaft. Such designs are heavy due to their robust construction. Furthermore, assembling and disassembling such a diverter valve is difficult because the interface between the diverter valve and the pivot lever is located outside the solids collection tank housing. The rear bearing must therefore be removed to allow the shaft to be extracted from the front bearing. This represents a significant disadvantage when assembling or disassembling the heavy and regularly wearing diverter valve.

[0006] Known thick material conveying devices are disclosed in documents GB 1 585 794 A, US 2006 / 124361 A1, AU 78114 81 A and US 4 298 288 A.

[0007] The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a simpler assembly or...

[0008] To enable the dismantling of the pipe diverter and to improve its storage.

[0009] According to the invention, this problem is solved by a viscous material conveying device with the features of claim 1. Accordingly, a viscous material conveying device is proposed, particularly for conveying concrete, comprising two conveying cylinders by means of which viscous material can be conveyed from a viscous material collection container into a conveying line. The conveying cylinders can be driven such that one of the conveying cylinders performs a pumping stroke while simultaneously the other conveying cylinder performs a suction stroke. A pipe diverter connected to the conveying line is pivotally mounted on the viscous material collection container and can be driven by a shaft rotatably mounted in a front bearing such that it alternately connects the conveying line to the conveying cylinder performing a pumping stroke.

[0010] According to the invention, the shaft is supported in the front bearing by at least two bearing points and is separable from the pipe diverter. The bearing points are, in particular, axially spaced apart.

[0011] The double bearing of the shaft in the front bearing allows the slide system and the solids collection container to absorb the load occurring during conveying operation much more effectively than with a single-piece bearing, as the load is distributed across two bearing points. The pipe diverter does not have an integrated shaft; instead, it can be separated and thus removed from the solids collection container without the shaft. The separation point between the shaft and the pipe diverter, and between the pipe diverter and the pivot lever, is located inside the solids collection container.

[0012] This eliminates the typical, cumbersome process of removing the heavy component from the front bearing. Overall, this results in significantly simplified assembly and disassembly of the pipe diverter, as well as improved bearing capacity and load-bearing capacity. Of course, it is also conceivable that the front bearing has more than two separate bearing points.

[0013] Advantageous embodiments of the invention will become apparent from the dependent claims and the following description.

[0014] InIn one embodiment, the shaft is provided with a pivot lever by which it can be driven rotationally, the pivot lever preferably being arranged between the two bearing points. This arrangement optimally distributes the load between the two bearing points. The pivot lever preferably projects from one side of the shaft and serves in particular to connect one or more swivel cylinders. The shaft and pivot lever can, in principle, be two separate parts, but preferably form a single unit.

[0015] In In another embodiment, the pivot lever is fixedly, and in particular integrally, connected to the shaft. The shaft thus has an integrated pivot lever. When the pipe diverter is disassembled, the shaft, including the pivot lever, remains in the front bearing, while the pipe diverter, which can be detached from the shaft, is removed from the solids collection container.

[0016] In a further embodiment, at least one hydraulic rotary cylinder is connected to the pivot lever for the rotational drive of the shaft. This rotary cylinder is preferably mounted and / or designed such that the shaft coupled to it is axially displaceable. Preferably, two rotary cylinders are provided. The at least one rotary cylinder is preferably attached at one end to the pivot lever and mounted at the other end on the solids conveying device, in particular on the solids collection container. Because the rotary cylinder(s) allow a certain axial displacement of the shaft, it can be moved in the front bearing for separation from the pipe diverter without having to remove the rotary cylinder(s). This greatly simplifies assembly and disassembly.

[0017] According to the invention, the front bearing comprises a removable bearing part which provides one of the two bearing points for the shaft. The front bearing is therefore, in particular, constructed in two parts, although embodiments with more than two bearing parts and / or more than one removable bearing part are also possible. The divisibility of the front bearing allows the shaft to be displaced axially in order to separate it from the pipe diverter. The removable part is located at the end of the front bearing facing away from the pipe diverter and thus functions as a removable end piece.

[0018] Furthermore, the removable bearing component can also serve as reinforcement for the front wall of the solids collection container, thus eliminating the need for additional reinforcements or clamps to absorb tensile forces. This is particularly advantageous if the front wall is not designed as a solid base plate, as in similar designs, but as a lighter frame construction.

[0019] In a further embodiment, the front bearing is designed such that, after removal of the removable bearing part, the shaft can be separated from the pipe diverter by axial displacement relative to the remaining part of the front bearing.

[0020] In a further embodiment, the front bearing is arranged in a front wall of the solids collection container designed as a frame structure, the front wall preferably also having two suction openings through which the conveying cylinders are connected to the interior of the solids collection container. The frame construction is lighter than the solid base plates used in previous devices and thus leads to a weight reduction of the entire solids conveying device.

[0021] In another embodiment, the pivot lever and the at least one pivot cylinder are arranged within the frame structure of the front wall. This provides better protection for the pivot drive against dirt and damage.

[0022] In a further embodiment, the frame structure comprises two side walls, with each bearing point located in the area of ​​one of the side walls. This allows the forces acting on the pipe diverter to be optimally transferred via the bearing points into the front wall or the side walls of the front wall, which is designed as a frame structure.

[0023] In a further embodiment, the shaft has a toothed section at the end facing the pipe diverter, which engages with corresponding teeth on the pipe diverter and can be separated from it. In particular, the toothed section of the shaft can be separated from the teeth of the pipe diverter by axial displacement of the shaft relative to the pipe diverter. The toothed section converts a rotation of the shaft into a rotation or pivoting movement of the pipe diverter. Furthermore, a releasable locking or fastening mechanism for the shaft in a receptacle of the pipe diverter can be provided.

[0024] In a further embodiment, the pipe diverter is rotatably mounted in the rear section of the solids collection tank (particularly in the area of ​​the conveying line) via a rear bearing. When the pipe diverter pivots, the rear connection rotates relative to the conveying line at the rear bearing, maintaining a permanently tight connection. For disassembly of the pipe diverter, the connection at the rear bearing can preferably be loosened or separated.

[0025] In a further embodiment, the pipe diverter is an S-shaped pipe, with the front bearing preferably arranged above two suction openings through which the conveying cylinders are connected to the interior of the solids collection container. A wear plate can be arranged on the inside of the solids collection container in the area of ​​the suction openings, which is swept over or contacted by the conveying cylinder-side opening of the pipe diverter and protects the inner wall of the solids collection container.

[0026] The present invention further relates to a method for dismantling the pipe diverter of a thick material conveying device according to the invention, comprising the following steps: Separating or removing the removable bearing part from the front bearing, axially displacing the shaft relative to the remaining part of the front bearing towards the outside of the solids collection container in order to separate the shaft from the pipe diverter, in particular by releasing the connection of a toothing of the shaft with a counter toothing arranged in a receptacle of the pipe diverter, releasing the connection of the pipe diverter with the rear bearing, and removing the pipe diverter from the solids collection container.

[0027] This obviously results in the same advantages and properties as for the viscous material conveying device according to the invention, which is why a repetitive description is omitted here. The steps for assembling the pipe diverter are carried out in reverse order.

[0028] When separating or removing the removable bearing part from the front bearing, it may be necessary to remove a central screw of the front bearing beforehand.

[0029] In one embodiment of the method according to the invention, it is provided that at least one hydraulic swivel cylinder for rotary driving of the shaft is connected to the swivel lever, which is mounted in such a way that, after separating the removable bearing part from the front bearing, the shaft coupled to the swivel cylinder is axially displaceable.

[0030] As a further step, it may be provided that, after the connection between the shaft and the pipe diverter is separated and before the pipe diverter is removed from the thick material collection container, a hinged bend provided on the conveying line is opened to relieve the pipe diverter.

[0031] Further features, details and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the exemplary embodiment explained below with reference to the figures. The figures show: Figures 1-5: various steps in the disassembly of the pipe diverter according to a preferred embodiment of the thick material conveying device according to the invention, in a side view and longitudinal section through the pipe diverter and its bearings; Figure 6: an enlarged view of the front bearing according to the illustration in the Figure 1 drawn circle; and Figure 7: a corresponding view of the front bearing of the pipe diverter in a thick material conveying device known from the prior art.

[0032] The Figures 1-5Figure 1 shows an embodiment of the thick-substantiate conveying device 10 according to the invention, illustrating different steps in the disassembly process of the pipe diverter 18 from the thick-substantiate collection container 14. The drawings depict longitudinal sections through the pipe diverter 18 and its bearings in the front wall 40 of the thick-substantiate collection container 14 and on the conveying line 16. An enlarged section of the front bearing 20, as shown in the Figure 1 The circle shown is in the Figure 6 to see.

[0033] The pipe diverter 18, which is designed as an S-pipe, serves to alternately connect the conveying line 16 to one of two hydraulically driven conveying cylinders 12. The conveying cylinders 12, which are located in the Figure 1The conveying cylinders 12, which are only schematically represented by a dashed box, are attached at one end to a front wall 40 of the solids collection container 14. The latter is preferably a feed hopper. The conveying cylinders 12 have cylinder openings at their ends facing the solids collection container 14, which cover corresponding suction openings in the front wall 40. Through these suction openings, they alternately draw solids (e.g., concrete) from the solids collection container 14 and, by means of a pump stroke, push them through the pipe diverter 18 into the conveying line 16.

[0034] For this purpose, the front end of the pipe diverter 18, which faces the pumping cylinders 12, is pivoted back and forth between the suction openings, so that the pumping cylinder 12 that is currently pumping is always connected to the pumping line 16, while the other pumping cylinder 12 draws in thick material through the free suction opening.

[0035] The pipe diverter 18 is rotatably attached to the conveying line 16 via a rear bearing 21. The connection of the pipe diverter 18 to the rear bearing 21 can be detached for disassembly of the pipe diverter 18. The pipe diverter 18 is pivotally mounted in a front bearing 20 on the front wall 40 of the solids collection container 14. A shaft 22 is connected to the pipe diverter 18 and is rotatably mounted in the front bearing 20. The front bearing 20 is integrated into the front wall 40 and is designed as a two-part bearing with two axially spaced bearing surfaces 24, over which the shaft 22 is supported.

[0036] To drive the pipe diverter 18, the shaft 22 has a radially projecting pivot lever 26, which is integrally, i.e., inseparably, connected to the shaft 22. Two hydraulic swivel cylinders (not shown) are attached to the end of the pivot lever 26 and are synchronized with the hydraulic drive of the conveying cylinders 12 in such a way that the movement of the pipe diverter 18 described above is achieved.

[0037] The front wall 40 of the solids collection tank 14 forms a frame structure with two side walls, between which the pivot lever 26 and the pivot cylinders are arranged. This optimally protects these components from contamination and damage typical of pump operation. Furthermore, the frame construction results in a significantly lighter design for the solids collection tank 14 than if a single-piece base plate with the same thickness as the entire frame structure were used. The two-part bearing arrangement of the shaft 22 via the two bearing points 24, each located above or in the area of ​​one of the two side walls of the front wall 40, optimally absorbs the forces and loads that occur and transfers them into the front wall 40. The fully assembled state of the pipe diverter 18 and the front bearing 20 is shown in the Figure 1 An enlarged view of the front bearing 20 is shown in the Figure 6 to see.

[0038] The front bearing 20 comprises a bearing part 30 that is fixedly integrated into (i.e., remaining) in the front wall 40, and a bearing part 28 that is removable from the front wall 40, with one of the bearing points 24 being arranged in / on each of the two bearing parts 28, 30. The removable bearing part 28 forms the end part of the front bearing 20 that encloses the shaft 22 at its end facing away from the pipe diverter 18. The removable bearing part 28 can be detachably connected or locked to the front wall 40 and / or to the remaining bearing part 30.

[0039] The shaft 22 has a radially circumferential toothing 32 at its other end, the end facing the pipe diverter 18. In the assembled state, this toothing engages with corresponding teeth in a receptacle 34 located at the upper end of the pipe diverter 18, which surrounds the end of the shaft 22. The engagement of the teeth translates a rotational movement of the shaft 22 into a pivoting movement of the conveying cylinder-side opening of the pipe diverter 18. The separable connection of the shaft 22 in the receptacle 34 of the pipe diverter 18 may include an additional releasable connection or locking mechanism.

[0040] By removing the detachable bearing part 28, it is possible to axially displace the shaft 22 together with the integrated pivot lever 26 and thereby pull it out of the receptacle 34. This separates the connection between the shaft 22 or pivot lever 26 and the pipe diverter 18. The separation point is located inside the solids collection container 14. The pivot cylinders are mounted in or on the solids conveying device 10, in particular the solids collection container 14, or are designed in such a way that they allow such axial displacement of the shaft 22 without having to be removed from the pivot lever 26. The previously described process of separating the shaft 22 from the pipe diverter 18 is described in the Figures 2 (Removal of the removable bearing part 28) and 3 (moving the shaft 22 outwards) are shown.

[0041] The rear bearing 21 of the pipe diverter 18 is then detached from the conveying line 16. The rear bearing 21 can remain attached to either the pipe diverter 18 or the conveying line 16. In particular, the rear bearing 21 is composed of several parts, with one part remaining attached to the pipe diverter 18 and another part remaining attached to the conveying line 16. It may be provided that the bearing, or the part remaining attached to the conveying line 16, can be moved rearward for the removal of the pipe diverter 18 without being completely removed.

[0042] As in the Figure 4 As can be seen, in this embodiment the conveying line 16 also has a pivotable hinged bend 36. This is opened before the pipe diverter 18 is removed in order to relieve the pipe diverter 18. Now the pipe diverter 18 can be removed from the solids collection container 14, as shown in the Figure 5The shaft 22, including the pivot lever 26, remains in the front bearing 20 or in the remaining bearing part 30. The pipe diverter 18 is assembled in reverse order.

[0043] The removable bearing part 28 also serves to reinforce the frame construction of the front wall 40, so that additional reinforcements or clamps to absorb the tensile forces are no longer necessary.

[0044] The Figure 7Figure 1 shows the front bearing 20 of the pipe diverter 18, which is designed as an S-pipe, of a high-solids conveying device known from the prior art. Here, the shaft 22 is fixedly installed in or connected to the pipe diverter 18 and supported by a one-piece front bearing 20 in a solid front wall 40 of the high-solids collection container 14, which serves as a base plate. A pivot lever 26 is attached to the outside of the high-solids collection container 14, at the end of the shaft 22 opposite the pipe diverter 18, and the pivot cylinders (not shown) are connected to this lever.

[0045] To dismantle the pipe diverter 18, the pivot lever 26 is detached from the shaft 22; that is, the separation point between the pipe diverter 18 and the pivot lever 26 lies outside the solids collection container 14. To remove the pipe diverter 18, the shaft 22 must also be removed and laboriously maneuvered out of the front bearing 20, which is difficult due to the massive and heavy construction of the pipe diverter 18. Furthermore, the rear bearing 21 of the pipe diverter 18 must be laboriously dismantled so that the shaft 22 can be removed. Reference symbol list:

[0046] 10 Thick material conveying device 12 Conveying cylinder 14 Thick material collection container 16 Conveying line 18 Pipe diverter 20 Front bearing 21 Rear bearing 22 Shaft 24 Bearing point 26 Swivel lever 28 Removable bearing part 30 Remaining bearing part 32 Toothed gear 34 Mount 36 Hinged bend 40 Front wall

Claims

1. Thick matter delivery device (10), in particular for conveying cement, comprising two delivery cylinders (12), by means of which thick matter can be conveyed from a thick matter collecting container (14) into a delivery line (16), wherein the delivery cylinders (12) can be driven in such a way that one of the delivery cylinders (12) performs a pump stroke while at the same time the other delivery cylinder (12) performs a suction stroke, and wherein a pipe switch (18), connected to the delivery line (16), is pivotably mounted on the thick matter collecting container (14), which switch can be driven via a shaft (22) rotatably mounted in a front bearing (20) in such a way that it connects the delivery line (16) alternately to the delivery cylinder (12) performing a pump stroke in each case, wherein the shaft (22) is mounted in the front bearing (20) via at least two bearing points (24) and can be separated from the pipe switch (18), characterised in that the front bearing (20) comprises a removable bearing part (28) which comprises one of the two bearing points (24) for the shaft (22), wherein the removable bearing part (28) is located at the end of the front bearing (20) facing away from the pipe switch (18) and functions as a removable end piece.

2. Thick matter delivery device (10) according to claim 1, characterised in that the shaft (20) comprises a pivot lever (26) via which it can be rotatably driven, wherein the pivot lever (26) is preferably arranged between the two bearing points (24).

3. Thick matter delivery device (10) according to claim 2, characterised in that the pivot lever (26) is rigidly, in particular integrally, connected to the shaft (22).

4. Thick matter delivery device (10) according to either claim 2 or claim 3, characterised in that at least one hydraulic pivot cylinder for rotatably driving the shaft (22) is connected to the pivot lever (26), which cylinder is preferably configured and / or mounted in such a way that the shaft (22) coupled to the pivot cylinder is axially displaceable.

5. Thick matter delivery device (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the front bearing (20) is configured in such a way that after removal of the removable bearing part (28) the shaft (22) can be separated from the pipe switch (18) by axial displacement relative to the remaining part (30) of the front bearing (20).

6. Thick matter delivery device (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the front bearing (20) is arranged in a front wall (40) of the thick matter collecting container (14) that is configured as a frame structure, wherein the front wall (40) preferably further comprises two suction openings, via which the delivery cylinders (12) are connected to the interior of the thick matter collecting container (14).

7. Thick matter delivery device (10) according to claims 4 and 6, characterised in that the pivot lever (26) and the at least one pivot cylinder are arranged inside the frame structure of the front wall (40).

8. Thick matter delivery device (10) according to either claim 6 or claim 7, characterised in that the frame structure comprises two side walls, wherein each of the bearing points (24) is arranged in the region of one of the side walls.

9. Thick matter delivery device (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the shaft (22) comprises a toothing (32) at the end facing the pipe switch (18), which toothing is in engagement with a corresponding toothing of the pipe switch (18) and can be separated therefrom, in particular can be separated by axial displacement of the shaft (22) relative to the pipe switch (18).

10. Thick matter delivery device (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the pipe switch (18) is rotatably mounted in a rear region of the thick matter collecting container (14), in particular in the region of the delivery line (16), via a rear bearing (21).

11. Thick matter delivery device (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the pipe switch (18) is an S-bend pipe, wherein the front bearing (20) is preferably arranged above two suction openings, via which the delivery cylinders (12) are connected to the interior of the thick matter collecting container (14).

12. Method for dismantling the pipe switch (18) of a thick matter delivery device (10) according to claim 5, comprising the steps of: - removing the removable bearing part (28) from the front bearing (20), - axially displacing the shaft (22) relative to the remaining part (30) of the front bearing (20) in the directly towards the outer side of the thick matter collecting container (14), in order to separate the shaft (22) from the pipe switch (18), - releasing the connection of the pipe switch (18) to the delivery line (16), and - removing the pipe switch (18) from the thick matter collecting container (14).

13. Method according to claim 12, characterised in that a hydraulic pivot cylinder for rotatably driving the shaft (22) is connected to the pivot lever (26), which cylinder is mounted in such a way that after separation of the removable bearing part (28) from the front bearing (20), the shaft (22) coupled to the pivot cylinder is axially displaceable.

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