Method for discharging residual concrete in concrete pump vehicle

Abstract

To provide a method for discharging residual concrete in a concrete pump vehicle with reduced effort.SOLUTION: In a concrete pump vehicle (1) including a piston concrete pump, a discharge pipe for discharging from the concrete pump, and a concrete force-feed pipe (6) connected to the discharge pipe, an on-off valve (8) for opening and closing the inside of the pipe is provided on the concrete force-feed pipe (6); an aperture (13) is formed on the concrete force-feed pipe (6) between the discharge pipe and the on-off valve (8); and a cover body (16) for blocking the aperture is provided. When residual concrete in a hopper (3) is discharged to the outside, the aperture (8) is blocked, the cover body (16) is removed, an ejection pipe (33) is connected to the aperture (13), and the concrete pump is driven to discharge the residual concrete from the ejection pipe (33).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4F

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a discharge method for discharging residual concrete in a concrete pump vehicle, and to a concrete pressure pipe provided in the concrete pump vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] As described in Patent Document 1, for example, a concrete pump truck comprises a self-propelled vehicle and various devices mounted on the vehicle, such as a hopper into which concrete is poured, a concrete pump, a multi-stage boom, and a concrete pressure pipe. When the concrete pump is a piston type, for example, two pumps are provided with their tips inserted into the hopper. An S-shaped pipe is rotatably mounted inside the hopper and is alternately connected to the tips of the two concrete pumps. The S-shaped pipes are connected to a discharge pipe, and the concrete pressure pipe is connected to the discharge pipe.

[0003] When a concrete pump not connected to the S-shaped pipe is driven, the concrete in the hopper is sucked in, or the concrete in the concrete pump is discharged into the hopper. On the other hand, when a concrete pump connected to the S-shaped pipe is driven, the concrete in the concrete pump is pumped into the concrete pressure pipe via the S-shaped pipe, or the concrete in the concrete pressure pipe is returned to the concrete pump. Therefore, by driving two concrete pumps alternately and appropriately controlling the rotational position of the S-shaped pipe and connecting them alternately to the concrete pumps, the concrete in the hopper is sucked in and pumped into the concrete pressure pipe continuously, allowing the concrete to be pumped.

[0004] The concrete pumping pipe is made up of multiple unit pipes, and the section fixed to the vehicle has multiple unit pipes fixedly connected, while the section supported by the multi-stage boom has a rotatable connection as needed. Therefore, the concrete pumping pipe bends in accordance with the bending of the multi-stage boom, allowing concrete to be poured in the desired position.

[0005] After concrete has been poured by a concrete pump truck, it is necessary to discharge the concrete remaining in the concrete pressure pipe and hopper, i.e., the residual concrete. To discharge the residual concrete, first, a sponge ball is inserted into the end of the concrete pressure pipe. By alternately driving the two concrete pumps while appropriately controlling the rotation position of the S-shaped pipe, the concrete in the concrete pressure pipe will flow backward and be returned to the hopper. As the sponge ball moves through the concrete pressure pipe together with the concrete, it cleans the inside of the concrete pressure pipe. When the sponge ball reaches the vicinity of the hopper, the lid on the concrete pressure pipe is removed and the sponge ball is removed. The residual concrete returned to the hopper is discharged to the outside by opening the valve located below the hopper. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7045026 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] As explained above, residual concrete is discharged from a concrete pump truck by opening a valve below the hopper, but this requires a great deal of labor. First, a container called a funnel must be set below the hopper before the valve can be opened. When the valve is opened, the residual concrete is discharged into the funnel, but the valve must be closed again before it overflows. The residual concrete discharged into the funnel can be transported to another location or returned to the mixer truck, but the funnel is heavy and the process is cumbersome. If there is residual concrete left in the hopper, an empty funnel must be set below the hopper again and the same process must be repeated. Furthermore, even after all the residual concrete has been discharged, the washwater generated when cleaning the hopper and concrete pump must also be disposed of, which requires labor.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a method for discharging remaining concrete from a concrete pump truck that reduces the labor required for the work. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present invention provides a method for discharging residual concrete from a concrete pump truck equipped with a hopper, a piston-type concrete pump that sucks and discharges concrete from the hopper, a discharge pipe from which the concrete pump discharges, and a concrete pressure pipe connected to the discharge pipe. An on-off valve for opening and closing the interior of the concrete pressure pipe is provided at a predetermined location, and an opening is formed in the concrete pressure pipe between the discharge pipe and the on-off valve, with a lid for closing the opening. When discharging the residual concrete from the hopper to the outside, the on-off valve is closed, the lid is removed, a discharge pipe is connected to the opening, and the concrete pump is driven to discharge the residual concrete from the discharge pipe.

[0010] The invention described in claim 2 is configured as follows: The concrete pumping pipe is composed of a plurality of unit pipes of different shapes, and the unit pipe connected to the discharge pipe is composed of a discharge elbow pipe. The on-off valve is provided between the discharge elbow pipe and another unit pipe connected to the discharge elbow pipe, and the opening is formed in the discharge elbow pipe. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to this invention, when discharging the remaining concrete from the hopper, the on-off valve is closed, the lid is removed, a discharge pipe is connected to the opening, and the concrete pump is driven to discharge the remaining concrete from the discharge pipe. Then, if the discharge pipe is connected to a mixer truck, the remaining concrete is automatically pumped into the mixer truck by driving the concrete pump. This means that there is no need to set up or transport a boat. Furthermore, after discharging the remaining concrete from the hopper, the inside of the hopper and the concrete pump are cleaned, and the cleaning water can also be discharged into the mixer truck, reducing the labor required.

[0012] In the invention described in claim 2, the on-off valve is provided between the discharge elbow pipe connected to the discharge pipe and another unit pipe connected to the discharge elbow pipe, and the opening is formed in the discharge elbow pipe, so the discharge pipe is connected near the hopper. Although a small amount of residual concrete will remain in the concrete pumping pipe after discharge, because the discharge pipe is connected near the hopper, the amount of residual concrete remaining in the concrete pumping pipe can be kept small. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a concrete pump truck equipped with a concrete pressure pipe according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a discharge elbow pipe and an on-off valve according to the present embodiment, which are unit pipes that constitute the concrete pressure pipe according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3A] FIG. 2 is a front view of the valve body of the on-off valve according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3B] 1 is a side cross-sectional view of an on-off valve according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4A] 1 is a front cross-sectional view showing a portion of a concrete pressure pipe according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4B] 1 is a front cross-sectional view showing a portion of a concrete pressure pipe according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4C] 1 is a front cross-sectional view showing a portion of a concrete pressure pipe according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4D] 1 is a front cross-sectional view showing a portion of a concrete pressure pipe according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4E] 1 is a front cross-sectional view showing a portion of a concrete pressure pipe according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4F] 1 is a front cross-sectional view showing a portion of a concrete pressure pipe according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] <Concrete pump truck> This embodiment will be described below. A concrete pump truck 1 according to this embodiment is shown in FIG. 1. The concrete pump truck 1 is generally composed of a self-propelled vehicle 2, a hopper 3 provided on the vehicle 2, a multi-stage boom 4, and a concrete pressure pipe 6 according to this embodiment, which is provided on the vehicle 2 and the multi-stage boom 4. Although not shown in the figure, the vehicle 2 is equipped with two piston-type concrete pumps, the ends of which are located within the hopper 3. The hopper 3 is equipped with a rotatable S-shaped pipe (not shown) and a discharge pipe connected to the S-shaped pipe. The S-shaped pipe is configured to be connected to one of the two concrete pumps depending on its rotational position. The concrete pressure pipe 6 according to this embodiment, which will be described next, is connected to a discharge pipe (not shown).

[0015] <Concrete pressure pipe> The concrete pumping pipe 6 according to this embodiment is made up of a plurality of interconnected unit pipes 6a, 6b, .... The unit pipe 6a connected to the discharge pipe inside the hopper 3 is a discharge elbow pipe 6a according to this embodiment, which will be described in detail next. A unit pipe 6b made up of a tapered pipe 6b is connected to this discharge elbow pipe 6a via an on-off valve 8 according to this embodiment, which will be described later. A unit pipe 6c made up of a curved pipe 6c is connected to the tapered pipe 6b, and similarly, a plurality of unit pipes 6d, 6e, ... are connected thereto. The concrete pumping pipe 6 has a section provided on the vehicle 2 side and a section supported by the multi-stage boom 4. The section supported by the multi-stage boom 4 is designed to bend as the multi-stage boom 4 bends.

[0016] <Discharge elbow pipe> FIG. 2 shows a discharge elbow 6a according to this embodiment and an on-off valve 8 according to this embodiment. The discharge elbow 6a according to this embodiment is gently curved in the perpendicular direction and has a tapered inner diameter. A flange 9 is formed at the large-diameter end for connection to a discharge pipe (not shown). A flange 10 is also formed at the small-diameter end, and is connected to the on-off valve 8, which will be described later, by a coupling fitting 12.

[0017] An opening 13 is formed midway through the discharge elbow pipe 6a. A flange 14 is formed at the opening 13. This opening 13 is closed by a lid 16 according to this embodiment, and the lid 16 is fixed to the opening 13 by a coupling fitting (not shown). The back side of the lid 16 is flat, but the front side has a protrusion 17 of a predetermined shape. As will be explained later, when the lid 16 is turned over and the back side is attached to the opening 13, the protrusion 17 is positioned inside the discharge elbow pipe 6a.

[0018] <Shut-off valve> The on-off valve 8 according to this embodiment is composed of a main body 19 and a valve element 20 inserted into the main body 19. As shown in FIG. 3A, the valve element 20 is formed from a metal plate into a substantially rectangular shape. The valve element 20 has horizontally elongated cutouts 21, 21 near both short sides of the rectangle. These cutouts 21, 21 serve as holes into which fingers can be inserted when gripping and operating the valve element 20. In FIG. 3A, the upper half of the valve element 20 has no hole, but the lower half has a circular hole 23. As will be described below, the upper half is used to close the on-off valve 8, and the lower half is used to open the on-off valve 8. Stoppers 24, 24, ... are formed near both short sides of the valve element 20 to prevent the valve element 20 from slipping out of the main body 19, which will be described below.

[0019] The main body 19, the cross section of which is shown in Figure 3B, is formed in the shape of a short tube. The center of the main body 19 is a valve element housing 26 that slidably houses the valve element 20. When the circular hole 23 of the valve element 20 is aligned with the inner circumferential surface of the valve element housing 26, i.e., when it is in the state shown in Figure 3B, the on-off valve 8 is in an open state and concrete flows through the pipe. On the other hand, when the valve element 20 is driven to slide the upper half of the valve element 20 into the valve element housing 26, the on-off valve 8 is closed. Flanges 27, 27 are formed at both ends of the main body 19, and are configured to connect the unit pipe 6a (see Figure 1), i.e., the discharge elbow pipe 6a, and the unit pipe 6b, i.e., the tapered pipe 6b.

[0020] <How to remove remaining concrete> A method for discharging remaining concrete in a concrete pump truck 1 (see Figure 1) according to this embodiment will be described. First, the state in which concrete is being pumped will be described. Figure 4A shows a portion of the concrete pumping pipe 6. Specifically, it shows a discharge elbow pipe 6a, an on-off valve 8, and a tapered pipe 6b. When pumping concrete, the opening 13 of the discharge elbow pipe 6a is closed by a cover 16, and the on-off valve 8 is open. In the concrete pump truck 1, when the concrete pump is driven and the S-shaped pipe is appropriately controlled, the concrete in the hopper 3 is pumped, and concrete 30 flows through the concrete pumping pipe 6 as shown in Figure 4A. The concrete is then poured.

[0021] Once the concrete has been poured, the concrete 30 in the concrete pumping pipe 6 is returned to the hopper 3. As shown in FIG. 1, a sponge ball (not shown) is pushed into the tip 29 of the concrete pumping pipe 6. Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, the cover 16 is removed from the discharge elbow pipe 6a, turned upside down, and reattached to the opening 13. This positions the protrusion 17 on the cover 16 inside the pipe. In the concrete pump truck 1 (see FIG. 1), the concrete pump is driven and the S-shaped pipe is appropriately controlled. Then, as shown in FIG. 4B, the concrete 30 flows backward through the concrete pumping pipe 6. As this backward flow occurs, the sponge ball 31 moves through the concrete pumping pipe 6, cleaning the inside of the concrete pumping pipe 6.

[0022] Eventually, as shown in Figure 4C, the sponge ball 31 gets caught on the protrusion 17. In other words, the sponge ball 31 stops inside the discharge elbow pipe 6a. The concrete pump in the concrete pump truck 1 is stopped. As shown in Figure 4D, the cover 16 is removed and the opening 13 is opened. The sponge ball 31 is removed from the opening.

[0023] Next, as shown in Figure 4E, a discharge pipe 33 is connected to the opening 13 of the discharge elbow pipe 6a. Although not shown in the figure, the other end of the discharge pipe 33 is connected to the hopper of the mixer truck. The valve body 20 of the on-off valve 8 is operated to close the on-off valve 8. The concrete pump in the concrete pump truck 1 is driven and the S-shaped pipe is appropriately controlled. Then, concrete 30 is pumped as shown in Figure 4F. Since the concrete pumping pipe 6 is closed by the on-off valve 8, the concrete 30 flows through the discharge pipe 33. The concrete is discharged from the discharge pipe 33 into the mixer truck (not shown). When the concrete in the hopper 3 (see Figure 1) drops below a predetermined amount, cleaning water is supplied to clean the concrete pump and the inside of the hopper 3. The concrete pump continues to be driven, and the cleaning water is sent to the mixer truck via the discharge pipe 33. The discharge of the remaining concrete is completed.

[0024] <Modification> This embodiment can be modified in various ways. For example, although the on-off valve 8 has been described as being provided between the discharge elbow pipe 6a and the tapered pipe 6b, the location is not limited to this. That is, the on-off valve 8 may be provided between other unit pipes 6c, 6d, ..., for example, between the tapered pipe 6b and the bent pipe 6c. Furthermore, the on-off valve 8 may not be provided between two adjacent unit pipes 6a, 6b, ..., but may be provided within one unit pipe 6a, 6b, .... The location of the opening 13 can also be modified. The opening 13 formed in the concrete pumping pipe 6 can be formed at any location between the discharge pipe and the on-off valve 8. Note that, by providing the on-off valve 8 adjacent to the discharge elbow pipe 6a and forming the opening 13 in the discharge elbow pipe 6a as in this embodiment, the amount of remaining concrete remaining in the concrete pumping pipe 6 can be reduced when the discharge of the remaining concrete is complete. [Explanation of symbols]

[0025] 1 Concrete pump truck 2 Vehicles 3 Hopper 4 Multi-stage boom 6. Concrete pumping pipe 6a Discharge elbow pipe (unit pipe) 6b Tapered pipe (unit pipe) 8 On-off valve 9 Flange 10 flange portion 12 coupling metal fitting 13 Opening 14 Flange 16 Lid 17 Protrusion 19 Main body 20 Valve body 21 Hole 23 Circular hole 24 Stopper 26 Valve body storage section 29 Tip 30 Concrete 31 Sponge ball 33 Discharge pipe

Claims

1. A concrete pump truck is provided with a hopper, a piston-type concrete pump that sucks and discharges concrete from the hopper, a discharge pipe that discharges concrete from the concrete pump, and a concrete pressure pipe that is connected to the discharge pipe. an opening / closing valve for opening and closing the inside of the concrete pumping pipe is provided at a predetermined location of the concrete pumping pipe; an opening is formed in the concrete pumping pipe between the discharge pipe and the opening / closing valve; and a lid is provided to close the opening. A method for discharging remaining concrete, which comprises closing the on-off valve, removing the lid, connecting a discharge pipe to the opening, and driving the concrete pump to discharge the remaining concrete from the discharge pipe when discharging the remaining concrete in the hopper to the outside.

2. 2. A method for discharging residual concrete as described in claim 1, wherein the concrete pressure pipe is composed of a plurality of unit pipes of different shapes, the unit pipe connected to the discharge pipe is composed of a discharge elbow pipe, the on-off valve is provided between the discharge elbow pipe and another unit pipe connected to the discharge elbow pipe, and the opening is formed in the discharge elbow pipe.

3. A protrusion is provided on the surface of the lid body, When returning the concrete in the concrete pumping pipe to the hopper prior to discharging the remaining concrete, 3. A method for discharging residual concrete as described in claim 1 or 2, which includes the steps of: removing the cover from the opening in advance and reattaching it to the opening with the surface side facing toward the inside of the pipe, thereby positioning the protrusion inside the concrete pumping pipe; pushing a sponge ball from the tip of the concrete pumping pipe and driving the concrete pump to reverse the flow of concrete inside the concrete pumping pipe and return it to the hopper; capturing the sponge ball that flows back together with the reverse-flowing concrete by the protrusion; and removing the cover from the opening and removing the sponge ball from the opening.

4. A concrete pump truck is provided with a hopper, a piston-type concrete pump that sucks and discharges concrete from the hopper, and a discharge pipe that discharges concrete from the concrete pump. The concrete pump truck is provided with a concrete pressure pipe that is connected to the discharge pipe, The concrete pressure pipe is provided with an on-off valve at a predetermined location for opening and closing the inside of the pipe, and an opening is formed between the discharge pipe and the on-off valve, The opening is provided with a lid that can be removably closed.

5. 5. The concrete pumping pipe according to claim 4, wherein the concrete pumping pipe is composed of a plurality of unit pipes of different shapes, the unit pipe connected to the discharge pipe is a discharge elbow pipe, the on-off valve is provided between the discharge elbow pipe and another unit pipe connected to the discharge elbow pipe, and the opening is formed in the discharge elbow pipe.

6. 6. A concrete pumping pipe according to claim 4, wherein the cover has a protrusion on its surface, and when the cover is removed from the opening and attached to the opening with the surface side facing toward the inside of the pipe, the protrusion is positioned inside the concrete pumping pipe.

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