Concrete producing machine increasing mixture quality by variable-speed stars

Abstract

The present invention relates to a variable speed concrete production mixer designed for use in the ready-mixed concrete sector and intended to mix sand, gravel, cement and water in a homogeneous consistency in a short time with two different motion kinematics during the concrete preparation phase, and its feature is; a upper gearbox output shaft (12) transmitting the torque movement from the upper gearbox (11), a sprocket (17) fixed concentrically to the pinion gear (16) working in integration with the gear (15) which receives the torque movement from said upper gearbox output shaft (12) by means of the bearing (14) and the adapter (13) enabling variable motion transmission, a tensioning sprocket (19), which provides pre-tensioning in order not to deteriorate the guiding effect due to the centrifugal effect of the chain after the movement it receives from the said sprocket (17) via the chain (18), a transmission gear (20) which rotates the output shaft (22) with the sprocket (17) and a rotary table (4) associated with the lower gearbox (3), which rotates arms (5, 6, 7, 8, 9) with the effect of the mentioned gear and chain configuration around yi axis while vertical arms (24) rotates around y2 axis.

Description

[0001] CONCRETE PRODUCING MACHINE INCREASING MIXTURE QUALITY BY VARIABLE-SPEED STARS

[0002] Technical Field:

[0003] The present invention relates to a variable speed concrete production mixer designed to be used in the ready-mixed concrete sector, which aims to mix sand, gravel, cement and water in a homogeneous consistency in a short time with two different motion kinematics.

[0004] State of the Art:

[0005] Concrete is widely used in road construction, landscaping, construction and infrastructure repairs. Concrete is obtained by mixing cement, sand, gravel and water in certain proportions. Concrete mixers (planetary, twin shaft, single shaft, pan mixer) or vehicles called transmixers are needed for the preparation of concrete.

[0006] In concrete mixer systems called pan mixers, materials are generally poured into the pan. In general, the materials in large pans are mixed with the help of mixing paddles and scraping blades. The problem with these mixers is as follows; since the mixing paddles make translational movements without mixing, it takes quite a long time for the concrete quality to reach the desired consistency. Because it is not possible for the mixing paddles to travel every point where there is a mixture in a short time. This situation can cause limitations in terms of efficiency and speed, especially in large construction projects, and concrete quality can be compromised.

[0007] Planetary mixers are used for concrete mixing in planetary mixer systems. These mixers both rotate around their own axis and perform the field scanning process by rotating movement by the center shaft. Some planetary type machines also have horizontal movement. The shortcoming of these systems is that the planetary mixers are not suitable for the posture structure and the number of arms is small, so it takes considerably more time than pan mixers to travel the full area in the pan.

[0008] Patent application US4758095A describes a twin shaft pan mixer. A dual shaft pan mixer comprises a mixing vessel having a first and a second pan section, a pair of paddle assemblies having drive shafts which are disposed horizontally and in paralllel relationship with each other within the mixing vessel and adapted to rotate in mutually opposite directions, and a drive source for synchronously driving the pair of paddle assemblies. The mixing vessel includes a substantially triangular space below an area intermediate the first and the second pan section and displaced out of the loci of rotation of the paddle assemblies, and also includes a discharge port which is disposed adjacent to the space. The mixer also comprises a rod-shaped vibration generator disposed within the space and extending in a direction parallel to the drive shafts.

[0009] The double shaft pan mixers described in the above patent application can also be called double planetary mechanisms. These mixers are more complex and customized machines than other pan mixers. In these machines, there is a single movement and this movement is provided by agitators associated with two different shafts. Scrapers are not included in the document in question, so, the parts of the materials sticking to the drum cannot be cleaned, effective mixing of the materials cannot be ensured and a homogeneous mixture cannot be obtained.

[0010] Patent application GB2053706A describes a concrete mixer. A horizontally disposed mixing bowl contains a rotor which is mounted by a shaft in a bearing. The rotor is driven by two motors through respective couplings and speed-reducing transmission units of which one, is coupled directly to the rotor and the other, to the shaft. The units are connected to the frame by torsion bars to prevent bending of the shaft. The concrete mixer described in the above patent application is also known as a pan mixer in the industry. The problem with these machines is that the pallets can make the concrete mixture suitable for quality in much longer times than the targeted times.

[0011] As a result, there is a need for a new technology that can overcome the disadvantages mentioned above.

[0012] Description of the Invention:

[0013] Our inventive system relates to a concrete production machine designed to be used in the ready-mixed concrete sector and aims to mix sand, gravel, cement and water with two different motion kinematics.

[0014] The difference of our system from the equivalent machines in the market is that it facilitates the better homogenization of the mixture materials in shorter time and facilitates obtaining a high quality concrete mixture. This difference is created by the function of the arms in our system that perform the translational (or sweeping) movement by scanning in a wide area and the other arms that perform the mixing movement in a narrow area. In short, the arms in our invention form a complete scanning area.

[0015] The motor in our invention is inverter controlled and the mixing speed can be adjusted to the desired speed. The mixing arms can rotate at desired angular speeds, which helps to quickly adjust and homogenize the concrete consistency. Our invention enables the production of high quality concrete in a shorter time and provides advantages in construction projects where fast and high quality concrete production is required. By adjusting the speed, more precise quality control is ensured and customer satisfaction is increased. In addition, inverter-controlled motors reduce labor requirements by making the concrete mixing process more automated, and motors operating at variable speeds increase energy efficiency and reduce operating costs. Description of the Drawings:

[0016] The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures, so that the features of the invention will be more clearly understood and appreciated, but not by limiting the invention to these particular embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents that may be included within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. It should be understood that the details are shown only for the purpose of illustrating preferred embodiments of the present invention and are provided the most useful and easily understood descriptions of both the method and the rules and conceptual features of the invention. In these drawings;

[0017] Figure 1 The side section view of the inventive system.

[0018] Figure 2 The upper section view of the inventive system.

[0019] Figure 3 The exploded assembly view of the inventive system.

[0020] Figure 4 The perspective view of the gear mechanism that provides the movement of the arm and scrapers.

[0021] The figures that will help to understand the present invention are numbered as indicated in the attached picture and are given below with their names.

[0022] Disclosure of References:

[0023] 1. Main body

[0024] 2. Lower motor

[0025] 3. Lower gearbox

[0026] 4. Rotary table

[0027] 5. Horizontal agitator arm

[0028] 6. Vertical agitator arm

[0029] 7. Horizontal outer scraper arm

[0030] 8. Vertical outer scraper arm

[0031] 9. Inner scraper arm 10. Upper motor

[0032] 11. Upper gearbox

[0033] 12. Upper gearbox output shaft

[0034] 13. Adapter

[0035] 14. Bearing

[0036] 15. Gear

[0037] 16. Pinion gear

[0038] 17. Sprocket

[0039] 18. Chain

[0040] 19. Tensioning sprocket

[0041] 20. Transmission gear

[0042] 21. Transmission gear bearing

[0043] 22. Output shaft

[0044] 23. Star plate

[0045] 24. Vertical arms

[0046] 25. Output hopper

[0047] Detailed Disclosure of the Invention:

[0048] The components of our invention are basically; main body (1), lower motor (2), lower gearbox (3), rotary table (4), horizontal agitator arm (5), vertical agitator arm (6), horizontal outer scraper arm (7), vertical outer scraper arm (8), inner scraper arm (9), upper motor (10), upper gearbox (11), upper gearbox output shaft (12), adapter (13), bearing (14), gear (15), pinion gear (16), sprocket (17), chain (18), tensioning sprocket (19), transmission gear (20), transmission gear bearing (21), output shaft (22), star plate (23), vertical arms (24) and output hopper (25).

[0049] All the elements in the system shown in Figures 1-2 are located in the main body (1). While, the lower motor (2) and lower gearbox (3) are located below the main body (1), the upper motor (10) and upper gearbox (11) are located above the main body (1). The upper gearbox (11) is integrated on the rotary table (4) by means of the upper gearbox output shaft (12) and bearing (14). The mixture of sand, gravel, cement and water is stored and mixed in the main body (1).

[0050] In the mixing process of our invention, two different motion kinematics are used. The first one is translational (or called like sweeping) motion and the other one is agitating motion. Horizontal agitator arm (5), vertical agitator arm (6), horizontal outer scraper arm (7), vertical outer scraper arm (8) and inner scraper arms (9) in the main body (1) translate the mixture with the help of pallets connected to their ends. The term translational means to spread the mixture in our invention over a wider area. The translational movement can also be expressed as a sweeping movement. The arms (5, 6, 7, 8, 9) are fixed to the rotary table (4). The lower gearbox (3) connected to the lower motor (2) provides the circular movement of the rotary table (4) and the arms (5, 6, 7, 8, 9) move in the same direction. This movement of the arms (5, 6, 7, 8, 9) allows the mixture to be blended by sweeping or translating from one point to another. The position of the arms (5, 6, 7, 8, 9) on the rotary table (4) is from the center outwards. In other words, the horizontal agitator arm (5) with short arm length and the vertical agitator arm (6) fixed near the center of the rotary table (4), translate the mixture close to the center, while the horizontal agitator arm (5) and the vertical agitator arm (6) with longer arm length translate the mixture far from the center. Similarly, the horizontal outer scraper arm (7) and the vertical outer scraper arm (8) prevent the mix from sticking to the outer wall of the main body (1), while the inner scraper arm (9) prevents the mix from sticking to the inner wall of the main body (1). While cleaning the inner surface of the drum, the scrapers are also responsible for removing sediment and adhered materials that prevent the concrete mix from mixing properly.

[0051] The second motion is agitating. This agitating process ensures a more homogeneous batching of the concrete mix in a narrower area. The agitating in the narrow area is carried out by vertical arms (24) connected to star plates (23). One star plate (23) has three vertical arms (24), but the number can be arranged so that there is at least one. The star plate (23) is associated with the lower part of the rotary table (4), and when the rotary table (4) rotates in a circular motion while moving the arms (5, 6, 7, 8, 9), the star plate (23) rotates together with the rotary table (4) and at the same time makes a circular motion around its own axis. These axes of motion are shown as yi and yi axes in Figure 4. While the arms (5, 6, 7, 8, 9) that provide translational movement receive the drive motion from the lower motor (2) and the lower gearbox (3), the star plate (23) and the vertical arms (24) connected to this plate receive the drive motion from the upper motor

[0052] (10) and the upper motor gearbox (11). The upper motor (10) is inverter controlled and can drive the vertical arms (24) at variable speeds.

[0053] Figure 4 shows a detailed view of the mechanisms to which the arms that perform both translation and agitating in the main body (1) are connected. The upper motor (10) and upper gearbox (11) are connected to the rotary table (4) with the gearbox output shaft (12) on yi axis. The upper gearbox output shaft (12) connected to the motor gearbox

[0054] (11) transmits the torque power to the hub with the gear (15) via the bearing (14) and the adapter (13) which enables variable motion transmission. After that, the gear (15) transmits the torque to the pinion gear (16) associated with its teeth. When the pinion gear (16) starts to rotate, the sprocket (17) fixed concentrically on the same shaft starts to move. The sprocket (17) transmits the rotation movement to the transmission gear (20) through the chain (18). The tensioning sprockets (19) in the mechanism dampen the vibrations caused by the movement of the chain (18) with the pretension effect and prevent fluctuations in the chain tension. The transmission gear (20) starts the circular movement of the yi axis of the star plate (23) through the output shaft (22) extending along the transmission gear bearing (21) on which the transmission gear (20) is mounted, and enables the vertical arms (24) to start the mixing process at rising and falling speeds. With the effect of the mentioned system, the concrete mixture can become homogeneous in a very short time and reach high quality. The prepared concrete mixture can be poured into the relevant area from the output hopper (25).

Claims

CLAIMS1- A machine related to a concrete production machine with both agitating and sweeping effect to obtain concrete from the materials it contains for use in the ready- mixed concrete sector and the machine comprising a main body (1), a horizontal agitator arm (5) and a vertical agitator arm (6) which sweep mix in the main body (1), a horizontal outer scraper arm (7), a vertical outer scraper arm (8), and an inner scraper arm (9) which clean the sediments adhering to the outer wall and inner wall inside the machine, a lower motor (2) associated with a lower gearbox (3) fixed to the lower part of the main body (1), an upper gearbox (11) positioned on the main body (1), an inverter-controlled upper motor (10) associated with the upper gearbox (11), vertical arms (24) mixing the concrete mixture in the main body (1), star plates (23) on which the vertical arms (24) are fixed, in characterized that;- a upper gearbox output shaft (12) transmitting the torque movement from the upper gearbox (11),- a sprocket (17) fixed concentrically to the pinion gear (16) working in integration with the gear (15) which receives the torque movement from said upper gearbox output shaft (12) by means of the bearing (14) and the adapter (13) enabling variable motion transmission,- a tensioning sprocket (19), which provides pre-tensioning in order not to deteriorate the guiding effect due to the centrifugal effect of the chain after the movement it receives from the said sprocket (17) via the chain (18),- a transmission gear (20) which rotates the output shaft (22) with the sprocket (17),- a rotary table (4) associated with the lower gearbox (3), which rotates arms (5, 6, 7, 8, 9) with the effect of the mentioned gear and chain configuration around yi axis while vertical arms (24) rotates around yi axis.2- A concrete production machine whose mixing quality is increased with the variable speed stars mentioned in claim 1; is characterized in that, a transmission gear bearing (21), which fixes the transmission gears (20) on the rotary table (4).3- A concrete production machine whose mixing quality is increased with the variable speed stars mentioned in claim 1; is characterized in that, a bearing (14) for fixing the upper gearbox output shaft (12) of the upper gearbox in the rotary table (4).

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