Feeder Assembly for Main Boom Material Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing construction material delivery systems, such as conduit-based pumping systems and telescopic belt conveyors, face limitations in maneuverability, require specific concrete mixtures, consume excessive power, pose safety risks due to over-pressurization, and result in material waste, especially when navigating tight spaces or adjusting boom positions.
Innovation Solution
A feeder system for a portable construction material boom assembly featuring a rotatable mount, a feeder belt, and a lifting mechanism that allows the feeder assembly to transition from a horizontal transport position to an angled deployed position, enabling the feeder assembly to direct material efficiently over the main boom assembly while allowing for greater freedom of movement and reducing interference with the boom assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the entire boom pipeline is rotated horizontally at the base to navigate tight spaces, then the boom can reach different locations, but the operation becomes time-intensive and labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The boom pipeline is divided into multiple sections that can independently articulate relative to each other. Instead of rotating the entire boom at the base, individual sections can pivot and adjust independently, allowing the distal end to reach tight spaces without moving the entire structure, thereby reducing repositioning time and labor.
2Ease of operation
If conduit-based pumping systems are used to deliver concrete, then material can be transported through piping, but the system requires specific concrete mixtures and consumes excessive power
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the high-power mechanical pumping system with a gravity-fed belt conveyor system. The belt conveyor uses mechanical movement along an inclined plane rather than high-pressure pumping, significantly reducing power consumption while eliminating the need for specific concrete mixtures required by pump systems.
3Productivity
If conduit-based pumping systems are used, then concrete can be delivered under pressure, but safety risks arise from over-pressurization and hose whip
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the pressurized conduit-based pumping system with a gravity-fed belt conveyor system. This eliminates high-pressure operation entirely, removing the safety hazards of over-pressurization and hose whip while maintaining the ability to deliver concrete to placement locations through controlled mechanical conveyance.
4Device complexity
If the feeder assembly remains in a fixed horizontal position, then the structure is simple, but the main boom assembly has limited freedom of movement
Solution Approach 1:
The feeder assembly is made dynamically adjustable through a lifting mechanism that allows it to transition between a horizontal transport position and an elevated deployed position. When elevated, the feeder clears the boom assembly, enabling full rotational freedom. This dynamic reconfiguration adds minimal structural complexity while dramatically improving operational versatility.
Data Source
AI summary
A feeder assembly can be mounted on a platform such as a transport vehicle that includes a main boom assembly for moving material at a destination site. The main boom assembly is both telescoping and rotatable about a rotatable mount on the platform. The feeder assembly is mounted on the platform and can be raised from a transport position in which the feeder assembly lays horizontally on the platform, adjacent the rotatable mount, to a raised and angled position that allows the feeder assembly to convey construction material from a feed hopper at the rear of the feeder assembly to a feed point of the main boom assembly.