CA2475627A1

CA2475627A1 - Method for producing multifunctional molded elements

Info

Publication number: CA2475627A1
Application number: CA002475627A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Hans-Josef Metten
Original assignee: Metten Stein and Design GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-07-23
Filing date: 2004-07-23
Publication date: 2005-01-23
Also published as: DE10333380A1; EP1500483A2; EP1500483A3

Abstract

A method for producing multifunctional molded elements (2) such as blocks, slabs and the like from concrete, production being effected on the basis of compaction in molds arranged on molding boards (1) and filled with concrete and/or punches corresponding to the molded element surface, or by vibration, tamping and/or casting on a floor, the molded elements being cured afterward, the molded elements (2), for example blocks, slabs and the like, being subjected, before the curing of their surfaces, to a lateral post-treatment aided by treatment tools on at least one lateral face arranged on the molding board or floor in angular fashion relative to the bearing face, and the molded elements (2) being or having been placed such a distance from one another for the lateral post-treatment that the spacing corresponds to the space required by a treatment tool.

Description

Method for Producing Multifunctional Molded Elements FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method for producing multifunctional molded elements such as blocks, slabs and the like from concrete, production being effected on the basis of compaction in molds arranged on molding boards (1) and filled with concrete and/or punches corresponding to the molded element surface, or by vibration, tamping and/or casting on a floor, the molded elements being cured afterward.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is generally known to produce molded elements by compaction, the surfaces facing away from the molding board or floor also being smoothed by punches.
The lateral faces of the molded elements correspond to the wall surface of the mold, it also being evident, as appropriate, whether a facing layer was provided on the surfaces before compaction. The lateral walls also have, as appropriate, striplike projections as an aid to laying, which ensure a spacing of the molded elements one from another. The molded elements are otherwise untreated.
Further, from EP-0 319 972 A1, there is known a method for fabricating and/or treating concrete blocks wherein the punches have projections or recesses by which the surface of the concrete blocks is roughened. The punches, however, can also be deliberately kept smaller than the molds so that burred edges result, the removal of which likewise brings about roughening of the edge of the concrete blocks. Roughening is further intensified by treating the surfaces of the concrete blocks with brushes.
Concrete blocks fabricated by this method have proven serviceable but have a rather rough surface, the lateral faces of the concrete blocks corresponding to the wall surfaces of the mold but being otherwise untreated,.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to furnish a method by which a differently fashioned surface is generated and, in particular, the most complete possible treatment of the multifunctional molded elements such as blocks, slabs and the like takes place. This is to be possible at an acceptable cost in existing production equipment.
The object of the invention is achieved in that the molded elements, for example blocks, slabs and the like, are subjected, before the curing of their surfaces, to a lateral post-treatment aided by treatment tools on at least one lateral face arranged on the molding board in angular fashion relative to the bearing face, and that the molded elements are or have been placed such a distance from one another for the lateral post-treatment that the spacing corresponds to the space required by a treatment tool.
The multifunctional molded elements can be steps, curbstones, paving blocks, steles, palisades, mini-palisades, edging blocks, bench elements, external bricks, bricks, cap blocks, facade elements and the like for which the post-treatment of at least one lateral wall is desired.
The teaching of the invention to provide a space between the molded elements now makes it possible to treat at least one lateral wall or two preferably opposite lateral walls and also, if desired, the third or fouth lateral wall as well.
S Here a treatment tool can be individually guided along a lateral face so as to treat the lateral face. It is also possible, however, to guide individual treatment tools or a plurality of treatment tools along lanes between the molded elements so as to treat adjacent lateral walls of distinct molded elements at the same time. The treatment tools can be guided through a plurality of lanes at the same time and thus treat a large number of molded elements at the same time. The lanes can also be arranged at an angle to one another, so that three or four sides of one molded element or a plurality of molded elements are treated at the same time. What is more, the treatment tool for the surface of one molded element or a plurality of molded elements can carry out the post-treatment of the surfaces at the same time as the post-treatment of the lateral walls.
The sides are preferably treated with brushlike treatment tools. It is also possible, however, to employ air jets guided by nozzles and the like.
The brushlike treatment tools can be strip brushes that are guided along the blocks and, as appropriate, also execute a back-and-forth motion. Disk brushes, which in addition to the longitudinal motion along the molded elements also execute a rotary motion, in various rotation directions as appropriate, can also be used.
Also, however, round and cylindrical brushes or brushes in belt or band shape and the like can be employed.
The brushes can be fitted with bristles, preferably made of steel or plastic.
A
blend of steel and plastic bristles can also be advantageous. Treatment tools made of softer materials can also be used, however, the treatment tools being faced with cloths, sponges, nonwoven fabrics, felt, rubber, plastic or woven fabric, which can also be utilized in the form of strips instead of bristles.
The treatment tools can be guided over the lateral faces and surfaces at various speeds. In the case of the already mentioned superposed rotary and reciprocating motions, their rotation and reciprocation speeds can be varied. The surface pressure can also be adjusted to various levels.
The treatment tools can have the same width as the faces to be treated. They can also, however, be fashioned wider and in this way can also at the same time treat the edges as well as chamfers on the edges, as appropriate.
By these practices and modifications thereof, the degree of profiling, the roughness and the texture are to be altered or varied. An adaptation to various materials of the molded elements and their degree of curing is also possible.
In order to improve the treatment, the lateral faces of the molded elements can be sprayed with a liquid, for example water, an aqueous solution, an acrylate, an emulsion, dispersion or paint. Spraying can take place independently or with holes in the treatment tools. The action of spraying on th:e surfaces and lateral faces can be modified in that spraying takes place before, during or after post-treatment.
The molded elements can advantageously be treated with a set retardant on their outer face before curing, so that post-treatment takes place at a later time when the core of the molded element has already cured.
In this way the stability of the molded element during post-treatment can be enhanced and the post-treatment can better be integrated into the fabrication process.
By profiling the walls of the mold, the lateral faces of the molded elements can be roughened and textured upon removal from the mold, before post-treatment, so that the post-treatment has an altered action on the faces.
A further factor here is whether the molded element faces to be treated were provided with a facing layer everywhere or only in partial regions or whether the molded element was fabricated from a homogeneous material with no facing layers.
In order to achieve the spacing between molded elements, the board or floor assigned to the mold can be subdivided into parts that can be moved away from one another in such fashion that spacings arise between molded elements.
Depending on what post-treatment is desired, the board or floor can comprise strips, so that the molded elements are spaced apart row by row. The board or floor can, however, also be further subdivided in such fashion that the molded elements arranged one behind another in a row are also shifted relative to one another.
A corresponding action can be achieved in that the cavities of a mold that can be filled with concrete are arranged with such a spacing relative to one another that the molded elements have the requisite spacing for treatment. The interstices between the fillable cavities can be covered over so that only the cavities that are adequately spaced apart are filled.

For the further explanation of the invention, reference is made to simplified illustration of exemplary embodiments in the Drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is an overhead view of a molding board with molded elements made of concrete and disk brushes for treating the surface of the blocks;
FIG. 2 is an overhead view of a molding board according to FIG. 1 with two pairs of strip brushes for treating the lateral faces of molded elements;
FIG. 3 is an overhead view of a molding board according to FIG. 2 with two brush pairs that are displaced by 90° relative to those of FIG. 2 so as to treat further lateral faces; and FIG. 4 is a lateral view of a molded element with a disk brush, arranged as sketched, for treating the surface and a strip brush for treating a lateral face.
In FIGS. 1 to 4, insofar as depicted in particular, reference character 1 identifies a molding board on which molded elements, identified by 2, are arranged. Disk brushes provided for the treatment of the molded element surfaces, which disk brushes partly cover two molded elements, are identified by 3. As can be inferred from the arrows on the disk brushes, the disk brushes can be rotated and advanced laterally so that the surfaces of all molded elements 2 arranged on molding board 1 are treated.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
As can be inferred in particular from FIGS. 1 to 3, molded elements 2 are spaced apart from one another. This spacing, as can be inferred from FIGS. 2 and 3, is sufficient for the lateral faces of the molded elements to be treated. To this end, in FIG. 2, there are strip brushes 4, which are arranged in pairs and can be guided back and forth along the molded elements as indicated by the arrows. As soon as these strip brushes have treated the sides of the molded elements depicted at left in FIG. 2, they are guided to the next molded element to the right and can subsequently treat it.
As FIG. 3 shows, the further sides of the molded elements are treated by the same strip brushes 4 or by additional strip brushes. This can be done either by separate brush pairs or also by the same brush pairs. To this end the brushes can be raised after treating the first sides, rotated by 90°, and again lowered, so that each brush pair is individually controlled. Also, however, there can be a plurality of brush pairs arranged in rotated fashion relative to one another.
The brushing back-and-forth motion can also be superposed on a longitudinal motion, so that strip brushes 4 are continuously guided along the blocks.

In the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3, the molded elements are arranged on the molding board spaced apart from one another in that the finable cavities of the mold are arranged spaced apart from one another, the spaces being covered over. Molding board 1 can, however, also be subdivided into a plurality of molding board parts, so that the molding board parts are appropriately moved away from one another after compaction and removal of the molded elements from the mold.
In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 4, the molded element is treated with a disk brush on one face and, at the same time, with a strip brush at an angle thereto.
Depending on the fashioning of the molded elements, it may be sufficient if just two faces or faces arranged at an angle to one another are treated.
It should be expressly stated that, in addition to the exemplary embodiment depicted, the lateral wall of molded element 2 lying opposite strip brush 4 and, additionally, also the lateral face or faces facing together and/or oppositely can be treated. In this way a plurality of molded elements can also be post-treated at the same time.

Claims

1. A method for producing multifunctional molded elements from concrete, production being effected on a basis of at least one of compaction in molds arranged on molding boards and filled with at least one of concrete and punches corresponding to a molded element surface, vibration, tamping, and casting on a floor, the molded elements being cured afterward, wherein the molded elements are subjected, before surface curing, to a lateral post-treatment aided by treatment tools on at least one lateral face arranged on one of a molding board and a floor in angular fashion relative to a bearing face and wherein the molded elements are such a distance from one another for the lateral post-treatment that a spacing corresponds to a space required by a treatment tool.

2. The method of Claim 1 wherein two opposite sides of a molded element are subjected to lateral post-treatments.

3. The method of any one of Claims 1 and 2 wherein two facing sides of adjacent molded elements axe subjected to lateral post-treatments.

4. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein the lateral faces angled relative to the lateral faces are subjected to corresponding lateral post-treatments.

5. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 4 wherein mold walls facing toward the molded elements are provided with profiling with at least one of variously shaped projections and recesses, which texture the lateral faces of the molded elements on removal of the molded elements from a mold.

6. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 5 wherein the molded elements are subjected to a surface post-treatment using treatment tools on their surfaces opposite to the bearing faces on one of the molding board and floor.

7. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 6 wherein one of the molding board and floor is subdivided into a corresponding number of lateral faces of molded elements to be treated and parts are displaced relative to one another in order to establish spacings.

8. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 7 wherein a liquid is applied to at least one of the lateral faces and surfaces, at least one of before, during, and after post-treatment.

9. The method of Claim 8, wherein said liquid is selected from a group consisting of water, an aqueous solution, acrylate, an emulsion, a dispersion, and paint.

10. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 9 wherein the treatment tools for one of lateral post-treatment and surface post-treatment are fashioned as brushes, which are traversibly guided along the molded elements.

11. The method of Claim 10, wherein said brushes are strip brushes.

12. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 11 wherein the treatment tools for one of lateral post-treatment and surface post-treatment are fashioned as disk brushes, which are guided along the molded elements.

13. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 12 wherein treatment tools for one of lateral post-treatment and surface post-treatment have one of cloths, sponges, nonwoven fabrics, felt, rubber, plastic and woven fabric, which are mounted on a backing element, and guided along the molded elements.

14. The method of Claim 13 wherein said backing element is a plate.

15. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 14 wherein the treatment tools are adapted in at least one of texture and strength to at least one of material, degree of curing, and degree of post-treatment of the surfaces of the molded elements.

16. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 15 wherein treatment tools differing in at least one of texture, strength, and kind are used for post-treatment of lateral faces and surfaces.

17. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 16 wherein a plurality of treatment tools differing in at least one of texture, strength, and shape are used successively for post-treatment.

18. A treatment tool for post-treatment of at least one of the lateral faces and surfaces for the performance of the method of any one of Claims 1 to 17 wherein a width of the treatment tools corresponds to at least one of height and width of the molded elements.

19. The treatment tool for post-treatment of Claim 18 wherein at least one of the height and width of the treatment tools extends beyond the height and width of the molded elements.

20. A mold for the performance of the method of any one of Claims 1 to 19 wherein cavities of a mold finable with concrete are arranged spaced apart from one another in such fashion that the molded elements have the requisite spacing for treatment.