EP4098871A1

EP4098871A1 - Pumping apparatus

Info

Publication number: EP4098871A1
Application number: EP22176517.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Emanuele ZORZI; Samuele Montorfano; Paolo Dario Maini; Paolo Sala
Original assignee: CIFA SpA
Current assignee: CIFA SpA
Priority date: 2021-06-01
Filing date: 2022-05-31
Publication date: 2022-12-07
Anticipated expiration: 2042-05-31
Also published as: EP4098871B1; IT202100014276A1

Abstract

Pumping apparatus (10) comprising a bearing structure (11) and a pumping unit (13) which is provided with pumping members (19, 20, 21) which are configured to pump material from a feed compartment (15) toward an outlet end (16). Damper members (23, 24, 25, 26, 27) are interposed between the pumping unit (13) and the bearing structure (11).

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns a pumping apparatus configured to pump material, for example concrete, from a containing compartment, for example installed on a vehicle, to a pipe for the distribution of said material.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Pumping apparatuses are known, configured to pump material, for example concrete, which comprise a pumping unit attached to a bearing structure.
In this type of apparatus, the pumping unit usually comprises two pumping cylinders and an exchange valve, known to persons of skill in the art by the term "S" valve; the cylinders take the material from a containing compartment and pump it into an outlet pipe so that it can be distributed. During normal operation, the pumping unit generates high vibrations and oscillations that derive from the movement of the pumping cylinders and the exchange valve.
In known apparatuses, the pumping unit is rigidly attached to the bearing structure and the vibrations and oscillations generated by its use are transmitted directly to the bearing structure itself, which is a disadvantage since it subjects to mechanical stresses many members of both the pumping unit and also of the bearing structure, especially when the latter consists of the frame of a heavy vehicle.
In the design of this type of pumping apparatus it is important to reduce the vibrations and oscillations transmitted to the bearing structure, since they can cause premature deterioration and poor stability of the outlet pipe when it is used to direct the material, with consequent danger for operators, especially if the outlet pipe is in an extended position, which can even be a few tens of meters.
Document JP2015502477A describes a pumping apparatus for pumping concrete. The apparatus comprises a pumping unit disposed on a support frame that allows to adjust the angle of inclination. Furthermore, the support frame is provided with an elastic support plate operatively associated with the pumping unit in order to dampen and reduce vibrations during the pumping operations.
Document CN109236603A describes a pumping apparatus for pumping concrete. The apparatus comprises a pumping unit mounted on a base support, which is associated with a support device provided with support feet that incorporate shock-absorbing springs.
Document US20190331110A1 describes a pumping apparatus for pumping materials, such as concrete for example, mounted on a trailer and comprising a pumping unit. The apparatus is provided with damping elements to dampen the transmission of forces deriving from the drive of the pumping unit, stabilizing the latter.
There is therefore a need to perfect a pumping apparatus that can overcome the disadvantages of the state of the art.
One purpose of the present invention is to provide a pumping apparatus in which the vibrations and oscillations generated by the pumping unit are dampened as much as possible and are not transmitted to the bearing structure.
Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a pumping apparatus which can also be easily installed on any type of suitable vehicle, and in which the vibrations and oscillations generated by the pumping unit are not transmitted to the frame of the vehicle, to consequently improve the stability of the outlet pipe during use and therefore the quality of the pumping.
Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a pumping apparatus in which the outlet pipe can be used with greater ease and precision.
The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is set forth and characterized in the independent claims. The dependent claims describe other characteristics of the present invention or variants to the main inventive idea.
In accordance with the above purposes and in order to resolve the technical problem described above, a pumping apparatus according to the present invention comprises a bearing structure and a pumping unit which is disposed mainly along a longitudinal axis and is provided with pumping means which are configured to pump material from a feed compartment toward an outlet end. The pumping means are of the pumping barrel/cylinder type.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the pumping apparatus also comprises damping means interposed between the pumping unit and the bearing structure in order to dampen at least the roll of the pumping unit with respect to the longitudinal axis.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the damping means are configured in such a way as to prevent the translation of the pumping unit.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the damping means comprise at least three damper members.
In this solution, at least one damper member is associated respectively with the feed compartment, or hopper, which feeds the concrete to the pumping means, with a connection element, which acts as a connection interface and has the function of supporting the movement of the pumping cylinders with respect to the corresponding barrel, and with the pumping means.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the damper members are five.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the feed compartment comprises two lateral walls disposed symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal axis. Furthermore, a first and a second of the support elements of the bearing structure are disposed in correspondence with the two lateral walls of the feed compartment. In addition, each of the two lateral walls of the feed compartment comprises a rest element disposed in correspondence with the first support element and the second support element respectively, so that a first and a second damper element are interposed between the first and second support element and a corresponding rest element.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the pumping unit comprises, in a median zone thereof, two further rest elements disposed symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis. Furthermore, a third and a fourth of the support elements of the bearing structure are disposed substantially in correspondence with the two further rest elements, in such a way that a third and a fourth damper element are interposed between the third and fourth support element and the two further rest elements.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the pumping means comprise two cylindrical tubular elements disposed side by side and parallel to each other, and coaxially associated with two corresponding pumping cylinders. Furthermore, the median zone is substantially located in correspondence with one end of the pumping cylinders close to the cylindrical tubular elements.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a fifth of the support elements lies substantially on the longitudinal axis, in correspondence with a front part of the pumping unit on the opposite side with respect to the feed compartment, and it is attached to the bearing structure. Furthermore, a fifth of the damper elements is interposed between the fifth support element and the front part of the pumping unit.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the fifth support element is positioned substantially at approximately 2/3 of the length of the pumping cylinders, starting from their end where they are associated with the cylindrical elements.
The present invention also concerns a vehicle on which the pumping apparatus as above is installed. In particular, the bearing structure comprises, or consists of, a frame of the vehicle and the pumping unit is configured to pump concrete.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other aspects, characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of some embodiments, given as a non-restrictive example with reference to the attached drawings wherein:

fig. 1 is a perspective and schematic view of a pumping apparatus according to the present invention, installed on a vehicle, in accordance with a first embodiment;
fig. 2 is a perspective and schematic view of a detail of the pumping apparatus of fig. 1;
fig. 3 is a schematic rear view of the pumping apparatus of fig. 1;
fig. 4 is a schematic front view of the pumping apparatus of fig. 1;
fig. 5 is a perspective view, schematized and on an enlarged scale, of a detail of the pumping apparatus of fig. 1;
fig. 6 is a perspective and schematic view of a pumping apparatus according to the present invention, installed on a vehicle, in accordance with a second embodiment;
fig. 7 is a section view of a detail of the pumping apparatus of fig. 6.

We must clarify that in the present description the phraseology and terminology used, such as for example the terms horizontal, vertical, front, rear, high, low, internal and external, with their declinations, have the sole function of better illustrating the present invention with reference to the drawings and must not be in any way used to limit the scope of the invention itself, or the field of protection defined by the attached claims.
Furthermore, the people of skill in the art will recognize that certain sizes or characteristics in the drawings may have been enlarged, deformed, or shown in an unconventional or non-proportional way in order to provide a version of the present invention that is easier to understand. When sizes and/or values are specified in the following description, the sizes and/or values are provided for illustrative purposes only and must not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention, unless such sizes and/or values are present in the attached claims.
To facilitate comprehension, the same reference numbers have been used, where possible, to identify identical common elements in the drawings. It is understood that elements and characteristics of one embodiment can be conveniently combined or incorporated into other embodiments without further clarifications.

DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

With reference to fig. 1, a pumping apparatus 10 according to the present invention comprises a bearing structure 11 on which a pumping unit 13 is mounted, which is configured to pump a material, such as concrete for example, from a containing compartment 15 to an outlet aperture 16.
The containing compartment 15, as seen in figs. 1 and 3, can have the shape of a hopper into which the material can be introduced by another mean, for example a truck mixer.
Conversely, a pipe 17 is connected to the outlet aperture 16, which conveys the material, for example by means of an articulated arm which can be tens of meters long, toward a destination location, for example a building under construction, or an area of a construction site in general.
In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the pumping apparatus 10 is mounted on a vehicle 18, for example a heavy truck, and the bearing structure 11 comprises, or consists of, the frame of the vehicle 18.
For example, the pumping unit 13 is of the type described in the Italian patent for industrial invention No. 1.401.514 of the Applicant.
Briefly, the pumping unit 13 comprises two cylindrical tubular elements, or barrels, 19 disposed side by side and parallel to each other. The two barrels 19 are coaxially associated with two corresponding pumping cylinders 20, of the fluid-dynamic type, which are disposed parallel to a longitudinal axis X (figs. 2, 3 and 4) which is inclined by an angle α (figs. 2 and 6), for example comprised between about 10° and about 30°, with respect to a horizontal plane. While one pumping cylinder 20 sucks the material, for example concrete, inside a barrel, the other pushes the concrete inside the pipe 17 toward the distribution arm. The two barrels 19 are connected to the pipe 17 by means of an exchange valve 21, known to the persons of skill in the art with the term "S valve", which is disposed inside the containing compartment 15 and is moved by two exchange cylinders of the fluid dynamic type, which are located on a plane orthogonal to the longitudinal axis X. The reciprocating motion of the four pumping and exchange cylinders transmits thrusts and vibrations onto the entire pumping unit 13 and therefore onto the bearing structure 11 and to the vehicle 18. In particular, the reciprocating motion of the pumping cylinders 20 affects the attachment points of both the latter and the associated barrels 19, and also the attachment points of the containing compartment 15 to the bearing structure 11. Instead, the reciprocating motion of the exchange cylinders mainly affects the attachment points of the containing compartment 15 to the bearing structure 11. The different center distance between the different attachment points causes the vibrations induced by the exchange cylinders to prevail over those of the pumping cylinders 20, generating a roll that has the longitudinal axis X as the center of rotation.
The pumping unit 13 has a very significant mass, of the order of about 3,500 kg, and with each of its cycles, which lasts a few seconds, it moves a considerable amount of material, the mass of which can be, for example, even greater than 400 kg, therefore it generates strong vibrations and oscillations deriving above all from the reciprocating motion both of the two pumping cylinders 20 and also of the two exchange cylinders of the exchange valve 21, as disclosed above.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, damping means 22 are interposed between the pumping unit 13 and the bearing structure 11 in order to dampen the vibrations generated, during use, by the pumping unit 13, as will be described below.
In the embodiment shown here, the damping means 22 comprise five damper elements 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27, which are mounted on as many support elements 29, 30, 31, 32 and 33 respectively of the bearing structure 11.
In particular, the support elements 29 and 30, on which the damper elements 23 and 24 are mounted, are disposed substantially on the sides of the containing compartment 15 and preferably in correspondence with a lower part thereof.
In this specific case, the containing compartment 15 comprises two lateral fins 35 and 36 disposed in correspondence with the support elements 29 and 30, in such a way that the damper elements 23 and 24 are interposed between the latter and the two lateral fins 35 and 36.
The support elements 31 and 32, on which the damper elements 25 and 26 are mounted, are attached on two substantially horizontal longitudinal members 37 of the bearing structure 11, substantially on the sides of a rear zone of the pumping cylinders 20, close to the front part of the corresponding barrels 19.
The two pumping cylinders 20 comprise, in their rear zone, a connection element 39 disposed transversely to the longitudinal axis X and provided with two lateral fins 40 and 41 which are disposed in correspondence with the support elements 31 and 32, so that the damper elements 25 and 26 are interposed between the latter and the two lateral fins 40 and 41.
In some embodiments, the connection element 39 is a barrel/cylinder connection interface and it has the function of supporting the movement of the pumping cylinders 20.
The fifth support element 33, on which the damper element 27 is mounted, is disposed orthogonally and substantially in correspondence with the longitudinal axis X of the pumping unit 13, and in particular on a sleeper 42 attached in the front part of the two longitudinal members 37 (figs. 2 and 4). Advantageously, the fifth support element 33 is positioned substantially at approximately 2/3 of the length of the pumping cylinders 20, starting from their rear ends, where they are associated with the barrels 19.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, each of the damper elements 23, 24, 25 and 26 comprises a block of elastic material, such as rubber for example, substantially having the shape of a parallelepiped, to which there is connected, in the lower part, a corresponding support element 29, 30, 31 and 32 respectively and, in the upper part, a corresponding lateral fin 35, 36, 40 and 41 respectively.
For simplicity, fig. 5 shows only the damper element 24 connected to the support element 30, it being understood that the other three damper elements 23, 25 and 26 are the same and/or specular to it, with respect to the longitudinal axis X of the pumping unit 13.
The fifth damper element 27 instead comprises another block of elastic material, such as rubber for example, interposed between the sleeper 42 and the two pumping cylinders 20.
In accordance with a second embodiment, schematically shown in figs. 6 and 7, the bearing structure 11 also comprises two bars 43 attached to the two longitudinal members 37 and inclined upward and toward the front part.
In this case, the sleeper 42 is attached above the two bars 43 and a tie rod 45 connects it to the fifth support element 33, so that the damper element 27 is in any case interposed between the support element 33 and the pumping unit 13. More specifically, two transverse elements 46, parallel to each other, have a rest surface 47 on which the two pumping cylinders 20 rest. Furthermore, the two transverse elements 46 are connected to each other by means of one or more connection elements 49, only one of which is schematically shown in fig. 7, which are inserted in the damper element 27.
The damper elements 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27 constrain the pumping unit 13 in the degrees of freedom relative to the displacement, and they are oriented in such a way as to allow the roll of the pumping unit 13 around the longitudinal axis X.
Advantageously, the damping of the roll around the longitudinal axis X allows to considerably reduce the vibrations transmitted to the bearing structure 11, also improving the stability and durability of the vehicle 18 in an operating condition, in particular when the pipe 17 is extended. In this way, the safety and precision in the operating phase are significantly increased.
It is clear that modifications and/or additions of parts may be made to the pumping apparatus 10 as described heretofore, without departing from the field and scope of the present invention as defined by the claims.
It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to some specific examples, a person of skill in the art shall certainly be able to achieve many other equivalent forms of pumping apparatuses, all coming within the field and scope of the present invention.
In the following claims, the sole purpose of the references in brackets is to facilitate reading and they must not be considered as restrictive factors with regard to the field of protection defined by the claims.

Claims

Pumping apparatus (10) suitable to be mounted on a vehicle (18), said pumping apparatus (10) comprising a bearing structure (11) and a pumping unit (13) which is disposed substantially along a longitudinal axis (X) and is provided with pumping means (19, 20, 21) which are configured to pump material from a feed compartment (15) toward an outlet end (16), there being present a connection element (39) associated with said pumping means (19, 20, 21), characterized in that it also comprises damping means (22) interposed between said pumping unit (13) and said bearing structure (11) to dampen at least the roll of said pumping unit (13) with respect to said longitudinal axis (X), and in that said damping means (22) comprise damper members (23, 24, 25, 26, 27) mounted on corresponding support elements (29, 30, 31, 32, 33) of said bearing structure (11), wherein at least one damper member (23, 24, 25, 26, 27) is associated with said feed compartment (15), with said connection element (39) and with said pumping means (19, 20, 21), respectively.
Pumping apparatus (10) as in claim 1, characterized in that said damping means (22) are configured in such a way as to prevent a translation of said pumping unit (13).
Pumping apparatus (10) as in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said damping means (22) comprise at least three damper members (23, 24, 25, 26, 27).
Pumping apparatus (10) as in claim 3, characterized in that said damper members (23, 24, 25, 26, 27) are five.
Pumping apparatus (10) as in claim 4, characterized in that said feed compartment (15) comprises two lateral walls disposed symmetrical with respect to said longitudinal axis (X), that a first and a second of said support elements (29, 30) of said bearing structure (11) are disposed in correspondence with said two lateral walls of said feed compartment (15), and in that each of said two lateral walls of said feed compartment (15) comprises a rest element (35, 36) disposed in correspondence with said first support element (29) and respectively of said second support element (30), so that a first and a second damper element (23, 24) are interposed between said first and second support element (29, 30) and a corresponding rest element (35, 36).
Pumping apparatus (10) as in claim 4, characterized in that said pumping unit (13) comprises, in a median zone thereof, two further rest elements (40, 41) disposed symmetrically with respect to said longitudinal axis (X), and in that a third and a fourth of said support elements (31, 32) of said bearing structure (11) are disposed substantially in correspondence with said two further rest elements (40, 41), so that a third and a fourth damper element (25, 26) are interposed between said third and fourth support elements (31, 32) and said two further rest elements (40, 41).
Pumping apparatus (10) as in claim 6, wherein said pumping means comprise two cylindrical tubular elements (19) disposed side by side and parallel to each other and coaxially associated with two corresponding pumping cylinders (20), characterized in that said median zone is substantially located in correspondence with one end of said pumping cylinders (20) close to said cylindrical tubular elements (19).
Pumping apparatus (10) as in any claim from 4 to 7, characterized in that a fifth of said support elements (33) substantially lies on said longitudinal axis (X), in correspondence with a front part of said pumping unit (13) on the opposite side with respect to said feed compartment (15), and is attached to said bearing structure (11), and in that a fifth of said damper elements (27) is interposed between said fifth support element (33) and said front part of said pumping unit (13).
Pumping apparatus (10) as in claims 7 and 8, characterized in that said fifth support element (33) is positioned substantially at approximately 2/3 of the length of said pumping cylinders (20), starting from their ends where they are associated with said cylindrical elements (19).
Vehicle (18) comprising a pumping apparatus (10) as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that said bearing structure (11) comprises, or consists of, a frame of said vehicle (18) and that said pumping unit (13) is configured to pump concrete.