FR2570978A1 - Method for manufacturing construction blocks, means for the purpose of implementing this method and products thus obtained - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing construction blocks. It is characterised in that, after compression of the material by relative displacements of at least one of the presses, which are the plate 23 forming the bottom 16 and the upper die 10 forming the side walls 15 in a first instance, the plate 23 is made to move in a direction which is parallel to the axes 8 and this is effected via a displacement means 24 which brings the bottom 16 substantially beyond the upper face 20 of the die 10 and, in a second instance, after the block 1 has been grasped, the plate 23 is returned against a movement stop means 25 via a reverse movement. Advantageously, a plate 35 for removing from the mould is arranged on the bottom 16 of the lower die 10 before filling the latter, and recesses 36, 37 enable the said plate for removing from the mould to be grasped. Application to the construction materials industry.

Description

 The invention relates to a method for manufacturing building blocks, to the means for implementing this method and to the products thus obtained.

 It applies more particularly but not exclusively to building blocks assembled by superposition and preferably comprising on at least two of their parallel faces, complementary means intended to ensure during the assembly of the blocks together, their self-positioning.

 The invention relates more precisely without being limited thereto, the building blocks used in the construction of buildings or structures located in regions of the terrestrial globe devoid of industry of building material, such as those of certain tropical countries .

 When it is desired to have building blocks which are easy to implement for non-specialized operators, it is known to use blocks which self-position when they are superimposed.

 To ensure their self-positioning, as is known, the building blocks are generally of rectangular parallelepiped shape and each have on at least two of their parallel faces means complementary in shape.

 Although there are many variants in these self-positioning means, by their shape and their arrangement, one of the faces of the block generally comprises one or more cavities, while the face which is parallel to it has meanwhile according to the same arrangement and preferably in an identical orientation, ribs and / or complementary bosses.

 For the manufacture of such building blocks, one generally proceeds by pressing in a mold a material in the plastic state and in an amount substantially equal to that of the volume to be filled.

 Of course, for the choice of material, according to the economic context and the geographical environment, use is made of different materials having, after drying and / or baking, sufficient cohesion to ensure a suitable compressive strength of the block.

 These materials can be different both by the nature of the agglomerate (earth, gravel, etc.) and the traditional hydraulic binder (cement, lime, plaster), of chemical origin (synthetic resin), with action chemical (acids, electrolyte salts) ec ...

 Thus, in regions of the terrestrial globe devoid of unit of elabtion of complex material, recourse is made as it has been known for a very long time to raw earth in combination with water and / or in association with other materials such as clay.

 It is easy to understand that, in addition to the material used to make the block, the economic and geographic criteria will condition the manufacturing means.

 Thus, under the conditions mentioned above, the choice of material will preferably be towards easy-to-use construction and use presses as well as on simple blocks.

 In this spirit, presses are already known (FR-A-2,519,581 and 2,527,136), but these are only suitable for producing blocks devoid of additional self-positioning means.

 In fact, in both cases, during the block ejection phase, in order to be released, the block must, considering the movements relating to the press, have its faces which slide against those of the mold and this in two successive perpendicular directions.

 It is therefore understood that, in a mold provided with means (cavities and / or cores) with a view to producing complementary self-positioning means in the faces of the block, it is impossible to release the block from these presses.

 A result which the invention aims to obtain is a method of manufacturing building blocks provided with self-positioning means on presses of simple and robust design.

To this end, the invention relates to a process characterized in that after compression of the material by relative displacements of at least one of the presses which are the plate forming the bottom and the lower die forming the side walls, in firstly, the plate forming the bottom of the lower die is made to translate in a direction parallel to the axes and this by a displacement means which brings the bottom substantially beyond the upper face of the die and, in a second step, after having grasped the block, the plate is recalled by a reverse movement against a means of stop in translation
It also relates to the means for implementing this process as well as the building blocks obtained.

It will be clearly understood with the aid of the cvi-a- close description given by way of nonlimiting example, with reference to the attached drawing which schematically represents
- Figure 1: seen in perspective, the block produced
- Figure 2: a partial sectional view during the block forming step,
- Figure 3: a partial sectional view during the step.

block ejection.

 Referring to the drawings, we see that the building block 1 is formed of a rectangular parallelepiped of which two parallel faces 2, 3, and preferably, those guaranteeing the most stable support of the block, are provided with means complementary 4, 5 appearing some 4 projecting, the other 5 recessed relative to said faces 2, 3.

 Without this being of limiting value for the invention, in the example chosen for its qualities of robustness and its simplicity of implementation, we will find below proportions of block which have given good results.

 The thickness between the two faces 2, 3 provided with complementary means is substantially equal to half the width of the block.

 In order to be able to interconnect two juxtaposed blocks either flank against flank, or in the extension of one another, or arranged to form a right angle, the complementary means 4, 5 of the same kind are preferably per side equipped with number two.

 Advantageously, the faces 2-, 3 fitted have a length substantially equal to twice their width "L" and the two complementary means 4, 5 are arranged at the intersection of the diagonals of each of the squares which can therefore be write on each side 2, 3.

 In the example chosen, the complementary means 4, 5 in question are, when they are projecting, bosses 7 in the form of a truncated cone which, in a preferred embodiment, have a height substantially equal to a third of the width "L" of the block, an angle at the top of about forty degrees and a diameter at the base of about half the width "L" of the block.

 Obviously, the bosses 7 can have other shapes, and for example each be formed of a trunk of a pyramid.

 The means 5 appearing hollow in the face 3 are preferably of substantially identical shape and if the blocks 1 are provided to be mounted without a joint, the depth of the cavity which they - each form is at least substantially equal to the height bosses.

 Of course, taking into account the proportions given, it is desirable for the block to have dimensions such that it is manually graspable.

 However, it is not excluded to produce, as will be mentioned later, larger blocks and for example corresponding to the juxtaposition both in the longitudinal direction and in the transverse direction of several of the blocks described above and in particular the transverse juxtaposition of two blocks so as to constitute an assembly comprising four bosses and four cavities.

 So that, in the assemblies produced, the blocks 1 do not themselves cause misalignment, the complementary means 4 and 5 equipping each of the faces must be perfectly superimposed and for this are matched and located on the same perpendicular axis on faces 2, 3 considered.

 On block 1, shown in FIG. 1, there are therefore two means 4, two means 5 and two parallel axes 8 each grouping together a means 4 and a means 5 paired and superimposed.

 To clarify the description, these axes 8 will be arbitrarily called main axes.

 To produce a block of this type, it can therefore be seen that during an initial filling step, in a conventional manner, the imprint of a lower matrix 10 is filled with a predetermined quantity of material in the plastic state.

 During the next compression step, also conventionally, the material is strongly compressed by closing the lower die with an upper die 12.

 For this purpose, a press 13 is used which comprises fixed on a frame 14, a lower die 10 in which the shape of the block is reserved so that the side walls 15 form the sides 6 of the block 1 while the bottom 16 substantially horizontal forms the face comprising the bosses 7 and therefore has the required shapes.

 The bottom 16 is formed by the upper face of a plate 23 independent of the side walls 15 of the matrix 10.

 Advantageously, the bottom 16 can receive, before the material is introduced, a demoulding plate 35 which on the one hand matches the relief of the face 2 of the block 1 and that of the means 4 which it carries, and, on the other hand, the relief of the plate 23, ie the shape of the bottom 16.

 However, according to an alternative embodiment, the demoulding plate 35 could be substantially planar and have openings corresponding to the section of the bosses 7 in the plane of the face 2 of a block 1.

 The plate 23 has in the upper part of its lateral faces recesses 36, 37 at least sufficient to allow the gripping of the release plate 35 and of the block 1 which it carries after it has been produced.

 The matrix 10 further comprises an upper face 20 lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to the main axes 8.

 The upper matrix 12 is in turn secured to a means 17 for translational movement in a direction parallel to the main axes 8 of the block.

 It is in the form of a plate 18 on which are arranged cores 19 intended to form the cavities 5 of the block 1 when it closes the lower die 10, that is to say when it comes into contact with its upper face 20.

 Of course, the upper die 12 is oriented and positioned so that the cores 19 which it carries form in the block cavities 5 exactly superimposed on the bosses 7 formed by the lower die 10.

 However, instead of being solely centered by the means 17 and 24 for translational movement, the lower and upper dies cooperate in the closed position with a centering means 21 of any type known to those skilled in the art and for example by a span between inclined surfaces and arranged to form two pyramid trunks interlocking one inside the other and, for this purpose, each carried by one of the upper or lower dies.

 During the material compression step, it can therefore be seen that the upper die 12 closes the lower die 10 and for this, after the centering means is positioned, the lower face of the plate 18 comes into contact with the upper face 20 of the fixed lower matrix 10.

In addition, the plate 23, the upper face of which forms the bottom 16 of the fixed lower matrix 10 is pressed against a means of immobilization in translation 25 of this plate relative to the wall of the fixed lower matrix.
During the following demolding step, conventionally, after having raised the upper die 12, the block 1 thus formed is ejected.

 However, instead of being moved by sliding with its faces in contact against the lower die, successively in two perpendicular directions, according to a characteristic of the invention, the plate 23 is made to form the bottom 16 of the lower die 10 according to a direction parallel to the axes 8 and this, by a displacement means 24 which brings the bottom 16 and its optional demoulding plate 35, substantially beyond the upper face 20 of the matrix 10 so as to reveal the clearances 36 and 37 and to make them accessible for an operator and / or for a mechanical manipulator.

 When the bottom 16 is in the high position (FIG. 3), an operator and / or a mechanical manipulator (not shown) grip the block 1 and extract it from the matrix 10.

 When the base 16 has a release plate 35 and clearances 36, 37, the block 1 is extracted by grasping and moving the release plate 35 which carries it.

 After extraction of the block 1, the plate 23 is recalled by a reverse movement of the displacement means 24 against a means of immobilization in translation 25.

 This means 25 of immobilization in translation materializes a position reference of the plate 23 in the lower die 10 and must be sufficiently robust to withstand during the compression step, the compression force.

 When the lower die 10 is constituted by a robust open rectangular frame 26, the means 25 for immobilizing in translation can be formed by a peripheral shoulder 27 inside the frame and on which the plate 23 comes to rest in the low position.

 Advantageously, the bearing 28 between the lower face 29 of the plate 16 and the shoulder 27 can be substantially inclined so as to facilitate the evacuation by gravity of the particles of material which could have been introduced through the gap due to the functional clearance sliding, this type of shoulder also having the advantage of centering the plate 23 in the lower die 10.

 In an alternative embodiment, the blocks 1 include orifices 38 centered on the main axes 8 and passing right through the block 1 respectively at each set of complementary means 4, 5.

 To produce these orifices 38, the frame 14 has parallel columns (not shown) centered on the axes 8 of the blocks, which pass through the plate 23, the optional release plate 35 and rise substantially up to the level of the cores. 19, this considering the upper die 12 in the closed position.

 Advantageously, when the plate 23 is in the high position, the columns are entirely disengaged from the orifices 38 which they reserve inside the block 1.

 We could use a press provided with a traditional frame but in a preferred embodiment of the invention, it mainly consists of a base 30 substantially horizontal on which rests a robust casing 31 forming the frame 14 supporting the lower die 10 and housing the means 24 for moving the plate 23.

 As for it, the means 17 for translational movement of the upper die is supported by at least one substantially vertical upright 32 and anchored to the base 30.

 In order to ensure a high compaction power and a high yield both the means 17 for translational movement of the die 12 and the means 24 for displacement of the plate 23 are compressed air cylinders 33, 34 or hydraulic cylinders.

 Advantageously, the casing 31 is provided with at least one means 33 for generating vibrations.

 Of course, a hopper could be installed to facilitate filling and evacuation could be automated.

The press described can be used as a fixed installation, for example in a local operating unit or
also in mobile units and advantageously associated with a mixer, the assembly taking adequate energy for example from a device entralée by the engine of the carrier vehicle.

 In order to increase the production capacity, it is possible to produce matrices comprising several imprints of juxtaposed blocks.

Claims (5)

 1. Method for producing a building block (1) formed of a rectangular parallelepiped of which two parallel faces (2, 3) and, preferably, those guaranteeing the most stable support of the block, are provided with complementary means (4, 5) being presented some (4) projecting, the others (5) hollow relative to the faces (2, 3) and for this purpose a press (13) is used which comprises fixed on a frame (14 ) a lower matrix (10) in which the shape of a block (1) is reserved in a hollow so that the side walls (15) form the sides (6) of the block (1) while the bottom (16) substantially horizontal forms the face comprising the boss (7), and for this has the required shapes, the upper matrix (12) being in turn anchored to a means (17) for translational movement in a direction parallel to the main axes (8) of the block, according to which method, to produce the block, the cavity of the lower die (10) is filled with a predetermined quantity of material in the plastic state then the material is strongly compressed by closing the lower matrix (10) with the upper matrix (12) and the upper matrix (12) is raised, this process being CHARACTERIZED in that after compression of the material by relative displacements of at least one of the presses which are the plate (23) forming the bottom (16) and the lower die (lo) forming the side walls (15), firstly, the plate is made to translate (23) forming the bottom (16) of the lower die (10) in a direction parallel to the axes (8) and this by a displacement means (24) which brings the bottom (16) substantially beyond the upper face (20) of the matrix (10) and, in a second step, after having grasped the block (1), the plate (23) is recalled by a reverse movement against a means of stop in translation (25 ).  2. Means for implementing the method according to claim 1 comprising  - a mold consisting of a fixed lower matrix (10) comprising a bottom (16) and side walls (15) and of a mobile upper matrix,  - Means for strongly compressing by means of the movable upper matrix a predetermined quantity of material in the plastic state contained in the lower matrix, these means being CHARACTERIZED in that the bottom (16) of the matrix is movable relative to its walls lateral (15) and in that it is connected to its walls by means of displacement in translation from a low position where it is at the bottom of the mold to a high position where the bottom (16) of the lower die (10 ) comes substantially beyond the upper face (20) of the lower die (10).  3. Means according to claim 2 characterized in that they comprise a mold release plate (35) substantially matching the relief of the plate (23) and means for gripping the plate (35) accessible when the bottom (16) of the lower matrix (10) comes substantially beyond the upper face (20) of the matrix (10).  4. Means according to claim 3 characterized in that the gripping means are clearances (36, 37) reserved in the upper part of the side faces of the plate (23).  5. Means according to any one of claims 2 to 4 for the production of a block (1) comprising orifices (38) centered on the main axes (8) and passing through right through each set of complementary means ( 4, 5) characterized in that the parallel columns integral with the frame (14) pass through the plate (23) of the lower die (10) and rise substantially up to the level of the cores (19) of the upper die (12 ), the latter being in the compression position.