FR2843951A1 - Drain outlet closing device for container used for products such as concrete or mortar, includes cylindrical stopper that can be inserted into cylindrical drain outlet so that slot in stopper fits over transverse rod in outlet - Google Patents

Abstract

The closure device includes a stopper element (26) having two semi-cylindrical longitudinal elements (32,34) separated by a slot. The slot is passed over a transverse bar across a cylindrical element (16) of a drain opening (12) of a container (10) when the stopper element is pushed into the drain outlet, so that a cylindrical recess in the stopper snaps over the transverse bar to secure the stopper in position. A knob (29) is fixed to the end of the stopper.

Description

i The present invention relates to a system for closing an orifice

  emptying a container for a product such as concrete or

mortar or another mixture.

  Said closure system is in particular intended to seal the mixer tank and / or the receiving hopper of a spraying machine

  or transport concrete or mortar.

  The receiving hopper of such machines forms a receptacle into which the concrete or mortar is poured after being mixed in the mixer tank. The concrete or mortar is then capable o10 of being pumped from a lower outlet of the hopper, then

  injected into a pipe to be projected or transported to the desired location. The container includes means for driving concrete or mortar formed by blades or Archimedes' screws mounted on a tree.

  Thus, when said means for driving concrete or mortar are in operation, the operator must in no case have the possibility of introducing his hand or his arm into the space defined by said container under penalty of 'be seriously injured. For this reason the container is

  covered by a cover or security grid.

  In addition, said container has a drain orifice located in its lower end portion for discharging the washing and rinsing water and / or the concrete or the residual mortar. This drain orifice is generally circular and its diameter is such that the hand or the arm may be introduced into it. In normal use mode, said orifice

drain is closed by a plug.

  Thus, during the cleaning operation, the plug is released from

  the drain orifice and the distracted operator is likely to introduce his hand into it to drive the concrete or mortar present in the bottom towards the outside of said container. In this way, it risks being caught by the drive means, which are generally in operation during this cleaning operation.

  A problem which arises and which the present invention aims to solve is then to produce a system for closing the drain orifice which allows the flow of the product located in the container (concrete, mortar, washing or rinsing water , ...) after the cap has been released and which prevents the operator from inserting his hand into

  said container through the drain orifice.

  To this end, the present invention provides a closure system for the drain orifice, said closure system comprising: a tubular member extending said drain orifice and having a free end; at least one transverse rod passing through said tubular member in the vicinity of said free end; longitudinal plugging means 10 having at least two longitudinal portions; and said plugging means are capable of being introduced into said tubular member from the outside, so as to engage said longitudinal portions on either side of said transverse rod, to arrange them in a closed position in which said said longitudinal portions are retained in the tubular member and at least the ends of said longitudinal portions extend transversely over a surface corresponding substantially to the section of said tubular member. Thus, a characteristic of the closure system of the drain orifice lies in the extension of the drain orifice by said tubular member, which has a transverse rod in the vicinity of its free end. In this way, although the operator can introduce his fingers into the tubular member from its free end, his hand is blocked by said transverse rod. His fingers are likely to extend into the tubular member without projecting into the container. In addition, another characteristic of the closure system resides in the method of sealing the tubular member by means of said closure means which make it possible to seal the drain orifice from outside the container, despite the presence of the cross rod. In this way, no amount of concrete or mortar can stagnate in the tubular member and solidify since the plugging means extend in the tubular member and the ends of said longitudinal portions close off the drain orifice. . If only the free end of the tubular member was closed with a conventional plug, then the entire region of the tubular member located between the drain orifice and the transverse rod could be filled with mortar or concrete, which would stagnate. and would take mass. The fact that said longitudinal portions are engaged on either side of the rod and therefore extend in this region of the tubular member makes it possible to avoid this phenomenon or at least considerably attenuate it. If, on the contrary, the plugging means 10 were inserted into the tubular member from inside the container, it would then be difficult to remove them since they could be covered with concrete or mortar and the drive means

  could be immobilized opposite.

  Advantageously, the plugging means have a first part which, in the closed position, is disposed between the transverse rod and the free end of the tubular member and a second

  part which is divided into said at least two longitudinal portions.

  This first part can come into abutment on the transverse rod

  in the closed position to block the plugging means in translation and retain the longitudinal portions in the tubular member.

  If the sealing means include only the portions

  longitudinal, the latter can be retained in the tubular member by any suitable abutment means using for example a shoulder formed in the tubular member and / or on these longitudinal portions.

  Advantageously, in the closed position, said ends of the longitudinal portions are substantially arranged at

  right of the surface corresponding to said drain orifice.

  This avoids the introduction and stagnation of concrete or mortar 30 in the tubular member without the ends of the portions

  longitudinal protrude into the container.

  Advantageously, in the closed position, said ends of the longitudinal portions close off substantially all of

the drain opening.

  Advantageously, the external end of the first part of the plugging means comprises gripping means which project

  out of said tubular member in the closed position.

  According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the two aforementioned parts of the longitudinal plugging means are formed in one piece, the second part 10 having a longitudinal slot substantially parallel to the axis of said piece and defining said said longitudinal portions, said longitudinal slit being capable of being traversed by said transverse rod when said plugging means are introduced into said tubular member. Thus, in this embodiment, the second part of said piece is split along a plane parallel to the axis of the piece so

  forming said longitudinal portions. In this way, when the longitudinal closure means are moved in translation in said tubular member, said slot allows the passage of said rod and they are capable of extending completely in said tubular member, the ends of the longitudinal portions closing off the drain port.

  Advantageously, said longitudinal plugging means are formed in one piece made of an elastically deformable material so that at least said ends of said longitudinal portions are capable of being spaced from each other when they are engaged. on either side of said transverse rod and so that they are capable of making contact when they are worn in the vicinity of said drain orifice so as to close off the entire surface corresponding to the cross section of said tubular member. It is understood that the elastic properties of the plugging means 30 not only make it possible to give them dimensions slightly greater than those of the tubular member so as to allow them to close the tubular member more firmly, but also to form a slot d 'a very small thickness which will allow the passage of the transverse rod thanks to the deformation of the walls opposite the longitudinal portions. Thus, in the closed position, the ends of the longitudinal portions of said second part are capable of being compressed one against the other by the tubular member and the drain orifice to completely seal said drain orifice. without the said slot appearing. Thanks to this feature, no trace of concrete or mortar can penetrate said longitudinal sealing means. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, said longitudinal plugging means are formed in one piece, capable of extending substantially throughout the space defined by the interior of said tubular member. Thanks to this embodiment, on the one hand said plugging means obstruct the whole of the tubular member and seal the drain orifice and on the other hand said means of

  plugging can be simply carried out by molding in a single block of material, which is economically advantageous.

  Advantageously, said tubular member and said longitudinal plugging means each have a cross section of circular symmetry so as to cooperate together. Thus, this characteristic makes it possible not only to obtain a perfect flow of the mortar and of the washing water, but also to produce a sealing system at an advantageous cost. Advantageously, said rod connects two portions of internal wall 25 of said tubular member, opposite one another so as to divide the cross section of said tubular member comprising said portions of internal wall into two half-sections of substantially equal surfaces. This characteristic makes it possible to provide a second part of the plugging means in two longitudinal portions of substantially equal dimensions, the mean plane of said slot passing through the diameter of said second part if it is circular. Thus, the two portions are connected to said first portion with substantially equal forces, which avoids the

  deterioration of one compared to the other.

  Advantageously, said first part of said plugging means and said transverse rod of said tubular member have locking means capable of cooperating together to hold said

  plugging means in a fixed position relative to said tubular member.

  Thus, despite the forces exerted by the mortar or the concrete in motion in the container, on the ends of the longitudinal portions, the longitudinal sealing means are not expelled from said tubular member.

  Advantageously, the obturation system comprises means

  to limit friction between the plugging means and at least one of the elements formed by the wall of the tubular member and by the transverse rod, during movement of the plugging means in said tubular member.

  Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the

  reading of the description given below of particular embodiments of the invention, given for information but not limitation, with reference to

  attached drawings in which: - Figure 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view showing a first embodiment of a closure system in the non-closed position, according to an embodiment according to the invention; - Figure 2 is a schematic view in vertical longitudinal section of the closure system shown in Figure 1; - Figure 3 is a schematic view in vertical longitudinal section of the closure system shown in Figure 2 in the closed position; and, - Figure 4 is a schematic view in vertical longitudinal section showing a closure system according to a second embodiment. Figure 1 schematically and partially illustrates the lower end of the tank 10 of a mixer, seen from the outside. This tank 10 is intended to be mounted on a spraying machine or to transport

concrete or mortar.

  For obvious flow reasons, the tank 10 has a

  drain port 12 located in its lower end portion.

  The drain orifice 12 has a diameter for example between 60 and 120 mm, for example 80 mm. Thus, the cleaning or rinsing water is liable to flow entirely through the drain orifice 12, with the mortar or the concrete remaining in the bottom of the tank 10.

  Inside the tank 10, means for driving the concrete or mortar, not shown, and more specifically kneading means, are intended to be used. These drive means consist of a shaft comprising inclined blades 15 and driven in rotation to mix the concrete or the mortar. When in operation, these drive means constitute a danger for an operator, since their power is important, taking into account the density of the concrete or mortar to be moved. In order to prevent the operator from introducing his hand or his arm into the tank 10, a certain number of safety means authorizes the operation of the drive means only when the tank 10 is covered by a safety grid. The kneading means are capable of being driven near the drain orifice 12. This is the reason why the drain orifice 25 is extended outwards by a tubular member 16 whose diameter corresponds to that of the drain orifice 12 and the length of which can be comprised, for example between 50 and 250 mm. This length is for example 100 mm. In addition, to prevent the operator from being able to introduce his hand into the tank 10 through the tubular member 16, a transverse rod 18 connects two opposite portions of the inner wall 20 and 22 of the tubular member 16 near its free end 24, for example at a distance between 30 and 10 mm. The transverse rod 18 connects the two inner wall portions 20 and 22 along a diameter of the cross section cutting said two wall portions 20, 22, so that it intersects the plane of symmetry A of the tubular member 16. Thus , The operator cannot completely introduce his hand into the tubular member 16, since it is blocked by the transverse rod 18; his fingers may possibly protrude beyond the transverse rod 18, without however reaching the interior of the tank 10 taking into account the length of the tubular member 16 between

the orifice 12 and the rod 18.

  To prevent a certain amount of concrete or mortar from

  can stagnate and solidify in the tubular member 16, plugging means 26 are introduced therein which are capable of extending into the tubular member 16 and of closing in particular the drain orifice 12.

  The plugging means 26 are of cylindrical symmetry of revolution and they have substantially the same dimensions as the tubular member 16. They are made in one piece from an elastically material

  deformable, for example a polymer of the elastomer type.

  As illustrated more particularly in FIG. 2, in order to close the drain orifice 12, by the plugging means 26 despite the presence of the transverse rod 18 in the tubular member 16, said plugging means 26 comprise two longitudinal portions 32 and 34 which, when the plugging means are placed in the tubular member, can be engaged on either side of the rod 18 so that, in the closed position of the means these two portions are arranged in the region of the tubular member 16

  between the orifice 12 and the transverse rod 18.

  In fact, the plugging means 26 comprise two parts 28, 30. The first part 28 is capable of being engaged at least partially

  in the tubular member 16 to the transverse rod 18.

  The second part 30 is entirely divided into the above-mentioned longitudinal portions 32 and 34 by a slot 36 comprising the plane of symmetry A which is also the plane of symmetry of the plugging means 26. In this way, the two longitudinal portions 32 and 34, semi-cylindrical, are capable of being inserted into the tubular member 16, respectively on either side of the transverse rod 18 as now shown in Figure 3, so that the ends 38 and 40 completely seal the drain orifice 12. This first part 28 is able to cooperate in abutment with the rod 18 to limit the insertion of the plugging means inwards into the tubular member, through the bottom 19 of the slot 36. As shown in FIG. 2 , this bottom can be delimited inwards by re-entrant portions 19A which can cooperate with the rod 18 to retain the plugging means in the direction of their extraction from the tubular member while p allowing this extraction as soon as sufficient effort is exerted by the operator to remove the plugging means from the member 16. In the example shown, the bottom of the slot defines, between the first and second parts of the means plugging, a section cavity substantially equal to or slightly greater than that of the rod 18

  which is embedded in this cavity.

  In addition, the first part 28 has a handle 29

  making it possible to engage or extract the plugging means 26 in the tubular member 16.

  Thanks to the elastic properties of the material of the closure means, for example of the elastomer, it is possible to provide closure means 26 whose diameter is slightly greater than that of the tubular member 16 and a slot 36 of relatively small thickness or even 25 almost zero. In this way, when the second part 30 is engaged in the tubular member 16, it is compressed radially towards the axis of symmetry A, which improves the sealing of the plugging means relative to the internal wall of the member. tubular 16. In addition, the elastic properties of the material allow the deformation of the facing walls 30 of the two longitudinal portions 32, 34 by the rod 18 during the complete introduction of the plugging means 26 into the tubular member 16. Due to the radial stress which is exerted in particular on the longitudinal O10 portions 32 and 34, said facing walls make contact, more particularly in line with the drain orifice 12, which makes it possible to

  close it completely, including with regard to slot 36.

  In addition, this radial constraint favors the retention of the plugging means in the tubular member 16. It can be chosen that only the semi-cylindrical ends 38 and 40, of the longitudinal portions 32, 34 completely block the drain orifice 12. Thus, as shown in dashed lines in FIG. 2, the longitudinal portions 32, 34 may have in their central part an external decrease 25A in their cross-section relative to that of their ends, so that they are not in contact with the inner wall of the tubular member 16. Thus, the plugging means 26 are easier to insert into the tubular member 16 or to extract from the latter, since the introduction or the extraction causes less friction against the internal wall of said tubular member 16. Similarly, the longitudinal portions may have an internal reduction 25B in their section to limit friction with the rod 18 during

  the insertion or extraction of the plugging means.

  In addition, to further reduce friction with the wall 20 of the tubular member 16 and facilitate the introduction of the plugging means 26, advantageously a chamfer is made of the edges of the longitudinal portions 32, 34, and more particularly of the ends 38 , 40. This is how the ends 38 and 40 have a chamfer, respectively 38A and 40A on their outer edge. In addition, the ends of the walls opposite the portions 32 and 34 may also have a chamfer, respectively 38B and 40B, to facilitate the introduction of the rod 18 into

slot 36.

  In FIG. 4, the receiving hopper 110 has its walls 102, 104 inclined with respect to the vertical, and the tubular member 116 is connected horizontally to said wall 102. Thus, the drain orifice 112 is of

substantially elliptical shape.

  In this way, the end of the tubular member 116 connected to the outlet orifice 112 forms a bevel. The plugging means 126, produced in a similar manner to the plugging means described above, have a first part 128 and a second part 5 130 whose ends 138, 140, longitudinal portions 132 and 134

  are beveled in a complementary manner. Thus, when the plugging means 126 are inserted in the tubular member 116, the ends 138 and 140 extend completely and in a complementary manner in the outlet orifice 112, so as to prevent concrete or mortar from stagnating 10 in the tubular member 116.

Claims (10)

  1. System for closing a drain orifice (12, 112) from a container (10, 110) for a product such as concrete or mortar or another mixture, characterized in that it comprises: - a tubular member (16,116) extending said drain port and having a free end; at least one transverse rod (18) passing through said tubular member in the vicinity of said free end; - longitudinal closure means (26, 126) having at least two longitudinal portions (32, 34; 132,134); and in that said plugging means are capable of being introduced into said tubular member from the outside, so as to engage said longitudinal portions (32, 34; 132, 134) on either side of said transverse rod (18), to arrange them in a closed position in which said longitudinal portions are retained in the tubular member (16, 116) and at least the ends (38, 40; 138, 140) of said longitudinal portions extend transversely on a surface corresponding substantially to the section of said tubular member; 2. Sealing system according to claim 1, characterized in that the sealing means (26, 126) have a first part (28, 128) which, in the closed position, is disposed between the transverse rod ( 18) and the free end of the tubular member (16, 116) and a second part (30, 130) which is divided into said at least two   longitudinal portions (32, 34; 132,134).   3. obturation system according to claim 2, characterized in that, in the obturation position, said first part (28, 128) of the plugging means (26, 126) abuts on said transverse rod.   (18) in said tubular member (16,116).   4. obturation system according to any one of   Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, in the closed position, said ends (38, 40; 138, 140) of the longitudinal portions are substantially arranged in line with the surface corresponding to said orifice   drain (12,112). 5. obturation system according to claim 2 and one   any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the outer end of said first part (28, 128) of the plugging means (26, 126) comprises gripping means (29) which protrude from said tubular member ( 16.116) in the closed position.   6. obturation system according to claim 2 and one   any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said longitudinal plugging means (26, 126) are formed in one piece of which said second part (30, 130) has a longitudinal slot (36) substantially parallel to the axis of said part and   defining said longitudinal portions (32, 34; 132, 134), said longitudinal slot being capable of being traversed by said transverse rod (18) when said plugging means (26, 126) are introduced into said tubular member.   7. sealing system according to claim 6, characterized in that said longitudinal plugging means (26, 126) are formed in one piece made of an elastically deformable material so that at least said ends (38, 40 ; 138, 140) of said longitudinal portions (32, 34; 132, 134) are capable of being separated from one another when they are engaged on either side of said transverse rod (18) and so that they are likely to make contact when they are carried in the vicinity of said drain orifice (12, 112) so as to close off the entire surface corresponding to the section of said tubular member.   8. obturation system according to any one of   Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that said rod (18) connects two internal wall portions of said tubular member (16, 116), opposite one   on the other so as to divide the cross section of said tubular member comprising said inner wall portions into two half-sections of substantially equal surfaces.   9. obturation system according to any one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that it comprises means (25A,   B) to limit friction between the plugging means (26, 126) and at least one of the elements formed by the wall of the tubular member (16, 116) and by the transverse rod (18), during the introduction of resources   plugging in said tubular member.   10. obturation system according to any one of   Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the edges of the ends (38, 40) of the longitudinal portions (32, 34) have a chamfer (38A, A, 38B, 40B).