GB1284715A - Improvements relating to sliding-mould machines for making prestressed concrete articles - Google Patents

Abstract

1284715 Sliding mould machine for casting concrete H F WARNER Ltd 14 Aug 1969 [15 May 1968] 23174/68 Heading B5A A plurality of elongate concrete members, e.g. beams or lintels, each incorporating one or more pre-stressed reinforcements 16, are simultaneously cast on to a sheet metal faced concrete bed 11 from a plurality of parallel open ended channels 47 of an assembly 10, comprising a moulding portion 10B, and a feed hopper portion 10A forwardly removable therefrom, which is displaced over the bed 11 on wheels 12, 13 of the portion 10B, and 14 of the portion 10A, either by an electric motor drive to the rear wheels 13 or by a winch operating on a cable attached at an end of the bed 11. The assembly 10 is guided, by a castor mounting 15 of the wheels 12, along the wires 16 which are mounted between stressing frames 17 and pass through guides 18 mounted, ahead of the channels 47, to the portion 10B. The channels 47 are defined by plane, rectangular, or trapezoidal section plates 46 which rest on the bed 11 and, to allow for irregularities in the bed 11, are mounted for free vertical movement with respect to the portion 10B in guide brackets 42 either individually each in a guide bracket 42 on the frame of the portion 10B, or as a pre-assembled grid 60 which is mounted only to the outside brackets 42. The height of the concrete members may be varied by using plates 46 of different height and width thereof by altering the spacing apart of the plates 46 either, when individually mounted, by suitable choice of the brackets 42 or, when comprising the grid 60, by suitable choice of plate spacers 64. Concrete is delivered to the channels 47 from the hopper via an endless wire mesh belt 36 discharging into an open ended box 34 which reciprocates over the plates 46 upon either a slotted cover plate 48 or individual sheet metal capped wooden spacer blocks located between adjacent plates 46. The rate of delivery is adjustable from a variable hopper outlet, and also by varying the speed of the belt 36 and the spacing thereabove of the hopper, the latter by vertical adjustment upon the mountings of the wheels 14 and which adjustment, together with adjustment of the portion 10B by jacks 53 on the mountings of wheels 12 and 13, also accommodates the plates 46 of different height. The upper surface of the concrete is compacted by an inclined plate 49, against a leading edge 51 of which the concrete accumulates, which is mounted on compression springs 50 and on which is provided one or more variable amplitude and frequency vibrators 35, the transmission of vibrations to the portion 10A being prevented by anti-vibration buffers 54 of the portion 10B against which it is mounted in abutment. The assembly 10 may traverse the bed 11 in two or more spaced passes in the same or different directions, which is facilitated by rolling forward the portion 10A from the portion 10B for individual lateral displacement by gantry or fork-lift truck.