GB1604687A - Manufacture of building blocks - Google Patents

Abstract

The device is used for the automatic production of insulating blocks, having at least one heat-insulating element (12) of plastic foam embedded with positive locking in the concrete, by means of laterally casting around the insulating element with concrete slurry and has the following components: a) a mould (3) for the production of one or more identical blocks by plugging the cavities with concrete slurry, the cover plate having cutouts corresponding to the cross-section of the concrete parts of the block, b) a storage unit (18), which has at least one area for receiving insulating elements (12) stacked on top of one another, c) a carriage (25) for removing the lowermost insulating elements (12) contained in the storage unit (18) by means of a pick-up device, and a device for transporting these insulating elements (12) to the mould (3), d) a device (28, 29, 36, 44) for removing the insulating elements (12) from the carriage (25) and for securing them on the mould (3), and e) devices for excursion of the carriage (25), for lowering the mould (3) and insulating elements (12) onto the production base, delivering the concrete slurry into the cavities of the mould (3) and separating the mould (3) from the finished block by lifting. <IMAGE>

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO THE MANUFACTURE OF BUILDING BLOCKS (71) I, ERIK MAGERLE, an Austrian citizen of St. Veiterstrasse 58, Klagenfurt, Austria, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The present invention relates to the manufacture of concrete building blocks having at least one heat-insulating insert of foamed plastics material, such as polystyrene, and at least one cavity.

Such building blocks have frequently been produced by introducing the inserts by hand into preformed hollow spaces in the blocks.

This is not only very costly in labour, but also technically completely inadequate, because the inserts fall out easily when the blocks are handled and because moisture forms around the insulating inserts in the gaps that are produced and very considerably reduces the insulating effect.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a mould for the manufacture of concrete building blocks having at least one heat-insulating insert of foamed plastics material and at least one cavity, the mould having an open bottom which is closable by a platform and a top which is covered by a cover provided with openings through which the mould can be filled, wherein for the formation of each cavity a prismatic body extends downwards from the cover into the interior of the mould, the mould is provided with supporting means for fixing each insert in the interior of the mould, and the cover has over the position of each insert a bridge piece left between the openings to cover the insert when in position.

The invention also provides apparatus comprising such a mould together with a magazine having at least one chamber for accommodating a stack of inserts, a feed truck having means for withdrawing the lowermost insert or inserts from the magazine, the feed truck being displaceable to convey the inserts to the mould, means for transferring the inserts from the feed truck to the supporting means of the mould, and means for lowering the mould, together with the insert or inserts, on to a support after retraction of the feed truck, for supplying concrete grout to the mould through the openings in the cover and for separating the mould from the finished block by upward withdrawal of the mould.

Further in accordance with the invention there is provided a process in which such a mould is placed on a platform with the insert or inserts fixed in the interior of the mould and the mould is filled with concrete grout which is allowed to set while in contact with the surfaces of the insert or inserts. The platform may be a casting floor.

The invention will now be described in more detail with the aid of an example illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures 1, 2 and 3 are side elevations of a complete casting apparatus in three successive working positions, Figure 4 is a plan view of the magazine and feed truck incorporated in the apparatus of Figures 1 to 3, Figures 5, 6 and 7 are respectively a plan view, a side view in the direction of the arrow VI in Figure 5 and section on the line VII-VII in Figure 5 of a mould according to the invention, for use in the apparatus of Figures 1, 2 and 3.

Figure 8 is a plan view of an insulating insert: and Figure 9 is a plan view of a finished block with an insulating insert incorporated by casting.

Figures 1,2 and 3 show an apparatus which comprises the following main parts: a frame 2 movable on the floor or ground 1, a block making or production mould 3 which can be raised and lowered by means of a hydraulic unit 4, a pressure ram 5, which can likewise be raised and lowered by means of a hydraulic unit 6, a hopper-shaped bin 8 with a closure 9 for the concrete grout, and a truck 10 movable along a track 10' for supplying the concrete grout to the production mould 3. A vibrator 7 is attached to the production mould 3.

This apparatus permits simultaneous production of four concrete blocks 11 (see Figure 3) with an insulating insert 12, one such block being shown on a larger scale in Figure 9. Of course, the representations according to Figures 8 and 9 show only one of many alternative forms of such insulating inserts and insulating blocks. What is important is only that the synthetic-foam insulating insert 12 is incorporated in the concrete of the block by casting and is stuck undetachably therein through mating contact and friction and that between the insulating insert and the concrete of the block there are no gaps of any kind.

The following arrangements serve to introduce the insulating inserts 12 into the production mould 3.

A holder 17 is mounted on the frame 2 by means of brackets 16 and contains a magazine 18 in accordance with Figure 4. On a perpendicular rear wall 19 of this magazine there are mounted four pairs of perpendicular side walls 20 disposed normal to the rear wall. The shafts formed in this way are each defined at the bottom by a tongue 21 projecting from the rear wall and above each tongue 21 there is room for four insulating inserts 12 which are inserted manually from above. So that the insulating inserts may be in the correct position, guide bars 22 are provided on both sides in the upper part of the walls 20, the guide bars engaging in grooves in the insulating inserts and ensuring perpendicular lowering thereof.The side walls 20 do not extend downwardly as far as the tongues 21, but leave a space free in between so as to allow the action of an arrangement for gripping and withdrawing the insulating inserts 12.

A truck 25 serves to withdraw the four lowest insulating inserts 12 at any given time from the magazine 18, the truck running by means of a chassis with four wheels 26 on two laterally mounted rails 27 which lie parallel to the direction of travel of the production frame 2 and are arranged inwardly of the wheels 2' of the production frame 2. A platform 28 is attached to the chassis of the truck 25 so that it can be raised and lowered thereon by being mounted by means of links 29 on the axles of the wheels 26.

Mounted on the top of the platform 28 and projecting upwardly therefrom are pairs of bars 30 extending parallel to the direction of travel, one bar of each pair bearing a flat steel spring 31, the distance of which from the other bar of the pair is a little smaller than the width of the insulating insert 12 to be gripped.

At each side of the platform 28 a respective swing arm 33 acts on the platform 28 via links 32 and is mounted by means of a pivot 34 on the holder 17 and can be actuated by a hydraulic cylinder 35, whereby the truck 25 can be shifted from the outer end position shown in Figures 1 and 3 into the inner end position shown in Figure 2, in which its right-hand pair of wheels 26 strikes against a stop 36 on the rails 27, as a result of which the links 29 adjust themselves in a steeper position and the platform 28 is raised a little, as shown in Figure 2.

The mould serving to make the blocks is shown in Figures 5,6 and 7. It consists of a box open at the bottom and having the size of four blocks to be made and arranged side by side. A cover plate 40 has filling openings 41 and 41' for each block which correspond to the two concrete cross-sections of the blocks separated from one another by an insulating insert 12. Eight prismatic cores 42 are inserted in each of the openings 41, these cores not extending as far as the bottom and corresponding to as many cavities in the finished block, which cavities are closed on five sides.

Above the spaces in the mould which accommodate the insulating inserts 12 blocks 43 are fixed, these blocks carrying spikes 44 to enable the insulating inserts to be temporarily retained. Side pieces 45 project from the cover plate 40 and define laterally a track 46 forming an extension of the track 10' for the concretegrout truck 10. Finally, openings 47 are provided in the side wall for inserting the insulating inserts 12, the openings being defined by lateral flanges 48 extending obliquely towards one another in order to facilitate insertion.

The apparatus operates in the following manner: The production process begins in the position according to Figure 1, in which the four pairs of bars 30 of the feed truck 25 engage the four lowest insulating inserts 12 resting on the tongues 21. The truck 25 is thereupon moved to the right by means of the hydraulic cylinder 35 into the position according to Figure 2, the four inserts being carried along. When the front wheels of the truck 25 strike against the stops 36, the platform 28 is raised into the position shown in Figure 2 by the thrust of the levers 33, the spikes 44 penetrating into the insulating inserts 12. This is followed by lowering of the platform 28 by swinging the levers 33 in the opposite direction, the inserts remaining on the spikes, and the moving out of the feed truck 2 into the initial position according to Figures 1 and 3 takes place. The production mould 3 is thereupon lowered together with the inserts 12 on to the floor 1 (Figure 3) and the truck 10 which has meanwhile been filled with concrete grout is run on to the cover plate 40, following which the hollow spaces of the mould are filled.

Pressing in of the concrete by the lowered pressure ram 5 and compacting by the vibrator 7 follow, after which after waiting for the concrete to set the mould is drawn off upwards hydraulically from the finished blocks. The finished building blocks are left resting on the floor, whereas the frame 2 is moved on its wheels 2' to the next working station. Instead of the blocks being made on the floor, they may also be made on a removable support, the frame 2 being then designed to be stationary.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A mould for the manufacture of concrete building blocks having at least one heat-insulating insert of foamed plastics material and at least one cavity, the mould having an open bottom which is closable by a platform and a top which is covered by a cover provided with openings through which the mould can be filled, wherein for the formation of each cavity a prismatic body extends downwards from the cover into the interior of the mould, the mould is provided with supporting means for fixing each insert in the interior of the mould, and the cover has over the position of each insert a bridge piece left between the openings to cover the insert when in position.

2. A mould according to claim 1, wherein the supporting means consists of spikes projecting downwardly from the cover and arranged to penetrate into the insert as a result of relative vertical movement between the mould and the platform, in the sense to close the bottom of the mould, after the insert has been placed on the platform so that it is vertically aligned with said spikes.

3. A mould according to claim 2, wherein one of the side walls of the mould is formed with an opening through which the insert can be introduced endwise into the interior of the mould by moving the platform, on which the insert has previously been placed, horizontally from a position laterally outside the mould to a position beneath the open bottom thereof, before the spikes are caused to penetrate into said insert as a result of said relative vertical movement between the mould and the platform.

4. A mould according to any of the preceding claims, wherein, for the purpose of forming blind air-filled cavities in the cast concrete, corresponding cores are fixed to the cover in positions such that they project downwardly therefrom into the interior of the mould to a level above that of the bottom of the mould.

5. A mould according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the interior of the mould is divided by partitions into a plurality of compartments located side-by-side and serving for the simultaneous moulding of a corresponding plurality of building blocks.

6. A mould for use in the manufacture of building blocks of the kind comprising an insert of foamed plastics material interconnecting and forming a heat insulating barrier between two separate cast concrete portions of the building block, said mould being constructed and arranged substantially as described with reference to and as shown in Figures 5 to 7 of the accompanying drawings.

7. Apparatus for the manufacture of concrete building blocks having at least one heatinsulating insert of foamed plastics material and at least one cavity, the apparatus comprising: a mould as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6, a magazine having at least one chamber for accommodating a stack of inserts, a feed truck having means for withdrawing the lowermost insert or inserts from the magazine, the feed truck being displaceable to convey the inserts to the mould, means for transferring the inserts from the feed truck to the supporting means of the mould, and means for lowering the mould, together with the insert or inserts, on to a support after retraction of the feed truck, for supplying concrete grout to the mould through the openings in the cover, and for separating the mould from the finished block by upward withdrawal of the mould.

8. A process for manufacturing concrete building blocks having at least one heat-insulating insert of foamed plastics material and at least one cavity, wherein a mould as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6 is placed on a platform with the insert or inserts fixed in the interior of the mould and the mould is filled with concrete grout which is allowed to set while in contact with the surfaces of the insert or inserts.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (8)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. of the blocks being made on the floor, they may also be made on a removable support, the frame 2 being then designed to be stationary. WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A mould for the manufacture of concrete building blocks having at least one heat-insulating insert of foamed plastics material and at least one cavity, the mould having an open bottom which is closable by a platform and a top which is covered by a cover provided with openings through which the mould can be filled, wherein for the formation of each cavity a prismatic body extends downwards from the cover into the interior of the mould, the mould is provided with supporting means for fixing each insert in the interior of the mould, and the cover has over the position of each insert a bridge piece left between the openings to cover the insert when in position.

2. A mould according to claim 1, wherein the supporting means consists of spikes projecting downwardly from the cover and arranged to penetrate into the insert as a result of relative vertical movement between the mould and the platform, in the sense to close the bottom of the mould, after the insert has been placed on the platform so that it is vertically aligned with said spikes.

3. A mould according to claim 2, wherein one of the side walls of the mould is formed with an opening through which the insert can be introduced endwise into the interior of the mould by moving the platform, on which the insert has previously been placed, horizontally from a position laterally outside the mould to a position beneath the open bottom thereof, before the spikes are caused to penetrate into said insert as a result of said relative vertical movement between the mould and the platform.

4. A mould according to any of the preceding claims, wherein, for the purpose of forming blind air-filled cavities in the cast concrete, corresponding cores are fixed to the cover in positions such that they project downwardly therefrom into the interior of the mould to a level above that of the bottom of the mould.

5. A mould according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the interior of the mould is divided by partitions into a plurality of compartments located side-by-side and serving for the simultaneous moulding of a corresponding plurality of building blocks.

6. A mould for use in the manufacture of building blocks of the kind comprising an insert of foamed plastics material interconnecting and forming a heat insulating barrier between two separate cast concrete portions of the building block, said mould being constructed and arranged substantially as described with reference to and as shown in Figures 5 to 7 of the accompanying drawings.

7. Apparatus for the manufacture of concrete building blocks having at least one heatinsulating insert of foamed plastics material and at least one cavity, the apparatus comprising: a mould as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6, a magazine having at least one chamber for accommodating a stack of inserts, a feed truck having means for withdrawing the lowermost insert or inserts from the magazine, the feed truck being displaceable to convey the inserts to the mould, means for transferring the inserts from the feed truck to the supporting means of the mould, and means for lowering the mould, together with the insert or inserts, on to a support after retraction of the feed truck, for supplying concrete grout to the mould through the openings in the cover, and for separating the mould from the finished block by upward withdrawal of the mould.

8. A process for manufacturing concrete building blocks having at least one heat-insulating insert of foamed plastics material and at least one cavity, wherein a mould as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6 is placed on a platform with the insert or inserts fixed in the interior of the mould and the mould is filled with concrete grout which is allowed to set while in contact with the surfaces of the insert or inserts.