GB2139160A - Tipping device for a vehicle mounted mixer drum - Google Patents

Abstract

A mixer support frame (16) seated on the vehicle support structure (8) rotatably supports a mixer drum (15), and a pair of arms (6) are pivotally attached at inner ends thereof to the support structure (8) on a common pivotal axis (10), the arms (6) being located in a common radial plane and being spaced from one another so as to embrace the mixer drum (15) and its support frame (16), the latter being attached at each lateral side to an adjacent arm (6) by means of two selectively operable suspension elements (5) to connections (17). When the arms (6) are rotated by means 11 away from the support structure (8), with suspension elements (12) connected only to the connections (17) nearest the axis 10, that end of the support frame (16) becomes increasingly elevated with respect to the support structure (8) while concomitantly a roller means (7) rolls along the support structure (8) towards the pivotal axes (10) of the arms (6), with this movement being reversed upon rotation of the arms (6) in the opposite and second direction, towards the support structure (8). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Tipping device for a vehicle mounted mixer drum This invention relates to a tipping device for a vehicle mounted mixer drum, and to a vehicle provided with such a mixer drum.

Existing batching plants for ready mixed concrete are designed for relatively large, truck-mounted mixer drums, so that the discharge chute from the batching plant is high enough to enable the material to be discharged by gravity into the mixer drum opening: this is normally just below the discharge chute, at a height of approximately 12 to 13 foot.

Mixer drums of smaller capacities from, say 500 litres to 2000 litres, obviously have a smaller dimensioned mixer drum and are usually mounted on smaller trucks. The mixer drum opening is thus well below the height of the normal batching plant discharge chute. Because of the distance from the chute to the drum opening, it is almost impossible for the materials to be dropped accurately, thereby avoiding spillage, into the mixer drum without some means of physically guiding the materials, or some means of bringing the receiver mixer drum opening closer to the discharge chute.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tipping device for a vehicle mounted mixer comprising a support structure, a mixer support frame seatable on, and displaceable with respect to, the support structure, a mixer drum rotatably carried by the support frame, a pair of arms pivotally attached at inner ends thereof to the support structure on a common pivotal axis, the arms being located in a common radial plane and being spaced from one another so as to embrace the mixer drum and its support frame, the latter being attached at each lateral side to an adjacent arm by means of two selectively operable suspension ele- - ments one of which is connectable (with the mixer support frame seated on the support structure) to a connection of the mixer support frame adjacent the pivotal axes of the arms, and the other of which is connectable to a connection of the mixer support frame remote from the pivotal axes ofthe arms, power means to displace the arms about their pivotal axes, and the mixersupportframe being provided, at an end thereof remote from the pivotal axes of the arms, with roller means engaging the support structure, whereby, when the arms are rotated in a first direction, away from the support structure, with suspension elements connected only to the adjacent connections of the mixer support frame, that end of the support frame becomes increasingly elevated with respect to the support structure while concomitantly the roller means rolls along the support structure towards the pivotal axes of the arms, with this movement being reversed upon rotation of the arms in the opposite and second direction, towards the support structure.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle, of the trailer or the self-propelled type, incorporating a tipping device as defined above.

Thus, by adopting the device and/or vehicle of the invention, the tipping capability of the mixer support frame enables the mixer drum to be elevated with respect to the support structure and hence enables the mouth of the mixer drum to be manoeuvered with relative ease into close proximity to a discharge chute of a batching plant, thereby easing the charging of the mixer drum and minimising spillage.

The roller means may comprise an individual roller located at each lateral side of the support frame. Furthermore, the roller means may be provided with a latching peg or trunnion projecting from each side of the support frame and adapted, in the charging position of the mixer drum, to engage latching means carried by the support structure. This arrangement assists in stabilizing the rotating mixer drum during the charging operation, by latching the support frame to the support structure. In detail, the latching means carried by the support structure may comprise sideways mounted channel section members defining an open mouth, and a closed end, to receive the latching pegs or trunnions. The power means to displace the arms may comprise a doubleacting ram located at both lateral sides of the support structure and pivotally connected to an adjacent arm.

After charging with ready mixed concrete, attachment of the non-used suspension elements to the remote connections, makes the mixer drum support frame and hence the mixer drum ready for inversion and hence discharge of the concrete from the mixer drum, at the desired discharge location, as detailed in GB 2076 775B.

The invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a mixer drum and its support frame in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 shows the mixer drum and support frame mounted on a self-propelled vehicle for mixer drum charging; and Figure 3 shows the mixer drum and support frame of Figure 1 mounted on a self-propelled vehicle for mixer discharge.

In the drawings, a truck (18) seated on ground (19), has a flat deck (8) constituting a support structure for a mixer drum (15) rotatable about axis (2) by a conventional drive means (6) having a support frame (16), the mixer drum (15) being operated in conjunction with a truck-mounted, mixer drum handling, lifting and tipping frame (1). The latter is of inverted "U"-shape, comprising side arms (6), and an interconnecting cross-arm (7). The arms (6) are pivotally attached at their inner and lower ends to the deck (8), or more specifically to a bracket (9) attached to the deck (8) so as to be pivotable about common pivotal axes (10). A double acting hydraulic ram (11), located at each side of the deck (8), is pivotally attached to the bracket (9) at pivot axis (24), and to an adjacent side arm (6) at pivot axis (20).The frame (1) is used for mixer drum handling purposes to displace the mixer drum (15) between outboard and inboard positions with respect to the truck (18) and also to tip the materials out of the mixer drum (15).

The mixer drum (15) and its support frame (16) as illustrated in Figure 1 is readily mountable on, and demountable from, the deck (8) of the truck (18) so that the truck (18) may be used for other purposes.

The mixer drum (15) and frame (16) are loaded onto the deck (8) of the truck (18), from the ground (19), by means ofthe lifting and tipping frame (1), using two forward lifting chains (5), which are located remote from pivot axes (10), and two rearward lifting chains (12), which are located adjacent the pivot axes (10), with hooks (3) thereof engaging suspension eyes (17) ofthe frame (16). When it is required to charge the mixer with ready-mixed concrete, or any other materials to be mixed or transported, the truck (18) is driven to a position under the batching plant or hopper in a vertical line with a plant discharge chute indicated partially at (4).The two forward chains (5) are disconnected and the lifting and tipping frame (1) made to move in an outboard direction (6), by clockwise rotation having regard to Figures 2 and 3, thus causing the mixer unit to lift at the rear end only of the support frame (16). The mixer-frame (16) is provided at its forward end with roller means in the form of wheels or rollers (7) in such a manner that the periphery of the wheel or rollers (7) just rest on the deck (8) when the mixer-frame (16) is horizontal.

As the rear of the mixer-frame (16) is lifted by the action of the rearward lifting chains (12) and the lifting and tipping frame (1), the roller (7) makes contact with the surface of the deck (8) and the weightofthe mixer drum (15) begins to be transferred to the rollers (7).The rollers (7) are each provided with a coaxial and laterally projecting peg ortrunnion (21) adapted to locate forward end (22) of the support frame (16) at the charging position of the mixer drum (15) by engaging latching means defined by sideways mounted channel section members (23) attached, e.g. by bolts or welding, to the deck (8), each member (23) presenting an open mouth for the free entrace, or exit, of a peg or trunnion (21), and having a closed end to restrain further movement of the pegs or trunnions (21 ) and hence their associated rollers (7) along the deck (8), and consequently to halt the advance of the support frame (16) along the deck (8).Thus, with the forward end of the support frame (16) latched to the deck (8) by the elements (21) and (23), the lifting and tipping frame (1) continues to move towards the vertical position illustrated at (10), and the rear end of the frame (16) and hencethe mixer drum (15) continues to lift upwards and rearwards until it reaches the maximum height position when the lifting and tipping frame (1) is in a vertical position illustrated in dotted line at (10). At this stage the weight of the mixer drum (15) and support frame (16) is partly on the wheels or rollers (7) and partly on the rearward chains (12).The mixer drum has an opening indicated at (13) which is now near the batching plant discharge chute (4) and because of the change in the angle oftiltofthe mixer drum (15) the opening (13) is at the optimum position in relation to the materials, e.g. concrete, falling under gravity from the discharge chute (4). As illustrated, the vehicle is provided with stabilizing hydraulic props (14). These, having been fully extended, also elevate the deck (8) and consequently the mixer drum (15) and thus bring the opening (13) even closerto the discharge chute (4). The materials may now be dropped into the mixer drum (15)without undue difficulty. When charging has been completed, the lifting and tipping frame (1) is made to return inboard by retraction of the double acting rams (11), and because of this action the mixer drum (15) is again lowered and, as the suspension eyes (17) move in a forwards, as well as a vertical, direction, the charged mixer drum (15) rolls forwards until the mixer-frame (16) is lowered and is parallel with the deck (8) and the mixer assembly therefore comes to rest. The chains (5) are then reconnected and the stabilizing props (14) withdrawn. The truck is now ready to travel with its load.

Claims (7)

1. A tipping device for a vehicle mounted mixer comprising a support structure, a mixer support frame seatable on, and displaceable with respect to, the support structure, a mixer drum rotatably carried by the support frame, a pair of arms pivotally attached at inner ends thereof to the support structure on a common pivotal axis, the arms being located in a common radial plane and being spaced from one another so as to embrace the mixer drum and its supportframe, the latter being attached at each lateral side to an adjacent arm by means of two selectively operable suspension elements one of which is connectable (with the mixer support frame seated on the support structure) to a connection of the mixersupportframe adjacent the pivotal axes of the arms, and the other of which is connectable to a connection of the mixer support frame remote from the pivotal axes of the arms, power means to displace the arms about their pivotal axes, and the mixer support frame being provided, atan end thereof remote from the pivotal axes of the arms, with roller means engaging the support structure, whereby, when the arms are rotated in a first direction, away from the support structure, with suspension elements connected only to the adjacent connections of the mixer support frame, that end of the support frame becomes increasingly elevated with respect to the support structure while concomitantlythe roller means rolls along the suppprt structure towards the pivotal axes of the arms, with this movement being reversed upon rotation of the arms in the opposite and second direction, towards the support structure.

2. A tipping device as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the roller means comprises an individual roller located at each lateral side of the support frame.

3. Atipping device as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the roller means is provided with a latching peg or trunnion projecting from each side of the support frame and adapted, in the charging position of the mixer drum, to engage latching means carried by the support structure.

4. Atipping device as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the latching means comprises sideways mounted channel section members defining an open mouth and a closed end, to receivethe latching pegs or trunnions.

5. Atipping device as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the power means to displace the arms comprises a double-acting ram located at both lateral sides of the support structure and pivotally connected to an adjacent arm.

6. Atipping device for a vehicle mounted mixer, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

7. A vehicle, of the trailer or the self-propelled type, provided with a tipping device as claimed in any preceding Claim.