US3426403A - Concrete molding apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 11, 1969 K. WOCHNER 6,

I CONCRETE MOLDING APPARATUS Filed March 23, 1966 Sheet Of 2 Feb. 11, 1969 woc CONCRETE MOLDING APPARATUS Sheet g of 2 Filed March 23, 1966 United States Patent 3,426,403 CONCRETE MOLDING APPARATUS Kurt Wochner, Dotternhausen Germany, assignor to Rheinbau G.m.b.H., Mainz, Germany Filed Mar. 23, 1966, Ser. No. 536,792 U.S. C]. 25-41 Int Cl. B20b 1/08 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to the molding of concrete.

In particular, the present invention relates to apparatus for molding concrete base members adapted to be used with structural frameworks in building structures and the like.

Where a structural framework or lattice girder is provided with a concrete base, it is known to manufacture such a concrete base or slab with a mold whose length corresponds to the length of the structural supporting unit, this mold being carried by a suitable frame which supports a movable concrete container from which the concrete is poured into the mold. With known structure of this type, the required compacting of the concrete can be carried out by way of suitable rollers or the like. This structure is suitable for producing relatively thick concrete slabs of fairly good quality. However, when the base of the structural framework is in the form of a relatively thin concrete plate, it is not possible to use structure of this latter type.

It is also known to manufacture the concrete base of a structural framework with a movable supporting structure for a vibrating device guided in such a way that this movable supporting structure will move transversely across the concrete which is molded. Because it is necessary to move the vibration device of this type of apparatus transversely across the longitudinally extending concrete, it is only possible to apply the vibrating structure to carrier elements which extend outwardly beyond the concrete base. For this reason, this type of structure also is not suitable for relatively thin concrete plates but can only be used with relatively small concrete slabs of considerable depth.

In the case where the structural framework has a relatively thin concrete base in the form of a concrete plate of relatively large area, the known structures referred to above cannot be used since the vibrations derived from the vibrating device cannot extend outwardly beyond the carrier elements which extend from the concrete base to the part of the concrete which is situated beyond these carrier elements.

It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a structure capable of molding relatively thin concrete plates of relatively great lengths with a structure which will provide a highly eflicient compacting of the concrete While it is in the mold.

In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide a structure of this type which will reliably support the mold so that the compacting vibrations will be reliably transmitted thereto while at the same time malfcilng it very easy to discharge the molded slab from the mo An additional object of the invention is to provide a structure which will reliably maintain the components of the concrete mold in engagement with each other during molding of concrete therein and which, at the same time, is capable of freeing these components for movement apart from each other, so that it is a simple matter to discharge the molded concrete from the mold.

In the structure of the invention, a frame means carries a vibratory support means which is adapted to carry one or more vibration devices so as to be vibrated thereby. A mold means is provided for molding the concrete into the form of a plate, and a guide means is carried by the vibratory support means and guides the mold means for movement between a molding position, in which the mold means receives the concrete to be molded, and a discharge position in which the molded plate can be discharged from the mold means. In accordance with the invention, the guide means guides the mold means for movement with respect to the vibratory support means not only in a generally horizontal direction but also in a generally vertical direction.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing which forms part of the application and in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of one embodiment of an apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partly fragmentary transverse view of the structure; and

FIG. 3 shows, in elevation, a supply structure for supplying concrete to the mold.

Referring now to the drawing, there is shown therein a base frame means 1 which supports the entire struc ture. This base frame means 1 includes a pair of longitudinally extending side members 2 forming rails in which rollers 3 are guided for movement. These rollers 3 are rotatably carried by elongated lower side frame members 5a (FIG. 1) of a framework which carries a container 5 for the concrete which is to issue from the open bottom end of the container or hopper 5 into a mold, as described below. This funnel-shaped hopper 5 is fixed to the top ends of a pair of side arms 4 which are fixed to and extend upwardly from the lower members 5a and which at their upper ends are directed inwardly toward the side walls of the hopper 5, so as to carry the latter in the manner shown most clearly in FIGS. 1 and 3.

The base frame means 1 supports a vibratory support means 6 which is adapted to carry vibrating devices of conventional construction (not shown). This vibratory support means 6 extends longitudinally along the base frame means 1. Suitable rubber blocks 7 or the like are interposed between the vibratory support means 6 and the frame means 1 to mount the support means 6 on the frame means 1 while insulating the latter from the vibrations of the support means 6. In this way, the blocks 7 form a damping means for damping the framework 1 from the vibrations of the support means 6.

The vibratory support means 6 includes elongated side frame members 6a directly fixed to the blocks 7 and situated respectively over the side frame members 2, as indicated in FIG. 2. In addition, the vibratory support means 6 includes cross members 8 which are fixed to the side members 6a and extend across the space therebetween, these cross members 8 being situated on top of the side members 6a so that they extend to an elevation higher than the members 611. The spacing between the several cross member 8 is indicated in FIG. 1.

A guide means is provided for guiding the mold means, which is described below, for movement with respect to the support means 6 between a molding position and a discharge position. This guide means includes a pair of parallel guide rails 9 fixed to and extending between the left pair of cross members 8, as viewed in FIG. 1, and an additional pair of parallel guide rails 9 fixed to and extending between the right pair of cross members 8, as viewed in FIG. 1. In this way, the pairs of successive cross members of the vibratory support means respectively carry pairs of guide rails 9. These guide rails 9 are situated over the members 6a and they are provided intermediate their ends with inclined portions situating the front ends of the guide rails 9 at an elevation higher than their rear ends, as is particularly apparent from FIG. 1. For this purpose the forward cross member 8 of each pair of successive cross members carries suitable blocks for supporting the front ends of the rails 9 at elevations higher than their rear ends, respectively. The rear ends of the rails 9 are fixed directly to the cross members 8.

The guide means includes, in addition to the rails 9, stop members 10 in the form of elongated leaf springs having the configuration shown most clearly in FIG. 1. These leaf springs are fixed at their rear ends to the rear ends of the rails 9, respectively, and except for their rear ends the leaf springs 10 are spaced from the guide rails 9 to define with the latter gaps for receiving rollers 11, respectively.

These rollers 11 are turnably carried by the mold means 12, and in particular by elongated lateral side frame members of the mold means, which extend parallel to the side frame members 6a and 2, longitudinally of the apparatus. The lateral mold frame members carry at their inner surfaces mold plates 13 and 14 which are removably fixed to the lateral side frame members of the mold. These side plates 13 and 14 of the mold frame directly engage the concrete and laterally confine the concrete during setting thereof in the mold means 12.

The lateral side frame members of the mold means 12 also fixedly carry depending members or brackets 15 which extend downwardly between the cross members 8 to an elevation lower than the upper surfaces thereof. The depending arms or members 15 are situated at opposite sides of the mold means and are fixed to each other at their bottom ends by transversely extending members 15:! (FIG. 2). Each assembly of a pair of depending members 15 and the transverse member 15a interconnecting the same, fixedly carries a pair of forwardly extending arms 15b which serve to support a roller 16. These rollers 16 are freely turnable on the arms 15b and are situated at an elevation lower than the top surfaes of the cross members 8 when the mold means 12 is in the molding position thereof shown in FIG. 1.

The concrete is supported by a mold board 17 of the mold means, and this mold board 17 is freely movable with respect to the remainder of the mold means 12. When the mold means 12 is the molding position thereof, the mold board 17 rests directly on the vibratory support means 6, engaging the cross members -8 thereof. As is apparent from FIG. 1, when the mold means 12 is in its molding position, the roller means 16 is spaced beneath the molding board 17 at a predetermined distance therefrom. The stop members 10 of the guide means press downwardly, through the rollers 11, on the mold frame to press the lateral mold plates 13 and 14 downwardly toward the mold board 17. In this way, the side plates 13 of the mold are pressed at their bottom edges against the top surface of the mold board 17 to confine the concrete thereon. Thus, with the mold means 12 in its molding position, the vibrations imparted to the vibratory support means 6 will be transmitted in a very thorough manner throughout the entire mold means for very efficiently compacting the concrete, with the reinforcing rods and carrier elements embedded therein, as indicated in FIG. 2.

In order to displace the mold means from the illustrated molding position thereof to the discharge position, a hydraulic means 18 is provided. The cylinder of the hydraulie means 18 is pivotally supported at its rear end on the base frame means 1, while the piston is connected with the rearmost cross member 15a, as indicated in FIG. 2. Therefore, when oil under pressure is introduced in a known way into the cylinder of the hydraulic means 18, the piston therein will be displaced forwardly so as to shift the entire mold means to the right, as viewed in FIG. 1 from the illustrated molding position to a discharge position. During this displacement of the mold means the rollers 11 will be guided for movement by the rails 9 which will not only guide the mold means for movement in a generally horizontal, forward direction, but which will in addition raise the mold means in a generally vertical direction, so that the board 17 initially remains on the cross members 8 while the mold frame which carries the rollers 16 and the side plates 13 and 14 is displaced upwardly and forwardly with respect to the board 17. During this upward movement of the mold frame, the top edges of the rollers 16 engage the lower surface of the board 17 and raise the latter upwardly from the cross members 8 so that, in this way, the board 17 is displaced from the vibratory support means. When the rollers 11 have reached the upper forward ends of the inclined portions of the rails 9 the upper edges of the rollers 16 will have been displaced to an elevation higher than the top surfaces of the cross members 8, so that now the board 17, together with the finished concrete plate thereon, can be rolled forwardly on the rollers 16 and out of the mold to discharge the molded article from the mold. With the mold means thus in its discharge position, determined by the stroke of hydraulic means 18, a board 17 with a molded concrete plate thereon can easily be removed and replaced by another board 17. The parts can then be returned by retraction of the hydraulic means 18 so that the mold will return to its molding position and another plate can be molded.

It is preferred to arrange the rollers 16 from the rear toward the front at increasingly slightly lower elevations so that the rearmost roller 16 is at the highest elevation and the forwardmost roller 16 is at the lowest elevation. Thus, when the mold means is in its discharge position, the board 17 of the mold means is inclined downwardly so that it will automatically roll out of the mold.

The upper surfaces of the side frame members of the mold means 12 can be provided with scales 19 which make it possible for the operator to provide any desired length of molded concrete plate without initial measuring by way of end switches.

In order to displace the supply means 4, 5 along the base frame means 1, a sprocket chain drive 20 is provided, driven by a driving motor (not shown) situated at any suitable part of the frame. Moreover, an elongated foot switch which extends along the entire length of the machine, and which is not illustrated in the drawing, can be provided to make it possible for the operator to stop and start the vibrations when the operator is at any part of the machine, simply by depressing the foot switch with his foot.

It is to be noted that the rails 9 of the guide means serve not only to raise and lower the mold frame but also to guide the mold means laterally, so that the manufacture of straight carrier plates is assured. The configuration of the guide rails 9 is such that initially, during movement from the molding position to the discharge position, the mold moves only horizontally through a given increment and starts to be displaced upwardly only after having moved through this initial horizontal increment, so that in this way tearing away of edge portions of the freshly molded concrete which may not have yet set is reliably avoided.

By reason of the pressing of the mold frame downwardly against the mold board 17, full molding of complete, solid side edges of the concrete plate is assured and leaking of the concrete between the mold frame and the board 17 is reliably avoided. By making the side plates 13 and 14 removable, they can be exchanged for other side plates which will give the side edges of the concrete plate any desired profile.

When the container 5 is in the loading position of FIG. 1 where it receives the concrete which is to be delivered to the mold means 12, the bottom end of the container is closed by a table 21 supported for movement on the rollers 21a of the base frame means 1. As a result of the frictional contact of the concrete with the top surface of the table 21, at the outlet opening of the hopper 5, this outlet opening being closed by the table 21, when the container 5 is advanced forwardly, to the right, as viewed in FIG. 1, the table 21 will move together with the container 5. This movement will continue until the stop member. 25, which is fixed to the rear end of the table 21, engages the rear roller 21a shown at the left in FIG. 1, and now the table 21 cannot move while the container 5 continues to move, with the rollers 3 advancing along the rails 2 in the manner described above. As a result of this feature, the mold means 12 will only begin to be filled when the table 21 is stationary and the container 5 has moved beyond table 21. Therefore, the horizontally extending reinforcing rods will be uncovered at one end of the concrete plate.

A pair of stop members 26, one of which is shown at the right end of FIG. 1, are carried by the rails 2 in the path of movement of the forward rollers 3, and these stop members 26 may be mounted on the rails 2 at any desired location. The stop member 26 is schematically indicated in FIG. 1 and may take the form of any suitable bolt, for example, capable of being selectively placed in one of a series of openings arranged along the rails 2, so that in this way the forward movement of the container 5 is also limited by engagement of the stop members 26 with the forward rollers 3. Therefore, by reason of these stop members 26 it is also possible to leave the forward ends of the reinforcing rods uncovered, and thus in the finished concrete plate the free ends of the reinforcing rods are exposed. This feature is, of course, highly desirable for reasons well known in the art.

Thus, in order to use the structure of the invention, it is only necessary to roll the mold board 17 along the rollers 16 into the mold, while the mold 12 is in its discharge position, and then the entire assembly can be displaced to the molding position shown in FIG. 1. During vibratory movement of the vibratory support means 6, by way of the unillustrated vibrating devices carried by the support means 6 at any desired locations thereon, the board 17 directly engages the vibratory support means while the rollers 16 are situated beneath and spaced from the board 17. The molding frame, which laterally confines the concrete, is pressed downwardly against the board 17 in the manner described above. In this way, the molding takes place, and at the end of the molding operation the mold means is displaced back to the discharge position so that the rollers 16 are elevated to engage the underside of the board 17 and raise it to an elevation above the vibratory support means, thus enabling the board 17 together with the molded concrete plate thereon to be readily removed. By arranging the rollers 16 so that they are successively at somewhat lower elevations, from the rear end of the mold toward the forward end thereof, the mold board 17 is inclined downwardly and rolls out very easily in an automatic manner. The feature of providing an initial forward, substantially horizontal increment of movement of the mold frame, before it moves upwardly, guarantees that the side plates 13 and 14 will initially slide horizontally along the side edges of the molded plate so that tearing away of the concrete at the side edges by sudden upward movement of the side plates 13 and 14, before a horizontal sliding movement relative to the concrete, is avoided.

Also, instead of placing the rollers 16 at different elevations, the front ends of the front guides 9 can be situated at an elevation somewhat lower than the front ends of the rear guides 9, so that when the mold means is in its discharge position, the entire mold is slightly inclined to provide automatic rolling of the board 17 out of the mold.

What is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus for producing girders with a concrete plate, particularly lattice girders for ceilings and the like, the combination of a base, a vibratory table mounted on said base and having a length substantially corresponding to that of a girder to be produced, a girder plate form positioned above said table and movable longitudinally as well as vertically relative thereto, and means for guiding said form in its movement, said form including lateral form members and a bottom form member, said bottom form member initially resting on said vibratory table and said guiding means being operative to initially draw said lateral form members downwardly against the bottom form member while concrete is being poured into the form, said guiding means also being operative to subsequently raise the lateral form members off the bottom form member while the latter remains resting on said table and to eventually raise the bottom form member off said table when the form is moved longitudinally to its ultimate position.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said guiding means include elongated guide rails secured to said table and having end portions disposed at difierent elevations relative to the table, and rollers provided on said lateral form members and engaging said guide rails.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said guiding means also include brackets depending from said lateral form members, and transverse rollers journalled in said brackets below said bottom form members, said transverse rollers being engageable with the bottom form member to raise the same off said table when the form is moved to its ultimate position and permitting the bottom form member to be rolled out of the apparatus on said transverse rollers to discharge the produced girder.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said vibratory table is provided at the top thereof with longitudinally spaced cross members on which said bottom form member rests in the initial position of the form, said transverse rollers initially lying below upper edges of said cross members but being projectable above the cross member upper edges to raise the bottom form member off the cross members in the ultimate position of the form.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 together with a concrete supply hopper movable longitudinally on said base above said form.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 together with a fluid operator reacting between said base and said form for moving the latter between its initial and ultimate positions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,453,747 5/1923 Carry 25-99 1,574,985 3/1926 McWain 25-41 2,029,365 2/1936 Galbman 25-41 2,036,367 4/1936 Shinn et al. 25-41 2,106,329 1/1938 Scott 25-41 2,562,541 7/1951 Flam 25-41 WILLIAM J. STEPHENSON, Primary Examiner.

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