US3929173A

US3929173A - Materials dispensing apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3929173A
Application number: US453684A
Authority: US
Inventors: Curtis Mauroner
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1974-03-22
Filing date: 1974-03-22
Publication date: 1975-12-30
Anticipated expiration: 1992-12-30

Abstract

A trackway with horizontal forms between the rails for use in casting building wall sections from cementitious materials has a rail mounted apparatus that straddles the forms and is used for storing and dispensing the cementitious materials into the forms. The apparatus is self-propelled and has a plurality of open top bins that are mounted on a horizontally movable carriage beneath a hopper that is used to receive and discharge the cementitious materials into the bins. The carriage is mounted on a vertically movable frame that is suspended from an open box-like frame component of the apparatus. The bins have narrow elongated bottom discharge openings that are transversely arranged to dispense the materials into the forms and the openings are equipped with gates that are independently opened and closed by hydraulically powered cylinders. Hydraulically powered cylinders are used for horizontally moving the carriage and for vertically moving the supporting frame for the carriage and a vibrating assembly that has a shoe for floating concrete in the form is supported and movable with the carriage and is also equipped with means for vertically moving the assembly with respect to the carriage. The vehicle-type apparatus is also equipped with compartments for storing fluids that are dispensed through suitable nozzle equipped headers that are either mounted on the body frame of the apparatus or on the vertically movable frame.

Description

United States Patent 11 1 Mauroner Dec. 30, 1975 [54] MATERIALS DISPENSING APPARATUS [76] Inventor: Curtis Mauroner, 627 W. Concord,

Orlando, Fla. 32801 221 Filed: Mar. 22, 1974 211 Appl. No.1453,684

214/16 R; 425/64 511 1m.c1.= B658 3/06 58 Field of Search 141/12, 73, 74, so, 100,

141/231-235, 237, 242-244, 266, 284, 256, 141/324, 325, 375; 214/16 R, 17 C, 18 PH; 222/160; 425/64, 219, 447

Primary Examiner-Richard E. Aegerter Assistant ExaminerFredcrick R. Schmidt Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Roger L. Martin, Esquire [57] ABSTRACT A trackway with horizontal forms between the rails for use in casting building wall sections from cementitious materials has a rail mounted apparatus that straddles the forms and is used for storing and dispensing the cementitious materials into the forms. The apparatus is self-propelled and has a plurality of open top bins that are mounted on a horizontally movable carriage beneath a hopper that is used to receive and discharge the cementitious materials into the bins. The carriage is mounted on a vertically movable frame that is suspended from an open box-like frame component of the apparatus. The bins have narrow elongated bottom discharge openings that are transversely arranged to dispense the materials into the forms and the openings are equipped with gates that are independently opened and closed by hydraulically powered cylinders. Hydraulically powered cylinders are used for horizontally moving the carriage and for vertically moving the supporting frame for the carriage and a vibrating assembly that has a shoe for floating concrete in the form is supported and movable with the carriage and is also equipped with means for vertically moving the assembly with respect to the carriage. The vehicletype apparatus is also equipped with compartments for storing fluids that are dispensed through suitable nozzle equipped headers that are either mounted on the body frame of the apparatus or on the vertically movable frame.

8 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures U.S. Patent Dec. 30, 1975 Sheet 1 0f 5 3,929,173

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MATERIALS DISPENSING APPARATUS This invention relates to materials transfer and dispensing apparatus for use in the construction of vertical wall structures and more particularly building wall structures that are cast in horizontal forms from cementitious materials.

In an effort to decrease the amount of labor involved in building houses and other structures from cementitious materials, it has been advocated to cast the vertical walls of such structures in sections and in forms that are arranged horizontally. After the cementitious materials have hardened, the wall sections are removed from the forms and are placed upright on suitable foundations at the job site. Thereafter the sections are suitably secured together in the finished wall structure by various means that are well known in the art.

Various different types and designs of wall sections have been proposed for casting in this manner and among the different types are those in which bricks are initially spaced apart in the form. Mortar, concrete and other cementitious materials are thereafter poured into the form at different stages in the process of fabricating the wall section, with provisions in the fabricating procedure being made for the inclusion of concrete reinforcements and materials that later serve as wall insulation.

There are various problems which are encountered in carrying the horizontal casting concept into practice. For one, to be economically feasible, the forms used in casting the wall sections must be reusable. As such, there are labor costs involved in cleaning the forms and in preparing the forms for reuse. Furthermore, although skilled labor is required during certain stages of the casting procedures, much of the work involved can be performed by unskilled labor. In many cases the skilled labor is precluded by union contracts and/or other regulations from doing other useful work at the job site so that the skilled labor remains idle a considerable amount of the time unless mass production techniques are being employed to provide wall sections that are at all times in various stages of completion so as to more efficiently utilize the time of the labor involved.

Yet another problem encountered in carrying the horizontal casting concepts into practice is the fact that conventional methods for delivering cementitious materials to the forms require an excessive amount of labor in order to disperse the cementitious materials throughout the proper areas of the form. Apart from this there are work delays due to poor scheduling of materials deliveries, all of which tend to offset the savings in labor costs contemplated by the advocates of the horizontal casting procedures.

A general object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which can be used to reduce the labor costs involved in the mass production of horizontally cast wall sections made from cementitious materials. Yet another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which may be used for transferring cementitious and other materials that are received at the job site to the forms in which the wall sections are cast and which can be used to store and transfer different materials that are used in the fabrication of such horizontally cast wall sections. Yet another object of the invention is to provide a transfer and cementitious materials dispensing apparatus which minimizes the amount of labor that is used in pouring and dispensing the cementitious materials into the forms and which may be used to reduce the amount of labor involved in cleaning and preparing the forms for reuse. Yet another object of the invention is to provide a transfer apparatus for cementitious materials which minimizes work delays caused by poor delivery scheduling.

The invention contemplates a transfer apparatus for cementitious and other construction materials which is mounted on tracks or rails that are spaced apart and which is adapted to dispense the materials into wall set in forms that are located between the rails and spaced apart along the length of the railway. This arrangement permits the apparatus to be used in serving one form while the wall sections in other forms are in various other stages of fabrication and it facilitates the mass production of such wall sections with a more efficient use of labor involved in the fabrication thereof.

The apparatus is preferably self-propelled for movement along the railway between the forms and a delivery station at which the building materials may be received and it has a plurality of bins that are adapted to store the different types of cementitious and other materials that are received at the delivery station and use in fabricating the cast wall sections. Each bin is equipped with a hopper at its lower end and the discharge opening of the hopper is equipped with a gate and associated power means which may be controlled by the operator of the apparatus to open and close the gate as the need arises to confine and dispense the materials from the bin. Provisions are made in the transfer apparatus to raise and lower the bins with respect to the forms and a shoe that is equipped with a vibrating device is also provided to facilitate the floating of cementitious materials used in the construction of the cast wall sections. The shoe is vertically movable with respect to the bins through powered means controllable by the operator of the apparatus. The bins are mounted one adjacent the next in the structure of the transfer device and a common hopper is used to receive the cementitious and other casting materials at the delivery station and to direct the materials into the proper bin. To facilitate the delivery of the cementitious materials to the bins via the hopper, the bins are mounted on a horizontally movable carriage which by powered means is controllable by the operator to orient the bins with respect to the hopper when the cementitious materials are being received.

The transfer device also has provisions for storing and dispensing fluids that are used in the clean up and preparation of the forms for reuse as well as for paint which may be used to provide a decorative coating on the cured wall sections before they are removed for installation in the building structure.

The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the transfer and dispensing apparatus as seen when located over one of the horizontal forms used in casting the vertical wall sections;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the transfer and dispensing apparatus as seen from the operator's side of the device;

FIG. 3 is a front end view of the apparatus as generally seen along the lines 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged elevational sectional view taken generally along the lines 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along the lines 55 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken generally along the lines 6-6 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken generally along the lines 77 of FIG. 4.

Reference is now made to the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings and wherein the transfer apparatus 10 is seen as mounted on the rails 11 ofa railway 12 which is elevated above ground level and supported on an elongated table structure 13. The rails 11 are spaced apart and mounted in parallel on the table structure 13 and between the rails 1 l are a plurality of open top forms which are used in casting the wall sections and which are spaced apart along the railway 12 for service by the transfer apparatus 10.

Only one of the forms is seen in the drawings and as mounted on the table structure 13, the form 15 is an open top form which has side walls 16 that are bolted to spaced lugs 17 that are suitably fixed at the upper surface of the table structure 13. The side walls 16 are provided with aligned holes 18 that may be used in supporting reinforcing rods which are embedded in the wall section cast in the form. The form 15 illustrated contemplates that the cast wall sections will have a brick veneer outer surface and hence between the walls 16 the top 19 of the table structure 13 is provided with suitable spacers 20 which define cavities in which the bricks are positioned at the commencement of the wall fabricating procedure and which shape the mortar joints in the finished wall sections.

The transfer apparatus has an open, generally boxtype, rigid body frame structure 23 that is equipped at the front end 24 with an underlying and transversely extending platform forming metal plate 25. At the rear end 26 of the transfer apparatus, the frame 23 is equipped with an underlying narrow transversely extending metal plate 27. At the front end 24 each of the flanged wheels 28 is mounted on a shaft 29 that is journaled at its opposite ends in bearings 30 that are mounted on spaced channel components 31, and the channels are fixed dependingly from the metal plate 25. At the rear end 26 the channels 31 for these wheel assemblies are fixed dependingly from the metal plate 27.

The transfer apparatus 10 in this instance is selfpropelled and at the front end 24, the apparatus 10 is equipped with an internal combustion engine 33 that drives a fluid pump 34 which delivers pressurized fluid to a pressure tank 35. Tank 35 provides a source of pressurized fluid for the various hydraulically powered and operated drive components of the apparatus. The engine 33 is mounted internally of the box-type body frame on the platform provided by plate 25. Plate extends laterally at the operators side 38 of the body frame 23 to provide a support structure for mounting the pump 34 and tank 35. At this side 38 of the apparatus, the apparatus is equipped with a pressurized fluid drive motor 36 and motor 36 has a shaft which is coupled through a gear box 37 to a drive connection with the shaft 29 of the adjacent flanged wheel. Motor 36 and gear box 37 are fixed dependingly from the lateral extension of the platform 25 as seen in the drawing.

The bottom portion 40 of the body frame 23 includes opposite side angles 41 and opposite end angles 42. These

angles

41 and 42 are welded together in a rectangular arrangement and

plates

25 and 27 underlie and are fixed to the body portion as seen in the drawings. The top portion 43 of the body frame 23 has opposite side angles 44 and opposite end angles 45 that are similarly welded together in the frame structure. This top portion is supported spacedly above the bottom portion 40 by means that includes four angle-type vertically extending corner posts 46 that rigidly interconnect the upper and lower portions in the box-like body frame.

Within the frame structure 23 and aft of platform 25, the transfer apparatus 10 has a carriage 48 that is mounted for horizontal longitudinal movement on a vertically movable frame component 49. Frame 49 has a pair of opposite side angles 50 on which the carriage 48 is supported and these side components 50 of the auxiliary frame 49 are rigidly interconnected at the front 53 and rear 54 ends of the frame 49 by a pair of transversely extending channel members 51 and 52. At its opposite sides and adjacent the platform 25, the body frame has a pair of upright angles 55 that are welded to the adjacent side angles 41 and 44 of the body frame. The track forming side angles 50 of the auxiliary frame 49 are equipped with rollers 56 at their opposite ends, and the rollers at the rear ends 54 of the auxiliary frame bear against the corner posts 46 while those at the front end 53 of frame 49 bear against the upright angles 55. This arrangement serves to limit longitudinal movement of the auxiliary frame 49 with respect to the body frame 23.

The body frame 23 is also equipped at each of its opposite sides with a pair of upright angles 57 that are aligned with the ends of the cross channel members 51 and 52 of frame 49. These cross channels 51 and 52 have end rollers 58 that bear against the side angles 57 of frame 23. The auxiliary frame 49 is also provided with a pair of transversely extending

channel members

59 and 60 that are supported spacedly above channels 51 and 52 respectively by means of vertical plate com ponents 61 of the auxiliary frame. The opposite ends of these

channels

59 and 60 are also equipped with rollers 62 that bear against the side angles 57. This arrangement serves to limit lateral movement of frame 49 within the structure of the body frame 23.

The auxiliary frame 49 is suspended within the boxlike frame structure 23 by means of a pair of hydraulic cylinders 64 that are longitudinally spaced apart and centrally located between the opposite sides of the body frame. These cylinders 64 are mounted dependingly from a pair of transversely extending channel members 65 that are vertically aligned with the

channel components

59 and 60 of the auxiliary frame. Channels 65 are supported and fixed at their opposite ends to the side angle components 44 of the top portion 43 of frame 23 as seen in the drawings. The base of each cylinder 64 is pivotally connected by a pivot pin 66 to a pair of lugs 67 that are fixed to the underside of the adjacent cross channel 65. The piston arm 68 of each cylinder on the other hand is pivotally connected by a pivot pin 69 to a pair of lugs 70 that are in turn fixed to the adjacent one of the

channels

59 and 60 therebelow. The cylinders 64 are hooked in parallel through a suitable control valve to the pressurized source of fluid in tank 35 and are simultaneously controllable by the operator of apparatus 10 to retract and extend the piston arm 68 It) accordingly raise and lower the auxiliary frame 49 within the body frame structure 23.

The opposite side angles 50 of the auxiliary frame 49 provide a track way on which the carriage 48 is movably mounted. The carriage 48 comprises a pair of side channels 71 and each is equipped with a plurality of rollers 72 that rest on and are rotatable along the inner legs 73 of the side angle component 50 of frame 49. The opposite side channels 71 of the carriage 48 are rigidly interconnected by a pair of transversely extending

cross angle components

74 and 75 that are spaced apart and located at the rear 76 and front 77 ends of the carriage. The carriage is moved horizontally in the body frame by means of a hydraulic cylinder 78 which is pivotally mounted at its base end by a pivot pin 79 to a pair of lugs 80 that are mounted at the top side of a transversely extending channel member 81 which interconnects and is fixed at its opposite ends to the opposite side anglc components 50 of the auxiliary frame. The piston arm 82 of the cylinder 78 is on the other hand pivotally connected by a pivot pin 83 to a pair of lugs 84 that are mounted on the rear cross angle component 74 of the carriage.

The bins for the cementitious materials are mounted on and movable with carriage 48 and three such bins are illustrated in the embodiment and designated at 87, 88 and 89 respectively. The structure for the bins includes a pair of vertically oriented and transversely spaced rectangular side plates 90 that are welded to lugs 91 which are spaced apart and fixed to the adjacent side channel members 71 of frame 49. The structure also includes a pair of transversely extending and vertically oriented plates 92 that are spaced apart and welded to the front and rear

cross angle components

74 and 75 of the carriage 48. Internally the space defined by the

exterior wall plates

90 and 92 is divided into three narrow transversely extending compartments by a pair of transversely extending and uprightly arranged inner wall plates 93.

At the bottom of the compartments each bin is provided with a discharge hopper 95 for the cementitious material; The hopper includes opposite end walls 96 that incline inwardly and are located internally of the body frame at the opposite sides 97 of the apparatus. These end walls 96 in each hopper are interconnected by a pair of inclined side walls that extend transversely of the apparatus and are spaced apart in the narrow transversely arranged bin structure.

Walls

96 and 98 converge downwardly in the hopper structure of the bin to a narrow, rectangular bottom discharge opening 99 that extends transversely and substantially spans the distance between the opposite sides 100 of the underlying arrangement for the forms 15.

Each of the bins 87 through 89 is provided with a gate 102 that can be independently moved between an open position and a closed position by the operation of a pair of hydraulic cylinders 103 that are associated with the bin gate and mounted at the opposite ends 104 of the bin on a pair of brackets designated at 105. The cylinders 103 are hooked in parallel through a suitable valve t: the pressurized source of fluid in tank 35 and may be simultaneously controlled by the operator to open and close the gate.

The brackets 105 on which the gates 102 and cylinders 103 associated therewith are mounted extend longitudinally and are welded horizontally at the opposite sides of the apparatus to the end walls 96 of the hoppers 95. These brackets 105 are best seen in FIGS.

4 and 5 and have inwardly oriented flanges 106. The gate 102 for each bin comprises an elongated, flat metal plate which is supported at its opposite ends 107 on the inner flanges 106 of the brackets. Between its opposite ends 107 the plate is reinforced by a transversely extending channel member 108 that is welded at the underside of the plate. One side edge of the gate forming plate is also inclined (see FIG. 6) to further reinforce the gate structure and limit movement of the gate at its closed position shown in FIG. 6. The hydraulic cylinders 103 for each gate are mounted on the brackets at the opposite ends of the bin openings 99 by suitable pivot pins 109. The piston arms 110 for the cylinders associated with each gate are coupled to an elongated, transversely extending rod 111 which extends through the plate reinforcing channel member 108 of the gate. These rods have threaded ends and the piston arms are secured on the rods by suitable nuts. Retraction of the piston arms 111 associated with the gate will, of course, open the gate while extension of the arms associated with the gate will serve to close the gate.

The transfer apparatus 10 is also equipped with an assembly 113 that can be independently raised and lowered relative to the frame 49 to aid in distributing the cementitious materials in the form 15 and to also aid in floating the materials when the need arises. This assembly 113 (see FIGS. 5-6) comprises a pair of transversely arranged angles 114 that are spaced apart and fixed at their opposite ends to a pair of vertically oriented open ended cylindrical sleeve elements 115. These sleeves 1 15 are slidably mounted on vertical rods 116 that are fixed upright between the rear ends of each of the brackets 105 and the transverse angle member 74 of the carriage thereabove by means of nuts that engage the threaded ends of the rods. The sleeves are vertically slidable on the rods 116, and between the rods, the assembly 113 is connected to a pair of depending hydraulic cylinders 117 that are transversely spaced apart and pivotally suspended by pins 118 from lugs that are fixed to the cross angle component at the rear end 76 of the carriage. Each of the piston rods 119 ofthese cylinders 117 is pivotally connected to a pair of lugs 120 that are fixed to the upper surfaces of the angles 114.

The assembly 113 has an elongated transversely extending shoe 121 that is formed by a flat plate with upturned sides as seen in FIG. 6. At each of its opposite ends the shoe 121 is equipped with a pair of vertically extending elements 122. These elements 122 extend through suitable holes in the angles 114 thereabove and are secured to the angles by nuts 124. Between the angles and shoe each element is equipped with a compression spring 123 that serves to maintain the shoe spacedly below the transversely arranged angles 114.

Generally centrally located between the opposite ends of the assembly 113 the assembly is equipped with a shaker device 125 that is shown in the form of a fluid motor 127 that has an eccentric weight on its shaft and which is fixed to a small horizontal plate 126. The mounting plate 126 for the motor 127 is supported spacedly above the angles 114 on four vertically extending elements 128 that are fixed at their lower ends to the shoe 121. These elements extend through appropriate holes in the angles 114 and each has a coiled compression spring 129 that is confined between the angle and plate 126 by means of a nut 130. Operation of the motor 124 of course imparts a vibrational move- 7 ment to the shoe 121 and which aids in settling the cementitious materials in the form and in floating concrete as is well known.

The bins 87-89 have open tops and they are filled through the use of an elongated, transversely arranged hopper 131 that is mounted on the top portion 43 of the body frame 23. Hopper 131 has inclined end plates 132 that are located at the opposite sides of the top portion of the frame 23 and welded to angle componcnts 133 that in turn are fixed to the adjacent side angle 44 of the top portion 43. The sides of the hopper 131 are formed by transversely arranged and inclined side plates 134 and which are mounted on transversely arranged angles 135 that are fixed at their opposite ends to the side angles 44 as seen in the drawings.

Plates

132 and 134 converge inwardly on a narrow transversely arranged bottom opening 136 from which the material discharges by gravity into the open top of the hopper therebelow.

The transfer apparatus is also equipped with a fluids storage tank 138 that is divided into three separate compartments by internal walls 139 and 140. This tank 138 is mounted on platform 25 at the front end of the apparatus 10 and each compartment is fluid tight and isolated from the other in the structural arrangement. Each compartment is also provided with an inlet which is closed by a pressure cap 141 since the fluids in the compartments are maintained under pressurized conditions by pressurized air that may be admitted to the compartment through a suitable air valve designated at 142.

In the illustration, the three compartments 144-146 are designed to hold paint, water and oil respectively. The auxiliary frame 49 is equipped with a pair of transversely extending

headers

147 and 148. These headers are spaced apart and fixed to the adjacent vertically extending plates 61 at the front end of the frame 49 as seen in FIG. 2. The header 147 is designed to dispense paint through appropriate. nozzles 154 and onto the cast wall sections after they have cured so as to provide a decorative interior wall finish. The header 147 is connected by a flexible conduit 150 through a suitable manually manipulatable valve 152 to the outlet for the paint compartment 144. Header 148 is designed to dispense oil through suitable nozzles 160 into the form and which serves as a release agent. This header 148 is connected by a suitable flexible conduit 151 via a manually controllable valve 183 to the discharge outlet for compartment 146.

The water compartment 145 on the other hand is connected through a valve 155 by means of a conduit 156 to a transversely arranged header 157 that is fixed to a transversely arranged plate supporting angle component 158 of the body frame structure. Conduit 156 extends transversely in the arrangement and is equipped with suitable nozzles 159 so that the water can be sprayed not only within the form but externally thereof between the tracks so as to facilitate clean up operations.

The control valves for the various hydraulically operated power components of the apparatus 10 are housed in a control box 161 that is mounted at one side of the bottom portion 40 of frame 23. This box 161 has a hinged door 162 through which access is gained to the control valves, and the table structure 13 is provided for the system so that the apparatus and forms are elevated to provide the operator full view of the work- 8 ing area from a standing position in front of the control box.

The carriage 48 may be moved longitudinally of the track way on frame 49 between the aft position 163 shown in solid lines in FIG. 2 and a forward position 164 shown in broken lines in this figures. This is accomplished by controlling cylinder 78 to extend and retract the piston arm and enables the operator to orient the open top portion of the appropriate bin beneath the discharge opening for hopper 131 when the bin is to be filled with the construction material assigned to the bin at the receiving station. When this is done cylinders 64 are normally controlled by the operator to retract the piston arms and to elevate the bins for example to the elevated position shown at 165 in FIG. 2. At this position the discharge opening for hopper 131 is confined between the wall structure of the selected bin so that materials received in the hopper 131 flow directly into the bin that is oriented therebelow. This arrangement greatly facilitates the filling of the narrow bin and minimizes the need for clean ups of the apparatus for reasons of mishandling of the loading devices used at the delivery station.

In the system depicted, the forms along the track way 12 are all serviced by the apparatus 10 and as the apparatus is serving one form or one form area, the workers may be readying the other form areas and other partially completed wall sections for servicing by the apparatus.

in preparing the apparatus for dispensing one of the cementitious materials into a form area, the hydraulic cylinders 117 of the shoe assembly 113 are controlled to retract the piston arms and thus elevate the assembly above the plane of the gates and for example, to the elevated position 166 shown by reference to the sleeves in FIG. 5. With the shoe assembly 113 thus elevated, motor 33 is controlled by the operator to orient the opening of the bin containing the selected cementitious material over the form area and adjacent to one of the end side walls 22. Thereafter, in the normal course of events, cylinders 64 are controlled so that the gate of the bin containing the selected cementitious material is located immediately adjacent the tops 32 of the form 15. With the gate in this position the operator then controls the cylinders 103 associated with the gate to retract the cylinders to the extent necessary to provide the desired flow of cementitious material from the gate opening and simultaneously the operator controls motor 33 to advance the apparatus 10 in the direction of the other of the opposite end walls 22 of the form. As this is happening the operator can control the gate to dispense more or less cementitious materials as he determines by visual observation of the dispensing operation. In those cases where it is desired to float the concrete, the eccentric motor may be actuated and the assembly 113 lowered through the control of cylinders 117 to a position at which the shoe 121 engages the surface of the material dispensed in the form and serves to impart a vibratory motion to the dispensing material to aid in the floating process.

During the interim between dispensing of cementitious materials into the forms the apparatus 10 may be used to aid in the clean up of a form area by controlling the apparatus to move over the form area while flushing the area with water dispensed through header 157. Similarly to prepare the form area for the aceeption of the cementitious materials, the form area may be subjected to like coating of oil that serves as a release 9 agent by dispensing the oil through header 148. Similarly. a decorative coating may be applied to a finished wall section before it is removed from the supporting table structure by dispensing a suitable coating from header 147 while moving the apparatus 10 over the horizontally disposed wall section.

From the foregoing it is believed evident that the apparatus may be used in the mass production of cast wall sections in horizontal forms in that material savings in labor costs may be realized through use of the apparatus. The apparatus has the advantage that among other things it can store cementitious materials received at the job site until such times as they are needed to be dispensed without the need for tying up delivery vehicles. Furthermore, the apparatus 10 may be used to dispense the materials into the forms in an efficient manner and without the need for an excessive amount of other labor.

I claim:

I. The combination comprising an elongated trackway having spaced apart parallel rails, a plurality of open top horizontally arranged forms that are located in the space between said rails and spaced apart along the trackway for use in casting vertical wall sections from cementitious materials, and an apparatus for storing and dispensing said materials into said forms, said apparatus comprising a rigid body frame having a bottom portion and a top portion which is vertically spaced from said bottom portion, wheels rotatably mounted on said rails and supporting said body frame over the space therebetween, a rigid frame mounted on said body frame and vertically movable between the top and bottom portions thereof, a carriage supported on the vertically movable frame said carriage being horizontally movable on said vertically movable frame and in parallel with said rails, a plurality of elongated bins arranged transversely of the trackway and mounted on and movable with said carriage, each of said bins having an open top portion for receiving cementitious material to be stored therein. an elongated transversely arranged narrow bottom opening for discharging the stored cementitious material into said forms, and a gate movable between open and closed positions with respect to the bottom opening of the bin, said apparatus further comprising manually controllable powered means secured to the body frame for vertically moving the vertically movable frame, manually controllable powered means secured to the vertically movable frame for horizontally moving said carriage on said vertically movable frame, and manually controllable powered means supported by and movable with the carriage for moving the gate between the open and closed positions therefor.

2. The combination in accord with claim I where said apparatus comprises an assembly supported by and movable with the carriage for use in floating concrete in said forms, said assembly comprising an elongated transversely arranged shoe receivable in the open tops of said forms, and powered means for vibrating said shoe.

3. The combination in accord with claim 2 where said apparatus comprises manually controllable powered means mounted on said carriage for vertically moving said assembly with respect to said carriage.

4. The combination in accord with claim 1 where said apparatus comprises means supported by the body frame and defining a compartment for a fluid, an elongated header supported by the body frame and connected to receive fluid from said compartment, said header being arranged transversely of the trackway and having nozzles for dispensing said fluid into the space between said rails.

5. The combination in accord with claim 4 where said header is mounted on and movable with said vertically movable frame.

6. The combination in accord with claim I where said apparatus comprises a hopper fixed to the top portion of said body frame above said bins and having an elongated transversely arranged narrow bottom opening for discharging cementitious materials into the open top portions of the bins mounted on said carriage.

7. The combination in accord with claim 1 where said apparatus comprises manually controllable powered means connected to one of said wheels for propelling said apparatus along said trackway.

8. The combination in accord with claim 1 comprising table means supporting said trackway, forms, and

apparatus spacedly above ground level.

Claims

1. The combination comprising an elongated trackway having spaced apart parallel rails, a plurality of open top horizontally arranged forms that are located in the space between said rails and spaced apart along the trackway for use in casting vertical wall sections from cementitious materials, and an apparatus for storing and dispensing said materials into said forms, said apparatus comprising a rigid body frame having a bottom portion and a top portion which is vertically spaced from said bottom portion, wheels rotatably mounted on said rails and supporting said body frame over the space therebetween, a rigid frame mounted on said body frame and vertically movable between the top and bottom portions thereof, a carriage supported on the vertically movable frame, said carriage being horizontally movable on said vertically movable frame and in parallel with said rails, a plurality of elongated bins arranged transversely of the trackway and mounted on and movable with said carriage, each of said bins having an open top portion for receiving cementitious material to be stored therein, an elongated transversely arranged narrow bottom opening for discharging the stored cementitious material into said forms, and a gate movable between open and closed positions with respect to the bottom opening of the bin, said apparatus further comprising manually controllable powered means secured to the body frame for vertically moving the vertically movable frame, manually controllable powered means secured to the vertically movable frame for horizontally moving said carriage on said vertically movable frame, and manually controllable powered means supported by and movable with the carriage for moving the gate between the open and closed positions therefor.

2. The combination in accord with claim 1 where said apparatus comprises an assembly supported by and movable with the carriage for use in floating concrete in said forms, said assembly comprising an elongated transversely arranged shoe receivable in the open tops of said forms, and powered means for vibrating said shoe.

6. The combination in accord with claim 1 where said apparatus comprises a hopper fixed to the top portion of said body frame above said bins and having an elongated transversely arranged narrow bottom opening for discharging cementitious materials into the open top portions of the bins mounted on said carriage.

8. The combination in accord with claim 1 comprising table means supporting said trackway, forms, and apparatus spacedly above ground level.