WO2013068963A1

WO2013068963A1 - Concrete transport and delivery plant

Info

Publication number: WO2013068963A1
Application number: PCT/IB2012/056267
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alessandro Andreetto; Michele Furlani
Original assignee: Agudio S.P.A. Con Socio Unico; Simem S.P.A. Con Socio Unico
Priority date: 2011-11-08
Filing date: 2012-11-08
Publication date: 2013-05-16
Also published as: ITTO20111031A1

Abstract

A concrete dam (2) is produced using a concrete transport and delivery plant (1) comprising two or more conveyors (13) arranged in a cascade with respect to one another to receive the concrete from a ground feeding point (15) and unload the concrete itself in a plurality of delivery points (16); the conveyors (13) being hung to at least a pair of loadbearing cables (8) tensioned above the free end (5) of the dam (2) by means of adjustment cables (23a, 24a) wound around respective motorized winches (23, 24) adapted to vary the position of the conveyors (13) one with respect to the other and with respect to the loadbearing cables (8).

Description

" CONCRETE TRANSPORT AND DELIVERY PLANT"

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a concrete transport and delivery plant.

In particular, the present invention finds advantageous application in the field of producing concrete dams, to which the following description will make explicit reference without thereby losing generality.

BACKGROUND ART

In the field of producing concrete dams it is known to use concrete conveying plants comprising one or more conveyors arranged in a series or cascade and placed on fixed towers or moreover supported by fixed cranes or on board of self- propelled machines.

Generally, some of the towers are anchored to the sides of the mountain, while others rise from different parts of the area where the concrete is gradually distributed to form the dam. In the same area the fixed cranes are then installed and the cranes brought by self-propelled machines work.

Although used, the known plants of the type above described turn out to be scarcely satisfactory, mainly because the fixed towers or self-propelled cranes that rise from the concrete distribution area often create obstacles and difficulties both to normal displacements in the area, and in the distribution of the concrete in the area itself.

With the rising of the dam, the conveyor must necessarily be repositioned in that, passing from the foot to the top free end of the dam vary both the concrete mixing points, i.e. concrete emission on conveyors, and the geometry and the size of the distribution area of the concrete itself but also the points or areas of the concrete pouring in the area itself. Consequently, also the towers and the fixed cranes need to be moved or otherwise adjusted and the self-propelled machinery need to be moved.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a concrete transport and delivery plant, which allows to solve in a simple and economic way the above stated problems and, in particular, allows to reduce the adaptation time of the plant during the casting of the dam.

According to the present invention a concrete transport and delivery plant is provided, the plant comprising a first and at least a second conveyor arranged in a cascade with respect to one another to receive the concrete from a ground feeding point and unload the concrete in at least one delivery point and support means of said conveyors, characterized in that said support means comprise at least one pair of loadbearing cables arranged above said feeding and delivery points and tensioned between two anchoring points arranged outside said feeding and delivery points; cable adjustable suspension means being coupled to said loadbearing cables and connected to said conveyors to vary the position of the conveyors one with respect to the other and with respect to said loadbearing cables .

Preferably, in the plant defined above, the adjustable suspension means comprise, for each conveyor, first and second motorised winch means coupled to said loadbearing cables, and first and second suspension cables partially wound on first and, respectively, on said second motorized winch means and connected to different areas and spaced from said conveyor.

Preferably, moreover, said first and second motorized winch means are actuatable one independently of another and/or are displaceable along said loadbearing cables. The invention also relates to a method for producing a concrete dam.

According to the present invention, a method for producing a concrete dam is provided, the method comprising the steps of positioning a first and at least a second conveyor arranged in a cascade with respect to one another between two facing sides of a mountain, feeding a concrete flow from a feeding point towards a first of said conveyors and conveying, by means of said conveyors, the concrete flow towards at least one delivery point of a casting area of said dam; the method being characterized in that the positioning of said conveyors is carried out by hanging the conveyors to a pair of loadbearing cables extending above said feeding and delivery points and above the top end of the dam and tensioned between said sides in an elevated position with respect to said feeding and delivery points and adjusting the position of said conveyors with respect to one another and with respect to said loadbearing cables .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show some unlimiting embodiments, wherein:

Figure 1 shows, in side elevation and substantially in block form, a preferred embodiment of a concrete transport and delivery plant in the construction of concrete dams;

Figure 2 is a figure similar to Figure 1 and shows an alternative of a detail of Figure 1;

Figure 3 shows, in side elevation and in highly enlarged scale, a detail of Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is a section, on an enlarged scale, with parts removed for clarity according to the line IV-IV of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a schematic top view of the plant of Figure 1; and Figure 6 shows, a plan view, of an alternative of the plant of Figures 1 and 2.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION In Figure 1, reference number 1 indicates, as a whole, a configurable transport and delivery plant of a flow of fluid material, such as, for example, concrete. In the particular example described, the plant 1 is used for the construction of a concrete dam 2, which extends between two facing sides 3 and 4 of a mountain and whose top or top end is indicated by the dashed line 5. Again with reference to Figure 1, the plant 1 comprises a pair of loadbearing cables 8 (Figure 5) parallel to one another, which extend above the top end 5 of the dam 2 and are tensioned between two tensioning devices 10, per se known and not described in detail, adapted for retaining the opposite ends of the loadbearing cables 8 substantially flush with the ground or in raised positions and anchored to respective sides 3, 4 in fixed positions. Alternatively, the tensioning devices 10 are displaceable in opposite directions along respective guides 12 in directions preferably horizontal and orthogonal to the loadbearing cables 8 themselves, as can be seen, for example, in Figure 6.

Again with reference to Figure 1, the plant 1 also comprises a plurality of conveyors 13, of the belt type for example, per se known and not described in detail. The conveyors 13 are arranged in a cascade with respect to one another and lie substantially on a vertical plane P (Figure 4 and 5) extending between the two loadbearing cables 8 to move a flow of concrete from a feeding or mixing point or station 15 arranged on the side 3, conveniently near or above the top end 5 of the dam 2, to one delivery point or station 16, whose position is variable in a casting area or zone 18 of the dam 2 itself.

Again with reference to Figure 1 and, in particular, with reference to Figures 3 and 4, the plant 1 further comprises, for each conveyor 13, two carriages 20 and 21 displaceable in opposite directions along the loadbearing cables 8, conveniently, under the thrust of a running cable 22 (Figure 5) extending between the two devices 10 and schematically shown in Figure 5. Alternatively, according to an alternative not shown, each carriage 20, 21 comprises its own drive motor.

Each carriage 20, 21 is lockable, in a known manner, at any point along the loadbearing cables 8 and carries two respective winches, indicated with 23 and 24 (Figure 4) .

With reference to Figure 4, the winches 23, 24 of a same carriage 20, 21 are driven by a single motor 25, for example electric or thermal, arranged between the winches 23, 24 themselves and each carrying partially wound a respective cable 23a and 24a, to a lower end portion of which a respective intermediate portion of the respective conveyor 13 is connected. In the particular example described, the cables 23a, 34a of each carriage 20 are coupled to an upstream portion 13a of the respective conveyor 13, while the cables 23a, 24a of each carriage 21 are coupled to a downstream portion 13b of the respective conveyor 13.

In this way, as can be seen from Figure 1, each conveyor 13 has its portions next to the free ends hung to respective winches independent to one another and, therefore, its position in the plane P can be varied arbitrarily both along the loadbearing cables 8 by way of the running cable 22, and with respect to the loadbearing cables 8 themselves, yet also with respect to the conveyors 13 adjacent thereto. Furthermore, one or more conveyors 13 of those indicated in Figure 1 may be spaced from the adjacent conveyor 13 and moved to a waiting or rest raised position, for example in the vicinity of the loadbearing cables 8.

Consequently, the path C followed by the concrete and the delivery point 16 of the concrete itself can be varied in an extremely simple manner and in a particularly short time. Furthermore, as can be seen from Figure 2, the last conveyor 13 may be oriented in the opposite direction to the other conveyors 13 so as to abruptly deflect back the flow of concrete along a stretch CI of V-shaped path.

According to an alternative configuration not shown, a V- shaped and backwards reversal of the concrete feeding path can be obtained by orienting an intermediate conveyor 13 in the opposite direction.

With reference, instead, to Figure 6, the concrete path and the delivery point 16 may be varied and, in particular, also moved outside the plane P by providing a second pair of loadbearing cables 8A arranged side by side or parallel to the cables 8 and moving on the same pair of cables 30 carriages equal to the carriages 20, 21. With said configuration, it is possible to hang the portion 13a of a conveyor 13 to a carriage 20 and the portion 13b of the same conveyor 13 to a carriage 30, as schematically shown in Figure 6. In this way, it is possible to reach different delivery points 16 of the casting area or zone 18. Different delivery points or at different distances from the plane P can then be achieved by translating the running cables 8, 8A along the guides 12 or by using different length conveyors 13, being possible to adjust the distance D between the two pairs of loadbearing cables 8, 8A.

Again with reference to Figure 1, the loadbearing cables 8, 8A support, also, hanging to them a pedestrian transit route 30, as shown in Figure 3 or carriageable 31, as shown in Figure 4.

From the foregoing it is clear that the plant 1 described is of a configurable type, i.e. adaptable to the casting needs in an extremely short time and without the need for additional equipment or machinery or dedicated to the modification of the concrete feeding path C. In other words, the plant 1 described enables to move in a simple and fast manners the concrete delivery point significantly facilitating the distribution of the concrete in the casting area.

Moreover, the configurability of the described plant 1 allows both to have any type of mixing points, but also to provide a single mixing point at or near a position overlying the ends of the dam 2.

From the foregoing it appears, also, evident that the described plant 1 can be subject to modifications and variations without thereby departing from the protective scope defined by the independent claims. In particular, the plant 1 may comprise a different number of conveyors 13 from that indicated by way of example, as well as the same conveyors 13 may be placed in respective positions different from those shown to fulfill a specific concrete feeding path C or simplify and/or facilitate the distribution operations of the concrete itself with varying sizes and geometries of the casting areas or zones 18, i.e. during the raising of the dam 2.

Finally, it is clear that the plant 1 can be used for producing any other article or structure that requires the movement of a stream of fluid material along a predefined path and the delivery in a predetermined point.

Claims

1. A concrete transport and delivery plant, the plant comprising a first and at least one second conveyor arranged in a cascade with respect to one another to receive the concrete from a ground feeding point and unload the concrete in at least one delivery point and support means of said conveyors, characterised in that said support means comprise at least a pair of loadbearing cables arranged above said feeding and delivery points tensioned between two ground anchoring points arranged outside said feeding and delivery points; cable adjustable suspension means being coupled to said loadbearing cables and connected to said conveyors to vary the position of the conveyors one with respect to the other and with respect to said loadbearing cables .

2. The plant according to claim 1, characterised in that said adjustable suspension means comprise, for each conveyor, first and second motorised winch means coupled to said loadbearing cables, and first and second suspension cables partially wound on the first and respectively on said second motorised winch means and connected to distinct and reciprocally spaced areas of said conveyor.

3. The plant according to claim 2, characterised in that said first and second motorised winch means are actuatable one independently of another.

4. The plant according to claim 2 or 3 , characterised in that said first and second motorised winch means are displaceable along said loadbearing cables.

5. The plant according to any of claims 2 to 4 , characterised in that said adjustable suspension means comprise, for each conveyor, a first and a second carriage mobile along said loadbearing cables and supporting the first and respectively said second motorised winch means.

6. The plant according to claim 5, characterised by also comprising running cable means to each displace said carriages in opposite directions along said loadbearing cables.

7. The system according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that said support means of said conveyors also comprise at least one further pair of loadbearing cables extending above said ground feeding and delivery points and tensioned between two respective ground anchoring points arranged outside the feeding and delivery points; further cable adjustable suspension means being coupled to said further loadbearing cables and connected to at least one of said conveyors to vary the position of the conveyor.

8. The plant according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the anchoring points of said loadbearing cables are fixed anchoring points.

9. The plant according to any of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the anchoring points of said loadbearing cables are mobile anchoring points.

10. The plant according to claim 9, characterised in that said support means also comprise, for each pair of loadbearing cables, self-propelled units supporting respective anchoring devices for the opposite end segments of said loadbearing cables; said self-propelled units being coupled to respective guides to translate in directions transversal to said loadbearing cables.

11. The plant according to claim 10, characterised in that said transversal directions are substantially horizontal and orthogonal to said loadbearing cables .

12. The plant according to any of the preceding claims, characterised by comprising a transit platform arranged below said loadbearing cables .

13. A method for producing a concrete dam, the method comprising the steps of positioning a first and at least one second conveyor arranged in a cascade with respect to one another between two facing sides of a mountain, feeding a concrete flow from a feeding point towards a first of said conveyors and conveying, by means of said conveyors, the concrete flow towards at least one delivery point of a casting area of said dam; the method being characterised in that the positioning of said conveyors is carried out by hanging the conveyors to a pair of loadbearing cables extending above said feeding and delivery points and the top end of the dam and tensioned between said sides in an elevated position with respect to said feeding and delivery points and adjusting the position of said conveyors with respect to one another and with respect to said loadbearing cables.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterised in that the adjustment is carried out by acting on suspension cables of said conveyors wound on respective winches borne by said loadbearing cables .

15. The method according to claim 14, characterised in that the adjustment is carried out by displacing said winches along said loadbearing cables .

16. The method according to any of claims 13 to 15, characterised in that the positioning of said conveyors is also carried out by translating said running cable parallelly to one another.