WO2016004479A1

WO2016004479A1 - Concrete kibble

Info

Publication number: WO2016004479A1
Application number: PCT/AU2015/050387
Authority: WO
Inventors: Adam John BENSON
Original assignee: Undercon Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2014-07-11
Filing date: 2015-07-10
Publication date: 2016-01-14
Also published as: AU2015286227A1; AU2015286227B2

Abstract

A concrete kibble (10) for transporting of concrete, typically underground transportation such as through mines. The concrete kibble (10) has a cylinder (11) aligned horizontally on its central axis with ends (12, 14) attached to form a hollow drum such that the cylindrical shape prevents concrete remnants sticking to the internal surface within the drum and aids in the discharge of the concrete through delivery chutes. A quick detach system (QDS) (16) attached to the cylinder (11) provides for secure transportation of the concrete kibble (10). The QDS (16) has a primary connection coupling (16.11) and a secondary connection coupling (16.9). The secondary connection coupling (16.9) has a latch pin mechanism that ensures the concrete kibble remains secured to the transport vehicle in the event of the failure of the QDS primary connection coupling (16.11). A top entry door (19) allows for loading of material into the cylinder. The top entry door (19) is opened and closed by a hydraulic ram (20) with a control valve lever (21.1) located centrally on a panel (21) situated on the front of the cylinder. Two spaced apart delivery chutes (17), (18) with operable doors (17.1), (18.1) are located on either side of the front (13) of the cylinder (11). The left and right chute doors (17.1), (18.1) are operated respectively by hydraulic rams with control valve levers, the control valve levers being located to the left and right of the control valve lever (21.1) for the top entry door (19). Rails (13.1), (15.1) installed between end plates (12), (14) of the cylinder (11) at the bottom of the front (13) and rear (15) of the cylinder form a sturdy stable support base for the concrete kibble (10) when at rest and also act as skid bars that protect the drum when the concrete kibble is being transported.

Description

Concrete Kibble

Field of Invention

The invention relates to a concrete kibble for use above and underground such as in mines.

Background of Invention

The transport and pouring of concrete above and underground can be difficult, labour intensive and hazardous. The available methods of transport of concrete from the surface or drop hole to an underground work location has been problematic and of some concern for some time.

There is a lack in an efficient transportable kibble. The most common methods of transport are an open excavation bucket or open box type kibble, both of these types are prone to excessive spillage as the underground roads and terrain to a work place can be very rough. Also the deposition of the concrete from these is poorly regulated and results in excessive manual labour to move the concrete to its required location.

Object of the Invention

It is an object of the invention to provide a concrete kibble that ameliorates some of the disadvantages and limitations of the known art or at least provide the public with a useful choice.

Summary of Invention

In a first aspect the invention resides in a concrete kibble for transporting of concrete; the concrete kibble includes:

a) a cylinder aligned horizontally on its central axis with ends attached to form a hollow drum such that the cylindrical shape is adapted to prevent concrete remnants sticking to the internal surface within the drum and is adapted to aid in the discharge of the concrete through delivery chutes;

b) a quick detach system (QDS) coupling attached to the drum for secure transport of the concrete kibble, the QDS includes a primary connection means and a secondary connection means, the secondary connection means includes a latch pin mechanism that ensures the concrete kibble remains secured to the transport vehicle in the event of the failure of the QDS primary connection means;

c) a top entry door for loading material into the cylinder, the top entry door is opened and closed by a hydraulic ram with a control valve lever located centrally on a panel situated on the front of the cylinder;

d) at least two spaced apart delivery chutes with operable doors located on either side of the front of the cylinder, the left and right chute doors are operated respectively by hydraulic rams with control valve levers, the control valve levers being located to the left and right of the control valve lever for the top entry door; and

e) rails installed between end plates of the cylinder at the bottom of the front and rear of the cylinder such that the rails form a sturdy stable support base for the concrete kibble when at rest and also act as skid bars that protect the drum when the concrete kibble is being transported.

Preferably, the QDS has two spaced apart uprights secured to the rear side surface of the cylinder, the primary connection means extends between and connected to the uprights such that primary connections means is adapted to receive and accommodate the jaws of the arms a lifting device of the transport vehicle.

Preferably, the primary connections means has two support arms attached to the cylinder, each support arm is spaced inwardly from a respective upright to define a gap that has a width that is greater than the width of jaws of the arms of the lifting device, a pin is situated in each gap and each pin is connected to its respective upright and respective support arm such that the pin extends within the gap and is adapted to engage with the jaws of the arms of the lifting device of the transport vehicle.

Preferably, each upright of the QDS is connected with a secondary connection means, each latch pin mechanism of the secondary connection means includes a latch pin slideable within a cylinder attached to the upright such that the latch pin is able to be slid from a non locking position to a locking position where the latch pin is adapted to co-operate and engage with a corresponding aperture in the arm of the lifting device of the transport device such that when the latch pin is in the locking position the QDS is safely secured to the lifting device even if lifting device is not securely connected with primary connection means and/or the primary connection means failures during transport of the concrete kibble.

Preferably, the latch pin mechanism is manually operable.

Preferably, the cylinder has a U-shaped slot whereby a lever connected to the latch pin is adapted to move within the slot such that when the lever is located in one of the legs of the U-shaped slot the latch pin mechanism is in a non-locking mode with the transport vehicle and when the lever is located in the other leg of the U-shaped slot the latch pin mechanism is in a locking mode with the transport vehicle.

Preferably, the door control valve lever controls are protected by a cover plate assembly that also is adapted to also function as access steps to the top chute door for internal examination and cleaning of the interior of the cylinder.

Preferably, the chute doors are designed and shaped to follow the radius of the drum cylinder thus preventing the accumulation of dry, compacted concrete congregating at the door chute opening and preventing the discharge of concrete. Preferably, the cylinder has rud lugs fitted at the top centre of each of the end plates of the cylinder to enable the concrete kibble to be safely slung and loaded on transport vehicle, the rud lugs also act as an effective tie down point.

Preferably, the concrete kibble includes a hydraulic drive agitator that rotates on the central horizontal axis within the drum, the rotating agitator circulates the concrete whilst in transport so as to enable concrete to be transported greater distance without the problem of concrete segregation due to vibration during transportation.

Preferably, the concrete kibble includes the provision of detachable extensions to the chute outlets.

Preferably, the cylinder includes fork lift tine receiving means as part of the support base in order to allow the concrete kibble to be transported by a fork lift. Any other aspects herein described Brief Description

The invention will now be described, by way of example only, by reference to the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 shows a front perspective view of a concrete kibble in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 shows a rear perspective view of the concrete kibble shown in figure 1.

Figure 3 shows a front side view of the concrete kibble shown in figure 1. Figure 4 shows a close up perspective view of the secondary connection means of the quick detach system (QDS) of the concrete kibble shown in figure 2.

Figure 5 shows a front perspective view of the concrete kibble shown in figure 1 with additional componentry shown.

Figure 6 shows a left end side view of the concrete kibble shown in figure 5.

Figure 7 shows a right end side view of the concrete kibble shown in figure 5. Figure 8 shows a top view of the concrete kibble shown in figure 5.

Figure 9 shows a preferred concrete delivery system for the concrete kibble shown in figure 1. Figure 10 is to a concrete kibble in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the invention. Figure 11 is a schematic of the hydraulic system for use with the concrete kibble shown in figure s 1 to 10.

Description of Drawings

The following description will describe the invention in relation to preferred embodiments of the invention, namely a concrete kibble for use underground such as in mines. The invention is in no way limited to these preferred embodiments as they are purely to exemplify the invention only and that possible variations and modifications would be readily apparent without departing from the scope of the invention.

Figures 1 to 9 show a concrete kibble with a quick detach system (QDS) and figure 10 shows a concrete kibble suitable to be transported by a fork lift without a QDS, however it is envisaged that concrete kibble could be adapted to have both the QDS and fork lift carry capabilities. Figure 11 shows a schematic of the hydraulic system for use with the concrete kibble of the invention.

The blender concrete kibble 10 is best described as a fully enclosed cylinder 11 constructed from rolled steel plate with flat end caps 12, 14. The steel cylinder 11 is aligned horizontally on its central axis and the end caps 12, 14 stand vertically. A hydraulic driven ribbon mixer 37 runs central to the cylinder with dual blades feeding the products in opposite directions to achieve maximum particle coating in the shortest mixing time. The blender concrete kibble 10 has a safe working load of 10 tonne and has a capacity of 3 cubic meters cementitious material. The volume of the concrete kibble prohibits it being loaded above its safe working load limit. At present there are no fully enclosed, fully mobile, three cubic meter mixing kibbles in existence. The concrete kibble 10 is robust in design and construction to withstand the extreme conditions encountered in an underground mining environment.

The concrete kibble 10 being fully enclosed minimizes waste spillage and ensures that a maximum payload is delivered to the work face. The circular design is integral to the concrete kibbles functionality in that the circular surface prevents concrete remnants being stuck in the corners and aids the discharge of the payload through the delivery chutes 17, 18. The concrete kibble 10 is fitted with a quick detach system (QDS) 16 coupling to the rear 15 of the cylinder 11 for secure transport. The QDS includes a primary connector 16.11 and includes a unique addition to the QDS a secondary connector 16.9 that ensures the concrete kibble remains secured to the transport vehicle in the event of the failure of the primary connector 16.1. The QDS 16 has two spaced apart uprights 16.2, 16.3 secured on a support plate 16.1 attached to the rear side surface 15 of the cylinder 11. The primary connector 16.11 extends between and connected to the uprights 16.2, 16.3 so that primary connector 16.11 can receive and accommodate the jaws 23.1, 24.1 of the arms 23, 24 of a lifting device of the transport vehicle. Two support arms 16.5, 16.6 are attached to the cylinder 11, each support arm is spaced inwardly from a respective upright to define a gap that has a width that is greater than the width of jaws 23.1, 24.1 of the arms 23, 24 of the lifting device. A pin 16.7, 16.8 is situated in each gap and each pin 16.7, 16.8 is connected to its respective upright 16.2, 16.3 and respective support arm 16.5, 16.6 such that the pin 16.7, 16.8 extends within the gap and engages with the jaws 23.1, 24.1 of the arms 23, 24 of the lifting device of the transport vehicle.

Each upright 16.2, 16.3 of the QDS is connected with a secondary connector (latch pin mechanism) 16.9. A latch pin 16.91 slides within a cylinder 16.92 attached to the upright 16.2 such that the latch pin 16.91 is able slide from a non locking position to a locking position where the latch pin 16.91 co-operates and engages with a corresponding aperture 23.2 in the arm 23 of the lifting device of the transport device such that when the latch pin 16.91 is in the locking position the QDS is safely secured to the lifting device even if lifting device is not securely connected with primary connector 16.11 and/or the primary connector 16.11 fails during transport of the concrete kibble. The cylinder 16.92 has a U-shaped slot 16.93, 16.931, 16.932 whereby a lever 16.911 connected to the latch pin 16.91 is able move within the slot 16.93, 16.931, 16.932 such that when the lever 16.911 is located in one of the legs 16.931 of the U-shaped slot the latch pin mechanism 16.9 is in a non-locking mode with the transport vehicle and when the lever 16.911 is located in the other leg 16.931 of the U- shaped slot the latch pin mechanism 16.9 is in a locking mode with the transport vehicle. The latch mechanism can be manually operable.

The concrete kibble 10 has a top entry door 19 (top chute) for loading material into the concrete kibble. The door is opened and closed by a hydraulic ram 20 with the control valve lever 21 located centrally within a control unit housing 21 on the front 13 of the cylinder. The control unit housing 21 is designed to have steps 21.13 & 21.4 in order to allow a user to gain access to the top entry door in order to inspect and clean the interior of the cylinder 11. The concrete kibble 10 has two delivery chutes 17, 18 with operable doors 17.1, 18.1 located on either side of the front 13 of the concrete kibble. The left and right chute doors 17.1, 17.2 are operated respectively by hydraulic rams 21.3, 21.5 with the control valve levers 21.11, 21.12 located to the left and right of the top chute door control valve lever 21.1. The door chute control valve lever are protected by the control unit housing 21 that also has the function of access steps 21.13 & 21.4 to the top chute door for internal examination and cleaning.

The concrete kibbles hydraulic door control valve levers 21.1, 21.11, 21.12 are strategically located at the front of the concrete kibble 10 so that the concrete kibble operator can view the rate of material discharge and regulate the flow and minimize the need for manual movement of the material. The operator also has the option of using both or either of the doors to deliver the material. The hydraulic oil supply is provided from the transport machine auxiliary drive by ½ inch line attachments. The concrete kibble has heavy duty steel rails 13.1, 15.1 installed between the end plates 12, 14 at the bottom of the front 13 and rear 15 of the kibble 10. The heavy duty steel rails forma sturdy stable support base for the concrete kibble 10 when at rest and also act as skid bars that protect the cylinder 11 when the concrete kibble 10 is being transported. The heavy duty steel rails are preferably of 100 x 150 RHS steel.

The chute doors 17.1, 18.1 are unique in their design as they follow the radius of the main drum cylinder 11 thus preventing the accumulation of dry, compacted concrete congregating at the door chute openings and preventing the discharge of concrete. The concrete kibble has "Rud lugs" 22 fitted at the top centre of each of the end plates 12, 14 to enable the kibble to be safely slung and loaded on transport vehicle. The "Rud lugs" 22 also are an effective tie down point. The "Rud Lugs" 22 are rated as 10 tonne lifting points. The lifting points also serve as tie down points. The horizontal drum cylinder 11 is unique so as to allow for the concrete kibble 10 to also include for the provision of a hydraulic drive ribbon mixer 37 that rotates on a shaft 38 located on the central horizontal axis within the cylinder 11. The shaft is driven by a drive chain arrangement consisting of a drive chain assembly 30, 42, 43 and hydraulic motor gear box 31. The ribbon mixer 37 consists of dual blade ribbons set on opposite pitch to fold the product back onto itself and prevent product jam or overloading end bearings through single directional force. The rotating ribbon mixer 37 circulates the concrete whilst in transport from the surface or drop hole. This is a unique application enables concrete to be transported greater distance without the problem of concrete segregation due to vibration. The concrete kibble 10 is capable of including detachable extensions to the delivery chute outlets.

Exact metering of water to achieve specified water cement ratios are critical to structural concrete design and as such the concrete kibble includes a high quality industrial water control system 41 fitted to the inlet portal to accurately control water dosage rates. This system 41 includes a fixed water assembly 36.

As shown in figure 10 the concrete kibble 100 can be fitted with forklift tine pockets 110, 111 in order to allow the concrete kibble to be transported by a fork lift. Figure 10 does not show the QDS, however it is envisaged that the concrete kibble can and would preferably incorporate both the QDS and forklift tines to provide a plurality of transporting options.

The invention provides an effective solution to the many problems that exist with current open top cement mixers. Some of the technical problems and solutions follows:

1. Technical Problem

Cement powder is a known carcinogenic when inhaled into the lungs, all open top mixers produce dust when loaded with cement powder.

Solution

The inventive blender concrete kibble controls dust emissions through its fully enclosed design and its wet mixing system. To ensure all the dust is collected a filtration system is attached to allow the blender concrete kibble to vent internal pressure to atmosphere. Technical Problem

Cement products are known to cause skin irritation and dermatitis therefore spills need to be eliminated.

Solution

The invention eliminates spills during mixing and transport through its sealed design. The two lower discharge doors are unique in their design as they follow the radius of the drum cylinder thus preventing the accumulation of dry compacted product from congregating in the door chute opening. The doors are operated by hydraulic rams. The top inlet door is unique in its design as the door finishes flush at water level with the maximum external radius of the drum allowing 100% filling of the cylinder with no protrusions created into the cylinder. A watertight butterfly valve seals the pump outlet point. Watertight ball valves are fitted to the water inlet and dust vent outlet points. Rubber seals are fitted to the top inspection doors and inlet hatches.

Technical Problem

All open top mixers can be overloaded beyond their safe working load.

Solution

An innovative design of the inventive blender concrete kibble is that it exceed the capacity of three cubic meters.

Technical Problem

Conventional kibbles cause segregation and loss of mix matrix creating variable densities in the kibble. Australian Standards give strict guidelines on structural concrete densities and mix matrix.

Solution

The inventive blender concrete kibble is innovative in its design as a cylinder as when the product is transported the motion promotes agitation through the curved radius creating a tumbler effect. The mixing is achieved through a hydraulic chain driven ribbon mixer. The ribbon consists of dual blade ribbons set on opposite pitch to fold the product back onto itself and prevent product jam or overloading end bearings through single directional force. Technical Problem

Existing kibbles and all Quick Detach System implements used on all Load Haul Dump loaders (LHD's) are subject to unplanned detachment resulting in unplanned movement. The primary cause is the failure of the tongue-locking pin either not engaging or inadvertently retracted.

Solution

The inventive blender concrete kibble has a secondary support mechanism as a failsafe to prevent the inventive blender concrete kibble from detaching from the LHD loader even when the primary tongue locking pin has been retracted with the kibble at maximum boom lift and dipper tilt. The two locking pins are manually engaged into existing slots in the dipper arms of the loader.

Technical Problem

Most kibbles with hydraulic doors are operated by the LHD loader operator from the cab of the machine, the operator has no ability to monitor the discharge of product from the kibble. The uncontrolled release of stored energy in the product with a density of 2400kg @ cubic meter can be catastrophic.

Solution

The inventive blender concrete kibble has two hydraulically operated discharge doors located on either end of the curved cylinder. The operational valves are housed in a protected position central to the cylinder and operated by the kibble operator. The controls operate the top door and both the lower right and left discharge doors. Through this system the operator has the choice of discharging through either door and can place the product with infinite control and accuracy. A priority flow control valve diverts the flow from the door circuit to the ribbon blender circuit. The auxiliary circuit on the LHD powers the hydraulic circuit. Technical Problem Exact metering of water to achieve specified water cement ratios are critical to structural concrete design.

Solution

The inventive blender concrete kibble has a high quality industrial water meter fitted to the inlet portal to accurately control water dosage rates.

Itemised List of Numeral used in Figures:

21.6 - Connector 21.9 - Connector

21.8 - Connector 21.13 - Step

21.14 - Step 23 - Lifting Arm

22 - Lifting Lug 23.2 - Aperture

23.1 - Tine Jaw 24.1 - Tine Jaw

24 - Lifting Arm 31 - Hydraulic Motor Gearbox

30 - Drive Chain Guard 33 - Auger Support Clamp

32 - Inlet 35 - End Door

34 - Auger Support 37 - Ribbon Mixer Blade

36 - Fixed Water Assembly 39 - ????

38 - Ribbon Mixer Shaft 42 - Drive Swing Arm

41 - Water Control Assembly 44 - Drive Swing Arm Pivot Pin

43 - Drive Chain Assembly 46 - Butterfly Valve

45 - Discharge Nozzle 48 - Interlock Valve

47 - Top Door Removeable Interlock 49 - Vent

50 - Delivery Auger 51 - Auger Outlet

52 - Hopper 53 - Auger Inlet End

54 - Auger Support Base 60 - Cement Receptacle

61 - Connector 62 - Guide

63 - Guide Rail 70 - ???

Advantageous Effects of invention

For the first time in the mining industry cementitious products can be carried in a concrete kibble over long distances while under active agitation from the internal ribbon mixer preserving the structural properties of the concrete mix. The health and safety of workers employed in the mixing and application of cementitious products underground is greatly improved by minimizing manual handling, minimizing cement powder dust emissions, lower noise levels and more direct control over the machinery at hand. Variations

Throughout the description of this specification, the word "comprise" and variations of that word such as "comprising" and "comprises", are not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps.

It will of course be realised that while the foregoing has been given by way of illustrative example of this invention, all such and other modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of this invention as is hereinbefore described.

Claims

CLAIMS:

Claim 1: A concrete kibble for transporting of concrete; the concrete kibble includes: a) a cylinder aligned horizontally on its central axis with ends attached to form a hollow drum such that the cylindrical shape is adapted to prevent concrete remnants sticking to the internal surface within the drum and is adapted to aid in the discharge of the concrete through delivery chutes;

Claim 2: The concrete kibble as claimed in claim 1, wherein the QDS has two spaced apart uprights secured to the rear side surface of the cylinder, the primary connection means extends between and connected to the uprights such that primary connections means is adapted to receive and accommodate the jaws of the arms a lifting device of the transport vehicle.

Claim 3: The concrete kibble as claimed in claim 2, wherein the primary connection means has two support arms attached to the cylinder, each support arm is spaced inwardly from a respective upright to define a gap that has a width that is greater than the width of jaws of the arms of the lifting device, a pin is situated in each gap and each pin is connected to its respective upright and respective support arm such that the pin extends within the gap and is adapted to engage with the jaws of the arms of the lifting device of the transport vehicle.

Claim 4: The concrete kibble as claimed in claim 3, wherein each upright of the QDS is connected with a secondary connection means, each latch pin mechanism of the secondary connection means includes a latch pin slideable within a cylinder attached to the upright such that the latch pin is able to be slid from a non locking position to a locking position where the latch pin is adapted to co-operate and engage with a corresponding aperture in the arm of the lifting device of the transport device such that when the latch pin is in the locking position the QDS is safely secured to the lifting device even if lifting device is not securely connected with primary connection means and/or the primary connection means failures during transport of the concrete kibble.

Claim 5: The concrete kibble as claimed in claim 4, wherein the latch pin mechanism is manually operable. Claim 6: The concrete kibble as claimed in claim 4, wherein the cylinder has a U- shaped slot whereby a lever connected to the latch pin is adapted to move within the slot such that when the lever is located in one of the legs of the U-shaped slot the latch pin mechanism is in a non-locking mode with the transport vehicle and when the lever is located in the other leg of the U-shaped slot the latch pin mechanism is in a locking mode with the transport vehicle.

Claim 7: The concrete kibble as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the door control valve lever controls are protected by a cover plate assembly that also is adapted to also function as access steps to the top chute door for internal examination and cleaning of the interior of the cylinder.

Claim 8: The concrete kibble as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the chute doors are designed and shaped to follow the radius of the drum cylinder thus preventing the accumulation of dry, compacted concrete congregating at the door chute opening and preventing the discharge of concrete.

Claim 9: The concrete kibble as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the cylinder has rud lugs fitted at the top centre of each of the end plates of the cylinder to enable the concrete kibble to be safely slung and loaded on transport vehicle, the rud lugs also act as an effective tie down point.

Claim 10: The concrete kibble as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the concrete kibble includes a hydraulic drive agitator that rotates on the central horizontal axis within the drum, the rotating agitator circulates the concrete whilst in transport so as to enable concrete to be transported greater distance without the problem of concrete segregation due to vibration during transportation. Claim 11 : The concrete kibble as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the concrete kibble includes the provision of detachable extensions to the chute outlets.

Claim 12: The concrete kibble as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims, wherein the cylinder includes fork lift tine receiving means as part of the support base in order to allow the concrete kibble to be transported by a fork lift.