ZA201101114B - De-moulding wet cast items - Google Patents
De-moulding wet cast items Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- ZA201101114B ZA201101114B ZA2011/01114A ZA201101114A ZA201101114B ZA 201101114 B ZA201101114 B ZA 201101114B ZA 2011/01114 A ZA2011/01114 A ZA 2011/01114A ZA 201101114 A ZA201101114 A ZA 201101114A ZA 201101114 B ZA201101114 B ZA 201101114B
- Authority
- ZA
- South Africa
- Prior art keywords
- mould
- torsional
- actuators
- grip
- torsional axis
- Prior art date
Links
- 238000000465 moulding Methods 0.000 title claims description 23
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 claims description 39
- 238000005755 formation reaction Methods 0.000 claims description 39
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 22
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims description 14
- 238000005266 casting Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 230000006835 compression Effects 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000007906 compression Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 230000005484 gravity Effects 0.000 claims description 3
- 229920001971 elastomer Polymers 0.000 description 4
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000004568 cement Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000000806 elastomer Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000011465 paving brick Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000009825 accumulation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000007935 neutral effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229920001296 polysiloxane Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 230000002441 reversible effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000007790 scraping Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910052710 silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010703 silicon Substances 0.000 description 1
Landscapes
- Devices For Post-Treatments, Processing, Supply, Discharge, And Other Processes (AREA)
Description
i F201 01114
This invention relates to the manufacture of wet cast items or modules of concrete or similar cement-containing material and in particular, the invention relates to de- moulding the cast items/modules.
The present industry standard for the manufacture of small wet cast concrete modules such as paving bricks is to pour wet concrete into cavities defined inside moulds that are made of flexible material, e.g. silicon, rubber or other elastomers.
Once the concrete has cured sufficiently, the modules are removed from the moulds by inverting the moulds and manually manipulating the moulds sufficiently for the concrete modules to fall out of the moulds.
This de-moulding process holds a number of disadvantages, including the need for strenuous manual labour because the modules are typically held very tightly inside the moulds by friction and the moulds need to be manipulated vigorously to release the modules. Further, manual de-moulding is time consuming and even if low-cost labour is used, manual de-moulding is costly. Manual de-moulding also results in breakage of product (which is often brittle at the stage of de-moulding, because the modules have not cured fully yet).
In many facilities that undertake the manufacture of wet cast concrete modules, a wide range of products are manufactured and as a result, the sizes of moulds vary and attempts at automating the de-moulding process are complicated by having to ) cater for different mould sizes.
Another difficulty experienced with the moulding method described above, is that moulding material accumulates on the mould, around the mould cavity and if this material is not removed, the build-up effectively causes the mould cavities to become deeper, so that more wet concrete is cast into each mould (or less concrete removed when scraped off). In order to maintain consistent sizes of products, the
. moulds need to be cleaned frequently and this is done manually in a costly and time consuming process.
The present invention seeks to provide for fast, cost-effective de-moulding of wet cast concrete modules, while reducing the risk of product damage. The invention further seeks to provide for efficient removal of concrete from the mould, after de- ] moulding.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of de- moulding one or more wet cast concrete modules from a flexible mould, said method comprising inverting the mould, so that the openings of its mould cavities face generally downwards and applying repeated torsional loads to the mould along one or more generally horizontal torsional axis, said torsional loads being applied on opposing sides of the mould and being applied in opposing directions on the opposing sides of the mould, relative to the torsional axis.
The term “concrete” in this regard refers to any pourable mixture which includes cement. Further, the term “module” refers to any wet cast concrete item of which a large number of products are typically produced, e.g. paving bricks (“pavers”).
The torsional loads may be applied alternately in opposing directions and may be applied by engaging opposing edges of the mould and twisting said edges in opposing directions about the torsional axis.
The mould may be held elevated above a conveyor, while the torsional loads are being applied and de-moulded modules may be allowed to fall onto the conveyor under gravity. :
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided apparatus for de-moulding one or more wet cast concrete modules from a flexible mould, said apparatus including:
A
) a first grip formation, configured to engage a first edge of said mould, when the mould is in an inverted orientation with the openings of its mould cavities facing generally downwards; a second grip formation, configured to engage a second edge of said mould, when in its inverted orientation; one or more first actuators, configured to apply a torsional load by rotating the first grip formation about a generally horizontal torsional axis; one or more second actuators, configured to apply a torsional load by rotating the second grip formation about said torsional axis; and a control system, configured to control actuation of the first and second actuators, to rotate the first and second grip formations in opposing directions about the torsional axis.
The first actuators and/or the second actuators may be double acting actuators and the control system may be configured to control the actuation of the first and second actuators to rotate their associated grip formations alternately in opposing directions about the torsional axis.
The apparatus may include a conveyor that is spaced below the grip formations.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of removing unwanted material from a flexible mould, after wet casting a concrete module in the mould, said method comprising feeding the mould to a set of rollers with a spacing between the rollers that is less than the dimension of the mould, in the same direction, and passing said mould between the rollers so that the mould is compressed between the rollers and the unwanted material is cracked and removed from the surface of the mould by the compression of the mould. -
For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, the invention will now be described by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a sectional view of a mould for use in the present invention, in an upright orientation; ]
Figure 2 is a three-dimensional diagrammatic representation of apparatus in accordance with the present invention, for de-moulding wet cast concrete modules;
Figures 3A to 3B are three-dimensional diagrammatic representations of the mould of Figure 1 (in an inverted orientation) and part of the apparatus of Figure 2, during the de-moulding method of the present invention; and
Figure 4 is a diagrammatic sectional view of the mould of Figure 1 (in an inverted orientation) during the method of removing unwanted material in accordance with the present invention.
Referring to the drawings, apparatus for de-moulding a wet cast concrete module is generally indicated by reference numeral 10.
Referring to Figure 1, a mould 12 is shown for wet casting a number of concrete modules. The mould is made of a flexible material, such as silicone, rubber or other elastomers and defines a number of mould cavities 14, each with an opening 16 that faces upwardly when the mould is in its upright orientation. Each of the mould cavities 14 could taper slightly to assist in de-moulding, although such a taper is undesirable for some wet cast modules.
The modules are formed by pouring wet concrete into the mould cavities 14 from above and scraping of any excess concrete so that the top surfaces of concrete inside the cavities 14 is flush with the openings 16. During the process, a thin layer of concrete is typically deposited on the areas 18 around the openings 16 and these layers can accumulate over repeated use of the mould 12. Accumulation of concrete in the areas 18 effectively causes the cavities 14 to become deeper, with the result that modules are made that are thicker, resulting in material wastage and inconsistent module dimensions — unless the accumulated concrete is removed from i the mould.
Referring to Figure 2, the apparatus 10 preferably includes a feed arrangement, which in the illustrated example is a pair of rails on which a mould 12 can be slid in an inverted orientation (with the openings 16 facing downwards) in a feed direction 22. The moulds 12 fed to the apparatus 10 contain concrete modules that have been cast inside their mould cavities and which have set, but which need not have cured completely. Depending on the particular product and process parameters, it may be preferable to de-mould the modules as soon as they have reached sufficient strength to withstand the de-moulding process.
The apparatus includes first and second grip formations 24,25 that are spaced apart by a distance that generally equals the corresponding dimension (width or length) of the mould 12, so that a mould can be slid from the rails 20 in the feed direction 22 so that opposing edges of the mould can be received snugly between the grip formations 24,25 in a position that is shown in broken lines in Figure 2.
Each grip formation 24,25 includes a generally horizontal upper flange 26 that is positioned to extend above the mould 12, when it is held between the grip formations, and a bottom flange 28 that extends below the mould. An end flange 30 is provided to prevent the mould 12 from sliding too far in the feed direction 22.
Each grip formation 24,25 is rotatably supported on a horizontal shaft 32 and the shafts of the two grip formations are on a common axis, which will be referred to herein below as the “torsional axis” and will also be identified by reference numeral 32.
Each grip formation 24,25 has two double acting actuators 34,35 that are arranged to rotate the grip formation relative to the torsional axis. In the illustrated example, the actuators 34,35 are pneumatic pistons, but any other form of actuation could be used (e.g. mechanical, hydraulic, electrical, etc.). The pistons 34,35 are attached to the upper flanges 26 to exert upwards and downwards actuating loads on the grip formations 24,25.
The grip formations 24,25 can be moved closer together of further apart to accommodate moulds 12 of different sizes and if desired, the grip formations may be configured to move closer together to grip the mould more tightly, when held between them.
A conveyor in the form of a conveyor belt 36 is provided a short distance below the grip formations 24,25. ]
In use, an inverted mould 12 containing sufficiently set/cured modules in its mould cavities 14, is inverted and fed in the feed direction 22 and received between the grip formations 24,25, as described above. A control system is activated (e.g. by pushing a “start button”), which controls the working of the actuators 34,35 and causes them to apply torsional loads to the mould 12 about the torsional axis 32, via the grip formations 24,25, in a de-moulding process.
The torsional loads in the de-moulding process are illustrated in Figures 3A to 3C.
Figure 3A shows the grip formations 24,25 in a “neutral” position, in which the grip formations are parallel and the mould 12 is received between them without significant deformation.
Upon being activated, one of the pistons 34 extends its rod, while the other of the pistons 34 retracts its rod, with the result that the grip formation 24 is rotated about the torsional axis 32. At the same time, one of the pistons 35 extends its rod and the other piston 35 retracts its rod, so that the grip formation 25 is also rotated about the torsional axis 32, but in the opposite rotational direction to grip formation 24.
Each of Figures 3B and 3C shows the resulting positions of the grip formations 24,25: In Figure 3B, the grip formation 24 has been rotated clockwise and the grip formation 25 has been rotated counter-clockwise and vice versa in Figure 3C.
The counter-rotation of the grip formations 24,25 about the torsional axis is reversed repeatedly and each rotation causes a torsional load to be exerted on the mould 12,
] which deforms by being twisted repeatedly in opposing directions. The elasticity for the material of which the mould 12 is made allows it to be twisted repeatedly and it is deformed with in a twisting manner, as shown in Figures 3B and 3C.
While the mould 12 is being twisted in opposing directions, the mould cavities 14 are } also deformed and the deformation allows the concrete modules inside the cavities to overcome the friction holding them in place and to drop out of the inverted mould cavities under gravity. The modules drop onto the conveyor belt 36 and are moved away from underneath the grip formations 24,25. 10 .
Referring to Figure 4, once the modules have been de-moulded, excess concrete material that may remain on the mould surfaces around the cavities 14, especially on the areas 18 surrounding the openings 16 of the cavities, is removed by passing the mould between two rollers 38. The rollers 38 are spaced apart so that the distance between them is less than the corresponding dimension of the mould 12.
In the illustrated example, the mould 12 is fed between the rollers 38 in a feed : direction 40 in an inverted orientation and the vertical spacing between the rollers is less than the height of the mould.
The result is that the mould 12 is compressed elastically in the vicinity of the rollers 38 and the compression causes the excess concrete material on the outside of the mould to crack and fall from the mould:
Preferably, the rollers 38 are mechanically linked and are power driven to counter rotate and the direction of rotation is reversible, so that the feed direction 40 can be reversed and the mould 12 passed between the rollers repeatedly, in opposite directions.
Claims (9)
1. A method of de-moulding a wet cast concrete module from a flexible mould, said method comprising inverting the mould, so that at least one opening of a mould cavity of the mould faces generally downwards, and applying repeated torsional loads to the mould along at least one generally horizontal torsional axis, said torsional loads being applied on opposing sides of the mould and being applied in opposing directions on the opposing sides of the mould, relative to the torsional axis.
’ 2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the torsional loads are applied alternately in opposing directions.
3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the torsional loads are applied by engaging opposing edges of the mould and twisting said edges in opposing directions about the torsional axis. :
4. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mould is held elevated above a conveyor, while the torsional loads are being applied and de-moulded modules are allowed to fall onto the conveyor under gravity.
5. Apparatus for de-moulding one or more wet cast concrete modules from a flexible mould, said apparatus including: a first grip formation, configured to engage a first edge of said mould, when the mould is in an inverted orientation with the openings of its mould cavities facing generally downwards; a second grip formation, configured to engage a second edge of said } mould, when in its inverted orientation; at least one first actuator, configured to apply a torsional load by rotating the first grip formation about a generally horizontal torsional axis; at least one second actuator, configured to apply a torsional load by rotating the second grip formation about said torsional axis; and
} a control system, configured to control actuation of the first and second actuators, to rotate the first and second grip formations in opposing directions about the torsional axis.
6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first actuators are double acting actuators and the control system is configured to control the actuation of the first actuators to rotate their associated grip formations alternately in opposing directions about the torsional axis.
7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the second actuators are double acting actuators and the contro! system is configured to control the actuation of the second actuators to rotate their associated grip formations alternately in opposing directions about the torsional axis.
8. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 7, which includes a conveyor that is spaced below the grip formations. :
9. A method of removing unwanted material from a flexible mould, after wet casting a concrete module in the mould, said method comprising feeding the mould to a set of rollers with a spacing between the rollers that is less than the dimension of the mould, in the same direction, and passing said mould between the rollers so that the mould is compressed between the rollers and the unwanted material is cracked and removed from the surface of the mouid by the compression of the mould. Dated this 9" day of February 2011 —_— A Te Brian Bacon & Associates Inc. 20 Applicant's Patent Attorneys
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZA2011/01114A ZA201101114B (en) | 2011-02-11 | 2011-02-11 | De-moulding wet cast items |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZA2011/01114A ZA201101114B (en) | 2011-02-11 | 2011-02-11 | De-moulding wet cast items |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| ZA201101114B true ZA201101114B (en) | 2011-10-26 |
Family
ID=56362956
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZA2011/01114A ZA201101114B (en) | 2011-02-11 | 2011-02-11 | De-moulding wet cast items |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| ZA (1) | ZA201101114B (en) |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US11654594B2 (en) | 2020-02-19 | 2023-05-23 | Slab Innovation Inc. | Method and system for demolding a flexible mold of dried wet-cast concrete products |
| US11981050B2 (en) | 2020-02-19 | 2024-05-14 | Slab Innovation Inc. | Method and system for cracking a flexible mold of dried wet-cast concrete products |
-
2011
- 2011-02-11 ZA ZA2011/01114A patent/ZA201101114B/en unknown
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US11654594B2 (en) | 2020-02-19 | 2023-05-23 | Slab Innovation Inc. | Method and system for demolding a flexible mold of dried wet-cast concrete products |
| US11981050B2 (en) | 2020-02-19 | 2024-05-14 | Slab Innovation Inc. | Method and system for cracking a flexible mold of dried wet-cast concrete products |
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