US3807908A

US3807908A - Pump for pumping pasty masses, for example, concrete

Info

Publication number: US3807908A
Application number: US00256283A
Authority: US
Inventors: L Rossi
Original assignee: ALPEGGIO INVEST
Current assignee: ALPEGGIO INVEST; Alpeggio Investimento Sa ch
Priority date: 1972-05-24
Filing date: 1972-05-24
Publication date: 1974-04-30
Anticipated expiration: 1991-04-30

Abstract

A pump for pumping pasty masses, for example, wet concrete, comprising a charging hopper, a pump casing defining an inner cylindrical work chamber in which a rotor body provided with a single radial blade reciprocates to separate the work chamber in two subchambers. The casing has entrance and delivery orifices. The rotor blade reciprocates in the work chamber except in a sector where a baffle body is arranged to oscillate between two limiting positions; the rotor blade divides the work chamber into two subchambers, the peripheral edges of the baffle body being in fluid-tight contact with the adjacent inner surfaces of the work chamber. The baffle body is formed as a blade associated with means adapted to oscillate it wherein at one of the limiting positions said baffle blade puts one of the said subchambers in communication with the entrance orifice and the other of said subchambers in communication with the delivery orifice, while at the other limiting position of the baffle blade, the second mentioned subchamber is in communication with the entrance orifice and the first mentioned one in communication with the delivery orifice. The rotor blade during the same time interval performs one of its reciprocating strokes to pump the pasty mass from one subchamber through the delivery orifice and to enable the other subchamber to fill. Upon reversal of direction and repositioning of the baffle blade, this operation is repeated. Means are also provided for synchronizing the baffle blade oscillations with movement of the rotor blade.

Description

United States Patent [191 Rossi 1 PUMP FOR PUMPING PASTY MASSES, FOR

EXAMPLE, CONCRETE [75] Inventor: Lionello Rossi, Via Ciamarra, Italy [73] Assignee: Alpeggio lnvestimento S.A., Lugano,

Switzerland [22 Filed: May24, 1972 21 Appl. No.: 256,283

Primary ExaminerWilliam L. Freeh Assistant Examiner-Richard E. Gluck [57] ABSTRACT A pump for pumping pasty masses, for example, wet concrete, comprising a charging hopper, a pump casing defining an inner cylindrical work chamber in which a rotor body provided with a single radial blade I [451 Apr. 30, 1974 reciprocates to separate the work chamber in two subchambers. The casing has entrance and delivery orifices. The rotor blade reciprocates in the work chamber except in a sector where a baffle body is arranged to oscillate between two limiting positions; the rotor blade divides the work chamber into two subchambers, the peripheral edges of the baffle body being in fluid-tight contact with the adjacent inner surfaces of the work chamber. The baffle body is formed as a blade associated with means adapted to oscillate it wherein at one of the limiting positions said baffle blade puts one of the said subchambers in communication with the entrance orifice and the other of said subchambers in communication with the delivery orifice, while at the other limiting position of the baffle blade, the second mentioned subchamber is in communication with the entrance orifice and the first mentioned one in communication with the delivery orifice. The rotor blade during the same time interval performs one of its reciprocating strokes to pump the pasty mass from one subchamber through the delivery orifice and to enable the other subchamber to fill. Upon reversal of direction and repositioning of the baffle blade, this operation is repeated, Means are also provided for synchronizing the baffle blade oscillations with movement of the rotor blade.

5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPNO m4 3; 807.908

SHEET 1 0F 2 PUMP F OR PUNIPING PASTY MASSES, FOR EXAMPLE, CONCRETE The invention relates to a pump for pumping thick liquids, pastes and mixtures such as wet concrete for considerable distances and/or heights. The invention primarily relates to pumps for wet concrete that can be used in wheeled plants which are designed to transport the concrete ready to be used so that said concrete can be immediately pumped directly up to the desired site locations.

The pump of this invention substantially comprises a casing defining an inner cylindrical work chamber, provided with an entrance orifice in communication with a hopper, and with a delivery orifice in communication with a delivery pipe, said orifices being arranged close to one another in one and the same section of the casing. In said work chamber a rotor body is movable reciprocally, except in said section where a baffle body oscillates between two limiting positions. The rotor body formed as a rotor blade separates the work chamber in two subchambers, so that at the first of said two limiting positions, said baffle body puts said entrance orifice in communication with one of the subchambers and, at the same time, the other subchamber in communication with the delivery orifice, while at the other limiting position said baffle body puts said lastbody performs one of its strokes so that during one of the strokes of said rotor blade, this blade pushes the concrete along the subchamber which is in communication with the delivery pipe, whereas during the next stroke of said rotor blade the concrete which has been previously collected into the other subchamber, i.e., upstream of said blade with respect of the motion direction of the blade during the preceding stroke), is forced towards the delivery pipe, but this material is now caused to travel along said other subchamber in the opposite direction relative to the preceding one.

Automatic limit switch means are provided,-designed to control in the predetermined time sequence the reversal of the rotor blade and the operation of the baffle body, said blade and said baffle body being actuated by any suitable means, as for instance, hydraulic jacks. The baffle body rotates about an axis set at a right angle to the planar end walls of the pump casing. The entrance orifice is arranged eccentrically through one of said planar end walls and the delivery orifice is provided in the side wall thereof (or vice versa). The entrance orifice communicates with a charging hopper and the delivery orifice with a delivery pipe. Alternately, said baffle body rotates about a radial axis relative to the pump rotor as the entrance and the delivery orifices are arranged respectively in the opposite pla nar end walls of the pump casing in alignment one to another.

The accompanying drawings show merely by way of example and without limiting the invention two embodiments of the pump according to the present invention wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic axial section through a pump rotor and the baffle body of a first embodiment of this invention, said section being taken on the line A-A of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are transverse sectional views, perpendicular to the axes of the pump rotor and of the baffle body, taken on the lines B-B and CC of FIG. 1 respectively;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to that of FIG. 2 but concerning a second embodiment or variant of the invention, said sectional view being taken on the line D-D of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line EE of FIG. 4.

Now referring to the FIGS. 1 to 3, at 1 is indicated the hopper which communicates through the entrance orifice 2 with the work chamber 3 of the pump, said work chamber defined by the two planar end walls 4a, 4b and by a cylindrical side wall 4c. The casing 40, 4b, 4c is constructed in disassemblable parts in order to allow access to the interior of the work chamber 3 and the parts located therein for maintenance purposes or for the replacement of worn parts. The entrance orifice 2 is arranged in the planar end wall 4a at an eccentric position with respect to the pump axis and underneath said entrance orifice 2 is mounted the baffle body which is constituted of a baffle blade 5 integral with a central spindle 6, the axis of which is parallel to that of the pump rotor. At one of its two limiting positions (shown in solid lines) the baffle blade 5 has its sides in fluid-tight contact with the adjacent inner surfaces of the work chamber 3, while at the other limiting position (shown in broken lines) the blade 5 is brought into a symmetric position with respect to the centre plane passing through the axes of the spindle 6 and of the rotor shaft which will be hereinafter described, and identically its edges contact in a fluid-tight manner the adjacent. inner surfaces of the work chamber 3. An inner body 7 mounted within the work chamber 3 has a portion of its outer surface so shaped as to match the positions of the edges of the baffle blade 5 during its movements so as to maintain a fluid-tight contact therebetween. Thus said inner body 7 comprises a concave cylindrical portion 7a of a radius equal to the distance between the axis of the spindle 6 and the outerthe rotor shaft 8, said rotor including a single radial blade 9 which separates the work chamber in two subchambers. On the surface 7b or at least on its end portions packing means 18 are provided in order to prevent any communication between the two subchambers, i.e., upstream and downstream of the blade 9. The rotor is caused to rotate successively in opposite directions through an angle, which is about in the shown embodiments. At 10 is indicated a deliveryorifice communicating with a delivery pipe not shown in the drawings, said orifice 10 being arranged in the same section of the casing where the inlet orifice 2 and the baffle 5 are positioned. In the respective positions of the parts as shown in solid lines in FIG. 2, the concrete comes out of the entrance orifice 2 and enters the righthand subchamber of the work chamber 3. The rotor blade 9 starts to rotate in counterclockwise direction, i.e., in the direction of the solid arrow and pushes the concrete so as to force it to come out of the left-hand subchamber which is now in communication with the delivery orifice 10. As soon as the blade 9 attains the limiting position shown in broken lines in FIG. 2, the baffle blade 5 is caused to rotate about the spindle axis through an angle of about 90 to the position shown in broken lines. In the position of the baffle blade 5 the entrance orifice 2 is in communication with the lefthand subchamber of the work chamber 3 and at the same time the right-hand subchamber is in communication with the delivery orifice 10. The rotor blade 9 then reverses and forces the concrete, previously collected before into the left-hand subchamber to move in clockwise direction along said subchamber as shown in broken line arrow.

In FIG. 3 is diagrammatically shown a system for controlling the operation of the rotor blade 9 and of the baffle blade 5. A hydraulic jack 12, through a suitable transmission, is adapted to transform the reciprocating rectilinear movement of a piston rod 13 into a reciprocating angular movement of the shaft 8 and rotor blade 9 through a predetermined angle of about 180 in this embodiment, and causes the rotor blade 9 to rotate alternately in the two angular directions. At the limiting positions of the shaft 8, this latter actuates a limit switch 14a or 14b by. means of a finger 15 projecting from one of the ends of the shaft 8 which extends through the pump casing (FIG. 3). The switches 14a and 14b control, through an electromagnetic or other suitable device, the movements of a two-way valve 29, which is designed selectively to convey the pressurized fluid into one or the other of the ends of the hydraulic jack 12. The switches 14a and 14b control the movement of another two-way valve 29a feeding a second hydraulic jack 19 which moves the baffle blade 5. The displacement of the baffle blade 5 must be as rapid as possible in contrast with the movement of the blade 9. The rotor blade 9 must move slow and evenly to push forward a pasty mass, wet concrete for instance, and must also be powerful enough to ensure that the concrete can reach the desired height and/or distance.

The embodiment or variant shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is substantially similar to the preceding one so that similar parts are marked with same numbers but with subscript a, whereas parts that are exactly the same have the same numbers. This variant is used in the case of plants where-a side delivery pipe cannot be arranged. Thus 2a is the entrance orifice and loathe delivery orifice arranged in the planar end walls 4a and 411 respectively of the pump casing substantially in alignment one with another. The baffle body comprises a baffle blade 5a carried by a central spindle 6a, the axis of which is perpendicular and substantially incident to the rotor axis. The ends of the spindle 6a are supported by

wall portions

20 and 21 respectively.

The inner body 20 includes a surface 20a facing the rotor shaft 9 and shaped as the wall portion 18 of the first embodiment so as to constitute a partial seat for the shaft 9. As in the previous embodiment this surface 20a or at least its end portions and/or those of the wall 18 designed to come into contact with the baffle blade 5a are provided with packing means in order to obtain a fluid-tight seal between the two subchambers positioned upstream and downstream of the rotor blade 9. Of course, also the peripheral edges of the baffle blade 9 and/or the portions of the inner surfaces of the work chamber which contact the peripheral edges of the baffle blade 5a at least at their limiting positions and where the rotor spindle passes are provided with packing means in order to prevent any fluid leakage therethrough.

The pump according to this variant embodiment operates substantially in an identical manner as that of the first embodiment.

I claim:

1. A pump for pumping pasty masses, for example, wet concrete, comprising a charging hopper, a pump casing defining an inner cylindrical work chamber which is circular in cross-section, a rotor member having a radial blade reciprocably mounted on a shaft about the central axis of said chamber in substantially fluid-tight engagement with the inner walls of said chamber, said rotor blade separating said work chamber into two subchambers, said casing having entrance and delivery orifices arranged close to one another in one section of the casing, a baffle blade mounted on a spindle in said section, means operatively connected to said blade spindle for oscillating said spindle and said baffle blade between two limiting positions, said baffle blade being so shaped that its peripheral edges in its limiting positions contact in a fluid-tight manner ad jacent inner surfaces of the work chamber and at one of its limiting positions said baffle blade puts one of said subchambers in communication with the entrance orifice and the other subchamber in communication with the delivery orifice, while at the other limiting position I of the bafile blade, the second-mentioned subchamber is in communication with the entrance orifice and the first-mentioned subchamber is in communication with the delivery orifice, while the rotor blade at the same time performs one of its reciprocating strokes, and means for synchronizing the baffle blade oscillations in timed sequence with respect of the rotor blade, said last-named means including an end portion of the rotor shaft extending through the pump casing which is provided with a projecting finger for contact with limit switches adapted to control the movements of the baffle body and rotor blade in a predetermined time sequence, and means connected to said limit switches for moving the baffle body relatively quickly and the rotor blade relatively slowly.

2. A pump according to claim 1, wherein the pump casing has opposed planar end walls and a cylindrical side wall, the entrance orifice is eccentrically formed in one of the planar end walls of the pump casing and the delivery orifice is formed in its cylindrical side wall, while the baffle blade is mounted adjacent said entrance orifice so as to have its spindle axis perpendicular to the casing planar walls.

3. A pump according to claim 1, wherein the pump casing has opposed planar end walls and a cylindrical side wall, the entrance and delivery orifices are coaxial and formed in opposite planar walls of the casing, while the spindle axis of the baffle blade is substantially radial and perpendicular to the rotor shaft.

4. A pump according to claim 1, wherein the work chamber includes a body arranged and shaped as to match the adjacent inner surfaces of the rotor shaft and the peripheral edges of the baffle blade during its movement, and packing means being provided to ensure a fluid-tight contact between the facing surfaces.

5. A pump according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral edges of the baffle blade are provided with packing means.

Claims

1. A pump for pumping pasty masses, for example, wet concrete, comprising a charging hopper, a pump casing defining an inner cylindrical work chamber which is circular in cross-section, a rotor member having a radial blade reciprocably mounted on a shaft about the central axis of said chamber in substantially fluid-tight engagement with the inner walls of said chamber, said rotor blade separating said work chamber into two subchambers, said casing having entrance and delivery orifices arranged close to one another in one section of the casing, a baffle blade mounted on a spindle in said section, means operatively connected to said blade spindle for oscillating said spindle and said baffle blade between two limiting positions, said baffle blade being so shaped that its peripheral edges in its limiting positions contact in a fluid-tight manner adjacent inner surfaces of the work chamber and at one of its limiting positions said baffle blade puts one of said subchambers in communication with the entrance orifice and the other subchamber in communication with the delivery orifice, while at the other limiting position of the baffle blade, the second-mentioned subchamber is in communication with the entrance orifice and the first-mentioned subchamber is in communication with the delivery orifice, while the rotor blade at the same time performs one of its reciprocating strokes, and means for synchronizing the baffle blade oscillations in timed sequence with respect of the rotor blade, said last-named means including an end portion of the rotor shaft extending through the pump casing which is provided with a projecting finger for contact with limit switches adapted to control the movements of the baffle body and rotor blade in a predetermined time sequence, and means connected to said limit switches for moving the baffle body relatively quickly and the rotor blade relatively slowly.