Grout placement apparatus
First Claim
1. A grout placement apparatus for placing grout material at a desired delivery site, comprising:
- a hopper for holding grout material and including a discharge sleeve that extends outwardly from a front wall of the hopper;
an auger mounted within the hopper and rotatable in a forward direction to move the grout material out of the hopper through the discharge sleeve;
a discharge assembly pivotally associated with the front wall and movable between a locked position adjacent the front wall in which said discharge assembly communicates with the discharge sleeve, and a swing out position away from the front wall in which the discharge sleeve is fully uncovered; and
a discharge conduit coupled to the discharge assembly for directing the grout material to the desired delivery site in response to positive displacement generated by forward rotation of the auger.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The grout placement apparatus has a V-shaped hopper with a flexible-bladed auger mounted therein that can be rotated in both forward and reverse directions by an auger motor. The auger has flexible blades to drive the grout material along the bottom of the hopper to a discharge sleeve that extends from the hopper. Coupled to the discharge sleeve is a discharge assembly having a flow control valve that is automatically opened and closed by the forward and reverse rotation of the auger, respectively. The discharge assembly is hingedly movable with respect to the hopper, allowing the discharge assembly to “swing away” from its operating position against the discharge sleeve to a position that uncovers the discharge sleeve for easy cleaning. A flexible discharge conduit or hose coupled to the discharge assembly conveys the grout material to the desired placement location. The rotation of the auger can be remotely controlled by a wireless remote controller, and the auger motor can be powered by the hydraulics of separate lifting equipment or by a dedicated combustion engine mounted on the placement apparatus.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A grout placement apparatus for placing grout material at a desired delivery site, comprising:
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a hopper for holding grout material and including a discharge sleeve that extends outwardly from a front wall of the hopper; an auger mounted within the hopper and rotatable in a forward direction to move the grout material out of the hopper through the discharge sleeve; a discharge assembly pivotally associated with the front wall and movable between a locked position adjacent the front wall in which said discharge assembly communicates with the discharge sleeve, and a swing out position away from the front wall in which the discharge sleeve is fully uncovered; and a discharge conduit coupled to the discharge assembly for directing the grout material to the desired delivery site in response to positive displacement generated by forward rotation of the auger. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A grout placement apparatus for placing grout material at a desired delivery site, comprising:
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a hopper for holding grout material and including a discharge sleeve that extends outwardly from a front wall of the hopper; an auger mounted within the hopper and rotatable to move the grout material out of the hopper through a discharge opening; a discharge assembly for receiving grout material moved through said discharge opening by forward rotation of the auger, said discharge assembly including a flow control valve that automatically opens and closes said discharge opening in response to changes in rotational direction of the auger; and a discharge conduit coupled to the discharge assembly for directing the grout material to the desired delivery site in response to the positive displacement generated by forward rotation of the auger. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A grout placement apparatus for placing grout material at a desired delivery site, comprising:
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a hopper having a discharge opening and including front and rear walls joined by a pair of straight opposed sidewalls that are angled outwardly relative to one another to form a V-shaped grout holding area, said sidewalls extending without angle change from an upper edge of said sidewalls to a curved trough at a bottom of said hopper; a drive mechanism operative in said trough to move the grout material out of the hopper through said discharge opening; and a discharge assembly and conduit associated with the hopper to receive the grout material passing through the discharge opening and direct the grout material to the desired delivery site. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27)
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28. A grout placement apparatus for placing grout material at a desired delivery site, comprising:
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a hopper having a plurality of walls that form a grout holding area, said walls including a front wall with a discharge opening; a drive mechanism to move the grout material out of the grout holding area through said discharge opening therein; a discharge assembly associated with the front wall to receive grout material passing through the discharge opening and having a housing with at least one apertured grate for allowing air to flow into and out of said housing to prevent clogging of said grout material during use of said apparatus; and a discharge conduit coupled to the discharge assembly for directing the grout material to the desired delivery site.
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Specification