LAYING OF CONCRETE KERBS, HAUNCHES AND THE LIKE

• US 3,636,833 A
• Filed: 06/24/1969
• Issued: 01/25/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1968
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alan Reginald Mountford, Michael David Lowen
• Original Assignee: Alan Reginald Mountford, Michael David Lowen
• Inventors: Lowen, Michael David, Mountford, Alan Reginald
• Primary Examiner(s): Nackenoff, Jacob L.
• Application Number:
  US04/836,078
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• Field of Search: 94/46-44,45
• US Class Current: 404/84.2
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 35/14 Switches operated by change of acceleration, e.g. by shock or vibration, inertia switch wherein the liquid constitutes a contact of the switch H01H29/002
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 36/0046 Limit switches, also fail-safe operation or anti-tamper considerations

Abstract

Concrete is laid to a surface defined by a datum wire extending e.g. over rough ground by a machine including a mobile carriage with a concrete hopper feeding concrete between slip forms in a controlled fashion using a gate vertically movable in dependence on the movement of sensing devices touching the wire. Smoothing devices one mounted on a subframe of the machine for vertical movement also in dependence on the sensing devices.

Claims

1. A machine for laying a longitudinally extended body of concrete to a surface level defined by a datum wire, irrespective of underlying ground irregularities, comprising:

a carriage mobile in the direction of the wire;

endless track units each supporting said carriage at a side thereof;

a hopper mounted directly on said mobile carriage;

slip forms beneath said hopper into which concrete may be filled from said hopper said slip forms being fixed in relation to said hopper and extending rearwardly of said hopper;

a vertically adjustable gate, a tamper and a smoothing plate extending in the given sequence within the slip forms from the hopper end of the slip forms;

a subframe generally located between said slip forms and adjustably mounted on said carriage, and itself mounting said tamper and smoothing plate and coupled to said gate;

sensing devices which engage said wire; and

height-adjusting means for each end of the subframe each operable from a said sensing device to restoring any deviation of the subframe from a predetermined height in relation to the datum wire;

said gate being coupled to said subframe in such a way that its changes in vertical adjustment are proportional to the changes in height of the subframe in relation to the underlying ground.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensing devices include pivoted arms to engage said wire and wherein each height-adjusting means is operated by a motor including a control circuit operated by the movement of said pivoted arms.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein each adjustable mounting for said subframe includes a pivotally mounted connecting means towards an end of the subframe, and a threaded portion within said connecting means, a generally vertically extending lead screw within said threaded portion:

and wherein reduction gearing and a reversible electric motor operable in dependence on said sensing means and fixed in relation to the carriage are mounted on the upper end of each lead screw.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein a forward end of said subframe is connected to said gate, the connection comprising:

a shaft;

first and second crank arms fixed to said shaft;

first and second connecting rods pivotally connected to said crank arms respectively, the first rod being also pivotally connected to the gate and the second rod being also pivotally connected to said forward end of said subframe;

whereby any vertical adjustment of said forward end of the subframe relative to said carriage is accompanied by a proportional adjustment of the height of the gate.

5. A machine as claimed in claim 4, wherein the ratio of the lengths of the crank arms is such that the movement of the gate is greater than that of the subframe so as to maintain constant the compaction ratio of the concrete.

6. A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mobile carriage is mounted on the endless track units at three points.

7. A machine as claimed in claim 1, comprising a differential control means for the mobile tract units, in order to steer the machine, and further comprising:

a. a lateral-sensing means, for lateral engagement within the wire, b. a servomechanism for operating said differential control means to steer the machine in dependence on said lateral-sensing means.

8. A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the slip forms are flared outwards at the rearward ends thereof to permit the machine to negotiate curves.

9. A machine as claimed in claim 1, further including a mechanism to adjust the height of the carriage relative to one-track unit to control the crossfall over the body of concrete.

10. A machine as claimed in claim 9 wherein said mechanism comprises:

a transverse axis on said mobile carriage;

a lever pivotally mounted on said transverse axis;

a frame for said one-track unit including a pivot for an end of said lever.

11. A machine as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a separate carrier for said sensing devices, suspended from said mobile carriage independently of said subframe but including coupling means coupling it to said subframe for displacement in unison therewith.

12. A machine as claimed in claim 11, said coupling means comprising a linkage pivoted to said mobile carriage.

13. A machine as claimed in claim 12, comprising a first pair of cranks supporting said carrier, a second pair of cranks supporting said subframe and a common shaft for both pairs of cranks journaled in bearings on the mobile carriage.

14. A machine as claimed in claim 11, wherein each sensing device includes:

a horizontal pivot axis;

a bar mounted on said pivot axis for displacement about a neutral position;

a magnet mounted on said bar; and

a magnetic switch operated at a predetermined displacement of said pivoted bar and attached magnet; and

wherein each height-adjusting means is operated by a motor including a control circuit operated by said magnetic switch.

15. A machine as claimed in claim 14, wherein said horizontal pivot axis is oriented to enable the bar to respond to deviations of the angle of the machine with respect to a datum.

16. A machine as claimed in claim 14, wherein gravity-responsive means are provided to bias the bar to neutral position.

17. A machine as claimed in claim 14, wherein the bar has the pivot intermediate its ends and a magnet controlling a respective magnetic switch at each end.

18. A machine as claimed in claim 14 further comprising an arm projecting from the bar, a resilient follower for said datum wire on the free end of said arm, and a counterbalance weight on said bar to counteract any biasing torque due to the projecting feeler arm.