METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING CONCRETE U-WALL TYPE CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS AND METHOD OF OPERATING THE SAME

• US 20120175814A1
• Filed: 01/10/2011
• Published: 07/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Concrete Systems Incorporated, Stable Concrete Structures, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Concrete Systems Incorporated, Stable Concrete Structures, Inc.
• Inventors: O'Neill, Raymond, Carr, Dennis
• Granted Patent: US 8,888,481 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 264/299
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 13/04 Discharging the shaped articles discharging tubular articles after shaping B28B21/90; conveying systems for ceramic mouldings B65G49/08
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 13/06 Removing the shaped articles from moulds by means incorporated in, or carried by, the moulds B28B7/10
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 15/00 General arrangement or layout of plant ; Industrial outlines or plant installations
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 7/0029 Moulds or moulding surfaces not covered by B28B7/0058 - B28B7/36 and B28B7/40 - B28B7/465, e.g. moulds assembled from several parts
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 7/0041 the sidewalls of the mould being moved only parallelly away from the sidewalls of the moulded article
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 7/0044 the sidewalls of the mould being only tilted away from the sidewalls of the moulded article, e.g. moulds with hingedly mounted sidewalls
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 7/0058 Moulds, cores or mandrels with provisions concerning the elimination of superfluous material; Moulds with burr-removing means provided therein or carried thereby
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 7/0061 Moulds, cores or mandrels specially adapted for mechanically working moulding surfaces during moulding or demoulding, e.g. smoothing by means of mould walls driven during moulding or of parts acting during demoulding
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 7/02 Moulds with adjustable parts specially for modifying at will the dimensions or form of the moulded article
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 7/04 one or more of the parts being pivotally mounted
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 7/10 Moulds with means incorporated therein, or carried thereby, for ejecting or detaching the moulded article flexible moulds bent open for ejecting B28B7/06; ejecting by tilting or inverting the mould B28B7/08; devices, not forming part of the mould, for ejecting the moulded article B28B13/06
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 7/16 Moulds for making shaped articles with cavities or holes open to the surface , e.g. with blind holes
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 7/18 the holes passing completely through the article
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 7/186 for plates, panels or similar sheet- or disc-shaped objects, also flat oblong moulded articles with lateral openings, e.g. panels with openings for doors or windows, grated girders
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 7/285 Core puller
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 7/36 Linings or coatings, e.g. removable, absorbent linings, permanent anti-stick coatings; Linings becoming a non-permanent layer of the moulded articlelubricating surfaces of moulds, cores or mandrels B28B7/38
• CPC Class Codes: E02D 2250/0007 using a mold
• CPC Class Codes: E02D 2250/0023 Cast, i.e. in situ or in a mold or other formwork
• CPC Class Codes: E02D 2300/002 Concrete
• CPC Class Codes: E02D 2300/0029 Steel; Iron
• CPC Class Codes: E02D 29/02 : Retaining or protecting walls piers or quay walls E02B3/06
• CPC Class Codes: E02D 29/025 : made up of similar modular elements stacked without mortar
• CPC Class Codes: E02D 29/0266 : made up of preformed elements
• CPC Class Codes: E04C 5/01 : Reinforcing elements of metal, e.g. with non-structural coatings E04C5/08 takes precedence

Abstract

A machine for and method of manufacturing concrete U-wall construction blocks, each having a front wall portion and a pair of stem portions extending from said front wall portion. The method involves providing a system of molding jacket panels, including a core molding assembly having a pair of inside stem jacket panels that are adjustably supportable in a substantially parallel manner during a molding process, and arranged is such a manner that the front wall portion is molded in downwardly facing direction toward a horizontal support surface and completely enclosed in one or more molding jacket panels. Before block molding operations, the thickness of the front wall portion of the U-wall construction block is set by determining the thickness of a front wall surface liner and installing the front wall surface forming liner within the system of molding jacket panels. Also, thickness of the stem portions of the U-wall construction block is set by determining the proper distance between the pair of said inside stem jacket panels supported in a parallel manner during the block molding process. Thereafter, concrete is poured or injected through pour openings provided in the molding jacket apparatus to form the front wall portion and stem portions of the concrete U-wall block.

Claims

1. A machine for manufacturing a concrete U-wall construction block having a front wall portion which is facing downwardly toward a horizontal support surface and completely enclosed in a molding jacket during the molding process, so that concrete can be poured vertically down the stem portions of the construction block during the molding process without requiring the front panel to cure or other set.

2. The machine of claim 1, wherein different front wall and stem section thicknesses are achieved by adjustments made to the molding machine during setup operations.

3-7. -7. (canceled)

8. A machine for manufacturing a concrete U-wall construction block having a front wall portion and a pair of stem portions projecting from said front wall portion, said machine comprising:

a system of molding jacket panels, including a core molding assembly having a pair of inside stem jacket panels that are adjustably supportable in a substantially parallel manner during a block molding process;

wherein said front wall portion is molded facing downwardly toward a horizontal support surface during and completely enclosed in one or more of said molding jacket panels during said block molding process;

wherein thickness of said front wall portion of said U-wall construction block is determined by the thickness of a front wall surface forming liner, and said front wall surface forming liner is installed within said system of molding jacket panels;

wherein the thickness of said stem portions of said U-wall construction block is determined by the distance maintained between said pair of said inside stem jacket panels supported in a parallel manner during said molding process;

wherein concrete is poured into said molding jacket panels to form said front wall portion and said stem portions of said U-wall construction block.

9. A method of manufacturing a concrete U-wall construction block having a front wall portion and a pair of stem portions extending from said front wall portion, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a system of molding jacket panels, including a core molding assembly having a pair of inside stem jacket panels that are adjustably supportable in a substantially parallel manner during a block molding process, and arranged is such a manner that said front wall portion is molded in downwardly facing direction toward a horizontal support surface and completely enclosed in one or more molding jacket panels;

(b) before carrying out said block molding process, setting thickness of said front wall portion of said U-wall construction block by determining the thickness of a front wall surface forming liner and then installing said front wall surface forming linear within said system of molding jacket panels;

(c) before carrying out said block molding process, setting the thickness of said stem portions of said U-wall construction block by determining the distance maintained between said pair of said inside stern jacket panels supported in a parallel manner during said block molding process; and

(d) after steps (b) and (c) have been carried out, pouring concrete into said molding jacket panels to form said front wall portion and said stem portions of said U-wall construction block.