Concrete pump

Concrete pump  — construction equipment for receiving freshly prepared concrete mix (workability P2, P3, P4, P5 according to GOST 7473) into the bunker from specialized concrete vehicles (concrete mixers, ABS) and supplying it through a concrete pipeline in horizontal and / or vertical directions to the place of installation. Concrete pumps are used for laying concrete mixture into large massifs — formwork for the construction of all kinds of concrete, more often reinforced concrete structures and other modern infrastructure facilities. It is a more effective tool for working with concrete mixtures than, for example, a «shoe» when working on high-rise structures. The speed of construction increases approximately three times.

Classification of concrete pumps

• mobility
  • mobile — are installed on the truck chassis of almost all well-known manufacturers, often called Concrete Pumps or abbreviated as ABN. Truck-mounted concrete pumps are designed for quick and efficient delivery of freshly prepared concrete in horizontal and vertical directions directly to the place of laying in conditions where large volumes of concrete need to be laid in a short time, and also when the mobility of concrete supply equipment at the construction site is important. They are more often used in the early stages of construction of various projects, or in the construction of low and medium-rise residential buildings;
  • stationary — do not have the ability to independently move on public roads. Are established on the chassis for convenience of movement on a construction site. Transported in the back of a truck or on a trawl. More commonly used for high-rise buildings, the world record was set by Putzmeister at 606 m, or for conveying the mixture over long horizontal distances.
  • concrete pumps mounted on a truck chassis without boom — have ABN mobility,
• by type of concrete supply
  • Piston — concrete is pressed through the system with one or two pistons.
    • Curtain — the feed mechanism is separated from the concrete pipeline by curtains,
    • Slide — the feed mechanism is separated from the concrete pipeline by a slide assembly,
      • S-type
      • C-type.

Truck-mounted concrete pump

Truck-mounted concrete pumps — concrete pumps mounted on a truck chassis together with concrete distribution booms are used in the early stages of the construction of low-rise or high-rise buildings and other structures. This technique is indispensable for laying concrete, building bridges, roads and other engineering structures from monolithic and reinforced concrete. Truck-mounted concrete pumps are designed for quick and efficient delivery of freshly prepared concrete in horizontal and vertical directions directly to the place of laying in conditions where large volumes of concrete need to be laid in a short time, and also when the mobility of concrete supply equipment at the construction site is important. Differ in mobility, speed and accuracy of giving.

In 1927, when using a concrete tower, engineers Max Gies and Fritz Gelle came up with the idea to supply concrete from a concrete mixer directly to the place of use. At the same time, it was necessary to keep the energy consumption at a low level compared to using a concrete tower. The reduced water content of the concrete not only saved energy, but also helped the material harden quickly and reliably. Gravel or crushed rocky material has also found use. The concrete was delivered to a height of up to 38 m, and the delivery distance was 120 m.

In 1968, Putzmeister produced the first truck-mounted concrete pump of this brand. In 1969, the market share of truck-mounted concrete pumps was 45%. The range included pumps with a boom length from 11 to 25 meters with a package of three sections, and the performance of the concrete pumping plant reached 125 m3 / h, with a mixture pressure of up to 50 bar (important not to be confused with the pressure in the hydraulic system). The length of the cylinders reached 3000 mm with a diameter of 230 mm.

• Place of docking when supplying concrete from a concrete mixer truck to a concrete pump truck
• Working condition of truck mounted concrete pump, mid-boom
• Working Condition of Concrete Pump Truck, Upper Boom

Injection system

Pump types

Rotary

The rotary pump is a simple, compact pumping system that functions without a special gate valve. The concrete is fed by rollers that are located in the rotor housing and at the same time press on the supply hose (pump with compressible sleeves). This makes the rotary pump the only system on the market that, when properly installed, is a thick material delivery system.

Piston pumps

Single-piston concrete pumps have been used in Germany since the twenties of the XX century. At present, two-piston concrete pumps are mainly used, which are driven by an electric or diesel engine by converting hydraulic energy into mechanical energy. The feed pump pistons are connected to each other through a hydraulic drive cylinder and work in antiphase. Basically, drives for concrete pumps are hydraulic, although the control system may differ depending on the manufacturer. There are the following options: purely hydraulic system, electro-hydraulic, open and closed hydraulic circuit drives, single-double circuit control. Each system has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Pump structure

The pump consists of:

• drive cylinders;
• Cooling boxes;
• feed cylinders;
• Switching gate cylinders;
• Hopper with agitator (mixer);
• Shiber;
• Lubrication systems;
• Protective lattice of the bunker;
• Vibrator of a protective lattice of the bunker.

Gate types

The «heart» of the concrete pump, from the point of view of mechanics, is the gate, which can be flat, wedge, in the form of a rotary pipe, s-shaped, trunk-shaped, delta gate, etc. There is no gate in the rotary pump.

• curtains
• S-gate (installed on almost all modern pumps)
• C- gate

Gate pumps

After a long use of various systems with a gate, all the advantages and disadvantages of each system were revealed. The sealing of the gate to the cylinder or to the outlet of the pump can be made technically simpler and better. With other types of gate, for example with a flat gate, this is hardly possible.

The most important requirement for the gate is its density (thickness), since when pumping, each seam, especially under high pressure, can lead to concrete protrusion and cracks. Another, additional, but important requirement for the gate is wear resistance, for economic and service reasons. If necessary, the driver who works on this equipment could independently, without the help of a specialist, replace the gate. Manufacturers are trying to meet these requirements by using new, wear-resistant materials or by refining parts of the gate. Wear resistance depends largely on criteria such as aggregate settling, material flow rate and pressure.

Application of concrete pumps

Concrete pumps are designed to transport the concrete mixture to the place of laying. They are indispensable when it is required to pump a large amount of concrete mix in a relatively short period of time without losing quality and increasing operating costs. The mixture can be fed both horizontally and vertically.

For example, the German company Putzmeister manufactures two types of concrete pumps: truck-mounted concrete pumps (mounted on vehicle chassis) and stationary concrete pumps.

Putzmeister truck-mounted concrete pumps are used in the construction of residential and commercial buildings, tunnels, bridges, roads, high-rise buildings (for example, when laying the foundation, building underground parking lots and building first floors), full-fledged construction of low-rise buildings and other structures.

Stationary concrete pumps are involved in the construction of high-rise buildings, tunnels and other structures in conditions where the use of automobile concrete pumps is impossible due to the technical parameters of the project or working conditions. For example, the mixture must be applied to the ceiling at a height of more than 70 meters and an area of ​​​​more than 30 m². In most cases, the concrete pump is used in conjunction with systems of concrete pipelines and distribution booms.