CONCRETE MOLDING MACHINE

MACHINE A MOULER DES ELEMENTS EN BETON

English Abstract

IN THE CANADIAN PATENT OFFICE
November 3, 1980
Inventors: Clyde C. Grady, 11
Clyde C. Grady
Title: "Concrete Molding Machine"
Abstract:
A molding machine is disclosed which can be used in the man-
ufacture of concrete building elements. A method for the molding
of concrete building elements is also provided. The molding
machine is constructed of vertical walls joined to form a single
outer frame which is moveable up and down by means of expandable
joints such as pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders which allow
positioning and vibration of the outer frame. To said outer frame
are attached horizontally expandable joints which support at
least two mold sides which can be placed in abutment by the action
of the expandable joints so as to form the continuous sides of
a mold. The bottom side of the sequentially assembled mold is
provided by a metal plate to which the aforesaid sides are lowered
or attached. Detachment of the mold sides from the said outer
frame as a unit allows support of the uncured concrete by the mold
sides as an assembled mold during subsequent transport from the
molding machine to curing ovens. The outer frame may then be
used to assemble another set of mold sides immediately and is
not prevented from use until the cementitious material which
filled a prior set of mold sides cures sufficiently for the
removal of the mold sides. Provision is also made for the sup-
port of articles to be cast internally in the building elements
by means of members attached at one end to the vertical walls
of said outer frame, wherein the members may be extended hori-
zontally thru apertures in the mold sides to within the confines
of the various molds by a means of expansion and contraction
which forms an integral part of the said members.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive
property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A mechine for making cementitious products comprising an
outer frame enclosing a space and having upright sides, said
frame being supported on pedestals such that a bottom plate
may be brought into contact with the mold sections, mold
sections for forming the side walls of the product, and
substantially horizontal support arms each attached
to the outer frame and supporting a mold section in the enclosed
space, said support arms being capable of extension and retraction
whereby the mold sections may be assembled and disassembled.
2. The machine of claim 1 wherein the mold sections are
detachable from the horizontal support arms.
3. The machine of claim 1 further comprising at least one
support member attached to the outer frame and adapted to
extend through an aperture in a mold section whereby articles
may be supported within the assembled mold during casting.

Description

1 1584~
Specification:
It is now common practice in the concrete or cementitious
products industry to mold articles such as concrete blocks on
various machines.
In these machines a mold of fixed dimensions is filled with
concrete and then the mold is vibrated. Once compacted by the
vibration, the molded article is pushed vertically downward out
of the bottom of the mold having four walls which are fixed and
immovable relative to one another.
So configured, these machines do not allow for a fast change
in the dimensions of the article being molded. These machines
and molds also require that the vertical sides of the article
being molded be smooth and substantially vertical so that the
molded article may be pushed downward out of the mold after
compaction.
These machines of the art also do not allow for the
inclusion of hollow members in a specified posit;on in the
molded concrete or cementitious article.
The object of the present invention is to reme~y these
shortcomings of the present art.
The manner in which these shortcomings are overcom~ is best
explained with reference to the accompanying drawing, Figure 1,
which is a perspective view of the invention.
In Figure 1, outer frame 1 is supported by four pedestals
6 which by means of expandable joints 7 can be raised and
lowered vertically. Horizontal arms 2 connect the frame l
to the longer sides 4 and shorter sides 5 of the mold.
Expandable joints 3 of all eight horizontal arms 2 allow
the sides of the mold to be retracted, thereby freeing them from
the molded article.
The molding cycle of the machine consists of lowering frame
1 byimeans of expandable joints 7 with expandable joints 3
expanded so that sides 4 and 5 abut one another and rest on a
st~el plate, no~t ~hown, forming a rectangular mold open only
at its upper surface.

1 158423

Hol30w tube 10 may then belowered between the sides 4
as shown in Figure 1. Then tube supporting members 8 are
extended by means of expandable joints 9 through holes 11 in
sides 4. The hollow tube 10 is thus firmly held in place by
tube supporting members 8.
Concrete or other cementitious material is thereby introduced
into the mold through the open upper surface of the rectangular
mold. The mold and frame 1 are then vibrated to release air from
the concrete and compact it.
Tube supporting members 8 are then retracted by means of
expandable joints 9 through holes 11 in sides 4 of the mold.
Sides 4 and 5 of the mold are then retracted toward the
outer frame 1 by means of expandable joints 3 in support arms 2.
Outer frame 1 is then raised by means of expandable joints 7,
in supporting pedestals 6. The molded concrete article is then
transported to curing ovens on the metal plate which formed the
bottom of the mold.
Alternatively, sides 4 and 5 may remain with the molded
article and the bottom plate of the mold during transport to
curing ovens and during the subsequent curing, if before retrac-
tion of supporting arms 2,sides 4 and 5 are disengaged from
said supporting arms.
it is also within the scope of the invention, that instead
of lowering frame 1 and sides 4 and 5 onto a steel p~ate, the
steel plate may be raised to contact the lower edges of the sides
4 and 5 to form the bottom of the mold.