Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Background of the Invention
This invention relates to a tool fOr regulating the
flow of ready mixed concrete down the discharge chute of a
concrete mixer, and more particularly for use with a chute of
the type found on trucks supplying ready mixed concrete. The
5invention will be described with reference to such a truck in
exemplary fashion.
Concrete is generally delivered to construction sites
in trucks having large mixing drums which are rotated to mix the
concrete as the truck travels. This type of drum rotates about
10an inclined longitudinal axis with reference to the truck and
has an elevated rear open end. The inside of the drum is
equipped with blade structures arranged in a circumferential
helix from one end to the other such that during transit, when
the drum is rotated in a first direction, the concrete is mixed,
15and when the drum is rotated in the opposite direction the
concrete is forced towards the open end of the drum where it
falls from the drum into a discharge chute. This chute is
adjustable so that it can be positioned to guide the concrete to
a location where it is needed, for instance into a place where
20forms have been arranged, or alternatively into a bucket or
barrow.
The chute allows concrete to slide slowly towards the
lower end of the chute, and of course the chute will contain
concrete when the drum stops rotating. Because the consistency
25of concrete varies according to the work being done, the
inclination of the chute is chosen to permit controlled flow
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over a range of concrete mixtures. In some instances it is
necessary to assist the flow and this is done usually by an
operator pulling the concrete down the chute using any
convenient implement such as a shovel or rake. Thls tends to be
time consuming and not a very convenient way of cleaning the
chute.
Another problem with this is that when smaller
quantities of concrete are required, such as when filling a
wheelbarrow, the flow of concrete must be discontinued when a
full barrow is to be removed and replaced by an empty barrow.
Commonly this results in lost concrete, and this is particularly
a problem when an empty barrow is not availabe.
For the above reasons it is clearly desirable to be
able to control the flow of concrete down a chute both by
assisting the flow when the chute is to be cleaned out, and also
by holding back the flow when it is necessary to discontinue
flow from the chute either for a short time, or to hold the
contents of the chute when the drum is stopped until it is
possible to continue the process of pouring the concrete from
the drum.
Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention
to provide a robust inexpensive tool for moving concrete down a
concrete mixer dispensing chute and also for cleaning the
chute. It is a further object to provide such a tool which can
also be used to retain concrete in a discharge chute when there
is no demand for concrete from the chute.
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Summary of the Invention
The invention provides a tool for assisting the flow of
ready mixed concrete down a sloping chute and also for stopping
such flow. The tool includes a retaining plate shaped to fit
S inside the chute when placed in the chute across the direction
of flow. A shaft is connected at one end to the plate and at
the other end to an end piece connected generally at right
angles to the shaft. The tool may be used by gripping the end
piece and placing the end plate in the chute to pull concrete
down the dispensing chute. Also, by placing the end piece
around a fixture on the chute and the end plate in the chute,
flow of concrete down the chute will be limited.
Brief Description of the Drawings
~he invention will be better understood with reference
to the accompanying drawings in combination with the following
description:
Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a tool
according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 2 is a schematic view of an operator using the
tool to draw concrete down a discharge chute on an exemplary
ready mixed concrete truck;
Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the chute and drawn to a
larger scale than Fig. 2 to show the use of the tool in
restricting flow of concrete down the chute;
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Fig. 4 (drawn adjacent Fig. 1) is an end view showing
the tool in use in a chute having straight sides and
Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 and showing the tool
in use in a chute having a rounded cross-sectional profile.
Reference is made firstly to Fig. 1 which illustrates a
tool designated generally by the numeral 20 and consisting of an
end plate 22 attached by a fastener 24 to the end of an elongate
shaft 26 having an end piece 28 extending generally at right
angles to the shaft.
The plate 22 has a straight upper edge 30 and a curved
edge 32 extending from the extremeties of the upper edge 30
symmetrically about a center line 34 drawn through an aperture
36 in the plate. This aperture receives a bolt 38 forming part
of the fastener 24 which further includes washers 40, 42 to
either side of the plate. The fastener is completed by the
inclusion of a threaded insert 40 engaged permanently in the end
of the tubular shaft 26. The fastener is used to retain the
plate in position on the end of the shaft, but of course it
would be a simple matter to adjust the angular relationship of
the plate with reference to the longitudinal axis of the shaft
2~.
At the other end of the shaft from the plate 22 is the
end piece 28 which is simply an extension of the shaft bent out
of alignment with the shaft and lying generally at right angles
both to the shaft and with respect to a plane containing the
shaft and the center line 34. A hand grip 29 is provided over
the end piece.
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.
As will be described with reference to Fis. 2 and 3,
the plate 22 is always used in contact with concrete whereas the
end piece 28 can either be used by the operator as a handle, or
used to locate the tool in the chute.
Reference is now made to Fig. 2 which illUstrates the
use by an operator when pulling concrete from a discharge chute
46 of the type used on the back of a concrete mixing truck
designated generally by the numeral 48 and having a mixing drum
50. The flow in the chute is dependent to some extent on
continuous flow from the drum 50. New concrete at the top of
the chute will tend to push the preceding concrete down the
chute and, in this case, into a barrow 52. The operator can use
the tool to assist this flow or, should the situation arise
where the drum 50 is stopped, then the flow in the chute will
tend also to stop and the operator can then use the tool to
clean out the chute. It can be seen in Fig. 2 that the tool 20
is being drawn downwardly by the operator and has accumulated
concrete 52 ahead of it. Once this concrete is drawn into the
barrow, concrete 54 further up the chute will tend to slide more
freely and of course can also be drawn down the chute by the
operator. This avoids procedures such as banging the chute with
obvious possibility of damage and also tends to ensure the
concrete is removed and that the chute is kept clean. This is
also very important because a clean chute will allow better
concrete flow than one which has hardened pieces of concrete in
it.
Reference is next made to Fig. 3 which illustrates
another use of the tool. In this instance the need is to hold
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concrete 56 in the chute because the flow has to be restricted
for some reason such as finding an empty barrow. The tool is
placed in the chute with the shaft 26 extending up the chute
from the plate 22 which is at the lower end. The tool i9
positioned so that the end piece 28 can be hooked around part of
the structure of the chute such as hinge structure 58. It is a
simple matter to do this in such a way that the tool will remain
in position because the shaft 26 is in engagement with the side
of the chute and the end piece with the hinge structure 58.
This restriction to the flow will contain the concrete and
prevent spillage. In fact, if it is necessary to move the truck
slightly to re-adjust it, this can be done with the tool in
place in the chute.
Remaining with Fig. 3 it will be noted that the
proportions of the tool are such that when the tool is hooked
onto the structure of the chute, the shaft slopes downwardly
into the chute and the plate (which is at right angles to the
shaft) consequently slopes such that the plate extends from the
shaft somewhat uphill with respect to the chute. As a result,
concrete resting on the plate has a component of loading tending
to push the plate into the chute. Clearly this is desirable to
prevent accidental displacement of the tool and the result can
be achieved by varying proportions and angles.
The shape of chute 46 will vary. Two typical chutes
are shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The plate 32 is generally D-shaped
in end view due to the use of the straight edge 30 and the
curved edge 32. As seen in Fig. 4, the chute has a flat bottom
60 bordered by inclined flat sidewalls 62, 64. The shape of the
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plate is such that it can be manipulated to clean both the side
walls and the bottom wall.
A further arrangement is shown in Fig. S in which the
cbute has a curved wall 66 generally matching the shape of the
S plate 22 so that this will of course clean very readlly.
When stopping the slow of concrete in the manner shown
in Fig. 3, the fact that the plate 22 covers a large percentage
of the cross-section of the chute shown in Fig. 4, will
effectively prevent flow due to the small downward angle of the
chute. Clearly the flow will be completely contained in the
chute shown in Fig. 5.
Although the shape of the plate has been described as
D-shaped with reference to the preferred embodiment, clearly the
shape could be modified to match any particular chute. For
lS instance if the tool is to be used only with chutes of the type
shown in Fig. 4, then the plate could be shaped accordingly.
The preferred embodiment is intended for use in a variety of
chutes rather than in a particular type although of course it
fits best in the Fig. 5 chute.
The shaft and end piece are made from a single piece of
steel tubing of any suitable size and the plate 22 is preferably
of nylon which is easy to clean. However, any suitable
materials can be used.
Modifications to the shape of the tool within the
concept of the invention is anticipated and included in the
scope of the claims.
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