Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
1131~5
The invention relates to a method of assembling a
layer of concrete paving bricks or stones forming a brick disk
in the form of a stretcher b~nd and a device for carrying out the
method, as well as for setting the brick disk as a setting
unit.
Rectangular paving bricks made of concrete may be
pressed together in layers and into brick disks which may be
used as setting units, provided that the prerequisite of a
sufficiently high clamping force is met. Normally the layer
which is formed from individual bricks is pressed together
at all four sides by a corresponding clamping pressure.
Due to measurement deviations of a brick which
may be located in ~he center of the brick disk, it is possible
that one or a plurality of smaller bricks may fall out of
the clamped bond of the brick disk. The clamping of the
hrick disk on all sides is also disadvantageous in that the
use of the brick aisk i5 not useable as a setting unit in the
case that a setting pattern of the paving bri~ks i~ desired,
for example, a stretcher bond.
The solution to this problem would be to make the
pavinq bricks in the form of stretcher bonds. However, the
disadvantage is that for each forming operation 15-25 less bricks
can be used.
It is therefore an object of the invention to find a
method which permits a regrouping of a layer of bricks into a
stretcher bond which can be used in such a form as a brick disk
and a setting unit, as well as a device ~or carrying out the
method.
1~3~65
This object of the invention is obtained in accordance
with the present invention by the provision of the method wherein,
initially, the layer of the paving bricks is clamped together
laterally with a collecting clamp or clamps with respect to the
longitudinal axes of the bricks and, after releasing the collecting
clamp, each row of bricks is individually clamped in their desired
position at their head or longitudinal ends. The clamps with the
clamped rows of bricks are then displaced with respect to each
other in a parallel direction, and the collecting clamp is again
engaged.
The first method step assures an exact alignment of
a layer of paving bricks into the initial position from which
an exact stretcher bond is to be shaped. Thereafter, each row
of bricks is individually clamped together in allongitudinal
direction and the row~ of bricks are displaced into the
desired stretcher ~ond with their associated cl~mps, a~ter
the collecting clamp is released. As soon as the individual
~rows of bricks with their associa~ed clamps are~displaced into
the desired stretcher bond, for example, in a stretcher bond
by about half a brick, the collecting clamp may again be engaged.
Thereby, a sagging of the individually clamped rows of bricks,
as soon as lifting occurs, is avoided, thereby permitting
transport of the setting unit, which is formed by a plurality
of bricks, to the intended setting site.
1131~365
In accordance with a further embodiment of the
invention, a device is provided for carrying out the method
of the invention which is characterized in that two parallel
supporting arms are detachably mounted on a hoisting device,
which arms are provided at one longitudinal end with a
clampin~ bar for the brick disk to be shaped and at the
opposite end with actuable clamping means which engage the
bricks and retain the bricks in a collected manner. A
plurality of spaced-apart, parallel ~upport lègs for each
row of bricks are each fixedly coupled to one of the support
arms and slidably coupled to the other support in a
successive alternate manner so as to permit sliding parallQl
movement of the support legs with respect to one another
and over each row of paving bricks. A hydraulic displacement
cylinder for changing the distance between the support arms
and support legs is provided. Clamping members are disposed
at each end of the support legs and at least one of the
clamping members of each support leg is operatively coupled
with an actuating means.
The inventive device i9 of simple construction and
consists of only a few individual parts. Conventional Bowden
cables are used as actuating means for each of the moveable
clamping members o each support leg. All Bowden cables
of the clamping members are simultaneously actuated by
one operating cylinder. The actuation of the clamping
members for the rows of bricks by means of Bowden cables
is advantageous in that the displacement of the clamping
- members for forming the desired bond shape of the paving
brick setting is constructively very simple since the Bowden
1131g65
cables can easily follow the displacement movement.
Furthermore, Bowden cables are advantageous in that ~hey
have a lower weight with respect to levers and rods, which
has a favorable effect on the setting operation.
Furthermore, the Bowden cables are advantageous
because they can engage in tight relationship with the neutral
axis of the support legs and the clamping members, so that
the forces required for clamping can be brought onto the
.
support legs with very low bending moments. Therefore,
when laying out the structural parts, the side effects of
the bending forces created by th;e clamping forces can be
disregarded. This is particularly advantageous for saving
weight for the construction of the device.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, each
clamping member is provided with a roller element which is
in engagement with the brick surface. The roller elements
permit a slight lateral movement with respect to the clamping
direction of the support legs after clamping the individual
rows of bricks, 90 that during the setting of the clamped
rows of bricks, as well as during the last lateral clamping
into a disk, a required lateral movement of the rows of bricks
can take place, as a result of which a bending of the supports
or a damaging of the bricks by the clamping forces is avoided.
The clamping of the individual rows of bricks also
has the advantage that lateral joints remain in the bricks
which facilitate the setting and fitting into already set
bricks. This is achieved in accoxdance with the operating
principle of the length adjustment of the support legs,
- 4 -
1131~65
whereby each end of each support leg has a longitudinally
m~veable p~L carrying the clamping member which is telescopically
movèable with respect to the support leg by means of the
Bowden cable. The mounting of the telescopically moveable
clamping members by means of the Bowden cable facilitates
the desired advantageous characteristic of the construction
of avoiding bending moments created by the clamp forces. The
actuable brick clamping means for~the collective clamping
1S disposed on a clamp shaft supported at the opposite
end of the support arms in a parallel manner with respect
to the clamp bar. By a simple turning of the clamp shaft,
the brick clamping means can be brought into snug engagement
with the brick surfaces.
In a preferred embodiment of the device, the clamp
bar and the clamp shaft are each provided with a centrally-
disposed clamping jaw which is mounted between the support
arms. Thereby, the lateral presslng of the individual rows
of bricks is carried out in the center o~ the brick d~sk, while
at the edge the required joints are present, which facilitate the
fitting of the paving bricks in already set rows of bric~s.
In addition to the clamping jaws, alignment jaws are provided
on the clamp shaft which, during the collecting clamping at the
start of the operation, merely fulfill a collecting and aligning
function.
A simple operating cylinder is provided for rotating
the clamp shaft. Simple detachment means may be provided for
the hoisting means which is characterized in that the detachment
means at each support arm is provided with hinged yokes, the
free ends of which are coupled with a detachment eyelet by means
~131965
of a ball and socket pivot joint. By means of the ball and socket
joints, the distance adjustment between the support arms may be
balanced during displacement of the individual support legs.
Other objects and features of the present invention
will become apparent from the following detailed description,
considered in connection with the accompanying drawings,
which discloses a single embodiment of the invention. It is
to be understood, however, that the drawing is designed for
the purpose of illustration only, and not as a definition of
the limits of the invention.
In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters
denote similar elements throughout the several views:
~ Fig. 1 is a schematically-illustrated plan view of
a device embodying the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a side view of the device shown in Fig. l;
and
Fig. 3 is a schematically-illustrated perspective
view of a section from the edge portion of a clamped brick
disk shortly before the same is set adjacent to previously set
units.
Referring now in detail to the drawings, Fig. 1
illustrates a schematic plan view of the device according to
the invention for clamping and aligning a brick disk which is
useable as a setting unit. Two parallel support arms 1 and 2
carry at their opposite ends a clamp or clamping bar 3 and a
clamp or clamping shaft 4. Support arm 1 is fixedly coupled
~131965
at one end to the clamp bar 3 by the shown welding seams 5,
and clamp shaft 4 is guided in a schematically-illustrated
slide bearing 6 at the opposite end thereof. Support arm 2
is fixedly coupled at one end to clamp shaft 4 by welding
seams 7 and clamp bar 3 is guided, on this support arm 2 at the
opposite end thereof, by the schematica}ly-illustrated slide
bearing 8.
Support legs 9-14 are disposed laterally with respect
to support arms 1 and 2 and the ends of these support legs are
provided with (schematically shown) clamping members having
associated roller elments 15. Adjacent support legs are
provided at their opposite ends with telescopic, longitudinally-
displaceable jackets 16 which carry the clamping members.
Support leg 9 is welded to support arm 1 and is guided in a
guide bearing on support arm 2. Ilowever, the adjacent support
leg 10 is guided in a~slide bearing on support arm 1 and i8
welded to support arm 2.~ In accordance with this alternating
arrangement, all other support legs are arranged in the same
manner. The jackets 16 together with the clamping members o~
the two support legs 9 and 10 are coupled by 80wden cables 17
and 18. Both Bowden cables have a common core, the ends of
which are mounted on the jackets 16 of the adjacent support
legs. The tensioning of the rope cables and thereby the
clamping action of the clamping members is carried out by a
clamping cylinder 19.
In order to maintain the clarity o~ the drawings,
only the two Bowden cables associated with support legs 9 and
10 are shown. Naturally, Bowden cables are present in the
device which lead to the jackets 16 of support legs 11, 12, 1
and 14.
1~31965
In the center of the device, a displacement cylinder
20 is provided which is supported on support arm 2. Cylinder
20 has a piston rod which engages support arm 1. By dash
dotted lines (arrows), it is indicated that clamping cylinder
19 is provided above displacement or slide cylinder 20, as
shown in Fig. 2. This type of drawing was chosen so as not
to cover the displacement cylinder. By means of the displace-
ment cylinder, the distance between the support arms 1 and 2
can be changed, whereby the fixedly mounted support legs are
also displaced.
A third operating cylinder 21 is provided which
pivots clamp shaft 4. Clamp shaft 4 is provided with a center
clamping jaw 22 and laterally arranged alignment jaws 23, 24,
25 and 26. Simllarly, clamping bar 3 is provided with a clamping
jaw 27 disposed at a point opposite to that of the clamping
jaw 22 of clamping shaft 4.
Fig. ~ ls a schematically-illustrated side view of
the device shown in Fig. 1. Frcm Fig. 2 it can be seen that
the total device can be placed over the total bri~k layer which
consists of paving bricks 28. Hinged rods 29 and 30 are
hingably supported on the suppor~ arms, and are coupled by means
of ball and socket joints 32 and 33 to a suspension eyelet 31.
Fig. 3 lS a sectional view of a brick disk 28,
whereby the individual rows or courses of the bricks of the
disk are retained, for example, by support legs 9, 10, 11 and
the associated roller elements lS which engage the bricks and
which are displaced in such a manner that a setting unit is
formed in the stretcher bond.
113'196S
By clamping the individual courses of bricks with
the clamping jaws 27 and 22 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, it is
advantageous that the joints 34 and 35 between the courses of
bricks are not pressed together but are still relatively wide
and changeable. The disposition of the support legs which are
displaceable relative to each other and their associated roller
elements 15 is also advantageous in that, when setting the area
36 (indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3), it can be easily viewed
from above. Thereby, the setting operation is facilitated.
The reference numeral 37 depicts already set bricks.
While only a single embodiment of the present
invention has been shown and described, it will be obvious that
many modifications and changes may be made therein, without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
