FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to concrete screeding appara¬ tus, and more particularly to a finishing device for such screeding apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART

For many years, tools for smoothing freshly poured concrete have been developed. Some of which are manually driven while others are motor driven. Typically, leveling of concrete is done once the screeding has been completed, then, a worker positions himself so as to smooth the concrete freshly screeded by moving a leveling apparatus along the concrete surface. This method is slow and labor intensive.

An example of such machine is disclosed in U.S. patent no. 2,386,662 (Crock). This machine is intended to be used upon the surface of a slab which has already been subjected to a leveling and preliminary surfacing treatment and comprises two elongated concrete surface smoothing members which are longitudinally moved.

Despite the fact that this apparatus works in accordance with its objects, its size does not allow easy anoeuvering. Furthermore, since the surface has already been levelled (column 1, line 29 of the specification of the previous patent) , the screeding and the levelling are not accomplished in a single step, therefore, additional delays are experienced by the workers.

OBJECTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a finishing device for a concrete screeding apparatus which will overcome the above described drawbacks.

An object of the present invention is to provide a finishing device for a concrete screeding apparatus which will be easy to use and economical to manufacture.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a finishing device for a concrete screeding apparatus which can be easily dismantled for cleaning purposes.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a portable lightweight finishing device for a concrete screeding apparatus.

Yet another object of the present is to provide a finishing device for a concrete screeding apparatus allowing the user to screed and level in a single step.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION -

These and other objects of the present invention will be obtained generally by means of a finishing device for a screeding apparatus of the type including:

- a generally horizontal planar bottom surface having a leading edge and a trailing edge; a generally vertical surface generally perpendicular to said bottom surface disposed adjacent said leading edge;

- vibrating means mounted on said concrete screed;

- at least one support member attached to said concrete screed;

said finishing device comprising:

- a finishing portion and a securing portion; said finishing portion being generally larger than said horizontal planar bottom surface, and is made of a resilient material and being placed after said trailing edge on the freshly screeded concrete; said finishing portion being secured to said screed by said securing portion.

An important aspect of the present invention resides in the case with which the finishing device can be either secured to the screed or adjusted vertically from same, so as to control the levelling.

More particularly, the present invention contemplates a finishing device including a finishing portion and a securing portion, the finishing portion being larger than the horizontal planar bottom surface and is made of a resilient material such as rubber. The finishing device being secured to the screeding apparatus via the securing portion.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention possesses other objects features or advantages, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of the invention, which is illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a concrete screed embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is a enlarged cross-section of the concrete screed of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side partial elevational view of the finishing device according to present invention.

Figure 4 is a cross-section view taken along line 4-4 of figure 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The screed 5 shown in the drawings comprises a generally horizontal planar bottom plate 10 and a generally vertical plate 15 generally perpendicular to said plate 10. Said horizontal plate 10 has a leading 20 edge and a trailing 25 edge.

The generally vertical plate 15 is used to push and spread the freshly poured concrete generally referred to as number 7, the said horizontal planar plate 10 is used to press down and partially smooth the concrete to obtain the surface generally referred as number 30 and finally, the finishing device 35 according to the present invention is used to further smooth said surface 30.

The screed 5 is also provided with vibrator means 37 such as elements placed in a spaced relation of the generally vertical plate 15. The edges 40 of the horizontal planar bottom plate 10 are preferably rounded so as to prevent the otherwise square corners of same from penetrating into the freshly poured concrete and making unsightly marks. However, with the use of the finishing device 35 according to the present invention, those marks are rapidly and easily erased as it will be hereinafter explained.

In order to pull the screed 5 against the freshly poured concrete 7 in the direction of the arrow Fl, support means generally referred as number 45 and 50 extend outwardly and upwardly from said vertical planar plate 15. Said supports 45 and 50 are preferably adjustable and sufficiently long

to suit and accommodate the operator.

Furthermore, the supports 45 and 50 are preferably secured to the screed by means of bolts and nuts 52 so that the operator may dismantle said supports 45 and 50 from said screed and to facilitate moving of said screed from place to place before and after it is used.

The horizontal plate 10 and the vertical plate 15 may be manufactured from a single piece of metal such as aluminum by means of an extrusion process. Another way to manufacture the longitudinally extending screed generally referred to as 5 would be to weld, bolt or fix together a first vertical plate to a second horizontal plate.

Said horizontal plate 15 is preferably curved as shown at 55 in figures 2 and 4 to improve the spreading of the concrete 7. It is to be understood that other similar shapes for said front portion may be used.

The right level of vibration of the vibrator means 35 should be chosen so as to ensure that the entire flat horizontal plate 15 remains in continuous contact with the concrete to be screeded. Typical values of said vibration would vary between 9500 and 11000 cycles per minute.

Having now described one embodiment of a concrete screeding apparatus, the finishing device 35 according.to the present invention will be described.

Said device comprises a finishing portion 60 and a securing portion 65. In a preferred embodiment, these two portions are unitary and made of a resilient material such as rubber. The securing portion 65 comprises a plurality of openings 70 in the upper portion thereof so as to receive securing bolts 75 or the like. The ends 62 of said finishing portion 60 are generally convex to improve the smoothing of surface 30. These ends 62 will help removing

BSTITUTE SHEET

of the unsightly marks made by the plate 10.

The finishing portion 60 further comprises a structural reinforcing means 80 located on its lower portion thereof. With reference to figure 3, this reinforcing means 80 may comprise a steel plate 85 fixed by known means such as bolts or screws 90 or directly molded into the rubber. This reinforcing means will increase the weight of the finishing portion 60 so as to further smooth the freshly screeded surface 30 by damping down the vibratory movement caused by the vibrator means 37.

A similar reinforcing means 95 is preferably provided to the securing portion 65 in order to increase the strength of that portion. In this case, the reinforcing means 95 is provided with the plurality of openings 70. Said securing portion is detachably secured to the screed in the upper portion of the generally vertical plate 15.

The finishing portion (see figure 4) of the finishing device 35 may comprise a lifting device 100, which includes a wire 102 secured to the reinforcing means 80 via securing means such as bolts 105 via side wires 103. This lifting device comprises a pair of sliding elements 110 slidably engaging the supports 45 and 50 and provided with a locking nuts such as bolts and wing nuts 115. The dimension of the sliding members being slightly larger than the cross- section of the supports 45 and 50 for easy movement. When the operator wishes to raise the finishing device from the surface to be smoothed, he simply exerces the movement shown by the arrow F2 on the sliding elements 110, raising therefore the portion 60, and then, locks said sliding elements 110 to the proper position. To lower the finishing, the opposite movement is exerced on the sliding members 110.

While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying the ^" invention, it will be manifest to

those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying invention concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein shown and described except insofar as indicated by the scope of the appended claims. For example, the finishing device has been shown attached to a particular embodiment of a concrete screed. However, it must be understood that the present invention can be used with slight modification to other type of screeds.

LIST OF ELEMENTS

5: screed

7: freshly poured concrete

10 horizontal planar bottom plate

15 vertical plate

20 leading edge

25 trailing edge

30 smoothed concrete surface

35 finishing device

37 vibrator means

40 horizontal planar bottom edges

45 support means

50 support means

52 bolts and wing nuts

55 vertical curved portion

60 finishing portion

62 finishing portion ends

65 securing portion

70 openings

75 securing bolts

80 structural reinforcing means

85 steel plate

90 bolts or screws

95 reinforcing means

TUTE SHEET

100: lifting device

102: wire

103: side wires

105: bolts 110: sliding.elements

115: bolts and wing nuts