DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a tilting device. Specifically, the present invention refers to a tilting device for systems that mould concrete products. More in detail, the present invention refers to a tilting device for a system that moulds large sized concrete products on the ground.

DESCRIPTION OF THE STATE OF THE ART

In the field of moulding large sized concrete products, it can be convenient to use moulding systems where the moulds are supported in a rotatable manner by a frame and overturned by means of a tilting device that works between a mould filling position and an unloading position of the semi finished product which are mutually inclined by an angle of approximately 180°. In the case of known forming systems, the tilting of the mould takes place by means of equipment actuated by rotary actuators comprising rack-and-pinion hydraulic cylinders, the operation of which is known and does not require any further explanation.

In some cases, when it is desired to simplify the detachment of the product during the solidification phase from the mould, the tilting device is sized so as to impart a shock on the mould when it is at the end of the tilting step. This is achieved by ensuring that the tilting angle exceeds the flat angle relative to the loading position by even a few degrees, and ultimately causing an impact between a part of the edge of the mould and the floor surrounding the system. It is easy to understand that this solution is only partially satisfactory, given that the impact as described above can cause,in a time that is difficult to predict, damage to the mould, to the floor in combination or individually as the case may be. In addition, said shocks result in early damage to the components of the system involved in the supporting and the tilting of the mould due to the overall induced vibrations in the system.

On the other hand, considering that the tilting of the mould occurs through at least one actuator of the "rack-and-pinion cylinder" type, it is easy to understand that the impact with the ground can be avoided by appropriately sizing the stroke of the toothed rod of the actuator; for example, by assigning, to the end portion of the actuator, the end of stroke function for the piston carried to the end position by the actuator rod. This design choice is in turn accompanied by drawbacks regarding the actuator, localised in the end portion that withstands the impacts of the piston of the actuator after the mould has been overturned which can occur in the same end portion or in the framework portion that carries the end portion.

Naturally, even if the above has been described with reference to concrete, it also applies to products made by dry ageing of any other hydraulic binder. Therefore, here and in the following, the term concrete will be used to indicate a hydraulic binder of any type.

Considering the situation described above, it would be desirable to arrange a system for the moulding of large sized concrete products having considerable masses which, in addition to limiting and possibly overcoming the drawbacks typical of the state of the art described above, is provided with a tilting device without the drawbacks described above.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The present invention relates to a tilting device. In particular, the present invention refers to a tilting device for a system that moulds concrete products. More in detail, the present invention refers to a tilting device for a system that moulds large sized concrete products on the ground.

The problems set forth above are solved by the present invention according to at least one of the following claims. According to some embodiments of the present invention a tilting device is achieved, provided with a framework supporting a double-acting linear actuator which is provided with a rod that develops in a given direction, axially delimited by two head portions and provided with an intermediate toothed portion; said framework supporting a toothed wheel in a freely rotatable manner around a rotation axis skewed relative to said direction and meshing with said rod in the respective said intermediate portion; said linear actuator having a tubular member for each said head portion, carried by said framework and delimited longitudinally by an end portion provided with an inner abutment face for a respective head portion of said rod; damping means being associated with each said tubular member to absorb, in use, the axial stresses exerted by the corresponding said head portion on said end portion.

According to an embodiment as disclosed, each said tubular member is delimited longitudinally by said end portion provided with a relative said inner abutment face for the respective said head portion of said rod.

According to an embodiment as disclosed, said rod develops in said given direction and is axially delimited by two head portions at the respective ends.

According to an embodiment as disclosed, each said tubular member carries the respective said end portion in an axially free manner by means of the interposition of a flange, rigidly coupled to said tubular member; said damping means comprising at least one elastic element designed to counter an axial movement of each said end portion relative to the said relative flange and at least one guide member parallel to said direction for each said elastic element.

According to an embodiment as disclosed, each said guide member comprises a tie rod carried by said flange and each said elastic member comprises a torsion spring coaxial to said tie rod and arranged between a head of said tie rod and an outer face of said end portion.

According to an embodiment as disclosed, said linear actuator is hydraulically operable; each said tubular member being internally delimited by a substantially cylindrical casing; each said head portion being provided with a piston housed in a fluid-tight manner with said casing; each said end portion incorporating a channel designed to feed the hydraulic fluid between said end portion and said piston to move said rod relative to said axis.

According to an embodiment as disclosed, the tilting device comprises an elongated support member carried by said framework in a freely rotatable manner around said axis and axially fixed and coupled in an axially and angularly fixed manner to said toothed wheel.

According to an embodiment as disclosed, said axis is transverse to said given direction.

According to an embodiment as disclosed, the tilting device is suitable to be associated with a system for moulding concrete products, said system comprising a frame supporting a forming station provided with a mould for the concrete; said mould peripherally comprising a coupling interface to make said mould manipulable between a filling position and a tilted emptying position; said tilting device comprising a framework having a coupling portion arranged to integrally couple with said frame; said framework supporting a double acting linear actuator provided with a rod that develops in a given direction, axially delimited by two head portions and provided with an intermediate toothed portion; said framework supporting a toothed wheel coaxial to a rotation axis transversal relative to said direction; said wheel being meshed with said rod in the respective intermediate portion; said linear actuator having a tubular member for each said head portion, carried by said framework and delimited longitudinally by an end portion provided with an inner abutment face structured to interact frontally, in use, with a head portion of said rod; an elongated support member carried by said framework in a freely rotatable manner around said axis and axially fixed and coupled to said toothed wheel in an axially and angularly fixed way; characterised in that it comprises damping means associated with each said end portion provided with said inner face in order to absorb, in use, the axial stresses exerted by the said corresponding head portion on the respective said end portion.

According to an embodiment as disclosed, each said tubular member is delimited longitudinally by a said end portion provided with a said inner abutment face for the respective head portion of said rod.

According to an embodiment as disclosed, each said tubular member carries the respective said end portion in an axially free manner by means of the interposition of a flange, rigidly coupled to said tubular member; said damping means include at least one elastic member designed to counter an axial movement of each said end portion relative to said flange and at least to one guide member parallel to said direction for each said elastic member.

According to an embodiment as disclosed, each said guide member comprises a tie rod carried by said flange and each said elastic member comprises a torsion spring coaxial to said tie rod and arranged between a head of said tie rod and an outer face of said end portion.

According to an embodiment as disclosed, said linear actuator is hydraulically operable; each said tubular member being internally delimited by a substantially cylindrical casing; each said head portion being provided with a piston housed in a fluid-tight manner with said casing; each said end portion incorporating a channel to feed hydraulic fluid between said end portion and said piston to move said rod relative to said axis.

According to an embodiment as disclosed, the tilting device of the system comprises an elongated support member carried by said framework in a freely rotatable manner around said axis and axially fixed and coupled in an axially and angularly fixed manner to said toothed wheel and structured to rigidly couple to said coupling interface of said mould. According to a possible constructive variant of the present invention, a system is achieved for moulding concrete products; said system comprising a frame supporting a forming station provided with a mould for the concrete, delimited by a substantially flat edge; said mould peripherally comprising at least one coupling interface to make said mould manipulable between a filling position and a tilted emptying position; said frame firmly supporting at least one tilting device as described above from page 5 onwards.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Further characteristics and advantages of the tilting device and of the relative system according to the present invention will appear clearer from the following description, shown with reference to the attached Figures that illustrate some non-limiting embodiment examples, in which identical or corresponding parts of the device itself are identified by the same reference numbers. In particular: - Figure 1 is a schematic front perspective view of a system for the moulding of concrete products according to the present invention;

- Figure 2 shows Figure 1 with a respective front portion removed, overturned and shown in a forward position;

- Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of a front portion of Figure 2 rotated clockwise and with parts removed for the sake of clarity;

- Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view of a tilting device extracted from Figure 2 and represented on an enlarged scale;

- Figure 5 illustrates Figure 4 with parts removed for the sake of clarity;

- Figure 6 is a perspective view of Figure 4 on an enlarged scale and with parts removed for the sake of clarity; and

- Figure 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of Figure 4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Before describing the preferred embodiments of the present invention or details of it in depth, it is deemed useful to specify that its scope is not limited to the particular embodiments described below. The disclosure and description in the present document are illustrative and explanatory of one or more of the currently preferred embodiments and variants, and it will become clear to experts in the art that various changes in design, organisation, operating order, means of operation, in the structures of the equipment and position, methodology, and use of mechanical equivalents, may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

In addition, it should be understood that the attached drawings have the purpose of clearly illustrating and disclosing currently preferred embodiments to one of the experts in the art, but they are not drawings that illustrate how such embodiments should be carried out in reality nor are they real representations of final products; on the contrary, such Figures may include simplified conceptual views to facilitate the understanding or allow for an easier and faster explanation. In addition, the relative sizes and arrangement of the components may differ from those shown and still function in accordance with the scope of invention.

On the other hand, it will be understood that various directions such as "top", "bottom", "lower", "upper", "left", "right", "front", "rear" and so on are only used with respect to the explanation in combination with the drawings and that the components may be oriented differently, for example during transportation and manufacturing, as well as during operation. Since many different and distinct embodiments can be made within the scope of the concepts taught herein, and as many modifications can be made to the embodiments described herein, it must be understood that the details given below should be interpreted as illustrative and non-limiting of the scope of the invention.

In Figure 1, 1 denotes, as a whole, a tilting device installed on a system P for moulding concrete products or in any other hydraulic binder used in civil construction. With reference to the figures 1 and 2, the system P comprises a frame F that frontally supports a forming station FS provided with a mould M for the concrete. The mould is peripherally delimited by a substantially flat edge H and the mould M peripherally comprises, and in this case for each side, a coupling interface I structured to make the mould M manipulable between a filling position FP shown in figure 1 and an overturned emptying position RP shown in figure 2. With particular reference to figure 3, the device 1 is provided with a framework 10 supporting a linear actuator 20 of the so-called rack-and-pinion hydraulic cylinder type. The choice to describe the device 1 with a linear actuator 20 of the hydraulic type must not be considered as the only possibility. Actually, it has been adopted only because this type of actuator is more frequently used for the uses described herein, without the pretence of limiting the scope of the present invention. In particular the linear actuator 20 is of the dual-acting type and is provided with a rod 22 which develops in a given direction D in a symmetrical manner relative to a rotation axis AX skewed relative to the direction D and, in figure 1 is transverse to the direction D without this limiting the scope of the present invention. The rod 22 is axially delimited by two head portions 220 at the respective ends and has an intermediate toothed portion 222 adjacent, for this reason, to both the two head portions 220. The framework 10 supports a toothed wheel 29 in a freely rotatable manner around the axis AX; said toothed wheel 29 meshes with the rod 22 to be able to rotate in a free rotatable manner around the axis AX. The linear actuator 20 has a tubular member 204 for each head portion 220, where each tubular member 200 is carried by the framework 10 and is longitudinally delimited by an end portion 202, which is provided with a cylindrical element 2021 axially delimited by an inner face 2020 designed to act as an abutment for a respective head portion 220 of the rod 22. Each tubular member 200 is internally delimited by a substantially cylindrical casing 2000.

With particular reference to figure 7, each end portion 202 is freely and axially mounted on the corresponding tubular member 200 and the hydraulic seal between the cylindrical element 2021 of each end portion 202 and the respective member 200 is ensured by sliding ring seals 2001 carried by at least one peripheral groove obtained on the outer cylindrical casing of the cylindrical element 2021.

The device 1 furthermore comprises, for each tubular member 200, damping means 30 which are associated with each tubular member 200, for the purpose of absorbing, in use, the axial stresses exerted by the corresponding head portion 220 on the respective end portion 202 so as to cause, in use, a condition of mutual contact. A box-shaped protective body 31 is associated with each damping means 30, better visible in Figures 3 and 4.

Each tubular member 200 carries the respective end portion 202 in an axially free manner by means of the interposition of a flange 204, which is firmly coupled to the corresponding tubular member 200 in an end position. The damping means 30 comprise at least one elastic member 34 designed to counter an axial movement of each end portion 202 with respect to the relative tubular member 200 and to the relative flange 204. At least one guide member 340, parallel to the direction D and consisting of a tie rod 340, is associated with each elastic member 34, the threaded portion of which engages the flange 204 and the respective shaft engages the relative end portion 202 in a known manner and not illustrated for economy of design. Furthermore, each elastic member 34 consists of a torsion spring 34 coaxial to the tie rod 340 which is arranged between a head 3400 of the tie rod 340 and an outer face 2022 of the end portion 202. The force that can be exerted by each tie rod 340 is axially adjustable through at least one screw nut (figures 5 and 7) carried by its respective head 3400.

Again with reference to figure 7, each head portion 220 is provided with a piston 2200 housed in a fluid-tight manner inside the respective tubular member 200 slidingly in contact with the casing 2000; each end portion 202 incorporates a channel 2024 designed to feed the hydraulic operating fluid of the linear actuator 20 between the end portion 202 and the piston 2200 so as to move the rod 22 relative to the axis AX. In particular, the linear actuator 20 is hydraulically operable by means of the fluid fed alternatively in one of the chambers 2025 which are arranged in an end position of the linear actuator 20 in hydraulic communication with a respective channel 2024. In particular, each chamber 2025 is peripherally delimited by the respective tubular member 200 and axially by an outer face of the piston 2200 and by the inner face 2020 of the end portion 202.

With particular reference to figure 3, the device 1 comprises an elongated support member 12 which is carried by the framework 10 in a freely rotatable manner around the axis AX and axially fixed in an axially and angularly fixed manner to the toothed wheel 29 through an assembly of rolling members 290 visible only in figure 6.

The use of the system P and of the relative tilting device 1 is easily understood from what has been described above and does not require any further explanation. However, it may be useful to specify that performing the tilting of the mould M of the system P, with the tilting device 1, makes it possible to demould the formed product avoiding both the application of the rudimentary technique of impact with the ground and the problem of the progressive deterioration of the linear actuator 20 by the repetition of the (alternating) impacts of the two pistons 2200 with the corresponding face 2020 of the end portion 202 at each demoulding (in use the end portion 202 shown on the left of figure 7). The effect of this impact, or the hydraulic overpressure that is determined inside the corresponding chamber 2025 at the progressive approach of the piston 2200 to the face 2020 of the corresponding end portion 202, is that of moving the same end portion 202 longitudinally (outwards) against the action of the tie rods 340 of the damping means 30, with the effects of expanding the internal volume of chamber 2025 in which the rod 22 moves from the side where the impact occurs, reducing the related internal hydraulic overpressure, causing the shortening of the tie rods 340 and increasing the return force exerted axially by the latter on the corresponding end portion 202 which tends to return it to its rest position with respect to the tubular member 200, in contact with flange 204. It should be noted that the combination of the tie rods 340 and the respective springs 34 makes it possible to absorb the energy of the impact transmitted by each piston 2200 to the face 2020 of the corresponding end portion 202 in an axial elastic and controlled movement of the latter which, therefore, is safeguarded and with it the linear actuator 20, the tilting device 1 and, therefore, the system P as a whole.

Therefore, the liner actuator 20 is provided with an adjustable elastic device for controlling the expansion of the chamber 2025, where said device is designed to absorb the internal overpressure and/or the impacts between the rod 22 and the end portions 202, where said device is determined by the particular combination of each end portion 202 carried by one of the two tubular members 200 of the linear actuator 20 in an axially elastically slidable manner and the two corresponding damping means 30, which leave the same chambers 2025 internally free.

Finally, it is clear that modifications and variations can be made to the system P for moulding concrete products or any other hydraulic binder used in civil constructions and to the respective tilting device 1 described and illustrated herein without departing from the scope of this invention. For example, given that the stroke of the rod 22 to be dampened is the only one that develops in the tubular member 200 where the contact between the piston 2200 and the inner face 2020 of the respectively facing end portion 202 occurs, it could be considered valuable to construct a linear actuator 20 where only one tubular member 200 is provided with a relative damping member 30. In particular, reference is being made to the tubular member 200 shown on the right with reference to Figures 3, 4, 5, 7 which will be on the left (in these Figures) when, in use, the mould M has been overturned, or at the end of any other application where it is useful to use the damping means 30, wherever it is required to dampen the stroke of the rod 22 during its contact with the face 2020 considered above. If it is desired to reverse the movement of the rod 22 then it would be sufficient to install the tubular members 200 in reverse, by placing on the left at rest the one with the internal face 2020 to act as an abutment.

Based on what has been described above, it is easy to understand that the tilting device 1 makes the system P particularly effective and robust, to the advantage of the affordability of the production of moulded products made of concrete or any other hydraulic binder, even of considerable size and mass.

In the following claims, any reference symbol placed between parentheses should not be interpreted as a limitation of the claim. The word " comprises" does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps in addition to those listed in a claim. Furthermore, the terms "one" or "a", as used in this context, are defined as one or more than one. Furthermore, the use of introductory phrases such as "at least one" and "one or more" in the claims are not to be interpreted as meaning that the introduction of another element claimed by the indefinite article "one" or "a", limits any particular claim containing such claim element reported in the inventions containing only one, even when the same claim comprises introductory phrases such as "one or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles such as "one" or "a". The same applies to the use of defined articles. Unless stated otherwise, terms such as "first" and "second" are used to arbitrarily distinguish the elements that such terms describe. Therefore, these terms are not necessarily intended to indicate the temporal or other priority of such elements. The mere fact that some measures are set out in mutually differing claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be advantageously used.