Concrete pumps are instruments used to transport newly mixed liquid concrete to the appropriate area on a building site. Before concrete pumps, builders had to have buckets of concrete lifted by cranes; now, concrete may be pumped up to the topmost levels.
What Exactly is a Concrete Pump?
A concrete pump is a machine that uses pumping to move liquid concrete. Concrete pumps are classified into two categories.
The first type of concrete pump is mounted on a truck, while larger units are mounted on semi-trailers. It is known as a resonance concrete pump because it correctly places concrete using a remote-controlled articulating robotic arm (called a resonance).
The second most frequent form of concrete pump is a line pump or trailer-mounted concrete pump, which is either installed on a truck or placed on a trailer. This pump necessitates the hand attachment of steel or flexible concrete laying hoses to the machine’s outlet.
History of Concrete Pump
Until the early twentieth century, concrete was mixed on the construction site and delivered in wheelbarrows or buckets lifted by cranes from the cement mixer to the formwork.
This took a significant amount of time and effort. Max Giese and Fritz Hull, two German engineers, invented the idea of pouring concrete through pipes in 1927.
They poured concrete to a height of 38 meters (125 feet) and a length of 120 meters (130 yd). Shortly after, Jacob Cornelius Kweimn patented a concrete pump in Holland in 1932. (Jacobus Cornelius Kooijman). The developer’s earlier German patent was included into this invention.
Mechanism of Concrete Pump
Because concrete is heavy, viscous, abrasive, includes particles of hard rock, and hardens if not maintained flowing, concrete pump designers confront several obstacles.
The Piston pumps are commonly utilized because they can generate hundreds of atmospheres of pressure. These piston-style pumps can move cylinders containing heterogeneous concrete mixtures (aggregate + cement).
How Concrete Pumps Operate
A concrete pump operates on the basis of a valve system and fundamental hydraulic principles. The concrete pump draws liquid concrete via a valve system and into the area where it has to be placed down after a mixing truck pours liquid concrete into a hopper.
| Material | Quantity in Kg/M³ | |
|---|---|---|
| M-20 | M-25 | |
| Cement | 320 | 360 |
| Fine Aggregate | 862 | 847.5 |
| Coarse Aggregate | 1097 | 1077.50 |
| 05 mm | 438.8 | 430.83 |
| 20 mm | 658.2 | 646.67 |
| Water | 188.8 | 205.2 |
| Admixture | 2.56 | 5.41 |
Most concrete pumps will also include a twin-cylinder hydraulic system, which is made up of two parallel cylinders. The first cylinder is referred to as the material cylinder. It draws concrete from the hopper. The discharge cylinder, which pushes concrete out of the pump, is the second.
Line pumps typically pump concrete at lesser volumes than resonance pumps and are utilized for lower volume concrete placement applications such as swimming pools, walkways, single family dwelling concrete slabs, and most ground slabs.
There are also skid mounted and rail mounted concrete pumps, however they are unusual and primarily utilized on specialist job sites like mines and tunnels.
Summary
Concrete pumps are becoming commonplace on construction sites because they improve the efficiency of construction projects, particularly those involving high-rise buildings.
Concrete Pumps of Various Types
Various types of Concrete pump are as follows:
Pumps on Wheels
This pump is made up of a concrete pump and a placement resonance installed on a truck chassis. The benefit of employing this pump is that the resonances can be adjusted in size, allowing concrete to be pushed swiftly to any point within the resonance range.
Pumps that are stationary
This pump is installed on a trailer, and concrete is transported to the site via a separate pipeline that is also linked to the trailer. The pipe is then linked to a putting resonance for accurate placement of the concrete.
Static Pump on a Truck
A static or stationary pump is positioned on a truck bed, but it lacks placement resonances, so workers must use separate placing hoses to transfer the concrete to the proper location. These are ideal for rapid projects since they can be driven immediately to construction sites.
Concrete Pump Truck Mixer
This is an all-in-one type that includes a concrete mixer and a pump. As a result, both mobile and static pumps will have a huge hopper from which to draw concrete.
The Technology Behind Concrete Pumping
A concrete pump is a gadget used to transport newly mixed liquid concrete to the desired position on a building site. It operates on the basis of a valve system and fundamental hydraulic principles.
When concrete is needed, a mixing truck first mixes the material within its revolving drum. The truck then drops its liquid concrete into a hopper, which continues to churn the concrete, preventing it from solidifying.
The concrete pump then draws the liquid concrete out of the hopper, through a valve system, and into the area where it will be placed down, often with the help of auxiliary hoses.
The internal workings of a twin-cylinder hydraulic concrete pump are normally made up of two parallel cylinders. Inside the cylinders are driving pistons that propel them back and forth in opposite directions.
As one cylinder advances, the other recedes. As one cylinder recedes, the other advances.
The first cylinder, also known as the material cylinder, is responsible for pulling concrete from the hopper. The second cylinder, the discharge cylinder, pushes the concrete from the pump to the desired spot.
The two pistons function in unison, drawing in and pushing out their respective quantities of liquid concrete. The two cylinders alternate back and forth due to the hydraulic flow caused by the continuous flow of concrete. This constant flow is also necessary to prevent the liquid concrete from hardening.
Summary
Concrete pumps are employed on the majority of bigger construction projects due to its ability to pump at very high volumes and the labor-saving nature of the placement resonance. They are a game-changing alternative to line-concrete pumps.
Concrete Pump Common Applications
Concrete pumps may be used in a wide range of construction applications.
Slab building foundations: The foundations of buildings that do not have basements are flat slabs of concrete. It is critical to have a stable foundation that will not leak, break, or droop.
Concrete pumps are essential for ensuring that the task is completed swiftly and efficiently, and that the concrete is placed exactly where it should be. In this manner, no flaws in the foundation may arise.
Building foundations with basements: The procedure of establishing the foundation for structures with basements is more involved.
Concrete pumps, such as resonance pumps, are essential to ensure that there are no time delays during which mistakes can occur or portions of the concrete solidify before they are ready.
The use of resonance pumps for basement foundations aids in the completion of the building project on schedule.
High-rise structures: Because of the elevation and reach it gives, a resonance pump is frequently required for high-rise buildings. Resonance lifts allow construction companies to rapidly, efficiently, and safely pump concrete to upper levels while keeping the building process on time.
Highway overpasses and tunnels: To handle the daily tonnage of traffic that passes over them, highway overpasses must be composed of robust, reinforced concrete.
Roadway tunnels must also be robust enough to withstand the weight of the ground above them. Using a concrete pump ensures that the operation is completed swiftly and successfully.
Overpasses and tunnels sometimes need working at an elevation, and the use of a concrete pump, particularly a resonance pump for its increased lift, makes the operation go faster and simpler.
Bridges and dams: Bridges and dams must be huge, sturdy, and stable in order to withstand the weight of heavy vehicle traffic and high water pressure. Resonance pumps, in particular, have the benefit of allowing concrete to be pumped swiftly to the top of a tall bridge or dam due to their lift and extension.
Parking structures: Parking garages typically have many levels, and it is difficult to move concrete to the top levels without a concrete pump. The use of a concrete pump allows the building of a tall parking structure to be finished swiftly and with minimal waste.
Sidewalks and driveways: When building a new home, many homeowners are primarily concerned with the house itself. However, the sidewalk and driveway are also important components. Some homeowners are tempted to pour their own driveways and sidewalks, but hiring a professional construction business with a concrete pump, such as a resonance pump, is frequently the best chance for a smooth, sturdy, and fully cured driveway and sidewalk.
In-ground swimming pools: An in-ground swimming pool, like a basement, has a concrete foundation. Concrete pumps, particularly resonance pumps, have a distinct edge when it comes to the construction of backyard swimming pools.
No one likes a huge truck driving through their back yard, but a resonance pump can easily reach over the house from the street and pour the concrete with no inconvenience.
Patios and garden shed foundations: Just like backyard swimming pools, patios and garden shed foundations are ideal for concrete pumps such as resonance pumps. Resonance pumps can easily reach into the backyard from the street and quickly pour the concrete slabs for these features.
How Concrete Pumps Affected the Construction Industry?
The usage of concrete stretches back to Roman times — both the Colosseum and the Pantheon include substantial amounts of concrete — but pouring concrete was a labor-intensive process until the early twentieth century, when the concrete pump was invented.
Concrete pumps have been a huge boon to the building sector. Consider a construction worker in the early 1900s hauling a wheelbarrow full of concrete, making trip after trip after arduous, sweating journey until he had finally poured the project’s tiny amount of concrete.
This procedure is inefficient, labor-intensive, and time-consuming. The concrete pump makes transporting concrete considerably easier and faster.
Concrete pumping vehicles have been especially influential in high-rise construction. Cranes had to hoist huge buckets of concrete into the air onto higher floors before the advent of the concrete pump.
Because a bucket only stores a limited amount of concrete, this method was inefficient. Modern concrete pumps can pump concrete quicker than cranes can lift buckets and provide a constant supply of concrete. They also allow concrete to be poured straight from a laying resonance rather than being sloppily moved in a bucket.
Summary
A concrete pump may be put up fast and operated by a minimal number of people. All of these characteristics combine to make concrete pumps indispensable user-friendly, efficient, and time-saving elements on any construction site today.
Frequently Asked Questions
People usually ask many questions about Concrete pump. A few of them are discussed below:
1. What does it mean to pump concrete?
Pumped concrete is concrete that is moved to greater heights by the use of concrete pumps. This approach is employed when there is a big amount of concrete work to be done at a higher elevation and other modes of transportation are not readily available.
2. Is it possible to pump concrete through a house?
The concrete pump pipeline can be simply routed through the front door, the interior of the house, and out into the yard - with minimal disturbance and trouble. The same is true for other difficult-to-access regions, such as basements and sites with tiny entrances and down alleyways.
3. Is it possible to pipe concrete?
Yes, by employing long-reach pipes, a concrete pump allows you to reach locations that require concrete placement. It saves time and decreases labor requirements, making it more cost efficient.
4. Is concrete harmful to PVC pipe?
Small surface fractures would have no effect if the pipe was completely enclosed in concrete. If the fractures extend all the way through, as in a foundation crack, the pipe may be damaged. The pipe will be destroyed if the concrete shifts along the crack line.
5. Is it possible to pour concrete over plumbing?
No, Never pour concrete on PVC conduit or water pipes unless they are wrapped in a form wrap to allow for expansion and contraction and any perforation through the concrete, or unless a 4in or 6in sleeve is installed under the slab to enable the pipes to pass through.
Conclusion
Concrete pumps provide several more advantages. Because they work continually, they can pump large amounts of concrete at once. Because the concrete is continually flowing, personnel are never idle, never standing around waiting for it to come by other means.
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