Expanding nozzle for component additions in a concrete truck, and method and system for use of same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11358166-B2
Application number	US-201816616365-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 21, 2018
Priority date	May 25, 2017
Publication date	Jun 14, 2022
Grant date	Jun 14, 2022

Abstract

A nozzle, including a support member and a nozzle boot surrounding at least a portion of the support member, the nozzle boot having a nozzle boot inlet and a nozzle boot outlet spaced from the nozzle boot inlet and a volume between the nozzle boot inlet and the nozzle boot outlet, the nozzle boot being expandable upon the introduction of fluid into the volume, and collapsible upon withdrawal of fluid from the volume. Also disclosed is a method of removing unwanted concrete from a surface by creating tensile stress to concrete adhered to that surface by causing the surface to expand, and a system for injecting fluid (s) into a rotating drum.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A nozzle, comprising:
a support member comprising a shaft having a shaft inlet and a shaft outlet spaced from said shaft inlet; and
a nozzle boot surrounding at least a portion of said shaft of said support member, said nozzle boot having a nozzle boot inlet and a nozzle boot outlet spaced from said nozzle boot inlet and a volume between said nozzle boot inlet and said nozzle boot outlet, said nozzle boot comprising a bellows that is expandable axially and radially relative to said shaft of said support member upon the introduction of water under pressure into said volume between said nozzle boot inlet and said nozzle boot outlet, and said bellows further being collapsible axially and radially relative to said shaft of said support member when water pressure is withdrawn; and
said shaft having a shoulder stop that provides a barrier that prevents concrete from entering and filling the nozzle boot bellows.

2. The nozzle of claim 1 , wherein the axial expansion of said nozzle boot bellows is from a position where the shaft outlet extends axially beyond the end of the nozzle boot to a position where the free end of the nozzle boot extends axially beyond the shaft outlet.

3. The nozzle of claim 1 , wherein said nozzle boot bellows comprises regions of smaller outer diameters and regions of larger outer diameters in the collapsed state or expanded state, wherein the larger outer diameters have the same outer diameter as one another or have different outer diameters relative to one another.

4. The nozzle of claim 1 , wherein said support member shaft a shoulder stop minimizes axial movement of said nozzle boot as said nozzle boot is transitioning from an expanded state to a collapsed state.

5. The nozzle of claim 1 wherein the shaft has an end that is bullet- or cone-shaped to facilitate the nozzle boot sliding back and forth over the shaft as the nozzle boot expands from said introduction of water under pressure and collapses when water under pressure is withdrawn.

6. The nozzle of claim 1 , wherein said shaft is in communication with a source of chemical admixture.

7. The nozzle of claim 1 , wherein said nozzle boot is in communication with a source of water under pressure for expanding the nozzle boot.

8. The nozzle of claim 1 , wherein said nozzle boot bellows is positioned coaxially with respect to said shaft, said shaft shoulder stop minimizes the extent to which the nozzle boot retracts axially as the nozzle boot transitions from an expanded state to a contracted state.

9. A method of removing concrete from a nozzle surface, comprising providing the nozzle of claim 1 having concrete adhered to a surface of the nozzle boot bellows, and introducing water under pressure into said volume between said nozzle boot inlet and said nozzle boot outlet, thereby to expand the nozzle boot bellows axially and radially relative to said support member and to shed to concrete adhered to said surface.

10. A system for injecting fluids into a rotatable mixer drum, comprising:
a mixer drum rotatably mounted to permit rotation about a rotation axis inclined at an orientation of 5 to 40 degrees relative to level ground and which has an oblong drum body with an inner circumferential wall connecting opposed first and second ends for defining a cavity within which to contain a fluid, one of said two opposed ends having an opening to permit loading and unloading of material from said cavity;
a source of water under pressure;
the nozzle of claim 1 connected to said source of said water under pressure thereby to enable expansion of said nozzle boot bellows when said water under pressure is introduced into said volume between said nozzle boot inlet and said nozzle boot outlet, and to enable collapse of said nozzle boot bellows when said water under pressure is withdrawn from said volume between said nozzle boot inlet and said nozzle boot outlet.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein said mixer drum is a concrete mixer drum.

12. The system of claim 11 , further comprising a source of a chemical admixture, said shaft inlet being in fluid communication with said source of said chemical admixture.

13. A system for injecting water and chemical admixture fluid into a rotatable concrete mixer drum, the system comprising: a mixer drum that is rotatably mounted to permit rotation about a rotation axis inclined at an orientation of 5 to 40 degrees relative to level ground, the mixer drum having an inner circumferential wall connecting opposed first and second ends for defining a cavity within which to contain a fluid concrete, one of the two opposed ends having an opening to permit loading and unloading of fluid concrete from the mixer drum cavity, the system comprising a source of a chemical admixture and a source of water, the system further comprising a nozzle including a support member and a nozzle boot surround at least a portion of the support member, the nozzle boot having a nozzle boot inlet and a nozzle boot outlet spaced from the nozzle boot inlet and a volume between the nozzle boot inlet and the nozzle boot outlet, the nozzle boot inlet being in fluid communication with the source of water under pressure and being expandable upon the introduction of water under pressure into the volume, and collapsible upon withdrawal of water under pressure from the volume, and the support member effective for introducing chemical admixture into the concrete mixer drum.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the nozzle boot comprises a bellows which is expandable and collapsible axially and radially relative to said support member, said nozzle boot bellows comprising regions of smaller outer diameters and regions of larger outer diameters in the collapsed state or expanded state, wherein the larger outer diameters have the same outer diameter as one another or have different outer diameters relative to one another, the nozzle boot bellows effective for shedding concrete that is hardened on the nozzle boot.

Assignees

• Gcp Applied Tech Inc

Inventors

• Fuller Andrew
• Aho John
• Bleck James
• Roberts Mark F

Classifications

• B28C5/4231 Primary

  Proportioning or supplying water (in general B28C7/12) · CPC title

• B05B7/1495 Primary

  and with separate outlets for the particulate material and the liquid · CPC title

• B08B9/0813

  by the force of jets or sprays · CPC title

• B28C7/128 Primary

  Nozzles; Valves; Valve-actuating means · CPC title

• B05B15/528

  by resilient deformation of the nozzle · CPC title