Brief introduction of a concrete pump

Concrete pump is a special type of machine that is normally used to pump or transfer liquid concrete. Concrete pump trucks are normally divided into two types.

A concrete pump that is trailer boom mounted is a special type of concrete pump is joined onto a truck, it is also named as trailer mounted concrete pump. So as to place the concrete accurately an arm that is emote controlled (in the form of a robot) which is referred to as a boom is used. These special types of concrete pumps are normally for large construction projects due to the fact that they are able to pump at very high volumes and less labor is required hence saving a lot of cost.

These concrete pumps are normally carried with the trucks to the building sites. These concrete pumps are however quite expensive due to the nature of the type of work that they do and even the quality they give.The trucks and the pumps however have to be controlled by experts and qualified personnel due to their delicate nature.

Line pump is either mounted onto a truck or trailer. This type of concrete pump requires flexible or steel concrete placing hoses to be attached manually on the outlet of the machine. The hoses are normally connected together and then directed to where the concrete has to be deposited for construction purpose. These types of pumps normally deposit concrete at lower volumes unlike the concrete boom pump. For this reason, line pumps are normally used for smaller projects such as sidewalks, swimming pools, family home concrete tabs and even ground slabs.

Other types of concrete types include the rail mounted concrete pumps and skid mounted pumps. These concrete pumps are however rare and only used for special projects such as tunnels and even mines.

The discharge of concrete marks the beginning of the concrete pumping equipment operation. The concrete is moved from the mix truck and taken into a hopper which is normally large hence can hold a small supply of concrete that is fresh. Inside the hopper, the agitator ensures that the concrete keeps smoothly flowing into the pumping cylinders.

The concrete pumps normally operate on the same principle as the twin cylinder reciprocating engine whereby one of the cylinders will draw concrete from the hopper during the return stroke while the other cylinder will push the concrete to the forward stroke hence into the line.For constant pressure to be maintained and the flow to be uninterrupted, the pistons in both cylinders have to operate in opposite directions.

The pistons are normally powered by a hydraulic pump and driven by hydraulic cylinders. The synchronized valves let the concrete from the cylinders to be moved into the pump discharge line. The valves are also used to differentiate the different types of pumps. Different types of valves include swing tube, gate, rock or the C tube valve.

These pumps however have to be taken care of as they are expensive and if mishandled, they can cause a lot of harm and even serious injuries. They also have to be handled by qualified people only.