How does a REED Concrete Pump work?

The operation of the concrete pump encompasses the use of hydraulic and electrical systems. The concrete pump is designed to safely pump wet concrete through a delivery system of pipes and hoses within its published ratings and specifications.

Stability of the concrete pump during operation is provided by the outriggers and front jack. Controls for the outriggers are located on the sides of the concrete pump.

The pumping system employs a S-Tube design valve system. This system incorporates material cylinders linked to hydraulic cylinders that cycle alternately. With concrete material in the hopper and the pump operating, a material cylinder retracts, drawing material into the cylinder. At full retraction of the cylinder, a signal is sent to both the S-tube swing cylinder and the drive cylinder directional valves causing the s-tube to shift position to the fully loaded material cylinder and the drive cylinders to change direction. The concrete piston of the loaded cylinder then pushes the material through the s-tube and into the delivery lines. The shifting from one cylinder to the other cylinder takes place providing a continuous flow of material through the delivery piping system. The pump can be operated at the control panel or can be operated from the remote control.

The hydraulic oil flow created by the hydraulic pump pushes the drive cylinder pistons inside the drive cylinders (1) alternately back and forth. Because the drive cylinders and concrete pistons (2) inside the concrete cylinders (3) are linked together, the pistons move synchronously.
When a drive cylinder retracts along with the concrete piston, concrete will be sucked from the hopper into the concrete cylinder. Simultaneously, the other drive cylinder and concrete piston are extended toward the hopper. The concrete piston will push concrete from the concrete cylinders through the S-Tube (4) and out to delivery system (5).
Next, the pump switches at the end of the stroke, causing the s-tube valve to shift to the other concrete cylinder which has sucked and filled the cylinder with concrete, starting the next cycle.
Reverse pumping links the concrete piston in the suction stroke and S-Tube valve to suck concrete from the s-tube instead of the hopper. As a result, the concrete piston pumps concrete into the hopper.
The power for operation of the concrete pump is provided by the engine, which drives the hydraulic pumps.
All functions for operation of the concrete pump can be accomplished from the local controls mounted on the side of the unit. Optional hand-held cable or radio remotes enable the pump to be operated away from a remote distance.

HYDRAULIC SYSTEM DESCRIPTION:

The hydraulic system of the concrete pump consists of three separate circuits and although integrated, each is designed to perform a particular function within the operation of the concrete pump. The three circuits utilized are:

• Main Pump Circuit Controls operation of the hydraulic drive cylinders.

• S-Tube Shift Circuit Controls operation of shifting the s-tube from one material cylinder to the other.

• Auxiliary Circuit Controls the operation of the agitator and other auxiliary equipment. For the purpose of making the operation of each circuit easier to understand, they are being described separately.

MAIN PUMP CIRCUIT:

The main hydraulic pump is a variable displacement axial piston pump of swashplate design. The pistons run along the swashplate which is capable of being tilted. This tilting changes the angle of the swashplate and thus the stroke length of the pistons, which in turn varies the displacement of fluid. The larger the angle of the swashplate, the greater the flow. The angle of the swashplate is varied by the volume control that works in conjunction with the load sense feature of this pump.

The main hydraulic pump is driven directly by the engine or electric motor. When the engine is running, PUMP switch in the OFF position and the VOLUME control minimized, there is no demand placed on the pump. This is referred to as the pump being de-stroked, meaning, it is only producing a minimal amount of flow to enable the lubrication of the pump. This lubrication exists regardless of whether the engine is at idle or maximum RPM.

The main pump circuit is equipped with a manifold that is drilled and ported to accommodate the relief valve, check valve, flow control and the pilot operated directional valve. The cycle valve is a directional spool valve with electro hydraulic solenoid operation. Its purpose is to direct the flow of oil from the main hydraulic pump to one or the other hydraulic drive cylinders.

To energize the pump circuit, use the adjustable throttle control to set the engine speed at maximum RPM. Open the VOLUME control to any range from 0 to FULL. In so doing, the load sense is alerted to the demand and places the pump on stroke. The pump will now produce the flow in proportion to the amount by which the volume control has been opened. Since the PUMP switch is OFF, the flow from the hydraulic pump is fed to the main directional valve, thru the valve, and then returns to the hydraulic tank.

To energize the cycling circuit, the PUMP switch must be ON. When this is done, an electrical signal is generated which in turn energizes the coils of the main directional pilot valve and also activates the S-Tube directional valve.

The material pumping action is the result of the two material cylinders cycling on an alternate basis. This alternating cycling is controlled by an electrical signal that is generated by the proximity sensors located in the flush box at the end of each material cylinder’s suction or retraction stroke.

As the piston coupler passes under the proximity sensor, it generates an electrical input signal that is sent to the logic controller, designed to control the alternating action of the material cylinders and to synchronize the movement of the s-tube. The output signal from the logic controller is used to energize the coils of the main directional pilot valve as well as that of the stube directional valve.

As protection to the main pump circuit against excessive pressure, a relief valve has been installed and set. Thus when the system pressure reaches the maximum factory settings, the relief valve opens directing the oil back to the tank.

MAIN PUMP CIRCUIT OPERATIONAL SEQUENCE:

It can be noted in the schematic and the diagram below that the main pressure and flow is only directed to one side of the hydraulic drive cylinder. In this instance, it is directed to the head side or piston side of the double acting drive cylinder.

The hydraulic drive cylinders are identical. Because only one cylinder is pressurized at a time, a means is required to assist in the retraction of the opposite cylinder. This is accomplished by connecting the rod sides of the cylinders together, forming a slave loop. In so doing, the hydraulic fluid that exists in the rod side of the extending cylinder (CYL “A”) is transferred to the rod side of the other cylinder (CYL “B”) causing it to retract simultaneously. The oil in the head side of CYL “B” is then forced out as it retracts and free flows through the directional valve back to the hydraulic tank or system.

With this arrangement of connecting the two cylinders together, it is possible for various reasons, such as leakage around the piston seals, that more oil exists on the rod side of the cylinder than is required. When this condition exists, some hydraulic oil remains at the rod end of the cylinder being extended while the other cylinder is fully retracted. As a result, the cylinder will not completely extend and thus short strokes, which will also happen to the other cylinder on the next cycle.

This condition can be corrected by actuating and holding the STROKE CHANGE switch on the electrical control box until extending cylinder is fully extended. Hydraulically, this is accomplished by use of the check valves installed on both cylinders. By holding the STROKE CHANGE switch, you have interrupted the cycle and are forcing more oil into the head side of the extending cylinder. Since that cavity is full, pressure is built up in the rod side of the fully retracted cylinder, which unseats the head-side check valve and forces the excess oil out of the slave loop and back to the tank. Once the extending cylinder has reached its full stroke, regular operation can continue.

Short stroking can also occur from incorrect proximity sensor location or leaking check valves.

S-TUBE CIRCUIT:

Since there is only one outlet for the pumping material, a means is required to transfer the material from the material cylinder to the outlet and into the delivery line. To accomplish this, an s-tube is installed in the hopper. Since there are two material cylinders and one s-tube, the s-tube must be shifted from one material cylinder to the other, whichever one is loaded with the pumping material.

The s-tube shift hydraulic circuit is of the open center type, meaning that when the control valves are in the neutral position, the internal passages of the valves are open, allowing the hydraulic fluid to return to the tank. With the engine running the hydraulic pump is operating, producing a flow of oil which, with no control energized, will pass through the shift circuit on its way back to tank.

To meet the flow and pressure requirements of the shift circuit, one section of a tandem pump is used. Note: a single pump may be used if unit is not required for auxiliary equipment. The tandem hydraulic pump is of the gear pump design with a fixed displacement, meaning it is designed to constantly produce the same displacement at a pre-set maximum, depending on engine rpm. The tandem gear pump is directly connected to and driven through the main hydraulic pump. In addition to the hydraulic pump, the s-tube shift circuit consists of a manifold, an accumulator, solenoid valve cartridges, a solenoid directional valve, and 1 or 2 hydraulic shift cylinders. The following is offered to describe the function of each in the system.

S-TUBE CIRCUIT MANIFOLD:

Like the main hydraulic circuit, the shift circuit is also equipped with a manifold block. It contains an unloader cartridge, relief cartridge and solenoid valve cartridges. A solenoid operated directional valve is mounted on top of the block and a s-tube selector control valve is located on front of the block. Each of these components is designed to perform a particular function in the swing circuit as explained in the following descriptions:
• RELIEF CARTRIDGE This cartridge is used to divert the pump flow from going to the accumulator once its capacity has been reached, directing it back to tank. It becomes operational when the unloader cartridge setting has been reached, acting as a dump valve.
• UNLOADER CARTRIDGE This pressure sensitive cartridge is used to protect the system from excessive pressure and to limit the amount of pressure being applied to the accumulator by hydraulically signaling the relief cartridge to open once the unloader setting has been reached. The unloader will also redirect the oil back to the accumulator when it senses a drop in system pressure, when the hydraulic cylinder shifts for example.
• SOLENOID VALVE CARTRIDGE There are two (2) of these cartridges used in the circuit. Both, which may be referred to as a dump valve, are designed into the circuit as SAFETY VALVES. Their purpose is to automatically relieve pressure from the shift circuit as commanded by the emergency stop circuit. At start up, the normally open cartridges are open to tank so the shift circuit can not build any pressure. When the emergency stop circuit is reset, an electrical signal is generated which energizes the solenoids, closing the cartridges and allowing the shift circuit to pressurize. When the emergency stop function is activated or the key switch turned off, the power is taken away from solenoids, causing the cartridges to open and dump shift circuit pressure back to tank.
• SOLENOID DIRECTIONAL VALVE This valve is a directional control valve that is shifted by electronically activated solenoids. Its purpose is to direct the flow of oil stored in the accumulator to one or the other end of the shift cylinder based on the signal received by the logic controller that was generated by the proximity sensor.
• SHIFT BALL VALVE This is a manual ball valve and is used to control the speed of the s-tube shift. with valve fully opened, the flow is unrestricted, causing a fast hard shift of the s-tube. When the valve is closed, the shift is slower as the flow must now pass through an orifice.
• ACCUMULATOR The accumulator is incorporated into the shift circuit to provide instant pressure and volume for the shifting of the s-tube, which cannot be obtained under normal circumstances. An accumulator is a hydraulic reservoir that retains the hydraulic fluid under high pressure. The accumulator contains a rubber bladder on the inside of the reservoir. The bladder is pre-charged with dry nitrogen. In the application of the shift circuit, the hydraulic fluid is pumped into the accumulator at a higher pressure than that inside the bladder. This compresses the bladder building up high pressure within the accumulator that is retained until released.

S-TUBE CIRCUIT OPERATIONAL SEQUENCE:

In the operational sequence of the shift circuit with the engine at full RPM, the tandem pump is producing its rated displacement. The flow is going through the system and is being dumped or directed back to the tank thru the solenoid cartridges of the s-tube circuit manifold.

When the HORN/RESET switch is placed to RESET, an electrical signal closes the solenoid cartridges. When this occurs the hydraulic fluid is now directed to the accumulator where it starts compressing the bladder and building up pressure. When the pressure in the shift circuit reaches a setting of the unloader valve, the unloader valve activates causing the relief cartridge to open. The open relief valve now directs the oil flow from the pump back to the tank instead of continuing to pressurize the accumulator. A check valve retains the pressure in the swing circuit and prevents the fluid from going back into the pump line.

In the main pump circuit description it was described how an electrical signal was generated by the proximity sensor which was sent to the logic controller and used to control the alternating action of the hydraulic drive cylinders. This same signal is also used to shift the s-tube so that its movement is synchronized with that of the hydraulic drive cylinder, shifting the s-tube to the material cylinder which is ready to extend (normal forward operation).

The electrical signal activates the solenoid coil of the directional valve, shifting the spool to the appropriate side. The accumulator then releases, exhausting the fluid which flows through the directional valve and is directed to the appropriate side of the shift cylinder. As soon as the shift is made the accumulator is refilled immediately and the sequence starts all over again.

AUXILIARY CIRCUIT:

The auxiliary circuit has been designed and installed for the purpose of operating the hydraulic function of the auxiliary equipment on the unit, primarily the agitator. This function is that of the agitator rotation for mixing the material in the hopper and feeding of the concrete cylinders.

The flow and pressure requirements for the auxiliary circuit are met by employing the second stage or section of the same tandem pump used on the s-tube shift circuit. With the engine running and throttle set to maximum RPM, the flow from the tandem pump is directed to a single spool directional control valve. This circuit also utilizes a solenoid valve cartridge or dump valve, designed as a safety valve with the purpose of preventing flow to the auxiliary circuit as commanded by the emergency stop circuit. At start up, the normally open cartridge directs the oil flow from the tandem pump to tank, prohibiting function of the auxiliary circuit. When the emergency stop circuit is reset, an electrical signal is generated to energize the solenoid, closing the cartridge and blocking flow directly back to tank, instead allowing the flow to the single spool directional control valve for operation. The directional control valve has relief cartridge to protect the system against excessive pressure

When the valve lever is activated the agitator will rotate in forward direction as hydraulic fluid is directed to that side of the motor. Rotation can be reversed by moving lever in other direction.