Concrete Brick Machine Dehacker And Stacker
Dehacking and stacking concrete brick machine or the like is disclosed for automatically
removing arrays of brick from a hack and for producing stacks of arrays suitable for packaging. A gripper transfer grips full arrays of brick resting on the kiln car and deposits such arrays on one of two compacting tables. While resting on the tables, the arrays are compacted to ensure lengthwise and lateral abutting alignment of the concrete brick machine in the arrays.
The concrete brick machine are subsequently transferred after compacting directly to a stacking elevator on which the stack is formed. One compacting table is utilized to produce void rows and operates to withdraw compacted arrays from the stacking location so that brick can be removed to produce the required voids. The array with void rows is then returned to the stacking station for transfer to the stacking elevator at appropriate times in the machine cycle. The arrays consist of upper and lower courses and the void rows are formed only in the upper courses so that a full lower course can be gripped to support the void row course during transfer from the compacting table to the stack.
A dehacker for unloading concrete brick machine from kiln cars or the like on which brick are stacked in arrays of spaced rows comprising a compacting table, a stacking platform, a grippertransfer operable to grip an array and to position said array on said compacting table, first means separate from said gripper transfer operable to close on opposite first side faces of an array on said compacting table to align the brick in a firstdirection, second means separate from said gripper transfer operable to close on the other opposed side faces of an array on said compacting table to align the brick in the other direction so that the brick in said array are aligned and abutting inlengthwise and lateral rows, and said second means also being operable to transfer compacted arrays directly from said compacting table to said stacking platform, at least some of said arrays including upper and lower courses with void rows in the uppercourse thereof, said second means being operable to transfer arrays containing void rows therein from said compacting table to said stacking platform by gripping the lower course of such array.
Such prior art machines tend to encounter wear problems if the concrete brick machine are required to slide along a support system because fired brick are hard and abrasive and will wear away the supporting surface. Further when the brick are handled excessivelythe machinery cost is relatively high and the possibility of brick damage increases.
In accordance with the present invention a method and apparatus is provided in which the arrays of brick are transferred directly from the kiln car to a compacting tray or support table on which they are deposited. While supported on such tablethe array is compacted and the rows are aligned. Such compacting and aligning operation involves a minimum of sliding of the brick with respect to the supporting table so that excessive wear is not encountered.
The compacted and aligned array is then gripped and removed from the table for deposit directly on the stacking elevator. With such machine, conveyors are not required and a minimum amount of brick handling occurs. Therefore, breakage isminimized.
In the illustrated embodiment a gripper transfer engages the sides of an array of spaced rows of endwise aligned brick resting on a kiln car. The gripper transfer moves the rows laterally until they abut and are gripped. The transfer thentransfers the gripped arrays to the stacking locations where the brick are released either on a setting table or a void row table. Each table is horizontally movable from an extended position over a stacking elevator and a retracted position clear ofsuch elevator.
While located on such tables the rows are engaged on their ends to compact the array and to ensure lateral alignment of the brick with corresponding brick in adjacent rows.
After such endwise compacting the arrays are gripped along their opposite sides to ensure compacting of the lateral rows in the array.
After side gripping of the arrays on the setting table the brick are supported by the side grippers and the setting table is withdrawn to allow the stacking elevator to be raised to engage the clamped array either by the elevator itself or by apreviously deposited array. The side grippers are then released and the elevator is lowered to lower the array so the subsequent cycle of operation of the machine can be performed.
After side compacting of an array on the void forming table to complete the aligning and compacting operation, the side grippers are retracted and the void table is retracted to remove the array resting thereon from the stacking station. Whileretracted and while subsequent cycles utilizing the stacking table are being performed, selected concrete brick machine are removed from the array on the void forming table to produce the required voids.
The arrays on the void table include upper and lower layers and the concrete brick machine are removed only from the upper layer, leaving the full lower layer, and a separator board is positioned over the voids. At an appropriate time in the stacking operationthe void table is again extended, returning the array supported thereon to the position above the stacking elevator. The lower layer is then gripped by the side grippers to support the array while the empty void forming table is retracted. Such arrayis then deposited on the elevator in the usual manner. Subsequent full arrays are then deposited to complete the stack.
In order to minimize any sliding movement of the brick with respect to the two tables, the illustrated embodiment provides a structure in which the tables drop down slightly from the array during the initial portion of the retracting operation.
An operator provided with the control console controls the operation of the two gripper transfers to position them for gripping selected arrays from the kiln cars. However, the machine is preferably provided with automatic controls for operatingthe respective gripper transfers to the position at the stacking station 12 once the gripping operation has been initiated. Further, the system is arranged to prevent the two gripper transfers from attempting to simultaneously occupy the same location. In normal practice, the two gripper transfers 17 and 18 function sequentially to transfer a grid or array first from the kiln car 10 and then from the kiln car 11. Since sequential arrays are transferred to the stacking station from different sources,blending is automatically achieved with the present machine. Further, the operator selects the arrays being gripped from a particular kiln car during a particular gripping operation so as to ensure good blending of the bricks positioned in the stack.
With a concrete brick machine incorporating the present invention, the dehacking operation is performed with a minimum amount of handling of the brick, so the initial cost of the machine and maintenance costs are minimized. Further, the possibility of damageto the brick during the various handling operations is reduced because the amount of handling is minimized. Still further, because the brick do not have to slide a substantial amount on supporting surfaces, excessive amount of wear of such supportingsurfaces does not occur.
by: Herry
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