METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE HANDLING, INCLUDING ROLLING-UP OF ROD MESH FOR CONCRETE REINFORCEMENT

The invention relates to a rod mesh or bar mesh for the reinforcement of concrete, and more particularly the invention relates to a method and an apparatus for the handling thereof, including rolling-up of rod mesh during the manufacturing thereof, said rod mesh consisting of in its longitudinal direction extending steel supporting bands or strips and in the width direction extending reinforcement rods preferably secured by welding to the steel supporting bands, whereby the rod mesh is conveyed in the longitudinal direction of the steel supporting bands onto a rod mesh rolling-up device.

By prior methods and apparatuses rod meshes are rolled up as a kind of loosely rolled up carpet roll being relatively flexible across its longitudinal axis and thus difficult to handle during transport and during mounting in the place where the rod mesh should be used. Normally it will be necessary to use a crane for handling of said rod mesh rolls.

EP 0 677 343 B1 discloses a rod mesh rolled up without a core, cf. claim 4. This provides a diametrally squeezable rod mesh roll which cannot be transported as a rigid drum. The related difficulties cause the need for particular facilities during transport, e.g. a crane.

It is the purpose of this invention to eliminate this drawback.

The purpose is achieved with the method mentioned which is characterized in that the conveyed ends of the steel supporting bands after the rod mesh having been conveyed to the rod mesh rolling-up device each being secured to one of at least two driving rings and by the device synchroneously being subject of a tangential pulling force in the peripheral direction of the driving rings, that the driving rings are practically coaxially arranged as internal drive unit for the rod mesh and having an outer diameter corresponding to the desired inner diameter of the rod mesh, and that each driving ring is supported by a movable supporting means being synchronous following the radially outer periphery of the rod mesh, said supporting means supporting the driving ring during its rotation via the rod mesh being rolled up.

Thus it is achieved that the rod mesh during and after its rolling-up is exposed to a relatively high tensible force in the steel supporting bands and thus in the longitudinal direction of the rod mesh, causing the rod mesh to be tightly rolled up around the driving rings to act like a rigid and unsqueezable rod mesh roll which is reluctant to bend across its longitudinal axis and thus being easy to handle. Just manually it can be rolled across a substrate as a rigid drum without any energy consumption for overcoming a continuous deformation of the steel supporting bands, and maintaining safe parallel fastening of the reinforcement rods on to the steel supporting bands having been tightened up by said tensible force.

In order to avoid a permanent deformation of the steel supporting bands the outer diameter of the driving rings should be so big that the enforced bending forces of the steel supporting bands are kept within the yield point of the steel.

Furthermore, the method according to the invention may be characterized in that the following supporting means of the driving rings are realized by means of a pair of axially parallel supporting wheels arranged at a mutual distance, such as vehicle rubber wheels.

Thus it is achieved that the full pull is exploited for tightening up the rolling-up of the rod mesh.

The method according to the invention may also be

characterized in that the outermost ones of the steel supporting bands for the manufacture of the rod mesh each is supported by a combined band conveying and welding station which is displaceably arranged in the width direction of the rod mesh.

Due to this arrangement a desired freely protruding length of the ends of the reinforcement rods from the outermost ones of the supporting bands at the sides of the rod mesh can be achieved.

The method according to the invention can also be characterized in that the rotation of the rod mesh rolling-up device can be locked at each rotational stop during the manufacture of the rod mesh.

Thus it is achieved that the tight rolling-up of the rod mesh is maintained during its manufacture, and simultaneously energy is saved for the maintenance of a torque on the rolling-up device.

The method according to the invention may also be characterized in that after its rolling-up to a per se tightly fixed rod mesh, e.g. by means of binding wire, it is lowered, resting on the supporting wheels by lowering said wheels until the rod mesh is delivered for the rolling or sliding down on at least two opposite the welding station downwardly inclining discharge slides and furtheron for being delivered to a conveyor band, in a lorry, in a container or in a storing place.

Thus, the need for a crane is avoided which up till now has been necessary for removing the finished rod meshes due to the inferior rigidity thereof.

The invention also relates to an apparatus or a machine for carrying out the method according to the invention, viz. an apparatus for use by handling, including the rolling-up, of reinforcement rolling netrworks for concrete during the manufacture of the rod meshes, said rod mesh consisting of in its longitudinal direction extending steel supporting bands and in its width direction extending reinforcement rods being secured preferably by welding to the stel supporting bands, and whereby the rod mesh is conveyed in the longitudinal direction of the steel supporting bands to a rod mesh rolling-up device.

The apparatus according to the invention is characterized in that the rod mesh rolling-up device - after the conveyed ends of the steel supporting bands having been conveyed to the rod mesh rolling-up device, has been arranged to synchroneously exposing the steel supporting bands of the rod mesh to a tensible force in the peripheral direction of at least two driving rings, that the driving rings are practically coaxially arranged as internal drive unit for the rod mesh and having an outer diameter corresponding to the desired inner diameter of the rod mesh, and that each driving ring is supported by a movable supporting means being synchronous following the radially outer periphery of the rod mesh, such as a pair of axially parallel supporting wheels, e.g. vehicle wheels arranged at a mutual distance, which wheels support each driving ring during its rotation via the layers of rod mesh being rolled up.

The apparatus according to the invention may also advantageously consist of one or more modules arranged subsequently in the longitudinal direction of the apparatus or the machine, whereby each single module has at least one and preferably two attached welding stations, each of which having a corresponding supply supply band roll with steel supporting band and at least one rod mesh rolling-up device with inherent traction means being arranged and provided to transmit a tensible force for rolling-up the steel supporting bands and so that the tensible force can be maintained during a temporary interruption of the rolling-up.

The apparatus according to the invention may also advantageously consist of at least two modules with end modules whereby the right welding station on one end module and the left welding station on the second end module can be adjusted so that the distance between these welding stations of the respective end modules can be adjusted.

The apparatus according to the invention - whereby the welding station has a welding table with a rail of a material having a relatively high specific heat capacity, said rail being so arranged that the steel supporting band may slide on the rail on its way from the supplly supply band roll to the rod mesh rolling-up device - may also be characterized in that next to, parallel to and somewhat below the rail of each welding table an exchangeable operating lever which is rotatable 90° around its axis is arranged and equipped with a number of parallel stop pins arranged perpendicularly to the operating lever at a mutual distance corresponding to a desired distance between the reinforcement rods of a rod mesh arranged longitudinally to the rod mesh, and rotatably by means of the operating lever between a vertical and a horizontal position.

Thus it is achieved that a number of reinforcement rods, each abutting a stop pin in the longitudinal direction at respective welding tables can be correctly mutually arranged on the corresponding steel supporting bands and be welded thereto. Hereafter the pins can be rotated to a horisontal position and the welded part of the rod mesh can be drawn forward towards the rod mesh rolling-up device in a length corresponding to the recently welded part whereupon a new part can be welded or the rolling-up can be terminated.

The apparatus according to the invention can also be characterized in that it has one or two tubular driving shafts with a square cross section and being displaceable in their longitudinal direction, said driving shafts being driven from gear boxes arranged at one end or both ends, respectively, of the apparatus and having gear wheels with hollow shafts with driving key holes of square cross section where the side of the square is a little larger than the cross section sides of the driving shaft, whereby the driving rings have hollow hubs, likewise with driving key holes of square cross section, whereby the side of the square is a little larger than the cross section sides of the driving shaft.

Thus it is achieved that the driving shafts with fixedly arranged gear wheels can follow the movement of the driving rings upwardly during the rolling-up of the rod mesh to the increasing diameter of the rod mesh, seeing that the relatively considerable clearance between the drive shafts and the driving key holes allows the driving shaft to tilt around the respective edges of the driving rings.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the drawing in which:

• Fig. 1 shows a side view of the manufacture of the rod mesh,
• Fig. 2 a top view of the manufacture of the rod mesh,
• Fig. 3 a top view of an embodiment of the apparatus,
• Fig. 4 a cross section in a welding station with a discharge slide and a following supporting means in its position during the rolling-up of the rod mesh,
• Fig. 5 an exchangeable operating lever,
• Fig. 6 a driving ring around which the rod mesh is rolled up,
• Fig. 7 an axial section in a gear box,
• Fig. 8 a gear box seen from the outer end with relation to the apparatus and in its axial direction,
• Fig. 9 a tubular driving shaft with a square cross section, and
• Fig. 10 a cross section in a welding station with the following supporting means in a position lowered to a discharge slide.

In Figs. 1 and 2, respectively, a supply band roll 1 with steel supporting band 2 is seen to the left, said roll passing a welding station wherein the reinforcing rod 4 are welded on for the formation of a rod mesh 3 which is seen in its rolled up condition to the left. Although the invention is explained in detail in connection with rod meshes where the reinforcement rods 4 are welded on, they may of course also be otherwise secured to the steel supporting bands 2, e.g. by means of binding wire, staples or by adhesion.

In Fig. 3 is shown an apparatus 6 or a machine consisting of three modules, viz. a left end module 7, a right end module 9 and an intermediate module 8.

Each module 7, 8, 9 is here provided with two welding stations 13. At the end modules 7 and 9 the welding stations 13 arranged closest to the ends of the apparatus 6 are adjustable in the longitudinal direction of the apparatus so that the distance from said welding stations 13 to the ends of the apparatus can be varied. Thus it is achieved that the length of the cantilevered ends of the reinforcing rods 4 outside the supporting bands by the sides of the rolling net 3 can be varied.

At each end of the apparatus 6 is arranged a gear box 11 with gear wheels 12 for driving the rolling-up of the rod mesh 3.

Fig. 4 shows in the left side of the welding station 13 a supply band roll 1 for a steel supporting band 2. The steel supporting band can be rolled up to and along a welding table 14 and forwardly to a rod mesh rolling-up device 22. Above the welding stations 13 is arranged a supporting beam 17 with a material shelf 16 on which a bundle of reinforcing rods 4 can be arranged. A number of rods therefrom can be arranged in a tray 15 immediately above the welding table 14. The welding of reinforcement rod 4 to steel supporting bands 2 takes place by a number of reinforcement rods 4 being arranged on and being welded to the steel supporting band 2 which is arranged on the rail 20 on the welding table 14. Thereafter the steel supporting band 2 is pulled one step forward and the welding can continue or the rolling-up of the rod mesh can be stopped.

The net rolling device 22 is seen in the left side of Fig. 4. The device consists of a driving ring 18 being driven via a shaft from the gear wheel 12 and on which an outermost reinforcing rod 4 being welded to the rod mesh on the steel supporting band 2 has been hooked, and around which the steel supporting band 2 with welded reinforcement rods 4 has been rolled up. As shown the drive unit 18 can follow upwardly when the rolling-up proceeds to a fully rolled up rod mesh 3. During the rolling-up the driving ring 18 is supported via the rod mesh 3 by a supporting means 19 following the periphery of the rod mesh 3, said supporting means consisting of two vehicle rubber wheels 19 supporting the driving ring 18 during its rotation via the rod mesh 3 being rolled up. A chain wheel 23 with friction hub which is driven via a shaft from the gear wheel 12 might bring the vehicle rubber wheel 19 closest to the supply band roll 1 to rotation clockwise and may thus contribute to the rod mesh 3 being tightly rolled up. By the follower or following supporting means 19 a discharge slide 21 has been provided, along which the finished rod mesh 3 can slide or roll downwardly when the following supporting means 19 is tilted or lowered.

Fig. 5 shows an exchange- or replaceable operating lever 32 which can be arranged beside, parallel with and somewhat below the rail 20 of each welding table 14, and which is rotatable about 90° around its axis. It is equipped with a number of parallel and perpendicularly to the operating lever 32 arranged stop pins 33 at a mutual distance corresponding to a desired distance between reinforcing rods 4 arranged longitudinally to the rod mesh 3 and being arranged with the operating lever 32 between its vertical and horisontal position.

Fig. 6 shows a driving ring 18 with a square hub key hole 34, the square of which is a little larger than the cross section of the tubular driving shaft. On the periphery of the driving ring 18 there may be arranged a hook 35 on which a reinforcement rod 4 on the rod mesh 3 can be hooked whereafter the tight rolling-up of the rod mesh 3 can be started.

Fig. 7 shows an axial section of the driving motor 24 of the gear boxes 11, said motor driving a friction hub 31. A chain drive 29 therefrom is driving a gear wheel 12 arranged on a hollow shaft 26 with a square drive key hole 27 through which a tubular driving shaft 28 for a driving ring 18 and having a square cross section can be inserted, cf. Fig. 9.

Fig. 8 shows the friction hub 31 of the gear box 11, the chain drive 19, gear wheel 12 and hollow shaft 26.

Fig. 9 shows a tubular driving shaft 28 with tubular cross section which is somewhat smaller than the cross section of the driving key hole 27 in a gear wheel and the cross section of the hub key hole 34 in a driving ring 18.

Fig. 10 shows the welding station 13 with a tilted down supporting means 19 for delivering a finished rod mesh to the discharge slide 21.

Before the rod mesh 3 is leaving the rod mesh rolling-up device 22 and is discharged to the discharge slide 21, it should be secured against unintended unrolling. This may be realized e.g. by tying it up or by fixing it with binding wire or with easily removable or breakable, however strong locking means in a different way.

The invention is in no way limited to the embodiments described in the present specification and claims, as other embodiments are possible within the scope of the invention.

List of parts

1

supply band roll

2

steel supporting band

3

rod mesh

4

reinforcing rod

5

6

apparatus or machine

7

left end module

8

intermediate module

9

right end module

10

11

gear box

12

gear wheel

13

welding station

14

welding table

15

tray

16

material shelf

17

supporting beam

18

driving ring

19

following supporting means

20

rail

21

discharge slide

22

rod mesh rolling-up device

23

chain wheel with friction hub

24

driving motor

26

hollow shaft

27

driving key holes

28

tubular driving shaft

29

chain drive

31

friction hub

32

exchangeable operating lever

33

stop pins

34

hub key hole

36

hook

38

tubular driving shaft