Concrete pumps are a common sight on building sites, and are the most popular method by far for transferring liquid concrete where it’s needed quickly and cleanly. The popularity of the concrete pump has increased the efficiency of building projects no end – especially larger projects such as the construction of high-rise buildings. Long-gone are the days of buckets of concrete being hoisted aloft by cranes to where they are needed, today it’s possible to simply pump a constant supply of concrete up to the higher floors where it is needed.
The workings of a concrete pump is deceptively simple, featuring side-by-side cylinders (the material cylinder and the discharge cylinder) each containing a piston. One piston draws the liquid concrete out of the hopper, while the other pushes the concrete out to where it is needed, with a valve determining which cylinder is open to the concrete hopper and which is open to the discharge pipes. This alternating back and forth of the two cylinders is caused by the hydraulic flow that is created by the continuous flow of concrete. This continuous flow is important to stop the liquid concrete from solidifying.
Different Types Of Concrete Pumps
1. Line pumps.
This type of concrete pump pumps liquid concrete in hoses that are at ground level. The big advantage of these concrete pumps is that it doesn’t matter if you can’t park the truck as close to the destination as you would like – the flexible hoses are able to snake around corners, through alleyways and between houses
Types of line pumps include:
- Stationary pumps – the most basic form of concrete pump, consisting of a pump that is mounted onto a small trailer, with a truck being necessary to tow it to site. A stationary pump doesn’t have a boom, so separate hoses or pipelines are needed to get the concrete to where it needs to go, with a separate placing boom used to accurately place the concrete.
- Truck-mounted static pumps – As a stationary pump, except mounted onto a truck bed so that they can be driven directly to site.
- Truck mixer pump – An all-in-one concrete pump that features a concrete mixer with a pump attached so that you can pump the concrete straight from the mixer. As efficient as it sounds, however, it does require your project site to be set up in such a way that you can drive the large mixing truck right next to where the concrete needs to be poured.
2. Boom Pumps
Much like a crane, a boom pump has a long and flexible arm made up of articulated sections, able to extend through the air via remote-control in order to pump your concrete right where you need it.
This type of concrete pump is ideal for hard-to-reach areas that are inaccessible with a line pump – for example the top floors of high rise flats. They’re also handy for the concrete construction of garden features or swimming pools, because they can reach over houses and other obstacles – which also makes boom pumps a popular choice on construction sites, as well for their versatility and the fact that they can be driven directly to the job site.
The Advantages Of Using Concrete Pumps For Your Project
The traditional bucket and crane method pales in comparison to the benefits afforded by using a concrete pump. One of the biggest pluses is that a concrete pump is able to supply a much larger quantity of concrete per hour – and that supply is constant (you’re not stopping to fill up buckets!). Of course, this equals less man hours wasted now that no one is waiting around for buckets of concrete to arrive by crane, and also eliminates concrete wastage from drips and spills.
When it comes to money-saving, using a concrete pump with a boom means that your concrete can be placed exactly where it’s needed, cutting down on labour costs…plus you can now use the crane you hired for lifting buckets of concrete for something else! (or save yourself even more money and not need to hire one at all).
