The majority of the concrete pump projects are for larger concrete placements as well as areas that are complex to reach such as a basement or second floor where there is limited access to the site. The speed and ease of using truck mounted or trailer concrete-pumps to direct concrete can save you on a lot of money, time and manpower.

Concrete Pump Types

There are generally 2 concrete types that are used to transport concrete and involve the best concrete pumping methods. These include:

1. Direct Acting Concrete Pumps

2. Squeeze Type Concrete Pumps

The Direct Acting Concrete Pumps

The main types of the concrete pumps happen to be the direct-acting that feature horizontal piston-type along with semi-rotary valves. Operation and the methods of a direct-acting pump are very simple. Concrete will be fed into a pump using gravity along with partial suction which is created from reciprocating motions of a horizontally-acting piston. The semi-rotary valves close and open alternately. The suction pressure in association to 0.08 N/mm2 will be created within the pumping-cylinder under conditions that are favorable.

The ideal suction conditions will be obtained when the diameter associated with a suction pipe happens to be the same when compared to the pumping-cylinder which means the concrete is able to flow unhindered. The concrete need to flow freely in the full-cross sections of a suction pipe and any possible blockages caused from over-sized aggregates needs to be avoided. In the ideal situation, the suction-pipe needs to be more than 3 times the largest size of aggregates inside the concrete which is pumped.

The Squeeze Type Concrete Pumps

The Squeeze Type Pump is a peristaltic and smaller portable pump type. Concrete that comes from a collecting hopper will be fed by the rotating blades which are directed into flexible pipes which are connected onto a pumping chamber. This chamber is under vacuum of around 0.08 N/mm2. This vacuum is what ensures except when it is squeezed by rotating rollers that the shape of the pipe stays cylindrical which allows for a flow of concrete that is continuous and unhindered.

The 2 rotating rollers which have been mounted onto the planetary drives are what progressively squeeze these flexible pipes. This is what pushes concreted into a delivery pipe. An output of around 20 m3/h is obtainable with the squeeze pumps that use 75-mm diameter pipelines.