Concrete Pump

Summary

Concrete Pump - A concrete pump is used to quickly move concrete from a truck into the formwork in which it is being placed, where direct discharge from the truck isn’t possible.

Technical Information

If access to directly discharge concrete from the truck is an issue, it can be pumped to its desired location. Pumped concrete normally has a higher degree of workability to allow it to flow more easily through the pump system.
There are two main types of concrete pump:

Boom pump – This pump is attached to the rear of the truck which has transported and mixed the concrete. It consists of the pump itself and a long (up to 40m) robotic arm from the end of which the concrete is sprayed. The arm is controlled remotely so that it places the concrete in the correct location with good precision. They are able to pump large volumes of concrete and are the most common pump used in large-scale construction.
Line pump – This pump can be mounted on either a truck or a trailer. The concrete leaves the pump through hoses which are linked together manually and led to wherever the concrete needs to be placed.

With regards to the pump mechanism, piston pumps are usually used as they have the ability to provide a much larger pressure than an axial or centrifugal pump. This is important because the concrete is so viscous. Also, piston pumps are less susceptible to abrasion damage.

It is very important to use the correct material for the hose as concrete is very abrasive and the hose will experience extremely high internal stresses. Also, the hose usually needs to be fairly flexible. Usually a very tough rubber is used for this purpose. Sometimes, jointed steel pipes are used instead of a hose.