Apparatus and method for finishing concrete during a leveling process

Abstract

A method and apparatus for leveling and smoothing the surface of wet concrete mix to provide a smooth finish surface relatively unobstructed by pebbles and the like, in which a screed blade is first pulled over the wet mix, a perforated drum or roller is pulled behind the screed blade, and both the blade and the drum are concurrently vibrated in a vibratory motion.

What I claim is:  
     
         1 . Concrete construction apparatus comprising: 
 a scraping blade for scraping the top of newly poured wet concrete mix to provide a flat finish surface;    a wheeled vehicle for propelling the scraping blade;    a boom coupled from the vehicle to the scraping blade for guiding the movement of the scraping blade while concurrently imparting a vibratory motion thereto, in order to assist in the settling and leveling of the surface portion of the concrete;    a perforated drum adapted to roll along the flattened surface of the concrete, behind the scraping blade; and    a boom extension coupled from the boom to the perforated drum for rollingly propelling the perforated drum while imparting at least a portion of the same vibratory motion thereto, the perforations in the drum being large enough and the weight of the drum being great enough that small portions of the wet concrete momentarily enter into the drum perforations while the drum surfaces between perforations serve to provide a downward force on pebbles within the concrete mix that might otherwise rise to the finish surface.    
     
     
         2 . A method for providing a smooth flat finish surface on newly poured wet concrete mix, comprising the steps of: 
 propelling a scraping blade over the top of the newly poured wet concrete mix while concurrently imparting a vibratory motion to the scraping blade in order to assist in the settling and leveling of the surface portion of the concrete;    selecting a perforated drum having perforations large enough so that small portions of wet concrete mix may enter into the drum perforations; and    rotatably pulling the perforated drum behind the scraping blade along the flattened surface of the concrete while concurrently imparting at least a portion of the same vibratory motion to the drum so that the weight of the drum causes the drum surfaces between the perforations to provide a downward force on pebbles within the concrete mix that might otherwise rise to and alter the finish surface.