Grout placement apparatus

Abstract

The grout placement apparatus has a V-shaped hopper with a flexible-bladed auger mounted therein that can be rotated in both forward and reverse directions by an auger motor. The auger has flexible blades to drive the grout material along the bottom of the hopper to a discharge sleeve that extends from the hopper. Coupled to the discharge sleeve is a discharge assembly having a flow control valve that is automatically opened and closed by the forward and reverse rotation of the auger, respectively. The discharge assembly is hingedly movable with respect to the hopper, allowing the discharge assembly to “swing away” from its operating position against the discharge sleeve to a position that uncovers the discharge sleeve for easy cleaning. A flexible discharge conduit or hose coupled to the discharge assembly conveys the grout material to the desired placement location. The rotation of the auger can be remotely controlled by a wireless remote controller, and the auger motor can be powered by the hydraulics of separate lifting equipment or by a dedicated combustion engine mounted on the placement apparatus.

1 . A grout placement apparatus for placing grout material at a desired delivery site, comprising:
 a hopper for holding grout material and including a discharge sleeve that extends outwardly from a front wall of the hopper;   an auger mounted within the hopper and rotatable in a forward direction to move the grout material out of the hopper through the discharge sleeve;   a discharge assembly pivotally associated with the front wall and movable between a locked position adjacent the front wall in which said discharge assembly communicates with the discharge sleeve, and a swing out position away from the front wall in which the discharge sleeve is fully uncovered; and   a discharge conduit coupled to the discharge assembly for directing the grout material to the desired delivery site in response to positive displacement generated by forward rotation of the auger.   
   
   
       2 . The grout delivery apparatus as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the auger is further configured to be rotatable in a rearward direction. 
   
   
       3 . The grout delivery apparatus as set forth in  claim 2 , wherein the auger is driven by an auger motor that is powered by the power-take-off hydraulics of a piece of loading equipment supporting the apparatus. 
   
   
       4 . The grout delivery apparatus as set forth in  claim 2 , wherein said apparatus includes a dedicated gasoline-powered engine mounted thereon and the auger is driven by an auger motor that is powered by said engine. 
   
   
       5 . The grout delivery apparatus as set forth in  claim 2 , wherein said discharge assembly includes a flow control valve that is automatically opened and closed when the auger is rotated forwardly and rearwardly, respectively. 
   
   
       6 . The grout delivery apparatus as set forth in  claim 5 , wherein said flow control valve includes a flapper valve coupled to a hydraulic cylinder. 
   
   
       7 . The grout delivery apparatus as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said hopper is mounted on a hopper support frame that allows the hopper to rotate 360° and to be locked in four different positions. 
   
   
       8 . The grout delivery apparatus as set forth in  claim 3 , further comprising a radio frequency remote control system by which the auger can be made to rotate both forwardly and rearwardly by an operator at a position remote from the piece of loading equipment. 
   
   
       9 . The grout delivery apparatus as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the auger has flexible blades. 
   
   
       10 . The grout delivery apparatus as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said hopper has a pair of straight opposed sidewalls angled outwardly with respect to one another to form an included angle of less than about 90°. 
   
   
       11 . The grout delivery apparatus as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said hopper includes opposed sidewalls joining the front wall to a rear wall, upper edges of said hopper walls including inwardly angled splash guards. 
   
   
       12 . The grout delivery apparatus as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said discharge assembly includes a housing having at least one grate with openings for air to flow into and out of said housing. 
   
   
       13 . A grout placement apparatus for placing grout material at a desired delivery site, comprising:
 a hopper for holding grout material and including a discharge sleeve that extends outwardly from a front wall of the hopper;   an auger mounted within the hopper and rotatable to move the grout material out of the hopper through a discharge opening;   a discharge assembly for receiving grout material moved through said discharge opening by forward rotation of the auger, said discharge assembly including a flow control valve that automatically opens and closes said discharge opening in response to changes in rotational direction of the auger; and   a discharge conduit coupled to the discharge assembly for directing the grout material to the desired delivery site in response to the positive displacement generated by forward rotation of the auger.   
   
   
       14 . The grout delivery apparatus as set forth in  claim 13 , wherein said auger is rotatable in both forward and rearward directions. 
   
   
       15 . The grout delivery apparatus as set forth in  claim 14 , wherein said flow control valve is automatically opened when the auger rotates in the forward direction and is automatically closed when the auger rotates in the rearward direction. 
   
   
       16 . The grout delivery apparatus as set forth in  claim 15 , wherein said flow control valve includes a flapper valve coupled to a hydraulic cylinder. 
   
   
       17 . The grout delivery apparatus as set forth in  claim 13 , wherein said discharge assembly is pivotally associated with the front wall and movable between a locked position adjacent the front wall in which the discharge assembly communicates with the discharge opening and a swing out position away from the front wall in which the discharge opening is uncovered. 
   
   
       18 . The grout delivery apparatus as set forth in  claim 13 , wherein the auger is driven by an auger motor that is powered by the power-take-off hydraulics of a piece of loading equipment supporting the apparatus. 
   
   
       19 . The grout delivery apparatus as set forth in  claim 17 , further comprising a radio frequency remote control system by which the auger can be made to rotate both forwardly and rearwardly by an operator at a position remote from the piece of loading equipment. 
   
   
       20 . The grout delivery apparatus as set forth in  claim 13 , wherein said apparatus includes a dedicated gasoline-powered engine mounted thereon and the auger is driven by an auger motor that is powered by said engine. 
   
   
       21 . The grout delivery apparatus as set forth in  claim 20 , wherein said hopper includes a lifting bail mounted therein to lift the apparatus using a crane. 
   
   
       22 . The grout delivery apparatus as set forth in  claim 13 , wherein said hopper has a pair of straight opposed sidewalls angled outwardly with respect to one another to form an included angle of less than about 90°. 
   
   
       23 . The grout delivery apparatus as set forth in  claim 13 , wherein said hopper includes opposed sidewalls joining the front wall to a rear wall, upper edges of said hopper walls including inwardly angled splash guards. 
   
   
       24 . The grout delivery apparatus as set forth in  claim 13 , wherein said discharge assembly includes a housing having at least one grate with openings for air to flow into and out of said housing. 
   
   
       25 . A grout placement apparatus for placing grout material at a desired delivery site, comprising:
 a hopper having a discharge opening and including front and rear walls joined by a pair of straight opposed sidewalls that are angled outwardly relative to one another to form a V-shaped grout holding area, said sidewalls extending without angle change from an upper edge of said sidewalls to a curved trough at a bottom of said hopper;   a drive mechanism operative in said trough to move the grout material out of the hopper through said discharge opening; and   a discharge assembly and conduit associated with the hopper to receive the grout material passing through the discharge opening and direct the grout material to the desired delivery site.   
   
   
       26 . The grout placement apparatus as set forth in  claim 25 , wherein said sidewalls are angled outwardly with respect to one another to form an included angle of less than about 90°. 
   
   
       27 . The grout delivery apparatus as set forth in  claim 25 , wherein upper edges of said walls include inwardly angled splash guards. 
   
   
       28 . A grout placement apparatus for placing grout material at a desired delivery site, comprising:
 a hopper having a plurality of walls that form a grout holding area, said walls including a front wall with a discharge opening;   a drive mechanism to move the grout material out of the grout holding area through said discharge opening therein;   a discharge assembly associated with the front wall to receive grout material passing through the discharge opening and having a housing with at least one apertured grate for allowing air to flow into and out of said housing to prevent clogging of said grout material during use of said apparatus; and   a discharge conduit coupled to the discharge assembly for directing the grout material to the desired delivery site.