How Do Concrete Pumps Work?

The Conco Companies have been working on the Wilshire Grand in Los Angeles, which is slated to become the tallest build west of the Mississippi.  This project has included our world record largest continuous mat pour last February and since then, moving and placing concrete on each level of the skyscraper. 

For help with the job, Conco purchased a new Schwing M31 concretepump that was specifically designed to handle the heavy lifting of concrete loads that in the past needed the assistance of cranes.  Our new tremmie pump has up to 1,100 pounds of capacity for lifting up to 60’ tremmies of 4” 11Ga. safely without a crane assist. 

So exactly how do concrete pumps work?  A concrete pump is a specialized piece of equipment that is designed to handle the heavy weight of concrete and to keep it moving to prevent it from solidifying.  The process starts with a concrete truck discharging concrete into a hopper that is located on the back of the pump truck.  From there the concrete falls through a mesh gate on the hopper that is used to prevent large pieces of rock from moving into the pump truck hoses.  An auger inside the hopper churns the concrete to keep it liquid and flowable. 

Now that the concrete is in the hopper, “it gets sucked into a valve system in small intervals or strokes. As some of the concrete is being sucked into the valve, the concrete before it is being simultaneously pushed through the concrete pipe on the pump truck boom until it reaches the end of the concrete hose and placed where you need it.”   

The concrete placement continues with the pump operator monitoring the process for any blockages and making sure the hopper stays full.  The safety and stability of the pump is provided by the front and back riggers and the ACPA says that, “Setting the outriggers of a concrete pump with placing boom is one of the most critical jobs of the concrete pump operator and should always be done in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommended procedure.”

The Conco Companies have built a reputation in the Los Angeles area with superior concrete formwork, reinforcing, place and finish, shotcrete and other ancillary services that benefit from our vast experience.  We have been offering premium concrete services throughout the Western U.S. since 1959, and have four regional offices serving California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Colorado.

Sources:

everything-about-concrete.com/how-does-a-concrete-pump-truck-work.html

concretepumpers.com/sites/www.concretepumpers.com/files/attachments/sb_outriggers_1.pdf