Method and apparatus for constructing a monolithic silo

Claim 2

In a method as defined in claim 1 and including lifting concrete or the like to a cart supported at the outer periphery of the scaffold for rotation about the center of the scaffold, moving said cart around the scaffold and pouring concrete or the like from the cart into the mold.

Claim 3

In a method as defined in claim 1 and wherein the lifting of said crane scaffold is accomplished by raising the periphery of the crane scaffold at each of three equi-angular locations a predetermined distance at a time.

Claim 4

In an apparatus for erecting a monolithic annular wall for a concrete silo or the like, comprising: a vertical stack of ring molds, each mold including an annular inner form and an annular outer form, inner form having inner ledge means and being made up of arcuate sections, a crane scaffold having means carried thereby for engagement with said inner form only and for seating said scaffold on said ledge means of an inner form only, said scaffold being provided with crane means for raising the bottom outer form to a top seated position on the remaining outer forms and for raising the bottom inner form to a top seated position on the remaining inner forms, and means for lifting said crane scaffold onto the ledge means of the transferred inner form.

Claim 5

In an apparatus as defined in claim 5 and wherein the inner form includes molding means for forming protuberances on the inner surface of the wall for interlocking vertical support of the inner form.

Claim 6

In an apparatus for erecting a monolithic annular wall for a concrete silo or the like, comprising: a vertical stack of ring molds, each mold including an annular inner form and an annular outer form, said inner form having inner ledge means and being made up of arcuate sections, a crane scaffold carried by said inner form and being seated on said ledge means of an inner form and having crane means for raising the bottom outer form to a top seated position on the remaining outer forms and for raising the bottom inner form to a top seated position on the remaining inner forms, and means for lifting said crane scaffold onto the ledge means of the transferred inner form, and wherein the inner form includes molding means for forming protuberances on the inner surface of the wall for interlocking vertical support of the inner form, and wherein each section includes a main plate having a smooth mold face and wherein said molding means includes a reinforcing frame fixedly connected to the other face of the main plate defining a plurality of main plate portions each having predetermined distortion characteristics and which comprise means responsive to the weight of the concrete which forms a wall for laterally distorting under the weight of concrete in a wall being formed and for defining laterally protruding mounds on the concrete wall for interlocking vertical support of the inner form.

Claim 7

In an apparatus as defined in claim 7 and including spacing connector means between an adjacent pair of inner sections of an inner form to maintain the sections spaced apart under the compression force of the concrete thereby to facilitate dismantling of the inner form.

Claim 8

In an apparatus as defined in claim 12 and wherein said means for automatically engaging includes radial arms having feet pivotally mounted at the outer ends thereof for seating on said ledge means, said feet being mounted for pivoting downwardly on vertical movement upwardly against a higher ledge means to enable passage thereby and for subsequent seating of the scaffold on a higher inner form.

Claim 9

In an apparatus as defined in claim 12 and wherein said crane scaffold includes a safety means extending downwardly and outwardly into engagement with an inner form for supporting engagement therewith upon predetermined downward movement of the crane scaffold.

Claim 10

In an apparatus for erecting a monolithic annular wall for a concrete silo Or the like, comprising: a vertical stack of ring molds, each mold including an inner form and an outer form defining an annular space therebetween, each form being made up of substantially rigid arcuate sections, each section having a main plate having a smooth mold face and vertical side flanges for abutment with flanges of horizontally adjacent sections, side connection means for connecting abutting side flanges to produce a rigid annular form, each outer section having a top band, an intermediate band, and a bottom band extending horizontally between said side flanges, top and bottom seating flange elements extending horizontally from said side flanges for abutment with similar flange elements of vertically adjacent outer sections, first connection means at the top band and the bottom band for connecting vertically adjacent sections, each inner section having a top band, 4 intermediate U-channels and a bottom band extending horizontally between the side flanges, full length top and bottom seating flanges and three intermediate vertical reinforcing members to define 20 main plate portions which, when distorted by concrete, belly inwardly to produce supporting mounds on the inner face of the silo wall, each inner form having a horizontal ledge at one top corner just below the top seating flange and a vertical bar connecting one end of the ledge thereto, the other end of the ledge being connected to the side flange, second connection means at the top and bottom seating flanges for connecting vertically adjacent sections, said inner form including spacing connector means at a vertical joint between side flanges of adjacent sections adapted to keep the flanges apart during compression of the inner form when the mold is filled with concrete thereby to facilitate dismantling of the inner form into sections, a crane scaffold including a center post, radial arms extending substantially horizontally from said post, each radial arm including a radial truss rigidly connected to the center post and a form engaging means which includes a rod telescopically received within the truss for adjustable positioning thereof and a foot pivotally mounted on a horizontal axis between its ends on the rod such that when its outer end seats on a ledge of an inner form, its inner end seats on the top of the rod, a safety bar pivotally mounted on and depending from the truss, a tension spring connecting said bar and the inner end of said foot to bias said inner end toward said rod and said safety bar toward said inner form, the bottom end of said safety bar being positioned just above the bottom seating flange of the inner form for supporting engagement therewith if the foot support should fail, deck segments mounted in radial troughs on the trusses and defining an annular deck and having outer edges which define an opening with the inner section of sufficient size to allow passage of an inner section in a tilted position, a circular track suspended from the trusses and the deck segments, a trolley suspended from said track for movement around the inner form for enabling dismantling of sections thereof, a cart connected to said center post for rotation around said annular deck and having a discharge chute extending into the mold, three jib cranes, each jib crane having a main member rotatably mounted on said center post and extending upwardly therefrom and an upper stay element connected to the outer end of the jib crane and rotatably connected to the center post above said main member, a hydraulic hoist means on the main member, means for vertically moving the crane scaffold by said jib cranes including a jack leg extending from each jib crane to a lug on a radial truss and a pulley saddle for the hoist means seated on the top seating flange of the inner form.

Claim 11

In an apparatus for erecting a monolithic annular wall for a concrete silo or the like, comprising a vertical stack of ring molds, each mold including an annular inner form and An annular outer form, said inner form having inner ledge means and being made up of arcuate sections, a crane scaffold seated on said ledge means of an inner form and having crane means for raising the bottom outer form to a top seated form position and for raising the bottom inner form to a top seated form position, and means for lifting said crane scaffold into seated position on the ledge means of the transferred inner form, including means comprising portions of said crane scaffold for automatically engaging said ledge means in scaffold-seating relation in response to upward movement of the scaffold, as the scaffold is moved to the level of said ledge means.

Claim 12

The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said crane scaffold is supported through said crane means on the newly erected top inner form during the lifting operation.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said crane scaffold is supported through said crane means on the newly erected top inner form during the lifting operation.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said ledge means comprise inwardly extending lips.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 9, wherein each section includes a main plate having a smooth mold face and wherein said molding means includes a reinforcing frame fixedly connected to the other face of the main plate defining a plurality of main plate portions which are constructed to have distortion characteristics such that they are distortable inwardly by the weight of the concrete which forms a wall to define mounds on the wall for interlocking vertical support of the inner form, wherein said feet are sized to comprise means for wedged engagement of said scaffold with said main plate in the seated condition of said scaffold with its feet on said ledge means.