{{short description|Machine used for transferring liquid concrete by pumping}}{{More citations needed|date=May 2026}}[[File:Concrete boom pump.jpg|thumb|Concrete pump boom being fed by a [[concrete mixer#Trucks and trailers|concrete mixer truck]]]] [[File:Concrete pump .JPG|thumb|right|300px|Pumping concrete into aluminium concrete formwork in Mexico.]] A '''concrete pump''' is a machine used for transferring liquid [[concrete]] by [[pump]]ing. There are different types of concrete pumps.
A common type of concrete pump for large scale construction projects is known as a boom concrete pump, because it uses a [[remote-controlled]] articulating [[robot]]ic arm (called a ''boom'') to place concrete accurately. It is attached to a truck or a semi-trailer. Boom pumps are capable of pumping at very high [[Volumetric flow rate|volumes]] and are less labor intensive to operate when compared to line or other types of concrete pumps.
The second main type of concrete pump uses hoses and is commonly referred to as a "line pump" or a "grout pump," depending on the size of the aggregate being pumped. Both a line pump and a grout pump is either mounted on a truck or placed on a trailer.
This pump requires [[steel]] or [[Elastomer|flexible]] concrete placing [[Hose (tubing)|hose]]s to be manually attached to the outlet of the machine and feed the concrete to the place of application. The length of the hoses varies, typical hose lengths are {{convert|10|,|12.5|,|25|, and| 50|ft|m|order=flip}}, depending on the diameter of the rock in the concrete. Line pumps can handle aggregate of 3/4" diameter while grout pumps are designed only for 3/8" or pea gravel size rock. Hose pumps are used for smaller volume concrete placing applications such as [[swimming pool]]s, [[sidewalk]]s, single family home concrete slabs and most ground slabs. Their hoses allow for easier delivery to harder to reach backyards, etc.
There are also [[skid mount]]ed and rail mounted concrete pumps, but these are uncommon and only used on specialized jobsites such as [[mining|mines]] and [[tunnel]]s.
== History == Until the early 20th century, concrete was mixed on the job site and transported from the cement mixer to the [[formwork]], either in wheelbarrows or in buckets lifted by cranes. This required a lot of time and labor. In 1927, the German engineers [[Max Giese]] and Fritz Hull came upon the idea of pumping concrete through pipes. They pumped concrete to a height of {{convert|38|m|ft|sp=us}} and a distance of {{convert|120|m|yd|sp=us}}. Shortly after, a concrete pump was patented in Holland in 1932 by Jacob Cornelius Kweimn (Jacobus Cornelius Kooijman). This patent incorporated the developer's previous German patent.<ref>{{cite book|author=Illingworth J.R.|title=Movement and Distribution of Concrete|page=132|isbn=978-0070942363|publisher=McGraw-Hill|year=1972|url=https://www.amazon.com/Movement-distribution-concrete-J-Illingworth/dp/0070942366|accessdate=2012-06-18}}</ref>
==Mechanism==
Concrete pump designers face many challenges because concrete is heavy, viscous, abrasive, contains pieces of hard rock, and solidifies if not kept moving. [[File:Sitzventilpumpe Animation.ogv|thumb|right|300px|Operating principle of piston pump with seat valves]]
Usually, piston pumps are used, because they can produce hundreds of atmospheres of pressure. Such piston-style pumps can push cylinders of heterogenous concrete mixes (aggregate + cement).<ref>[https://intexpoolpumps.org Intex Pool Pumps]</ref> At present, double-piston pumps are predominantly used, which are hydraulically driven by electric or diesel engines using oil pumps.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How a gear pump works |url=http://web.mit.edu/2.972/www/report-gear_pump.html |access-date=July 12, 2022 |website=web.mit.edu}}</ref> The pressure pistons are hydraulically connected to each other through the drive cylinders and operate in a two-stroke mode.
For lower pressures [[Peristaltic pump|peristaltic pumps]] are common.
=== How it works === The return pressure piston of one pressure cylinder creates a vacuum, the medium from the feed funnel is sucked into the cylinder. At the same time, the advancing delivery piston pushes the contents of the other delivery cylinder through the transfer tube into the delivery line. At the end of the stroke, the pump switches, i.e., the transfer tube turns in front of the other filled pressure cylinders, and the pressure pistons change their movement direction.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Piston-type pumps |url=https://www.concretepumpingauckland.co.nz/piston-type-pumps/ |access-date=July 12, 2022 |website=concretepumpingauckland.co.nz}}</ref> Concrete pump drives are now exclusively hydraulic, so control options vary between individual manufacturers. Each system has certain advantages and disadvantages.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Concrete pumping: volume calculations |url=https://thomasbros.co.uk/concrete-calculator/ |access-date= |website=thomasbros.co.uk|date=January 26, 2026|last=Hoare|first=S|url-status=live}}</ref> Important performance factors are: *discharge pressure *machine weight *price *system complexity For these reasons, many options have existed side by side for a long time. Nowadays, fluid pressures of up to {{cvt|400|bar|psi}} and flow rates of up to {{cvt|200|m3/h|yd3/h}} can be achieved, while using piston-type pumps.
==Example of pump performance== To illustrate, below are data on a typical concrete sample pump BRF 42.14 H: [[File:Rv stat.jpg|thumb|right|300px|BRF 42.14 H pump]]
*Vertical reach of boom: {{convert|41.9|m|ft|sp=us}} *Horizontal reach of boom: {{convert|38.0|m|ft|sp=us}} *Pumping rate: {{cvt|30|m3/h|yd3/h|sp=us}} *Concrete pressure: {{convert|112|bar|kPa psi|0|abbr=on}} *Cylinder length: {{convert|2100|mm|in|abbr=on}} *Cylinder diameter: {{convert|210|mm|in|abbr=on}} *Number of substitutions of strokes per minute: 27 *Number of outrigger legs: 4
== Gallery == <gallery> File:Construction site with concrete pump truck.JPG|Construction site with concrete pump File:Putzmeister concrete pump.JPEG|A Putzmeister concrete pump in Germany in 1985 File:Concrete Pump RB.JPG|Concrete pump folded for transport File:Concrete Pump 2.jpg|Boom concrete pump File:Betonpomp (concrete pump).jpg|Concrete pump File:Putzmeister moertelpumpe.jpg|Putzmeister brand positive displacement mortar and plaster pump File:Betonpumpe2.jpg|Photo showing a concrete pump working a large foundation pour, showing deployed outriggers, rebar mats, and concrete mixer delivering concrete. File:Anleggsarbeid_p%C3%A5_Bratt%C3%B8ra_%284545734594%29.jpg|Fully deployed concrete pump, showing outriggers and boom in use while receiving concrete. </gallery>
==See also== * [[High-density solids pump#Types of piston pumps|High-density solids pump]] - concrete pump technology in general * [[Concrete mixer#Concrete mixing transport trucks|Concrete mixing transport trucks]]
==References== {{reflist}}
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