What is Concrete Pumping?
Concrete pumping is the use of pumps to continuously supply and place liquid concrete in large quantities to a specific location on a site where other modes of transportation are inconvenient.
Pumping is fast, reliable, efficient, and an economical way of placing concrete at the specific job location in a tidy manner with minimal wastage of concrete.
How to Pump Concrete?
Concrete pumps work by using the basic principles of hydraulics and valve systems. At the job site, the mixing truck discharges the wet concrete into a hopper where the liquid concrete is sucked by the concrete pump using a valve system and pushed to the area to be poured.
Concrete pumps are mostly equipped with twin hydraulic cylinders. The function of the first cylinder (material cylinder) is to pull the concrete out of the hopper and the function of the second cylinder (discharge cylinder) is to push the concrete out of the pump.
A skilled operator controls the concrete pump operation, position, and output of the pump by guiding the hose or boom of the equipment. The operator is responsible for all the tasks of the pump such as – driving to the job site, setting up the pump for work, cleaning the pump after work, and all maintenance.
Most Common Types of Concrete Pump
The two common types of concrete pumps are: ground pumps (or line pumps) and boom pumps. Both are suitable for different kinds of sites and used for different purposes.
1. GROUND PUMP (LINE PUMP)
Ground pumps or Line pumps are used to pump concrete along the ground through steel pipes or hoses to the specific job location where trucks cannot reach. The pump is generally mounted on a truck or trailer and towed and parked at a convenient location at the construction site.
Some different types of concrete line pumps are:
- Small/mini concrete pump – Ideal for small construction sites with narrow space as it is small in size, volume, and is lightweight.
- Portable concrete pumps – Also known as mobile concrete pumps are mounted on chassis with wheels making them easy to be moved to various construction sites.
- Concrete pump trailers – Concrete pumps mounted on a single or multi-axle trailer. They are compact and use high pressure to pump concrete. Convenient for small residential pours and offers placement rates that range from 5 to 100 cubic yards per hour with the ability to reach hundreds of feet.
- Concrete pump trucks – They are diesel-powered truck that mounts a powerful pump and extendable hose pipes to pump wet concrete where truck mixers cannot reach.
- Concrete mixer with pump – It combines various features such as feeding, mixing, and pumping of concrete in a single machine. This combination of mixing and transporting concrete can reduce labor intensity and save costs.
2. BOOM PUMP
Where the line pump is unable to reach, the boom pump is used to convey concrete vertically. The boom pump uses a long automatic robotic arm that is flexible and controlled by the operator to extend and move to the desired location.
Boom pumps are generally mounted on trucks or a semi-trailer and remain in one place during the entire pouring process. Ready-mix trucks discharge the liquid concrete into the pump’s hopper where the hopper churns the concrete and keeps it liquid, allowing efficient working and smooth traffic flow.
Boom pumps are the perfect solution where concrete is required on higher ground such as the rooftops and high rise buildings.
Concrete boom pumps are also classified into two types:
- According to the host power engine types:
- Electric concrete boom pump
- Diesel concrete boom pump
- According to the boom length:
- Short boom type (boom length of 13-28m)
- Long boom type (boom length of 31-47m)
- Super long boom type (boom length of 51-62m)
Price of Concrete Pumps
Primarily based on the concrete pump TYPES, MODELS, and CONFIGURATIONS, the cost of a concrete pump ranges from $15,000 to $48,000. The table below gives a direct look at the configuration of the diesel and electric concrete pump.
HBTS SERIES of LUTON Diesel Concrete Pump
| Model Parameter | HBTSB40-10-66R | HBTSC40-10-82R | HBTS60-12 -82R | HBTS80-16-129R | HBTS80-13-129R |
| Main oil pump | Kawasaki | Kawasaki | Kawasaki | Kawasaki | Kawasaki |
| Main pumpCapacity | 112 ml/r | 112 ml/r | 112 ml/r | 112×2 ml/r | 112×2 ml/r |
| Theoretical capacity (m3/h) | 40/30(High/Low) | 40/30(High/Low) | 60/36(High/Low) | 85/50(H/L) | 85/50(H/L) |
| Diesel engine | Yuxing66KW | Weichai 82KW | Weichai 82KW | Weichai 129KW | Weichai 129KW |
| Control system components | Schneider | Schneider | Schneider | Schneider | Schneider |
| PLC | Omron | Omron | Omron | Omron | Omron |
| Price range | $20,000~ $22,000 | $22,000~ $23,000 | $23,000~ $25,000 | $34,000~ $36,000 | $36,000~ $38,000 |
HBTS and BS SERIES of LUTON Electric Concrete Pump
| Model Parameter | HBTS60-13-90 | HBTS80-13-90 | HBTS80-16-110 | HBTS40C | BS30D |
| Main oil pump | Kawasaki | Kawasaki | Kawasaki | Kawasaki | Jinda Rexroth |
| Main pumpCapacity | 112×2 ml/r | 112×2 ml/r | 140×2 ml/r | 112 ml/r | 71 ml/r |
| Theoretical capacity (m3/h) | 60 | 80 | 80 | 40 | 30 |
| Electric Motor | 90KW | 90KW | 110KW | 45KW | 37KW |
| Control system components | Schneider | Schneider | Schneider | Schneider | Schneider |
| PLC | Omron | Omron | Omron | Omron | Omron |
| Price range | $25,000~ $27,000 | $26,000~ $28,000 | $29,000~ $32,000 | $16,000~ $18,000 | $15,000~ $20,000 |
For more information related to the various types of concrete pumps including price details, you are welcome to contact LUTON GROUP.
Our staffs are well trained and efficient and will provide professional solutions and relevant information for all your queries. Please contact us for more details about the concrete pump cost.
Working Principle of Pumping System
- Through the use of sequence valves, the hydraulic oil in the main oil pump is dispersed to the main oil cylinder. This propels the piston rod of the main oil cylinder forward and backward. This in turn makes the piston of the concrete cylinder move as a whole to suck the concrete into the concrete cylinder or force the concrete out of the concrete cylinder.
- Concurrently, the high-pressure oil pushes the swing arm that is driven by the swing cylinder. This drives the S pipe to switch alternatively forward and backward between the outlets of the two concrete cylinders.
- The continuous suction and expulsion pressure of the concrete is achieved through the continuous interchanging motion of the concrete cylinder and the forward and backward switching of the S pipe during the whole pumping process.
Benefits of Concrete Pumps
Compared to the traditional method of distributing concrete using buckets and cranes to lift concrete, it is quite obvious concrete pumps offer far more benefits.
Volume of concrete placed per hour: While the lifting capacity of the crane is about 12m³ per hour, a static pump can pump to high-rise buildings at a must faster rate of over 50m³ per hour.
Faster pouring speed: Concrete pumps are a faster and simpler way of pouring concrete. The hose or pipeline attached to the outlet of the pumping equipment is easily accessible to all areas of the job site.
Reduced labor: Labor scarcity in the construction industry makes it challenging to find skilled labor for the job. This can be bridged by using a concrete pump where the whole concreting process can be carried out by a few operators and with minimum labor.
Higher accuracy of concrete pouring: Achieve higher accuracy and quality of concrete pouring irrespective of the pump you choose. It also reduces wastage of materials and can pour concrete either in high-rise buildings or even for foundation slabs without leaving spills and lumps.
Improved concrete strength: Since concrete pumps require a lesser amount of water, they prevent the shrinking and cracking of concrete after being set up. Therefore, strong quality concrete structures require minimal repair and maintenance.
Fast setup time: The service of a mobile pump can be easily availed, as they can come to your job site at your specified time, extend the boom and pour the concrete and finish the job with minimal hassles. This eliminates the process of mixing concrete in your premise, whereby your premise does not get dirty.
Most convenient way of Pouring Concrete: Unlike the traditional methods used such as bucket and crane, the challenges faced during concrete placement are easily eliminated as the pumps can access areas where it is difficult for barrows to reach.
Maintain project timelines: Construction projects can be complex and could easily go off schedule, incurring not just delays but increased expenses. As time is valuable, working with concrete pumps makes the job faster and helps ensure the project is realized without falling behind schedule and going off-budget.
Process of Proper Sizing of Lines and Equipment
For optimum concrete pumping operation, it is important to determine the most efficient configuration of the system. You need to determine the correct line pressure for moving concrete at a predefined rate of flow through a pipeline of a particular length and diameter.
Some factors affecting pipeline pressure are:
Line diameter: Pumping pressure required for larger-diameter pipelines are lesser than that of smaller-diameter pipes. Some disadvantages of larger diameter pipes are increased blockages, more bracing, and more labor requirement.
Line length: The internal walls of the pipelines endure friction during the pumping of concrete – longer the line, more the friction. Steel pipes with smooth walls can lower the resistance for pumping longer distances.
Horizontal distance and vertical rise: It is a fact that more pressure is required to pump concrete for longer or higher distances. In such cases, it would be a good option to use two lines and two pumps. The first pump can feed the hopper of the second pump, and the second doing the final pour, making it more efficient than with a single pump for long distances.
Bends in the line: With more bends and changes in direction, more resistance is encountered. Therefore, the layout of the pipelines should be designed with minimal bends.
Reducing sections: With the reduction in size of pipeline diameter, resistance increases. Therefore, it is not possible to use the pipelines of the same diameter; longer reducers are advisable as lesser force is required for pushing concrete through a long reducer than a shorter reducer.
Are you looking for the leading concrete pump supplier in China, LTG?
Luton Group is a leading concrete pump equipment supplier in China. It is a professional manufacturer, integrating research and development, production, and sales.
The people at LUTON are hardworking people who keep on designing and manufacturing more and more new and innovative products to expand the range of products. LUTON’s products include various types of concrete pumps and their peripherals such as:
- Concrete pump trailer
- Truck-mounted concrete pump
- Concrete boom pump
- Concrete mixer pump
- Concrete mixing station
- Self-loading concrete mixer truck
- Cement mortar plant
- Asphalt mixing station
- Crusher, road roller, etc.
To know more information on concrete pump equipment, please contact LUTON and our team of professional and friendly engineers and sales personnel will guide you to buy the best product for the needs of your company.
