Stationary concrete pumps: when the pump truck cannot get in

The choice comes down to how coarse the concrete is, how far and how high it has to go, and how many cubic metres per hour the job requires — roughly in that order.

The pumps in the catalogue

Turbosol's concrete pumps are piston pumps with an S-valve, and all are rated at a maximum pressure of 80 bar. The differences lie in capacity, aggregate size and reach. Length and height are theoretical figures which, according to Turbosol, cannot be reached at the same time:

• Beton Master — infinitely variable 2–15 m³/h, 25 mm aggregate, 200 m length and 100 m height. 35.5 kW Yanmar diesel, or 22 kW electric motor on request
• TB30 — infinitely variable up to 30 m³/h, 35 mm aggregate, 200 m length and 100 m height. 35.5 kW Yanmar diesel, or 30 kW electric motor on request
• TB50 — infinitely variable 4–50 m³/h, 35 mm aggregate, 200 m length and 100 m height. 55.4 kW Deutz diesel

Aggregate size comes first

The concrete mix design sets the first limit. Beton Master takes aggregate up to 25 mm, TB30 and TB50 up to 35 mm. If the stone in the concrete is coarser than the pump can handle, it makes no difference that the capacity is otherwise large enough.

The pipe size follows the same logic. Beton Master has a Ø 100 mm delivery pipe, while TB30 and TB50 have a Ø 150 mm outlet manifold. Coarser aggregate needs more room in the pipe.

What determines the capacity of a concrete pump?

On a piston pump, capacity comes down to how much concrete the cylinders hold per stroke, and how many strokes the pump makes.

Look at TB30 and TB50 in the list below. They have the same cylinder diameter and almost the same stroke rate, so it is the longer stroke length that gives TB50 its greater capacity:

• Beton Master — cylinder Ø 120 mm, stroke length 700 mm, max. 30 strokes
• TB30 — cylinder Ø 200 mm, stroke length 570 mm, max. 28 strokes per minute
• TB50 — cylinder Ø 200 mm, stroke length 1 000 mm, max. 27 strokes

Hopper and filling height

The filling height tells you what can be discharged straight into the hopper. Beton Master has a 250-litre hopper and 135 cm filling height, TB30 has 300 litres, and TB50 has 500 litres and 128 cm.

Measure it against the chute or bucket of whatever is delivering the concrete. It is easier to check this before the machine is ordered than once it is on site.

Pumping or spraying with the same machine

Beton Master and TB30 are both available in a pumping version and a spraying version. Beton Master is supplied as a pump with a concrete grate, steel pipes and Ø 100 rubber hoses, or as a sprayer with a 15 mm mesh grate, a reducer cone from Ø 100 to Ø 50, a Ø 50 rubber hose and a Ø 50 spray nozzle. Both can be fitted with a dosing pump for admixtures when spraying.

Aliva-272 comes at it from the other direction: it is built for shotcrete but can also be used purely for pumping. It delivers 3–20 m³/h at up to 80 bar and 300 metres, and takes 16 mm aggregate when spraying, compared with 32 mm when pumping. Aliva recommends steel pipes for conveying distances over 80 metres.

Weight, undercarriage and power

If the pump is going to stand indoors or in a tunnel, it is worth settling the power source early. The Turbosol pumps are diesel-powered as standard, with an electric motor on request for Beton Master and TB30. Aliva-272 is available with a 37 kW electric motor and a current draw of approx. 80 A, or with a 34.5 kW Deutz diesel.

All can be supplied for road transport, and the undercarriage adds weight:

• Beton Master — 1 575–1 620 kg with drawbar, 1 720–1 770 kg as a road-approved trailer with brakes and suspension
• TB30 — 2 250 kg with drawbar, 2 500 kg with braked and sprung chassis for road transport
• TB50 — 3 220 kg, or 3 450 kg in the /T version with sprung axle, brakes and lights
• Aliva-272 — 2 200 kg (Aliva states the same weight for all versions), on a skid with forklift pockets, a road-approved trailer or a two-axle trailer with a 1 000-litre accelerator tank

When you contact us

Send us the concrete mix design, or at least the maximum aggregate size. Tell us how far and how high it is from where the pump can stand to the pouring point, roughly how many cubic metres each pour involves, whether you will be spraying, and whether there is three-phase power on site or the pump has to run on diesel.