Abstract: A molding station and method comprising a hopper having a mouth closable with at least a lower door and a mold to be filled, the hopper and the mold being movable to a filling position in which the hopper is closed by the lower door; the lower door then opening to allow an amount of moldable material to be released into the mold; the mold being made in a deformable material, so that an interior volume of the mold is temporarily reduced when releasing the moldable material into the mold.

Abstract: A molding station and method comprising a hopper having a mouth closable with at least a lower door and a mold to be filled, the hopper and the mold being movable to a filling position in which the hopper is closed by the lower door; the lower door then opening to allow an amount of moldable material to be released into the mold; the mold being made in a deformable material, so that an interior volume of the mold is temporarily reduced when releasing the moldable material into the mold.

Abstract: An apparatus provided for orienting concrete blocks into a desired position comprises a pair of upper and lower turntables including respectively upper and lower block supporting surfaces. The lower supporting surface extends outwardly of, and below, the upper supporting surface. A stationary peripheral wall extends outwardly of the lower turntable and defines with the upper turntable and the lower supporting surface a gutter. The gutter is dimensioned to receive blocks therein in a substantially longitudinal orientation thereof. An outlet is provided at a downstream end of the gutter for allowing the substantially oriented blocks to be discharged from the apparatus. Therefore, concrete blocks, or the like, fed to the apparatus are received by the upper turntable, are then positioned in the gutter under the rotation of the upper and lower turntables, which typically rotate at different speeds, and are then discharged from the apparatus via the outlet.

Abstract: An apparatus for roughing edges of solid concrete casted blocks that includes a block support conveyor for supporting and conveying a series of blocks and at least one roughing device disposed at a given distance from a block to be roughened; the device includes at least one impacting arm having a first end connected to a drive shaft having an axis and a second end connected to an impacting element; the shaft is connected to a drive element allowing the shaft to define an arcuate reciprocating motion causing the impacting element to impact the block and to crumble concrete from an edge of the block. The arm impacts the edge at an angle of about 45° relative to the axis of the drive shaft.

Abstract: An apparatus provided for orienting concrete blocks into a desired position comprises a pair of upper and lower turntables including respectively upper and lower block supporting surfaces. The lower supporting surface extends outwardly of, and below, the upper supporting surface. A stationary peripheral wall extends outwardly of the lower turntable and defines with the upper turntable and the lower supporting surface a gutter. The gutter is dimensioned to receive blocks therein in a substantial longitudinal orientation thereof. An outlet is provided at a downstream end of the gutter for allowing the substantially oriented blocks to be discharged from the apparatus. Therefore, concrete blocks, or the like, fed to the apparatus are received by the upper turntable, are then positioned in the gutter under the rotation of the upper and lower turntables, which typically rotate at different speeds, and are then discharged from the apparatus via the outlet.

Abstract: An apparatus for roughing edges of solid concrete casted blocks that includes a block support conveyor for supporting and conveying a series of blocks and at least one roughing device disposed at a given distance from a block to be roughened; the device includes at least one impacting arm having a first end connected to a drive shaft having an axis and a second end connected to an impacting element; the shaft is connected to a drive element allowing the shaft to define an arcuate reciprocating motion causing the impacting element to impact the block and to crumble concrete from an edge of the block. The arm impacts the edge at an angle of about 45° relative to the axis of the drive shaft.

Abstract: A device allowing concrete products sorted on a traveling conveyor to be formed in a predetermined pattern of products for subsequent feeding onto a concrete product stacking cuber. A set of pneumatic wheels located downstream of the conveyor and vertically distanced from the conveyor cooperate with a rubber lined shaft located under the wheels to contact the concrete product to act as a gate to the predetermined pattern. The wheels and the shaft are driven in synchronization to rotate in a direction as to cause the pattern of concrete products to be forwarded therebetween to the stacking cuber.

Abstract: A set of paving blocks wherein each block is a prism having side and end walls that are irregular in outline but are contained only within a respective virtual rectangular perimeter. The rectangular perimeter has a length L in a X axis and a width W in a Y axis at right angle to the X axis. At least two spaced apart parallel sections of the prism extend between the side walls, parallel to the Y axis and terminate at the virtual rectangular perimeter, such that each section has a width equal to W and the prism has at least one section bisecting the virtual rectangle parallel to the X axis and terminating at a rectangular perimeter and having a length equal to L.

Abstract: An apparatus for treating selected at least partial surfaces of a masonry block, including at least a flail having a shaft with an axis of rotation in a vertical plane, at least a moving mechanism for moving one of the masonry blocks parallel to the vertical plane and the flail, mechanism for holding the masonry blocks with the selected surface to be treated at a distance from the shaft to be impacted by the flail.

Abstract: A concrete slab for forming blocks for a retaining wall comprises a prism having parallel top and bottom surfaces, and opposed parallel side walls, and end walls, the prism has an X axis in the longitudinal direction extending between the end walls, a Y axis in the width direction extending between the side walls, and a Z axis perpendicular to the X and Y axes extending between the top and bottom surfaces. A first dividing line extends parallel to the X axis from one end wall to the other end wall in order to define a separating plane bisecting the prism. At least a pair of dividing lines extend parallel to the Y axis of the prism from the first dividing line to each of the opposite side walls, wherein the second dividing lines are parallel to each other but offset therefrom, whereby upon separating the slab along the first and second dividing lines, at least four blocks in the form of rectilinear prisms having different dimensions in the X axis will be formed.

Abstract: A retaining wall kit is made up of a plurality of molded blocks, some having different thicknesses and some having different lengths. Keyhole-slots may be provided at the rear face of the molded blocks, each keyhole being proportionally sized inwardly of the rear face of the block such that a retaining member fitted within the keyhole-slot projects downwardly from the one molded block to engage the rear face of an adjacent molded block so as to space the molded blocks in a regular sloped position such that the inter section of the front and top faces of each molded block is in a common plane.