concrete mixers

A concrete mixer is a device that homogeneously combines concrete, aggregate such as sand or gravel, and water to form concrete

history
Cement mixers first became popular in the 1920s, Drums were soon after invented and soon wheels were added.-

floating screeds

were popular until the 1960s. By the 1970s, better technologies came up environmental concern

2 method for concrete mixing

a) hand mixing

b) machine mixing

and mixing

hand mixing
Clean off the working surface, use a brush
and hose it down. Carefully measure out onto the mixing surface about half the ballast (or sand and gravel )needed into a rough cone shape. With a shovel, make a crater

in the

centre of the heap then measure and add all the cement required.
Measure out the rest of the ballast (or sand and gravel) and add to the heap forming a

cone shape. Mix all the ingredients together using a

shovel, work around the heap turning the mixture over three or four times to achieve an evenly coloured (grey) mixture.

hand mixing
With a shovel, form another

crater in the top of the heap and add some water.

Shovel the ballast from the sides of
the heap into the central crater and turn part of the heap to distribute the water throughout the mixture.

Repeat forming the heap, making the

crater, adding water, turning the heap until the whole mixture is wetted.
A good mix should be smooth

and

plastic, not wet and runny or dry and

crumbly.

hand mixing

Uniformity more difficult to be achieved It involves usage of more labour compared to concrete mixed using machine. The quality of mix is difficult to be controlled.

achine mixing

2 categories of mixer
batch mixers b) continuous mixers.
a)

batch mixer produces concrete one batch at a time. continuous mixers produces concrete at a constant rate.

a) batch mixers
orientation of the axis of rotation

drum mixers

horizontal or inclined have a drum, with fixed blades, rotating around its axis

pan mixers

vertical
have either the blades or the pan rotating around the axis.

1. drum mixers
Blades are attached to the inside of the movable drum. Blades lift the materials as the drum rotates. Lifted material drops back into the mixer at the bottom of the drum

non-tilting drum; reversing drum; tilting drum.

1.1 non-tilting drum mixers

orientation of the drum fixed
materials are added at one end and discharged at the other

non-tilting drum mixers

1.2 reversing drum mixers

similar to the non-tilting mixer except that the same to discharge concrete. drum rotates in one

opening is used to add the constituents and

direction for mixing and in the opposite direction for discharging the concrete. two types of blades attached to the inner walls of the drum
one set drags the concrete upwards and toward the center of the mixer when the drum rotates in one direction; the second set of blades pushes the concrete toward the opening when the drum rotates in the other direction. blades have a spiral

arrangement to 1 m3

usually used for batches up

reversing mixers

truck mixers belong to the reversing category of drum mixers.

typically the speed

for mixing is 15 rpm

transport of pre-mixed concrete uses only 2

rpm to 6 rpm

1.3 tilting drum mixers

inclination can be varied drum - horizontal (inclination 0) more energy is provided to the concrete drum vertical (inclination 90) less efficient mixing

most common type of drum mixer

small batches (less than 0.5 m3)
both in the laboratory and in the field

tilting drum mixers

2. pan mixers
a cylindrical pan (fixed or rotating) concrete to be mixed, one or two sets of blades rotate inside the pan to mix the materials a blade scrapes the wall of the pan.

pan mixers

pan mixers

b) continuous mixers
materials are continuously fed into the mixer at the same rate as the concrete is discharged usually non-tilting drums screw-type blades rotating in the middle of the drum. drum is tilted

downward toward the discharge opening

mixing time is determined by the slope of the drum

(usually about 15).

applications that require

a short working time, long unloading time, remote sites (not suitable for ready-mix) and/or small deliveries. A major use of these types of mixers is for low slump concretes (e.g., pavements) the short mixing time, the air content is not easily controlled

hank you.