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US 2002/0001255 A1Published application
Portable concrete plant
OwnerJeffrey D. Flood, Daniel J. Zwartinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A portable concrete plant for producing ready mix concrete proximate to a location where the ready mix concrete is used. The portable concrete plant includes storage regions for storing components used in the ready mix concrete. The portable concrete plant also includes a slurry mixer for preparing slurry that is used in the ready mix concrete. The portable concrete plant further includes conveying systems for conveying the components from the storage regions and from the slurry mixer to a system discharge port.
Claims45
A portable concrete plant for preparing ready mix concrete, the portable concrete plant comprising:
- a frame having at least one set of wheels attached thereto for supporting the frame above a ground surface and permitting the frame to be moved along the ground surface;
- a cement storage region attached to the frame, wherein the cement storage region stores cement, and wherein the cement storage region has a cement entry port and a cement exit port;
- a sand storage region attached to the frame, wherein the sand storage region stores sand, and wherein the sand storage region has a sand entry port and a sand exit port;
- a rock storage region attached to the frame, wherein the rock storage region stores rock, and wherein the rock storage region has a rock entry port and a rock exit port;
- a water storage region attached to the frame, wherein the water storage region stores water, and wherein the water storage region has a water entry port and a water exit port;
- a slurry mixer attached to the frame, wherein slurry mixer has a slurry mixer entry port and a slurry mixer exit port, wherein the cement exit port and the water exit port are operably connected to the slurry mixer entry port, wherein the slurry mixer prepares a slurry from cement and water;
- a first conveyor system attached to the frame, wherein the first conveyor system receives rock from rock exit port and sand from the sand exit port and transports the rock and sand to a system exit port;
- and
- a second conveyor system attached to the frame, wherein the second conveyor system receives slurry from the slurry mixer exit port and transports the slurry to the system exit port, wherein the first conveyor system and the second conveyor system intersect proximate the system exit port to cause the slurry to be mixed with the sand and the rock for preparing the ready mix concrete.
6 more elements
A system for preparing ready mix concrete, the system comprising:
- a portable concrete plant comprising:
- a frame having at least one set of wheels attached thereto for supporting the frame above a ground surface and permitting the frame to be moved along the ground surface;
- a cement storage region attached to the frame, wherein the cement storage region has a cement entry port and a cement exit port;
- a sand storage region attached to the frame, wherein the sand storage region has a sand entry port and a sand exit port;
- a rock storage region attached to the frame, wherein the rock storage region has a rock entry port and a rock exit port;
- a water storage region attached to the frame, wherein the water storage region has a water entry port and a water exit port;
- a slurry mixer attached to the frame, wherein slurry mixer has a slurry mixer entry port and a slurry mixer exit port, wherein the cement exit port and the water exit port are operably connected to the slurry mixer entry port, wherein the slurry mixer prepares a slurry from cement and water;
- a first conveyor system attached to the frame, wherein the first conveyor system receives rock from rock exit port and sand from the sand exit port and transports the rock and sand to a system exit port;
- and
- a second conveyor system attached to the frame, wherein the second conveyor system receives slurry from the slurry mixer exit port and transports the slurry to the system exit port;
- and
- a truck that receives the rock, sand, and slurry from the system exit port, wherein the truck mixes the rock, sand and slurry together to produce ready mix concrete, and wherein the truck transports the ready mix concrete to a location where the ready mix concrete is to be used.
9 more elements
A method for preparing ready mix concrete, the method comprising:
- providing a frame having at least one set of wheels attached thereto for supporting the frame above a ground surface and permitting the frame to be moved along the ground surface;
- storing cement in a cement storage region, wherein the cement storage region is attached to the frame, wherein the cement storage region has a cement entry port and a cement exit port;
- storing sand in a sand storage region, wherein the sand storage region is attached to the frame, wherein the sand storage region has a sand entry port and a sand exit port;
- storing rock in a rock storage region, wherein the rock storage region is attached to the frame, wherein the rock storage region has a rock entry port and a rock exit port;
- storing water in a water storage region, wherein the water storage region is attached to the frame, wherein the water storage region has a water entry port and a water exit port;
- mixing cement and water in a slurry mixer to prepare a slurry, wherein the slurry mixer is attached to the frame, wherein slurry mixer has a slurry mixer entry port and a slurry mixer exit port, wherein the cement exit port and the water exit port are operably connected to the slurry mixer entry port;
- conveying rock and sand from the rock exit port and the sand exit port to a system exit port with a rock conveyor system, wherein the rock conveyor system is attached to the frame;
- and
- conveying slurry from the slurry mixture exit port to the system exit port with a sand conveyor system, wherein the sand conveyor system is attached to the frame.
6 more elements
A slurry mixer for preparing slurry, the slurry mixer comprising:
- a substantially cylindrical side wall with a lower end and an upper end;
- a base wall enclosing the lower end of the side wall and defining a mixing region in which the slurry is prepared;
- a first stirring apparatus fixedly mounted in the mixing region, wherein the first stirring apparatus has first mixing elements attached thereto;
- and
- a second stirring apparatus rotatably mounted in the mixing region, wherein the second stirring apparatus has second mixing elements attached thereto, wherein the first mixing elements and the second mixing elements at least partially engage each other as the second stirring apparatus is rotated to remove slurry therefrom, and wherein the second mixing elements engage the side wall as the second stirring apparatus is rotated to remove slurry from the side wall.
2 more elements
A flow control device for controlling the flow of material through an opening, the flow control device comprising:
- a rotatable paddle element mounted with respect to the opening;
- and
- a pivotable gate element mounted with respect to the opening, wherein the gate element is pivotable between an open position and a closed position, when in the closed position, the paddle element and the gate element are adjacent each other to prevent the material from flowing through the opening.
A method of preparing ready mix concrete, the method comprising:
- storing cement in a cement storage region;
- storing sand in a sand storage region;
- storing rock in a rock storage region;
- heating water with a heating apparatus;
- storing the heated water in an insulated storage region, wherein the insulated storage region has sufficient size to store heated water for at least two batches of ready mix concrete;
- and
- mixing cement, sand, rock and heated water to prepare a batch of ready mix concrete.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.