Reclaiming the constituent components of separating and uncured concrete

A portable, self-contained concrete reclaimer for use at construction sites to collect and break down uncured waste concrete into its primary components of aggregate, sand, water, and cement during a washing procedure where a stream of water is employed to wash uncured concrete from tools and concrete delivery equipment into the concrete reclaimer for transportation to a recycling facility for reuse in the manufacture of fresh concrete, the concrete reclaimer comprising:

• a reclaiming tank having an open top, a closed wall, and a bottom continuously sealed to the closed wall of said reclaiming tank, said reclaiming tank having an upwardly extending partition disposed therein to divide said reclaiming tank into at least two separate adjacently disposed compartments including a first receiving compartment adapted to receive and contain sand, cement and water, and an adjacent second receiving compartment adapted to receive and contain aggregate separated therefrom during the concrete washing and reclaiming procedure;
• a separating screen disposed above the first receiving compartment, said separating screen adapted to receive waste uncured concrete for separating aggregate therefrom during the washing procedure;
• a receiving platform removably attached to the reclaiming tank, said receiving platform disposed adjacent to the separating screen, extending over the closed wall of the reclaiming tank;
• a removable retention bar disposed above the reclaiming tank for properly positioning the concrete delivery equipment;
• an expandable hinge assembly mounted to the reclaiming tank, said expandable hinge assembly pivotally connecting said at least one unloading door to the closed wall of the reclaiming tank, wherein said expandable hinge assembly enables the unloading door to pivot about a pivot axis from a closed position for sealing the opening, to an open position for unloading the concrete reclaimer;
• wherein the expandable hinge assembly further comprises a hinge pin that defines the pivot axis of the unloading door, and
• at least one slotted hinge bracket being attached to the reclaiming tank to slidably receive said hinge pin, said hinge pin being slidable in a direction normal to the closed wall of the reclaiming tank.

A portable, self-contained concrete reclaimer for use at construction sites to collect and break down uncured waste concrete into its primary components of aggregate, sand, water, and cement during a washing procedure where a stream of water is employed to wash uncured concrete from tools and concrete delivery equipment into the concrete reclaimer for transportation to a recycling facility for reuse in the manufacture of fresh concrete, the concrete reclaimer comprising:

• a reclaiming tank having an open top, a closed wall, and a bottom continuously sealed to the closed wall of said reclaiming tank, said reclaiming tank having an upwardly extending partition disposed therein to divide said reclaiming tank into at least two separate adjacently disposed compartments including a first receiving compartment adapted to receive and contain sand, cement and water, and an adjacent second receiving compartment adapted to receive and contain aggregate separated therefrom during the concrete washing and reclaiming procedure;
• a separating screen disposed above the first receiving compartment, said separating screen adapted to receive waste uncured concrete for separating aggregate therefrom during the washing procedure;
• at least one unloading door attached to the closed wall of the reclaiming tank, said at least one unloading door being movable from a closed position that covers and seals an opening formed through the closed wall to prevent contents contained in the reclaiming tank from escaping through the opening, to an open position that facilitates removal of the reclaimed contents including sand, cement, aggregate, and water;
• and
• an expandable hinge assembly mounted to the reclaiming tank, said expandable hinge assembly pivotally connecting said at least one unloading door to the closed wall of the reclaiming tank, wherein said expandable hinge assembly enables the unloading door to pivot about a pivot axis from a closed position for sealing the opening, to an open position for unloading the concrete reclaimer;
• wherein the expandable hinge assembly further comprises a hinge pin that defines the pivot axis of the unloading door, and
• at least one slotted hinge bracket being attached to the reclaiming tank to slidably receive said hinge pin, said hinge pin being slidable in a direction substantially normal to the closed wall of the reclaiming tank.