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Chapter Eight
CONCRETE EQUIPMENT
Concrete is basically cemented, aggregate and water which have been mixed
together, deposited, and permitted to solidify. Sometimes admixtures are used for various
purposes, such as to produce a desired colour, improve the workability, entrain air, reduce
the segregation, or accelerate setting and hardening.
The operations involved in the production of concrete varies with the end use of the
concrete, but in general, the operations include
1. Batching the material
2. Mixing
3. Transporting
4. Placing
5. Consolidating
6. Finishing
7. Curing
Batching Concrete Materials- When concrete having the required properties is required
to be produced, it is necessary to control the quantity of each material that goes into a batch.
This is known as batching the material. The batching now‐ a‐days is preferred to be done by
weight where the properties of concrete are of importance. .
Mixing Concrete and Transportation
There are two types of concrete‐ mixing operations in use: (1) transient mixing and (2)
central mixing. Today, unless the project is in a remote location or is relatively large, the
concrete is batched in a central batch plant and transported to the job site in transient‐mix
trucks, often referred to as ready‐mixed concrete trucks.
Fig Mechanical Mixer
(1) Ready‐mixed Concrete
When concrete is proportioned at a central location and then transported to the job site in a
fresh state, mixed en route. This type of concrete is termed ‘readymixed concrete’ or
‘truckmixed concrete’ It is concrete that is completely mixed in a truck mixer, with 70 to
100 revolutions at a speed sufficient to mix the concrete completely. Obviously, to be useful,
ready‐ mixed concrete must be available within a reasonable distance from the project. At
remote locations and locations requiring large quantities of concrete, generally concrete
plants are set up on site
Transient‐ mixers are available in varying sizes from 0.75 to 5.50 cum. They are
capable of thoroughly mixing the concrete with about 100 revolutions of the mixing drum.
Mixing speed is generally 8 to 12 rpm. This mixing during transit usually results in
stiffening the mixture, and for which additional water is allowed at the job site to restore
the slum, followed by remixing. In fact some water is already withheld until the mixer
arrives at the project site( especially in hot weather), then the remaining water be added
and an additional 30 revolutions of mixing be required.
Fig Transient mixer
(2) Central Mixing Concrete
This is concrete mixed completely in a stationary mixer and transported to the project in
either truck‐agitator, a truck mixer operating at agitating speed, or a nonagitating truck.
Plants usually have mixers capable of mixing up to 8cum of concrete in each batch and 200
cum of concrete per hour. The mixer either tilts to discharge the concrete into a truck or a
chute is inserted into the mixer to catch and discharge the concrete .To increase efficiency,
many large plants have two mixer drums.
Placing Concrete
Once the concrete arrives at the project site, it must be removed to its final positions
without segregation and before it has achieved an initial set. This movement may be
accomplished in several ways, depending on horizontal and vertical distance of the
movement and other constraints that might be imposed. The methods include;.
a) Hand Buggies- These are the hand carts provided with pneumatic tyres. They are
available in different sizes of 0.17 to 0.31 cum .These are quite handy and convenient in
operation by workers and this is why are used on many projects. The smaller size may haul
about 0.13 cum and the larger about 0.25 cum of concrete per load.
b) Power‐ driven Buggies-IN recent years power‐ driven buggies been developed and used
at increasing rate to haul concrete. Their capacities varies from 0.25 to 0.38 cum and speed
up to about 24 km per hour and they make a 1800 turn in about 1.20 m and can climb
grades up to about 20 percent. They are economically in comparison to hand buggies.
c) Buckets- There are two types of buckets—those used with material towers and those
with power cranes, cables etc.The former, which are known as tower buckets, have sizes
from about 0.23 to 1.02 cum. Whereas the latter, which are known as concrete buckets,
have sizes from about 0.38 to 6.0 cum. Concrete buckets are provided with bottom gates
which may be opened in such a manner that the concrete will flow vertically downward.
The gates on the smaller buckets are operated manually, while the gates on the larger
buckets are operated by compressed air or some other mechanical method. These gates are
so designed that they can be opened or closed at will to regulate the flow of the concrete.
d) Hoisting concrete with a Crane versus a Material Tower- On multi‐storeyed building
projects, either material tower or crane may used to hoist buckets of concrete. Following
are the advantages of a crane and bucket;
1. There is greater mobility to deposit the concrete at different locations around the
structure, provided there is access to the building, thus reducing the haul distance
with buggies.
2. The crane may be used for other operations.
3. The cost of a crane ready to concrete is less than for a tower.
Advantages of a tower and bucket are as follows;
1. The investment in the tower and hoisting equipment are less than for a crane.
2. This method requires less space in congested locations.
e) Chutes and Drop Pipes- Chutes should be made of metal with round bottoms. They
transfer the concrete from higher elevation to a lower elevation. They should round bottom
and the slope should be such steep enough for the concrete to flow continuously without
segregation. Drop pipes are used to transfer the concrete vertically down. The top 1.8 to 2.4
m of the pipe should have a diameter at least 8 times the maximum aggregate size and may
be tapered so that the lower end is approximately 6 times the maximum aggregate size.
Drop pipes are used when concrete is placed in a wall or column to avoid segregation
caused by allowing the concrete to free‐ fall through the reinforcement.
f) Belt Conveyors – In certain circumstances belt conveyors are satisfactory for
transporting concrete. The uniform flow and high capacity represent advantages, while the
tendency to segregate the concrete at the discharge end represents a disadvantage. A
suitable type of ladder or down pipe should be installed at the discharge end to assure that
the concrete will drop vertically. Usually it is necessary to install a belt cleaner at the
discharge end to prevent a portion of mortar from adhering to the belt. The conveyor belt
may be used to place concrete for a floor and for other sections of concrete structures. This
system provides considerable flexibility in placing concrete for different parts of structures.
It is also to note that a relatively small crew of labours is required to place the concrete.The
conveyor belt is also used to place concrete in forms for columns. As the conveyor units are
mounted on wheels, they may be moved easily and quickly to other locations. Again, the
concrete is placed with a very small crew of workers.Belt conveyors may be used in several
flights such as to place concrete for a bridge structure, which is long enough. As the length
of structure increases, additional flights of conveyors may be added to extend the total
reach.
g) Concrete pumps- A wide variety of pumps are available for placing concrete. These
pumps can handle all kinds of mixes and can pump up to 94 cum per hour. Recommended
pumping distances vary from 76 to 600 m horizontally, and from 25 to 130m vertically. The
pumps may be mounted on trucks, trailers or skids.
The truck‐ mounted pump‐ and boom combination is proving particularly effective
in saving labour and eliminating pipe line handling and set up time and costs. Hydraulically
operated and articulated, the boom come in various lengths up to nearly 30 m.
Three types of pumps are available, namely;
1. Piston
2. Pneumatic
3. Squeeze‐ type
In the piston pump cycle, valves open and close, and enabling concrete drawn from
a hopper to be driven by the piston into and through the delivery line. These pumps may be
mechanically or hydraulically operated.
Pneumatic pumps contain placers into which the concrete is deposited. With the lid
of the placer closed, compressed air is introduced to force the concrete through the delivery
line. This type of pump has been extensively to place concrete lining for tunnels.
A squeeze‐ type pump consists of a mixing hopper, a suction tube, and a rotating
planetary drive which presses against the tube containing the concrete and forces the
concrete forward through the delivery line.