Some implementations herein described improvements to concrete products and processes for producing concrete products that may provide a positive environmental impact and that can be stronger relative to the percent of cement used. Particular examples include improvements to zero-slump to near-zero-slump concrete mixture design, material storage and handling, batching, mixing, sequencing and curing processes, as well as forming and curing techniques.

The invention provides compositions and methods directed to carbonation of a cement mix during mixing. The carbonation may be in a stationary mixer or a transportable mixer, such as a drum of a ready-mix truck.

Some implementations herein described improvements to concrete products and processes for producing concrete products that may provide a positive environmental impact and that can be stronger relative to the percent of cement used. Particular examples include improvements to zero-slump to near-zero-slump concrete mixture design, material storage and handling, batching, mixing, sequencing and curing processes, as well as forming and curing techniques.

An apparatus for preventing proliferation of dust during mixing of material, including a semi-dome shaped element configured for placement over a top opening of a mixing container, a fastener extending along a bottom circumference of the semi-dome shaped element, such that the fastener is configured to couple to the top brim of the mixing container, and an opening in the semi-dome shaped element, the opening configured to accept a vacuum hose.

Some implementations herein described improvements to concrete products and processes for producing concrete products that may provide a positive environmental impact and that can be stronger relative to the percent of cement used. Particular examples include improvements to zero-slump to near-zero-slump concrete mixture design, material storage and handling, batching, mixing, sequencing and curing processes, as well as forming and curing techniques.

A concrete mixing machine for indoor preparation of fluid concrete for disposition as flooring. The concrete mixing machine includes a mixer tank capable of mixing of twenty-three bags of concrete concurrently. Mixing propellers inside of the mixer tank attach to a shaft, whereby a hydraulic propeller drive motor rotationally moves the shaft, and the mixing propellers mix the concrete. The concrete mixing machine produces a large batch of concrete, and the concrete mixing machine moves and deposits the concrete for application using a flow control mechanism with a flow control mixer attached to the mixer tank that regulates concrete flow through a valve and chute and synchronizes with a flow control drive-wheel. The concrete mixing machine is hydraulically operated and self-propelled. The concrete mixing machine does not emit gases harmful to indoor air quality and thus is environmentally friendly.

A containerized concrete batch plant is disclosed, comprising a container configured to contain a concrete batch plant to permit the transportation of the concrete batch plant. The concrete batch plant comprising one or more aggregate storage silos to receive a plurality of concrete elements. The one or more aggregate storage silos pour the concrete elements onto a conveyor based on quantity determination by a computer via a deductive scale. The conveyor transfers the concrete elements to a two-shaft mixer. An auger-fed hopper has an auger that is directly exposed to the contents inside the two-shaft mixer and transfers the contents inside the two-shaft mixer into the auger-fed hopper. A concrete pump has access to the auger-fed hopper and pumps the concrete inside the auger-fed hopper into a concrete output hose with a concrete output opening. A knuckle crane and/or hydraulic arms holds supersacks above the aggregate storage silos and the two-shaft mixer.

A method and apparatus for producing liquified Alternative Supplemental Cementitious Material (ASCM) from an uncured concrete slurry. Uncured concrete slurry is received into a receiving hopper, diluted with water, and pumped upward through a slurry discharge conduit to an aggregate separator that screens the gravel and sand for separate discharge. The remaining ASCM entrained water flows into a holding tank. The ASCM settles to the lower portion of the holding tank. The holding tank stores the remaining water for re-use diluting uncured concrete slurry. The ASCM is liquified and moved towards the ASCM discharge port by an agitator system located in the bottom of the holding tank. From the discharge, a pump delivers the liquified ASCM through a conduit for discharge. The discharged ASCM can be used as a partial replacement for Ordinary Portland Cement and as an ingredient in flowable fills.

A portable mixer that has a first auger, a second auger, a motor, a material loading location, where material may be loaded into the mixer, and a dispensing conduit. The motor powers both the first auger and second auger. Further, the second auger may rotate in a first rotational direction and a second rotational direction and the second auger substantially prevents material from exiting a dispensing conduit when the second auger rotates in the first rotational direction and the second auger distributes material through the dispensing conduit when the second auger rotates in the second rotational direction.

A method to control a mixer (10) for concrete, mortar, powders, dry and semi-dry granulates, cement-based mixes or similar or comparable mixes or mixtures, comprises an input step in which it provides to communicate to a control and command unit (15) of the mixer (10) a plurality of input data correlated to the formulation of the mix that has to be treated in the mixing cycle, a detection step in which it provides to detect the values of an electric quantity characteristic of the electric power line of a drive unit (12) comprised in the mixer (10), a processing step in which the control and command unit (15) processes the data detected in the detection step in order to calculate the overall active power that is generated as a function of time, and to carry out one or more verifications, comparing the data processed with one or more of the respective data introduced among the input data, in order to transmit to a programmable logic controller (14) that commands the functioning of the mixer (10) alternately a consent signal to discharge the mix subjected to the mixing cycle, or an anomaly signal selectively correlated to the verification or verifications that have had a negative outcome, so that the operator can respectively command in the first case the discharge of the mix from the mixer (10), and in the second case the consequent corrective actions on the mixing cycle.