An electric drive for a mixer drum, including a high-voltage DC voltage power supply to which at least one battery, a power converter and at least one external interface for connecting a stationary electric power supply are connected. The at least one battery is charged only via the at least one external interface, wherein a controller is configured to control flows of energy from and to components connected to the high-voltage DC voltage power supply.

A hydraulically driven concrete pump system includes a distribution boom, a support system, and a concrete pump. A first hydraulic pump is configured to drive the concrete pump, and a combustion drive engine is configured to drive the first hydraulic pump. A second hydraulic pump is configured to drive the distribution boom and/or the support system, and an electric motor is configured to drive the second hydraulic pump.

A vehicle includes a chassis, a drum, a load detection system, and a control system. The drum is coupled to the chassis and is configured to mix drum contents received therein. The load detection system is coupled to the chassis and includes a load sensor. The load sensor is positioned proximate to one of a forward end of the drum and a rear end of the drum. The load sensor is configured to determine a portion of a force applied by the drum to the chassis. The control system is communicably coupled to the load detection system and is configured to determine a longitudinal position of a concrete buildup in the drum based on the portion. The control system is also configured to generate at least one of a notification indicating the longitudinal position or a control signal based on the longitudinal position.

A controller for a concrete mixer vehicle includes a base, an elongated shaft extending from the base, and a control portion positioned at free end of the elongated shaft. The control portion has a grip portion and a button interface providing at least one of a plurality of controls. The plurality of controls facilitate selectively operating (i) a hopper actuator to reposition a charge hopper between a first position and a second position, (ii) a first chute actuator to pivot a chute about a lateral axis to raise and lower a distal end of the chute, (iii) a second chute actuator to pivot the chute about a vertical axis to move the distal end left and right, (iv) a drum driver to control at least one of a speed or a rotational direction of a mixing drum, and (v) a transmission of the concrete mixer vehicle in one of a plurality of modes.

A hydraulic system for a concrete mixer vehicle including an electronically controlled variable displacement hydraulic pump, a distribution manifold fluidly coupled to the hydraulic pump, a hydraulic fan motor coupled to a fan and fluidly coupled to the distribution manifold, an auxiliary system fluidly coupled to the distribution manifold, and a controller structured to: determine a total system demand based at least in part on a fan motor demand and an auxiliary system demand, adjust a displacement of the hydraulic pump to satisfy the total system demand, and operate the hydraulic pump at a pump speed to satisfy the total system demand.

A concrete mixer vehicle comprises a chassis, an engine, a cab, a drum assembly, a front roller pedestal, a transmission mounting bracket assembly, and a rear pedestal. The chassis has a frame. The drum assembly includes a mixing drum, a drum driver, and a hopper assembly. The front roller pedestal is configured to support a front end of the mixing drum. The front roller pedestal includes a support member configured to provide support to the front roller pedestal in a longitudinal direction with respect to a longitudinal axis of the frame. The rear pedestal is configured to support a rear end of the mixing drum. The rear pedestal includes a first bar-pin member and a second bar-pin member configured to couple the rear pedestal in a first installation position or a second installation position based on a length of the mixing drum.

A method for determining cleanliness of a drum of a fresh concrete mixer truck. The method generally has: rotating the drum about the rotation axis with a constant torque; using a rotational speed sensor, measuring a plurality of speed values corresponding to speeds at which the drum rotates at different moments in time during said rotating; and using a controller, receiving the plurality of speed values; accessing calibration data having different reference speed values-related data associated to corresponding reference degrees of cleanliness of the drum; comparing at least some of the speed values to the calibration data; and determining a degree of cleanliness of the drum based on said comparison.

There is described a method for determining a volume of fresh concrete being discharged from a drum during a discharge, the drum being rotatable and having inwardly protruding blades mounted inside the drum which, when the drum is rotated in an unloading direction, force the fresh concrete towards a discharge outlet of the drum. The method generally has discharging a volume of the fresh concrete from the drum by rotating the drum in the unloading direction for a given number of discharge rotations; obtaining discharge flow rate variation data indicative of a discharge flow rate varying as function of discharge rotations; and determining a discharged volume value indicative of the volume of fresh concrete being discharged from the drum of the mixer truck during said discharge based on the given number of discharge rotations and on the discharge flow rate variation data.

Described are compositions and methods for controlled strength development in a hydratable cementitious material, and more particularly to the use of polymerizable monomer components, which are initiated and activated by a redox pair which are mixed in controlled fashion, for enhancing non-hydration strength within the matrix of the plastic hydratable cementitious material before setting of the cementitious material begins. Exemplary applications include minimizing pressures on formwork for high fluid ready-mix applications, enhancing support and bonding properties for integrated concrete slab work and other sequential applications, or facilitating speedy 3D printing applications, among other unique possibilities.

A drum drive system includes a controller configured to selectively control an engine, a variable displacement pump, and a variable displacement motor of a vehicle to provide a target drum speed for a drum of the vehicle. To provide the target drum speed, the controller is configured to: (i) initially operate the variable displacement motor at a maximum motor displacement and operate the variable displacement pump at a pump displacement that provides the target drum speed without needing to actively manipulate an engine speed of the engine; (ii) increase the pump displacement and decrease a motor displacement without needing to actively manipulate the engine speed while still providing the target drum speed; and (iii) increase the engine speed in response to the pump displacement reaching a maximum pump displacement and the motor displacement reaching a minimum motor displacement if necessary to maintain the target drum speed.