The invention relates to an automatic system for monitoring the mixing of conglomerates. The inventive system can be used to monitor and measure the volume of a conglomerate, i.e. a concrete, mortar or other similar product, and the conditions in which the conglomerate is being mixed inside a mixer. The invention is characterized in that the system is provided with a sensor which rotates integrally with the mixer and which is fitted with a blade that is sensitive to the stresses exerted by the conglomerate thereon. The invention is also characterized in that the aforementioned information is transmitted to one or more terminals, by means of radio communication or other similar wireless communication means, for use in industrial processes.

The invention relates to an automatic system for monitoring the mixing of conglomerates. The inventive system can be used to monitor and measure the volume of a conglomerate, i.e. a concrete, mortar or other similar product, and the conditions in which the conglomerate is being mixed inside a mixer. The invention is characterized in that the system is provided with a sensor which rotates integrally with the mixer and which is fitted with a blade that is sensitive to the stresses exerted by the conglomerate thereon. The invention is also characterized in that the aforementioned information is transmitted to one or more terminals, by means of radio communication or other similar wireless communication means, for use in industrial processes.

A system for a concrete mixer having a drum receiving fresh concrete therein. The system generally has: a sensor measuring a set of measurand values indicative of a measurand associated with at least one of the fresh concrete, the drum and components of the concrete mixer; and a controller communicatively coupled to the sensor, the controller performing the steps of: accessing the set of measurand values generated by the sensor; using a trained data processing engine stored on the non-transitory memory, at least one of determining a property value indicative of a property of the fresh concrete, determining a parameter value indicative of a parameter of the drum, and determining that the set of measurand values are indicative of some operating conditions of the concrete mixer; and outputting a signal based on said determining.

In accordance with one embodiment, a method is provided that includes providing a liquid nitrogen storage system configured to cool a supply of liquid nitrogen to a temperature below the vapor point of liquid nitrogen; coupling a piping system with the liquid nitrogen storage system to convey a portion of the supply of liquid nitrogen from the liquid nitrogen storage system; coupling the piping system with a liquid nitrogen control valve configured to control a flow of liquid nitrogen to at least one liquid nitrogen dispensing head; disposing the at least one liquid nitrogen dispensing head above a conveyance device operable to convey an aggregate stream of a concrete batching plant during use; and disposing the at least one liquid nitrogen dispensing head in a position to dispense an output flow of liquid nitrogen onto the aggregate stream of the concrete batching plant during use.

A method and system for concrete monitoring calibration using truck-mounted mixer drum jump speed data selectively assimilated from previous deliveries. The method involves measuring energy at a first drum speed and a second drum speed. Slump is calculated using low speed energy/speed/slump curve data, or pre-stored equation wherein slump is derived as a function of slope of the line. The energy, speed, slump relationship in the provided concrete is compared to at least two pre-stored data curves across drum speed ranges of 15 0.5 RPM-6 RPM and 6 RPM-20 RPM, to ascertain whether the provided concrete matches any of the stored curve data; either activating the monitoring system for all drum speed ranges where a match is confirmed or allowing the monitoring system to calculate slump only at low drum speeds.

The invention relates to a method for adjusting concrete rheology requiring only that load size and target rheology value be selected initially rather than requiring inputs into and consultation of a lookup table of parameters such as water and hydration levels, mix components, temperature, humidity, aggregate components, and others. Dosage of particular rheology-modifying agent or combination of rheology-modifying agents is calculated based on a percentage of a nominal dose calculated with reference to a nominal dose response (“NDR”) curve or profile. The NDR profile is based on a correlation between a rheology value (e.g., slump, slump flow, yield stress) and the rheology-modifying agent(s) dose required to change rheology value by one unit (e.g., slump change from 2 to 3 inches) such that exemplary methods can employ corrective dosing based on the NDR and the measured deviation by the system.

The present invention provides a fast response method and system wherein one or more comb-type polycarboxylate ether (PCE) polymers, having a cumulative absorptivity coefficient in the range of 40%-75%, are employed as fluidizing admixtures dosed into concrete by and in automated slump monitoring and control systems which iteratively monitors and adjusts the slump of the concrete mix.

One example of correlating energy to mix well cement slurry under laboratory conditions to field conditions can be implemented as a method to determine energy to mix cement slurry. Electrical power supplied to an electric mixer in mixing a specified well cement slurry is measured. An energy to mix the specified well cement slurry is determined from the measuring. The determined energy to mix the specified well cement slurry and specifications of field equipment for use in mixing the specified well cement slurry at a well site are compared. The field equipment is a different configuration than the electric mixer. Based on the comparing, it is determined whether the well cement slurry needs redesigning according to capabilities of the field equipment.

Concrete can be one of the most durable building materials where consumption is projected to reach approximately 40 billion tons in 2017 alone. Despite this the testing of concrete at all stages of its life cycle is still in its infancy although testing for corrosion is well established. Further many of the tests today are time consuming, expensive, and provide results only after it has been poured and set. Accordingly, by exploiting self-contained wireless sensor devices, which are deployed with the wet concrete, the in-situ curing and maturity measurement data can be established and employed together with batch specific concrete data to provide rapid initial tests and evolving performance data regarding the concrete cure, performance, corrosion of concrete at different points in its life cycle. Such sensors remove subjectivity, allow for rapid assessment, are integrable to the construction process, and provided full life cycle assessment.

A system for delivering and applying a flowable mixture to an article (311-313) is disclosed. The system includes a mixture delivery system (200) and a skinning system (300). The mixture delivery system (200) includes a mixer (220) configured to mix a dry material and a fluid to produce the flowable mixture, and a pump (235) configured to pump the flowable mixture to a delivery line. The skinning system (300) receives the flowable mixture from the mixture delivery system (200) through the delivery line. The skinning system (300) includes a skinning pipe (310) configured to apply the flowable mixture to the article (311-313) and a manifold (305) that supports the skinning pipe (310). The skinning system (300) also includes an article feeding mechanism (315) configured to push the article (311-313) into the skinning pipe (310). The skinning system (300) includes a transfer system (320) configured to hold the article (311-313) and move the article (311-313) out of the skinning pipe (310).