The present invention relates to relates to methods of making concrete from cement and, in particular, methods of making usable standard concrete from aged or otherwise substandard cement.

A system and method for automatically controlling concrete batch mixing cycles and for training an operator to minimize the mixing cycles, includes receiving real time mixer motor power measurements; detecting an initial peak value among the real time mixer motor power measurements; determining, by a processor, an initial amount of water to add to a concrete batch; waiting a first time period to determine a first supplemental amount of water to add to a concrete batch; and, then, periodically determining additional supplemental amounts of water to add to a concrete batch; until, the real time mixer motor power measurements meet a pre-determined target mixer motor power value, responsive to which, one or more outputs are activated, such as a user interface indicator that the batch is ready, or an optional electronic signal to a batch control system to dump the batch, or both.

Aspects involve estimating transitions in properties of a concrete mixture prior to batching and during transport of the mixture from a first location, such as a concrete batch plant, to a second location, such as a job site and controlling a mixture of ingredients for concrete in response. A tool may execute a method for estimating an initial temperature at batching and a change in temperature of the concrete mixture during transport due to the exothermic reaction of the mixture, percentages and types of ingredients of the mixture, and/or environmental factors along a transit route. A control system at the concrete batching plant may control one or more components of the concrete batch plant in response to the estimated temperature change, such as a dispenser of an ingredient of the mixture and/or a heating or cooling mechanism to adjust the temperature of an ingredient of the concrete mixture.

A ready-mixed composition and a pre-mix composition for the production of a concrete material containing sequestered carbon dioxide, a CO.sub.2-containing water used in such compositions, dry-batch and wet-batch processes for sequestering carbon dioxide in concrete material, general method and process for sequestering carbon dioxide in hardening concrete, system and ready-mixed truck to perform such processes and methods for the production of a ready-to-cure carbonated concrete. Compositions comprise a concrete mixture and a CO.sub.2-containing water. The CO.sub.2-containing water comprising water and at least one of blended CO.sub.2 gas bubbles, dissolved H.sub.2CO.sub.3, carbonate ions (CO.sub.3.sup.2−), bicarbonate ions (HCO.sup.3−), nanosized alkaline earth metal carbonate and nanosized alkali metal carbonate particles. The concrete mixture comprises a cementitious material, aggregates and at least one CO.sub.2-sequestering chemical for accelerating a CO.sub.2 sequestration speed and maximizing the captured amount of the carbon dioxide.

A system and method for automatically controlling concrete batch mixing cycles and for training an operator to minimize the mixing cycles, includes receiving real time mixer motor power measurements; detecting an initial peak value among the real time mixer motor power measurements; determining, by a processor, an initial amount of water to add to a concrete batch; waiting a first time period to determine a first supplemental amount of water to add to a concrete batch; and, then, periodically determining additional supplemental amounts of water to add to a concrete batch; until, the real time mixer motor power measurements meet a pre-determined target mixer motor power value, responsive to which, one or more outputs are activated, such as a user interface indicator that the batch is ready, or an optional electronic signal to a batch control system to dump the batch, or both.

A ready-mixed composition and a pre-mix composition for the production of a concrete material containing sequestered carbon dioxide, a CO.sub.2-containing water used in such compositions, dry-batch and wet-batch processes for sequestering carbon dioxide in concrete material, general method and process for sequestering carbon dioxide in hardening concrete, system and ready-mixed truck to perform such processes and methods for the production of a ready-to-cure carbonated concrete. Compositions comprise a concrete mixture and a CO.sub.2-containing water. The CO.sub.2-containing water comprising water and at least one of blended CO.sub.2 gas bubbles, dissolved H.sub.2CO.sub.3, carbonate ions (CO.sub.3.sup.2−), bicarbonate ions (HCO.sup.3−), nanosized alkaline earth metal carbonate and nanosized alkali metal carbonate particles. The concrete mixture comprises a cementitious material, aggregates and at least one CO.sub.2-sequestering chemical for accelerating a CO.sub.2 sequestration speed and maximizing the captured amount of the carbon dioxide.

Provided are a concrete manufacturing method capable of preventing neutralization of concrete and oxidation of a reinforcing rod in reinforced concrete, and a method for manufacturing a reinforced concrete structure using the same. The concrete manufacturing method uses nitrogen dissolved water and is characterized by including: a step of generating nitrogen dissolved water by injecting nitrogen gas into water to replace oxygen and carbon dioxide dissolved in the water with nitrogen; and a step of generating a ready-mixed concrete by kneading the nitrogen dissolved water, cement, an aggregate, and an admixture. The method for manufacturing a reinforced concrete structure is characterized by forming a reinforced concrete structure using a ready-mixed concrete manufactured by a concrete manufacturing method using nitrogen dissolved water.

A mobile volumetric concrete mixing system includes a suction system that vacuums up trench spoils while a trench is being cut. These trench spoils are then screened on-site for particle size to be reused and mixed with water, cement, and/or other admixtures at an auger mixer to form a backfill mixture. This backfill mixture may then be loaded into a hopper that continuously agitates the mixture so that the mixture does not harden before pouring. The agitating hopper is coupled to a discharge chute of the auger mixer and includes one or more augers disposed at various orientations that the backfill mixture is channeled through. From the agitating hopper, the backfill mixture is channeled to an applicator that moves along the trench and that enables the mixture to be quickly poured into the trench with little clean-up required.

The invention relates to an apparatus (110) for producing foamed building materials, comprising a gas supply unit (112), a suspension supply unit (150-156), and a mixing chamber (118), the apparatus (110) further comprising a control and/or regulating unit (136) which has means (116, 124, 130, 134, 146,) for supplying values of a plurality of input parameters, based on which at least a temperature of the dispersion and an air pressure in an environment of the apparatus (110) can be inferred, the control and/or regulating unit (136) being further configured to influence at least one output parameter, by means of which the ratio of the volumes and/or masses and/or densities of gas and suspension supplied per unit of time can be adjusted. The invention further relates to a corresponding method.

Embodiments of a system and a method for continuously manufacturing a joint compound can be used to produce ready mix joint compound. The system includes means for continuously mixing wet and dry joint compound ingredients together and means for homogenizing multiple volumetric units of mixed joint compound to reduce variation in at least one joint compound material property (e.g., viscosity) across multiple successively produced volumetric units of mixed joint compound (relating to standard commercial packaging sizes for joint compound, such as five-gallon pails, for example) relative to the material property of the respective multiple volumetric units before passing through the means for homogenizing.