B28C7/022

LOW-DENSITY HIGH-STRENGTH CONCRETE AND RELATED METHODS
20180029939 · 2018-02-01 ·

A low-density, high-strength concrete composition that is both self-compacting and lightweight, with a low weight-fraction of aggregate to total dry raw materials, and a highly-homogenous distribution of a non-absorptive and closed-cell lightweight aggregate such as glass microspheres or copolymer polymer beads or a combination thereof, and the steps of providing the composition or components. Lightweight concretes formed therefrom have low density, high strength-to-weight ratios, and high R-value. The concrete has strength similar to that ordinarily found in structural lightweight concrete but at an oven-dried density as low as 40 lbs./cu.ft. The concrete, at the density ordinarily found in structural lightweight concrete, has a higher strength and, at the strength ordinarily found in structural lightweight concrete, a lower density. Such strength-to-density ratios range approximately from above 30 cu.ft/sq.in. to above 110 cu.ft/sq.in., with a 28-day compressive strength ranging from about 3400 to 8000 psi.

CONCRETE DRUM CONTROL, PROPERTY PREDICTION, AND MONITORING SYSTEMS AND METHODS

A vehicle includes a chassis, a drum assembly, and a control system. The drum assembly includes a drum configured to receive drum contents including at least one of ingredients and a mixture and a drive system coupled to the drum. The drive system is configured to rotate the drum to agitate the drum contents. The control system is configured to receive delivery data for the drum contents; receive at least one initial property of the drum contents; predict a delivery property for the drum contents based on the delivery data and the at least one initial property; receive en route data including at least one of mixture data, environment data, and GPS data; and update the predicted delivery property for the drum contents based on the en route data.

CONCRETE DRUM CONTROL, PROPERTY PREDICTION, AND MONITORING SYSTEMS AND METHODS

A concrete mixer vehicle includes a chassis, a cab, a drum system, and a control system. The drum system includes a mixer drum coupled to the chassis and a drum driver configured to rotate the mixer drum. The control system includes an operator interface disposed within the cab and one or more processing circuits. The operator interface includes a display and a joystick. The one or more processing circuits have programed instructions to control the display to provide a graphical user interface. The graphical user interface provides a graphical representation of the mixer drum, a settings button, a temperature output, a pressure output, a slump output regarding a slump of contents within the mixer drum, a speed output regarding a rotational speed of the mixer drum, a revolution counter regarding a number of revolutions of the mixer drum, and a mode indicator regarding an operational mode of the drum system.

Concrete drum control, property prediction, and monitoring systems and methods

A drum control system includes one or more processing circuits having programed instructions to control a drum assembly to rotate a drum at a first, unmixed speed to mix drum contents received by the drum where the drum contents including ingredients of a concrete mixture, acquire drum contents data indicative of a property of the drum contents from a mixture sensor and monitor the property of the drum contents as the drum rotates, acquire a target property for the drum contents upon delivery, determine a second, mixed speed based at least partially on the target property, and control the drum assembly to rotate the drum at the second, mixed speed in response to determining that the property of the drum contents indicates that the ingredients have been sufficiently mixed.

Vehicle control system

A vehicle control system includes a vehicle with a vehicle controller and an electric drive motor, and a portable user device. The portable user device includes a user interface and processor configured to perform a verification process to verify that the portable user device has access to the vehicle, wirelessly connect to the vehicle via a wireless transceiver of the portable user device in response to the portable user device being verified, display a control interface for the vehicle on the user interface of the portable user device in response to connecting to the vehicle, receive an input through the control interface regarding operation of the electric drive motor, and provide a command to the vehicle controller based on the input to facilitate remote operation of the electric drive motor.

Adjusting concrete mixes and mix designs using diagnostic delta data curve

The present invention allows for better control over strength in concrete mixes and mix designs, while minimizing the over-use of cement and promoting sustainability within the industry. Disclosed are novel method and system which employ a diagnostic delta data (DDD) curve, or, in other words, data that displays a curvilinear relationship when plotted on a visual graph, as obtained by considering the differences (e.g., subtractive differences or ratios) as between (i) target slump and target (or maximum) water content, and (ii) slump and water content values as determined using an automated slump monitoring system which measures slump and water content in the concrete mix during delivery. This DDD curve can then be compared to monitored delta slump and delta water content for later or other deliveries, such that adjustments can be made to the concrete mix or mix design, in a manner that encourages avoidance of cement over-dosing or over-prescription.