Disclosed is a method and system for blending a foam modifier with foaming agent online, e.g., as may be particularly useful for gypsum or cement slurries. The foam modifier comprises a fatty alcohol that is added to a gypsum or cement slurry that includes foaming agent, such as an alkyl sulfate surfactant. The fatty alcohol can be a C.sub.6-C.sub.16 fatty alcohol in some embodiments. The use of such a foam modifier can be used, for example, to stabilize the foam, reduce waste of foaming agent, improve void size control in the final product, and improve the gypsum board manufacturing process.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, modification of concrete within a pumping line is achieved with new designs of inline static mixers allowing passage of concrete material that is primarily of solids in the form of suspended minerals, cement and aggregates, and without benefit of the flow of additional fluid, such as the airflow driving a shotcrete process. According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, modification within a concrete pumping line is essential where unmodified concrete is necessary for purposes of batching or pumping, such as where the modification creates a very rapid set or an extreme thickening. According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, modification, unmodified concrete can be delivered to the point of inline modification at the end of a pumping line, where highly reactive components can then be intermixed. According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, this allows volume production of Roman Concrete or a hot mortar activated with quicklime, facilitates the inclusion of highly reactive shrinkage compensating agents, makes the use of alkali-activated or geopolymer concrete more practical for large-scale production, and makes possible very rapid additive-manufacturing methods with low-cost conventional delivered concrete.

This disclosure describes volumetric mobile powder mixer (VMPM) systems and methods for VMPM operation and use. The VMPM is providing with a number of storage compartments (or bins) for liquid or solid ingredients including at least one powder storage bin, a powder transport system, a dust handling system, a solid/liquid mixing system, a cellular foam generator, a product delivery system, and a controller capable of monitoring the delivery and mixing of each of the ingredients, as well as the discharge of the final product. The controller determines if the proper mixture is being discharged by the VMPM and, if not, alerts the VMPM operator. In an automated embodiment, the VMPM controller is also configured to independently control the delivery and mixing of each of the ingredients, as well as the delivery of the final product.

A concrete mixer vehicle includes a mixer drum, an additive admixture system, and a controller. The additive admixture system includes an air inlet valve, a fluid valve, an air valve, and a pump. The controller is configured to operate the additive admixture system to transition the additive admixture system between an additive addition mode, a drain mode, and a system clear mode. The controller transitions the additive admixture system into the additive addition mode and operates the pump until a desired amount of an additive is added to the mixer drum, transitions the additive admixture system into the drain mode for a predetermined amount of time in response to the desired amount of additive being added to the mixer drum, and transitions the additive admixture system into the system clear mode for a predetermined amount of time to clear stagnant fluid or built up mixture from the additive admixture system.

The invention provides methods and compositions for treating wash water from concrete production with carbon dioxide. The treated wash water can be reused as mix water in fresh batches of concrete.

A method for producing a three-dimensional object from a curable binder composition with an additive manufacturing process, the method including the steps of: producing the curable binder composition in the setting state, preferably by mixing the constituents of the curable binder composition in a mixing unit, conveying the curable binder composition in the setting state via a supply line to a printing head movable in at least one spatial direction, applying the curable binder composition in the setting state by means of the printing head, wherein the curable binder composition is preferably applied layer-by-layer, to form the three-dimensional object, determining a pressure drop over a length section of the supply line with at least two pressure measuring device(s), optionally, determining a flow rate of the curable binder composition in the supply line, optionally determining a temperature of the curable binder composition in the supply line.

A system comprises a cement mixer, a supply tank to supply dry cement to the cement mixer, and a dry cement height sensor to measure the height of the dry cement in the cement supply tank. A valve controls the flow of dry cement to the cement supply tank based on the signals from the dry cement height sensor. Additional apparatus, methods, and systems are disclosed.

A liquid additive mixing apparatus is provided that has a plurality of chambers containing additives, as well as a system for mixing the additives. One or more additives are mixed with water to form a mixing fluid. The mixing fluid is placed in a first tank that is fluidly connected to a cement mixing unit. A cementing operation is executed during which the mixing fluid from the first tank is mixed with a cement to form a slurry. A capillary electrophoresis (CE) instrument is employed to monitor at least one additive parameter and detect deviations from a predetermined tolerance for the at least one additive parameter.

An example apparatus for additive manufacturing can include a supply of dry cement powder (702) having an individually controllable outlet (704); a supply of a dry mineral filler (706) having an individually controllable outlet (708); a supply of a curing accelerator (712) having an individually controllable outlet (714); and a supply of water (716) having an individually controllable outlet (718). A batch mixer (722) can receive and mix a controlled amount dry cement powder from the supply of dry cement powder, a controlled amount of dry mineral filler from the supply of dry mineral filler, a controlled amount of curing accelerator from the supply of curing accelerator, and a controlled amount of water from the supply of water, thus forming a batch of cementitious material. A pump (750) can be connected to the batch mixer to pump the cementitious material. A delivery hose (150) can be connected to the pump to deliver the cementitious material pumped by the pump from the batch mixer. A printhead (502) can be connected to an outlet of the delivery hose. The printhead can be positionable in three-dimensional space.

Device for metering color pigments as an additive for cement or alternative cement for the production of colored concrete products, comprising at least three containers for receiving respectively different color pigments, a control unit for setting the discharge quantities from the containers, and a sensor system coupled to the control unit in order to meter a color pigment composition taking into account the discharge quantities detected by the sensor system, wherein at least one brightness value L* value for the inherent color of the cement or alternative cement of the concrete product to be colored in each case is stored or storable in the control unit, and the control unit is configured to apply a color triangle as a function of the at least one L* value for controlling the output of predetermined quantities of the color pigments from the at least three containers based on a set of three standard color values X, Y, Z.