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.

A system and process for detecting dynamic segregation in concrete rotated within a mixer drum, such as mounted on a delivery truck. A system processor is programmed to monitor an instantaneous and averaged rheology parameter (e.g., instantaneous and averaged slump values) and to deploy one or more protocols for detecting the occurrence of segregation. A first protocol comprises monitoring the averaged slump or other rheology value of concrete during and immediately after a jump in drum speed of at least plus or minus four rotations per minute and detecting when a change in the averaged slump value meets or exceeds a threshold limit pre-selected by the user or the system processor; and an optional second protocol comprises monitoring the instantaneous slump or other rheology value of the concrete when the mixer drum is rotating at a constant speed for at least three successive rotations.

A concrete mixer vehicle includes a chassis, a cab coupled to the chassis, a drum assembly coupled to the chassis, and a module coupled to the chassis and positioned rearward of the drum assembly. The module includes a prime mover, a cooling system, and a hood. The hood has a first end positioned proximate the drum assembly, an opposing second end positioned proximate a rear end of the chassis, and a top surface. The hood defines an internal cavity within which the prime mover and the cooling system are disposed. The first end defines an inlet airflow cavity. The inlet airflow cavity has a bottom surface and an air inlet positioned between the top surface and the bottom surface. The air inlet connects the inlet airflow cavity to the internal cavity.

A system features an acoustic sensor configured to mount on a wall of a mixing drum, sense an acoustic characteristic of a mixture of a slurry, including concrete, contained in a mixing drum when rotating, and provide acoustic sensor signaling containing information about the acoustic characteristic sensed; and a signal processor configured to receive the acoustic sensor signaling, and determine corresponding signaling containing information about a slump characteristic of the mixture of concrete contained in the mixing drum, based upon the signaling received.

Globally our environment comprises structures built to perform a meet different requirements including residential, commercial, retail, recreational and service infrastructure. Whilst, millions of tons of construction materials are deployed annually the quality control procedures in many instances have not changed to reflect today's demands. Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide construction companies, engineering companies, infrastructure owners, regulators, etc. with means to automated testing/characterization of construction materials during at least one of its manufacture, deployment in construction and subsequent infrastructure life. It would be further beneficial for such automated methods to exploit self-contained data acquisition/logging modules allowing them to be employed with ease at the different points in the life cycle of a construction material and/or construction project.

Compositions and methods are provided for a system in which liquid carbon dioxide, or a mixture of liquid and gaseous carbon dioxide, is converted to solid carbon dioxide by exiting an orifice at a sufficient pressure drop, e.g., for delivery of carbon dioxide to a concrete mixture in a mixer.

A vehicle including a chassis, a lift axle coupled to the chassis and including a tractive element, a lift actuator coupled to the lift axle, a location sensor configured to provide location data indicating a location of the vehicle, and a controller operatively coupled to the lift actuator and the location sensor and configured to control the lift actuator to reposition the lift axle based on the location data.

A concrete mixer system includes a washout system and a controller. The washout system includes a tank configured to store a fluid, a plurality of electronically controllable valves in fluid communication with the tank, and a plurality of nozzles. One or more of the plurality of nozzles are fluidly coupled to a respective one of the plurality of electronically controllable valves. Each of the plurality of nozzles is configured to be positioned to facilitate washing a respective component of a concrete mixer vehicle. The controller is configured to (i) receive an indication that the washout system is coupled to a continuous fluid source and (ii) operate the washout system in a continuous wash mode in response to receiving the indication.

A vehicle, includes a control interface module, a rolling chassis structure, a working component, and a control interface. The rolling chassis structure includes a chassis and a non-working component. The non-working component is coupled to the chassis and configured to facilitate transit operations for the rolling chassis structure. The non-working component is communicably coupled to the control interface module. The working component is coupled to the rolling chassis structure and is configured to move relative to the chassis. The working component is communicably coupled to the control interface module. The control interface is communicably coupled to the control interface module and configured to receive one or more user commands. The control interface is configured to control an operation of at least one of the working component and the non-working component in response to the one or more user commands.

A concrete mixer vehicle includes a chassis, a cab coupled to the chassis, a front bumper coupled to a front end of the chassis, a drum assembly coupled to the chassis, and a module coupled to the chassis and positioned rearward of the drum assembly. The drum assembly includes a mixing drum defining an aperture and an internal volume, a charge hopper positioned proximate the aperture and above the cab, a chute positioned proximate the aperture, beneath the charge hopper, and a drum driver configured to drive the mixing drum. The module includes a prime mover and a hood within which the prime mover is disposed.