Provided is a building material manufacturing apparatus and a building material manufacturing method that are suitable for efficiently manufacturing a building material while suppressing clogging of a sieve portion for sieving the building raw material. The building material manufacturing apparatus of the present invention includes, for example, a sieve portion 10 and a receiving tool 30. The sieve portion 10 includes a receiving and sending sheet 11 with no sieve openings, onto which the building raw material M is dropped, and at least one sieve sheet 12 with sieve openings that is located below the sheet. The receiving and sending sheet 11 and the sieve sheet 12 can perform undulating motion, are inclined, and are arranged side by side in the inclination direction. The receiving tool 30 is for receiving the building raw material M that has passed through the sieve openings of the sieve portion 10. In the building material manufacturing method of the present invention, for example, in a state in which the receiving and sending sheet 11 and the at least one sieve sheet 12 are performing undulating motion, the building raw material M is dropped onto the receiving and sending sheet 11, moved from the receiving and sending sheet 11 onto the sieve sheet 12, subjected to sieving by the sieve sheet 12, and the portion that passes through the sieve openings of the sieve sheet 12 is accumulated on the receiving tool 30, whereby a mat with at least one layer is formed.

[Object] To provide a building material having excellent durability. [Solution] A building material has a convex part formed on a surface thereof, the convex part including a first lateral surface part and a second lateral surface part corresponding to the first lateral surface part. The building material is formed from a mixture containing a hydraulic material, an admixture, and a plant-based reinforcing material, and the plant-based reinforcing material at least in the convex part is distributed in the mixture with the hydraulic material and the admixture attached to the plant-based reinforcing material. A distribution of the plant-based reinforcing material in the first lateral surface part and a distribution of the plant-based reinforcing material in the second lateral surface part are substantially the same. Desirably, the convex part includes a first edge part that is an edge part of the first lateral surface part and a second edge part that is an edge part of the second lateral surface part and that corresponds to the first edge part, and a distribution of holes formed in the first edge part and a distribution of holes formed in the second edge part are substantially the same.

[Object] To provide a building material having excellent durability.

[Solution] A building material has a convex part formed on a surface thereof, the convex part including a first lateral surface part and a second lateral surface part corresponding to the first lateral surface part. The building material is formed from a mixture containing a hydraulic material, an admixture, and a plant-based reinforcing material, and the plant-based reinforcing material at least in the convex part is distributed in the mixture with the hydraulic material and the admixture attached to the plant-based reinforcing material. A distribution of the plant-based reinforcing material in the first lateral surface part and a distribution of the plant-based reinforcing material in the second lateral surface part are substantially the same. Desirably, the convex part includes a first edge part that is an edge part of the first lateral surface part and a second edge part that is an edge part of the second lateral surface part and that corresponds to the first edge part, and a distribution of holes formed in the first edge part and a distribution of holes formed in the second edge part are substantially the same.

A flexible mat forming system may include an elongate, rotatable drum having a plurality of transverse rows of mold cavities about an outer periphery thereof, an elongate hopper positioned adjacent the drum, the hopper shaped to receive a hardenable paste and deposit the hardenable paste along a facing row of the plurality of transverse rows of mold cavities, a spool assembly for feeding a sheet of mesh material between the hopper and the facing row, and a retaining plate extending partially about the outer periphery of the drum and positioned on a downstream side of the elongate hopper, the retaining plate spaced sufficiently close to the outer periphery to retain the mesh material against the outer periphery of the drum and the hardenable paste within the mold cavities adjacent the retaining plate.

[Object] To provide a building material manufacturing apparatus and a building material manufacturing method each of which is suitable to vary, in a receiver width direction, a building raw material deposit amount on a building material forming receiver that receives a building raw material under a sieve portion that screens the building raw material.

[Solution] A building material manufacturing apparatus includes a sieve portion 10 and a receiver 30 that receives a building raw material M that has passed through the meshes of the sieve portion 10. The sieve portion 10 includes a series of sheets that are each capable of performing a wave motion when the apparatus is operating, that have an inclination, and that are arranged in a direction of the inclination. The series of sheets include a sieve sheet 12 and a sieve sheet 13 positioned below the sieve sheet 12. In the sieve sheet 12, meshes having an identical size are arranged at a regular pitch in a sheet width direction W. In the sieve sheet 13, meshes having two or more different sizes are arranged or a mesh region R1 and a non-mesh region R2 are arranged, in the sheet width direction W. The receiver 30 is movable below the series of sheets. The building material manufacturing method includes, by using the apparatus, forming a mat on the receiver 30, the mat including a first layer formed from a part of the building raw material M that has passed through the meshes of the sieve sheet 12 and a second layer formed from a part of the building raw material M that has passed through the meshes of the sieve sheet 13.

In an exemplary embodiment, a system for forming a flexible mat having an open mesh embedded in and interconnecting a plurality of blocks of a hardened paste includes a rotating drum having a plurality of mold cavities about an outer periphery thereof that receive a hardenable paste; a sheet of the open mesh that is fed over the mold cavities so that the mesh is embedded in the hardenable paste deposited in the mold cavities; and a flexible sheet that is placed against the outer periphery of the drum over the mold cavities containing the hardenable paste and the sheet of open mesh of the rotating drum to retain the hardenable paste within the mold cavities and retain the open mesh embedded in the hardenable paste as the hardenable paste solidifies to form the flexible mat.

To provide a building material manufacturing apparatus that is suitable for suppressing clogging of a screen that screens a building raw material.

A building material manufacturing apparatus X1 includes at least a screen part 10 and a cleaning mechanism part 40. The screen part 10 includes at least one screen sheet 12 that has an inclination and that has a screen mesh. The cleaning mechanism part 40 includes a scraping part 40a. When the apparatus operates in a building material manufacturing mode in which a building raw material M is supplied to the screen sheet 12 and the screen sheet 12 is performing a wave motion, the scraping part 40a is separated from the screen sheet 12, and, when the apparatus operates in a cleaning mode in which the building raw material M is not supplied to the screen sheet 12 and the screen sheet 12 is not performing a wave motion, the scraping part 40a rotates in contact with the screen sheet 12.

A method of producing concrete blocks for creating a surface covering, wherein each concrete block comprises a multiple-layer concrete block body with at least one level concrete block underside and, opposite the at least one level concrete black underside, an essentially flat concrete block upper side, wherein the multi-layer concrete block body comprises a first concrete block layer designed as a facing concrete layer and forming the concrete block upper surface, at least one second concrete block layer designed as a core concrete layer, as well as at least one third concrete block layer forming the concrete block underside. In the method at least one formwork is provided.

In embodiments, a flexible mat forming system includes a rotating drum having a plurality of mold cavities; a hopper that receives a hardenable paste and deposits the hardenable paste into the mold cavities as the drum rotates relative to the hopper; and a sheet of mesh material that is fed between the hopper and the mold cavities facing the hopper. The hopper includes a plurality of side walls and a bottom panel having an opening, wherein the plurality of walls and the bottom panel define an interior chamber; and an auger rotatably mounted in the interior chamber and having a plurality of radially extending protrusions along a length thereof, the radially extending protrusions including angled surfaces to displace the material received in the interior chamber along a length of the interior chamber to fall through the opening into the mold cavities.

In embodiments, a flexible mat forming system includes a rotating drum having a plurality of mold cavities; a hopper that receives a hardenable paste and deposits the hardenable paste into the mold cavities as the drum rotates relative to the hopper; and a sheet of mesh material that is fed between the hopper and the mold cavities facing the hopper. The hopper includes a plurality of side walls and a bottom panel having an opening, wherein the plurality of walls and the bottom panel define an interior chamber; and an auger rotatably mounted in the interior chamber and having a plurality of radially extending protrusions along a length thereof, the radially extending protrusions including angled surfaces to displace the material received in the interior chamber along a length of the interior chamber to fall through the opening into the mold cavities.