Ready-Mix Concrete is a major part of any concrete construction project. It is a convenient and efficient tool for building. The concrete is delivered to the site mixed and ready to be cast which saves time and money.
There are two types of ready-mix plants :
A central mixing plant uses a stationary mixer to mix the concrete. The concrete is then transferred into the transportation vehicle.
A truck mixing plant places all unmixed dry materials into a truck mixer. Water is added and mixing is then done in the truck.
Many central mix plants have the ability to bypass the stationary mixer, thus making them a hybrid of the two types.
Besides a few small exceptions, all mixing plants have the same basic layout. The plants consist of aggregate storage, cement/pozzolan storage, batchers (aggregate batching, cement batching, water and admixture batching), dust collection system, feed system, and some sort of mixer (truck mixer or stationary mixer). Due to modern technology, the ready-mix plant can be operated from a remote location. A batch operator uses video equipment and computer systems to control the crucial areas of the plant.
The process of producing concrete in measured batches is called batching. Every ready-mix concrete plant uses this process to produce their concrete. Weigh Batching uses a hopper and a scale to batch all of the dry materials. The scale gives a readout of the weight of material in the hopper. Due to its consistent nature, water can be batched by weigh batching or volumetric batching.
