Concrete unit: types of installations, equipment operation,

In modern construction, concrete is one of the main materials. The speed and quality of work is directly dependent on the uninterrupted supply of the solution. In capital construction, transportation of the composition to the work site is rather expensive, plus there is no guarantee that the solution will be of the required quality. A mortar-concrete unit is nothing more than a small plant for the production of concrete, so construction companies prefer to produce a solution using it directly on the object.

Varieties of installations

A modern concrete mixing unit is a rather complicated technical device. In essence, this is a compact line with a complete production cycle.

Despite the fact that the price of these complexes at first glance may seem high, according to practitioners, they pay off in record time.

• Naturally, construction projects are different and the goals for acquiring this equipment are also different. Therefore, there are many varieties of such lines, experts distinguish 2 main areas of production of such equipment.
• First of all it is mobile lines. Such equipment has a relatively compact size. Some units may include a platform for moving. The remaining parts of the complex are designed in such a way that they can be quickly disassembled and loaded onto road or railway platforms.
• Such lines are in demand in construction companies specializing in large objects. They are indispensable in road construction and bridge construction. As a rule, the power of such lines ranges from 10 - 15 m? per hour, up to 120 m? at one o'clock. Are there exclusive mobile lines that can produce up to 400 m? per hour, but such equipment is designed to order.
• The second major direction is the construction of stationary mini plants. The stationary concrete solution node is considered to be of higher quality. Production volumes here can also vary from the minimum ones intended for servicing a small production line for various concrete products. To a powerful production capable of satisfying the needs of several construction projects at once. This branch is interesting to entrepreneurs specializing only in the production and sale of concrete.

Tip: although the price of mobile complexes may be higher, but they are designed so that their placement and work requires much less permissive documents than to install a fixed line. What is beneficial under certain conditions.

• Now there are manufacturers who produce, so-called, partially mobile complexes. Such a concrete mixing unit can be transported within one object without disassembling completely.

Equipment operation

Work in winter conditions

Most of the vast expanses of our vast country are characterized by rather harsh winters, and if small, private construction can be suspended during cold weather, then, as a rule, they cannot afford such luxury facilities.

Therefore, any concrete mixing unit is calculated for operation, both at high and at low temperatures.

• To switch to winter work, the equipment must be equipped with insulated bunkers.
• The operator’s cabin must also be insulated and sealed.
• But the most important thing is that there is the possibility of heating water, additives and other components of the solution that can freeze.

Important: when pouring large areas in winter, to compensate for internal stresses during solidification, partial cutting of reinforced concrete with diamond circles into sectors is applied. Plus diamond drilling holes in concrete when working with multimeter monoliths.

Equipment management

Fortunately, the days have long gone in summer when most of the work at the construction site was done by hand. The modern node is almost completely automated.

This is especially important for dissolvable objects.

• The system is designed for the fact that all work must be performed by one operator. More precisely, the operator only sets the parameters of the process and monitors the production.
• The line itself weighs and doses the components. Bring to the required temperature and add water with additives to concrete.

Tips for choosing

First of all, you need to decide on the number of bins for bulk components of the solution.

• They must be at least 2, it is provided that you do not expect to expand production and are going, in the old manner, to work only with sand and rubble.

Tip: if at the moment there is not enough money for additional bunkers, then make sure that your concrete solution unit has the possibility of retrofitting in the future.

• It is worth paying particular attention to the choice of the auger, gearbox and engine. In the work quite often you can encounter a situation where the cement, wetted and comes in lumps. In this case, there is a high probability of damage to the feed system. Either the auger petals break, or the reducer fails. The leaders here are the Germans and Italians. Domestic manufacturers occupy a solid middle, and Turkish and Chinese equipment leaves much to be desired.
• Cement silos are relatively cheap, but their components are quite expensive.. The price of pneumatic, filter, auger and gearbox can take up to a third of the cost of the complex. Therefore, it is advisable to take a smaller number of silos, but with a large volume.
• The concrete mixing unit can be called the heart of any complex; it depends on its quality how long the line will work. Above, we have already mentioned the importance of the choice of gear, it is also worth paying attention to the state of armor. But the blades in the mixer are considered the blades, in some documents they may be called blades.

There are 2 types of mixers, planetary type and twin-roll.

1. In planetary-type aggregates, the blades are larger, therefore they break more often.
2. Two-roll or twin-shaft mixers are more expensive, but they break less often and enjoy a good reputation among specialists.

When buying such a line, you can save on different things, but the mixer is the last thing worth saving.

The video in this article shows the work of the concrete node.

Conclusion

When buying a new complex, check the warranty period of operation of the central nodes. In the case of purchasing a used unit, compare the time worked with the total resource of the line.

In addition, each unit should have detailed instructions, do not rely on their professionalism, different manufacturers mechanisms may be operated differently. (See also the article What is concrete sealant: features.)