The principle of the concrete mixer - it is useful to know when buying
A special construction machine, called a concrete mixer or concrete mixer, has firmly established itself on construction sites around the world. Outwardly it resembles a barrel with an open top, most often placed under a slope on the frame and rotating around its own axis. The drive can be manual, it can be started with the help of an electric motor or other transmission( in an automixer).
Many such mechanisms are thought up. And their classification is primarily based on the principle of operation of the concrete mixer is applied. In mechanisms, the gravitational concrete mixer is simpler: the rotating drum is equipped with stationary blades, and the mixture is mixed by them.
For more homogeneous formulations, forced mixing is used: the blades are propelled by mixing the components inside the stationary drum. Mixers can rotate continuously or periodically, be mobile or stationary, prepare concrete( when the fractions are up to 70 mm) or a solution( small fractions).
How to work with a concrete mixer - simple rules for the work of
Construction shops offer a large number of models of concrete mixers for domestic needs and construction in a private home. All of them are quite simple, they use the gravitational mixing principle( in the vast majority) and are driven by a belt transmission or a gear-cast iron crown from an electric motor. The average power consumption is about 700 watts.
All variants of models are quite affordable. When properly used, the question of how to prepare concrete in a concrete mixer is successfully solved by all models. With an average drum volume of about 160 liters, the yield of ready-mixed concrete or mortar is standard 2/3 or about a hundred liters.
But, as in any case, you need to know how to work with a concrete mixer. First of all, follow the recommendations of the user manual. Do not change the recommended angle of the drum. The gain in the increase in volume will be "compensated" by a deterioration in the quality of mixing and a decrease in the uniformity of the composition, an increase in the time for its preparation, and an additional load on the motor.
To prevent premature failure, the recommended continuous operation time must be observed. As a rule, the use of asynchronous electric motors allows intensive operation under increased loads.
Concrete manufacturing in a concrete mixer independently
Before how to mix concrete in a concrete mixer , it is necessary to prepare the necessary quantity of cement, sand and crushed stone of the necessary fractionality. It is desirable that the sand and gravel are clean - without clay additives and dust. Better granite or gravel. These conditions are important to fulfill for obtaining high-quality concrete.
Of course, you need a source of water, if possible not mineralized, without salts and other characteristic additives. For the correct preparation of concrete or mortar, it is first necessary to mix sand and cement in the desired proportion in a dry form. This can be done in a separate container( bath, trough, etc.) and only then add the composition to the mixer drum.
Water is poured in the same amount in the right amount after filling the dry mix. After mixing into the resulting solution, crushed stone is added last. The whole process is illustrated in the video, the work of the concrete mixer is shown here in real construction conditions.
It is equally important for the real conditions of using this technique to know the how to clean the concrete mixer. In order to use the mixer more than once, it must be washed out after use by a stream of water or at least pouring it into the drum with a bucket. You can add water with a lot of gravel and, after properly turning the drum, merge it. Gravel will take on the remnants of the solution.
Do not leave solution in the drum. Having hardened, he will deprive him of the opportunity to work further. It is rather difficult to remove the solidified solution from the drum. It is necessary to disassemble the mixer mechanism. Attempts to dislodge pieces of mortar without disassembly can lead to deformation of the shaft and stop the uniform rotation of the drum. So the best way to keep the device ready for use is to maintain its cleanliness of the mixer in between use.