There is various equipment used in construction; one of the most prominent and complicated equipment is the cement truck or cement mixer. Way before introducing this equipment, cement and concrete have been used in buildings for ages, but the cement mixer has changed how the industry works.
The History
The concrete truck was developed by Stephen Stepanian, who applied for its patent in 1916. The truck replaced the horse-drawn concrete mixer, which was in use at the time. However, the development of technology at that time made it difficult for the machine to function effectively. Later in the 1940s, the automobile industry saw the need for a truck capable of transporting unset and wet concrete due to the boom in the construction industry after the second world war.
Today, these trucks have developed dramatically in mechanics, even if the initial design hasn’t changed much. Most trucks include a truck frame, rotating mixer, and engine. There is a big motor on the truck that has nothing to do with the engine; this motor rotates the mixer on the back of the truck, mixing the water, aggregate, and cement and ensuring it remains in motion. The constant motion ensures that the concrete does not set until it is poured. However, there is a time limit between when the mixed concrete is loaded into the truck and when it must be poured. Most manufacturers recommend a maximum of 90 minutes, with less than one hour being better.
The new truck mixers’ new design now includes a separate water tank, which allows it for the concrete mixture not to be mixed. These days, only the dry mix is loaded, and when the cement truck gets to the construction site, it is mixed with the water stored in the tank. However, many construction companies still use transit mixers.
Types of Mixers
The most common types of concrete trucks are metered and volumetric mixers. Either of these truck types are used mostly on the construction site. The trucks have separate tanks for water, aggregate, and cement. There is a computer connected to the pumps and augurs. With these types of trucks, the customer can determine the kind of concrete they want on the site. The metric and volumetric mixers are usually used when constructing high rise buildings. You can pair these trucks with pumper trucks to deliver concrete to locations far high up.
The Design of Cement Truck in Relation to Its Function
Regardless of the type of concrete, they all come heavy. For trucks to cope with this weight, they are built to be heavy-duty and tough. Most trucks are made based on the function and what the company that is ordering it asks for. They are powered by engines between 250 to 400 Horsepower and fueled with the engine. Diesel engines offer a higher torque at lesser engine RPM when compared to similar gas engines. This is why they are most preferred in cement trucks, which have a lot of high-power and low-speed applications. The trucks are built to be rugged.
Conclusion
The maintenance of cement trucks is essential if you want them to last. This is not restricted to mechanical maintenance but also cleaning of the trucks and clearing out cement residue.
