Ready-mix concrete is generally known as tailor-made concrete which is made in a Cement factory within a batching plant. It is manufactured based on standard required specifications. Concrete mix is later taken to the worksite within transit mixers which would be mounted over a truck. The above type of concrete ensures durability and sustainability. A precise mixture of high quality is made out efficiently by the concrete manufacturing method.
Kinds of Ready Mixed Concrete
Based on the mixing of various ingredients, it is divided into three kinds. They are
- Transit mixed concrete
- Shrink mixed concrete
- Central mixed concrete
Transit mixed concrete
Transit mixed concrete is known by another name that is dry-batched concrete. It is because all the basic ingredients are charged directly into the truck mixer. The mixer drum will revolve fast at charging speed at the time of loading of the material. Soon after that, it continues rotating at a normal speed. Transit mixed concrete has subdivisions. They are
1) Job site concrete
During the transportation of the transit mixed concrete from the cement factory, the drum will revolve at a slow speed, but after reaching the site it will revolve water maximum speed which will ensure homogeneous mixing.
2) Transit concrete mix
During the transit time, the drums speed is kept to the medium. After it completes 70 revolutions it is slow down, till the time of discharging the concrete.
3) Concrete mix in the Yard
The drum is turned for about 50 revolutions at high speed in the yard and then during the transit time, the speed is slowed down.
Shrink mixed concrete
Shrink mixed concrete has two processes to undergo. A part of the concrete will be mixed in the plant mixer and the remaining is mixed in the truck-mounted as drum mixer during the transit time. The amount of requirement of mixing depends upon the extent of mixing is done in the central mixing plant. The process also includes the test, which is conducted to establish the requirement to determine the mixing.
Central mixed concrete
This kind of concrete is known by another name as Central batching plant. This type of concrete is completely mixed before loading into the truck mixer. It has many other names like wet batch or premix plants.
Benefits of ready mixed concrete
You can expect a quality concrete only when the ready mix concrete is made out of sophisticated equipment and consistent methods. That is why strict control is emphasised on the testing of materials, process parameters, and continuous monitoring of key practices at the time of manufacture.
However, at times of our control on the input materials, the batching and the mixing methods are solved in a ready mix concrete method.
The speed of construction practices has tremendously increased after the ready mix concrete having merchandised operations.
Proper handling and mixing practice will help to reduce the consumption of the cement by 10 to 12%.
You can also make use of admixtures and other cementations materials which will help to reduce the amount of cement.
Ready-mix concrete manufacture will have to depend less on the human labours and this reduces the human errors to a considerable number.