VOLUMETRIC CONCRETE MIXING SYSTEM, EQUIPMENT, AND METHOD

• US 20180126592A1
• Filed: 11/06/2017
• Published: 05/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: J&P Invesco, LLC
• Original Assignee: MK-1 Construction Services LLC
• Inventors: Karam, Paul A., Karam, Henry J., Leyva, Gabriel J., Peters, Stanley R., Zuniga, David S., Medina, Carlos
• Granted Patent: US 10,688,687 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 27/1921 comprising helical elements and paddles
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 5/0818 Charging or discharging gates or chutes; Sealing means
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 5/0887 provided with sieves or filters
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 5/0893 Mobile mixing devices, e.g. hanging
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 5/1246 with feeding devices B28C5/1276, B28C5/1292 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 5/143 for materials flowing continuously through the mixing device
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 5/16 the stirrers having motion about a vertical or steeply inclined axis with feeding or discharging means B28C5/12
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 9/002 Mixing systems, i.e. flow charts or diagrams; Making slurries; Involving methodical aspects; Involving pretreatment of ingredients; Involving packaging
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 9/0463 with a mixing discharge trough with a free end, e.g. provided with a mixing screw or pivotable about a vertical or horizontal axis
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 9/0481 with means for loading the material from ground level to the mixing device, e.g. with an endless conveyor or a charging skip B28C9/0436 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 23/065 Recycling in place or on the road, i.e. hot or cold reprocessing of paving in situ or on the traffic surface, with or without adding virgin material or lifting of salvaged material; Repairs or resurfacing involving at least partial reprocessing of the existing paving in situ mixing of hydraulic cement concrete E01C19/025; apparatus for in-plant recycling E01C19/1004, E01C19/1036
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 23/0933 rotary, e.g. circular-saw joint cutters
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 23/096 for forming, opening-out, cleaning, drying or heating and filling E01C23/0993 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 2301/50 Methods or devices for preventing dust by spraying or sucking
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 5/223 for back-filling in association with trench excavators E02F5/12

Abstract

A mobile volumetric concrete mixing system includes a suction system that vacuums up trench spoils while a trench is being cut. These trench spoils are then screened on-site for particle size to be reused and mixed with water, cement, and/or other admixtures at an auger mixer to form a backfill mixture. This backfill mixture may then be loaded into a hopper that continuously agitates the mixture so that the mixture does not harden before pouring. The agitating hopper is coupled to a discharge chute of the auger mixer and includes one or more augers disposed at various orientations that the backfill mixture is channeled through. From the agitating hopper, the backfill mixture is channeled to an applicator that moves along the trench and that enables the mixture to be quickly poured into the trench with little clean-up required.

Claims

1. A mobile volumetric mixing system comprising:

a water-storage chamber;

a cement-storage chamber;

an aggregate-storage chamber;

a suction system configured to draw aggregate into the aggregate-storage chamber from an external source;

a conveyor disposed below the aggregate-storage chamber, wherein the conveyor is configured to transport the aggregate to an auger mixer for mixing with water and cement; and

a vibrating aggregate screen disposed between the aggregate-storage chamber and the conveyor.

2. The mobile volumetric mixing system of claim 1 further comprising a large particle-storage chamber configured to collect large particles screened by the vibrating aggregate screen from the aggregate.

3. The mobile volumetric mixing system of claim 1, wherein the suction system comprises a vacuum device and a filtration system.

4. The mobile volumetric mixing system of claim 1 further comprising a hose, wherein the suction system is coupled to the hose that extends between the aggregate-storage chamber and a trenching machine.

5. The mobile volumetric mixing system of claim 1, wherein the aggregate-storage chamber comprises a lift configured to tilt the aggregate-storage chamber about one or more pivots to channel the aggregate towards the vibrating aggregate screen.

6. The mobile volumetric mixing system of claim 1, wherein the mobile volumetric mixing system is disposed on a vehicle.

7. A method of mixing a cement-based mixture comprising:

drawing aggregate into an aggregate-storage chamber from an external source by a suction system;

channeling the aggregate from the aggregate-storage chamber to a conveyor disposed below the aggregate-storage chamber;

screening the aggregate through a vibrating aggregate screen positioned between the aggregate-storage chamber and the conveyor;

transporting the aggregate along the conveyor to an auger mixer; and

mixing the aggregate with water from a water-storage chamber and cement from a cement-storage chamber to form a flowable fill mixture.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising collecting large particles screened by the vibrating aggregate screen from the aggregate channeled from the aggregate-storage chamber in a large particle-storage chamber.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein channeling the aggregate from the aggregate-storage chamber to the conveyor comprises tilting the aggregate-storage chamber about one or more pivots above the vibrating aggregate screen.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein drawing the aggregate into the aggregate-storage chamber comprises collecting trench spoils ejected from a trenching machine by a vacuum device of the suction system that is coupled to a hose extending between the trenching machine and the aggregate-storage chamber.

11. The method of claim 7 further comprising loading the flowable fill mixture into a hopper configured to agitate the flowable fill mixture.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising channeling the flowable fill mixture from the hopper to an applicator.

13. A hopper for a cement-based mixture comprising:

a chute extending along a longitudinal axis, the chute comprising an inlet end and an opposite outlet end, wherein the inlet end is positioned above the outlet end such that the chute is oriented substantially vertically;

a rotatable shaft disposed within the chute along the longitudinal axis;

an auger coupled to the rotatable shaft; and

at least one paddle coupled to the rotatable shaft.

14. The hopper of claim 13, wherein the chute is substantially conically-shaped with a cross-sectional area of the inlet end larger than a cross-sectional area of the outlet end.

15. The hopper of claim 13, wherein the auger is a continuous flight auger disposed adjacent to the outlet end and the at least one paddle is disposed adjacent to the inlet end.

16. The hopper of claim 13, wherein the outlet end comprises a ball-valve for controlling discharge of the cement-based mixture from the chute.

17. The hopper of claim 13, wherein the outlet end is offset from the longitudinal axis.

18. The hopper of claim 13, wherein the rotatable shaft is removable from inside of the chute.

19. The hopper apparatus of claim 13, wherein the chute comprises a hinged access door positioned on a sidewall of the chute.

20. A hopper for a cement-based mixture comprising:

an inlet chute extending along a longitudinal axis;

an auger chute coupled in flow communication with the inlet chute;

a rotatable shaft disposed within the auger chute along a rotation axis, wherein the rotation axis is different than the longitudinal axis; and

an auger coupled to the rotatable shaft.

21. The hopper of claim 20, wherein the auger chute comprises an outlet end comprising a cut-off valve for controlling discharge of the cement-based mixture from the auger chute.

22. The hopper of claim 21, wherein the outlet end is offset from the inlet chute.

23. The hopper of claim 20, wherein the auger chute is a first auger chute and the first auger chute comprises an outlet end, the outlet end is coupled to a second auger chute comprising a rotatable shaft and an auger.

24. The hopper of claim 21 further comprising a bracket configured to couple the inlet chute to a discharge chute of an auger mixer.

25. The hopper of claim 24, wherein the bracket is configured to rotate the inlet chute about the longitudinal axis.

26. An applicator for a cement-based mixture comprising:

a hopper comprising an inlet end and an outlet end;

a hose connector disposed at the inlet end, the hose connector shaped and sized to receive a discharge hose configured to channel a flow of the cement-based mixture into the hopper for discharge out of the outlet end; and

a cut-off device disposed at the hose connector and configured to control the flow of the cement-based mixture into the hopper.

27. The applicator of claim 26, wherein the cut-off device comprises a plate that is sized and shaped to cover the hose connector, and wherein when the cut-off device is in a closed position the plate covers the hose connector.

28. The applicator of claim 27, wherein the plate rotates into the closed position.

29. The applicator of claim 26, wherein the hopper is mounted on one or more wheels.

30. The applicator of claim 26 further comprising a guide pin disposed proximate the outlet end.