Apparatus and method for collection of wet concrete residue from dispensing element of concrete delivery vehicles

Abstract

An apparatus for the collection of wet concrete residue that results from rinsing of a concrete dispensing element of a concrete delivery vehicle. The apparatus includes a container body having an internal volume with an open top and a back wall and side wall, a shield guard that extends above a back and at least portions of the side walls of the container body, a containment cover that is hingedly attached to the container body and which permits the containment cover to open between a full opened position where the open top of the container body is accessible, and a fully closed position wherein the container cover water tightly closes the open top of the container body, a drain valve connected to the container body to control flow of liquid out of the container body, a strainer associated with the drain valve which prevents aggregate from being drained through the drain valve, and suspension hooks for suspending the apparatus on a concrete dispensing element of a concrete delivery vehicle.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]This invention relates generally to apparatuses and methods for reclamation of concrete, and more specifically, to a vehicle-mounted apparatus and method for collection of wet concrete residue from dispensing elements of concrete delivery vehicles.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Concrete is composed of aggregate (generally a coarse aggregate such as gravel, limestone, or granite, plus a fine aggregate such as sand), cement (commonly Portland cement) and can also include other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement (with the cement and cementitious materials acting to hold the aggregate together, water, and can also include other chemical admixtures. Depending on the intended use, fiberglass, chemicals and other additives can be added. Concrete is commonly transported to a construction site in concrete mixture delivery vehicles, typically concrete transport trucks (in-transit mixers) having a large rotating mixing drum. During transportati...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0013]a strainer associated with the drain valve which prevents aggregate from being drained through the drain valve; and

[0020]a strainer associated with the drain valve which prevents aggregate from being drained through the drain valve; and

Problems solved by technology

After substantially all of the concrete mixture is unloaded from the delivery transport truck, a considerable amount of wet concrete continues to adhere to the pour chutes.

In recent years, however, the rinse water used to clean the pour chutes is considered a potential groundwater contaminant.

Consequently, environmental laws generally prohibit the disbursal of such rinse waters onto the ground, onto streets, or down storm drains.

However, the construction of a prefabricated evaporation pit at smaller commercial and residential construction sites is impractical and not cost effective.

Many systems require the use of expensive and bulky hydraulic, pneumatic or electrical components which must be carried on the delivery vehicle.

Such hydraulic or electrical components are expensive to purchase and maintain and awkward to carry on the delivery vehicle.

Also, such hydraulic, pneumatic or electrical components leave the driver of the delivery vehicle vulnerable to hydraulic, pneumatic and electrical system failures which would prevent use of the equipment at the construction site.

Still further, proposed equipment in the prior art can suffer from leakage of contaminated water during the normal operation.

Storing such rinse water in the mixing drum can adversely affect the integrity of the next load of concrete mixture prepared and transported within the mixing drum, unless the rinse water is thoroughly drained from the mixing drum prior to the preparation of the next batch of concrete mixture.

From a practical standpoint, this is a major disadvantage of such proposed equipment because there is a strong temptation among individual concrete mixture preparation personnel to reuse the rinse water (already in the mixing drum) rather than to take the time to thoroughly drain and reconstitute the rinse water and to replace it in the mixing drum with fresh water.

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