Concrete Washout Container Design for Equipment Height Variability
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for washing residual concrete from concrete handling equipment face challenges in efficiently isolating and containing concrete for safe disposal, particularly due to variability in equipment height and weight, leading to issues with hay bales and ramps, which can cause damage and environmental hazards.
Innovation Solution
A specifically designed concrete washout container that interfaces with concrete pumps and mixers, featuring a rectangular frame structure with side ribs and cross-bar members for strength, allowing it to be positioned directly under the equipment without ramps, ensuring efficient containment and safe disposal of residual concrete.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If hay bales and plastic are used to isolate washout concrete, then environmental contamination is prevented, but the variability in height creates difficulty in appropriately locating the concrete mixer
Solution Approach 1:
The container is designed with specific dimensional parameters (width of 10-14 feet, length of 20-30 feet, and height of 6-12 inches) that create a standardized interface with concrete handling apparatus. This standardization eliminates the height variability problem while maintaining containment effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The containment system is segmented into a modular container with standardized dimensions that can be independently positioned and configured, separating the containment function from the positioning challenges of hay bales.
2Ease of operation
If ramps are combined with hay bales to orient the concrete pumping apparatus, then positioning is improved, but the inherent weight of concrete mixing machinery exceeds the capacity of ramps
Solution Approach 1:
The ramp component is extracted and removed from the system entirely. The container is designed to be positioned directly under the concrete pump without requiring ramps, eliminating the strength and load capacity problems while maintaining proper positioning through its standardized dimensions.
3Device complexity
If containers are made smaller to fit under concrete pumps, then interference with the pump is reduced, but the container cannot accommodate the height and weight of the machinery
Solution Approach 1:
The container is designed with universal dimensions (10-14 feet width, 20-30 feet length, 6-12 inches height) that make it compatible with multiple types of concrete handling apparatus. This standardized design allows the same container to work with different pumps and mixers without requiring custom sizing, eliminating both interference and accommodation problems.
Data Source
AI summary
A container for receiving and transporting residual washout concrete or cement from concrete handling apparatus comprising a rectangular top frame member including two lateral top frame members and two transverse top frame members, the top frame members affixed at their distal ends thereby forming the rectangular top frame member, and a rectangular bottom frame member including two lateral bottom frame members and two transverse bottom frame members, the bottom frame members affixed at their distal ends thereby forming the rectangular bottom frame member, wherein the top and bottom frame members are oriented in substantial parallel planes, and including rigid side frame members affixed to both the top frame member and the bottom frame member, thereby maintaining the substantial parallel relationship between the top and bottom frame members, further including side plate members affixed to the side frame members, and a bottom plate member affixed to the bottom frame members, the side and bottom plate members together with the top, bottom, and side frame members forming a concrete or cement tight container.