Lightweight Masonry Mix Reducing Bag Weight

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing pre-mixed mortar, stucco, and masonry mixes are heavy, leading to worker fatigue, increased transportation costs, and environmental impact due to the weight and volume of bags, with existing lightweight cement mixes not addressing the need for a pre-mixed composition including sand.

Innovation Solution

A pre-mixed composition comprising 70-80% sand and 20-30% lightweight cement mix, including Portland or hydraulic cement, fly ash, sodium tall oil, sodium stearate, sodium C14-16 Alpha Olefin, linear alkyl benzene, and silicon dioxide, which reduces the weight of each bag to approximately 65 pounds while maintaining equivalent volume and strength when mixed with water.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If traditional pre-mixed mortar, stucco or masonry is used, then strength and structural integrity are achieved, but worker fatigue and transportation costs increase due to heavy weight

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural integrityVSAvoidbag weight
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the physical-chemical parameters of the cement composition by incorporating specific additives (accelerators, retarders, water reducers) that modify the hydration process and density characteristics, achieving the same strength with reduced weight

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The invention creates a composite cement mixture combining traditional cement with specialized chemical additives and potentially supplementary materials, forming a new composite material that maintains structural properties while reducing density

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Productivity

If larger bags are used to reduce transportation trips, then fewer trips are needed, but worker lifting difficulty and storage space requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransportation efficiencyVSAvoidlifting difficulty
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

By changing the density parameter of the cement mixture through additive incorporation, the patent enables larger bag sizes (e.g., 80 pounds) to produce the same volume of mortar as smaller traditional bags, improving transportation efficiency while keeping individual bag weights manageable

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Volume of moving object

If more sand is used to maintain volume equivalence, then volume consistency is achieved, but the overall mixture weight increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemortar volumeVSAvoidmixture weight
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent modifies the density and packing characteristics of the cement-sand-water mixture through chemical additives that affect particle arrangement and water-cement ratio, achieving volume equivalence with reduced overall weight

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS8252108B2Light-weight composition and mix for masonry, mortar and stucco
Publication Date: 2012.08.28 THE QUIKRETE CO LLC

AI summary

An application for a pre-mixed mortar, stucco or masonry composition includes a approximately 75% sand and 25% of a light-weight cement mix comprising a cement (either Portland cement or hydraulic cement), fly ash, sodium tall oil, sodium stearate, sodium C14-16 Alpha Olefin, linear alkyl benzene; and silicon dioxide.