Concrete Mixer Drum Coating Sled for Safe Hopper Dispensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current concrete mixing truck solutions lack affordability, reliability, and safety, leading to potential user injury and equipment damage, while fully automated systems are costly and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A solution dispensing system that attaches to existing wash out station frames, utilizing a sled with spray heads and a guiding mechanism to evenly distribute a non-stick coating solution within the mixing drum, reducing maintenance stops and improving load efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If manual solutions are used for solution dispensing, then cost is reduced, but safety risk and equipment damage risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automated self-service dispensing of solutions into the mixing drum, eliminating the need for manual intervention while maintaining safety. The automated sled mechanism independently positions and dispenses solutions without human contact with hazardous materials or equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated dispensing system acts as an intermediary between the operator and the hazardous environment inside the mixing truck. It mediates the dangerous task of solution dispensing by using a remote-controlled sled that enters the drum through the hopper, protecting operators from injury risks while maintaining operational effectiveness.
2Reliability
If fully automated solutions are used, then safety is improved, but cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The automated dispensing system is designed to perform multiple functions: it can dispense various types of solutions (non-stick coatings, release agents, cleaning solutions) into the mixing drum. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require multiple separate automated systems, reducing overall cost while maintaining safety benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a dynamic sled mechanism that can move in and out of the mixing drum as needed, rather than requiring a permanently installed automated system. This dynamic approach allows the same equipment to serve multiple purposes and reduces infrastructure costs while maintaining automated safety benefits.
3Device complexity
If existing wash out station frames are utilized, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into modular segments: the sled unit, the guiding mechanism, the solution delivery system, and the support structure. This segmentation allows the system to be configured and adapted to different wash out station frames while maintaining overall system simplicity. Each module can be independently adjusted or replaced based on specific application requirements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances safety, reduces maintenance time and fuel consumption, extends drum life, and minimizes spillage by evenly coating the drum interior, all while utilizing existing infrastructure.
Implementation Method 1
The spray head can be adapted to spray a fluid or solution into the concrete mixing drum
Implementation Method 2
a pump adapted to regulate a flow of the fluid
Data Source
AI summary
A solution dispensing system for injecting a fluid into a concrete mixing container, comprising of a sled including a housing; at least one spray head; a solution line coupled to the housing and to the spray head adapted to spray fluid into the concrete mixing container; a support structure adapted to attach to an external rigid frame and aligned with a hopper of the concrete mixing container; a guiding mechanism facilitating a raising and a lowering of the sled into the hopper of the concrete mixing container; and a supply source including a container and a pump adapted to regulate a flow of the fluid in the solution line where the sled is lowered into the hopper of the concrete mixing container and the fluid is delivered to a drum of the concrete mixing container through the spray head.