Mobile Transfer Station for Wet Concrete Dispensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge is to efficiently transfer and dispense wet concrete at a job site using dump trucks, which lack precise dispensing capabilities and mixing adjustments, leading to viscosity issues affecting workability, while ready mix trucks are costly and less available.
Innovation Solution
A mobile transfer station with a mobile frame, conveyor, hopper, and chute system that allows dump trucks to deliver wet concrete to a mobile transfer station, which then efficiently transfers it to ready mix trucks for precise dispensing and mixing at the job site, utilizing a collapsible and tiltable design for easy transport and operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If dump trucks are used to deliver wet concrete, then cost and availability are improved, but precise dispensing capability and mixing adjustment are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile transfer station serves as an intermediary device between the dump truck and the final placement point. It receives bulk concrete from the dump truck via the hopper and chute system, then uses the conveyor belt to precisely transport and dispense the concrete to the exact location needed, thereby combining the cost benefits of dump trucks with the precision of controlled dispensing
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the concrete delivery process into distinct functional zones: the receiving area (hopper and chute for bulk intake), the transport area (conveyor belt for controlled movement), and the dispensing area (where concrete is precisely placed). This segmentation allows each component to optimize its specific function while working together to solve the overall contradiction
2Quantity of substance
If dump trucks transport wet concrete, then payload capacity is improved, but viscosity control and workability are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile transfer station introduces dynamic control to the concrete transport process. The conveyor belt speed can be adjusted to control the flow rate of concrete, and the system can pause or resume operation as needed. This dynamic control allows viscosity management and maintains workability even when transporting large quantities of concrete that would otherwise sit stagnant in a dump truck
3Ease of operation
If ready mix trucks are used, then precise dispensing and mixing adjustment are improved, but cost and availability are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile transfer station acts as a mediator that enables the use of cheaper, more available dump trucks to achieve the precise dispensing capabilities normally associated with expensive ready mix trucks. By adding this intermediary equipment to the dump truck setup, the system gains precision dispensing without paying the premium for ready mix truck services
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
Facilitates efficient and cost-effective use of dump trucks for bulk material delivery and ready mix trucks for precise concrete adjustments and placement, improving workability and reducing the need for multiple ready mix trucks, while being self-contained and low-maintenance.
Implementation Method 1
A lift mechanism coupled to the mobile frame and the hopper is provided to move the hopper between a lowered position and a raised position such that a combination of the hopper and the chute rotate in unison about the hinging axis
Implementation Method 2
A mobile transfer station for flowable material includes a mobile frame and a conveyor having a first end coupled to the mobile frame and having a second end
Implementation Method 3
A hopper having an open top is mounted on the mobile frame. The hopper has a side wall with an opening passing there through
Data Source
AI summary
A flowable-material transfer station includes a mobile frame and a conveyor coupled thereto. A hopper mounted on the mobile frame has a side wall with an opening. A chute's loading end is rigidly coupled to the hopper at the side wall opening thereof wherein the chute is in fluid communication with the hopper via the opening. The hopper is hingedly coupled to the mobile frame and the chute's dispensing end is positioned over a first end of the conveyor. A lift mechanism is provided to move the hopper between a lowered position and a raised position. The chute's dispensing end is above the chute's loading end when the hopper is in its lowered position, and is below the chute's loading end when the hopper is in its raised position.