Segmented Mixing Apparatus for Building Materials
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing building material mixing solutions, such as mixing trucks and mobile mixers, face challenges including delays, inconsistent mixing, space inefficiency, and the need for heavy machinery, which complicates operations on busy construction sites.
Innovation Solution
A mixing apparatus with a container divided into two compartments by a wall with an opening, allowing materials to flow from the first compartment for mixing to the second compartment for extraction, ensuring thorough mixing before extraction. The apparatus includes rotating mixing members and an optional automatic feeding system and sensor unit for precise control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a mobile building material mixer is used on site, then the need for mixing trucks is eliminated, but substantial space is required for the mixer and component material piles
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into two compartments by a delimiting wall with an opening, separating the mixing zone from the extraction zone. This segmentation allows continuous operation where materials are mixed in the first compartment and simultaneously extracted from the second compartment, improving productivity without requiring additional space.
2Productivity
If heavy machinery such as front loaders is used to load the mixer, then material can be supplied, but space and man-hours are consumed and safety risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mixing apparatus is designed to be manually loadable without requiring heavy machinery. The components can be fed into the first compartment through the opening in the delimiting wall, allowing site workers to load materials directly, thereby eliminating the need for front loaders and reducing safety risks and space requirements.
3Ease of operation
If component materials are measured in front loader scoops, then loading is simplified, but measurement accuracy is poor leading to inconsistencies
Solution Approach 1:
The delimiting wall with a controlled opening acts as a flow regulator that ensures consistent transfer of materials from the first compartment to the second compartment. This controlled flow path, combined with the segmented design, allows for more precise control of material proportions during mixing, improving measurement accuracy while maintaining ease of operation.
4Productivity
If materials flow freely in the container, then mixing is faster, but some materials may reach the extraction area before being thoroughly mixed
Solution Approach 1:
The delimiting wall with an opening creates two distinct zones: a first compartment for mixing and a second compartment for extraction. The opening limits the flow of building materials, ensuring that materials must be thoroughly mixed in the first compartment before passing to the second compartment, thereby maintaining mixing homogeneity while enabling continuous extraction.
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
The solution provides a continuous, consistent supply of mixed building materials on demand, improving homogeneity and reducing the need for heavy machinery, thus enhancing operational efficiency and safety on construction sites.
Implementation Method 1
a mixing apparatus for mixing building materials, the mixing apparatus comprising: a container comprising mixing members
Implementation Method 2
When in normal use, the longitudinal extension of the container may be in a substantially horizontal plane. Gravity would thereby not substantially affect the flow of the building material in the container.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a mixing apparatus for building materials having a mixing container (10) comprising two compartments (12, 14) separated by a delimiting wall (20). The delimiting wall has an opening (22) restricting the flow of the contents from the first compartment where they enter the container to the second compartment where extraction occurs. This ensures that the contents have spent enough time inside the first compartment, where mixing occurs, to be thoroughly combined before being extracted.