Concrete mixing machinery has become an essential
for any type of construction project. There are two main categories of
mixers namely batch mixers and continuous mixers.
Batch Mixers This type of mixer needs to be emptied after each
cycle, cleaned and reloaded. Depending upon the axis of rotation of the
mixer, they further can be drum mixers and pan mixers.
Drum mixer is either inclined or horizontal. The blades are
attached to the inside of the movable drum. During the process the
material is lifted up and dropped back to the bottom. The cycle repeats.
The drum mixers can be further of three types.
- Non-tilting drum - Here the material are added at one end and
discharged at another.
- Reversing drum - They have just one opening and the drum rotates
in one direction for mixing and in the opposite for discharging.
- Tilting drum - One of the most common types, the inclination can
be varied. It has maximum power when horizontal and the drum is
tilted for discharging the mixed material.
Pan Mixers has a cylindrical pan that carries the concrete. The
pan can be rotating or fixed type. It has two types of blades, one that
mixes the concrete and other that scrapes the sides. The scraper blade
pushes the material towards the mixing blade. After the process is
complete, the material is discharged through a trap at the bottom.
Continuous Mixers It is a category that involves continuous
loading, mixing and discharging, without any breaks. The material is
continuously fed as it is discharged. They have non-tilting drums with
screw type blades in the middle. The drum is fixed ant an angle ,
usually 15 ° towards the discharge end. This type of mixer is most
suitable for a situation where the work time is short.
