Production Process of Ready Mix Concrete

Ready mix concrete is a mixture of Portland cement, water and aggregates comprising sand and gravel or crushed stone. During the mixing phase the different components come together to produce a uniform mass of concrete.

A ready-mix concrete plant consists of silos that contain cement, sand, gravel and storage thanks of additives such as plasticizers, as well as a mixer to blend the components of concrete. These components are gravity fed into the preparation bin. The quality of concrete can be maintained only if the formulation is carefully administered. The water dosage in particular must be very precise and the mixing itself must remain continuous and consistent. To accommodate all of these constraints, the concrete plants have been automated to ensure reliability throughout the manufacturing process using centralized computer.

Finally, the concrete prepared in a batch plant is loaded into a mixer truck, also known as a transit mixer, which delivers it to the construction site.

Raw material used to produce concrete

Aggregates

Aggregates, which make up roughly 60% to 75% of ready-mix concrete’s volume, are obtained from quarries and aggregate banks.

Additives

Additives are solid or liquid chemical substances that can be added to ready-mix concrete before or during preparation. Most commonly used additives either improve a hardened concrete’s durability or reduce a concrete’s water content in an effort to shorten setting times.

Water

This is the mix’s vital fluid, which sets of a chemical reaction when it comes into contact with the cement.

Cement

No other material rivals cement’s importance in the mix; it’s the ingredient that gives concrete its resistance. Although types II and IV are also employed, the most widely used cements are gray Portland type I and Pozzolana Portland type C-2.

Concrete mixing

During the mixing phase the different components come together to produce a uniform mass of concrete. Mixing time is registered from the moment material and water is poured into the cement mixer, and it begins rotating.

While transporting concrete to a site, the cement mixer never stops revolving at a speed of two to six rotations per minute.
CVC ReadyMix