Ready-mix concrete is concrete that is manufactured in a factory or within a batch plant based on specific mix designs. The mix design consists of Portland cement, water, and aggregates such as sand, gravel, or crushed stone as per specifications of the customer, at a centrally located batching plant. RMC is then delivered at site in one of two ways, namely barrel truck or in-transit mixers and volumetric concrete mixers. Ready-mixed concrete is manufactured under computer-controlled operations. It helps to avoid the problems like poor workability, segregation and bleeding, improper water-cement ratio, and inadequate mixing time which are always faced in the traditional concrete mixes. Ready-mix concrete is sold by volume and expressed in cubic meters.
Why choose ready-mix concrete?
When mixed on-site there can be lots of variable factors such as weather, contaminants in the raw materials, water ratio, etc that affect the product’s end quality. As a result, of these potential issues, concrete might not meet the specifications and produce less quality concrete.
Ready-mix concrete not only saves you time on-site but also the hassle of gathering all the raw materials for site-mixed concrete. Different tests consisting of slump, air content, temperature, density, compressive strength and flexural strength is undertaken to ensure that all specified conditions meet the acceptable criteria. The consistency across all job sites is due to the homogeneity of production.
The ready-mixed concrete is delivered in a ready-mix concrete truck, which has the benefits of being able to easily move bulk amounts of concrete at once. These trucks come with a precise balance & weight system, which helps to ensure measurements are as accurate as possible. You can also customize your concrete ready-mix depending on the project requirement.
The demand for ready-mix concrete in the construction industry has been increasing due to rise in demand for versatile building materials and increase in concern toward durable construction methods. Advantages like sight supervision and reduced cost for labor, aligned with ease handling involved in ready-mix construction are projected to attract considerable demand for ready-mix concrete in the coming years. In addition, the product is being largely used as an alternative for unconventional concrete on grounds of high convenience, enhanced quality and ease of use.
Functionality of ready mix concrete batching plants
- Controlling the quality of concrete.
- Proper Water control system.
- Storage and conveyance.
- Proper ad-mixture control system.
- Synchronized Control system.
Advantages of ready mix concrete
- High-Quality Product with high-quality materials, balanced the water-cement ratio perfectly and proper grading of aggregates
- Delivered ready to use and less time-consuming.
- Does not require additional storage space for raw materials. Material waste at the site is minimal. Consistent quality due to an automated and controlled environment.
- Large amounts of concrete can be delivered
- Solves the problem of batching and poor control on the input materials
- Deliveries of ready mix concrete also tend to be timely and efficient
- Noise and dust pollution at site is reduced
- Concrete is used in less amount as compared to the other concrete, so it has a lesser impact on the environment.
Types of ready-mix concrete
Ready mix concrete comes in three types, with each type is determined by the specific mixture of ingredients.
- Shrink Mixed Concrete
- Transit Mixed Concrete
- Central Mixed Concrete
Shrink Mixed Concrete
Shrink mixed concrete is RMC which is partially mixed in a stationary mixer at the ready mix plant. The final mixing is done in a truck mixer enroute to the job. The amount of mixing in transit mixer depends upon the extent of mixing done in the central mixing plant.
Transit Mixed Concrete
Transit mixed concrete is also called dry-batched concrete. In this type of RMC, all of the basic ingredients are charged directly in the truck mixer. Most of the water is usually batched at the plant. The mixer drum is turned at charging (fast) speed during the loading of the materials.
Transit mixed concrete comes in three variations:
- Mixed at Job Site – while traveling to the job site, the drum is turned at an agitating speed (slow speed). After arriving at the job site, the concrete is completely mixed.
- Mixed in Transit- drum is turned at medium speed , while driving to the job site. Then the drum is then slowed to the agitating speed
- Mixed in the Yard- the drum is turned at high speed and then agitated slowly while driving to the job site.
Central Mixed Concrete
Central mixed concrete is also known as central batching plant concrete. This type of RMC is mixed thoroughly prior to being loaded into a truck mixer. During transit, the truck’s mixing drum functions as an agitator.
Types of ready-mix concrete batching plants
Mobile Ready – Mix Concrete Plants
Mobile ready mix concrete plants consist of portable shaft mixers designed to be moveable and thus are installed on towable chassis with wheels for maximum mobility and quick setup. Mobile batching plants are perfect for temporary construction sites or construction projects where the equipment would only be needed for specific and brief portions of the projects. Mobile concrete equipment can be easily installed and dismantled and as such require very minimal preparation or set up before use.
Compact Ready – Mix Concrete Plants
Compact ready-mix concrete plants consume less space on site and gives accurate output, having whole plant assembly on single chassis with provision of material feeding conveyor so no need to make ramp to feed the bins of the plant, comes with PLC based control panel which makes plant operating easy and trouble free, having availability of fabricated skid to avoid civil foundation work at site at additional cost. Compact concrete batching plants basically consist of aggregate bunker, aggregate weighing band, mixer feeding band, aggregate bucket, cement silos, cement spiral, concrete mixer and automation system. They can be easily transported to the location of the project site and ready for production in a short time as well as the high-quality concrete production.
Stationary Ready – Mix Plants
Stationary ready mix batching plant has an optimized minimum aggregate loading height and a robust and low maintenance design, which meets and exceeds the needs of the RMC Industry and the Infra sector. A two-level PLC-based control system along with independent electronic weighing of ingredients via high precision load cells and sensors allows the plant to deliver consistent quality concrete for all types of mix designs. Stationary concrete batching plant is more suitable for projects that need a long construction period and don’t need to move machinery frequently. It is equipped with an aggregate holding hopper to hold the required materials at top of the mixer after weighing for the next batch while the mixer is batching.
Dry Ready – Mix Concrete Plants
A dry ready mix concrete batching plant does not comprise any concrete mixers. The mixing trucks carry out this process of mixing and the operation is quite thorough without any error. Aggregate weight of cement, water, etc. is automatically measured and is then poured into the mixer truck. In the dry batching plant, the ingredients are first discharged into a chute before being transferred to the concrete mixer truck. It has a very strong build that makes it competent to perform heavy duty operations. It mixes large quantities of materials such as cement and water to prepare large batches of concrete. Dry batching plant is best suitable for construction projects wherein large amounts of concrete are required, such as highway projects, bridge projects, electric power plants, commercial concrete plants, water resource plants, and airport projects.
Wet-Ready Mix Concrete Plants
Wet ready mix concrete plant mixes some of all of the aforementioned materials at a single point i.e. the central location into a concrete mixer. The mixture is then agitated so that it doesn’t settle on the way to the job site. The latest models come with the best mechanical design worked into the item seeks for uniform mixing without detachment, correct proportioning and blending of aggregates and included substances. The wet mix plant conveys precisely mixed cold mix, emulsion treated mixes etc.
Conclusion
The ready-mix concrete is widely being accepted for the construction of small residential, commercial to large scale infrastructure projects. Development in infrastructure segments across the country coupled with rapid urbanization is the primary factor anticipated to drive industry growth. The ready-mix concrete mixer is widely being used on account of greater convenience, ease of use, and enhanced quality. Moreover,wastage reduction and efficient utilization are likely to lower the overall project cost. Indian governments’ plan to invest heavily in infrastructural development for 100 smart cities anticipated to create growth opportunities for the ready-mix concrete market. Increasing investments in regard to urban development, government infrastructure plans, and a growing population that demands residential and commercial structures are likely to raise more market growth.
