Function Of Self-loading Concrete Mixer

Construction industry depends on concrete mixers to produce large amounts of concrete and today, there are many different types of concrete mixers. One common type of concrete mixer is the self loading concrete mixer, which is becoming very popular choice among the concrete producers. It is one of the newer concrete mixers and very well accepted. The self loading concrete mixer is used for several applications, including as loading, mixing, transferring and pouring concrete. Either stationary or mobile, depending on the required application, the self loading concrete mixer works on same principle and has the same function.

The self loading cement mixer reduces the manual work to incredible extent and provides its operator with very accurate operation and very quality concrete. A typical self loading cement mixer is consisted of a long chute that is used for loading and unloading concrete and is located at the top of the mixing unit. The cement ingredients about to be mixed are inserted into the drum through the chute, which is angle adjustable, depending on the position of the rotating drum of the self loading cement mixer. The drum is being rotated by the hydraulic gear or similar motor that powers the main engine of the self loading cement mixer. With several blades in it, the mixture of cement, water and aggregate are rolling and turning into the drum. Once the drum is rotating reversely, the concrete is ready for use and can be poured out of the drum.

When the mixing process is done, the self loading concrete mixer should be flushed immediately. If not cleaned on time, especially the cement mixer bowl, the cement will harden and you now how hard is removing dry cement. The maintenance costs are not high as it does not require specific care. Speaking of costs, the owning and operational costs of the self loading concrete mixer are very low and cost effective. The self loading concrete mixer needs only one person for operating, which saves some extra money from not employing additional worker. Additionally, it saves lots of money from not transporting concrete, but producing it, and because it has its own water tank. So, as the self loading cement mixer works directly on-site, it reduces the need of additional expensive construction equipment, such as pumps, loaders, cranes and others.

Tower Cranes - Learn The Basics

Tower cranes are those large buildings you can see on any large construction site, as they are used to move large construction materials and machines, such as steel structures, concrete slabs, various machines and others. There are many tower cranes in Australia, due to the increasing demand of building new objects.

The tower crane plays a vital role in the construction industry, as there is a huge demand for larger tower cranes in Australia. Especially during the initial phase of building an object, tower cranes are very important, helping the construction workers to complete the dangerous jobs safely. The tower crane is an extremely stable device, because its base is set into the ground. Although there are many types of tower cranes in Australia, they all consist the following basic parts.

Base – The base is the main component of each tower crane, as it is very essential component which allows contact between the tall steel structure and the concrete building top. The best comparison would be with a spine supporting a human body, because it has the same function. However, the steel structure of a tower crane is fixed with concrete.

Mast Section – The mast section is the second most important part of a tower crane and is connected to the base to give the required height to the tower crane. The mast section has guard and guide rails that guide the elevator. The operators gets in his cab with an elevator.

Horizontal Jib – The horizontal jib is also an important part of a tower crane and is commonly called working arm. The working arm extends horizontally, and with a trolley, it carries loads. Most tower cranes in Australia can move the jib for 360 degrees and reach any corner on construction sites.

Operator's Cab – The cabinet of the operator is located in a way that no crane operation would ruin the visibility of the crane. The cab is equipped with basic controls, foot pedals, features and joysticks, and some even provide a comfort for the operators.

Slewing Unit – The mobility of tower cranes is due to the slewing unit, which rotates the jib and the tower crane as well, for almost 360 degrees. The rotation of the tower crane around its own axis is called slewing, a set of combined huge gears and motors that enable the crane to rotate.

Crane House – The crane house extends behind the center of the crane and horizontally along the jib. It houses the motor of the crane and other electronic components, which are necessary for operation of the crane. Designed to eliminate water ingress and withstand winds, the crane house incorporates all safety devices for safe operation.

Timeline Of Crane Evolution

One particular machine that is heavily used in the construction industry is the crane. This machine is generally used for lifting and moving heavy loads and materials horizontally and vertically. It is equipped with hoists, ropes, chains and it creates mechanical advantage to lift and move loads beyond the human capacity. There are many different crane types available on the market, from small portable cranes to large tower cranes. Each model has its own unique characteristics, specifications and it is used for a particular lifting task. Beside construction, the cranes are used in many different industry sectors, like manufacturing and transport industry. The cranes make any lifting and construction job to be completed quickly and effectively. These machines have been used since ancient times, and the following text will present you a brief history about the crane evolution and how the crane was used throughout the years.

The first lifting machine was invented by the ancient Greeks in the 6^th century B.C. Archeological evidence show that the ancient Greek temples and the Egyptian pyramids were constructed with the help of an ancient crane model. The ancient crane models were consisted of a rope which was passed over a pulley. The single pulley crane models had no capability to create mechanical advantage, and human effort was used to lift heavy items and materials. One major improvement in the crane design emerged in the 4^th century B.C. and that was the compound pulley. With the help of the compound pulley the cranes were able to create mechanical advantage, and this pulley was a combination of several pulleys placed in a block.

The heavy use of the cranes came during the ancient Roman Empire. The ancient Romans adopted the Greek crane model and created even much better crane capable to lift even more heavy materials and items. The Roman Trispastos was one specific crane model consisted of one beam of jib, winch, ropes and a block with three pulleys. It has been calculated that the Trispastos was capable to lift items up to 150kg. The Romans developed also more powerful cranes which were known as Pentaspastos and Polyspastos. These ancient cranes were capable to lift loads up to 3000kg and 6000kg.

During the Middle Ages, the treadwheel crane was invented and heavily used for the construction of different kind of solid structures. The earliest treadwheel crane was used in France around 1225. Soon after France, treadwheel and harbor crane models were used in Utrecht, Antwerp, Brugge, Hamburg and other major cities in Europe. The typical areas of application for these crane models were the harbors, mines and construction sites. The treadwheel crane played a vital role in the construction of the Gothic cathedrals all over Europe during the Middle Ages.

The modern cranes, similar like the ones used today, were designed and constructed during the Industrial Revolution. The first hydraulic water powered crane was invented by Sir William Armstrong in 1838. His model consisted a ram which was closed in a cylinder and a fluid inside the cylinder. One hydraulic crane designed by Armstrong is still standing in Venice in Italy. This crane was heavily used until 1950. The hydraulic crane was the base for many crane models which emerged in the 20^th and 21^th century, like the tower cranes, crawler cranes, railroad crane, floating crane, aerial crane, truck-mounted crane and many other crane models.

If you are interested in buying a particular crane model, search online for available cranes for sale in Australia.

How Is A Tower Crane Built?

Tower cranes are lifting machines used on large construction sites for lifting and moving large loads. They are stationary and have incredible stability, due to their base which is fixed into the ground. Tower cranes are usually consisted of a horizontal beam (jib) and a mast section, which together look like the letter “T”. The tower cranes of Australia construction companies are most efficient for setting steel beams, moving large amounts of concrete, larger equipment, tools or similar material and others. Despite the construction industry, tower cranes are very efficient in other industries where lifting and moving of large loads is needed. As a typical tower crane is huge and used on almost any large construction job, it is hard to miss one, as it is one of the few large construction machinery.

But one thing that is a puzzle for many is how is a tower crane built. Indeed it is a complicated process, but there are no philosophies in it. The first thing when setting a tower crane is setting the mast section into the ground and plumbing it to 1:500 degree. Once the base is set, concrete is added to increase the stability of the tower crane. Then, the tower crane is prepared to be erected when the concrete has dried. The size of tower cranes in Australia varies, and according to it, several bolts need to be installed and torqued with a wrench to about 4000 ft lbs.

Once the base is set, the process of building a tower crane continues with adding as much mast sections as the construction project need to reach in height. One complex piece of tower cranes in Australia is the turntable, the heaviest piece of tower cranes. It is consisted of operator's cab, jib, counter-jib, hook, trolley, hoisting rope and some other not-so-important elements. When this piece is added onto the tower crane, a tower top can be added on the top of the crane. The tower top serves as a base for the jib to be attached. A counter jib, on the other hand, is connected in order to hold counter weight and is usually connected by large pins at the turntable.

And the final step of building a tower crane is the easiest one – performing a load test to check the lifting and power capacities of the tower crane. If the tower crane passes the load test, then the crane is functional and ready to perform tough lifting construction operations.

The Importance of Heavy Equipment

The heavy equipment machinery is an important part of every construction business. No matter what the construction project is, heavy equipment is a must have on every construction site. This kind of machinery helps with the heavy-duty tasks in a way that minimizes the need of manual labor and the risks with operating these tasks. What includes heavy equipment machinery? Loaders, cranes, excavators, bulldozers, generators, backhoe loaders, and many more "big" tools fall in this category. Do you want to know what the most commonly used heavy machinery in construction is? Find out here!

Tips for Your Mobile Concrete Mixer

In these modern days, the construction business uses many different concrete mixer models that provide variety of effective ways to produce concrete. The selection of the model of the mixer depends largely on the size and the needs of the construction project. The mobile concrete mixer is ideal for smaller projects because of its versatility and mobility. But there are few things to look up when choosing the mobile concrete mixer, things like its drum, horsepower, capacity, towing or power source.

Source: OurTipsFor.com

Recommended Wheel Loaders

The construction business can not be done without the loaders. They are a major machine that can operate on various tasks. The wheel loaders are very flexible in terms of usage, as they provide speed, mobility, and their tires makes them very movable around the construction site. In the construction industry, the loaders are used for loading, unloading and moving construction materials from one place to another.

Read more on the suggested types of loaders here!