Hydraulic Controls and Filters FOR CUSTOM-FORMULATED CONCRETE
ProAll Reimer Mixers operate on an entirely different principle than does the typical concrete truck one might see on the road. Instead of mixing the cement, aggregate and water while on the road, a Reimer Mixer delivers the constituents to the job site in separate bins and mixes them on-the-spot. This approach offers several advantages, including the ability to deliver concrete over long distances to remote job sites and the ability to control the composition of the concrete precisely as it’s delivered, including the addition of various other materials for special purposes, such as fiber, color, and other chemical admixtures.
Additives to Concrete
The purpose of adding a colorant is self-explanatory, but other materials are routinely added to concrete to achieve specific characteristics. For example, glass, steel, synthetic and natural fibers can reduce the perme-
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SYSTEMS INTEGRATOR DIRECTORY 2018
ability of the concrete to reduce water bleeding, help control cracking during drying, and improve pumpability, impact, abrasion, freeze-thaw and shatter resistance. To achieve the desired properties, though, the fiber component of the fiber/concrete composite must be carefully controlled, with fiber typically being 0.1 to 3.0 percent of the total volume. Chemical admixtures fall into six basic classifications: • Air-entraining - to improve freeze-thaw resistance • Water reducing – to produce a stronger concrete and to provide more consistent setting times • Retarding - to counteract the accelerating effects of hot weather • Accelerating - to counteract the effects of cold weather • Plasticizers (superplasticizers) - to increase the fluidity of concrete • Specialty admixtures – for specific purposes, for example, a corrosion-inhibiting chemical to retard corrosion of steel reinforcements.
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