Abstract: An apparatus for preparing bulk material and loading it into a truck comprises an elongated first frame having a lower end and adapted to stand via this end on the ground, a horizontal pivot at the lower end of the first frame, and an elongated second frame having a lower end pivoted at the pivot on the lower end of the first frame and an upper end. The frames are relatively pivotally displaceable between a transport position with the one of the frames lying substantially within the other frame and a use position with the two frames extending at an angle to each other and the upper end of the second frame spaced above the ground by a distance equal to the loading height of the truck. A rail extends between the ends of the second frame and a bucket is displaceable along the rail between the ends of the second frame. In addition a doser is provided at the lower end of the first frame for filling the bucket, when it is at the lower ends, with bulk material.

Abstract: An apparatus for the metered dispensing of several bulk materials has an elongated and horizontal base having a pair of longitudinal sides and provided with a longitudinally extending floor and having pairs of posts spaced along the floor and subdividing same longitudinally into a row of zones. Reapective legs at the posts hold the frame above the ground. Respective longitudinal and transverse side and end walls releasably secured to the posts transversely and longitudinally bound the zones. Thus each zone is formed into an upwardly open hopper having a respective floor valve openable to release bulk material from the respective hopper through the floor. A track fixed to the frame extends longitudinally underneath the zones. A bucket car is displaceable along the track underneath the valves. The side walls are laterally concave toward the respective zones and extend laterally beyond the respective sides.

Abstract: A pump assembly for concrete comprises a hopper adapted to hold the mass and having a front wall formed with a front port centered on a front axis perpendicular to the front wall at the front port and a rear wall formed with two rear ports centered on respective rear axes perpendicular to the rear wall at the rear ports and generally parallel to the front axis. Respective piston pumps secured to the rear wall outside the hopper over the rear ports can draw portions of the mass out of the hopper and expel the drawn-out portions back into the hopper through the respective rear ports. An outlet conduit is connected to the front wall outside the hopper over the front port. A generally curved or nonstraight distributor pipe in the hopper has a front end engaged over and aligned with the front port, a rear end engageable over and alignable with either of the rear ports, and a generally arcuate centerline crossing the front axis at the front port and extending parallel to the rear axes at the rear wall.

Abstract: A process for adding water to a concrete mix wherein, after addition of an initial quantity of water to bring a particular concrete mix to or close to a so-called zero consistency, the set point consistency is reached by the one-shot addition of the balance of the water determined from stored empirical and interpolated data based upon measuring consistency and water addition values. The method has the advantage that the establishment of a zero value consistency by the addition of water to the dry mix or a mix of unknown moisture content permits the consistency measurement at this point to be easily carried out by indirect electrical techniques.

Abstract: A method of and an apparatus for controlling the water added to concrete batches wherein for a given concrete recipe and batch size, while mixing same, a series of empirical values of water quantity and consistency of the resulting mix are determined by initially feeding a quantity of water to the batch reduced by an amount equivalent to the moisture content of the aggregates of the batch at maximum intrinsic moisture content and thereafter incrementally adding water while measuring the consistency after each water addition, and these values are stored for the respective recipe and batch size. For the addition of water to a further batch of the recipe, while mixing the further batch, an initial quantity of water is added to the further batch which is not reduced by the quantity of water equivalent to the moisture contents of the aggregates and the consistency of the further batch after the initial addition of water thereto is measured.

Abstract: An apparatus for the mixing of building materals includes a cylindrical mixing-container having front and rear sides, provided with mixing tools made up of two carrier arms extending radially outwards from respective front and rear sides, and displaced from each other by 180.degree., two helically-shaped mixing tools supported by respective carrier arms and extending at an angle towards the center of the mixing container and two separately rotatable mixing tools disposed on separate respective shafts ahead of the respective carrier arms.