The purpose of the cement truck is to mix the material that requires continuous spinning. Therefore, you can prepare the mixer in a large quantity at a time with the help of this vehicle.
Why Do Cement Trucks Spin? Cement trucks spin to maintain the consistency of the cement and prevent the hardening of cement present inside the drum. In addition, it prevents the settling of heavy material present in the concrete, avoids the sticking of cement to the walls of the drum, and keeps the construction material fresh and wet. The spinning ranges from 0.42-1.47 rad/s (4rpm-14rpm) depending on the position of the cement truck. You can place the concrete inside the drum for a longer time according to the humidity and temperature of the environment.
You can also use this truck to transport the material o the construction site. It rotates and agitates the cement with stones to make a smooth mixer.
Why does a cement truck spin?
The cement truck spin and works as a mixer to make the concrete for construction. It spins due to the following reasons.
To maintain the consistency of cement
The constructors use these trucks at the construction site to maintain the consistency of cement. Moreover, it agitates the mixer and makes its appearance smooth.
It will help join the bricks and other materials to build a building. The rough and grainy texture of the concrete does not have enough capacity to hold the construction material.
It is better to use the cement truck to make a fine texture of the concrete. Then, it will be easy to handle and take less time to dry in its proper shape.
Prevent the hardening of the cement
The hardening of the cement can occur due to improper handling and mixing. There is a water tank through which the mixer gets water through the hose.
It will harden when the concrete remains in the drum for a long time without agitation. Then, you can turn on the dashboard button to start spinning the drum.
It will mix the water in proper order and prevent it from hardening. Sometimes it does not work, and the material remains inside at one position and becomes harder.
Prevent the settling of heavy material
The constructors use different building materials and make their mixers in the drum of the cement truck. Sometimes it contains stones and gravel with a combination of cement and sand.
The proper spinning of the drum mixes all the things with the help of blades present inside. Furthermore, it will prevent heavy objects from settling inside the large vessel.
Many people turn off the spinning motion after mixing and keep the material in it for a long time. As a result, the stones and gravel will settle down and affect the concrete’s texture.
To keep cement fresh and wet
There is a water hose in the drum through which water comes from the water tank. The primary purpose of the water is to keep the internal side of the drum and material wet.
The continuous agitation keeps the cement fresh and wet so that you can use it after some time. In this way, you can also transport the material to the other place and keep it fresh for a long time.
Maintaining the water level to keep its texture as required for construction is better.
Avoid sticking of cement to the walls of the drum
The concrete becomes harder and sticks to the walls of the drum when it remains there for a long time. Furthermore, there are large blades present inside of the drum that come in contact with the material.
The material moves according to the movement of the agitation. The spinning avoids sticking of the concrete o the walls of the drum.
It happens because the drum moves to mix all the material in an acceptable way. The presence of water in the drum also keeps the walls wet and prevents concrete from sticking.
How does a cement truck work?
There is a separate motor present that rotates the drum on the bed of the vehicle. It is a separate motor instead of an engine which is only for spinning the drum.
The hydraulic motor gets energy from the engine and converts it to mechanical energy. In this way, the counter-rotation of the drum starts for mixing purposes.
When you press the button on the dashboard of the vehicle, it starts mixing, and the bearing of the motor spin and rotates the drum with it.
The blades inside it finely stir the material and make a smooth texture. There are two to three blades in the helical position, and the number of blades depends on the site of the drum.
The movement of the material inside and out of the drum depends on the direction of agitation. When you load the material into the drum, it will move clockwise.
Similarly, pouring the material into the construction area through the chute and lengthy hose will rotate in an anti-clockwise direction.
How many rotations does a concrete truck have?
The rotation speed of the cement depends on the amount of material you put into the drum for mixing and the vehicle’s position.
If the vehicle is in stationary motion and has sand and gravel in it with different combinations of construction material, the average spinning speed will be 1.47 rad/s (14rpm).
It will mix things efficiently, but the speed decreases when you use these trucks to transport material to the construction sites.
The speed of 0.42 rad/s (4rpm) is the average speed while the vehicle is in motion. This way, you can transport the material to a distant place in fresh form.
What is the average time to keep concrete in the drum of the truck?
Depending upon the weather conditions and humidity, you can place the concrete in the drum for a long time. The environment’s temperature also affects the consistency and texture of the concrete material.
Moreover, you can place the material much longer in the vehicle drum for many hours in the cold weather.
Humidity in the environment keeps the material in the drum fresh for a long time, even in less agitation.
If there is low humidity and the environment is dry, you should keep the cement truck drum in a spinning motion to avoid the hardening of the material.
It is better to add more water after some time to make a smooth texture in summers. This is because the water present inside will evaporates quickly due to high temperature.
The continuous rotation of the drum also produces energy and makes it warm. You cannot even touch its body from outside when there is sun on summer days.
Moreover, it is better to make fresh material at the construction site and use it, especially in the summers. Many people prefer to use a less quantity of concrete and make the mixer on the spot.
In this way, you can reduce the chances of material waste, ultimately reducing the burden on your pocket.
Why are there wheels on top of a cement truck?
The cement truck has a specialized structure and design with a huge drum on its chassis. The use of high-quality material in the formation of the vehicle enables it to bear the load.
Adding wheels to the top of the vehicle is necessary to distribute the weight of construction material to stabilize the position while driving or standing.
You can call it auxiliary or helping wheels that help transport gravel and concrete from the factory to the construction site.
Moreover, when the driver faces unbalancing issue during transportation, he turns the button from the dashboard to lower the wheels.
In this way, you can distribute the weight to the whole chassis and make it stable. It also improves the gas mileage by reducing the pressure and load on one part of the vehicle.
It is better to lower the wheels because it keeps the tires from early damage. However, you should add high-quality wheels so they can run on barren and rough surfaces for a long time.
What happens if a cement truck stops spinning?
Many people face issues due to the improper agitation of the vehicle to mix the concrete. Sometimes it stops working and hardens the cement.
When you pour the material on the construction site, it remains inside. Moreover, it also sticks to the walls of the drum.
The main problem is the separation o water from the gravel and sand when it stops turning.
The cement truck stops turning due to a fault in any part of the machine, for example, the loose motor belts. It stops the drum from turning around when the motor belts become loose.
A low-quality motor belt or its use for a long time ceases your work. In this way, you will face trouble in the completion of
Sometimes the problem in the vehicle also occurs due to fault in the blades. The solid material affects the sharpness of the blades and causes them to stop.
The vehicle’s overloading also puts extra load on the motor and increases fuel consumption. Furthermore, the additional load on the machinery stops the agitation.
It is better to call the mechanic to sort out the issue if you want to transport the material to the destination in fresh form.
You should change the old, worn-out motor belt and inspect the truck before traveling.
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