Lightweight cementitious materials

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR THE CONTINUOUS BATCH MIXING AND DISTRIBUTION OF LIGHT WEIGHT CONCRETE, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING: AN ARRANGEMENT OF INTERCONNECTED STRUCTURAL BEAM MEMBERS CONSTITUTING A SUPPORT FRAME; A PAIR OF CYLINDRICALLY-SHAPED MIXING CHAMBERS MOUNTED UPRIGHT ON SAID SUPPORT FRAME IN SIDE BY SIDE RELATION, EACH OF SAID MIXING CHAMBERS BEING OPEN AT THE TOP; A PLURAL BLADED AGITATOR ROTATABLY SUPPORTED IN THE BOTTOM OF EACH MIXING CHAMBER; MEANS FOR ROTATING EACH AGITATOR IN A PLANE PARALLEL TO THE BOTTOM OF THE MIXING CHAMBER; NOZZLES FIRMLY CONNECTED TO THE INSIDE OF EACH MIXING CHAMBER NEAR THE TOP; A MANIFOLD EXTENDING BETWEEN AND CONNECTED TO SAID MIXING CHAMBERS AT THE BOTTOM, SAID MANIFOLD HAVING A DIVISION PLATE EXTENDING THERETHROUGH SEPARATING IT INTO TWO COMPARTMENTS ONE OF SAID COMPARTMENTS BEING IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE INTERIOR OF ONE OF SAID MIXING CHAMBERS, THE OTHER OF SAID COMPARTMENTS BEING IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE INTERIOR OF THE OTHER OF SAID MIXING CHAMBERS, EACH OF SAID MANIFOLD COMPARTMENTS HAVING A PAIR OF OPENINGS IN THE BOTTOM THEREOF; A VALVE CASING HAVING SPACED UPPER AND LOWER WALLS FIRMLY CONNECTED TO THE BOTTOM OF SAID MANIFOLD, SAID VALVE CASING FURTHER HAVING SUCTION OPENINGS IN SAID UPPER AND LOWER WALLS ALIGNED WITH THE OPENINGS IN THE BOTTOM OF EACH MANIFOLD COMPARTMENT, SAID VALVE CASING UPPER AND LOWER WALLS FURTHER HAVING ALIGNED RECIRCULATION OPENINGS IN FRONT OF EACH MANIFOLD COMPARTMENT; A RECIRCULATING PUMP HAVING SUCTION AND DISCHARGE CONNECTIONS MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT FRAME; CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTED WITH THE SUCTION CONNECTION OF SAID RECIRCULATING PUMP AND WITH ONE OF THE SUCTION OPENINGS IN SAID VALVE CASING LOWER WALL UNDER EACH MANIFOLD COMPARTMENT; CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTED WITH THE DISCHARGE CONNECTION OF SAID RECIRCULATING PUMP AND WITH THE RECIRCULATION OPENINGS IN THE LOWER WALL OF SAID VALVE CASING; CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTED WITH THE RECIRCULATION OPENINGS IN THE UPPER WALL OF SAID VALVE CASING AND WITH THE NOZZLES IN EACH OF SAID MIXING CHAMBERS; A DISCHARGE PUMP HAVING SUCTION AND DISCHARGE CONNECTIONS MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT FRAME ALONGSIDE SAID RECIRCULATING PUMP; CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTED WITH THE SUCTION CONNECTIONS OF SAID DISCHARGE PUMP AND WITH THE OTHER OF SAID SUCTION OPENINGS IN SAID VALVE CASING LOWER WALL UNDER EACH MANIFOLD COMPARTMENT; AND A DUAL-POSITION SLIDE PLATE CARRIED IN SAID VALVE CASING, SAID SLIDE PLATE HAVING OPENINGS THEREIN WHICH IN A FIRST OPERATIVE POSITION OF SAID SLIDE PLATE ALIGN WITH ONE OF THE SUCTION OPENINGS IN SAID VALVE CASING CONNECTED WITH SAID RECIRCULATING PUMP, ONE OF THE SUCTION OPENINGS IN SAID VALVE CASING CONNECTED WITH SAID DISCHARGE PUMP AND THE RECIRCULATION OPENINGS IN SAID VALVE CASING IN FRONT OF ONE OF SAID MANIFOLD COMPARTMENTS, SAID SLIDE PLATE HAVING OTHER OPENINGS WHICH IN A SECOND OPERATIVE POSITION OF SAID SLIDE PLATE ALIGN WITH THE REMAINING SUCTION OPENINGS AND RECIRCULATION OPENINGS IN SAID VALVE CASING.