Emergency protection apparatus and method for concrete mixer trucks disabled in the field

Claim 1

Apparatus including a concrete mixer having means for inhibiting the hardening therein of a charge of concrete mix comprising: (a) a rotatable concrete mixer drum; (b) plugs spaced apart and located throughout the entire length and circumference of said drum; (c) a channel bored in each plug, said channel providing a conduit to the interior of said drum; (d) at least one hydraulic hose capable of transferring a fluid under pressure; (e) connecting means on said plugs for attaching said hydraulic hose to communicate hydraulically with said channel; and (f) a pump for transporting said fluid under pressure through said hydraulic hose at a pressure sufficient for injecting said fluid through said channel and into a bottom location of said drum when filled with a charge of concrete mix and further sufficient for hydraulically inhibiting the hardening of the charge of concrete mix.

Claim 15

A method for hydraulically inhibiting the hardening of a wetted concrete premix in a filled concrete mixer comprising: (a) providing a rotatable concrete mixer drum having a plurality of sealed apertures located throughout the entire length and circumference of said drum, such that at all points of rotation of the drum, the apertures include a bottom aperture located below the surface of said premix; and (b) injecting a fluid under pressure through said bottom aperture and into said drum, when said drum is filled with a charge of wetted concrete premix, to disperse said fluid throughout a portion of said charge adjacent said aperture and up to the surface of said charge to inhibit hardening.

Claim 16

A method for hydraulically inhibiting the hardening of a wetted concrete premix in a filled concrete mixer comprising: (a) providing a rotatable concrete mixer drum having a plurality of sealed apertures located throughout the entire length and circumference of said drum, such that at all points of rotation of the drum, the apertures include a bottom aperture located below the surface of said premix; and (b) injecting a fluid under pressure through said bottom aperture and into said drum, when said drum is filled with a charge of wetted concrete premix, to disperse said fluid throughout a portion of said charge adjacent said aperture and up to the surface of said charge to inhibit hardening.

Claim 22

A method of hydraulically inhibiting the hardening of concrete mix in a ready-mix concrete delivery truck disabled in the field comprising: (a) positioning a plurality of plugs of about 4 inches overall outside diameter having an inside collar of about 2 inches in diameter in apertures in the sidewall of a rotatable concrete mixer drum on a ready-mix concrete delivery truck by welding said plugs into apertures formed in said sidewall at locations about 2 feet on center throughout the length and circumference of said drum; (b) providing a channel of about 1 inch diameter bored in the center of said collar in said plugs to form a conduit for communicating hydraulically with the interior of said drum; (c) sealing said channel with a removable seal composed of rubber or plastic; (d) removing said seal from at least one plug located at or near the bottom of said drum when said truck becomes disabled in the field; (e) connecting a pressure hose to said channel; (f) pumping water through said pressure hose, through said channel, and into said drum filled with concrete mix at a pressure sufficient to overcome the pressure head of concrete mix and to disperse said water throughout the adjacent portion of concrete mix up to the surface of said mix to prevent hardening of the concrete mix; (g) vibrating said concrete mix with a hydraulically driven, magnetically releasable vibrator to inhibit hardening by separating the constituents in the concrete mix; and (h) withdrawing water from a top portion of said concrete mix, recirculating withdrawn water to said pumping step, and filtering said withdrawn water to remove any particles carried over from said top portion.

Claim 23

A method of hydraulically inhibiting the hardening of concrete mix in a ready-mix concrete delivery truck disabled in the field comprising: (a) positioning a plurality of plugs of about 4 inches overall outside diameter having an inside collar of about 2 inches in diameter in apertures in the sidewall of a rotatable concrete mixer drum on a ready-mix concrete delivery truck by welding said plugs into apertures formed in said sidewall at locations about 2 feet on center throughout the length and circumference of said drum; (b) providing a channel of about 1 inch diameter bored in the center of said collar in said plugs to form a conduit for communicating hydraulically with the interior of said drum; (c) sealing said channel with a removable seal composed of rubber or plastic; (d) removing said seal from at least one plug located at or near the bottom of said drum when said truck becomes disabled in the field; (e) connecting a pressure hose to said channel; (f) pumping water through said pressure hose, through said channel, and into said drum filled with concrete mix at a pressure sufficient to overcome the pressure head of concrete mix and to disperse said water throughout the adjacent portion of concrete mix up to the surface of said mix to prevent hardening of the concrete mix; (g) vibrating said concrete mix with a hydraulically driven, magnetically releasable vibrator to inhibit hardening by separating the constituents in the concrete mix; and (h) withdrawing water from a top portion of said concrete mix, recirculating withdrawn water to said pumping step, and filtering said withdrawn water to remove any particles carried over from said top portion.