Having a concrete mixer is good, but you need to know the best way to mix concrete in one. The best way is to use the right ratio of aggregate, such as cement, sand, stone, and water.
Then, after adding all the ingredients, you also need to wait appropriate minutes for all the aggregate to mix together.
The first time I used my mini-concrete mixer, I used the wrong ratio, which made the concrete crack after a few months. Learning from my past errors, I now know how to mix properly.
Click here to read another article on concrete mixers.
Keep reading below for more details.
How Concrete Is Mixed In A Concrete Mixer
A concrete Mixer is a machine used to mix concrete in the correct mixing ratio. Countless types of concrete have to meet a wide variety of requirements. And they also have many different components and different mixing ratios.
But you can neglect them because we will show you which concrete you need for your projects and how to mix it.
A simple universal concrete consists of only three components: cement, sand, and water. Depending on the characteristics and make-up of the components, the concrete has different properties.
And with these three “ingredients” in the right mixing ratio, you can do a lot.
Cement
Cement is the binder in concrete. It consists of limestone, clay, sand, and iron ore. These raw materials are burned and ground until they become cement.
Suppose you add other components such as blast furnace slag or fly ash, and the chemical properties of the cement change.
A chemical reaction occurs when the cement is mixed with water and hardens permanently.
Sand
Sand is sediment that occurs naturally. Up to a size of two millimeters, one speaks of sand. Whatever is larger is considered gravel. Only the size is decisive for the designation of sand, not the mineral composition.
However, most of the sand in the world consists of quartz. Sand and gravel are important raw materials for concrete. Therefore, they are of great importance to the entire construction industry.
Water
The water creates a connection between the dry components of the concrete. The right mixing ratio turns the cement into the glue and holds the whole thing together.
It also triggers a chemical reaction, causing the cement to solidify and the concrete to gain stability.
In addition to these important properties, the water determines the consistency of the concrete. A lot of water makes it more liquid, which makes it easier to pour or pour; less water makes it tougher, which means it remains more dimensionally stable.
If you plan to pour the concrete into the formwork, it should be more fluid than the concrete you intend to use to support bricks. It must never be too liquid!
Universal concrete mixed ratio of 4:1.
- 12 shovels of sand or gravel
- Three scoops of cement
- about one scoop of water
How Much Concrete Can I Mix In A Mixer
The amount of concrete a mixer can mix depends on its size, especially the drum.
If you have a project that requires a concrete mixer and you are not a professional, I advise you to buy a 60-litre drum capacity. But if the project is big and time is a factor, you can go for 120-litre.
Due to time and price factors, the bigger drum will be better.
The price gap between the 60-litre and 120-litre drum capacities could be better than the advantage of the 120-litre drum capacity.
The bigger capacity drum can fast-track the project in case you want to extend it in the future.
Depending on the scale of the work, you can even consider buying a mixer with a bigger drum, such as 160 or 190 litres.
However, if you are a professional, you need something bigger that can range from 250 litres to more.
What Is The Ratio Of Concrete Mix In Mixer
To have a solid concrete, a cement mixture must follow the below percentage;
- Cement (10-15) percent
- Sand and gravel ( 60-70) percent
- Water ( 10-15) percent
Following this template will give you a better concrete mix.
The most important step in a good construction project is forming a concrete mix with an accurate mixture of stones, water, and cement.
With proper aggregate, you are sure of a solid building that you can be proud of.
Having a concrete mixer and the material is not enough until they are adequately put into proper aggregate, which will help to produce a solid building project.
With the above information and adequate information on how to operate the concrete mixer, you should have a good project.
What Is The Load Capacity Of A Cement Mixer
First of all, it is important to distinguish the terms! Some people talk about drum volume, others about mixing volume.
The mixing volume of a concrete mixer is approximately 80% of the total volume of the drum l.
A drum with a capacity of 150 litres can process approximately 120 litres of concrete. This equates to two wheelbarrows for one mix.
Please note that if the drum is too full, you will not get a homogeneous mixture, which increases the risk that the mixture will stick to the drum wall.
A too-small drum requires more mixes, which requires more time. Cement is usually offered in 35kg bags, as a reference value below.
Therefore, it makes sense to use the number of 35 kg bags required per mixture as a basis for calculation.
For concrete mixers with a mixing volume of 110 litres, 1/2 bag of cement per mix is used, and for those with a mixing volume between 140 and 180 litres, one bag per mix is used, etc.
Of course, these values vary depending on the mixing ratio used.
How Much Weight Can A Cement Mixer Hold
There are different types of cement mixers. Here, I will use a truck mixer as an example.
Concrete mixers can transport between 8 and 10 cubic yards of concrete, with an average load of around 40,000 pounds.
However, the weight of the truck itself must also be taken into account.
Empty, a concrete truck’s weight is typically around 25,000 pounds, and it can weigh up to 65,000 pounds when fully loaded.
Calculating the amount of concrete in a fully loaded truck can be done by converting cubic yards to cubic feet.
In a cubic yard, there are 27 cubic feet, meaning a fully loaded concrete mixer can hold about 216 cubic feet of concrete. Additionally, these trucks can hold between 200 and 300 gallons of water.
How Much Concrete Can You Mix In An Electric Mixer
Many customers see that the electric concrete mixer is small and question its working ability.
They have been struggling with whether this 220V small mixer with such a small capacity can meet their needs for road construction, factory work, home decoration, and supplying several.
The capacity of the electric mixer depends on the drum’s litres. The drum size determines how much concrete it can contain.
There are many models of electric drum concrete mixers, but they are all self-falling concrete mixers with double-cone mixing drums that rotate forward for mixing and reverse for discharging.
So, what is the output of each electric drum concrete mixer model?
The electric drum concrete mixer can mix plastic and semi-dry hard concrete.
It is appropriate for small and medium-sized concrete component factories, roads, bridges, water and energy projects, and general building sites.
It is a relatively commonly used civilian concrete mixer.
What Is 1 2 4 Concrete Mix
This answer is designed for those who want to calculate the number of materials in Kilograms needed to make a concrete mix.
Therefore, it is designed for anyone who wants to renovate at home, for example, a small slab to extend their garden towards the orchard or similar. It is not indicated to build or replace concrete manufactured in Concrete Plants.
These elements need to relate to each other.
Numerous websites have seen this formula 1:2:4 to form concrete.
But of course, you need to be more knowledgeable about the subject to know what you are talking about. What does this formula mean?
What this means is that, for every cube of cement (1), you must add (2) cubes of sand and (4) of coarse aggregate, that is 1:2:4.
Unless otherwise indicated, the volumetric ratio of cement, sand, and coarse particles in 1:2:4 concrete refers to this ratio.
Conclusion
The best way to mix concrete in a mixer is to know the accurate ratio in which all the material needed should be applied.
The standard materials used in concrete are sand, water, cement, and gravel.
Remember that when mixing concrete in a mixer, you should not overfill the drum to ensure an adequate mixture.
The ratio 1:2:4 simply means the proportion of how each aggregate should be used if no specification is mentioned.
The capacity of an electric mixer can be determined by the size of the drum, just like the capacity of a concrete mixer that rotates by an engine.
Click here to read another article on concrete mixer components.
Which ratio do you use before?