Improvements in Apparatus for Mixing Concrete and the like.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Mixing Concrete and the like.
I, GEORGE CECIL KENYON, of Beaucoin, Almond's Green, West Derby, near
Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
This invention relates to apparatus for mixing concrete and the like, and the
object is to provide a mixer in which, without the employment of hand labour,
the cement and gravel (in the case of a mixer for concrete) are first fed to the
mixer in proper definite proportions, then thoroughly mixed and formed into con-
crete by the addition of the necessary quantity of water.
1 construct such apparatus, which I will assume to be arranged for mixing
concrete, as follows:-
The apparatus comprises a rotating hopper and means for supplying the
materials in definite proportions thereto. The rotating hopper is of cylindrical
configuration and is suitably mounted so as to rotate about its axis and is pro-
vided with a suitable opening through which the material is introduced and with-
drawn. Inside this hopper and rotating about the same axis, but at a
different speed are, a curved scoop whose edge scrapes the inner surface of the
hopper and which is adapted to carry the material round, and a series of plough
shaped arms adapted to spread the materials laterally, so as to ensure their thorough
incorporation.
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The rotating hopper is surrounded by a fixed cylindrical casing having two
openings, one forming the inlet and the other the outlet; as the hopper revolves
its opening coincides alternately with the inlet and the outlet; when the
opening coincides with the inlet the hopper receives its charge
the mixed materials, and as the opening passes round to the outlet the materials
are thoroughly mixed, and when the opening coincided with the outlet they are
discharged. The scoop and the plough shaped arms are carried from a rotating
shaft, on which the rotating hopper may revolve, and the necessary relative rota-
tion between the shaft and the hopper is obtained by gear wheels.
The water may be added to the material in the hopper, or it may be added before
the material passes into the hopper; in the former case it may be led in through
the shaft, which in that case would be made hollow.
The materials may be supplied to the rotating hopper by being fed by suitable
conveyors to a receptacle fixed over the inlet, the conveyors taking the materials
from the heap and being so speeded as to deliver them in the proper proportion;
in this case the materials are partly mixed before they enter the rotating hopper,
and the proper quantity of water may be added as they pass in.
In some cases I prefer to provide two receptacles, one for the cement and one
for the gravel; there are in this case two inlets in the fixed casing, so that the
rotating hopper takes a charge of gravel and then a charge of cement, the water
being added in the hopper.
The outlet may be prolonged so as to direct the concrete into place, and the
apparatus may be driven either by power, or in smaller forms by hand, the con-

page_text: veyors being connected by suitable change gear to the driving shaft so that the
proportions of various materials may, if necessary, be altered from time to time.
The use of this apparatus ensures the thorough admixture of the materials in
the proper proportion and obviates the waste which invariably takes place when
large quantities are dealt with by hand labour, and thus effects a very considerable
economy in cement, and also in water which is of importance where the supply of
the latter is limited.
1007
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
Castle Chambers, 26, Castle Street, Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Mixing Concrete and the like.
I, GEORGE CECIL KENYON, of Beaucoin, Almond's Green, West Derby, near
Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:
―
This invention relates to apparatus for mixing concrete and the like, and the
object is to provide a mixer in which the cement and gravel (in the case of a
mixer for concrete) are first fed to the mixer in proper definite proportions, and
then thoroughly mixed and formed into concrete by the addition of the necessary
quantity of water.
I have illustrated a concrete mixer, constructed according to my invention, in
the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. I is a sectional elevation on the
line A A of Fig. II, Fig. II is a sectional elevation on the line-B B of Fig. I,
and Figs. III and IV are elevations as viewed from the right and left respectively
of Fig. I.
Throughout the drawings the same parts are indicated by the same reference
figures and in the case of sections, the direction in which the section is viewed is
indicated by the small arrows adjacent to the letters denoting the plane of section.
The main framing consists of the two side frames 1 which are tied together by the
various transverse plates shown in Fig. II and are supported on the wheels 2.
3 is the receptacle for the cement and 4 that for the gravel, and 5 and 6 are
rotating conveyors for the cement and the gravel respectively. These conveyors
consist of a central shaft carrying a boss with radial blades, and are rotated in the
direction shown by gearing to be afterwards described.
The conveyor 5 works between the curved plates 7 and 8 forming a prolonga-
tion of the receptacle 3, and the spaces between the blades are charged with cement
when in the upper position, the charge being delivered over the curved edge of
the plate 8 as the conveyor rotates.
The gravel passes into the conveyor 6 through the opening 9 which limits the
size of the pieces which can pass, so that they cannot block the other parts of
the apparatus in their passage through it; the swinging plate 10 serves to prevent the
descent of the finer gravel otherwise than by means of the conveyor, but it is
adapted to yield so as to permit the passage of any pieces which may lodge in the
conveyor but project beyond the periphery thereof. The streams of cement and
gravel mingle and are guided by the plates 11 and 11' through the inlet 12 into
the rotating hopper 13, and it is clear that the relative quantities of cement and
gravel will be determined by the relative capacities and speeds of the conveyors 5
and 6. The necessary water is added by means of the slit or perforated pipe 14,
the supply being controlled by the cock 15.
1

page_text: The hopper 13, in which the materials are thoroughly mixed and incorporated,
is in the form of a cylindrical drum, closed at the ends but provided with a longi-
tudinal opening 16, and freely journalled by the bosses 17 on the shaft 18 which is
carried by bearings on the bridge pieces 19 and rotated by the handles shown or
by any convenient source of power. 20 are a series of plough-shaped arms secured
to the shaft 18, and 21 is a spur pinion secured to the same shaft and gearing with
the intermediate gear wheel 22 which in turn gears with the internal teeth 23 on
the rim of the hopper 13, the effect of the gearing being that the hopper 13 rotates
in the opposite direction to the arms 20 and at considerably lower velocity. When
the hopper 13 is in the position shown in Fig. II, it receives a charge of cement,
gravel and water which is thoroughly mixed and incorporated by the rotating
arms 20 and is then discharged, when the opening 16 reaches its lower position.
through the outlet 24 into any suitable receptacle.
The shaft of the gravel conveyor 6, which is journalled on the bridge pieces 25,
is driven from the shaft 18 by the chain gearing 26, and it in turn drives the
shaft of the cement conveyor 5 by means of the chain gearing 27.
The speed of rotation of the conveyors relatively to each other, and to the
rotating hopper, are changed by means of change wheels to suit the class of con-
crete required.
In the form of apparatus shown in the drawings the inlet 12 is formed by the
plates 11 and 11, and the outlet 24 is formed at the lower part of a semi-cylindrical
hopper or casing 28, but it is clear that the inlet 12 could be formed in the upper
part of the casing 28 if the latter were made cylindrical and carried round the
hopper 13 as described in the Provisional Specification: I have, however, found
it better in practice not to carry 28 round to the inlet, but to adopt the more open
form of construction illustrated.
I have also found that it is not necessary to fit the rotating curved scoop
mentioned in the Provisional Specification.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The improved apparatus for mixing concrete which consists of a rotating
hopper having closed ends and provided with a longitudinal opening and in which
the gravel and cement are thoroughly incorporated by arms which rotate relatively
to the hopper; and means, such as the rotating conveyors, operated through
change wheels by the shaft which carries the said arms, and adapted to supply
the cement and gravel to the hopper in the proper quantity and proportion sub-
stantially as described.
2. In a concrete mixer, in combination, a rotating shaft provided with arms
such as 20; a hopper with closed ends journalled on the said shaft and rotated
relatively thereto and provided with a longitudinal opening: cement and gravel
ceveyors driven by change wheels from the said shaft: and means for adding
water to the mixture of gravel and cement and for guiding it to the said longitu-
dinal opening when the latter is in its charging position; substantially as described
and illustrated.
3. The improved concrete mixer substantially as described and illustrated.
בד
90 day of Santambor 1808
SLOAN & LLOYD BARNES,
34, Castle Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.