Patent ID: 8491717

Claim:
A method for monitoring and adjusting slump and air content in a cementitious mix, comprising: (a) providing a concrete mix in a concrete mixer drum, said concrete mix comprising hydratable cement, aggregates, and water for hydrating said cement, and said concrete mix having a total volume when mixed uniformly within the concrete mixer drum of 1.0 to 15.0 cubic yards; (b) inputting into a computer processing unit and storing, into computer processing unit-accessible memory, concrete performance ranges relative to: a target slump or target slump range; and a target air content or target air content range wherein a concrete air content or air content range is within a range of 1% to 10%; (c) mixing the concrete mix in the concrete mixer drum and obtaining at least one slump value in current time and at least one air content value in current time; (d) comparing, using the computer processing unit, the at least one slump value in current time against the slump target or slump target range and the at least one air content value in current time against the target air content or target air content range until detection by the computer processing unit of a non-conformance event, wherein the at least one slump value in current time does not conform with the target slump or target slump range and/or the at least one air content value in current time does not conform with the target air content or target air content range; and (e) introducing into the concrete mix contained in said concrete mixer drum, one of at least two compositionally different additives comprising: at least one chemical admixture for modifying air content in the concrete mix, wherein the at least one chemical admixture for modifying air content in the concrete mix comprises at least one air entraining admixture, at least one air detraining admixture, or mixture of at least one air entraining admixture and at least one air detraining admixture; and at least one cement dispersant for modifying slump of the concrete mix, said at least one cement dispersant comprising at least one polymeric dispersant, water, or a mixture of said at least one polymeric dispersant and water; said introducing of the at least one chemical admixture for modifying air content in the concrete mix and/or at least one cement dispersant being achieved by computer processor unit controlled valve system in accordance with computer processor unit accessed memory device having at least four sets of data correlations comprising: (i) the effect of said cement dispersant on slump of the concrete mix; (ii) the effect of the at least one chemical admixture for modifying air content in the concrete mix on air content; (iii) the effect of the at least one chemical admixture for modifying air content in the concrete mix on the slump of the concrete mix; and (iv) the effect of said cement dispersant on air content of the concrete mix.