Gulf Construction Online - Liebherr mixing plant to take centre stage

Alabniah Factory

Liebherr mixing plants ... ideal for<br>for mixing of special concrete

Liebherr mixing plants ... ideal for
for mixing of special concrete

Liebherr mixing plant to take centre stage

01 July 2009

MIXING plants from Liebherr, the German heavy machinery giant, will take centre stage in supplying concrete to the production processes at Alabniah Precast Concrete Buildings Factory, a state-of-the-art plant set to commence production shortly.
The two mixing plants of the well-proven modular concept of the Betomix system are connected to each other and feature three RIM-M 1.5-type mixer systems at their core.
“These ring-pan intensive mixers are equipped with a mechanical agitator and attain extremely high qualities of concrete in a short mixing time. Rapid discharge is a further advantage of the ring-pan mixers,” says a spokesman for Liebherr. “They are ideal for the mixing of special concretes in particular, and are perfectly suited to mixes for which the addition of colour or additives is required.”
For active storage, the mixing plants feature two inline silos for gravel aggregates boasting an overall storage capacity of 600 cu m. It is possible to store up to six different types of aggregate, with an additional four chambers integrated in the inline silo for special aggregates, each featuring a 10 cu m capacity. The skips have been extended to ensure that the inline silos could be installed 5 m deeper than usual, allowing loading of wheeled loaders to be undertaken with considerably greater ease, the spokesman says.
The set-up also includes four silos — each with a capacity of 480 tonnes — for storing cement and filling materials. White cement and microsilica are scaled separately using additional weighing hoppers, so that remaining particles of grey cement in the grey cement weighing hopper are not mixed with white cement – which is an advantage for the production of light-coloured elements.
An ice plant and ice weighing system facilitate the production of cooled concrete, a crucial factor wherever high-quality concretes are to be achieved in hot countries.
The mixing plants are directly connected with a bucket transport system (two travel tracks), the control system of which communicate with that of the mixing plant.
The bucket transport system conveys the freshly produced concrete to the individual production lines in the production halls, which feature indicators alerting the respective personnel about the specific concrete type and quantity desired for the particular line.
Each of the three ring-pan mixers feature two mixer gates, giving a total of six positions at which concrete can be collected by the bucket transport system. Apart from the bucket transport system, a pivoting funnel beneath the mixer platforms can be used for the discharge of concrete to truck mixers, allowing added flexibility.
The diverse range of products that will be produced at the Alabniah factory includes hollowcores with thicknesses ranging from 150 to 500 mm; filigree floors, concrete walls in solid or sandwich designs, as well as precast stairway systems. Coloured concrete or structural elements are also included as part of the range.
The initial annual concrete consumption has been calculated at more than 160,000 cu m.
“The well-equipped factory includes systems for steel reinforcing (500 sq m per hour), as well as its own concrete laboratory for undertaking quality inspections and a generator of its own power supply,” says the spokesman.