Tarmac is trialling a new software package that aims to improve ready mixed concrete quality. ABE reports on the technology behind the new solution
Delivering ready mixed concrete to specification and managing slump are challenges that have been a continual problem for the construction industry. Now new software being trialled by
Verifi Slump Management System technology - a product created in the US by RS Solutions and being exclusively marketed by
Previously, measuring the concrete slump would require a technician to follow the delivery truck to site to perform a manual slump test. This method made it almost impossible to tell whether any additional water had been added to the concrete during transport and delivery. The new process control system enables the production and delivery of ready-mix concrete with reduced slump variability, while enhancing operational productivity.
Tarmac Quarry Materials regional continuous improvement manager Mark Yates said, "The Verifi system accurately measures and manages the slump of the concrete from the time that the truck is loaded until the concrete is discharged by calculating hydraulic pressure within the drum. The technology records drum revolutions, drum speed and hydraulic pressure used to turn the drum to calculate the slump. It can then automatically add water to reach target slump if required." Verifi technology works by automatically integrating specific job information from the plant batch computer, truck location and product information from its truck-mounted sensors. It then applies control algorithms to calculate current slump, compare current slump to customer-specified slump and calculate and deliver any water to be added to reach required slump level. It also captures and reports the slump level of the poured product as well as the time, location and amount of product delivered, and most importantly any manual water added on site at the customer's request.
At the end of the delivery, the truck mixer returns to the plant where the data is automatically saved to the plant computer. Crucially, this recorded data can then be used for better batching, effective performance management of drivers and trucks, and more consistent product truck to truck.
According to Tarmac, these improvements have also increased the transparency of the production and delivery process, which makes it possible to achieve significant improvement in the quality of the end product. Ultimately the system has reduced time spent adjusting loads to the proper slump, ensured greater product consistency and brought about the ability to set different mixing parameters for different classes of mixes.
"We had hoped that implementation of the Verifi system at our sites would allow us to optimise our ready mixed concrete mixing and delivery process and would also offer us enhanced data previously unavailable with regard to any quality issues so that complaints could be dealt with more effectively," said Yates.
"With Verifi, we have found that the concrete is of a much more consistent quality when it arrives onsite. In fact, since the most recent implementation of the system at Miles Platting at the beginning of the year, none of the loads we have delivered have required replacing - there had been previous experience of loads 'balling up' in mixers from time to time, however due to the system requiring consistent number of mixer revolutions at set speeds this issue has been eliminated, which has resulted in significant time and cost savings both for Tarmac and our customers.
"The new system has also been beneficial for drivers as the accurate slump measurements give them more confidence when delivering to customers. Not only are drivers now able to adjust the slump more accurately, but the vehicles' distinctive and precise read-outs, which are clear for all to see on the mixer truck, mean that customers are more comfortable with the process and are assured that the product is exactly what they ordered." Tarmac's three trial plants and 15 trucks are now fully operational and following the success of the new system it is hoped that the Verifi technology will be rolled out to other Tarmac sites later this year.RSS
