Ready-Mix Concrete

Summary

Ready-Mix Concrete - is manufactured at a batching plant and transported to site by an agitator truck.

Technical Information

As ready-mix concrete is mixed off-site:

Greater precision with the mix ratios can be achieved.
Material wastage is reduced, as the exact amount of concrete is made and delivered to site.
Less mixing equipment needs to be permanently based on site, reducing clutter.
Fewer labourers are required on site.

The drawbacks of using ready-mix concrete are:

Limited by the distance to the nearest batching plant – if it is too far away, the concrete will start to set in the truck. However, the time can be extended by the use of retarding admixtures.
Reduced flexibility – unable to change the mix if the situation on site requires it to be changed e.g. if the weather changes.
A batch can quite easily be ruined if there are any significant delays, such as heavy traffic or breakdowns. It is normal for back-up plants to be nominated at the pre-construction stage to help mitigate this ris

When fibre reinforcement is used, the fibres can be added at the plant or on site. Tests are carried out to ensure there is enough reinforcement per batch.