GB2413505A

GB2413505A - Mixers for building materials

Info

Publication number: GB2413505A
Application number: GB0508664A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Eugene Morgan; Sally Morgan
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-04-30
Filing date: 2005-04-29
Publication date: 2005-11-02
Also published as: GB0409623D0; GB0508664D0

Abstract

Mixers for building materials such as cement, concrete, mortar, plaster and the like have an agitator within a container within which mixing of the building materials takes place, the agitator being separate from and removable by hand from the container. This makes both removal of the mixed material from the container and cleaning of the agitator easier. The additional use of a container which is removable from the mixer by hand also facilitates transport of the mixed product from the mixer to where it is to be used.

Description

- 241 3505 Mixers for Building Materials This invention concerns mixers

for building materials such as cement, concrete, mortar, plaster and the like, and particularly mixers for mixing small amounts of such materials.

Cement mixers, particularly powered cement mixers, take the physical effort out of, or at least reduce, the effort of hand mixing mortar, concrete and the like on flat surfaces using a spade, shovel or trowel, and they generally produce a good mix.

Such mixers generally consist of a rotatable drum within which mixing takes place, the drum being supported for rotation which is effected manually or using a motor, the mixing itself generally being improved by the presence of blades secured to the interior of the drum.

For various reasons such mixers often have to be sited at a distance from where the resulting mix is to be used, which means that considerable effort is often involved in transporting the finished mix to where it is used. Furthermore, the blades in the drums of such mixers tend to make cleaning of the interior of the drums difficult after use.

In addition, the high cost of buying or hiring powered mixers is often not warranted, for example where only small amounts of mix are involved. - 2

Cement mixers have been proposed hitherto which have a removable mixing container or drum liner which during mixing of a concrete or mortar mix is positioned within and is rotatable with an outer drum which is rotated by hand or by a motor.

US4521116 describes apparatus for mixing concrete or the like which includes a support frame, a rotational drive connected to the frame, a drum liner support rotatatably connected to the rotational drive and a drum liner connected to and supported by the drum liner support. Agitating elements in the form of inwardly extending projections forming part of the drum liner serve to agitate and stir the contents of the liner when the drum inner support is rotated.

VS5934800 describes a concrete mixer consisting of a tillable outer drum which is not rotatable about its longitudinal axis, an inner drum which is rotatable within the outer drum, and a removable mixing container within the inner drum, the outer drum being supported on a frame. Mixing of a concrete/mortar mix can then be effected in the removable mixing container or liner by rotating together the inner drum and the liner relative to the outer drum. Keyways projecting inwardly from both the inner drum and the liner serve to ensure the mixing container is rotated when the inner drum is rotated, and they also serve to agitate and stir the mix during the mixing process.

These hitherto proposed cement mixers do enable the mixes which are produced to be relatively easily transported in the liners to where the mixes are to be used, and the liners can be treated as disposable articles. However, agitation of the mixes with these mixers tends to be relatively poor when compared with cement mixers having blades fixed within a mixing drum.

Furthermore, the provision of the inwardly extending projections complicates manufacture of the liners and adds to their cost.

According to the present invention there is provided a mixer for mixing building materials such as cement, concrete, mortar, - 3 plaster and the like the mixer having an agitator within a container within which mixing of the building materials takes place, the agitator being separate from and removable by hand from the container.

The term cement mixer is used herein in a generic sense to refer to mixers for a variety of building materials such as cement, concrete, mortar, plaster and the like.

An embodiment of cement mixer in accordance with the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 shows a partially exploded view of the mixer; Figs. 2a-c show different views of parts of the mixer; Fig. 3 is an exploded view of further parts of the mixer; and Fig. 4 shows a modification of a base for the mixer.

The illustrated mixer has an outer container 5 with a base 6 to which is connected an axle 7, the axle 7 being rotatable by hand using a handle 12 connected to the axle 7 by a crank arm 11.

The axle 7 is supported for rotation by a sleeve 9 located in a hole through a post 10 attached to a base 14 with rubber feet 16. A hardened material 13 is positioned on the post 10 to reduce wear when the container 5 is rotated, and particularly when it contains a cement mix.

Within the outer container 5 is a removable mixing container 4 in which the mix is mixed, and within the mixing container is a removable, tapered, open-ended sleeve 2 to which are attached two agitator blades 3.

Details of the blades 3 can be seen more clearly from Figs.2a-c.

As seen in plan view in Fig. 2a, the blade 3 is substantially 4 - "V" shaped. However, the elevational view of Fig. 2b shows the blade 3 to be in the form of a strip leaving an aperture between its central region 3' and the interior of the sleeve 2, this serving to improve mixing of building materials within the container 4. The side elevation of the blade 3 shown in Fig. 2c also shows the gap left between the blade 3 and the sleeve 2.

The sleeve 2 fits closely within the container 4, and the container 4 fits closely within the container 5. Indeed, they are preferably of substantially the same shape as each other.

However, depth stops 15 serve to prevent the sleeve 2 and the containers 4 and 5 being wedged together.

A lid 1 for the sleeve 2 has a central aperture through which the components of a cement mix are introduced for mixing, the lid 1 serving to hold the mix within the mixer during mixing but being removable for cleaning.

A modification of the base of the mixer is shown in Fig. 4, the sleeve 9 being mounted in a hole in a plate 18 attached to a frame 17.

Cement mixers in accordance with the present invention can be made from any suitable materials, for example metal, wood, plastics materials and rubber. The mixing containers 4 are preferably made from re-cycled plastics materials as these can be disposed of after use, thereby avoiding having to clean them after use.

The agitator blades 3 with their associated sleeves 2 are removable from the mixing containers 4, thereby facilitating not only removal of the cement mix from the containers 2 but also cleaning of the blades 3.

Having the mixing containers 4 removable from the outer containers 5 facilitates transport of the mixes produced from the mixer to where they are to be used. - 5 -

Claims

ClaimS 1. A mixer for mixing building materials such as cement, concrete,

mortar, plaster and the like the mixer having an agitator within a container within which mixing of the building materials takes place, the agitator being separate from and removable by hand from the container.
2. A mixer according to claim 1, having more than one agitator.
3. A mixer according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the agitator or agitators are attached to support means which are separate from and removable by hand from the container.
4. A mixer according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the agitator or agitators are substantially as shown in Figs. 2a-c of the accompanying drawings.
5. A mixer according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the container is removable from the mixer by hand.
6. A mixer according to any of the preceding claims, wherein, in use, the agitator or agitators are spaced from the container.
7. A mixer according to any of the preceding claims wherein the container in which mixing takes place is located in a

rotatable drum.
8. A mixer according to claim 7, wherein the container is spaced from the rotatable drum to facilitate its removal therefrom.
9. A mixer according to any of the preceding claims, which is hand operated.
10. A mixer substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.