Discovered by the Romans almost more than 2,000 years ago, we are told they used concrete to develop the aqueducts, viaducts, dams and similar major structures that are even today impressive.
Australian Pump Industries (Aussie Pumps) is extremely conscious of the concrete industry as the company develops products that are used in the industry from the original quarry work (granite or limestone) all the way through to the final stages of the process of building cities, bridges, and tunnels.
“We all know the vital components of concrete are crushed gravel, burnt limestone (cement), sand and water. Every quarry has pumps. Not only for pump out in the event of heavy rain, but also to deal with fire hazards and even mundane tasks like machinery washdown,” says Warick Lorenz, managing director Aussie Pumps.
It’s in this area that Aussie Pumps provides everything from high pressure water blasters and steam cleaners for keeping machinery clean all the way through to fire pumps and even 4-inch and 6-inch trash pumps that can move up to 6,000 litres per minute.
Many have a water cart on site for dust suppression. By using a high-pressure Aussie fire pump on that unit, as “favoured by bushfire brigades and National Parks”, these carts can double up for fire support.
Aussie Fire Chief pumps are “high pressure, designed for long trouble-free life and are available with either Honda petrol or Yanmar diesel engine drives”.
Some models in the Aussie tanker pump range are also hydraulic drive, negating the need for petrol or diesel engines on site. The Aussie package is built with top quality pumps with extended warranties to five years.
Batch plant efficiency
Australia’s concrete industry is highly competitive with three major operators and a number of privately owned plants as well. Generally speaking, they all have the same material costs so the more successful businesses are focused on cost control and reliability. The mixer needs to arrive on the site on time.
That’s where Aussie’s self-priming centrifugal motor pumps kick in. Every batch plant has a wide range of pump applications including in the batching process, water recycling and draining sumps.
“These centrifugal motor pumps are replacing submersibles in many batch plants. The beauty of Aussie’s self-primers is that they are surface mounted. That makes service and maintenance significantly easier than submersibles due to the high visibility of the product.”
These batch plant pumps, or semi trash pumps, are available in a range from 1 ½-inch all the way through to big 6-inch pumps. The most popular are the 3-inch and 4-inch versions but all feature heavy duty cast iron open impellers, capable of passing solids in suspension. Not only that but, the company has designed in a stainless-steel wear plate to protect body wear from abrasion. All machines are supplied with silicon carbide mechanical seals.
“An added feature, popular with batch plants is a front clean out port. That enables the unit to be cleared of any blockages without the need for disconnecting pipework. It’s a gift that can speed up maintenance, saving hours”, says Aussie Pumps chief engineer, John Hales.
High pressure pumps are also available and are used for moving water for the batching process. Aussie’s range provides pumps that will deliver up to 1250 litres of water per minute and offer total head (vertical lift) up to 78 metres.
“Yes, that pump has a 22kW motor driving it, comes on a steel base plate and is delivered ready to go to work. We have optional 316 stainless steel impellers available on a number of models for particularly abrasive applications.
All together, we are pleased to see first class results in batch plants adopting the surface mounted Aussie self-priming pumps. They offer very real advantages in terms of maintenance and overall reliability, “says Hales.
Mixer washdown
Australian Pump is famous for its range of Aussie eco-clean petrol and diesel drive pressure cleaners. The machines are designed with heavy duty slow speed triplex pumps and deliver pressures up to 350 bar (5,000 psi). They can be engine drive or powered by three phase electric motors. The motors are slow speed, four pole, designed for long trouble-free operation in even the most difficult applications.
A number of Aussie high-pressure washers are out there working in batch plants on general cleaning duties, not just used on the mixer trucks but also for the plant itself.
Off site
“We’re all used to seeing mixer trucks on the roads slowly rotating on their way to a job site. It may be anything from a domestic house slab, a new base for a factory or office block or a major job in a high-rise development.”
Many of the concrete pumps used on these sites are fitted with Aussie Pumps’ hydraulic drive high pressure piston pumps and need to be cleaned out thoroughly after use – Aussie Pumps also having the cleaning solution to keep them in great shape.