A concrete mixer is a device that homogeneously combines cement, aggregate such as sand or gravel, and water to form concrete on site, typically using a revolving drum fitted with an internal spiral blade. T.L. Smith of Milwaukee built one of the earliest models around 1900 with a tiltable conical drum, and the German inventor Richard Bodlaender patented the first portable concrete mixer, a horse-drawn machine called the Mortar Mixer, on February 9, 1904; Roscoe Lee later patented the transit mixer design in 1934, allowing a rotating drum to be mounted on a truck and deliver ready-mixed concrete to a job site. The concrete mixer let construction workers prepare concrete close to where it would be used, giving crews enough working time before the material hardened.
Facts
Patent or First-Use Date SignificanceA truck mounted transit mixer let an ordinary truck be turned into a concrete mixer by using a crane to set a rotating drum on its bed, instead of building a dedicated concrete truck from scratch. That kept costs down, let the same trucks be adapted for other hauling work, and helped ready mixed concrete reach a job site before it began to set. 1 Connections
Sources
1. Concrete Mixer (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationHistory section
One of the first concrete mixers ever was developed in 1900 by T.L. Smith in Milwaukee.
History section, Bodlaender portable mixer patent paragraph
On February 9, 1904, the first portable concrete mixer was patented by Richard Bodlaender, an inventor from Breslau, Germany.
History section, Roscoe Lee transit mixer paragraph
This design made it possible for new trucks to be turned into concrete mixers by using a crane to put a drum on the back of the truck.
View the Source Frequently Asked Questions
When did the first portable concrete mixer appear?
Richard Bodlaender patented the first portable mixer on February 9, 1904, a horse-drawn Mortar Mixer with a paddle drum.
On February 9, 1904, the first portable concrete mixer was patented by Richard Bodlaender, an inventor from Breslau, Germany. It was horse-drawn and called a Mortar Mixer, and it worked by replacing the front wheels with a large drum that held large paddles for mixing the cement. Earlier, one of the first concrete mixers was developed in 1900 by T.L. Smith in Milwaukee, and it already showed the still common basic construction with a tiltable conical drum with blades. Portable mixers let concrete be made at the construction site, giving workers ample time to use it before it hardens.
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