Maintenance & troubleshooting manual

Concrete batching plant maintenance manual

Written by ATALAN PRO MECH for plant teams. Brand-neutral, metric, and organised so you can find the cause of a fault and order the part before you open the machine.

Download the books (PDF)

Book 1Twin-shaft mixer

6 topics

Liners, arms, paddles, shaft seals, drive, lubrication, discharge door.

Book 2Cement silos and screw conveyors

4 topics

Filling and over-pressure protection, top filter, level indicators, flow aids, butterfly valve, screw conveyor.

Filling and over-pressure protection

§ 4 · 5 · 13.1 Silo over-pressure during filling — safety valve, filter and alarmsCement on the roof around the safety valve, the safety valve lifts at deliveries, or the pressure alarm stops deliveries early. →

Discharge aids and silo cone

§ 7 · 10 · 13.4 Cement does not flow out of the silo — bridging, rat-holes and lumpsThe butterfly valve is open but little or no cement reaches the screw, flow starts and stops, or lumps block the outlet. →

Butterfly valve

§ 8 · 13.5 Cement butterfly valve does not open or closeThe cement scale keeps creeping up with the screw stopped, the valve does not open fully, or the panel shows the wrong valve position. →

Screw conveyor

§ 9 · 12 · 13.6 Cement screw conveyor slows, locks or loses outputThe screw runs at normal speed empty but slows or locks with cement, delivers less than before, knocks or scrapes inside the tube, or the motor turns but the screw does not. →

Book 3Weighing systems

3 topics

Load cells, aggregate, cement, water and admixture scales, weighing belts, calibration.

Scale mechanics

§ 4 · 13.1 · 13.3 Scale does not return to zero or reads wrong under load — the scale must floatThe empty scale does not return to zero, the zero creeps between batches, or the scale reads right empty but wrong under load. →

Load cells and electronics

§ 3 · 13.1 · 13.2 Unstable or drifting scale reading — load cells, cables and junction boxThe reading jumps when a motor starts or at random, the zero creeps over days or jumps after an impact, or one cell reads very differently from the others. →

Cement scale

§ 8 · 13.5 Cement batches always overweight or unstableCement is always over target, overshoots badly when the silo is full, the scale "inflates" with dust from the joints, or the reading goes negative during discharge. →

Book 4Aggregate bins

3 topics

Bin structure, material flow, gates and pneumatics, vibrators, liners, level sensors.

Material flow

§ 5 · 12.1 Aggregate bin does not flow — bridges, rat-holes and wet sandThe gate opens but nothing comes out, flow starts and stops, the sand bin stops every morning, or the bin's usable capacity shrinks. →

Gates and pneumatics

§ 6 · 11 · 12.2 Bin gate leaks, closes slowly or does not openMaterial trickles onto the stopped belt after the gate closes, the gate cannot close or closes slowly, or it opens only part way. →

Vibrators

§ 7 · 12.4 Bin vibrator has no effect, packs the sand or cracks the wallThe vibrator runs but the sand does not flow, the sand gets harder, a crack appears near the vibrator, or it rattles loudly. →

Book 5Belt conveyors and chevron belts

2 topics

Belts and splices, tension, tracking, idlers and pulleys, loading zone, cleaners, drives, chevron belts.

Tracking, idlers and pulleys

§ 6 · 14.1 Conveyor belt runs off — how to track a beltThe belt runs to one side at the tail, at the head, only when loaded or only when empty, rubs the frame, or jumps sideways once per revolution. →

Loading zone and belt cleaners

§ 8 · 9 · 14.3 Spillage and carryback under a conveyor — cleaners, skirts and the loading zoneMaterial piles under the head pulley and along the return run, spills at the loading zone, or stones collect under the tail pulley. →

Book 6Water pumps and hydraulic systems

2 topics

Centrifugal and booster pumps, high-pressure wash pumps, slurry pumps, hydraulic power packs, hoses, accumulators.

Water pumps and booster sets

§ 3 · 12.1 Water pump gives no water or low flowThe pump gives no water or low flow, loses its prime after stopping, makes a gravel-like noise, or leaks at the seal. →

Hydraulic power packs

§ 7 · 8 · 9 · 12.4 Hydraulic door pack — slow, creeping or noisy mixer doorThe mixer door opens slowly, does not move, creeps open or closed, the pump whines, the oil foams, runs hot or turns milky, or a hose bursts. →

Book 7Pneumatic systems

2 topics

Compressors, receivers, dryers, filters, drains, FRL units, leaks, solenoid valves, cylinders, position sensors.

Compressor and distribution

§ 2 · 5 · 9.1 Low compressed air pressure — gates close late and batches go overMain pressure is low all the time or drops during a batch, one machine group is weak, the compressor runs loaded all the time, or gates and the mixer door close slowly. →

Air treatment

§ 4 · 9.2 Water in the compressed air — dryers, drains and frozen linesWater in FRL bowls every day, valves stick in the morning, outdoor lines freeze in winter, or cement lumps form at the silo aeration pads. →

Book 8Electrical and control system

2 topics

Supply quality, panels, motors, starters and drives, cables, PLC and batching PC, sensors, safety circuits, earthing.

Motors, starters and drives

§ 4.4 · 5 · 6 · 14.1 Motor will not start or the overload keeps trippingA motor does not start, hums without turning, trips at start or after running, runs hot, or a drive shows an overcurrent or overtemperature fault. →

Sensors and control

§ 8 · 9 · 14.3 "Gate not closed" and random stops — position sensors and the 24 V supplyThe plant stops with "gate not closed" or "door open" while it is closed, stops at random, or a position signal flickers. →

Book 9Skip hoist feeding system

2 topics

Wire ropes, winch, brake, sheaves, rails, wheels, skip bucket, limit and slack-rope switches, the pit.

Wire rope and sheaves

§ 3 · 5.1 · 10.2 Skip hoist wire rope — inspection, lubrication and when to discardBroken wires, reduced or locally swollen diameter, corrosion, kinks or birdcaging, fast rope wear, bad spooling on the drum, or slack rope on descent. →

Winch, brake and limit switches

§ 4 · 6 · 10.1 Skip creeps when stopped or overruns its stops — the brakeThe loaded skip creeps down when stopped, stops later than usual at the limits, overruns the top, runs slower than usual, or the brake motor runs hot. →

Book 10Master lubrication chart and full-plant checklists

One lubrication chart and one set of daily to yearly checklists for the whole plant, to tick on a phone or print.

Open the maintenance plan →

Book 11Recycling, admixture and dust collection

3 topics

Concrete reclaimer and slurry system, admixture tanks and dosing, central dust collector and venting filters.

Concrete reclaimer and slurry

§ A · 1 · 2 Concrete reclaimer — poor separation, stalled screws and thick slurrySand comes out with the stone, stone reaches the slurry tank, sand is too wet, the washing screw stalls, slurry density is too high, or the slurry pump blocks. →

Admixture system

§ B · 3 · 4 Admixture dose too low, too high or unstableThe dose is low, high or varies batch to batch, air content or slump changes with no recipe change, no flow in winter, or sludge in a tank. →

Dust collector and venting filters

§ C · 5 · 6 Dust collector and venting filters — high differential pressure, dust escapingDifferential pressure is high and rising (or very low), dust comes out of the outlet or escapes at the mixer and weigh hopper, a pulse valve is silent, or cement weighing is unstable while filling. →

Book 12Ground feeding, truck loading and cement feeding

2 topics

Loader-fed ground hoppers, star and linear bins, radial stackers, truck loading chute, tanker fill points, bag and big-bag stations.

Ground feeding of aggregates

§ A · 1 · 2 Loader-fed ground hoppers — bridging, damaged grids and engulfmentThe ground hopper bridges with wet or frozen sand, grid bars are bent or missing, material spills at the tipping point, or the feeder belt is cut. →

Truck loading point

§ B · 3 Truck loading point — spillage, dust and uneven loadsConcrete spills when loading trucks, dust escapes at the loading point, or some truck loads are short and others long. →

Book 13Steel structure, mobile plant and chassis

2 topics

Steel frames, anchors, bolts and welds, corrosion, moving and setting up mobile plants, wheels, tyres, bearings, brakes.

Steel structure

§ A · 1 · 2 · 3 Plant structure — cracks, corrosion, loose bolts and leaning silosRust streaks from a weld or joint, cracks in the paint at welds, heavy corrosion at base plates, loose or missing bolts, a platform vibrating more than before, or a plant or silo leaning. →

Mobile plant and chassis

§ B · C · 4 · 5 Moving a mobile plant — chassis, wheels, brakes and setting upA hot wheel hub after a short run, uneven tyre wear, loose wheel nuts, the trailer pulling to one side when braking, a folding part creeping down, or the plant not level after setting up. →

In preparation

Single-shaft mixers
Planetary and pan mixers
Crushing and screening plants

Concrete batching plant maintenance manual

Book 1Twin-shaft mixer

Paddles and arms

Shaft end seals and bearings

Central lubrication

Discharge door

Liners

Book 2Cement silos and screw conveyors

Filling and over-pressure protection

Discharge aids and silo cone

Butterfly valve

Screw conveyor

Book 3Weighing systems

Scale mechanics

Load cells and electronics

Cement scale

Book 4Aggregate bins

Material flow

Gates and pneumatics

Vibrators

Book 5Belt conveyors and chevron belts

Tracking, idlers and pulleys

Loading zone and belt cleaners

Book 6Water pumps and hydraulic systems

Water pumps and booster sets

Hydraulic power packs

Book 7Pneumatic systems

Compressor and distribution

Air treatment

Book 8Electrical and control system

Motors, starters and drives

Sensors and control

Book 9Skip hoist feeding system

Wire rope and sheaves

Winch, brake and limit switches

Book 10Master lubrication chart and full-plant checklists

Book 11Recycling, admixture and dust collection

Concrete reclaimer and slurry

Admixture system

Dust collector and venting filters

Book 12Ground feeding, truck loading and cement feeding

Ground feeding of aggregates

Truck loading point

Book 13Steel structure, mobile plant and chassis

Steel structure

Mobile plant and chassis