| 摘要 |
The invention provides a method and apparatus for colour blending an agglomerating flowable material from a number of differently coloured individual batches, wherein a forming mould is filled with a mottled heterogeneous charge comprising material from at least two of the batches. Differently coloured batches of agglomerating flowable material are directed from a mixer to a like number of material storage hoppers each with an independently operable outlet. Once each hopper is initially filled, the mixer continues to produce batches to maintain a sufficient amount of material in each hopper while the material flows out of the hoppers into the mould. Preferably the method includes using a movable bucket operable between a loading position in communication with the mixer and a dumping position over a selected hopper. Programmed controls directed by a computer for example then control the position relative to the mould, time sequencing and quantity of material passed through each hopper outlet to fill the mould with a mottled heterogeneous charge comprising material from at least two batches. Preferably controls include indexing a filling tray to a number of selected tray filling positions relative each hopper outlet. After being filled and levelled the filling tray is transferred to a mould filling position above the mould and dropped into the mould. In the preferred example, the material is a relatively dry concrete mixture, known as zero slump concrete, which agglomerates into clumps that tumble randomly from the hopper outlets. By controlling the positioning of the filling tray relative to a selected hopper outlet, the time sequencing and quantity of material released from each hopper outlet, it is possible to fill the filling tray in a large number of seemingly random mottled patterns where clumps of each of the individual colours remains visible in the moulded product.
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