$17,000.00

The Phoenix is an oven that uses a specially designed high capacity heating coil system to rapidly evaporate the water from a 4x8 cylinder of fresh concrete. Concrete is used to fill a metal mold of a known volume. The mold is measured before and after filling, and then after emptying. The concrete is emptied into a metal pan and it is weighed. Next, the pan is placed in an oven. The heat from the oven removes the water from the concrete and also the water that is within the aggregates. After 15 minutes in the oven, the concrete is weighed. The sample is then placed back within the oven and one more weight is taken to be sure the water has been removed. A simple calculation is done based on the batch weights, specific gravities, and the absorption of the aggregates. This information is used to determine the amount of water that will be contained within the aggregate before the concrete sets. The water within the aggregates is subtracted from the total water content measured and this gives you the water content available to react with the cement. This is the water that is responsible for the workability, consistency, and ultimately the strength of the concrete.