We're Making Concrete

 One of the many problems we are facing down here is the quality of concrete they have available. The batch plant that we ordered from Turkey, is finally up and running.  

Saturday, we were supposed to go grocery shopping first thing.  The later you are out in the day, the worse it is.  Cory needed to meet Ragheb at the office at 9:00 so they could go to Auto Lubumbashi to get some things.  I decided to go with Cory and then we would grocery shop on the way back.  On the way to the office, we were stopped buy the police AGAIN!  We were smart this time and didn't had them our card, we just showed it through the window.  They kept talking to us in French and we kept saying "we don't speak French" "Je na parle pas  Français".  The cars were backing up behind us and honking. They told Cory to put on his seatbelt, which he did, and then they wanted money.  I didn't have any Congolese Francs on me. Eventually they let us go.  It is so annoying! 

After Auto Lubumbashi, Cory said he needed to stop at one more place before the grocery store. (Famous Last Words). We went to the yard because, like I said earlier, the Batch plant is finally making concrete but they needed Cory's help for something. I decided to document the yard with pictures.

Here is the sections they have built to keep the materials separate.

The ramp they built to lard the hopper.

Here is the hopper, Darius is tightening the conveyor belt.

Here is the silo that holds all of the concrete powder.  One obstacle they had was how where they going to get all of the powder loaded into the silo.  Cory built a box that sits at the bottom with a point and then 4 arms that radiate from it.  All the workers need to do is drop the bag on the point, the arms rip open the bag and the powder drops down where they use and air compressor to blow the powder up into the silo. 

   

The office of the batch plant. There is a computer and and AC in here and someone will need to be in there and put the correct formulas into the computer to batch the concrete.

With every load of concrete thus far on the temple, they pour cubes and then they cure them for 7 days, 14 days, and 21 days.  Then Blaise brings them into this room and he runs tests on them to see at what pressure they crush!

  

Darius has built a little patio area just off the offices for people to sit and take a break, eat their lunch, what ever.  I used it Saturday to sit back and read because we ended up being at the yard for 3 1/2 hours!  It was nice to have some shade, it was 95 degrees! Summer is here! We eventually ended up grocery shopping, just much later!