Luck Stone, one of the United States' largest family-owned producers of crushed stone, sand and gravel, has invested in a 110 tph sand wash system to replace its sand screw equipment.

Luck Stone, which is celebrating its 100th year in business this year, is headquartered in Richmond, Va.

Starting with a single quarry in Richmond, the organization now has 30 locations across the United States to provide aggregate materials and services for the construction of roads, bridges and buildings.

The firm recently invested in a 110 tph EvoWash sand washing system from industry experts CDE in a bid to optimize output and reduce wastage at its site in Atlanta, Ga.

Previously, the company produced a washed sand using a traditional sand screw however Luck Stone found that the technology was not optimal in getting the desired specification.

Luck Stone sought out expertise from wet processing experts at CDE to help optimize their sand processing, reduce waste and ensure their products provided the best quality for concrete customers.

Luck Stone has many years' experience producing sand and gravel, and this project benefited from its strong technical understanding and clear goals.

Through various sand gradations and test analysis, CDE found that if Luck Stone wanted to produce an in spec concrete sand, the removal of the 30-50# sand was essential, which had to be done in an optimized environment.

In order to optimize output, CDE replaced the existing sand screw equipment with its EvoWash technology, processing at a rate of 110 tph.

Commenting on the installation process, Brent Junior, senior process specialist at Luck Stone said: "We did a lot of work ahead of installation with gradations analysis, having CDE run simulations along with our own simulations so that we really knew what we needed to do to have the right controls when the plant was installed.

"The installation was really great. On a Thursday morning, we started disassembling the sand screw. The team worked through the weekend and by Monday morning we were operating and producing in spec sand. It was great to minimize downtime and start making product right away to meet customer needs."

Joe Teague, vice pPresident of sales of CDE added: "This project is a great accomplishment. Thanks to all the collaboration and pre-planning with both companies the install went smoothly on site."

A compact, modular sand washing system, the EvoWash separates the smaller sand and gravel fractions through an integrated high-frequency dewatering screen, sump and hydrocyclones which provide unrivalled control of silt cut points and eliminates the loss of quality fines with significant commercial value, the manufacturer said.

Incorporating CDE's Infinity Screen technology, the EvoWash offers optimal dewatering results, which enables operators to produce a range of high-quality sands that are market-ready straight from the belt.

Protecting revenue by eliminating the need for maintaining settling ponds, the EvoWash can integrate seamlessly into existing operations to reduce site footprint. The technology minimizes downtime and, with an increased number of parameters to ensure improved accuracy on the material cut point, removes the double-handling of materials, as high-value fines can often be lost and trapped at the bottom of ponds when processed with traditional sand screw equipment.

The CDE EvoWash allows the operator to make adjustments to the blending of final products as they discharge off the dewatering screen. It also allows adjustment in the feedbox, prior to material entering the dewatering screen leaving a complete adjustable cut point in real-time, which is essential for a potentially fluctuating feed. This enables the operator to perform a consistent and optimized concrete sand product

With CDE's technology, Luck Stone is producing three sand products: concrete sand, asphalt sand and masonry sand to be used in construction projects across Georgia.

Since its installation, CDE's CustomCare support has been at the heart of the relationship as Plant Manager for Luck Stone Mike Maldonado said: "Customer support is very important and the partnership with CDE is very important. Having that support and customer service has always been key for me. As busy as we are here with everything that's going on, it's important to have that person who you can contact to get you the information or help that you need to help solve the problem. With CDE, we know we have this support."

Teague concluded: "The EvoWash is one of our core products and is much more efficient than the sand screw technology. It also helps produce a much drier product than a screw would so you're able to sell straight off the belt. Operators can also make quick adjustments to be able to blend different sands.

"This is our first project with Luck Stone, it's been a great experience for CDE, the professionalism and the collaboration that we experienced from our team working with their team early on was great and we look forward to continuing our partnership."

CDE currently has a trade in deal where producers can trade in their sand screw for CDE's EvoWash.

For more information about the new trade in deal, which is only available for a limited time, visit cdegroup.com/swapyourscrew

This story also appears on Aggregate Equipment Guide.

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