The Concrete Producer articles from August 2002

The Concrete Producer archives from August 2002

New products at warp speed; have your suppliers staked out their place in the industry's R&D breeding ground? (Editorial).(Brief Article)(Editorial)
August 1, 2002... Did you realize that concrete producers have something in common with high-tech computer companies? It seems that both industries deliver new products to the market a mere 3 months from inception. Some might think that I'm stretching my analogy...

TCA releases revised tilt-up spec guide. (News).
August 1, 2002... The Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA) has announced the release of the revised Tilt-Up Specification Gu/de. The new guide includes several changes to a document that was adapted in 1994 and originally developed in 1987. * Provisions for...

2002 buildings and bridges seminars scheduled. (News).
August 1, 2002... The 2002 Concrete Buildings and ridges Seminars are designed to add practical aspects to civil engineering professors' course material and will be held back to back in Skokie, IIl., Aug. 5-9. They are co-sponsored by groups such as PCA, NRMCA,...

NRMCA offers OSHA compliance course. (News).
August 1, 2002... NRMCA is offering its first 2 1/2-day course on safety and OSHA compliance from Aug. 11-14 in Chicago. Topics will include the cost savings that are possible through safety programs, electrical safety, machine guarding, fall protection, hazard...

PCA releases revised design and control publication. (News).
August 1, 2002... PCA has released the 14th edition of Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures (EB001). This edition covers the current state of the art in concrete materials and construction and is published in full color. For more information, contact PCA...

Garbini named to ASCC board. (News).(Robert Garbini, American Society of Concrete Contractors)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... NRMCA President Robert Garbini was elected to the board of directors of the American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC) at ASCC's annual meeting held in New Orleans during the World of Concrete this past January. Garbini's election...

Politics and C[O.sub.2]. (Letters).
August 1, 2002... I enjoy reading THE CONCRETE PRODUCER very much. However, "The Cement Industry's Role in Climate Change" (April) is more "hot air" for a growing political movement. Among his remedies for reducing the industry's carbon monoxide emissions,...

A second set of eyes. (E-Concrete).(collision-avoidance systems)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
August 1, 2002... The saying "If they could put a man on the moon..." comes to mind when you consider that cars share the road with trucks. I have a hard enough time staying alive when I share the road with Chicago-area car drivers who tailgate at 80 mph while...

Prestressing without guessing: a new device re-tensions hardened concrete structural elements. (What's New).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Precast prestressed concrete structural members undergo excruciating consideration by the engineers who design them. The number of required calculations can be frightening. And yet once a member is put in place, how does anybody know that it...

Whose proof is correct? (Troubleshooting).(validating concrete strength results)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
August 1, 2002... Q. We recently supplied concrete to a small commercial project. Just prior to this project, the contractor had completed a driveway for a similar building in another part of the city using concrete from one of our competitors. Just after it...

Cement lab standards.(comparing cement quality and performance)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
August 1, 2002... Q. We've just agreed to use a new cement supplier for a long-term project. Since this project may go for more than 2 years, we want to be sure that the cement characteristics don't vary during the project. We are considering conducting a cement...

One of the best: you could always find cement salesman John Leichleiter when you needed him. (As the Drum Turns).(Brief Article)(Column)
August 1, 2002... It never fails to happen. Just when I'm in the midst of preparing a bid for an important job, the receptionist always seems to ring my office phone. She tells me that my favorite cement salesman is standing in the lobby. "He says that he's just...

Enhancing service with volumetric trucks: Big Valley Concrete highlights customer service advantages of volumetric trucks. (Cover Story).(Cover Story)
August 1, 2002... Dale Yoder, owner of Big Valley Concrete in central Pennsylvania, cut his teeth in the concrete industry with a Kansas contractor who specializes in bridge deck overlays. Unlike most producers, Yoder first gained experience and familiarity with...

Developing the `middle man': what makes middle managers succeed? It's the right balance of sociability and responsibility.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Editor's note: This is the third and final article in a series about the behavioral characteristics of successful personnel in the concrete production industry. In this article, Dr. Taylor cites research that indicates the characteristics of...

The `book' on success: the new EPA design manual should provide precasters with great growth, but will it? (casting trends: onsite wastewater treatment).(Environmental Protection Agency)
August 1, 2002... Every summer, scores of hopeful authors take time from their normal lives to search the world for experiences that will become fodder for what they hope will become the great American novel (GAN). In today's literary marketplace, there are many...

A market entry primer. (casting trends).(secondary wastewater treatment equipment and products)
August 1, 2002... Producers who are "primed" to enter the onsite wastewater treatment market will find that there's much more to it than casting primary treatment tanks for leaching effluent into the soil. Urban sprawl means that land is becoming more and more...

Highly maneuverable straddle cranes. (Products for the Producer).(Advertisement)
August 1, 2002... With capacities ranging from 15-325 tons, the Travelift series of gantry cranes is designed to provide one-time handling of massive precast/prestress panels, large-diameter pipe, and other products. The key design feature is a front wheel that...

Connectors eliminate microcracking. (Products for the Producer).(Advertisement)
August 1, 2002... Because of its unique folded design, the Vector Connector eliminates microcracking that often results from welding during the connecting of double tees. Rather than expanding laterally during welding, the connector bows outward slightly, then...

Precast accessory. (Products for the Producer).(Advertisement)
August 1, 2002... The Grouted Connection Tube facilitates a connection between precast products or from precast products to poured-in-place concrete. Its thin plastic end seal prevents concrete and water infiltration prior to use and eliminates the possibility...

Prestressing strand. (Products for the Producer).(Advertisement)
August 1, 2002... Minilax seven-wire strand offers many advantages over traditional strand, so producers save money, time, and labor. These advantages are (1) low stress loss due to a low relaxation property, (2) low relaxation loss under a high temperature...

Stencil-cutting system. (Products for the Producer).(Advertisement)
August 1, 2002... According to this company, its SC-3 stencil-cutting system lets users cut almost any type of decal in the most demanding media--including stencil board and sandblast material. This electronic system features an extrawide 29-inch bed and an...

External vibrators. (Products for the Producer).(Advertisement)
August 1, 2002... Available with 4- or 6-hole mounting, this company's Big vibrators are three-phase asynchronous motors with adjustable eccentric weights mounted at both ends of the rotor shaft. Inner weights are key-fixed on the rotor; outer weights can be...

Structural welded wire reinforcement. (Products for the Producer).(Advertisement)
August 1, 2002... Although initially used as reinforcement for slabs on grade, structural welded-wire reinforcement can now meet sophisticated reinforcing requirements for virtually all concrete construction applications. Products built using structural WWR...

Rebar-bending machine. (Products for the Producer).(Advertisement)
August 1, 2002... A large rebar fabricator can cut labor costs and increase productivity by using the KRB Mini Line machine, an automated unit allowing one-person operation. Mini Line features a 10-inch-wide entry conveyor, a control console, a measuring table,...

Taking control: an automated tire inspection system puts the air back into the fleet manager's own program. (Fleet Factors).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Successful fleet managers continually look for ways to take the guesswork out of solving their problems. Many managers schedule their repairs around measurable items such as miles traveled, hours operated, or even yards poured. These guidelines...