The Concrete Producer articles from August 2003

The Concrete Producer archives from August 2003

Mastering a change in concrete specifications.(marketing concrete)(Editorial)
August 1, 2003... Just after the realtor pounded in the "for sale" sign on the house next door last weekend, my neighbor finally decided to take down the last of his outdoor Christmas lights. It's not that he's really lazy. It was probably the fact that this...

Construction aggregates expected to rise. (News).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... World Construction Aggregates, a new study conducted by The Freedonia Group Inc., Cleveland, indicates worldwide demand for construction aggregates to reach 21.7 billion metric tons by 2007. China, the largest national market, is expected to...

Times are changing, and so is concrete. (News).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Quantico Marine Corps Base in Virginia is conducting tests on insulating concrete forms (ICFs). Technical director Sheldon Warman has developed a reaction box composed of multiple compressive strength properties of expanded polystyrene called...

Precast industry prepares for increase. (News).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... According to the National Precast Concrete Association (NPCA), Indianapolis, there will be a 1% increase throughout different precast industries by 2004. Though the industry is facing a slight decline in business this year, Ty Gable, president...

Centex botches the job. (News).(lawsuit against unprofessional workmanship)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... An estimated 250 houses in eastern Contra Costa County might be affected by clumsy workmanship. Ten residents of Discovery Bay, Calif., have filed a lawsuit against Centex Homes, Dallas, and several contractors. They claim Centex Homes used...

10 year construction forecast looks good. (News).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Global Construction Study 2003, a new study conducted by Global Insight Inc.,Waltham, Mass., shows promising long-term growth for the construction industry. The study is based on the industry's spending in 55 of the world's largest construction...

ACI honors members. (News).(American Concrete Institute; Francis J. Principe)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Francis J. Principe, president and founder of Principe-Danna, received the 2003 American Concrete Institute Honorary Membership Award. Principe, 93, is currently the chair of Queens Community Board No. 5, a local branch of the New York City...

Upcoming conferences & events. (News).
August 1, 2003... Block Your Calendar for 2006 The 2006 International Conference on Concrete Block Paving will be hosted by the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute. Held every three years, the conference is tentatively set for early November 2006 in San...

Using the sixth sense: by implementing the Six Sigma approach, companies can move ahead of the pack. (E-Concrete).(concrete industry)
August 1, 2003... Every company demands excellence from its employees. Some companies, such as GE or IBM, stand out in our minds for their excellence--excellence in business, employee relations, and new technologies. Sometimes it's their CEO or president...

Questions, answers, and applications: high-tech research is yielding concrete results. (What's New).
August 1, 2003... What's the difference between pie-in-the-sky research and spin-off technology? About 15 years, says a recent report from the Strategic Development Council (SDC). In "Roadmap 2030: The U.S. Concrete Industry Technology Roadmap" the SDC outlines...

Are you overweight? (What's New).(truck weight)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Other research at Oak Ridge (Tenn.) National Laboratory (ORNL) not directly related to concrete also affects concrete producers. An advanced weigh-in-motion (WIM) system has been developed that operates with 30% less variability than...

Reducing washout water quantities. (Troubleshooting).(concrete construction)
August 1, 2003... Q. The drivers at one of our plants have been using about 800 to 850 gallons of fresh water to wash out their mixers at the end of their shift. The amount of wash water often becomes a problem when we're busy in the summer. Is there any way to...

Concrete palsy? (Troubleshooting).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Q. My husband is a concrete contractor. He does basements, walls, slabs, etc. A doctor has told him that he has "concrete palsy." The first time it appeared was after he had cleaned out the inside of a drum on a truck, which involved vibration...

Under the sea: the concrete is always greener in somebody else's lake. (As the Drum Turns).(Tennessee Aquarium construction)
August 1, 2003... In our everyday lives, we pass through, over, and under concrete structures, roadways, and buildings. The average person knows they are there, but doesn't realize the many uses concrete has-other than just the "typical" structural applications....

Lone workers: a unique safety challenge: one producer drastically reduced plant injury rates by adopting some simple changes to its safety program. .(Cover Story)
August 1, 2003... At one level, managers agree that reducing the frequency and severity of work injuries is a central result of a well-defined company safety program. These numbers are well-defined and have traditional measurement procedures. But managers face a...

Getting the timing right: by tracking a simple thing like time, producers are finding more ways to use database efficiently.(concrete industry)
August 1, 2003... When a manager wants to know what's really happening around the plant, the best place to do some snooping is from a position near the time clock. It often seems that important bits of information are distributed there as fast as they actually...

Lifting the easy way: innovative approaches to backbreaking problems. (casting trends).
August 1, 2003... Responding to the market demands for an ever-increasing range of block shapes and sizes, plant managers are finding more needs for safe and efficient hoist systems to move heavy and bulky units. Whether the challenge is to stack or palletize...

Expanding block production: a Central American company picks up the block production pace with the installation of a new machine. (casting trends).(Grupo Forte S.A.)
August 1, 2003... Plant upgrades that include production increases in palletizing equipment isn't limited to the United States. Grupo Forte S.A. of Guatemala City has completed installation of a new Masa Superbloc machine to produce innovative concrete block and...

What's in a name? Revision to a specification's standard will help distinguish between dry- and wet-cast segmental wall units. (casting trends).
August 1, 2003... Producers who market segmental retaining walls should be paying close attention to an interesting development in ASTM's C 1372-01a "Standard Specification for Segmental Retaining Wall Units" (ASTM 1372). A proposal under consideration on the...

Molds that fit. (Casting trends: block & paver products).
August 1, 2003... Using a speedy process, this company makes molds that fit every time. Specializing in made-to-order projects, CAD enables them to create 3-D models of complex shapes and parts. CAD/CAM engineering facilities and a High-Performance Mold...

Insert for your mold. (Casting trends: block & paver products).
August 1, 2003... Dynamic Mold Insert is designed to refine the production process. Equipped with optimum smooth paver sides and a 25% power strength increase, the Dynamic Mold has a longer, reusable mold life. This product offers shorter cycle times, less...

Fast and painless lifting. (Casting trends: block & paver products).
August 1, 2003... The Anver VB Vacuum-Hoist Lifter is designed to lift heavy porous loads including multiple cinder blocks, bricks, and stone products. Powered by fingertip remote control, it can be located 150 feet away from the vacuum head. The Anver VB...

Grind your blocks. (Casting trends: block & paver products).
August 1, 2003... Dynco offers the Rotary Block Grinder, fit with three 18-inch diamond grinding heads for a fast, superior finish. The stainless steel tube frame has a variable speed gearbox-driven conveyor. The Rotary Block Grinder is smaller than traditional...

Multi-use grinders. (Casting trends: block & paver products).
August 1, 2003... The SR 9000 is a vibration-free, low maintenance, conveyor belt system. It includes up to 10 grinding stations that can be arranged in a series, depending on the desired degree of grinding. It can be used for concrete paving, hard rocks,...

Mixed results: the ICF Mix Design program, now underway, is showing some interesting results in the first few days.(International Concrete Foundation)
August 1, 2003... The batching, mixing, and testing of the entries for the ICF Concrete Mix Design Project has been started by researchers at Aggregate Research Industries, Richmond, Va. Of the entries received to date, there is a wide spread of approaches...

The payload maximizers: auxiliary axles may provide the ready-mix producer with the highest return at the lowest cost. (Product Pulse).(cement trucks)
August 1, 2003... In a low-margin, commodity-driven business such as concrete production, operations managers are trying to squeeze as much utilization out of their high-cost equipment as possible. The central-mix plant's daily capacity? Max it out (while...

Steerable suspension axles. (Products Pulse).
August 1, 2003... The SL-1187 Tru Track is a lightweight, maintenance-free suspension system. Designed to reduce tire wear, it's equipped with dual self-centering stabilizers. Other features of the SL-1187 include automatic self-steering via dual-steering...

Tandem steering suspension. (Products Pulse).
August 1, 2003... Air Link is specifically designed for tandem rear and front axles. This 100% air ride walking beam suspension is geared toward rigors of severe service and on/off highway vehicles. The Air Link is capable of equal weight distribution, enabling...

Low maintenance, high comfort. (Products Pulse).
August 1, 2003... The new lightweight AG400 Series air-ride suspension for heavy-duty truck models is designed to provide a smooth ride, reduced drivetrain stresses, and an elimination of virtually all maintenance. The 46,000-pound-capacity AG460 provides...

Heavy loads not a problem. (Products Pulse).
August 1, 2003... Hendrickson's Primaax heavy-duty air suspension system has a unique three-rod configuration capable of reducing axle stress and welding. Primaax has heavy-duty shock absorbers designed to protect air springs from overextension. Engineered for...

Riding the rugged outdoors. (Products Pulse).
August 1, 2003... Sterling TufTrac offers a maintenance-free suspension system designed for the rugged outdoors. Capable of evenly distributing weight among all wheels, TufTrac retains maximum traction. Other characteristics include a combination of...

Sensor solves battery system problems. (Truck Products).
August 1, 2003... The "Load Dump" sensor solves battery-system problems that occur due to high voltage transients. An outside testing laboratory examined this sensor with existing specifications to ensure the sensor would perform as required. The technical name...

Program tracks maintenance needs. (Truck Products).
August 1, 2003... The PremierCare Managed Maintenance Program allows a fleet to avoid maintenance uncertainty by getting all of its maintenance service work managed under a single maintenance agreement. Customers can keep track of all the maintenance performed...

New truck rolls out. (Truck Products).
August 1, 2003... Showcased at World of Concrete 2003, the Xpeditor mixer truck is said to deliver better off-road traction, stability, and productivity than conventional mixer trucks equipped with all-wheel-drive. Two key features give the truck its improved...

Galvanized aggregate bins. (Truck Products).
August 1, 2003... Customers that purchase this volumetric mobile mixer now have the option of having the aggregate bins galvanized. This aggregate bin is completely immersed into a molten zinc bath and the steel of the aggregate bin bonds with the zinc, creating...

System recycles wash water. (Products for the Producer).
August 1, 2003... The CLP-9044 is an automated system that recycles wash water at 40 gallons per minute. It backwashes filters when a sensor registers a pressure differential increase of 10 psi or more, polishes standing water nightly, and regularly eradicates...

Theft and vandalism prevention video kit. (Products for the Producer).
August 1, 2003... A 20-minute training video about theft avoidance and a 10-minute video about vandalism prevention have been created. Victims and crime prevention specialists have developed practical tips on how contractors can deter equipment and material...

Device tracks stolen equipment. (Products for the Producer).
August 1, 2003... Asset Tracking Units monitor the location of truck trailers and other mobile construction equipment. This device alerts owners if equipment is moved outside of a defined geographical area or stopped for more than a set amount of time. The unit...

Sprayers apply release agents. (Products for the Producer).
August 1, 2003... Equipped with a heavy-duty, on-demand pump, seals, and diaphragms, a two-fluid filter system and construction-grade powder-coated steel housing, the Perfect Power Sprayer hand pump line includes three models to apply concrete form release...

Wheel loader hits the road. (Products for the Producer).
August 1, 2003... Equipped with buckets ranging from 5 to 6 cubic yards, the 966G II wheel loader has 246 hp. The turbocharged and air-to-air aftercooled engine meets worldwide emissions regulations through 2005. The machine has planetary electronic power shift...

Gauge measures concrete thickness. (Products for the Producer).
August 1, 2003... PC friendly and weighing 4.4 pounds, the CTG-1 Concrete Thickness Gauge measures concrete thickness based on the impact echo principle. Useable indoors or outdoors, the CTG-1 is a battery-powered, handheld device. The CTG-1 measures thickness...

Cleaning concrete: tips and tricks for cleaning concrete and masonry. (Bookshelf).(Book Review)
August 1, 2003... How do you clean efflorescence from a masonry building? What are the best techniques for removing stains from concrete? The editors of CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION and MASONRY CONSTRUCTION magazines have combined the best articles they have on...

Rev up your engines: engine considerations for selecting a ready-mix truck. (Fleet Factors).
August 1, 2003... This is the second in a three-part series. This article presents details about chassis length and frame design. Mixer applications do not require a lot of horsepower. "You should get just enough horsepower to do the job," says Brian...