The Concrete Producer articles from March 2003

The Concrete Producer archives from March 2003

Are you quick or fast?(Editorial)
March 1, 2003... Every so often, officiating basketball can be fun despite the over-excited fans, surly coaches, and grueling travel. Following a well-played basketball game at a holiday tournament, I lingered in the small coaches office with my colleagues to...

Award winners announced.(News)
March 1, 2003... Winners of the Tilt-Up Concrete Association's (TCA) tenth annual Achievement Awards Program have been announced. The program honors projects that used site cast tilt-up concrete to introduce new building types, advance industry technology, or...

Construction chemicals demand growing.(News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Demand for construction chemicals used in onsite applications is projected to increase 4.6% each year to $6.4 billion in 2006, states a report from The Freedonia Group Inc., Cleveland. Chemical demand is forecast to grow more rapidly then...

Plants cited for longevity.(News)
March 1, 2003... Eleven precast, prestressed concrete plants have been honored by the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, Chicago, for their long-time participation in the Institute's Plant Certification Program. The program is based on independent...

New design software.(News)
March 1, 2003... RAM International, Carlsbad, Calif., has released its fully integrated concrete design software, RAM Concrete. RAM Concrete is seamlessly integrated into the RAM Structural System. Unique features include automatic pattern loading, beam and...

Upcoming conferences & events.(News)(Calendar)
March 1, 2003... Show Highlights Concrete Usage The American Concrete Institute Spring Convention will be held March 30-April 3 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The convention will host educational and technical sessions, committee meetings, exhibits, and a...

The need for speed.(As the Drum Turns)
March 1, 2003... Not too long I received as a gift from my sons a replica of the 1932 Ford Deuce Coupe. You know, the one that was featured in the film "American Graffiti." It was the fastest car that cruised the local drive-in restaurant. In that particular...

Solving tough management issues: a site to help you deal with all sorts of job issues.(E-Concrete)
March 1, 2003... You've been there before. A driver from your plant has showed up to work late again. The huge job that you have booked could be late or even cancelled now, just because of this one driver. What do you do? We've all been in this situation...

Keeping the flow right.(Troubleshooting)
March 1, 2003... Q. We often see delays in batch when we try to withdraw from one of the plant product bins. The plant is set up with 4 powder storage areas, each with a square bin that gravity feeds into a 12 cubic yard weigh-batcher. The 2 outside bins...

Tilting sales your way: a new article collection elaborates on the benefits of tilt-up construction.(Bookshelf)
March 1, 2003... Once considered a novelty, concrete tilt-up construction is gaining its place in many areas as a proven construction method. It's a technique with more than 30 years of history. The topic has often been subject of many feature stories in both...

Is your plant fast enough? Tips and tricks from the experts for making your batch plant faster.(Cover Story)
March 1, 2003... Fast is a relative term. A loading time that may be Fast to one producer may seem to be a snails pace to another. But how can the plant manager, with only a small capital budget for improvement, make a difference in his batching speed?...

Celestial guidance: global positioning systems practically put the dispatcher in the driver's seat.
March 1, 2003... Every so often, fans of late-night television get to watch a rerun of the 1945 action classic "God Is My Co-Pilot." The movie describes the true story of Robert Scott, ace fighter pilot and World War II hero who fought in the Pacific Theater....

Precast pipe carries the load: precast concrete pipe was used under Grand Rapid's new M-6 Beltway.(casting trends)
March 1, 2003... In Michigan, products are built to last. The automotive industry helps drive the American economy, and its major city lives on with the "Motor City" moniker. Little wonder that the state is known for its heavy traffic and slow commutes when the...

Concrete pipe basics: is your lead foreman up to the challenges?(casting trends)
March 1, 2003... Batching concrete for the repetitive process of casting pipe can seem rudimentary and easy to do. After hundreds of cycles each day, the quality control (QC) of mixing these materials can become routine. A casual approach to this may lead to...

Admixture for packerhead machines.(What's New in the Pipeline)
March 1, 2003... Pipe producers can use Krete Multi-Plast admixture to quicken the filling of concrete pipe molds in packerhead machines and ensure batch-to-batch uniformity. Multi-Plast provides these benefits as a result of its excellent wetting action, which...

Rollerdrive units reduce material spillage, quicken attachment changeover.(What's New in the Pipeline)
March 1, 2003... BiDi Advantage is a new series of concrete pipe-making machines that featurse a new component design that reduces material spillage and speeds attachment changeover. This series encompasses a complete size and model range of bidirectional pipe...

Redesigned with an enlarged machine turntable.(What's New in the Pipeline)
March 1, 2003... While retaining the same benefits of PipePlus, the PipePlusPlus machine incorporates several new designs--including an enlarged turntable and the latest in automation and control technology. The machine turntable now accommodates up to 18-inch...

Perfect for medium-range pipe production.(What's New in the Pipeline)
March 1, 2003... With more than 30 successful installations presently operating, the VIHY Intermatic is ideal for the concrete-pipe manufacturer with a "medium range" market (55,000-60,000 tons/year). It is a fully automatic machine that makes reinforced,...

Transforming concrete specs: an NRMCA committee works to formulate a strategy to transform the concrete specification process.(National Ready Mixed Concrete Association)
March 1, 2003... Committee members of the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) Research, Engineering, and Standards Committee established a P2P Steering Committee at its meeting in October to evaluate and recommend a program to move concrete...

Mobile concrete mixers.(Producer Product Showcase)(Advertisement)
March 1, 2003... Elkin Manufacturing offers a wide variety of customized mobile concrete mixers for delivery of short load concrete. Elkin Mixers are customized to meet end-user requirements and are designed for ease of operation and versatility on a wide range...

Pipe wipe.(Producer Product Showcase)(Advertisement)
March 1, 2003... Chemically engineered to produce a "sack rubbed" finish to fill the smallest voids and blemishes on precast concrete. PipeWipe is a cementitious blend combined, with special fine aggregates, and a dry latex polymer to help with adhesion and...

New sound-absorbing CMU brochure.(Producer Product Showcase)(Advertisement)
March 1, 2003... The Proudfoot Company, the U.S. distributor of the aesthetically pleasing SOUND CELL[R] sound-absorbing CMU offers a four-page brochure describing the product's features and benefits, including improvement of overall sound quality, reduction of...

Liners.(Producer Product Showcase)(Advertisement)
March 1, 2003... Polyurethane liners for Pan/Paddle/Ribbon Mixers. Rhino Hyde[R] is the best performance polyurethane concrete mixer liners for a variety of concrete mixers with many advantages such as... * No sticking like rubber and steel. *...

The dynamics of dust control: new technologies can help the producer adopt to a changing environment.(Product Pulse)
March 1, 2003... Dust-control requirements certainly won't decrease in importance to concrete producers in the short term--or the long term as many look for ways to upgrade production capacity or fully retrofit their facilities. The push-pull dynamic involves...

Durable polyethylene body.(Product Pulse)
March 1, 2003... This company has engineered a filtration system with a plastic body that is as durable as stainless steel at fraction of the cost. The low-density rotationally molded polyethylene body is rated for service from 20-250[degrees]F. Four...

New round silo collectors.(Product Pulse)
March 1, 2003... New round, compact silo collectors that comprise the "O" Series are low-profile units with a tilt-back hinges that allow easy access to the filter media. These top-entry collectors' gas-spring actuators are designed to allow the producer to...

Turnkey systems and engineering.(Product Pulse)
March 1, 2003... This company offers customers consultation, preliminary engineering, design engineering, system fabrication, and complete supervised installation of turnkey dust-collection systems. Components offered include stationary or portable baghouse...

Custom tubular system components.(Product Pulse)
March 1, 2003... Certified welders custom-fabricate dust-collection system components for this ISO 9002-certified manufacturer. The company offers rolled-lip clamped-together straight duct; a 3-22 inch stainless steel Lifetime Clamp with a reusable O-ring...

Silo and batching system.(Product Pulse)
March 1, 2003... This company's 250-square-foot silo dust-control unit reclaims cement that might otherwise escape into the atmosphere during the filling of material silos. It uses heavy-duty air vibrator cleaning that's designed for faster and easier...

Flexible-tip rotary airlock.(Product Pulse)
March 1, 2003... The new heavy-duty flexible-tip rotary airlock allows the producer to continuously operate a dust-collection system without the need for shutdown for barrel changes. It is designed to provide a flexible air seal that allows larger particles to...

Shroud encloses truck hopper.(Product Pulse)
March 1, 2003... The DC-2 Dust Collector encloses the charging hopper on a ready-mix truck as the truck is being loaded and returns to its upper position for the next truck. The DC-2 features a 5000-cfm fan, and adjustable suction hood, ductwork from the hood...

Smoothness and safety: a new suspension for tandem front-steers eliminates the bumps for everyone.(Fleet Factors)
March 1, 2003... In a world where instant information often allows everyone to know everything about what everyone else is doing, it's refreshing to publish an idea that stirs tremendous interest. In the December edition of THE CONCRETE PRODUCER, we reported on...