Concrete Construction articles from July 2004

Concrete Construction archives from July 2004

Where did all the cement go?(Editorial Comment)
July 1, 2004... Doesn't seem fair does it? Just when things seem to be turning around, you're hit with sudden spikes in the price of rebar and plywood, and (in some areas) allocations and price increases for concrete. I heard about one residential foundation...

Safety first.(Reader Response)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... Our April cover showed concrete artisan George Lacker polishing a concrete countertop during the Artistry in Decorative Concrete demonstrations at World of Concrete 2004. George was not wearing safety glasses. Since he was only buffing this...

Estimator as president.(Reader Response)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... Your article in CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION April 2004, ("The Estimator as President of Your Company," p. 18) caught my full attention. I don't think you could be any more correct. Fourteen years in practice and 17 years as an educator and consultant...

Weighing your concrete.(Reader Response)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... Knowledge of the weight of a given volume of a specific concrete mixture is of great use to those involved in concrete production and installation. Erlin & Hime ("Are you weighing your concrete? Why not?" March 2004, p. 24) have indicated...

Armor-Tile rated No. 1 by WisDOT.(News & Events)
July 1, 2004... Armor-Tile by Engineered Plastics, was recently rated the best of eight products tested and is recommended for use by a Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) report. In conjunction with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and...

Focus on green building.(News & Events)
July 1, 2004... The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) National Convention held last month in Chicago dedicated a significant portion of its education program to the LEED Green Building Rating System. LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental...

Bobcat Co. and KaBOOM!(News & Events)
July 1, 2004... You may think that KaBOOM! Is a piece of construction equipment, but KaBOOM! is a nonprofit organization that helps to build playgrounds for children at schools, shelters, and parks, with support from local organizations. Bobcat dealerships...

Public safety around construction sites.(News & Events)
July 1, 2004... Aimed at increasing the safety of the public around construction sites, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) has announced a new standard. ANSI A10.34 "Protection of the Public on or Adjacent to Construction Sites" establishes...

Culprits in cement shortage.(News & Events)
July 1, 2004... A shortfall of shipping to carry cement imports coupled with a surge in construction activity has resulted in cement shortages gripping some regions of the United States, according to a report released by the Portland Cement Association's...

Hanley Wood's new event.(News & Events)
July 1, 2004... Addressing changing industry demand, Hanley Wood Exhibitions announces the creation of Technology for Construction, a conference and exhibition that will debut at the 2005 World of Concrete (WOC), January 18-21, at the Las Vegas Convention...

Recycled materials give bridges long life.(News & Events)
July 1, 2004... Penn State engineers have designed 10 concrete mixtures containing industrial byproducts that make it possible for bridge decks to last three times longer. Dr. Paul J. Tikalsky, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering...

What GCs want.(News & Events)
July 1, 2004... At the February meeting of the Concrete Sawing & Drilling Association, Gene Kelley with Granite-Halmer Construction, Mt. Vernon, N.Y., described what a general contractor wants from his subcontractors. Here are a few of his suggestions: *...

Business development for contractors.(Tips & Trends)
July 1, 2004... From the following, what defines business development: [] Placing an advertisement in a local newspaper [] Purchasing a Yellow-page ad [] Buying sports tickets to give to customers [] Joining the local chamber of commerce ...

Pozzolans, Pompeii, Naples, Thera, Santorini, Lost Atlantis, and Sophia Loren.(Hime & Erlin on Concrete)
July 1, 2004... We would have put solid admixtures into the title, too, but the romance and mystery would have been lost. Pozzolans can be considered admixtures, but so can many other materials. Pozzolans are substances that, under the usual definition, react...

Water travel--the Baltimore Aquarium.(project of the month)
July 1, 2004... The National Aquarium in Baltimore is a 10-story structural concrete and glass building that will take visitors on new journeys through the Chesapeake Watershed, across Maryland's Allegheny Cascades, and immerse them in the Australian...

The 2004 CC100: signs of a steady rebound.(CC100)
July 1, 2004... As 2003 drew to an end, most concrete contractors seemed to be breathing a sigh of relief. Business isn't exactly booming again, but the shadow of 9/11 that dominated 2002 seems to be fading, and jobs are starting up. Unfortunately, now we were...

Building bridges fast track: new bridge construction and repair technologies minimize construction time, traffic disruption, and life-cycle costs while improving work zone safety and durability.
July 1, 2004... Few things are more aggravating than waiting in long traffic lines caused by lane restrictions as a bridge or roadway is being reconstructed. Fortunately, changes in how bridges are constructed are reducing those delays. Today the Federal...

Alteration of samples: distressed concrete can change before and during laboratory study.
July 1, 2004... Samples extracted from a concrete structure for laboratory study are typically being examined to determine what occurred while the concrete was in service. But sample removal can upset the "equilibrium" of the concrete before it arrives at the...

No men at work: robots that build houses.
July 1, 2004... At first it doesn't look like much. Just a concrete wall, 3 feet high and 5 feet long, sitting on the floor of a laboratory in Los Angeles. But this wall wasn't poured. It was "printed" by the machine next to it, a robot armed with a concrete...

Growing smart: achieving success with a well-defined corporate culture.(Special feature: company culture)
July 1, 2004... A common buzzword in today's business world is culture. At management conferences and executive seminars, we are all told that we need to establish a corporate culture that governs our business and philosophy. However, as many have found, such...

Use of ACI Committee Reports and Guides in Project Specifications: ASCC position statement #13.(Industry Issues)
July 1, 2004... Concrete contractors study project specifications before bidding to review specification requirements for concrete and to quantify the impact of those requirements on cost and schedule. Several ACI reference specifications are often correctly...

Placing photos and graphics on concrete floors.(Decorative Concrete)
July 1, 2004... A couple of years ago, Gordon Julius, an architect in Grand Rapids, Mich., wanted a decorative floor finish for a clothing store to show images of clothing. He contacted Agio Imaging, Kalamazoo, Mich., for suggestions. Agio Imaging was using a...

Brick ledge bracket.(Decorative Concrete Products)
July 1, 2004... The patent-pending BrickLedge bracket allows poured-wall contractors to form a brick ledge without using Styrofoam, lumber, or other costly and labor-intensive materials. It is particularly suited for applications in hilly terrain, where a...

Epoxy floor coating.(Decorative Concrete Products)
July 1, 2004... Contractors can enhance the appearance of a high-traffic floor with the Epoxy Seal high-performance floor coating kit. The decorative coating can be used for offices, shops, garages, or other interior surfaces. It consists of clear hardener,...

Colorful stains.(Decorative Concrete Products)
July 1, 2004... Rembrandt stain is an acrylic urethane polymer solution, formulated for color- and UV-stability. It offers ultra-low VOC content, is free of objectionable odor, and offers exceptional adhesive strength and wear qualities. Suitable for indoor or...

Cutting concrete precisely.(Innovations)
July 1, 2004... Selling holes, sounds overly simple, but that's what concrete drilling and sawing contractors are in the business of doing. To promote the value of high-quality workmanship in this highly specialized arena, the Concrete Sawing and Drilling...

Too little cover.(Problem Clinic)
July 1, 2004... Q. We are continually running up against structural engineers who push the limits of the cover for rebar and post-tensioning cables for suspended slabs in concrete structures. We normally never like to work with rebar cover less than 1/4 inch...

Overpour.(Problem Clinic)
July 1, 2004... Q. Late last fall I poured a monolithic foundation (18-inch) for a new garage 20x36 feet with a 4x6-inch curb wall, I used a six-bag limestone mix with NYCON fibers in it and now have decided that I would like a curb wall about another 4 inches...

Making the truck fit the job.(Product Update)
July 1, 2004... For the concrete contractor, the work truck can be an extension of the office. Some may even argue that the office is an extension of the truck. But, whether it is a shiny clean foreman's truck or the scraped and dented equipment truck, having...

Post tension tendon hydraulic shear.(July's product focus: hand & power tools)
July 1, 2004... PocketShear[TM] is a hydraulic cold-shearing hand tool for unbonded post tension tendons. PocketShear[TM] is specified by leading engineers across the country and used daily by leading steel placers. At 27 lbs. the unit is lighter than a...

Silver beauty.(July's product focus: hand & power tools)
July 1, 2004... The Silver Beauty power screed, formerly called Screedlite. by Advanced Concrete Tools was designed to bet the one-man screed on the market. The enclosed eccentric makes maintenance easy and clean up a breeze. The always straight equilateral...

Slurry vacuums.(July's product focus: hand & power tools)
July 1, 2004... NEWS RELEASE 30 GALLON CONCRETE VACUUMS--The new Crusader M1050-30-Vac can be the answer to some of those costly problems faced everyday when cutting and coring concrete. The unit has a powerful 2 HP 105 inch vacuum system with a unique...

Anti-Crak Fibers.(July's product focus: hand & power tools)
July 1, 2004... Bon Tool Co.'s Anti-Crak Fibers have 3 to 4 times the tensile strength of steel and I0 times the elasticity of polypropylene. Incorporating these alkali-resistant glass fibers to cement-based products controls early plastic shrinkage and...

"Cast-in-place" rebar fabrication.(July's product focus: hand & power tools)
July 1, 2004... With one hand tied behind your back, you can bend or cut cast-in-place rebar! The lightweight and portable EZE Bend System is uniquely designed to fabricate rebar, even if it is embedded! A simple rotation of the pull bender or cutter power...

Pump up your roadways.(Products for the Pros showcase)
July 1, 2004... The Airplaco SlabMuster The SlabMaster is a self-contained mud-jack/slab-jack pump, grout spray pump, pressure grouter and mixer. It is designed to satisfy requirements of states, counties, municipalities and other departments for use in...

Carnie Cap[TM].(Products for the Pros showcase)
July 1, 2004... Rebar Protective System OSHA Compliant Reduce Product & Labor Costs... Reduce Risk. Prevents impalement and other injuries caused by exposed rebar. Used in conjunction with a 2" x 4" or 2" x 6" the system works in horizontal, Incline and...

Concrete crack repair.(Products for the Pros showcase)
July 1, 2004... Interested in a fast growing contracting specialty? Consider joining the Kemko[TM] applicator program, an established network of concrete repair and epoxy crack injection contractors. Learn theory and technique from the industry's most...

Epoxy healer/sealer.(Products for the Pros showcase)
July 1, 2004... CCS[TM] Epoxy Healer/Sealer for cracked concrete. Clear, low viscosity, solvent free, structural repair adhesive for porous or cracked topping slabs, industrial floors, parking decks and loading docks. Flood application provides deep...

Grouting systems.(Products for the Pros showcase)
July 1, 2004... ChemGrout manufactures the world's largest selection of grouting equipment. From high capacity colloidal systems to hand grout pumps. Production rates to 45 GPM and pressures to 2000 PSI. Their patented pumps are industry standards offering...

Resin dispensers.(Products for the Pros showcase)
July 1, 2004... Lily Corporation manufactures patented proportioning and dispensing systems for injection, anchoring, joint filling, deck coating, and grouting. Lily CD dispensers are renowned worldwide for their stamina and proportioning accuracy regardless...

Dowel drilling unit.(Products for the Pros showcase)
July 1, 2004... Minnich has the engineering staff to design any AIR or HYDRAULIC dowel pin drilling unit to meet your unique job specifications. Whether for bridge structures, barrier walls or normal add on lane and patch work, Minnich had the drills. Minnich...

Scofield Systems brochure.(Products for the Pros showcase)
July 1, 2004... Request the new Scofield Systems brochure for an easy selection guide. See the Difference with professional stains, dry-shake hardener, release agents, stamping and texturing tools, and cementitious toppings. Find out about our next generation...

Swederski Concrete Construction Inc.(Contractors to Watch)
July 1, 2004... Swederski Concrete Construction Inc. Spring Grove, Illinois Len Swederski, President * In 1972 I started out as a concrete laborer. Today, as president of Swederski Concrete Construction Inc., I can still remember the early years...