Concrete Construction articles from June 2003

Concrete Construction archives from June 2003

The technologist. (Editorial Comment).
June 1, 2003... How long would you stay in business today without a cell phone to keep in touch with your crew and suppliers, or without a computer for estimating and bidding? If you are building large slabs, could you survive without a laser screed or a power...

Stuck on fly ash. (Reader Response).
June 1, 2003... The From the Trenches piece, "Stuck on Tilt-Up?" by Michael Linn in your March issue (p. 90) has some problems with the lack of investigation into the use of fly ash in concrete construction. Concrete designed using 20 to 30% replacement of...

Building bridges to better floors. (News & Events).
June 1, 2003... In April 2003, representatives from the construction industry, flooring manufacturers, specification bodies, and technical societies met in Chicago--not to argue responsibility for floor problems, but to work together to solve the problems. The...

PCI names James Toscas president. (News & Events).
June 1, 2003... The Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) has named James G. Toscas, 52, its president. Toscas is taking over this position from retiring Thomas B. Battles, who has led the group for the past 16 years and has been named to the honorary...

Tom Klemens joins CC staff. (News & Events).
June 1, 2003... Please welcome Tom Klemens as CC's new Senior Editor, Engineering. A civil engineer, Tom comes from a 6-year stint as editor of Plumbing Engineer magazine and has also worked for Cahners on Highway & Heavy Construction and on...

Oliver North to deliver keynote address. (News & Events).
June 1, 2003... Oliver North, a combat-decorated marine, best-selling author, and former U.S. counterterrorism coordinator, will deliver the keynote address at this year's Innovations in Concrete Show & Conference (INCON), announced Robert H. Sitter, president...

CSI announces new MasterFormat draft coming. (News & Events).
June 1, 2003... The Construction Specifications Institute is doing the most comprehensive rewrite of MasterFormat in the product's history to address existing topics more fully, add new topics, and expand coverage to engineering projects and industrial...

"Concrete Hardscapes" setting creative residential trends. (News & Events).
June 1, 2003... In recent years, homeowners have placed a higher priority on turning their homes into retreats, For concrete contractors, that trend has brought a surge in decorative applications of concrete. Now the trend continues to the outdoors, with...

A concrete construction company with a 1000-person sales department. (Tips & Trends).
June 1, 2003... Direct mail can be a potent contributor to concrete contractors' marketing efforts. As Jay Abraham, a world renowned marketing expert and author of Getting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got, notes, "What if I told you that you could get...

Tall tilt-up: Pinal County superior courthouse, Florence, Arizona. (project of the month).
June 1, 2003... The new four-story Pinal County courthouse was originally designed to have cast-in-place elevator/stair cores, but in the interest of saving both money and time, D.L. Withers, the general contractor, accepted Riggs' proposal to expedite the...

Post-tensioned concrete comes of age: while traditional reinforced concrete construction hasn't changed much in the past four decades, post-tensioned design and construction methods have become simpler. (Cover Story).
June 1, 2003... Post-tensioning (P-T) dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century but was not seen in the United States until the construction of a bridge in 1949. In the 1960s, with the development of higher strength steel, better attachment...

Industrial concrete--it takes an attitude: unique, creative solutions are the norm in this specialty.
June 1, 2003... Hear the words industrial strength and what do you think of? Heavy-duty, bigger, stronger, and tougher come to mind. We think of things dubbed "industrial" as being more powerful and more durable. And when it comes to concrete for industrial...

CEO Leadership Forum featuring Concrete Construction's 100.
June 1, 2003... July 24-26, 2003 The Broadmoor Hotel Colorado Springs, CO Golf, Tennis, Spa & More... LEADERSHIP FOR SUCCESS We're facing another challenging year. There's work to be had, but competition is stiff and margins are tight. Sometimes...

Position statement #2: location of rolled welded-wire fabric in concrete. (Finishing).
June 1, 2003... Some specifications require concrete contractors to use rolled welded-wire fabric for reinforcement in slabs-on-grade, topping slabs, and composite slabs on metal decking. The risk associated with using rolled welded-wire fabric is well known....

ASCC position papers. (Finishing).
June 1, 2003... The concept of developing a series of position papers was first raised during CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION'S Industry Trends Roundtable last summer. The American Society of Concrete Contractors embraced the idea, committing to the development of 12...

Hand-carved rockwork. (Decorative Concrete).
June 1, 2003... There are many ways to build artificial rockwork, but the first method probably involved hand-carving shapes in concrete or cement plaster placed on a three-dimensional rebar-and-lath frame. This process is referred to as "positive rock" or...

Efflorescence on curbs. (Decorative Problem Clinic).
June 1, 2003... Q. I've been in business for 2 years and install decorative curbs that border yards and gardens. Business has gone well except for a problem that I've had to face many times. Within a couple days of placing colored concrete, the intensity of...

Patterning tape doesn't stick. (Decorative Problem Clinic).
June 1, 2003... Q. My company installs thin decorative concrete toppings. We frequently use fiber tapes to create patterns in our work, but the tape we have been using doesn't stick when it's hot. Do you have any suggestion about a brand or type of tape that...

Scaled color layer. (Decorative Problem Clinic).
June 1, 2003... Q. I am a contractor in a freeze/ thaw climate. Last year we installed a stamped concrete driveway at a residence. This past spring I received a call from the homeowner telling me that the surface is scaling off his driveway. When I inspected...

Decorative anti-skid coating. (Decorative Concrete Products).
June 1, 2003... SureCrete Easy Tex is designed specifically for use as a decorative anti-skid coating for the long-term preservation of various surfaces including concrete, wood, and metal. Applications (interior or exterior) include patios, decks, sidewalks,...

Stamps for various wildlife. (Decorative Concrete Products).
June 1, 2003... Stamps with a variety of wildlife images for interior and exterior concrete applications are available from this company. The stamps can be used on driveways, walkways, patios, walls, signs, window wells, entryways, porches, decks, decorative...

Protecting flatwork reinforcement. (Problem Clinic).
June 1, 2003... Q. How does a contractor effectively use a laser screed on a large flatwork project that uses chaired mesh, chaired rebar, or post-tensioned tendons without disrupting the reinforcement system? A. According to Christopher Paul of Somero...

Concrete palsy? (Problem Clinic).
June 1, 2003... Q. My husband is a concrete contractor. He does basements, walls, slabs, and so forth. 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...

Lightweight concrete on a slope. (Problem Clinic).
June 1, 2003... Q. I have been told that lightweight concrete cannot be poured to form a sloping surface because it will self-level. What can you tell me about this? A. The only thing that really matters is the slump of the mix being placed. The same is...

Limestone aggregate and R-value. (Problem Clinic).
June 1, 2003... Q. What is the R-value of normal weight concrete made with limestone aggregate? Is it expressed per inch of concrete thickness? A. The resistance of a material to conduct heat energy from one surface to another is its thermal resistivity,...

Post-tensioning jacks. (Product Update).
June 1, 2003... Post-tensioning (P-T) is an increasingly popular construction method, but the concrete contractor will have to invest in equipment to build structures using this technique. The most important new equipment is a stressing jack. Mono-strand...

Powerful portable backhoe.. (Product Update).
June 1, 2003... Tow this portable backhoe to the jobsite; then quickly unhook it and put it to work. The backhoe reportedly is heavy enough for commercial use and features a self-contained frame with thick-wall box-beam construction. A standard 9-hp Briggs...

Saw for green concrete. (Product Update).
June 1, 2003... Electric-powered, the Model 0080 green concrete saw has a unique floating head that allows the blade to rise out of the cutting slot automatically when it hits an obstacle (aggregate) that would damage the finished concrete. This floating head...

Rheology-modifying SCC admixture. (Product Update).
June 1, 2003... Rheomac VMA 362 admixture modifies the rheological properties of concrete to ensure consistent performance from batch to batch for all types of applications. By modifying viscosity, this new admixture adds more body to concrete, ensuring...

Anti-corrosion agent for concrete. (Product Update).
June 1, 2003... Hycrete DSS is a water-based anticorrosion additive that can easily be added to concrete either in the field or during the batch process. According to the manufacturer, this new product reduces water penetration of concrete, dramatically...

Culture shock. (From the Trenches).
June 1, 2003... Whwen Costco builds a warehouse store, it expects muted reflections in the burnished finish on its interior concrete floors. At Poppoff Inc., we know this because as specialists in big-volume laser-guided flat floors, we've worked on about 60...