Concrete Construction articles from June 2004

Concrete Construction archives from June 2004

Coming of age.(Editorial Comment)
June 1, 2004... When Alan Sparkman, executive director of the Tennessee Ready Mixed Concrete Association, first told me of his plan for a coast-to-coast bicycle ride to promote concrete, I was thrilled. Having spent a considerable amount of rime on a bike...

Concrete canoes in the capitol!(News & Events)
June 1, 2004... Hundreds of civil engineering students from across North America will converge in the nation's capital June 18-20, 2004, for the National Concrete Canoe Competition, an event that challenges students from top civil engineering schools to make...

CRSI's 2004 winners.(News & Events)
June 1, 2004... The Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute (CRSI) has announced the winners and merit awards of its Design Awards Competition. The winners demonstrate superb examples of quality and innovation in reinforced concrete design throughout North...

Milwaukee Electric Tool's 'Red Zone Experience'.(News & Events)
June 1, 2004... Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation has launched the Red Zone Experience, an exciting 53-foot interactive mobile event and training vehicle designed to provide hands-on testing of Milwaukee tools for professional tradesmen and women. The Red...

Professional standards of practice for construction subcontractors.(Tips & Trends)
June 1, 2004... Specialty trade subcontractors operate in a challenging business environment. Constructing quality buildings on rime requires an infinite amount of cooperation between all parties, from owners through to field employees. At the same time, each...

Don't be 'burned' by the alkalinity of concrete.(Erlin & Hime on Concrete)
June 1, 2004... In a prior column we discussed the erroneous use of the term alkali. Portland cement concrete, usually for days, months, and years, is an extraordinarily alkaline material. There are almost no other building materials that are as alkaline....

The Great Stupa of Dharmakaya.(Project of the month)
June 1, 2004... The Sanskrit word Stupa, meaning to heap or pile up, aptly describes the shape of these shrines. Built "to last 1000 years," the Great Stupa at the Shambhala Mountain Center near Ft. Collins in the Colorado Rockies was built with the finest,...

Liquid stone new architecture in concrete: the National Building Museum celebrates concrete's past, present, and future.(Cover Story)
June 1, 2004... Courtesy of the National Building Museum Some of the world's most beautiful and innovative works of contemporary architecture owe their unique character to one of the world's most common building materials--concrete. Although often taken...

Hot weather can be hard: good coordination and planning by the design-build team can solve most problems.
June 1, 2004... Successful hot weather concreting requires careful planning and close coordination among all members of the construction team--design engineer, testing agency, concrete producer, and contractor. Advance preparation and ongoing interaction can...

A post-tensioned track: expansive soil problems led one school to a monolithic solution.
June 1, 2004... Due to expansive soils, the first asphalt running track built in 1987 at Horizon High School in Thornton, Colo., fell apart within 3 years. In 1990, the district installed corrective drainage and built a second asphalt track, but the 18-inch...

Material selection guide: foundations--waterproofing materials.
June 1, 2004... A leaking basement in a new home is the single most common complaint homeowners have. Leaking walls in a commercial building can be worse. Even if you sub out waterproofing, which many contractors do, you should understand the basics and should...

ASCC position statement #12 responsibility for buying concrete.(Industry Issues)
June 1, 2004... Concrete contractors are typically responsible for providing a concrete structure that meets the specifications. To do this, they must match the needed concrete mixture proportions and properties with appropriate finishing equipment, tools,...

Sculpting concrete--a tale of two sculptors.(Decorative Concrete)
June 1, 2004... Sculpting concrete affords a great opportunity for creativity. Sculpting includes freestanding works that are "interactive"--meaning they are also functional or usable. Or their purpose may be to be viewed or observed only, like a wall-hanging...

Decorative problem clinic.(Decorative Concrete)
June 1, 2004... Q. I am planning to replace my driveway this spring and would like to know if there are durability and maintenance issues with an exposed aggregate surface as opposed to your basic concrete. I live in the Richmond, Va., area. Thanks for your...

Water-based stains.(Decorative Concrete Products)
June 1, 2004... The company's line of water-based stains brings the same transparent color to concrete as acid-based products, but with an environmentally sale formulation and greater ease of use. The stains do not react with the chemical makeup of the...

Durable colored paving stones.(Decorative Concrete Products)
June 1, 2004... Paving Stones are made with durable granite aggregates and integrally colored with earthy pigments to transform unused space into an elegant outdoor surface. The stones are available in three families of shapes: brickstone, cobblestone, and...

Resin floor systems.(Decorative Concrete Products)
June 1, 2004... Key Epoxy Terrazzo is a resinous flooring system that combines the highly decorative appearance of marble with durability, chemical resistance, and easy maintenance. Perfect for high traffic areas, it also provides virtually unlimited freedom...

New fibers make concrete more flexible.(Innovations)
June 1, 2004... Sometimes it takes a lot of tinkering to turn a good idea into something that works well. An example is research at the University of Michigan more than a decade ago that led to an idea for better steel-fiber reinforcement of concrete. The...

Caisson problem.(Problem Clinic)
June 1, 2004... Q. We are installing some concrete caissons using an ordinary caisson mix (similar to CDOT Class BZ) designed for 6- to 8-inch slump placements. The caissons range from 30 to 60 inches in diameter and are 20 to 25 feet deep. We have not...

Will this work?(Problem Clinic)
June 1, 2004... Q. I'm a mason working in an area devoid of building codes and cannot afford an engineer. I'm building a 16-foot diameter circular gazebo that will have a concrete floor. I will lay 12-inch half blocks side by side in a circle beginning 9 feet...

Soil Compaction.(Product Update)
June 1, 2004... There's a current trend to make soil compaction equipment easier and safer to operate. Environmental factors, like air and noise pollution, are the most immediate concerns, though cutting down on vibrations felt by the operators is also...

Silver beauty.(Products for the Pros showcase)(Advertisement)
June 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...

Crac-Vac.(Products for the Pros showcase)(Advertisement)
June 1, 2004... The Crac-Vac from Blastrac is ideal for sawcutting artificial grout lines or decorative stained or overlay-finished decorative concrete floors. Its patented design controls the dust-without a separate vacuum, for faster cleanup and to allow...

Concrete crack repair.(Products for the Pros showcase)(Advertisement)
June 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)(Advertisement)
June 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 Door Frames?(Products for the Pros showcase)(Advertisement)
June 1, 2004... The GP-7 Grout Pump is perfect for filling hollow metal door frames. You can fill both sides of the frame simultaneously. Being hand operated, no external power source is needed. Output capacity is 5 gallons per minute. Net weight is 35 pounds...

Concrete stamping tools.(Products for the Pros showcase)(Advertisement)
June 1, 2004... Scofield announces a new generation of HIGH OUTPUT LITHOTEX [R] Pavecrafters [R] tools for imprinting and texturing. The improved polyurethane composition provides significantly lighter weight without induction in durability for a longer...

David Layton CEO and president Layton Construction Co. Salt Lake City.(Contractors to Watch)
June 1, 2004... * We are general contractors, but we do most of our own concrete work; although there are some markets where we subcontract the simple work, the more complex, formed, vertical work we do ourselves. * I was born into the business. My dad had...