Concrete Construction articles from November 2002

Concrete Construction archives from November 2002

A balancing act. (Editorial Comment).(Editorial)
November 1, 2002... In my favorite children's book, Oh, the Places You'll Go! Dr. Seuss wrote, "So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact, and remember that life's a great balancing act." One of life's great balances is risk and reward. While...

Improved truncated domes. (News & Events).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... In 1991, in order to conduct research, the U.S. Department of Justice suspended for 10 years the required detectable warnings for the visually impaired at "curb ramps, transit platform edges, and hazardous vehicular ways." On July 26, 2001, the...

ASCC's first annual conference. (News & Events).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... The 180 attendees at the American Society of Concrete Contractors' first annual conference in Nashville, Tenn., were treated to seminars, round-table discussions, demonstrations, and award presentations. Eugene H. Boeke Jr., known for his...

Calendar.(Calendar)
November 1, 2002... December 2002 American Concrete Paving Association, annual meeting, Dec. 4-7, Boca Raton, Fla. (847-966-2272 or www.pavement.com) ASTM International, standards development meetings, Dec. 11-13, and 100th anniversary celebration of C01...

It won't happen to me. (Safety Report).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... A concrete construction laborer had been pulling a concrete pump hose along the top of a two-story-high wall form. There was no guardrail, and he was not wearing fall-protection gear. He either missed his footing, or the action of the hose...

Pump pays back contractor in more ways than one. (Tips & Trends).
November 1, 2002... Concrete contractors often look for the least expensive way to install their product. Often this means placing concrete directly from the ready-mix truck. This works well when the truck has direct access to the placement area. But when there...

Rebuilding Chicago's upper and lower Wacker Drive: building a double-deck street around the Loop to last for the next 100 years.
November 1, 2002... In 1909 Daniel Burnham and Edward Bennett produced a long-range plan for the development of Chicago, which included Wacker Drive, a two-level street alongside the Chicago River circling approximately two-thirds of the Loop. But it wasn't until...

Earthquake damage to historic courthouse. (Concrete repair case studies: repair specialists describe how to strengthen a shear wall, protect post-tensioning tendons, and color-match a patch).
November 1, 2002... In July 1999, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck the Satsop/Montesano area of Washington about 70 miles southwest of Seattle. The three-story historic Gray's Harbor County Courthouse sustained significant seismic damage. By winter of 2000, my...

Protection of unbonded tendons. (Concrete repair case studies: repair specialists describe how to strengthen a shear wall, protect post-tensioning tendons, and color-match a patch).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Increasingly, contractors face demands .to repair parking garages and other structures that have unbonded post-tensioning tendons. These tendons must be protected from corrosion that could lead to failure of the tendon and eventually of the...

Improving the appearance of patch repairs. (Concrete repair case studies: repair specialists describe how to strengthen a shear wall, protect post-tensioning tendons, and color-match a patch).
November 1, 2002... Many patch repairs to existing concrete must match the adjacent concrete. Patches have often been installed, however, that do not properly match the color and finish of existing concrete. We were asked to correct a poor match on patches...

Custom forms speed viaduct repair: formwork was the key to success for rehabilitation of complicated architectural columns.
November 1, 2002... Running down the center of Queens Boulevard for nearly a mile, the Flushing Viaduct carries the Flushing Line through Long Island City, N.Y. Built in the early 1900s as a series of arches, the 128 columns were in need of structural...

Cost-effective concrete floors: strength, durability, sound attenuation, and thermal mass make concrete the right choice for floors in residential and light-commercial buildings. (Residential Concrete Special Section).
November 1, 2002... Suddenly, whoever wants to install a short-span concrete floor deck has several good choices. Five years ago, all concrete floor systems with spans of up to 20 feet had been adapted from commercial construction. They provided more than...

Exposed-aggregate patterning. (Decorative Concrete).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Exposed-aggregate concrete is an old technique, but there have been a few creative changes over the past several years. Decorative innovation has focused mainly on using unusual stones, seashells, or other objects that can be embedded in fresh...

Spalling from de-icers. (Problem Clinic).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Q. I would like to know the effect of de-icers on fresh concrete poured in the fall. A de-icer was used on concrete that was poured 30 days earlier. When spring came, we had severe spalling. The concrete was air-entrained and met all the state...

Wet look for exposed aggregate. (Problem Clinic).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Q. What materials can be used to coat exposed aggregate or dry-cast concrete so that the aggregate looks wet? Do some of the available products change tone or turn yellow after some years? Which type would be long lasting? A. Some...

Repair materials. (Product Update).
November 1, 2002... The most important factors in determining whether to repair or to remove and replace badly damaged concrete are time and durability--how long will it take to complete the repair and how long will the repair last? The ideal concrete repair...

Web site keeps contractors current on tool recalls. (Product Update).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Every year more than 300,000 people are injured using power tools, and more than 10 million tools were recalled in the United States since January of 2000. Many of these tools are still in use today. Toolrecalls.com has announced the...

Lithium to treat or prevent ASR damage to concrete. (Product Update).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... The Euclid Chemical Company has introduced two new products to battle alkali-silica reactivity (ASR) in concrete--one as an additive to fresh concrete and one to address ongoing damage to concrete in service. ASR is a naturally occurring...

Insulating wall system. (Product Update).
November 1, 2002... Insulating basement walls is a growing trend in America, and this company has developed a new way to accomplish that with, they claim, less materials and labor. The E-MAXX system consists of 2- or 2.5-inch-thick tongue-and-groove polystyrene...

Batch plant on the move. (Product Update).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Port-A-Pour has announced the latest design of its portable batch plant. This plant is designed to meet the demands of large commercial construction projects. Computer-controlled for accuracy, and flexible enough to produce concrete for nearly...

Acid stain makes a big splash in a nightclub. (From the Trenches).
November 1, 2002... We were contracted to install a custom acid-stained floor for a new nightclub in a downtown Colorado Springs building. The scope of work included pouring a 6000-square-foot, lightweight slab on deck. The job included scoring the concrete in a...