Related Links: Charles Pankow Foundation Applied Technology Council High-Strength Rebar Market Is Heating Up High-Strength Rebar Called Revolutionary The Charles Pankow Foundation is about to begin a nearly $27- million fund-raising campaign to support unprecedented research in high-strength reinforcing steel. The goal of the five-year research program is to simplify and speed reinforced-concrete construction by easing rebar congestion. The program would provide the scientific basis for the first major overhaul of the concrete building standard in 50 years."This project has the potential to change engineering practice in a significant way," says Jon A. Heintz, director of projects for the Applied
Photo by Tudor Van Hampton for ENR Concrete is the most produced building material and accounts for up to 10% of industrial CO2 emissions annually. Related Links: Concrete Goes To College MIT News: How To Make Stronger, Greener Cement Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found that portland cement can be manipulated to form stronger concrete that also poses less harm to the environment.More than 20 billion tonnes of portland-cement concrete are produced globally each year, and cement production accounts for 5% to 10% of the world's industrial carbon-dioxide emissions.“If we are to produce a better concrete that
Related Links: Hot Commodities: Counterfeit Construction Goods Post Huge Safety Threat Read the CII Report (PDF) Counterfeit construction goods can lurk on construction projects at home or abroad, as safety officials at Fluor recently discovered during a routine audit in Mozambique.While conducting the review last August, auditors found an inventory of fraudulent respirators, according to David Taylor, director of health, safety and environmental for Fluor's procurement unit, AMECO, during a phone interview.Clever labeling on the box evaded purchasers. "On the box is 3N—not 3M," he said, referring to the St. Paul, Minn.-based supplier. The packaging otherwise appeared authentic—it even displayed
Photo by Arnold Glas Bird-friendly Ornilux glass has a patterned UV layer that is hard for humans to see but is visible to birds. Photo by Arnold Glas Another view of bird-friendly Ornilux glass has a patterned UV layer that is hard for humans to see but is visible to birds. Related Links: Bird Stewards Rally Against Killer Panes Ornilux Bird Protection Glass CollidEscape Despite a high rate of bird collisions with glass, products to reduce bird deaths are typically an afterthought in building design. Architects often inadvertently specify bird-friendly products, such as fritted glass, screens or window patterns, which
Courtesy Lafarge Cement maker Lafarge says that poor construction practices, not cement quality, are to blame for structural collapses in Nigeria. Related Links: Cement Firms Lafarge and Holcim Face Hurdles in Planned $60-Billion Merger Quick Succession at Mexican Cement Giant Cemex After Sudden Death of CEO Nigeria cement manufacturers and other stakeholders have expressed mixed reactions to a move by the country's standards regulatory agency to dictate cement production and use.The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has directed all cement makers to ensure that, before their product is released to the market, packaging material contains detailed information on the quality
Photos Courtesy of Inland Pipe Rehabilitation IPR's oscillating "spincast" application of GeoSpray (above) fixed a reinforced-concrete sewer line in Houston last year, earning recognition from EPA. Related Links: Fixing Failing Pipelines is a Public Health Issue Inland Pipe Rehabilitation An ultra-dense geopolymer mortar product is gaining traction as a trenchless pipeline repair remedy among cash-strapped municipalities, partly thanks to a recent Environmental Protection Agency vetting. U.S. wastewater and stormwater infrastructure requires $298 billion in upgrades over the next two decades, with pipelines accounting for 75% of total needs, reports the American Society of Civil Engineers. EcoCast is one cast-in-place pipeline
Photo By Jeff Rubenstone/ENR A Shell Lubricants engineer inspects engine components from an on-road truck, looking for signs of wear and tear. Related Links: Carbon Regulations Drive New Diesel Engine Lubricant Standards With new federal greenhouse-gas emissions and fuel-economy standards for on-road trucks set to take effect in 2016, engine-oil manufacturers are working on the first new oil standard in a decade. With newer diesel engines running hotter in pursuit of better efficiency, the oils they need will have to face a fresh battery of tests."The key drivers for this new category are the changes in regulations for the 2017
Photo courtesy of BASF BASF microspheres are contained in a liquid form for ease of dispensing and mixing. Related Links: World of Concrete 2014 Sees Smaller Crowds But Cautious Optimism Concrete Goes To College BASF Corp., Cleveland, recently previewed a new liquid admixture it claims eliminates the need for air-entrained concrete, a material used in regions exposed to freeze-thaw cycles.Touted as breakthrough technology, the still-unnamed chemical product has been in development for eight years and will be available in 2015. The additive uses millions of microspheres coated with tough but flexible polymeric shells, "similar to very tiny tennis balls," explains
Image courtesy PCA Concrete and asphalt marketers have been fighting for more highway share, but ready-mix campaign excludes main-line paving. Here, a recent ad from PCA. Photo by Tudor Van Hampton for ENR NAPA displayed asphalt bumper stickers at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2014. Related Links: Boosting Fuel Economy Where The Rubber Meets the Road Concrete Goes To College College basketball fans are not likely to see a "Got Concrete?" ad campaign appear on television during March Madness, but that could come if the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association is successful in gaining support for its pending checkoff campaign. The effort ups the
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