Inside a darkened classroom in Mokena, Ill., a student lowers a face shield and braces a MIG torch above a small podium. The class hears the sounds of electric arcs hissing, while they size up the incoming weld as part of a contest to see who has the best “golden arm.” Photo: Tudor Van Hampton / ENR A pipefitter apprentice at Local 597 performs MIG welding in the virtual world. In a few seconds, the exercise is over, yet no sparks, heat or fumes—no real welding—actually happened here. It was all performed in a simulated world, a Guitar Hero for
More than 2,000 craft workers are buzzing like bees inside a new 1,600-MW powerplant under construction near Franklin, Texas. Supplying the trades with forklifts, grinders, welding machines, safety glasses—even ice for water coolers—normally would be a logistical nightmare for all the contractors involved in the $2-billion project. But AMECO, the chief supplier on the job, has been handling these services for over 60 years. At Luminant’s Oak Grove Steam Electric Station, due to supply power to about one million homes by mid-2010, AMECO is supplying $1.4 million in small tools along with more than 580 other larger items, like pickup
Nearly a year before an ill-fated Kodiak tower crane collapsed on Manhattan’s Upper East Side and killed two workers, China-based RTR Bearing Co. sent an e-mail to New York Crane & Equipment Corp., saying, “We don’t have confidence on this welding,” referring to a custom bearing assembly the crane owner had ordered. But New York Crane asked RTR to perform the $21,860 job anyway, according to court papers filed in conjunction with the accident. Photo: Castro & Karten LLP Plaintiffs’ photographs show where swing bearing (top) snapped away from spacer ring (bottom). Even as personal-injury lawyers are now blaming Brooklyn-based
From the vantage point of a helicopter hovering 1,000 ft above an ocean of heavy equipment, the Ritchie Bros. yard in Davenport, Fla., looks like a giant sandbox flooded with construction toys. In between the neatly arranged rows of excavators, loaders, dump trucks and cranes are colorful dots—men, women and children—weaving in and out of aisles in search of a bargain. In the center of the action is a white building where buyers are sitting comfortably in jeans Slide Show Photo: Tudor Van Hampton / ENR Auction in Orlando was stuffed with thousands of pieces of yellow iron. Related Links:
Buyers should beware of construction cranes that have not been inspected by an expert source, say original-equipment manufacturers after discovering fakes and taking legal action against manufacturing pirates. At least three separate cases of Chinese-made counterfeits have surfaced in the past six months. Photo: Terex-Demag Fake Demag was found in China. “We have two issues: One is that a company is infringing our rights, and the other is that we think it really is affecting safety,” says Klaus Meissner, director of product integrity for Terex-Demag in Zweibrucken, Germany. Though he says Terex has initiated “some legal proceedings” against a Chinese
Cement scientist Brent Constantz wants concrete to be the "hero" that cleans up dirty coal. "The reality is, coal is not going away," he says. "We need to meet the world’s power demands without emitting more carbon." His answer? A new type of concrete that sequesters carbon without disturbing its traditional binder: portland cement. Slide Show Illustration: Calera Corp. How the Calera Process Works Photo: Tudor Van Hampton / ENR In Las Vegas, Constantz said he can use aggregate to store carbon in concrete. This past summer, the Stanford University professor’s Los Gatos, Calif.-based startup, Calera Corp., began making cement
Like many contractors stung by the recession bug, Al Luchterhand is scratching around for new ways to apply his firm’s people and skills. “We’re looking to move into infrastructure,” says the co-owner of Las Vegas-based Sun City Landscapes Inc. “It is what it is,” he says. “You’ve got to adjust.” Speaking at a quiet residential development along with Caterpillar Inc. officials in Henderson, Nevada, on Feb. 2, Luchterhand echoed what was heard on the other side of town at the annual World of Concrete show, held on Feb. 3-6. The landscaper mirrors its Peoria, Ill.-based supplier but on a much
After six months and nearly $4 million, New York City’s Dept. of Buildings on Feb. 3 recommended 41 measures to increase regulations for crane, concrete and excavation work. But industry experts say the standards, if implemented, may create more headaches and unnecessary costs. The city assembled a team of more than 30 engineers, including experts from Skokie, Ill.-based forensic consultant CTL Group. The measures chiefly focus on crane and hoisting operations. At the top is a need “to track critical components of tower cranes,” an idea that area experts casually call “CraneFax,” referring to a similar service for cars. Photo:
Speaking like someone who has run a construction operation before, Juan Carlos Terroba complains about how wasteful and time-consuming a project can be. “Look at how much concrete is tested,” says the former Mexico-based concrete producer. “It’s ridiculous. It goes way beyond your normal quality-control standards.” Photo: Icrete/Joelwoolhead Batch process & fits more aggregate into voids for a ‘fluffier’ long-life mix. Related Links: America May Gain from Materials Designed To Stretch Your Stimulus Dollars Asphalt ‘Armor’ Is Wearing Well Long-Life Composite Bar Receives Second Chance Cylindrical Solar Cells Set Broad New Energy Curve Terroba recently left his family’s large, ready-mix
