The economy may be creeping along at a snail’s pace, fueling the argument for more federal stimulus, but private money is still flowing quickly and quietly into innovative construction materials that promise to help stretch infrastructure budgets and save the planet at the same time. One such venture is Los Gatos, Calif.-based Calera Corp., which soon is to formally announce big plans to capture carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants and lock them up in concrete, the most consumed material on the planet, besides air and water. Photo: Centria Innovative materials and methods, like polymer-core sound walls (above) and contour
In the never-ending war on corrosion, a patented, reinforcing-steel bar certified to last at least 100 years is receiving a second life thanks to venture capitalists hell-bent on improving infrastructure. But it is going up against a heavy tradition of epoxy-coated reinforcing bars, which are constantly on the move in an effort to stay a step ahead of the competition. Photo: NX Infrastructure An Obama-style stimulus plan would call for miles of steel reinforcing bar. Related Links: America May Gain from Materials Designed To Stretch Your Stimulus Dollars Packing in Particles Yields 100-Year Concrete Mixes Asphalt ‘Armor’ Is Wearing Well
A two-year legal battle that Hyundai Construction Equipment USA Inc. lodged against an independent Michigan dealer has resulted in a legal precedent that could deter machinery importers from bypassing original-equipment manufacturers and their networks of authorized dealers to make an extra profit from selling “gray-market” goods. Photos Courtesy of Hyundai Foreign decals (above) and scratched-out serial plates (below) made the imported machines illegal for sale by an unauthorized dealer. In a memorandum dated Oct. 21 and signed early this year, U.S. District Court Judge Harry D. Leinenweber orders Macomb Township, Mich.-based Chris Johnson to relinquish about $1 million in profits
Under intense scrutiny from engineers, politicians and the public, Bruce A. Magladry, director of the National Transportation Safety Board office of highway safety, oversaw a 15-month probe of the 2007 I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis, in which 13 people died and 145 were injured.
Contractors do not usually ask regulators to impose more restrictions, but a trend in fatal crane accidents last year prompted one industry insider to act swiftly to clean up safety lapses.
Howard Hill, director of technical operations and a principal of Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc., examined the collapsed Interstate-35W Bridge in Minneapolis. He traded emails recently with ENR Chicago Bureau chief Tudor Van Hampton on how he heard of the disaster, what he found when he reached the scene and how WJE decided the design error was made. Photo: Courtesy Howard Hill Related Links: NTSB Cites Gussets and Loads in Collapse Safety Board Finds Bridge Plates Too Thin NTSB Finds Fractured Gussets in I-35 Span WJE's Final Report NTSB's Final Report As the first person to point to gusset plates
When Caterpillar Inc.’s run of record sales and profits is over for the foreseeable future, you know the world’s economic condition is in bad shape. Contractors are hitting the auctions and used-equipment lots. For less-fortunate businesses, it’s liquidation time. Prices are plummeting, and producers are hunkering down. Photo: Hyundai Lifting market still has legs, suppliers say. Photo: Hyundai Hyundai’s 9 Series bids to move up. Related Links: Credit Cancer Kills Prospects for Recession-Proof Global Economy Global Financial Crisis and Recession Is Knocking Down Inflation Worldwide Even Overheated Gulf Market Moves Into a Slump in a Changing Economy Prices Go Awry
As large-scale wind farms continue to multiply across rural landscapes, building owners in denser locations are looking to save some green with pint-sized wind turbines. But the financial reward is not always the biggest factor weighing on owners’ minds, experts say. Photo: Cascade Engineering Michigan mill is generating public awareness. Concerns over energy prices and fossil fuels also have small wind blowing from all directions. The Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp. is spending $25 million to put up rooftop turbines in New York, while a $11.2-million, low-income housing project designed by Helmut Jahn in Chicago has been generating rooftop power
