Within days of the earthquake and tsunami that severely damaged Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, Tokyo Electric Power Co. and the Japanese government were in talks with equipment manufacturers about how their specialized machines could lend a hand. Cargo planes airlifted huge concrete pumps to water-cool the reactors, and a robotics manufacturer known primarily as a defense contractor stepped forward with an unusual proposal. “We had contacted TEPCO, and after a demonstration of our equipment they chose to deploy it to the site,” says Ed Godere, senior vice president, unmanned systems, QinetiQ North America, Reston, Va. QinetiQ manufactures compact, remotely
For its new 12V MAX line of hand tools, DeWalt, Towson, Md., experimented with several different designs. Lead project engineer Eva Dixon and Christine Potter, director of new business marketing, spoke with ENR about the tool development process. Photo: Courtesy Of Dewalt The DeWalt 12V MAX line brings a unified form factor to a range of tools, including an infrared thermometer. Photo: Courtesy Of Dewalt A Drill/Driver Impact Wrench, Screwdriver And Inspection Camera. ENR: What was the drive behind creating this new line of tools? Potter: With the advancements in lithium-ion battery technology, we had an opportunity to develop cordless
When Chinese President Hu Jintao visited Washington, D.C., last week, he summed up his view of the Sino-U.S. economic relationship, saying, “We should abandon the zero-sum Cold War mentality, view each other’s development in an objective and sensible way, respect each other’s choice of development path and pursue common development through win-win cooperation.” Photo: Courtesy of Jushi Group Ltd. Jushi Group’s fiberglass production facilities in China are gearing up for an expanded global presence. Photo: Feff Rubenstone for ENR JPG Jushi Group CEO and President Zhang Yuquiang (center, seated) announced his company’s new global strategy at a Dec. 4, 2010,
The truck runs on a diesel-electric hybrid power system, and it has been engineered to carry a high payload with a lighter-than-average structural frame. It may sound like an ad for the latest “green” pickup, but this truck consumes hundreds of gallons of fuel per hour, and its payload is measured in the hundreds of tonnes. In an industry in which productivity and cost-per-tonne are everything, the designers of Liebherr’s prototype TI-274 mining truck always are looking for a little more efficiency. The truck currently is being put through its paces at Liebherr’s testing grounds near Emporia, Va., and, depending
At first glance it looks like a normal construction site. Earthmoving equipment proceeding orderly toward a pesky hill slated for removal, and workers in fluorescent vests waving operators past the caution tape and barriers toward the jobsite. The only incongruity is a bright, lime-green 1959 Euclid TC-12 bulldozer rolling past an orange 1928 Wilford Model B shovel. And for every familiar CAT logo there is a Bucyrus Erie or a Cletrac, with the odd Oliver thrown in the mix. In fact, this one hill has at least two-dozen machines working on it at once, with a growing ring of spectators
At the site of the new Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science building at Virginia Polytechnic and State University, students, faculty and visitors are asking questions about green construction. However, they are not inquiring about the 45,000-sq-ft academic building that will be seeking LEED Silver; they are asking about the colorful reMOD trailer next to it. Manufactured by Williams Scotsman Inc. and being used by project manager Skanska USA Building, the construction trailer features many design choices intended to reduce its environmental footprint. Construction trailers are not an obvious candidate for sustainable design. As the trailers are temporary by
A typical job for the Bocell brothers starts with a phone call. “Nothing else had worked. Figured we’d give it a shot,” says Stanley Wondolowski, manager at a Corpus Christi, Texas, condominium association, recalling the day he dialed the Bocell’s number. “Every time it rained, it was a swimming pool down there.” CGI Texas, Dallas, knew how to handle the leaky concrete parking structure. “They drilled holes in the concrete, shot this gel into it, and the leaks stopped. It was very successful,” says Wondolowski. Photos courtesy of Marshall Bocell The CGI Injection Pistol requires only a single hole to
Heating, ventilating and air- conditioning systems are often invisible to the occupant. Hidden behind walls and snaking through ceilings, HVAC is noticed only when it breaks down. Photo: Jeffrey Rubenstone / ENR A live feed of McQuay’s testing facility in Staunton, Va., is the centerpiece of the Solution Plaza’s conference room, which also sports its own variable-refrigerant-volume system. Photo: Jeffrey Rubenstone / ENR At the Daikin-McQuay Solutions Plaza in Jersey City, N.J., mechanical systems—which normally are relegated to closets, rooftops and wall spaces—are the main attraction, highlighting the latest offerings in energy-efficient building design. (above/below) Photo: McQuay McQuay International, a
At the site of a new $8.5-million, three-story dormitory at Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Okla., the Versa-Floor HR floor system is getting its first real-world application. The prefabricated steel deck is joined and fitted with channels on the ground. Then, the 30 x 30-ft steel panels are lifted into place by a crane. Once connections are made to the structural columns, it’s almost ready for the concrete slab to be poured. “That’s the genius of the system,” says Aaron Ford, project manager on the dormitory project and associate principal with structural engineering firm L.A. Feuss Partners, Dallas. “We build
Getting energy-efficient design into school construction can be tough, but the Gen7 modular-classroom building from American Modular Systems, Manteca, Calif., fits many of the latest energy-efficiency advances into one package, bringing the cutting edge of green technologies to modular school construction. Photo: American Modular Systems Gen7 modular classrooms are showcases of sustainable technologies. Introduced at the Green California Schools Summit 2009 in Pasadena, Calif., in December, Gen7 is being touted as a “grid-neutral” modular-classroom solution for California school districts. “Gen7 is a loaded model, with every possible option,” says Tony Sarich, vice president of operations for AMS. “It’s not the
