Preliminary results from National Concrete Masonry Association Research and Development Laboratory tests on concrete masonry units and prism specimens indicate a one-to-one correlation in compressive strength at the 2,000-psi range.
Read MoreDay: October 31, 2011
C09 advances Lightweight Aggregate for Internal Curing
Improved understanding of internal curing processes and how pre-wetted, lightweight aggregate economically increases concrete durability is driving development of an ASTM International standard, WK34078, Specification for Lightweight Aggregate for Internal Curing of Concrete.
Read MoreNRMCA Quality Awards
The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association has honored 14 members in three 2011 Quality Awards competition categories:
Read MoreEnterprise group spotlights developing countries’ block-making, building skills
In its continuing effort to build earthquake-resistant houses and change construction practice permanently in earthquake-prone developing countries, Build Change, a non-profit social enterprise based in Denver, announced its Commitments to Action at the 2011 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting last month in New York. The organization commits to training vocational teachers in earthquake-resistant building techniques in Indonesia and to improving block-making skills in Haiti.
Read MoreMass-produced, hurricane-resistant homes become reality
Recent damage caused by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee has shown the importance of implementing newer solutions when building coastal homes. The idea of mass-producing hurricane- and storm-surge-resistant homes is not new, but until now it has been a difficult concept to accomplish. However, ForeverHome believes it has the solution.
Read MoreObama talks transportation funding, Jobs Act at Hilltop Concrete
With a rickety, steel trestle bridge as a backdrop, President Obama told a late-September gathering at Hilltop Concrete’s downtown Cincinnati plant, “We used to have the best infrastructure in the world.
Read MoreProcurement – Leveraging value in your business
I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly regarding procurement in the concrete business, as well as in cement, aggregates, concrete products and building materials. But, before we throw stones, I also witnessed first-hand annual savings of tens of millions of dollars captured by a relatively small group of coordinators/facilitators in the U.S. and well over $100 million gained on a global scale.
Read MoreValmont brand of green jobs links wind farms to population centers
There is much to recommend in our cover story subject, a sprawling spun cast prestressed pole plant (pages 22–26), the people who run it, and the NYSE-traded company behind it. Located on a 150-acre site, Valmont Newmark/Bellville is running new batching, mix delivery, placing and forming equipment to support one of the more promising product categories in prestressed concrete.
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