Solitary bees find solace in concrete habitat

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LafargeHolcim’s Ductal division collaborated with Brooklyn-based design firm Harrison Atelier and The Frank Institute at CR10 on a technologically innovative project to help learn more about solitary bees and their nesting behavior. The Pollinators Pavilion will double as an education center and a habitat for the native, stingerless bees at Stone House Farm, a 2,500-acre regenerative organic farm in Livingston, N.Y.

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16.5-in. arrayed diamond blades

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Q-Drive 16.5-in. Hard-Brick and Hard Concrete blades incorporate the latest in diamond tool technology, bearing what product engineers describe as an ideal ratio of diamond to metal powder concentration. Optimized for strenuous work environments, the blades deliver faster and more consistent cutting speeds. When one row of diamonds begins to wear out, a second row behind it is ready to begin cutting.

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Equipment strain sensor

The new ESR digital strain sensor monitors structural health on equipment, couples with an encoder using the digital interface EnDat, and offers high signal quality, accuracy and robustness. Users mount the ESR sensor on any flat surface where load or mechanical forces apply to a body. Applications include cranes, conveyor belts, bridges, or other equipment or structures where a load or force needs to be monitored on a mechanical structure.

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Rotary brush belt cleaner

The latest addition to the company’s Secondary Belt Cleaner line uses the speed and force of the belt rolling over hundreds of SBR Rubber Fingertips to significantly eliminate material accumulation and dust. Rotary action, finger length and spacing allow the carryback to fall free instead of clogging. The device suits worn or pitted vulcanized or mechanically spliced belts, and is designed to clean chevron, cleated and raised-rib belts without the wear associated with conventional brush-type cleaners.

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Alternative SCM, industrial mineral blend catapults C-S-H formation

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California-based construction materials specialist Surface Tech is commercializing an alternative supplementary cementitious material (ASCM) whose requisite chemical profile (silicon dioxide + aluminum oxide + iron oxide content > 75 percent) belies binder-optimizing performance potential exceeding that of leading SCM. While fly ash, GGBF slag and silica fume tend toward dosages starting at 10 percent by weight of portland cement, Juno XP has exhibited marked strength development characteristics at 2.5 percent and 5 percent when measured against portland cement controls—particularly at seven- and 28-day cylinder breaks.

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Engineers ground rebar, climbing formwork in tower core ascent

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An 850-ft. mixed-use tower has rapidly climbed into the Seattle skyline on the strength of a unique core wall system with requisite volumes of high performance concrete but no conventional rebar. Topped out in early August, Rainier Square Tower marks the debut of what Seattle engineer Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA) dubs the Concrete-Filled Composite Plate Shear Wall (CPSW) system.

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