BACKPACK VIBRATOR For remote and hard-to-reach jobs, such as bridge decks and culverts, the manufacturer offers its portable, gas-powered backpack vibrator,
BACKPACK VIBRATOR
For remote and hard-to-reach jobs, such as bridge decks and culverts, the manufacturer offers its portable, gas-powered backpack vibrator, which also can serve as an emergency back-up vibrator in the event of job-site power failure. The backpack vibrator maintains constant vibration in the mix, as the operator controls vibration speed via the engine throttle. A Robin engine supplies consistent, full-vibrating capacity to the Wyco Square Head vibrator.
Providing vital information for preventative maintenance, a single, digital tachometer/hour meter indicates engine speed while the unit is operating and displays accumulated hours when the engine is not in use. A speed increaser reduces engine speed for longer life and less noise. Offered with various shaft lengths and head sizes, the portable model’s Square Head design reportedly consolidates concrete 20 to 50 percent faster than a round head. Wyco Tool Co.
www.wycotool.com
REBAR TYING TOOLS
The RB515 and RB 655 offer these company-cited benefits:
- Reduced tying time Û Making each tie in approximately one second, while maintaining consistent tie strength, the new models reportedly operate about five times faster than manual tying.
- Reduced risk of health problems Û Simple operation minimizes potential wrist damage, such as carpal tunnel injury.
- One-hand operation Û Workers are able to hold rebar while tying for increased efficiency.
Designed for tying larger rebar, the 5.2-lb. RB 515 can handle from #5 x #5 up to #8 x #7 rebar combinations. A wrap adjustment dial allows selection of three or four wraps per tie with 21-gauge wire. Suitable applications for the RB 515 include precast products, building foundations, road and bridge construction, floors and walls, retaining walls, and swimming pool walls
Tying up to #9 _ #8 rebar, the RB 655 features a brushless, electric twisting motor said by product developers to offer higher efficiency and longer service life. It increases ties per charge by 30 percent, they add, and does not require maintenance due to brush erosion or dirt on the commutator. A PC board controlling twisting motor rotation enables the tool to perform better at lower temperatures. The RB 655 suits such applications as commercial buildings, road and bridge construction, foundations, precast products, bridges, radiant heating tubes, and electrical conduits. Max USA Corp.
www.maxusacorp.com
OVERHEAD VOLTAGE DETECTION
Addressing the occurrence every year of numerous on-site accidents Û sometimes fatal Û due to the proximity of high-voltage electric lines, SkyRadio has been introduced for overhead high-voltage line detection on construction sites. It includes one to eight wireless sensors on the high point of equipment, such as a concrete pump boom, and corresponding transmitter/receiver modules that communicate with a central processing unit. SkyRadio sensors measure the electrical field around a medium- or high-voltage line and, if a sensor is inside a risk zone (within three meters for a medium-voltage line, or within five meters for a high-voltage line), the system indicates which sensor is at risk by a visual and audible signal to alert the operator. Made SA
www.made-sa.com/English/index_eng.htm
LIEBHERR PROMOTES PORTABLE PLANT
At Bauma 2007, Germany’s Liebherr Mischtechnik GmbH unveiled Easymix 1.0, the most compact model in the manufacturer’s batching plant line. Lieberr Concrete Technology, the company’s North American branch, is now offering the model, noting how it is designed for minimum transport and assembly outlays, and suited to production for which operational flexibility is essential.
Easymix 1.0 has been engineered as a standard 40-in. container. Fully integrated into the container are the mixing system, aggregate silos, water tank, and control room featuring the latest microprocessor controls. The spirit level and cement-scale module, plus an optional mixer-loading conveyor and cement-feeding components, are the only parts requiring separate transport. Since the standard container stands on a steel foundation, the Easymix can operate without an additional concrete slab or footings.
Once on site, the manufacturer affirms, Easymix is quickly installed and ready for service. Side walls of the silo are folded upwards, or slide inside, before aggregates are fed, normally using a wheel loader. The 1-m3 ring-pan mixer can be used with or without an agitator system. Its output rate falls in the range of 35 to 40 m3 per hour. Modern Litronic BCS II controls ensure concrete quality that adheres to the mix design, product developers emphasize. For cement feeding, bag-filling funnels or cement silos with one or two chambers are available as optional extras.
Û www.liebherr.us/lh-us/en/81773.asp, or www.Liebherr.com
ADMIXTURES AUGMENT AQUEDUCT SHOTCRETE
Built in the early 1900s, the Aqueduct Water Supply System spanning 200 miles through the Mojave Desert in California was subject to water leaks and penetration of natural crude oil from overlying geological deposits. Application of shotcrete technologies and materials supplied by Shotcrete Technologies, Howell Enterprises, and Kalmatron Corp. sealed the structure’s concrete walls and ceilings, restoring their impermeability to liquid, superficial density, and compressive strength.
Implemented by City of Los Angeles Department of Water & Power staff, repairs encompassed both external and internal applications involving two shotcrete mix designs and technologies. For the interior, adding Kalmatron KF-A admixture to a rationed blend of sand, cement, and water Û and applying Shotset 250 setting-time accelerator to the hose end to avoid sliding of fresh shotcrete from soaked vertical surfaces Û enabled elimination of water and oil leaks without preliminary patching of cracks, plugging of holes, or placement of drainage pipes, etc. Construction time thereby was dramatically reduced and labor expenses economized.
Over nearly 10 decades, external damage to the aqueduct occurred largely due to the concrete’s repeated exposure to cycling temperatures. Accordingly, excavated external concrete was reinforced by steel bar prior to massive application of Kalmatron’s Shieldcrete.
Û www.shieldcrete.com
GRACE GROWS GREENER WITH NEW WEB OFFERING
Grace Construction Products has expanded its green building initiative with the launch of a section on its web site dedicated to green building products and practices. Building Green with Grace links users with an interactive guide to products that help architects and specifiers achieve prerequisites and points needed to fulfill the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.
The Building Green with Grace web site is organized according to six LEED categories: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Innovation in Design. Further, each category is subdivided on the basis of LEED-NC (New Construction) Version 2.2 prerequisites or credits that Grace products can help achieve. Illustrations point to those parts of the construction project covered by each category.
Among products included on the web site are Perm-A-Barrier Air Barriers, Preprufe Pre-Applied Waterproofing, Florprufe Vapor Barriers, Bituthene Waterproofing Membranes, Procor Fluid Applied Waterproofing Membranes, Hydroduct Drainage Composites, Monokote Fireproofing Products, roofing underlayments and concrete admixtures such as Recover, ADVA superplasticizers, and V-MAR.
The new web site complements the company’s recently introduced Building Green with Grace brochure highlighting products that can contribute to LEED certification. More information about the current product line can be obtained by contacting a Grace representatives or visiting the web site at www.graceconstruction.com.