Sources: U.S. Concrete Inc, Euless, Texas; CP staff
U.S. Concrete’s San Jose-based business, Central Concrete Supply Co., has been recognized for contributions to a finely detailed, 3D model of the Point Lobos State Marine Reserve, located south of Monterey along the central coast of California.
Point Lobos State Park officials unveiled the grout and concrete model, 16 sq. ft. and 18 in. deep, during a May 10 ribbon cutting ceremony. Placed on a conventional concrete pedestal at the park’s Whalers Cove area, the model is a principal reference for divers exploring a nearly 10,000-acre underwater landscape. The reserve harbors what Point Lobos enthusiasts characterize as “knife-edge structures as tall as skyscrapers; giant pinnacles undamaged by the erosion of their land-based counterparts; chasms barely wide enough to swim through; ledges dropping into unfathomable depths; topography that was above water during the last ice age, preserved much as it might have looked thousands of years ago when humans first camped on this shore.”
A silicone model mold was crafted from foam fabricated by a computer numerical control machine according to measurements provided by Bay Area Underwater Explorers and a survey team deploying California State University Monterey Bay’s high-resolution, multi-beam sonar equipment. Central Concrete’s Quality and Assurance Lab tested mix samples best suited to curtailing small surface imperfections and holes, yielding a finished model with high level of topographical detail.
Lab staff chose a high-strength grout with white cement, sieved fine sand, high-range water reducers for optimal flow; viscosity modifiers to maintain cohesiveness; shrinkage reducing agents; defoamer to reduce air voids; and, microfibers for additional bonding. Central Concrete prepared a high-strength, lightweight concrete with macro structural fibers for a base layer.