Border wall prototypes under review

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EPA formalizes relief measures for truck gliders, revisits Waters rule

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to undo the Obama administration’s regulatory overreach by repealing application of the Medium- and Heavy-Duty Truck Phase II Greenhouse Gas Emission and Fuel Efficiency standards for the glider industry. Gliders for mixer trucks and other heavy-duty on/off or on-highway vehicles are assembled from newly manufactured kits that include the frame and cab, to which a used engine, transmission and axles are added.

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Oldcastle APG/Jewell bagging plant raises bar for safety, productivity

Sources: Oldcastle Inc. Atlanta; CP staff

Jewell, an Oldcastle APG company serving Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma, anticipates start up by year’s end of a Burnet, Texas, packaging plant for concrete or mortar mixes and companion materials. Serving central Texas markets, the 23,000-sq.-ft. facility is located on 15 acres, complete with quarry. It joins Jewell operations in Hurst, Katy, Rosenberg and Waco, Texas, plus seven distribution facilities near Austin, Dallas/Ft. Worth and Houston.

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Nano-silica admixture tempers heat of hydration, boosts CSH formation

Sources: Silicone Solutions, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio; CP staff Adhesive, sealant, gel and coating specialist Silicone Solutions plans a 2018 World of Concrete launch for a nano-silica admixture that effectively converts Types I and II portland cement to a Type IV low heat binder. CoolCure skews hydration chemistry to calcium silicate hydrate or CSH, the principal binding agent in concrete, to…

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Lafarge Canada veteran Thibault heads realigned LH Region North America

Sources: LafargeHolcim Ltd., Zurich; CP staff

LafargeHolcim has elevated René Thibault from Western Canada chief executive officer to the post of Head Region North America and Executive Committee member. He succeeds Pascal Casanova, who is leaving the producer after serving as the charter head of post-merger, North American Lafarge and Holcim businesses.

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Tindall elevates Force to CEO, next Lowndes generation to chairman

Sources: Tindall Corp., Spartanburg, S.C.; CP staff

Tindall President and Chief Operating Officer Greg Force has been named chief executive officer, while Vice Chairman William Lowndes IV transitions to chairman of the board. Force has served as president and COO since 2004 after joining the producer in 1988. A past (2012) Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute chairman and PCI Titan of the Industry (2014), he holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Lehigh University and an MBA from Georgia College and State University.

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PCI opens Fire Resistance standard to comment, clarifies prescriptive vs. rational design

Sources: Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, Chicago; CP staff

PCI is accepting comments through January 31 on the proposed Specification for Fire Resistance of Precast/Prestressed Concrete. The PCI MNL 124-18 standard will update 2011 design procedures and address two precast/prestressed concrete engineering approaches: “calculated” fire resistance, encompassing prescriptive provisions with tables for selecting concrete mass or protection of steel; and, “rational design,” a true fire resistance calculation procedure referenced in PCI manuals and the charter International Building Code (2000).

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