A Charles Pankow Foundation investigation geared to identifying fabrication and assembly practices curtailing rebar cage collapse or failure incidents confirms the potential of U-bolt hardware to replace tie wires commonly used in lateral and transverse bar connections and increase lateral strength. The Haymarket, Va. organization teamed with the American Society of Civil Engineers Construction Institute, University of Nevada, Reno and…
Read MoreDay: January 23, 2024
Executives draw decarbonization, sustainability expertise link
A survey of 100 executives representing North American manufacturers or producers with annual revenues exceeding $250 million reveals major challenges for the construction materials sector to align (GHG Protocol-defined) Scope 1, 2, 3 emissions reduction strategies and widely subscribed decarbonization targets. Dallas-based environmental services provider Trinity Consultants retained Verdantix, an independent research firm with New York and London offices, to…
Read MorePrecast Forte Group harnesses Recon Wall Systems, sister businesses
Leadership of licensing innovator Recon Wall Systems has unveiled The Precast Forte Group, a Minnesota-based parent entity affording clarity of purpose for each of four companies while sharing manufactured concrete domain expertise. On the strength of the Recon Wall Systems flagship, the Forte portfolio has grown to include proprietary product or structure designs, external licensing services, and marketing tools—each serving…
Read MoreSika assesses parent measures flooring specialist Conria’s global prospects
Sika AG has acquired a 30 percent interest in Concria Oy, a Finnish startup whose Optimal Slab concrete floor installation and polishing technology offers a wide range of advantages to contractors, architects, and industrial or commercial property owners. The firm’s novel approach to decorative or performance slabs includes special dry shake hardeners, nanosilica agents, plus unique grinding and polishing procedures…
Read MoreMaturity device measures Performance-Based Temperature Differential Limit
Toronto-based Brickeye, construction-wise IoT device and data analytics technology developer, has unveiled Performance-Based Temperature Differential Limit (PBTDL), the newest LumiCon Concrete Monitoring feature. Through real-time data and analytics on mass concrete projects, the PBTDL method provides contractors, engineers, and project owners an advanced temperature differential limit directly tied to the concrete’s strength. The approach enables an increased allowed temperature differential,…
Read MorePavement-minded Crafco acquires Poreshield intellectual property
Crafco Inc., Arizona-based packaged pavement preservation solutions provider, has acquired PoreShield, a patented, soy-based protectant that extends concrete service life. The agent was created through a research collaboration among Purdue University, the Indiana Soybean Alliance (ISA) and Indiana Department of Transportation, funded by soybean checkoff dollars. PoreShield’s key ingredient is soy methyl ester-polystyrene, or SME-PS. Derived from domestic soybeans, the…
Read MorePremier battery powered crawler crane rises in Sunshine and Golden States
Florida’s largest private crane rental and rigging service company showcased the world’s first battery powered crawler crane at its corporate headquarters in Tampa. Sims Crane & Equipment Co. hosted the machine’s late-2023 U.S. debut in conjunction with engineer and manufacturer Liebherr. The unveiling followed the national anthem and a MacDill Air Force Base color guard presentation. Sims Crane and Liebherr…
Read MoreEco Material outlines 18M-ton potential behind Georgia, N.D. ash harvests
Eco Material Technologies will add up to 600,000 tons to its annual concrete-grade fly ash shipments with construction of a facility for processing and beneficiating coal combustion material impounded at Georgia Power’s Plant Branch, a Putnam County, Ga. generating station the Atlanta-based utility retired in 2015. Using its ES EcoSystem Efficient Carbon Offloading (ECO) technology, South Jordan, Utah-based Eco Material…
Read MoreBuzzi Unicem and Ash Grove East executives lead PCA Board
Portland Cement Association members have elected Buzzi Unicem USA CEO Massimo Toso as board chairman and Ash Grove Cement East President Monica Manolas as vice chair, both for two-year terms. Toso succeeds Votorantim Cimentos North America CEO Filiberto Ruiz, who took the helm shortly after the October 2021 release of the PCA Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality. A call to action…
Read MoreCemex global mixer fleet paces carbon emissions reduction goals
The parent company of Cemex USA reports enterprise-wide deployment of 1,000-plus concrete mixer trucks running on lower carbon alternatives to conventional diesel fuel, including petro-free renewable diesel, compressed natural gas and battery electric power. Heavy-duty truck investments over the last two years have resulted in a carbon dioxide emissions reduction of approximately 5 percent from the Cemex S.A.B. de C.V.-owned…
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