 Who
is most influential in the selection of materials and construction
methods for dams?
Take the PCA Poll
|
|
 |
Design/Build Approach Big Success
for Pine Brook RCC Dam
For the first time, a formal design/build
approach has been used to expedite the design and construction
of a new dam in Colorado. The Pine Brook Water District—a
small water district located northwest of Boulder, Colo.—used
design/build to build a dam with an extremely aggressive schedule
and budget.
 Prior
to construction of Pine Brook Dam, the District would have two
to three weeks of water storage, creating extreme water restriction
situations. With the dam’s completion, the District has
a full year’s water supply when the reservoir is full,
with no water restrictions.
The new dam is a roller-compacted concrete (RCC) gravity structure
approximately 86-feet-high at its maximum section with a crest
length of approximately 560 feet. The dam creates a 100 acre-foot
reservoir with a surface area of approximately 4 acres.
Because of an aggressive schedule and budget constraints, the
design/build approach was seen as the most advantageous to complete
this project. Considerations included geotechnical aspects,
flood hydrology, RCC mix design, dam layout, seepage cutoff
and collection, outlet works, instrumentation, and aesthetics.
Construction began only eight and a half months after initiation
of the design process, and the dam was completed in 18 months.
Pine Brook Dam received USSD's Award of Excellence in the Constructed
Project in March 2007.
PCA will conduct a seminar and construction tour of local roller-compacted
concrete placement in Atlanta, Ga., April 25-26, 2007.
More
information and to register online
Contact Fares Abdo
|
 |
 March
PPI: Steel Prices Rise for Second Straight Month
Steel prices climbed 2.3% in March according to the March 2007
Producer Price Index. Steel prices have increased 13.1% over
the last year. Asphalt prices rose 0.5% for the month and are
up 19.1% in the last year. Concrete prices were up 0.8% for
the month and 5.3% for the last year.
Lumber prices continue to decline, down 0.1% in March and 11.5%
for the last year.
Source:
Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. The information
is provided by PCA to aid in the promotion of concrete and cement-based
products.
More
information
Contact
Craig Schulz
|
 |
PCA Seminar Tackles New Bridge
Specifications as Deadline Looms
Starting October 1, 2007, all bridges receiving federal funding
must be designed using Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD)
specifications.
On May 25, 2007, PCA is conducting a one-day seminar on the
concrete bridge using LRFD. This seminar will provide an understanding
of the background of the LRFD specifications, an overview of
the state-of-the-art design procedures, and design examples.
Those attending the seminar will earn 6.5 PDHs.
More info and registration at
www.cement.org/bridges
Contact Shri
Bhide
|
 |
First U.S. Maglev Project Back
on Track
The Southern
California Association of Governments Maglev Task Force is working
on a plan to build an initial 54-mile magnetic levitation, or
maglev, rail system primarily through the use of private funding.
Federal funding has yet to materialize for projects previously
proposed for Baltimore-Washington, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles,
and Las Vegas.
At an April 12 meeting, PCA's David Bilow presented information
showing that the concrete industry in the Los Angeles area is
large enough to supply material for construction. Since most
of the proposed dual track system will run on aerial structures
using precast/prestressed or cast-in-place concrete, an estimated
70,000 tons of portland cement and 250,000 cubic yards of concrete
will be required for each year of the four years of construction.
Propelled along a girder or guideway by an electromagnetic field,
maglev trains are quieter, more efficient, and faster than their
wheeled counterparts, reaching speeds in excess of 300 miles
per hour. Guideways can be steel, precast concrete, or hybrid
steel and concrete; pylons and foundations for the maglev elevated
structure are typically concrete. The
first and only commercial maglev project opened in 2004 in China.
Contact Dave
Bilow
|
 |
|
Regional Disaster Resilience
Plan Available
PCA participated in the 6th Annual Congress
of The Infrastructure Security Partnership (TISP), held March
28-29, 2007 in Arlington, Va.
The conference focused on achieving the capability to prevent
or protect against significant natural and manmade threats
while rapidly recovering critical services with minimum damage
to public safety, the economy, and national security.
A TISP Guide describes a strategy to develop the level of
preparedness necessary for regions to deal with major disasters.
Contact Dave
Bilow or John Sullivan
More on TISP and the guide at www.tisp.org
|
 |
MTC Scheduled to
Meet at Technical Conference in Charleston
PCA's Manufacturing Technical Committee (MTC)
will meet in conjunction with the 2007 IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement lndustry
Technical Conference at the North Charleston Area Convention
Center in North Charleston, S.C. MTC will hold its session on
April 30 at 8:00 am. Each attendee will receive a copy of the
new Recommended Guidelines for Solid Fuel Handling, Preparation,
and Firing Systems in Cement Plants.
In addition, the lead researchers of a Massachusetts Institute
of Technology study on cement manufacturing nanotechnology will
present their findings at the meeting.
More
at www.cement.org/manufacture
Contact Rick Bohan
|
 |
Holcim (US) Plant
Honored by State Legislator
The Alabama State House and Senate last week
recognized the Holcim (US) Inc. Theodore plant for its “history
of achievements and to underscore the positive impact”
that plant has had for the state.
The state resolution honored the plant’s receipt of the
2006 Council of State Governments' Award for Corporate Citizenship
for its involvement in numerous community support initiatives
after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and its recent PCA
honor as the winner of the Energy and Environment Outreach Award.
The resolution congratulated the management and employees of
the Holcim Theodore Plant as “the movers and shakers in
their hometown” for maintaining “a high quality
of professionalism" and being “a source of great
pride to the citizens of the great State of Alabama.”
|
 |
| Designing Efficient
Concrete Structures in Connecticut: PCA's Mike Mota
was invited as guest speaker by the Connecticut Association
of Structural Engineers on April 4 to discuss efficient design
of reinforced concrete structures. Connecticut is undergoing
a surge in concrete construction driven by major developments
such as the new Foxwoods Casino.
Contact Mike
Mota
High-Performance Concrete in Illinois: In
an ongoing effort to assist the Illinois Tollway Authority,
last week PCA attended a meeting to review and revise the
Tollway’s specification on high-performance concrete
(HPC). The Tollway’s main objective in using HPC is
to extend the service life of the bridge decks by 15 to 20
years so that it matches that of the adjoining pavement. The
meeting was attended by representatives of the various Illinois
government agencies—Tollway, IDOT, Cook County, and
City of Chicago—plus local contractors and cement and
concrete suppliers.
Contact Shri
Bhide
|
 |
| Results from
Last Week:
Building Codes Should be 'Fortified'
Should building codes in high-hazard areas,
such as those prone to tornados, earthquakes, or hurricanes,
require building products and construction practices based
on those used in the Fortified . . . for Safer Living (R)
homes?
Notable Comments
"Codes should reflect minimums not optimums. If you price
people out of the housing market to protect them from an unlikely
event, you have not served the public interest."
"Every dollar spent on disaster mitigation pays back
many times that amount in reduced claims during natural disasters.
In many areas of the country, you will start to see insurers
refuse to issue policies unless homes and buildings are constructed
to a higher standard."
"The area that is deemed a possible disaster zone will
see a decline in growth when leveed with a code that leads
to a perception of higher construction costs that fortified
homes would bring. When the two parties that have the most
to gain from a reduction in disaster expenses decide to reward
the fortified construction, I think the concept may move forward.
The federal goverment should give a substantial tax break
for the dollars that they would not have to spend on emergency
funding. The insurers should reduce rates."
Take the
current poll
|
| |
For more information
or to register, contact Julie
Lisiecki.
|
Impact
of Cement Characteristics on Concrete Properties
May 15, 2007
Midlothian, Texas
September 19, 2007
Bethlehem, Pa. |
Raw
Mix Chemistry
May 16, 2007
Midlothian, Texas
|
Pulverized
Fuel Guidelines for the Cement Industry
September 18, 2007
Bethlehem, Pa.
|
|
|
|
| |
RCC
for Dams and Dam Rehabilitation
April 25-26, 2007
Atlanta, Georgia
More
Information |
IEEE-IAS/PCA
Cement
Industry Technical Conference
April 29-May 3, 2007
Charleston, S.C.
More
information
|
12th
International Congress on the Chemistry of Cement
July 8-13, 2007
Montreal, Quebec
More
information
|
Pervious
Concrete—A Stormwater Solution
Detroit—July 10
Lexington, Ky.—July 12
Washington, DC—July 24
Pittsburgh—July 26
Minneapolis—Aug. 7
Milwaukee—Aug 9
More
information
|
|
|
|
![]() |
| The
Executive Report is distributed free of charge to members
of PCA and to individuals interested in PCA activities or
the cement, concrete, and construction industries.
|
View or download
back issues |
|
| |
5420 Old Orchard Rd.
Skokie, Illinois 60077
847.966.6200 info@cement.org
500 New Jersey Ave. N.W.
7th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20001
202.408.9494 fax 202.408.0877 |
 |
|
|
©2007 Portland Cement Association
All rights reserved
The Portland Cement Association conducts market development,
research, education, and government affairs work on behalf
of
its members—cement companies in the United States and
Canada.
|
|
