Construction Engineering Australia V2.04 - August 2016

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CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AUSTRALIA AUGUST 2016

V2.04

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New award-winning 275mm Dincel set to transform the building industry

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ABN 85 007 693 138 PO Box 510, Broadford Victoria 3658 Australia Phone: 1300 EPCGROUP (1300 372 476) Int’l: +61 3 5784 3438 Fax: +61 3 5784 2210 www.epcgroup.com Publisher and Managing Editor Anthony T Schmidt Phone: 1300 EPCGROUP (1300 372 476) Mobile: 0414 788 900 Email: ats@epcgroup.com Deputy Editor Rex Pannell Mobile: 0433 300 106 Email: rex@epcgroup.com National Advertising Sales Manager Yuri Mamistvalov Phone: 1300 EPCGROUP (1300 372 476) Mobile: 0419 339 865 Email: yuri@epcgroup.com Advertising Sales - SA Jodie Chester - G Advertising Mobile: 0439 749 993 Email: jodie@gadvertising.com.au Advertising Sales - WA Licia Salomone - OKeeffe Media Mobile: 0412 080 600 Email: licia@okm.com.au Graphic Design Annette Epifanidis Mobile: 0416 087 412

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CIRCULATION 15105 Registered by Australia Post Publication No. 100001889

ISSN 2204-7247

2

Editorial

4

Industry News

8

Cover Feature: Dincel 275mm Extrusion

AUGUST 2016 Volume 2 Number 4

10 Project Brief: Geelong Library 12

8

Outdoor Assets

16 Equipment Focus 18

Technology Trends

19 Construction Science 20 ACRS Feature

10

24 IPWEA NSW News 26 Product Focus: Ascoat Safety Flooring

28 Company Profile: VAC Group 30 New Product - MasterLife® 300D 32 ACA Corrosion Special

26

39 Product Focus: Aussie Pumps Batch Plant Pump Guide

40 Precast Technology 44 Concrete Institute News

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49 National Precast Feature

About the Cover Burak Dincel, the founder and inventor of Dincel Construction System, stands next to Dincel’s new award-winning 275mm profile at the company's manufacturing facility at Erskine Park, Sydney. The 275mm Dincel profile is designed for the construction of buildings up to 60 storeys and is a genuine alternative to traditional jump-form systems.

Turn to Page 8 for the full story.

EDITORS COLUMN

Managing Urban Sprawl Investing in infrastructure to meet the needs of our expanding cities While few would question the complexities associated with urban planning and development, it is also clear that in some areas - particularly ‘urban sprawl areas’ something appears to have ‘gone badly awry’.

More specifically, it appears that regardless of the much touted focus on ‘building communities’, the provision of appropriate supporting infrastructure, or for that matter, ensuring the suitability and/ or capacity of existing infrastructure in the vicinity of many new developments is still, for many, a secondary consideration.

That’s not to say that the majority of commercial and residential developers don’t focus on providing infrastructure within the new developments - quite the contrary. For most developers, highlighting the array of facilities and services within the new residential estate or commercial area is often the number one selling point.

Unfortunately, in the majority of instances, it appears that the focus on quality infrastructure extends only as far as the boundaries of the development precinct.

More often than not, there appears to be little or no concern on behalf of those involved about the impact that a sudden increase in population (working and/or residential) and, in particular, the associated 2

Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

increase in traffic levels, will have on the surrounding areas.

These issues are further compounded by the fact that in recent years, many new developments are now being marketed as ‘multifunction’ or ‘mixed-use’ precincts, where there is a particular focus on the establishment of home offices and/or micro businesses in with the residential dwellings - thereby further increasing activity and demand. In addition, when it comes to the existing infrastructure - particularly roads and drainage - in the outlying and in many instances, until recently, semi-rural areas that are often chosen as the location for these developments is often well past its ‘use by date’ and is already being expected to cope with demands that far exceed its original design specification.

With that in mind, I believe that unless we urgently address the problems associated with the lack of appropriate infrastructure and facilities in the areas around these new estates and developments, we are seriously running the risk of undoing much of the excellent work that has been done in recent years to improve the quality of life in our cities - particularly in terms of our road network. It’s simply not good enough to place a set of traffic lights at the entry to a new estate and consider it effective ‘traffic management’.

Sadly, there are a number of major new estates that haven’t even provided traffic lights! And even if there are traffic lights, they do nothing to overcome the problems of traffic congestion that results from the introduction of hundreds (if not thousands) of additional vehicles onto an already ‘overstretched’ road network - a road network which in many instances was never designed or intended to carry such high levels of traffic.

I believe that the only way to overcome these issues is to take an holistic approach to infrastructure development - one that considers the wider ‘footprint’ of these new developments and takes into account the ‘true’ impact on the surrounding areas.

Needless to say, this process must then also deliver appropriate funding for the development and delivery of suitable infrastructure in the areas surrounding new estates. And this new and/or upgraded infrastructure needs to be delivered and fully-operational prior to the completion of the new estate - lest we run the risk of developing very expensive suburbs with second-rate facilities and access.

Anthony T Schmidt Managing Editor

DINCEL INTRODUCES A NEW 155MM PROFILE IN ADDITION TO ITS 110MM FOR ABOVE GROUND USE

• Suitable for FAÇADE and PARTY WALLS up to 20 storeys

The market leader in permanent formwork systems

• Significantly LESS SITE WASTAGE, resulting in a cleaner, safer and cost effective project.

• A COST EFFECTIVE alternative to traditional pre-cast concrete and tilt-up panels • Reduces the need for cranes • Waterproof Dincel ELIMINATES RISK of concrete cancer, corrosion, mould and mildew

DINCEL IS A FAST AND SAFE BUILDING SYSTEM Lightweight Dincel panels with floor slabs can be constructed simultaneously by one trade only without any interruptions.

Australian invented, manufactured and owned.

For more information call 1300Dincel or visit www.dincel.com.au

INDUSTRY NEWS

SYDNEY BUILDER FINED AFTER WORKER FALLS 12 METRES A Sydney construction company has been fined $87,500 after a labourer fell 12 metres from a scaffold at a Lane Cove construction site.

The incident, which occurred on 7 December 2012 at a unit construction site at Burns Bay Road, Lane Cove, resulted in the labourer suffering head and neck injuries.

At the time of the incident, the labourer was bracing pre-fabricated walls on an unguarded scaffold extension platform within a second floor lift shaft when he stepped off the platform onto an unsecured piece of timber and fell 12 metres to the ground.

The labourer had been employed by sub-contractor, Ultra Wall Pty Ltd who was charged with a breach of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 but later went into liquidation. SafeWork NSW also charged principal contractor, JSN Hanna Pty Ltd with a breach of section 32 of the Act for

SHAPING AN INDIGENOUS FUTURE IN ENGINEERING Four of the top Victorian universities have united in their commitment to greater representation of Indigenous Australians in the field of engineering. The University of Melbourne, Monash, Swinburne and RMIT Universities hosted the inaugural Victorian Indigenous Engineering Winter School (VIEWS). Over five days in July, Year 11 and 12 students from all around Australia got an insight into what it’s like to study and work in engineering through exposure to real world applications of engineering and access to world-class facilities.

Participants in the winter school had the opportunity to learn about different pathways into engineering and hear first-hand from current Indigenous engineers and engineering students. Students were able to gain an appreciation of what an engineer does and how they can impact society and improve the lives of people across the globe.

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Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

failing to comply with its duty under section 19(1) to have guardrails around the scaffold extension platform as well as failing to ensure the labourer was instructed to not work near the unprotected edge of the extension platform.

JSN Hanna Pty Ltd was found guilty in the District Court and fined $87,500.

Executive Director of SafeWork NSW, Peter Dunphy said it was fortunate that the man was not more seriously injured in an incident that could easily have been prevented.

“The construction industry is one of the state’s most important industries,” Mr Dunphy said.

“But it also continues to be one of the State’s highest risk with 6,545 workplace

injuries and 15 fatalities in the two years to July 2014.

“During 2013/14 there were also 4,170 workers compensation claims for falls from heights across all industries at a cost of more than $49 million.

“Under NSW work health and safety laws, businesses must have safety systems in place to prevent workers falling from heights.

“They must also provide information, instruction, training and supervision to workers on risk control procedures.

“While the worker had received a site induction and attended a tool box talk where safe working at heights was discussed, the incident could have been prevented if JSN Hanna Pty Ltd had installed full hand railing and guard railing around the scaffold edges.

“This incident highlights the way work health and safety responsibilities are shared between principal contractors and subcontractors on construction sites.”

Information on safe working at heights, including the free publications Safe working at heights, and the Code of Practice: Safe Work on Roofs Parts 1 and 2 is available at: www.safework.nsw.gov.au or by calling 13 10 50.

Ms Hope Perkins from the Melbourne School of Engineering and one of the coordinators of VIEWS said that Indigenous engineers are part of the conversation and the opportunity exists to set about positive change. A commitment to population parity is a key feature of the 2015 Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) for the University of Melbourne.

“By engaging with secondary school students earlier, we can create and support pathways into the engineering profession for Indigenous students. It is all about building a tangible pipeline into the profession and sustaining a consistent and long-term approach that includes ongoing engagement with all of our stakeholders ”, she said.

Mr Ross Peek is a qualified engineer who graduated from the University of Melbourne and has worked as an Engineer

for eight years. As an Indigenous Australian who has taken the pathway, Ross is now a mentor to students.

“As an Engineer, I’m here to mentor students coming through the ranks and am able to provide advice on what hurdles they may experience and how to overcome them,” he said.

“One key challenge for school students is having the confidence to take-up maths and science subjects. Good results in advanced maths at secondary school, is possible. With the right study techniques and support structures in place, there is no limit to what our young Indigenous Australians can achieve. VIEWS demonstrate to students the benefits of doing well at school, the fun to be had at university and the excitement of a career in engineering,” Mr Peek said.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

ENGINEERS AND COUNCILS URGED TO RETHINK EMERGENCY STORM REPAIR METHODS Following the wild storms that have lashed the eastern seaboard in recent months, ground engineering specialists at Mainmark are urging councils, engineers, builders and insurers to 'think outside the box' as remediation works begin.

“Large washouts have created serious ground problems, including coastal erosion, flooding and sinkholes. Innovative ground engineering techniques can help to stabilise ground issues quickly and economically to facilitate faster and safer access for emergency repair crews in this critical period,” said James O’Grady, head of civil infrastructure at Mainmark.

“Permeation grouting, void filling and resin injection are often overlooked or misunderstood, yet are proven methods for strengthening or stabilising the ground quickly and cost-effectively, because no large equipment or excavation is required,” explained O’Grady.

For stabilising slopes, O’Grady recommends permeation grouting, a proven low-pressure injection system. “Coastal erosion has left buildings literally hanging, undermined by steeper gradients which threaten safe access for repair crews.

“Permeation grouting injects specifically-engineered grouts and inert chemical solutions into the ground. These combine with the porous or sandy soils to reduce permeability and create a cementsoil matrix that stabilises the ground. Depending on the site, this can be completed in a matter of days. When compared to more traditional methods, such as deep foundation repair that typically requires excavation, it is a cost-effective solution.”

Sink holes are also posing a threat to safety and can impede the repair of public infrastructure after the storms.

GEELONG CONVENTION CENTRE A STEP CLOSER The Victorian State Government is developing a new Geelong Action Plan and business case for the much talked about Geelong Convention Centre.

Deakin University’s waterfront car park site will be the focus of a business study for a 1000-seat convention centre, which would stimulate tourism and business growth for the Geelong region. The proposal will include a conference venue with the capacity for 1,000 people, 3000 square metres of exhibition space, banquet facilities, meeting rooms, a business centre and retail outlets.

The Victorian Government will invest $1 million in developing plans for the convention centre, with the completed business case to be considered as part of the 2017/18 Victorian Budget.

Previous work suggests a convention centre would deliver an estimated $350 million to the regional economy during construction and $50 million to the region once operational, 6

Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

Permeation grouting injects specifically-engineered grouts and inert chemical solutions into the ground to reduce permeability and create a cement-soil matrix that stabilises the ground.

“Higher levels of water infiltration have caused soils to move, creating cavities in the ground. This creates a higher risk of sink holes if surface ground collapses into the voids.

“A multi-stage approach can quickly repair sinkholes. Existing holes can be stabilised using permeation grouting. Voids and washouts can then be filled with Terefil, a lightweight and environmentally inert cementitious filler, to strengthen the ground.

Finally, water or sewerage assets can be restored internally using a corrosion protection system, such as ENCAP6,” said O’Grady.

ENCAP6 is a technologically advanced corrosion protection system for revitalising ageing concrete and steel infrastructure. It is applied using an innovative spray-on methodology in layers to deliver specific, engineered outcomes. It can eliminate the need to reconstruct or replace existing assets, helping to reduce capital replacement and labour costs.

Once emergency repairs are completed, O’Grady anticipates significant work in re-stabilising and re-levelling infrastructure. “Heavy rains will have caused soils to become oversaturated and subside, weakening them to the point they’re unable to support buildings and public infrastructure.

“Early intervention in ground subsidence is always recommended, and innovative resin injection technologies provide fast, clean and cost-effective solutions,” said O’Grady.

For more information, contact Mainmark’s engineering experts on 1800 623 312 or visit: www.mainmark.com

including 600 jobs during construction and 270 ongoing jobs in the region. The Government’s Geelong Action Plan is a 10-year agenda to renew central Geelong and boost local jobs.

“Geelong is a proud city with a bright future and we’ll help write its next chapter delivering jobs, prosperity and making it an even better place to live,” Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said.

“People have long talked about a Convention Centre for Geelong and we believe the time for talk is over. We’re getting the crucially needed planning and business case done, so we can consider it ahead of the next budget.”

Short-term initiatives will be supported with $3 million from Regional Development Victoria and $2.8 million from the Victorian Budget 2016/17, including projects that improve Geelong’s public spaces like the Malop Street Green Spine project.

The Government has invested more than $170 million in projects across Greater Geelong including redeveloping Simonds Stadium and the Geelong Performing Arts Centre, as well as upgrading schools such as Geelong High, Matthew Flinders Secondary and Bellarine Secondary colleges.

COVER FEATURE

AWARD WINNING Dincel permanent polymer formwork system delivers building innovation in Australia

B

uilding methods have seemingly changed little in recent times, with many builders and developers still relying on bricks and blocks. Heavy precast and tilt-up panels that use expensive cranes and machinery may not be delivering the level of innovation required for today’s fast-paced building sites.

The construction industry is demanding greater construction speed, cost reduction, increased safety for workers and less construction defects. Many modern building methods are expensive and labour intensive, and also fail to address important environmental challenges and durability issues that can affect the building structure.

Dincel Construction System, a lightweight permanent polymer formwork, is delivering genuine innovation far

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Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

beyond its formwork function. The Dincel polymer formwork provides a completely impervious encapsulation of the concrete, and remains in place permanently to deliver ongoing benefits to the building occupants once the building is finished.

Significant reduction in costs leading to affordable housing, better fire safety, increased longevity offers better property values, significantly increased strength against natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes and floods.

The product does not support algae, mould/mildew and condensation. The impervious Dincel wall prevents external particulates, gases and biological pollutants from entering the building’s interior contributing to better indoor air quality and excellent sound and thermal insulation.

The Dincel system is perfectly suited for below and above ground load-bearing walls for virtually any type of structure. This can include single dwellings, townhouses, multiresidential and mixed-use developments, commercial high-rise buildings and other applications.

With more than 3,000 projects to date, the Dincel Construction System business is rapidly growing year-on-year and the ingenuity the product offers to the building and construction industry is testimony to its success. While the Dincel system was initially hailed as a solution for below ground and core building applications, today it is emerging as a smarter building solution for the construction of the entire building including above ground façades, corridor and party walls. The Dincel range features four profiles, having recently added a new 155mm Dincel profile to complement its 110mm profile. Specifiers have an option to specify Dincel for entire building projects for any application or project size.

COVER FEATURE

The following guide explains where different Dincel Construction System profiles can be used: • 110mm profile appropriate for above ground load bearing walls up to 12 storeys • 155mm profile designed as an alternative to the 110mm for above ground load bearing walls up to 20 storeys • 200mm profile for building core applications including fire and lift shafts and basements • 275mm profile is suitable for high rise building applications up to 60 storeys Waterproof walling is emerging as a major construction industry challenge and one that Dincel Construction System is in a unique position to capitalise on. The porous nature of concrete, besser blocks, magnesium oxide boards and fibre cement sheeting can lead to building defects, such as concrete cancer, corrosion, mould/ mildew and leaky building syndrome.

There is a genuine need for the building industry to address these important factors when building for the future. Waterproof Dincel eliminates risk of concrete cancer, corrosion, mould and mildew.

Dincel Construction System is very different from other permanent polymer formwork products on the market due to its unique patented ‘snap together’ joints that lock the panels together.

When Dincel formwork is filled with ready mixed concrete, it creates a waterproof structural wall that has been extensively tested and verified by the CSIRO. As certified by the University of New South Wales, Dincel panel webs provide crack control joints which eliminate the need for crack control reinforcement.

Manufactured in a dedicated factory in Sydney’s Erskine Park, the growing demand for Dincel Construction System will see the company continue to expand its production facilities, allowing the business to respond to local and international enquiries that will take this Australian building innovation to the global market.

For further information, contact Dincel Construction System on 1300 DINCEL or visit: www.dincel.com.au

ADDRESSING THE NEED FOR SPEED BUILDING Dincel walls “...were installed without the need for waterproof membranes, scaffolding, horizontal wall reinforcement and joints in a very short space of time.

The product improves the site logistics and housekeeping, reduces the potential risk of injuries and its speed and ease of installation are major advantages.”

Watpac Construction

Cochlear Building – Macquarie University, Ryde, Sydney.

“Utilising Dincel as a load-bearing wall system in lieu of conventional columnslab-infill wall systems achieved a most cost efficient floor system together with a six month time saving from our construction program allowance of 12 months for the structural work… the Dincel load-bearing system is without a doubt the most cost and time effective way to build multi-storey apartment buildings.”

Ceerose

DNA Apartments, Pyrmont Bridge Road, Camperdown.

Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

9

PRODUCT BRIEF

GEELONG LIBRARY AND HERITAGE CENTRE Award winning architecture coloured with abilox® Standing as a major landmark building for Victoria's second largest city, the new Geelong Library and Heritage Centre is a stunningly beautiful centerpiece for the City of Geelong. Its idiosyncratic spherical structure is an inspirational continuation of the historical dome shapes of classical libraries such as the State Library of Victoria or the Reading Room of the British Museum.

Ability Building Colours technical experts worked closely with the architectural team at ARM Architecture to create custom abilox® colours for both the interior and exterior of the Geelong Library and Heritage Centre project. In doing so, they have ensured that this modern architectural design, while boasting stateof-the-art features, remains respectful to the heritage buildings in its surrounds.

The nine-storey state-of-the-art facility incorporates an attractive dome design featuring precast Glass Reinforced Concrete (GRC) cladding. The GRC panels, which range in size up to 3.5 metres, are asymmetrical and geometrically pentagonal or hexagonal. The panels were integrally coloured in a palette of four muted browns using abilox® UV resistant, inorganic mineral oxide colouring pigments from 10

Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

Ability Building Colours, with the pattern aiming to accentuate the crest of the dome. The colours also link the new building with the surrounding historic architecture, while also staying true to the structure’s own distinctive aesthetics.

The Geelong Library and Heritage Centre architects were the recipients of the 2016 Victorian Architecture Medal presented

by The Australian Institute of Architects, Victorian Chapter. In addition to the Victorian Architecture Medal, 2016 Gold Medallists ARM Architecture was also awarded the Regional Prize and named awards in the Interior Architecture and Public Architecture categories for the design and construction of the Geelong Library and Heritage Centre.

ARM Architecture has been awarded the Victorian Medal an unprecedented six times.

Overall this architectural wonder has pledged itself as a strikingly bold creation, not only for the Greater City of Geelong, but for the state of Victoria.

For further information, please contact Michael Treacy at Ability Building Colours, Ph: (03) 9457 6488 or email: service@abilityproducts. com.au or visit: www.abilityproducts.com.au

Making the Invisible, Visible The identification and protection of underground assets not only prevents interruptions to vital services caused by accidental damage during excavation, it plays a critical role in helping to prevent serious incidents and injuries.

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OUTDOOR ASSETS

a surface solution

taking it to the next level WITH FULLY-INTEGRATED OUTDOOR RECREATION FACILITIES In a world dominated by indoor (often screen-based) entertainment options, getting people involved in outdoor activities requires much more than simply allocating a grassed or paved area, installing a seat and a swing and calling it a recreation facility.

In short, when it comes to encouraging outdoor activities - be it sport, exercise or just good old-fashioned play - outdoor play and recreation facilities need to be attractive, safe, accessible and usable year round; and the equipment provided needs to be safe, practical, good quality and easy to use. And when it comes to play equipment, it has to be attractive, engaging, usable and most of all - it should be fun. After all, that's what play is all about!

Poorly designed and/or poor quality facilities are not only a wasted investment, evidence clearly shows that under-utilised public areas such as this also stand a better than average chance of being vandalised and attracting undesirable / anti-social behaviour.

Put simply, outdoor recreation facilities that are not up to community expectations in terms of quality, safety and amenity, will not only not get used, they can represent a serious liability, rather than an important community asset.

With that in mind, outdoor recreation and sports facility specialists Aussie Outdoor Design have placed a strong emphasis on delivering facilities which extend far beyond the traditional playground or sports court. Indeed, these innovative facilities bring together an array of equipment and features, each of which has been specifically matched to meet the needs of particular installation.

From play equipment and multi-use sports courts, through to outdoor gym equipment and array of shade and surfacing solutions, Aussie Outdoor Design focuses on developing outdoor sports, playground and recreation facilities which cater for the needs of the widest possible

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Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

community demographic - maximising patronage and encouraging more of an active outdoor lifestyle.

Jason Day, Business Manager with Aussie Outdoor Design, explained: "With an ever-increasing emphasis being placed on participation in healthy outdoor activities, many councils and developers are looking for outdoor recreation solutions that combine fun and exercise in a safe, inclusive environment."

"By integrating a range of equipment options, for example, a mix of play equipment and exercise equipment, and then combining a multiuse sports court that caters for a range of activities, we're able to provide facilities to meet the needs of people of all ages and abilities - from young children and school kids, through to families and seniors," he said.

Not surprisingly, these fully-integrated outdoor facilities are proving to be a massive hit with councils, developers and residents alike. In fact, the completed facilities have proven so popular with residents, that the locations where they've been established have transformed into important 'community hubs'.

OUTDOOR ASSETS

"We've designed and installed a number of these facilities over the past two years, and in each instance, the public response has been outstanding," Jason Day said.

"While we felt certain that the communities would like and, perhaps most importantly, utilise the new facilities, the response has surpassed even our highest expectations, especially in terms of patronage," he said.

Another important factor in the success of these facilities is Aussie Outdoor Design's 'bespoke' approach to design and delivery. Rather than trying to deliver a 'one size fits all solution' the Aussie Outdoor Design team design and develop each facility to meet their clients' specific needs, providing a 'one stop shop' for the entire process, from consulting through to design, delivery and maintenance.

"By designing each installation on a case-by-case basis, our clients are able to select individual components - including equipment, shade structures, sports court design, surfacing solutions and landscaping - to suit the location, Jason Day said.

"This not only enables them to take into account the geographic constraints of the site, but also to design for demographics, cultural considerations, other nearby facilities and expected levels of patronage," he added. "We believe that that design flexibility is not only critical in enabling the clients get the facilities they want, but also in ensuring the success of the finished project."

Importantly, all Aussie Outdoor Design products and services meet the requirements of Australian Standards AS4422 and AS4865 and are fully compliant with all OH&S requirements for schools and local government.

For further information on the full range of Aussie Outdoor Design's products and services, please call: 1300 887 025 or visit: www.aussieoutdoordesign.com.au

EVERYTHING FROM THE GROUND UP! When it comes to outdoor recreation areas, there's only one name you need to remember...

Aussie Outdoor Design.

From the initial concept, planning and design, through to equipment supply, installation and landscaping, Aussie Outdoor Design can take care of it all... everything from the ground up!

• • • • •

Sports Fields and Multisport Courts Outdoor Gym Equipment Natural Environments and Sensory Gardens Playground and Fitness Equipment Synthetic Grass, Soft Impact Rubber Surfacing and Thermoplastic Markings

Call us today on 1300 887 025 or visit www.aussieoutdoordesign.com.au to find out more.

Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

13

The Facts:

In-Service Performance:

• The SMART CUSHION SCI100 is a standalone speed dependent crash attenuator that DOES NOT need to be attached to a longitudinal barrier

In the last 12 months LB Australia has had the opportunity to monitor the in-service crash performance and repair performance of some 30 SMART CUSHION SCI100 units in Australia. As of August 1, 2016 there had been 28 repairs, resulting in the following:

• The SMART CUSHION SCI100 is tested to both NCHRP350 TL3 and MASH TL3 • The SMART CUSHION SCI100 is an all steel unit with heavy duty galvanised frame designed for 20 years service life • The SMART CUSHION SCI100 can be used both a temporary (work zone) and as a permanent crash cushion • The SMART CUSHION SCI100 is approved for use with the Barrier Guard BG800 MASH TL3 steel temporary barrier

• Total repairs and / or resets to date: 28 • Most impacts to any one unit: 9 • Average repair time all impacts (measured from arrival to departure from impact site): 54 minutes • Average spare parts costs per incident after 28 impacts : $95.57 • Total spare parts cost after 28 repairs: $2,676.00 • Average spare parts cost after 9 consecutive impacts on one SCI100 unit (per incident): $180.00 • Total spare parts cost after 9 consecutive impacts on one SCI100 unit: $1,622.00

The Replacement Parts: Following the majority of impacts, the most commonly replaced spare parts required to repair and reinstate a SMART CUSHION SCI100 are two 1/4" shear bolts, with a total cost of less than $5.

The Product:

Please Consider...

distributed exclusively by

Ph 02 9631 8833 www.lbaustralia.com.au

EQUIPMENT FOCUS

IVECO DAILY RANGE EXPANDS WITH OVER 20 NEW VARIANTS Iveco Australia has signalled it has serious intentions for continued growth in the Australian light truck and van markets, following the addition of 22 new wheelbase and volume combinations for its award-winning Daily range.

Joining the van line-up are new 7.3m³, 10.8m³ and 18m³ volume versions of the 35S, while the ranks of higher GVM 50C models have been bolstered with new 9m³ and 10.8m³ variants, bringing the total volume options across both the 35S and 50C vans to 12.

The most notable additions however have been to Iveco’s cab chassis models across both the single and dual cab range. Ideal for a range of trade and construction contractor applications, the car licence, 4,495kg GVM Daily 45C is now available in a choice of five additional wheelbases: 3,000mm, 3,450mm, 4,100mm, 4,350mm and 4,750mm.

Dual rated (4,495kg and 5,200 kg GVM) 50C models now feature a choice of four new wheelbase options: 3,000mm, 3,450mm, 4,100mm and 4,700mm while 7,000kg GVM 70C variants gain a further two wheelbase options: 3,750mm and 4,100mm for a total of 14 wheelbase options.

There’s also good news for purchasers of the 50C and 70C dual cab models, with each variant receiving a further three wheelbase choices.

For the 50C dual cab there’s a new 3,450mm, a 4,100mm and 4,350mm bringing the total choice of wheelbases to four. There are also now four wheelbase choices for the 70C dual cab following the addition of 4,100mm, 4,350mm and 4,750mm variants – all up there’s now a choice of eight options here.

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Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

Aside from the introduction of the extra variants to provide Australian buyers with more choice for their applications, a number of features which were previously extra cost options are now standard equipment.

All new Dailys receive Iveco’s top-of-the line safety package ‘ESP 9’, which was previously a cost option. ESP 9 includes Stability Control, Roll-Over Mitigation, Trailer Sway Mitigation, Hill Holder, Hydraulic Brake Assist, Hydraulic Rear Wheel Boost, Hydraulic Fading Compensation and Adaptive Load Control. These features add to the Daily’s other standard active and passive safety equipment such as four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, and four SRS airbags.

In other exciting news for prospective buyers, Iveco’s class-leading 3.0l twin turbo powerplant is now available as a selectable option on all van and cab chassis models. The engine produces an impressive 205hp / 150kW and 347lb ft / 470Nm of torque.

Similarly, Iveco’s Rear Air Suspension (ECAS) has also become a selectable option on all models, providing an even more comfortable ride for drivers, increasing cargo safety for fragile loads and allowing the operator to adjust the height of the loading compartment for easier loading and unloading of goods and work equipment.

For cab chassis models, there’s the introduction of an optional new expansion module which allows easier management of more intricate bodies and the vehicles’ Power Take Off units if fitted.

Iveco Australia Marketing Manager, Darren Swenson, said the addition of the new Daily

variants, improvement of standard equipment across the range and greater selectable options, would be well received by the market.

“The latest additions and refinements made to the van and cab chassis range will further broaden the appeal of the award-winning Daily to a wider range of buyers, particularly tradespeople, contractors and PUD operators,” Mr Swenson.

“It’s over a year since the current generation Daily range was launched in Australia, and this experience over the last 12-14 months has provided us with the market intelligence to refine our model mix to better suit the requirements of our customers.

“The result is an even stronger product range with great standard features and the improved ability for prospective buyers to specify a Daily van or cab chassis to very closely fit their business needs.”

Call 1800 4 IVECO for your nearest IVECO Dealer to discover the Daily range of vehicles or visit: www.iveco.com.au

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS

THE TOP FIVE TECHNOLOGY TRENDS IMPACTING THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

By Angelo Wolfram Technology has infiltrated every part of our lives, revolutionising everything from how we travel, communicate and even how we go on dates.

But when it comes to building, much of the industry globally has been stuck into the dark ages. Specifically in Australia, ABS figures show that the construction industry constantly ranks as one of the least innovative industries across the nation. Well, until now.

It’s no secret that the building industry is currently facing intense competition as overseas developers look to Australia to invest money. To add, recent forecasts show that construction in Australia is on the decline thanks to the mining downfall.

As such, it’s even more imperative that the building sector rapidly embrace technology and throw away their outdated processes in order to increase efficiencies, improve productivity and simply stay afloat.

Fortunately, the industry is starting to get some traction and top engineering firms like Wood and Grieve and Wiley are leading the way when it comes to innovation. In fact, last month the first summit on construction technology was held in Victoria, helping builders, architects, engineers and developers learn about what’s coming up in the world of technology. Here’s the top five trends the Newforma team picked up from that summit.

1. AUSTRALIA, UK, SCANDANAVIA AND SOUTH KOREA ARE CATEGORISED AS CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY EARLY ADOPTERS The construction sector is globally recognised a laggard when it comes to technology. In fact, the only sector worse when it comes to technology adoption, according to keynote presenter Mukund Sridhar from McKinsey & Co, is agriculture and hunting. Sridhar highlighted the stark comparison between the rate of innovation in the manufacturing sector compared to construction. While manufacturing has undergone several reiterations and has constantly adopted innovations in technology and processes, such as lean adoption (80s), outsourcing (90s) or IT automation (2000s). In contrast, the building sector has failed to adapt 18

Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

in this way, still relying on manual pen and paper processes in many areas.

That said, Australia is recognised as a leader when it comes to embracing construction technology. The reason for this is simple - with labour costs increasing, local developers and builders are looking to innovative ways to streamline efficiencies. The UK, Scandanavia and South Korea are slightly ahead of Australia according to Sridhar, which provides Australian companies with plenty of useful learning opportunities from their overseas counterparts.

2. PREPARE FOR BIM 2.0 While BIM has copped its fair share of criticism over the past decade, the experts predict 3D Building Information Modelling (BIM) will really start to take following a few key evolutions.

Specifically, we’ll see a transition to 4D and 5D BIM that integrate payments and project timelines, helping improve productivity. For engineers, we’ll see this type of software become a real lifecycle management tool, incorporating scheduling and even financial information to its basic map and design functionalities. In this way, we’ll be able to monitor design and engineering updates alongside timetables and payment schedules, so BIM will become the digital thread for the entire lifetime of the project.

3. DATA, DATA AND MORE DATA Big data, advanced analytics and the Internet of Things is revolutionising all industries, and it’s no different in engineering and construction.

Specifically, we’re going to see data being analysed on construction sites via RFID tags and sensors on equipment, vehicles and infrastructure. This will enable everything from productivity management to safety and workflow analysis. With one $15million project producing over a million data points per day (according to McKinsey & Co research), engineers need to start preparing now to manage the flow of information and ensure they have the capabilities to make accurate projects calculations based on evidence in the future.

The challenge for engineers will be of course learning how to manage the explosion of data,

and working with the best technology platforms and experts that can best support them.

4. CHANGE MANAGEMENT IS KEY TO DIGITAL TRANSITIONS One of the largest barriers to embracing new technologies is people. Personnel in the construction industry have often only done things one way and are likely to resist change.

More importantly, even when new technologies are employed, they’ll only provide the maximum benefit if they’re used correctly by people.

The whole process of transitioning to digital is a major change management exercise for the building sector. But as engineers are often ahead of the curve when it comes to technology, they’re in a unique position where they can assist, guide and mentor those around them.

5. THERE’S NO SILVER BULLET Unfortunately, there’s no magic tech solution which can solve every problem and ensure everything on site runs smoothly. While we may see BIM technologies integrate with project management software, it’s still wise to have separate tools for project information software, or accounting software which can manage payments appropriately. What’s important is that the technology you choose can integrate, and the people using it are prepared with the skills needed to manage a range of digital tools with ease. To manage this digital transformation effectively, prioritise the problems with the biggest business case for change and do your research to find the best solutions that will provide the greatest ROI.

Angelo Wolfram is the Enterprise Sales Manager at Newforma. Newforma helps architects, engineers and builders work together by leverage all the data relevant to project success, whether it’s in the cloud, on a mobile device or behind the firewall. The intuitive, non-invasive technology enables secure, real-time access to the data project teams need to collaborate and make more informed decisions. For further information, please visit: www.newforma. com.au

CONSTRUCTION SCIENCE

SLOWING 'CREEP' TO A CRAWL MIT engineers think they can slow concrete creep to a crawl, plus take on concrete’s nasty habit of long-term deflection.

Concrete is the most widely used man-made material on earth. But over time, it deforms and weakens when subjected to sustained load.

"Concrete is like chewing gum," says Franz-Josef Ulm, a professor of civil engineering at MIT in the US. "When you hold the ends of a stick of gum in both hands and pull, it weakens in the centre. Concrete sags over time like that." That sagging, known as creep, decreases concrete's durability and shortens the life span of everything from bridges to containment vessels for nuclear waste.

Now Ulm's research has pinpointed the cause of the problem: the rearrangement of particles at the nanoscale.

"We can't prevent creep and long-term deflection of structural concrete members from happening, but if we slow the rate at which it occurs, this will increase concrete's durability and prolong the life of the structures," says Ulm, coauthor of a recent paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "Our research lays the foundation for rethinking concrete engineering from a nanoscopic perspective."

Such rethinking is clearly in order, given that much of the U.S. infrastructure is made of concrete - and the American Society of Civil Engineers has assigned much of it an overall grade of D (i.e. falling apart!). If concrete creep can be slowed, new structures - or old ones renovated with new materials - might last hundreds of years instead of tens, saving money and decreasing the carbon dioxide emissions related to concrete production. An estimated 5 to 8 percent of all human-generated atmospheric carbon dioxide worldwide comes from the concrete industry.

Ulm has spent nearly two decades studying the mechanical behaviour of concrete and its primary component, cement paste.

He showed that the basic building block of cement paste at the nanoscale (calcium silicate hydrate, or C-S-H) is granular and, when mixed with water, naturally self-assembles in two structurally distinct but chemically similar phases. The particles approach the maximum natural packing densities for spherical objects: 64 percent in one phase and 74 percent in the other. But they still have room to shift around when pressure is applied.

Ulm explains that this shifting is what causes concrete creep. They also explain that a third, denser phase of C-S-H can be induced by carefully manipulating the cement mix with other minerals such as

silica fumes, a waste material of the aluminum industry. This treatment forms additional, smaller particles that fit into the spaces between the nanogranules of C-S‑H, which were formerly filled with water. The C-S-H can thus reach a density of up to 87 percent, so the granules have much less opportunity to move.

To quantify creep, the researchers used a nanoscale device to apply pressure to the C-S-H for several minutes and measured the resulting indentation. They determined that the rate of creep is logarithmic, which means that slowing creep would increase concrete's durability exponentially: a containment vessel for nuclear waste built to last 100 years with today's concrete could last up to 16,000 years if made with an ultra-high-density (UHD) concrete such as the silica-treated material.

Since 20 billion tonnes of concrete per year are currently produced worldwide, Ulm says, optimising UHD concrete could have enormous environmental implications. Builders could use less concrete, and the resulting structures would be more durable.

"The thinner the structure, the more sensitive it is to creep, so up until now, we have been unable to build large-scale lightweight, durable concrete structures," says Ulm. "With this new understanding of concrete, we could produce filigree: light, elegant, strong structures that will require far less material. Dynamic concrete structures are possible that accommodate movement due to deflection, external loads, temperature change, seismic activity and wind loading," he concluded.

Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

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ACRS FEATURE

Why you need INDEPENDENT, EXPERT, THIRD PARTY CERTIFICATION With the building products being used on construction sites now sourced globally, the importance of independent technical validation of materials conformance, and awareness of consequences of failure of these materials, has never been greater.

In today’s environment, it is simply not enough to think that just because a product has been ordered to an Australian or New Zealand Standard that the delivered product will automatically conform with that Standard.

Increasingly, this is not the case: The product may meet the Standard; it may be supplied with documents for “an equivalent standard” (but which standard and is it really equivalent?) or; it may not meet any standard at all. So how do you know what you have?

Alarmingly, in recent times there has also been an increase in construction steels stated as having been manufactured to overseas standards and grades, but being supplied as “equivalent” to steel grades referenced in an Australian Standard.

Documents provided for such materials are often not sufficient to make effective determination of such claims. What's more, these claims often relate solely to strength of materials and not to other critical performance measures, such as ductility, required under Australian Standards.

Having confidence that all buildings and structures are being designed, specified and built using materials that conform with the relevant AS/NZS Standards and Building Codes - irrespective of their country of origin

- is of critical importance. After all, it doesn't matter how well a building or civil structure is built if a higher risk of structural failure is 'built in' by using non-conforming building products.

LEVELLING THE PLAYING FIELD FOR STEEL MANUFACTURERS AND PROCESSORS Often sold at a significant discount to market rates, non-conforming construction steels are not only a major safety concern, they also pose a serious threat to future business viability for manufacturers and processors of steels that do conform with the Standards.

ACRS certification helps to protect steel manufacturers and processors that are doing the right thing by 'levelling the playing field'.

WHAT ARE YOUR TAGS REALLY TELLING YOU? Your products may arrive with tags, but what do they really tell you?

While at first glance the example on the far left may appear to tell you all you need to know (there’s even a reference to an Australian Standard) it’s missing some CRITICAL information, including the manufacturer and point of origin. The example ACRS tag on the right provides all of the information needed and, most importantly, the validity of the certificate number and other information can be checked and verified online quickly and easily at: www.steelcertification.com

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Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

ACRS FEATURE

BE SURE OF STEEL Since 2015 steel compliance has become a major source of concern. Recently reported events in New Zealand and similar evidence in Australia has put the spotlight onto the need for the rigorous and comprehensive review of construction steels supplied to AS/NZS Standards on both sides of the Tasman.

These will ensure ACRS develops to meet the growing need of the Australian and New Zealand construction industries to “Be Sure of Steel”.

To meet these needs, during 2016 ACRS has introduced: • A new Technical Approvals system unique to ACRS which allows products not called up in an AS or NZS Standard but are specified and used by customers to be offered by suppliers as certified against the core requirements of the corresponding, equivalent AS/ NZS Standards, and subject to ongoing review and validation through ACRS rigorous verification system.

This allows the industry, specifiers and public to source the widest range of demonstrably compliant product through the ACRS product certification system • A new steel-specific ACRS ISO 9001 quality management systems certification to the recently released 2015 international Standard. The new ACRS system, based on leading edge European practice, links directly to the ACRS product certification system. ACRS review of a supplier’s quality management system (QMS) answers the recognised problems of supply of non-compliant steels from companies holding QMS certification by providing a seamless and integrated system of review from process capability (QMS) to actual, ongoing product supply to specific AS/NZS Standards.

As an independent, expert third party scheme, ACRS certification eliminates issues that can be associated with construction steels being misrepresented (either inadvertently or intentionally) as conformant with all appropriate Standards when they are not.

This, in turn, helps to eliminate what can be a significant cost / competitive advantage for those attempting to sell non-conforming products into the market at a much reduced rate.

ACRS Executive Director Philip Sanders, explained: "As is the case with all manufacturing and product processing activities, manufacturing and processing steel the right way - using the correct source materials, production methods and processing techniques required to produce a product that is AS/NZS Standards compliant carries a range of costs."

"By making sure that everyone is 'playing by the same rulebook', ACRS independent third party certification eliminates the opportunity for any manufacturer or processor to cut costs by cutting corners. Most importantly, it also eliminates the opportunity for them to claim that their products conform with all relevant Australian and New Zealand Standards if they do not."

WHAT IS YOUR DOCUMENTATION REALLY TELLING YOU? One of the most common issues facing users of non-ACRS certified steels, is that of being able to match the source-identity of the delivered material (e.g. manufacturers’ marks) with the documentation supplied so they can validate materials conformity.

“By making sure that everyone is 'playing by the same rulebook', ACRS independent third party certification eliminates the opportunity for any manufacturer or processor to cut costs by cutting corners.”

Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

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ACRS FEATURE

THE ACRS 'CHAIN OF CERTIFICATION' Construction steels manufactured to AS/NZS Standards can be rendered non conforming by poor transformation, e.g. through such processes as cutting, bending and welding. Certification systems that only assess the mill of manufacture do not provide for validated performance to Standards of the as-delivered product.

In steel reinforcing materials, the ACRS scheme, through its certification of steel reinforcement (“rebar”) processors and the mills of manufacture, provides a rigorous mechanism for “bookending” the manufacture and transformation.

In addition to factory production control audits and independent testing, the ACRS scheme provides regular review and analysis of all products manufactured and supplied by the certified manufacturer to the Australian Standard. This makes matching material to conformity documentation simple and effective for the customer and any verifier.

Another commonly encountered industry problem is mixed supply (sometimes called “shandying”), where conforming supply is declared but either only a portion of the product supplied is sourced from a compliant supplier (and some sourced from a noncompliant supplier), or alternatively, the material is sourced from a supplier but the product delivered does not consistently meet the Standard.

By providing effective continuous review of both the manufacturer and the fabricator/ processor, ACRS certification plays a major role in reducing the risk of shandying.

AREN'T TEST CERTIFICATES THE SAME THING? Test Certificates, ARE NOT the same as ACRS independent certification.

Test certificates from the supplier are simply a “snapshot” of the manufacturer’s 22

Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

This 'chain of certification' provides a vital link between the steel manufacturer and the construction site.

Verification of the outputs of both these supply streams is essential for any steel reinforcing materials claiming to conform with the Standards.

For any steel to be ACRS certified, it must have been manufactured by an ACRS Certified supplier. Any break in the ‘chain of certification’ of the mill and the processor means the steel delivered to site is not ACRS certifies.

With structural steels, ACRS certifies the steel mill of manufacture, who must actively demonstrate traceability of their supply to the steel distributor.

ACRS is working with Steelwork Certification Australia to develop “end to end” certification from mill to site that will provide confidence in fabricated structural steels from the purchase of verified steel from ACRS certified mills right through to delivery of the finished fabricated steel to the project site.

For steel reinforcement, ACRS certifies BOTH the steel mill that manufactures the steel AND the steel reinforcement processor and mesh supplier.

own test results of the material on the certificate, not its regular supply. ACRS certification demonstrates independently that the supplier manufactures consistently to the Standards stated on the certificate.

Unless you are going to check and validate every single test certificate against every delivery, you should check the ACRS

certificates for the manufacturer and supplier instead.

For further information about the validity of certification for any materials being supplied into your project, please visit the ACRS website: www.steelcertification.com, or contact ACRS, Phone: (02) 9965 7216.

THE ACRS DIFFERENCE ACRS is an independent, not for profit, expert certification body formed in 2000. ACRS specialises in verification of construction steels and associated products. All ACRS auditors are fully-qualified metallurgists with many years experience working with steels.

IPWEA NSW NEWS

Located in the picturesque New South Wales Hunter Valley, the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley will play host to the Institute of Public Works Engineering (NSW) Annual Conference 2016 from October 26 to 28.

INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC WORKS ENGINEERING (NSW) ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2016

INFRASTRUCTURE, INNOVATION AND RESILIENCE Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley, NSW | 26 - 28 October, 2016 The 2016 State Conference of the Institute of Public Works Engineering (NSW) to be held in the Hunter Valley from October 26-28 has the theme, Infrastructure, Innovation and Resilience.

The Conference will bring together technical partners from city and regional areas engaged in infrastructure, asset management, road and rail safety, transport, water and waste water, risk management, the environment, sustainability, technical innovation and technology.

The Chief Executive of the Institute of Public Works Engineering (NSW), John Roydhouse, said the 2016 Conference would encourage representatives from across all facets of infrastructure and the Local Government sector to come together and exchange ideas and create discussion on how to enhance Infrastructure, Innovation and Resilience throughout our Communities.

"The conference is of particular relevance to people who provide support within Local Government. Every year the Conference attracts an audience of Engineers, Public Works Managers, Group Managers, Supervisors, Technical Staff, Councillors, 24

Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

Directors, General Managers, other Public Works’ disciplines including Management Utilities and State Government Departments, " Mr Roydhouse said.

Beside the Conference rooms will be an exhibition area were delegates can talk with the suppliers of equipment needed in building and maintaining infrastructure.

The Conference will begin with a Welcome Reception on Wednesday night where special guests will include the Member for Cessnock and Shadow Minister for Finance, Clayton Barr and the Mayor of Cessnock, Bob Pynset.

The Thursday Opening Ceremony will feature speeches by Warren Sharpe OAM, the President of IPWEA NSW and Rick Jones, Business Development Manager at Boral Asphalt.

Mr Roydhouse said the Keynote Address will then be given by Professor David Cropley from the School of Engineering at the University of South Australia.

"Professor Cropley is an internationally recognised expert on creativity and innovation whose research has examined a range of aspects of creativity and innovation, both in engineering, and more broadly," Mr Roydhouse said.

Other speakers will include Tim Hurst, Acting CEO of the Office of Local Government and Jenny Davis, the Executive Director of Infrastructure NSW Thursday night will see the Engineering Excellence Awards Gala Dinner. This year the Award List has been expanded to include the first Minister for Local Government's Award for Innovation in Local Government Engineering which will be presented by the Local Government Minister, Paul Toole MP. Prior to the Conference starting on Wednesday there will be an Add-On Executive Masterclass on Media Skills. Following the conclusion of the Conference there will be an optional half day workshop for Young IPWEA Members on Saturday, October 29 on How to Influence Your Audience.

The Conference will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley, 430 Wine Country Dr, Lovedale from Wednesday October 26 to Friday October 28.

For more information, including a full program and online registration, please visit: www.ipwea. org/nsw or contact the IPWEA (NSW) Event Coordinator, Carina Jakobsen, Phone: 02 8267 3006 or Email: carina.jakobsen@ipwea.org

IPWEA NSW NEWS

From Left: NSW Premier Mike Baird; NSW Minister for Emergency Services, Corrections and Veterans and former Executive Director of the Civil Contractors Association of NSW, David Elliott; and IPWEA (NSW) CEO John Roydhouse with one of the new Pocket Sally cut-outs.

THE OMNIPRESENT POCKET SALLY Pocket Sally is a young lady with a growing reputation in the engineering and construction business with important friends, who gets around.

With women accounting for just 11 per cent of the total construction workforce and a departure rate from the industry almost 40 per cent higher than men, Pocket Sally was created the Institute of Public Works-NSW to promote the role of young people, especially young women, to take up careers in traditionally male-dominated fields such as engineering and construction.

“The concept of the Pocket Sally campaign was developed with our Young IPWEA NSW team and is being well received wherever we go," NSW President of the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia, Warren Sharpe said.

Recently, Pocket Sally was photographed with two of her latest fans the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Julie Bishop, who has spent her working life in the mail dominated worlds of law and politics and the Federal Member for Gilmore, Ann Sudmalis.

At CIVENEX 2016 she won another supporter, the Member for Macquarie, Louise Markus, who opened the Expo.

IPWEA's CIVENEX Director, Bill Woodcock ensured the life size cut-out of Pocket Sally or a small version was obvious at all CIVENEX award presentations to remind everyone of the need to encourage young people, especially women, into the industries that are central to infrastructure development.

Pocket Sally has her own registered Domain Name; pocketsally.com and you can follow her on #pocketsally Julie Bishop and Ann Sudmalis were told about Pocket Sally's campaign to encourage more women to take up careers in engineering while visiting Eurobodalla Shire Council, where Mr Sharpe is the Director of Infrastructure Services.

Mr Sharpe , and, thanked Mrs Sudmalis and Mrs Bishop for offering to help promote engineering as a career for young women.

“The time they both provided was very much appreciated and sends a positive signal to the highly skilled professionals in our industry,” Mr Sharpe said.

Mrs Sudmalis said the government was helping to encourage young women to look into non-traditional fields through a pilot mentoring program to support women in the building and construction industry.

“Without a commitment to greater gender equality, the building and construction sector is missing out on attracting and retaining the best talent,” Mrs Sudmalis said.

“Diverse workplaces have been proven to be more productive and deliver better returns to the bottom line.”

The pilot program will encourage more women to enter into and lead successful careers in the overwhelmingly maledominated sector.

The mentoring program will match female senior industry leaders with female industry newcomers to support them in their pursuit of long-term and rewarding careers in building and construction.

Delivered by Master Builders Australia and supported by a $250,000 grant as part of the Australian Government’s Women’s Leadership and Development Strategy, the program will run over 12 months in New South Wales and Tasmania.

Master Builders Australia will partner with Jobactive providers to identify candidates for the program.

“This is a great opportunity for young women to build successful careers as they help build our communities and nation, and shows the Turnbull Government’s continued focus on helping people into fulfilling careers,” Mrs Sudmalis said.

Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

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PRODUCT FOCUS

CHOOSING THE RIGHT FLOOR

Medical and Packing & Warehousing. Bringing together years of specialised industry experience, Ascoat's professional team of flooring specialists focus on delivering high quality, long lasting flooring solutions, working with their clients to deliver the right flooring solution to meet the specific needs of the facility.

Importantly, Ascoat does not take a 'one size fits all' approach to flooring, and is not tied to a particular material supplier. Every flooring solution is a considered recommendation, formed after listening to and understanding each individual client’s specific requirements. Be that food industry specific safety and/or hygiene requirements, the complex installation of a “Very Flat” insulated floor, or a seemingly impossible combination of maintenance and production schedule constraints.

They have the experience and expertise to deliver the optimum flooring solution - even for the toughest environments. From fast, cost effective concrete sealing solutions, through to high build epoxy, self-levelled, chemical, temperature and static resistant seamless installations, Ascoat has the solution.

Not surprisingly, Ascoat's focus on quality and performance has been the primary catalyst in the company's ongoing success and exponential growth. And as their clients have grown - both in number and requirements - Ascoat has responded by continuing to expand its core business offerings, to include: • Epoxy & Polyurethane Flooring • Industrial Flooring Maintenance • Industrial Painting • Line Marking • Floor Cleaning Services

A critical factor in safety, productivity and aesthetics

The floor of a production facility is often the biggest non-revenue producing expense in a business.

Business owners and managers can usually see the benefit in upgrading equipment to streamline production or improving their labour efficiency to bring a new product to market, however, when it comes to flooring it's often a different matter altogether. Surprising really, given that increased production demands often lead to additional or longer shifts, which in turn results in higher on-floor traffic and increased wear and tear.

In short, whatever the industry, it is the floor surface of your production facility which is working the hardest.

Your production floor is used by every staff member and visitor to your site every day, and in many facilities, that means working hard 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Needless to say, when it comes to production facilities, both the initial selection and the on-going cleaning and maintenance of the floor plays a critical role in the overall performance of the facility.

Ascoat has been helping its clients to maximise the return on their flooring investment for over 25 years, working closely with engineers, builders and facility owners across numerous industries and specialist sectors, including; Food, Pharmaceutical, Manufacturing, Research, 26

Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

BEFORE

AFTER

Floors, of course, are not only about safety and performance - there's also the matter of aesthetics.

Ascoat's Michael Bell explained, "Take a look at the overall condition of your facility from an outside perspective and ask yourself: are you happy with your floors? If not, consider the image you wish to portray to clients and visitors, imagine the potential ongoing benefits and cost savings to your business and staff."

"Our team can come out and inspect your floors and provide your business, at no cost, with options and a flooring plan to go forward with, including detailed technical specifications and pricing if appropriate," he added.

"Our team is supported by a dedicated team of specialist contractors - all highly experienced across many industries - and we work together to complete each project on time, on budget and to the agreed standard."

"Needless to say, Quality Assurance (QA) is also a core protocol of our Standard Operating Procedures. In combination with our fully compliant Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) systems and Environmental systems, it forms part of a complete documented end-to-end process," Michael Bell added. "Working to a proven methodology on every project, whether large or small, Ascoat sets high standards that are recognised through-out the industry."

For further information on Ascoat's range of products and services, or to discuss your specific flooring requirements, please contact Ascoat Industrial Floor Surfacing, Ph: (03) 9587 7433 or visit: www.ascoat.com.au

AFTER

BEFORE

safety quality aesthetics

SAFETY AND AESTHETICS

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

From workshops to factories, public facilities to car parks, Ascoat has a high quality flooring solution to meet your needs.

Speak to Ascoat's professional team of flooring specialists today, and discover how we can help boost safety, productivity and the appearance of your facility.

80 Industrial Drive, Braeside VIC 3195 Fax: +61 3 9587 8344 | info@ascoat.com.au

Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

27

COMPANY PROFILE

VAC Group

Innovative Underground Asset Solutions When it comes to excavation work, one of the biggest risks facing contractors, councils and authorities alike, is that of damaging underground assets. And the more built up or established the area is, the greater the risk of accidental damage.

While it's easy to assume that in this day and age we would have accurate data relating to the exact location of all underground assets and infrastructure - especially in our major capitals and regional centres - nothing could be further from the truth. Together with issues arising from incorrect initial placement or mapping of infrastructure and underground services (with problems sometime occurring many decades ago), other factors including

Designed and built by VAC Group, the company operates, Australia's largest fleet of Vacuum Excavation trucks.

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Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

changes in responsible authorities, lost plans, ambiguous data, data transfer errors, undocumented additions and modifications to services, and even instances of obsolete infrastructure simply being buried and forgotten about, excavation works can often be a case of trying to pick your way through an unknown maze of underground assets.

Even with services such as 'Dial Before You Dig', the information provided is only as accurate as the available recorded data, and in many instances, the data is inaccurate or incomplete... and that can spell disaster.

Put simply, if a contractor, council or authority damages an underground asset as a result of being unwittingly provided incorrect

asset location data, matters of blame and responsibility are of little consequence. The result, including the inconvenience and/ or hazard created and of course, the often significant cost of repair and reinstatement, is the same.

With that in mind, Australian underground asset protection specialists, VAC Group, has developed an array of innovative systems and services to accurately pinpoint and, if need be, excavate around all manner of underground assets.

"Identifying and excavating underground assets and infrastructure has always been a major challenge, especially when working in built-up areas," said Neil Costello, VAC Group's Director Strategy & Market Development.

"One wrong move during excavation can, quite literally, end up costing a fortune - not to mention the potential danger and widespread disruption that can result if a main is accidentally damaged."

"When we first formed VAC Group in 2000, the concept of accurately locating underground utilities and vacuum excavation was largely unknown in engineering and construction circles. Companies simply relied on available maps and plans to locate underground assets," he continued.

"We knew there had to be a better way of accurately locating these assets and, once they were found, safely excavating around them. We sought out the best available technologies - some of which had been

COMPANY PROFILE

previously used for space exploration and meteorological applications - and adapted them to suit our underground survey and mapping requirements. We used the individual technologies as a starting point for our own R&D program, developing and combining a range of methodologies to produce a system capable of producing the levels of accuracy and detail we required," he said.

MAKING THE INVISIBLE, VISIBLE With this innovative scanning and mapping technology at the core of its own Australian designed and built equipment, VAC Group has the technical and scientific capability to identify, locate and protect all types of underground utility infrastructure, including subsurface power lines, water and sewerage pipes, gas lines and telecommunication services.

VAC Group utilises a range of technologies to identify the myriad of materials used in underground utilities, including metal, plastic ABOVE: VAC Group's technology provides a highly detailed 3D map of all subsurface infrastructure, including, in this case, some long-buried tram tracks that were not listed on any drawings.

LEFT: VAC Group's patented vacuum excavation equipment provides a safe, efficient and cost-effective method of excavating around and exposing subsurface assets with an extremely high level of accuracy and reliability.

and concrete pipes, cables, wires (including fibre-optic cables) and conduits, as well as any other hidden subsurface infrastructure.

Technologies used include: • Computer Aided Radar Tomography (CART) the only product in Australia that delivers underground video; • 2-Dimensional Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR); • Electro-Magnetic Induction (EMI) scanning • Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) scanning "We make the invisible, visible and so these important underground assets can be protected," Neil Costello said.

Reports are delivered in AutoCAD or Bentley MX drawing format and associated images.

STATE-OF-THE-ART NON-DESTRUCTIVE VACUUM EXCAVATION Once the subsurface assets and utilities have been located and identified, VAC Group can utilise its unique and innovative technology to undertake non-destructive vacuum excavation - another area in which VAC Group has earned an enviable reputation as an industry leader.

In fact, VAC Group has designed, built and now operates, Australia's largest fleet of Vacuum Excavation trucks.

Specifically designed to suit Australian geography and soil conditions, VAC Group's patented vacuum excavation equipment utilises high pressure water combined with vacuum technology to safely remove material from and around water, sewerage and gas pipes, telecommunication lines and any other underground assets. This state-of-the-art equipment provides a safe, efficient and costeffective method of excavating around and exposing subsurface assets with an extremely high level of accuracy and reliability.

Together with its focus on innovation, VAC Group also places a strong emphasis on quality, with its integrated management system certified to AS/NZS 4801:2001 (Health & Safety); AS/NZS ISO 14001:2004 (Environment); and AS/NZS ISO 9001:2008 (Quality).

"As a true non-destructive vacuum excavation company, we pride ourselves on our commitment to safety, the protection of the environment and customer service," Neil Costello said. "These are fundamental to the service we deliver to our clients and is pivotal to our motto 'PROTECTING UNDERGROUND ASSETS'," he added.

For further information on VAC Group's full range of services, Ph: 1300 822 834 (24 Hour Service) or visit: www.vacgroup.com.au

Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

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NEW PRODUCT

BASF LAUNCHES MASTERLIFE® 300D IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BASF has launched a new capillary waterproofing admixture product in Australia and New Zealand, designed for use in aboveand below-grade concrete applications.

MasterLife® 300D is an integral, portland cement-based, crystalline material that reacts in concrete to form non-soluble crystalline hydration products in the capillary pores of the concrete. By effectively reducing the concrete’s permeability, MasterLife 300D reduces both capillary absorption and penetration of water and other liquids. Test results show significant benefits in structural waterproofing and concrete durability, when compared to untreated concrete mixes.

“We have seen reductions in capillary absorption of 43 per cent and water penetration

of 40 per cent, while achieving a seven per cent increase in compressive strength,” said Matt Ross, Head of Construction, BASF Australia and New Zealand.

In addition, this concrete admixture seals hairline cracks, resists positive and negative side hydrostatic pressure, and protects against sewage and industrial wastes.

“MasterLife 300D has been sold internationally for a decade and has been used on over 400 major infrastructure projects.

We are excited to now be able to offer this technology to customers in Australia and New Zealand,” Matt Ross added.

For further information on BASF products for the construction industry, please visit: www.master-builders-solutions.basf.com.au

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ACA CORROSION SPECIAL

Concrete corrosion's hidden costs While steel reinforced concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials around the world, it can suffer degradation over time due to the embedded steel corroding and causing the concrete to crack and “spall”. In extreme situations, the integrity of the structure may be lost, necessitating partial or complete demolition. Corrosion affects all reinforced concrete buildings and structures to some extent, with an estimated annual cost of billions of dollars to national economies . In addition, loose damaged pieces of spalled concrete falling from buildings and structures is a real safety risk.

However, if corrosion effects are considered in the design phase and the right decisions made prior to construction, structures can be built to last and protected for far longer. There are many advantages of planning for corrosion control and mitigation. Two of the main ones are Urban underground railway tunnel

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Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

that the life of an asset can be optimised or extended and maintenance time and costs can be reduced. In addition, reduced maintenance requirements can increase the asset’s overall utilisation and can improve its environmental sustainability.

“The lifecycle cost of a structure might be greater than 50 per cent of the capital value of an asset,” stated Dr Frédéric Blin, Associate Director – Strategic Asset Management & Advanced Materials with AECOM. “The reason for building an asset is to support the delivery of the intended service to an organisation’s customers. It is important to plan and budget for operational costs to minimise the risk of services being affected and large funds required to undertake reactive maintenance.”

In broad terms, when chlorides, carbon dioxide gas and other aggressive agents, penetrate concrete, they initiate corrosion

of reinforcement that typically results in cracking, spalling and weakening of the concrete infrastructure. As reinforcing bars rust, the volume of the rust products can increase to many times that of the original steel, thus increasing pressure on the surrounding material which cracks the concrete. The cracks can then propagate to delamination and eventually spalling of the concrete.

Usually, the most exposed elements deteriorate first but because the active corrosion may take 5 to 15 years to initiate cracks in the concrete, much of the actual corroded reinforcement is not visible. Such corrosion is often called 'concrete cancer' because it appears as if the structure was being eaten away from the inside.

The Australasian Corrosion Association Inc. (ACA) works with industry and academia to research all aspects of corrosion in order to provide an extensive

ACA CORROSION SPECIAL

Spalling concrete of a marine wharf

knowledge base that supports best practice in corrosion management, thereby ensuring all impacts of corrosion are responsibly managed, the environment is protected, public safety enhanced and economies improved.

During the past 30 years, there has been a lot of research into replacing some of the Portland Cement used in concrete with alternative components such as 'fly ash', polymers, recycled car tyres and fibres.

Some of this research has been supported by the ACA. 'Fly ash' is a by-product from burning coal at a power station and incorporating fibres into a mix is similar to the old practice of adding horse hair to wet plaster. One particular area of research is in the field of geopolymer concrete, utilising alkali-activated binding agents.

As a result of this research, construction companies and engineering consultancies have access to all the latest technologies that yield a suite of proactive and reactive processes and procedures to maximise the effectiveness of reinforced and prestressed concrete. “If you have all the appropriate specialists involved at the design stage it is very possible to have a design life of 100 years or more,” said

Warren Green, a Director and Corrosion Engineer at engineering consultancy, Vinsi Partners.

By incorporating the by-products of other processes into the mix, it has been possible to get “green star” ratings for different types of concrete. There is the challenge of 'thinking outside the box' as to what might be incorporated into concrete in order to enhance sustainability and durability.

In addition to new materials being incorporated into the concrete mix, other additives have created 'self-compacting' and 'self-levelling' concrete which can save both time and money. Off-site construction of pre-stressed concrete panels, under factory conditions, permits a far greater degree of quality control. “Advances in admixtures means that we can build almost anything out of concrete these days,” Green said.

However, according to Blin, the Australian standards relating to concrete have not kept pace with the changing ways of making concrete. It is important to have a good understanding of the process and how the constituents, handling and mixing of concrete affect the finished product. The handling of materials is vital because if not placed, compacted and cured properly,

concrete may not have the correct strength and requisite durability. Similarly, if the concrete is mixed on site, it is not just a matter of adding some water and pouring it.

Current Australian standards do not make any distinction between the many different materials that can be used to create concrete. “It is like baking a cake and saying the type of flour used doesn't matter,” added Blin.

“You would expect the Standards to tell you to be aware of different durability outcomes resulting from the mix ratio, temperature and constituents,” Blin said.

“Unfortunately, this is not the case at the moment which may result in missing an opportunity to optimise the amount of concrete required for a particular job.”

Some people in the industry may still have an attitude of “She'll be right mate; concrete is just concrete” when it is becoming obvious that this is no longer true. “We need to recognise what people do with concrete and educate the industry that it is possible to 'damage' concrete even before it is poured,” Blin added.

Training and education is part of the ACA's remit, so the Association conducts regular training courses and hosts seminars across Australia and New Zealand throughout

Exposing the reinforcing rods prior to repair

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ACA CORROSION SPECIAL

the year. Specialist technicians certified by the ACA—and other organisations— have the experience and understanding of the causes, effects and remediation of a wide variety of corrosion types which allows them to recommend mechanisms and procedures to consultants and asset owners.

“The Australian Standards for concrete work gives basic guidance for normal situations, but in aggressive environments such as tropical, coastal, acid-sulphate soils, etc., a structure will not necessarily achieve its design life if simply designed and constructed to comply with the Standards,” said Green. To complement the Standards and support designing for maximum durability in specific situations, the Concrete Institute of Australia is developing a range of 'recommended practice' guidelines.

However, it is possible to build a structure so that it 'never' corrodes but the owners have to accept that this would increase the cost of a project. For example, during construction, cathodic protection (prevention) systems can be installed and coatings applied to assist in maximising durability.

The Gateway Bridge in Brisbane has a design life of 300 years with the piers in the river utilising stainless steel rebar and good quality concrete that has been carefully compacted and cured. “For this structure, durability and other specialist engineers Repairs to a marine wharf underway

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Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

Inserting a sacrificial anode as part of a cathodic protection system

were involved in the project, which also included QC testing during every stage of construction,” Green added.

Green and Blin are also Adjunct Associate Professors at Deakin University in Melbourne, working as part of the Australian Centre for Infrastructure Durability (ACID).

The Centre is a one stop national platform for industry to access the combined research capabilities and testing facilities of a number of leading Australian universities, each with unique strengths in the field of corrosion engineering and design durability.

Early failure of a structure results in maintenance costs being incurred well before the time for which they were budgeted.

Many buildings and structures around Australia are likely to be threatened by spalling and degradation. According to a report in the Brisbane Times in June 2015, many of Australia's Gold Coast high rise apartment towers built in the 1970s face million-dollar concrete cancer repair jobs.

In 2013 the 20-storey Iluka Surfers Paradise

Concrete ring bund around a storage tank

high-rise—built in 1972—was demolished after concrete cancer destroyed the hotel's structural integrity.

According to Green, the demolition of high-rise blocks on the Gold Coast is a drastic situation but probably indicates that the original design and construction had limitations.

It is not just the design and construction that affects durability. There are structures across the region that have degraded before they should have, due in part to inadequate design or poor construction practices. When some concrete bridges in remote parts of Australia were built, modern large B-Double trucks and massive ore trains did not exist. As a consequence, many bridges are deteriorating much faster than anticipated due to additional fatigue stresses.

However, concrete corrosion can be repaired once it is identified. Owners of reinforced concrete structures have to commit to spend money on maintenance.

Brisbane City Council closed Brisbane City Hall for two years between 2012 - 2013 and spent $215 million on repairing and restoring the building.

By utilising the latest technology and materials to design and build for durability, maintenance costs can be reduced and the buildings and structures that are integral to the modern world can be effectively and efficiently used and enjoyed well into the future.

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ACA CORROSION SPECIAL

Corrosion management in a challenging economy The nature of today's working environment is changing as budgets become more constrained and the political landscape transforms around the world.

Whatever the economy or politics of a country, corrosion will be an economic threat to industry and the wider community, as well as a physical threat to infrastructure and personal safety. While there are news reports of oil pipeline ruptures, sewer explosions or sink holes appearing after a burst water main, the effects of corrosion usually take many years to appear. Effective management or prevention of this insidious threat is essential to minimise its impact.

A report released this year by NACE International highlights the massive cost to industry but also indicates the savings that can be made through effective implementation and utilisation of available corrosion prevention technologies and processes. It has been estimated that, globally, more than seven per cent of GDP each year is spent on corrosion mitigation and repair. For Australia, in 2013, this equated to more than $20 billion.

There are many unseen costs that result from unmanaged corrosion. The most common being the loss of production resulting from an unplanned shutdown.

Less obvious costs are unbudgeted capital expenditure to replace machinery and equipment or the damage to a company's reputation following a pipeline rupture or similar safety issue.

In response to budget constraints and the rising cost implications of corrosion across all industries, asset owners and managers look to achieve a good return on their investment.

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Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

However, the changing dynamics of the economy mean that companies offering corrosion management services have to convince their customers of their value.

“Asset owners expect a better ROI on the money they spend on maintenance,” said Dean Ferguson, Materials Engineer with Infracorr Consulting and Senior Vice President of the Victorian Branch of the Australasian Corrosion Association (ACA). Infracorr is a leading engineering consultancy specialising in rehabilitation and durability solutions for concrete and masonry infrastructure.

The Australasian Corrosion Association (ACA) works with industry and academia to research all aspects of corrosion in order to provide an extensive knowledge base that supports best practice in corrosion management, thereby ensuring all impacts of corrosion are responsibly managed, the environment is protected, public safety enhanced and economies improved.

“Budgets for asset maintenance are never large enough to cover requirements. Coatings are seen as passive, so structures are often left to fend for themselves until corrosion damage is severe,” said Aaron Davey, Director of Bastion in New Zealand. “When coupled with the wrong coating, subsequent costs can appear far sooner than otherwise expected.”

Bastion has been providing innovative leadership to engineering, construction and maintenance projects throughout NZ for nearly 10 years, primarily with public infrastructure organisations and manufacturing industries.

“In the past, short-term, low cost solutions were what owners and operators were looking for,” said Sean Ryder, senior

engineering consultant with Phoenix Solutions in New Zealand. “Today we are able to discuss the benefits of looking at the 'whole of life' asset costs.” This holistic approach takes account of construction and projected maintenance costs of a project. If it is possible to incorporate materials and processes into a design that results in reapplying surface coatings every 15 years instead of 10, there are savings to be gained.

Owners of high-value assets must understand the cost implications of ignoring the effects of corrosion. There are many advantages of planning for corrosion control and mitigation, two of which are that the life of an asset can be extended and maintenance time and costs reduced.

Protecting the metalwork around a water storage facility.

ACA CORROSION SPECIAL

FROM LEFT: Applying a protective coating to the roof of a sports complex; Time and money savings can be achieved if decisions about maintenance are made during a structure's design and build phases; Many companies, including Mattioli, have a reputation in the industry as protective coating innovators.

According to Ferguson, there is often inadequate time given over to the design phase. “Companies often rush this and find errors later that could have been avoided,” he said. “Durability is often viewed as an afterthought rather than a value add.”

“We understand that money can be tight, but it is better to consider how to look after an asset when it is designed and built,” said Gianni Mattioli, Director of his family-owned surface coatings business that has been providing a complete coating service to a diverse client base across Australia for more than 40 years.

The company's focus on innovation, quality, workmanship and safety has seen Mattioli achieve an unsurpassed reputation in the industry as innovators in protective coatings.

Monitoring the impact of corrosion on any type of structure is a critical aspect of ensuring asset integrity. A key way of minimising corrosion is to employ appropriate protection technologies.

“Proactively testing and inspecting gives a clearer understanding of where to spend

limited resources on maintenance of assets,” said Rob Francis, of R A Francis Consulting Services. Francis has more than 40 years’ experience in metals, materials and corrosion, especially regarding protective coatings.

“Asset owners often prefer to put off maintenance until it is too late,” said Ferguson. “Everyone knows that it is cost effective but rarely have the budget to implement integrated design and servicing program.”

However, practitioners have noticed a gradual trend toward asset owners recognising the benefits of maintenance planning. “Since starting in the industry on the 1990s, I have seen a shift in attitude by asset owners,” Davey said. “More are appreciating the wisdom of doing it right the first time.”

Ryder supported this opinion, stating that he had “noticed quite a significant increase of the awareness of asset owners as to the benefits of designing for durability; they are more and more taking a long-term view of asset protection.”

It is usually government bodies and larger companies that take a lead role when new business concepts are implemented, but it can still take some time for there to be a 'ground swell' of acceptance. “Once larger government agencies start doing it, the uptake flows down through other bodies and commercial companies,” Ryder added.

Best practices for construction and servicing operations have been changed and adapted to reflect the latest health and safety legislation and regulations. These have also flowed through into the quality control of a project. Asset owners have been forced to consider how things will be maintained in order to keep workers safe while carrying out repairs or applying a protective coating.

The changes in OHS legislation are also being incorporated into asset management

plans. The safety aspect of designs are being viewed as part of the overall maintenance strategy. “If it is difficult to get up to an area of a structure to re-apply a protective coating, it would have been better to design it with easier access,” said Ryder. If, when it is built, there are few constraints on the access to a structure or the equipment to be maintained, it is possible to reduce the frequency of servicing.

“We have been on some projects where a building may look nice and do its job, but there may be overhangs and lips,” said Mattioli. “We as contractors have to access these to do our job but there has usually been little thought of how to get into these areas. It is even worse if the job is 20 storeys above ground.”

As an illustration, working on the structural cross members of an offshore platform or transmission tower in a remote location requires a unique combination of skills, but also additional safety precautions.

Technicians need to have both the appropriate corrosion qualifications and abseiling experience.

In order to effectively and comprehensively explain the benefits of incorporating maintenance planning into the design process, companies and practitioners in the industry must ensure they understand all the latest products, technologies, processes and legislation.

“We devote lots of time to staff training and education” said Mattioli. “We feel it is important for all members of our team to continue to learn about the new materials, new techniques and new training methods.”

Advances in technology and the spread of the Internet means that the amount of information that is readily available to designers, builders and contractors is vast.

Companies are finding their staff are willing to research best practices and how to use new materials. “There is a new generation

Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

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ACA CORROSION SPECIAL

coming through with a focus and interest in doing a job well using the best technology and materials,” said Davey. “With the amount of data and the ease of access to it via online sources, it is easy to achieve excellence these days.”

As the manufacturing industry restructures, some companies are taking advantage of workforce changes. “There are challenges to the economy and some sectors are hurting more than others,” Mattioli stated. Some manufacturing workers have a certain mindset in terms of precision and understanding the planning and steps that need to be taken to successfully apply a protective coating.

“It has been surprising that we have had great success retraining auto mechanics as applicators,” he added.

An added benefit of planning for sustainability and designing projects to require minimal maintenance is a reduced impact on the environment. “If you can maintain it effectively, you do not need to replace an asset as often which therefore has an environmental benefit,” added Ryder.

One area where Phoenix Solutions is expanding its work is reusing materials onsite, especially for remote communities and island nations in the Pacific region. One scheme the company is associated with involves taking polymer waste and incorporating it into a standard concrete matrix. The polymer provides additional durability for assets that require lower structure strength such as footpaths and buried septic tanks.

“A major consideration is ensuring that a successful mixture is repeatable,” said Ryder.

“We have to be careful to ensure that there is consistency in the treatment of the polymer waste.” This recycling of waste polymer provides strength and durability to tourism infrastructure and reduces the cost of the works because the amount of steel rebar that has to be shipped to remote locations is reduced. There is an additional benefit in that it minimises the amount of waste material that is shipped from the location or burnt.

“Explaining the financial drivers is usually simpler as the results are easily measured now,” Ryder stated. “However, as time goes

on, there will be more and more measurable results of the environmental benefits which will encourage clients to do more design for durability.”

The ACA is a not-for-profit, industry association, established in 1955 to service the needs of Australian and New Zealand companies, organisations and individuals involved in the fight against corrosion. The vision of the organisation is to reduce the impact of corrosion.

ABOUT THE AUSTRALASIAN CORROSION ASSOCIATION The Australasian Corrosion Association Incorporated (ACA) is a not-for-profit, industry association, established in 1955 to service the needs of Australian and New Zealand companies, organisations and individuals involved in the fight against corrosion. The vision of the ACA is to reduce the impact of corrosion.

For further information, please visit the web site: www.corrosion.com.au

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BATCH PLANT PUMP GUIDE SUCCESS Concrete batch plants across the country are reducing downtime and slashing maintenance costs thanks to the Australian Pump Batch Plant Pump Selector. The guide shows plant managers what pumps should be applied at various points of the batch plant, making pump selection simple.

“Our research showed us that misapplied pumps are a major problem in batch plants.

When a pump goes down the urgency of the situation often means that the replacement is chosen on availability rather than suitability,” said Aussie Pumps Neil Bennett. “We want to help plant managers to understand that the abrasive nature of batch water means that correct pump application is key to improved plant efficiency. Our pump selector guide that takes the mystery out of pump selection,” he said.

GUIDE TO COST CUTTING The pump guide identifies the correct pumps to be used at the various stages in the plant. From first flush and wedge pits through to stirrer pits, the recycled water contains various concentrations of cementitious material contaminated with aggregate, slag and iron fillings.

The batch plant pump application guide takes the guess work out of pump selection. It simplifies maintenance and can play a significant role in concrete cost reductions.

The new guide features Tsurumi KTZ cast iron pumps for handling slag and dirty water through to high head LH pumps for delivering water under pressure for tall slump stands and wash-down of trucks.

TSURUMI KTZ PUMPS … CAST IRON PERFORMERS The Tsurumi range of KTZ dewatering and slurry pumps are designed specifically for this type of application. They incorporate wear resistant hi-chrome iron impellers that enable solids in suspension to pass smoothly through the pumps.

Tsurumi Pump is the world’s leading manufacturer of submersible pumps with an annual manufacturing capability of over 1.4 million pumps. With over ninety years’ experience they have developed a comprehensive range of robust, superefficient pumps for use in concrete batch plants.

“The abrasive nature of batch water can be a real killer for normal submersible pumps.

The Tsurumi KTZ range use hi-chrome iron internals that resist wear making them ideal in this application,” Bennett said. “They

are already used extensively in batch plants around the world. Their popularity is also due to Tsurumi’s no compromise ethic that incorporates features that extend pump life as standard in all their pumps,” he said.

The KTZ series offer capacities of up to 2,400 litres per minute flow, and heads as high as 48 metres. This means loading batch water from the holding tanks is fast, cutting the waiting times for trucks at the hoppers and slump stands. 2”, 3” & 4” pump configurations are available to suit the existing pipework.

LH-W SERIES … HIGH HEAD ACHIEVERS Recycled water used at slump stands often fulfils two uses. Firstly to control the slump mix and secondly to wash down trucks before they leave the stand.

When the slump stand is positioned away from the collection tanks or if the stand is particularly tall, the pumps will need to deliver high head performance.

Tsurumi 2” LH25.5W series pumps recommended for use in these applications because they deliver heads to 60m and flows to 465 lpm. They incorporate twin hi-chrome iron impellers and use a heavy duty 5.5kW motor.

SUBMERSIBLE ADVANTAGES Although surface mount pumps may be easier to monitor and service, submersible pumps have a number of advantages in this application.

1. Submersibles can be used with flexible discharge pipes. This makes the system easy to install and remove when the settling pits need to be excavated.

2. Submersible pumps self-flush when switched off thus preventing clogging due to settling solids in the pump.

3. Submersible pumps self-prime, making them easy and fuss free to set up again after service or for fast emergency deployment.

“Tsurumi have made their name supplying pumps for the concrete industry around the world,” said Bennett. “We want Australian plants to get the cost cutting benefits these pumps bring,” he said.

For free information on the full range of Tsurumi submersible pumps or for copies of the batch plant pump selector contact Neil Bennett at Aussie Pumps on 02 8865 3500.

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PRECAST TECHNOLOGY

View inside the Pruska's new highperformance precast plant. The demoulding and shuttering of pallets, as well as cleaning and oiling of the pallets and required shuttering elements is completely automated.

NEW HIGH-PERFORMANCE PLANT WITH MACHINERY CAPACITY OF 12 PALLETS PER HOUR OPENED IN THAILAND Pruksa Real Estate Public Co. Ltd, a leading company for residential construction using precast concrete elements in Thailand, recently installed and commissioned a second major precast plant in conjunction with the Progress Group - a full-range supplier for the precast concrete industry. With an extraordinary investment in equipment from Ebawe Anlagentechnik and Progress Maschinen & Automation, both subsidiary companies of the Progress Group, Pruksa has built a new solid wall plant with enormous capacities and in doing so has further strengthened its market position.

It is already the second high-performance plant to be installed by Ebawe and Progress at the end customer Pruksa in Thailand.

Following the commissioning in 2010 of the first fully automated plant with a capacity of 10 pallets per hour, the Asian building contractor has set the bar even higher this time: the new plant was to be equipped with an even higher level of automation in order to ensure an increased capacity of 12 pallets per hour. Particular refinements in this second new plant, which was erected in the Nawa Nakorn industrial area near Bangkok, include automatic picking and insertion of the reinforcement meshes, the automatic washing of the concrete spreader and bucket, the smoothing of the solid wall elements by means of six automatic power trowels and an extensive outdoor storage system with automated warehouse management.

‘GREEN’ PLANT

The M-System Evolution mesh welding plant manufactures the reinforcing mesh 'just in time' to precisely fit the respective pallet.

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Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

Pruksa understands the specific needs and requirements of the Thai market extremely well, having been in business in the region for 21 years. Not surprisingly, Pruska's corporate philosophy of offering high quality living space at affordable prices has proven successful.

With the new plant, Pruksa can achieve an additional capacity of 480 houses per month.

In order to secure the demand on a long-term basis, the Thai building contractor has its own department for new developments: the Pruksa Innovation Centre, which concerns itself with new trends and ideas for building processes, building materials and building methods.

The second newly delivered Progress Group plant not only makes use of the latest German-made machine technology, it also meets the demands for environmental friendliness. This ‘green’ plant was equipped with a recycling system that separates surplus concrete and dirty water and feeds the separated components back to the production process for use.

PRECAST TECHNOLOGY

For Pruksa it was also important to reduce the noise levels of the machines in order to create a more healthy and pleasant working climate for the workforce.

PRODUCTION SEQUENCE FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SOLID WALL ELEMENTS A total of 140 pallets circulate in Pruska’s new plant. A production cycle starts with the manual deactivation of the shuttering magnets. At the demoulding station the pallets are initially scanned and the shuttering elements are automatically lifted off by two demoulding robots and set down on a conveyor belt which takes them through the cleaning unit.

Following the removal of the moulded concrete elements, the pallets are conveyed onwards by transverse displacers and cleaned with the stationary cleaning unit. The release agent spraying unit applies a thin film of oil to the shuttering surfaces to prepare them for the next cycle.

The pallets are automatically shuttered by two combined shuttering and storage robots on the basis of data transmitted by the tailor-made ebos® software system. The storage robot picks up the cleaned shuttering from the store and places it on a conveyor belt, where it passes through the release agent spraying unit. The shuttering robot finally takes up the oiled shuttering and places it according to the element outlines on the pallet surface.

Several cycle stations are available for manual placement of additional shuttering and cutouts as well as built-in components.

The required reinforcing materials are produced using 'just in time' scheduling in accordance with the data sent by the ebos® system.

The new plant is equipped with a fully automatic mesh welding

machine, a handling spreader bar for the automatic placement of the meshes, a mesh buffer that serves as an intermediate store, a trolley car for the produced reinforcement meshes as well as an automatic stirrup bending machine.

One important feature of the state-of-the-art facility, is the enormous time savings being achieved with the mesh buffer. This makes it possible to produce the reinforcement meshes in advance, store them intermediately and then insert the appropriate finished mesh without delay when the pallet drives in. Production is not only flexible, but also highly efficient.

The new bucket track ensures a supply of fresh concrete at the discharge point. The elements are concreted with a concrete distributor that discharges over the full width of the pallet and has a volume of 4 m³. A single concreting process is therefore sufficient for the majority of the elements, which leads to considerable time savings.

The freshly discharged concrete is compacted with the aid of four compaction units that set the pallets in horizontal motion. The element is drawn off and smoothed to the desired height by a vibrating levelling beam. Attached external vibrators perform additional compaction according to the concrete layer depth.

The washing of the bucket and concrete distributor has been automated in Pruksa’s new plant, with both items of equipment able to drive without manual operation to the washing station, where they are automatically washed with the aid of a spraying lance and various nozzles. The water used for washing, as well as the residual concrete, are separated by a recycling system and fed back to the mixing plant for further use.

The concrete distributor at Pruksa can discharge over the entire width of the pallet. This leads to enormous savings of time in the production sequence.

Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

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PRECAST TECHNOLOGY

LEFT: The solid wall element is drawn off and smoothed to the desired height by externally attached vibrators. RIGHT: The new plant near Bangkok is equipped with six power trowels and 24 smoothing stations.

A total of six power trowels and 24 smoothing places are available for the fine smoothing of the element surfaces. Smoothing takes place fully automatically and without manual operation. This results in an extremely smooth and well-finished concrete surface that can be painted without requiring additional reworking, resulting in further cost savings.

A storage and retrieval machine places the pallets for hardening into a stacking rack that has more than 112 hardening places.

Following the optimum dwell time in the rack (as calculated by ebos®) the pallets are automatically removed. The facility has a total of four tilting units available for the removal of the finished wall elements.

OUTDOOR STORE WITH AUTOMATED WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT The elements removed with the aid of a crane are placed in transport cradles (racks) which are taken up directly by a crosslifting truck on the run-off truck. The run-off truck transports the

racks to an enormous, automated external storage system and then transfers them to one of three trolleys, which drives the racks to the appropriate storage location in the outdoor store.

For transport to the building site, three additional run-off trucks, each with cross-lifting trucks, pick up the racks from the outdoor store and transport them to various collection points ready for loading onto trucks and transporting to their final destination.

The outdoor store has a total capacity of 450 racks.

TAILOR-MADE SOFTWARE SOLUTION The tailor-made ebos® software takes care of the control, monitoring and optimization of the entire precast element production in the new plant, using an operating concept which is both simple and intuitive. Thanks to its numerous functions and features, the ebos® software is able to overcome complex interface problems - providing streamlined work processes for employees across the entire plant.

Thumbs up for the successful concreting of the first elements! The teams from Pruksa and Progress Group did their utmost to ensure that plant was fully operational on schedule.

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Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

PRECAST TECHNOLOGY

STRONG GROWTH IN THAILAND AND ACROSS SOUTHEAST ASIA With an estimated current population of some 69 million people, Thailand is one of the 20 most densely populated countries in the world. There is enough room and the tropical climate also favours building all year round.

Hardly surprising then, that there is strong and consistent growth in demand for inexpensive, but high-quality housing that is also earthquakeresistant and heat repellent.

Pruksa’s range of townhouses and detached houses, as well as their single-storey and multi-storey freehold apartments, cover precisely these needs. Customers can choose between numerous variants and styles.

The ordered building is always handed over turnkey and is subject to strict quality checks.

Unlike most builders, Pruksa carries out the construction of the projects itself, knows all the project-relevant specifications and guarantees a detailed design in accordance with the order. The entire building project is supervised from the concept to completion by the company’s own engineers and foremen, who rigorously control the construction time and costs - as well as managing quality assurance. External suppliers are hired only for certain performances such as foundation and roofing work and must adhere to Pruska’s strict standards and specifications.

With this strategy, the building contractor has managed to become the low-cost market leader among Thailand’s builders and is considered today to be C024_RMD_Airodek_HPC_Aug16_181x135_PRESS.pdf a leading manufacturer of solid walls in the1 worldwide precast 20/08/2016 10:07:15 PM industry.

Pruksa’s philosophy is to provide high quality, affordable living space for Thailand’s population. From detached houses to single-storey and multi-storey freehold apartments, Pruska housing is subject to the strictest quality control – and is always handed over 'turnkey' to the customers, ready to move in.

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Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

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CONCRETE INSTITUTE NEWS

HURRY – ABSTRACTS SUBMISSION CLOSING SOON The 28th Biennial Conference of the Concrete Institute of Australia, Concrete 2017, is rapidly approaching. To be held in Adelaide in October next year, the conference theme “Advances in Concrete Materials and Structures” will give concrete researchers, designers, and practitioners from all over the globe an opportunity to showcase innovation and trends in the design, research, construction, maintenance, and repair that are making a difference around the world.

The conference is also host to the 3rd International Congress on Durability of Concrete (ICDC), an international forum for exchanging research results and displaying how concrete will continue to create durable buildings and structures for sustainable development in both local and global contexts.

Papers are invited that are based on experimental work, research and development, practice or industry application, case studies, innovations and other relevant work of interest. In particular the technical committee for Concrete 2017 are looking for abstracts and papers to be submitted by: • Consultants – focusing on interesting and challenging projects and case studies that highlight excellence in concrete.

• Contractors – looking at the constructability of concrete and the advances made in techniques and application.

• Researchers and academics – with a view to presenting research work that is new, innovative, and can be applied into practice.

Submission date for abstracts closes on 14th October 2016, and Concrete 2017 will take place from 22nd to 25th October 2017.

Put the dates in your diaries!

SPONSORSHIP AND EXHIBITION

As the premier concrete event in the southern hemisphere, Concrete 2017 is expected to attract over 500 delegates from Australia and around the world. The conference represents an exceptional opportunity for Sponsors and Exhibitors within the concrete industry to promote their businesses.

The range of Sponsorship Packages available are wide and varied.

Importantly they all offer organisations the chance to showcase their brand and position themselves amongst a diverse group of industry stakeholders from a variety of industries.

The conference will also once again feature a Trade Exhibition that will run in conjunction with the conference. The exhibition for Concrete 2015 was sold out 6 months before the conference commenced so don’t miss out on your chance to be amongst the largest group concrete industry experts in this country in 2017.

For more information and to book please visit: concrete2017.com.au/sponsorship-exhibition 44

Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

KEY DATES

CONCRETE 2017 PROGRAM THEMES • Materials (e.g. cementitious materials, aggregates, chemical admixtures, recycled materials, geopolymers, reinforcing steels) • Structures (e.g. shear design, design of columns and walls, concrete modelling, earthquake and seismic design, prestress) • Innovations in concrete • design and construction (e.g. 3D printing) • Durability • Repair and retrofit • Environmental • Precast concrete (e.g. design, construction, architectural.)

• Case studies and major projects • Constructability (e.g. construction and infrastructure developments, forensics, formwork) • Education • History and development of concrete • Any interesting application and use advancing concrete materials and structures .

11 April 2016 14 October 2016 25 November 2016 10 February 2017 2 May 2017 26 May 2017

Call for Abstracts Open Call for Abstracts Close Author Abstract Notification Full Paper Submission Deadline Comments on Full Papers and Final Author Notification Author Registration Deadline

JOIN THE CONVERSATION Stay up to date with all the Concrete 2017 news online. Join the conversation at: Web: www.concrete2017.com.au Twitter: @Concrete_2017 Facebook: www.facebook.com/Concrete2017 LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/concrete-2017advances-in-concrete-materials-and-structures-

Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

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CONCRETE INSTITUTE NEWS

E-LEARNING IN CONCRETE In recent times the Concrete Institute of Australia has developed an e-learning platform to provide online access for professional development and education without having to leave the desk.

The most recent additions to the webinar portfolio include: • Seismic Design & Detailing of Concrete Structures - This webinar is presented by some of Australia’s leading experts in the field of earthquake engineering and addresses a wide range of topics that deal with some of the most common issues faced when designing and detailing buildings for earthquake loading, from the seismic hazard in Australia and how earthquakes impact buildings (including the valuable lessons learnt from past earthquakes and current research), to design recommendations that can be taken to ensure that reinforced concrete buildings provide the important life safety in these extreme events.

• Changes to AS3850 Pts 1&2 Prefabricated Concrete Elements – The webinar focuses on the major changes to these two standards and the impacts they will have on designers, builders, contractors, and precasters. This includes an understanding of the new safety requirements that must be part of the design process, the role of the Erection Designer and In-service Designer (and who this is), and just who is responsible for transporting, lifting, erection and overall site supervision. Presented by two leading practitioners who were prominent in the revision of the Standard it will help users understand how to manage the risk in prefabricated concrete element construction and to understand the implications it has on you and your role.

To learn more about these and the other resources available through the e-learning platform go to: http://www. concreteinstitute.com.au/Webinars

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Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

FROM VIRTUAL TO REALITY

The 3D Journey of Concrete The use of three dimensional (3D) technology has long gone from being a virtual possibility to an actual reality in many facets of life. So it is with many innovations in the concrete construction world.

In September the Institute will bring together a forum of industry experts and researchers to explore the future of concrete design and construction in this country, using 3D applications. Join us at Swinburne University as we span the new journey of concrete, starting as an idea in the form of a 3D virtual model on a computer using building information modelling (BIM), through to the eventual possibility of using 3D printing technology to construct the design.

Speakers will include a number of industry experts in the facets of design and construction, looking at: • BIM initiatives from the Victorian Government Future Industries Project

• How engineering software can be integrated with 3D modelling for concrete • A case study that explores how BIM was used as part of a major construction • Research into 3D printing of concrete, current technology available, and future capabilities.

In particular, the organisers are pleased to announce that Athena Andriotis, Director, Construction Technologies, Sector Development and Programs Division - Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, will be one of the event’s key note presenters.

The event also includes a concrete beam competition for civil engineering students’ in Victoria. The concrete beam competition will put student’s analytical skills to the test, and delegates will be able to witness live load testing of the specimen to failure on site in Swinburne’s Advanced Technologies Centre.

Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of our Victorian Branch’s biggest event for 2016. For more details and to register go to: http://www.concreteinstitute.com. au/Events/402.aspx

LOCAL COUNCILS

Become a Member

It is the mission of the Concrete Institute of Australia to promote and develop excellence in concrete throughout Australia.

This encapsulates all sectors within the concrete construction industry including local government.

At a time where the concrete materials knowledge gap in local government engineering appears to be widening, and attracting and retaining good engineers appears to be getting harder, opportunities to train and provide added value to staff can be extremely useful.

The Institute has a number of membership categories, however local government engineering departments can benefit through the Bronze Company Membership which provides an avenue to develop engineers both technically and professionally, in a cost effective way.

Being a Bronze Member of the Institute gives nominated staff hundreds of

publications, technical papers and technical journals which make up a very valuable and cost efficient library; all staff an opportunity to develop professionally through local CPD technical events, conferences, workshops, seminars, lectures and site tours; and access to industry experts and influencers via the Institutes wide network of experts in concrete.

Individual membership of the Institute can also provide local government engineers these same opportunities on an individual basis, as well as the chance to subscribe and receive all Australian Standards for viewing online, anytime.

For more details on what’s involved or how to join go to: http://www.concreteinstitute. com.au/Membership/Benefits.aspx

CONCRETE INSTITUTE NEWS

fib BULLETINS FOR CIA MEMBERS The International Federation for Structural Concrete (fédération internationale du béton - fib) is formed by 43 National Member Groups around the world along with over 1000 individual and corporate members. It is committed to advancing the technical, economic, aesthetic and environmental performance of concrete structures worldwide.

The Concrete Institute of Australia is the Australian National Member Group for fib and as such the Institute represents the organisation in this country. This allows the Institute to bring much of the work being done by fib to the Members of the Institute and provide worldwide codes of practices to be considered and compared for local needs.

A number of Institute Members are heavily involved with fib and the various technical committees, commissions, and task groups. This has allowed them to provide input to the international direction

of concrete, and given them access to worldwide experts to enhance our industry needs.

To this end Institute Members, as part of their membership, are able to access world class technical documents, referred to as bulletins, a generic term for a series of publications that includes several types of technical documents including: Model Codes, Application Manuals, Design Guides or Recommendations, Synthesis or Stateof-Art Reports, and Technical Reports, which form a detailed record of the results attained by Commissions and Task Groups in the field of research and operational application to concrete structures.

The Institute currently has in the order of 70 of these documents available to members in electronic format through the web site. Members can view and download these documents through the Institute Resource Centre.

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www.mi-mep.com.au Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

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NATIONAL PRECAST CELEBRATES 25 YEARS IN STYLE 2016 marks the 25th year of National Precast, the peak body of the precast industry. To commemorate the occasion, the industry will be celebrating its achievements at a formal dinner on Thursday 10th November at the Opera House.

EVENT PARTNER

The November celebrations will recognise the people who played an important role in National Precast's history. L to R: Ian Coulter, Godfrey Smith, Gavin Stollery, Claude Pincin, John Burke, Matt Perrella.

COMMEMORATING PRECAST - PEOPLE, PRODUCTS AND PROJECTS According to National Precast CEO Sarah Bachmann, the night will recognise the people, products and projects that make the precast industry what it is today.

“The precast industry has made some phenomenal achievements over the years” said Ms Bachmann.

“From buildings to civil construction, precast concrete products are now recognised as sustainability leaders, offering best practice in every facet of what sustainability is about,” she said. "And after 25 years, the Association is now widely recognised as the industry’s peak body, uniting, representing and promoting Australia’s leading manufacturers,” she said.

VENUE BEFITTING OF CELEBRATIONS The venue of the celebratory dinner - the Sydney Opera House - is itself a precast structure. It includes 2,400 precast concrete rib beams – some 49 m long - which are visible under the Monumental Steps and support a series of the curved shell roof.

“We are absolutely delighted to be holding the dinner at the Opera Marquee at the Opera House.

Australia’s most iconic precast structure, the Sydney Opera House, will be the venue for National Precast’s 25 year celebration dinner in November.

It is a venue perfectly befitting of the occasion," Ms Bachmann said.

“Not to mention the entertainment and MC for the night, Darryl Lovegrove, who is famous for his musical performances in Jesus Christ Superstar, Les Miserables, and appearing alongside Sarah Brightman and Anthony Warlow in The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber.”

With great company, a splendid venue and spectacular entertainment, the evening will be topped off with catering by Matt Moran’s Aria Catering.

“Not many of us are lucky enough to say we’ve dined at the Opera House, let alone in this style.

“Our Event Partner ramsetreid in particular, together with Supporting Sponsors, are enabling us to put on a fantastic night that the industry will remember for a long time to come. We all need to acknowledge and be truly thankful for their support,” said Ms Bachmann.

The dinner will be the who’s who of the industry. All of Australia’s leading precast manufacturers, together with well-known suppliers of products and services, will be there helping to celebrate the occasion.

DON’T MISS THE FUN “Whether you’re a precast manufacturer, architect, engineer or builder… you’re an integral part of the precast community and we’d love you to help us celebrate. It’ll be a huge event, so make sure you are there”, she said.

EVENT DETAILS When: 6.45pm, Thursday 10th November, 2016 Where: Opera Point Marquee, Sydney Opera House Dress: Black tie/Formal Tickets: $200 National Precast members; $250 Others (ex GST) Register before 21st October at: www.nationalprecast.com.au/ resources/industry-events Enquiries: Amy Brandoli T:08 8294 0833 E:info@nationalprecast.com.au Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

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NATIONAL PRECAST FEATURE

STUNNING THAI BUDDHIST PAGODA IN CANBERRA PRECASTER: Asurco Contracting CLIENT: Dhammadharo Buddhist Inc. BUILDER: Asurco Contracting ARCHITECT: Thailand Buddhist Architects ENGINEER: Taylor Thomson Whitting

The Australian capital Canberra is known for its spectacular architecture, from New Parliament House to the National Gallery Precinct and the iconic Shine Dome. Now a Buddhist Temple in the suburb of Lyneham is attracting attention for its impressive exterior. The Wat Dhammadharo Thai Buddhist Temple has the only pagoda in the southern hemisphere featuring traditional Thai architecture.

CREATING BEAUTY WITH GLASS REINFORCED CONCRETE Adelaide-based precast manufacturer and National Precast member, Asurco Contracting was critical to this spectacular project.

According to Managing Director Des Pawelski, the original builder of the temple was unable to complete the project, so his company took over. It was a huge undertaking to collaborate on design and engineering as well as supply and install Glass Reinforced Concrete (GRC).

This versatile product, which can be moulded into almost any shape, was used to create the columns, domes and intricate details for the Wat Dhammadharo Thai Buddhist Temple. Usually the glass fibres in the GRC are sufficient to reinforce the concrete, but in this case, due to the design, the GRC was supported, in some cases, by lightweight and heavier steel frames.

The impressive elements of the temple were manufactured over a nine month timeframe. The

PRECAST TAKES FLIGHT IN AUSTRALIA’S LATEST ACTION SPORT Penrith, in Sydney’s outer west, is fast becoming the adventure capital of New South Wales. The Penrith Panthers Complex – now dubbed the Panthers World of Entertainment - has an exciting new attraction, and precast has played a big part.

A new $8 million indoor skydiving facility adds to the already buzzing atmosphere, with Cables Wake Park, the Whitewater Stadium and Sydney International Regatta Centre nearby.

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Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

INCREDIBLE ADRENALIN RUSH IN A SAFE ENVIRONMENT iFly Downunder is the Australian franchisee of a world-wide network stretching from Arizona to Abu Dhabi, offering indoor skydiving in a stateof-the-art, ultra-safe environment. The facility at Penrith is Australia’s first centre, where the flying skills of expert skydivers can be mastered whilst suspended in a vertical glass tunnel about

majority of moulds for the GRC were designed by the team at Asurco, while some of the more intricate details were moulded in Thailand. Mr Pawelski says there were challenges in making some of the moulds because this was such a unique project.

“We hadn’t done anything like this before. It was a very satisfying job in the factory, because we made something from nothing and the end result is quite beautiful”. The gold coating for the elements is a mineral paint, a durable, colourfast and sustainable protective finish, that promises low maintenance and longevity.

BUILDING A TEMPLE The elements for this eye-catching temple were delivered and installed over a three-month period.

“There were some challenges in transporting the elements to Canberra,” said Mr Pawelski.

“The large dome at the top needed to be transported with an escort because it was so big”. The Temple features the tallest pagoda, at 24 metres high, of Thai Buddhism in Australia.

There’s more work to do on this stunning temple. Over the next 12 months another section of the grounds will be developed. The team at Asurco is looking forward to being involved.

“For the team in the factory this is one of the most satisfying jobs we’ve ever been involved in because it’s such a beautiful job”.

Powering a Sustainable Future

four metres across, supported only on a cushion of air created by a 250 km/h updraft. Each experience lasts about 50 seconds and is the equivalent to freefalling from about 14,000 feet or just over four kilometres.

PRECAST MORE COST EFFECTIVE THAN STEEL Based on American experience, the building design was originally proposed in steel with metal linings. Glen Balneaves of Raybal Constructions recommended using precast concrete panels as a more efficient alternative for the major structural elements. “I thought it would be a cost-effective to go that way,” he says, adding that this has now been adopted in the US.

PANEL DESIGN ENHANCES VERTICALITY National Precast member Austral Precast manufactured and installed precast panels for the project. Most of these were used in the giant return air towers on the building’s boundaries, and in the lift shaft located near the centre. Precast panels also infill the rear of the building, with the balance of cladding in lightweight construction. 119 panels covering just under 2000 square metres, in thicknesses varying from 125 mm to 270 mm, were manufactured with a class two finish and were painted on site.

The designers chose to have architectural features scribed into these outer precast panels, which were painted in blue and overstruck by an orange stripe. As well as breaking up the large surface area of the building’s sides, this simple graphic effect further emphasises the centre’s verticality and imparts a distinctive visual branding.

For a relatively small building, the engineering and construction were quite complex, with cantilevered panels featuring in the outer elevations of both return air towers.

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THE SERIOUS SIDE As well as being an entertainment hub, the centre also has serious applications helping skydivers train for formation jumps. It can accommodate up to 10 participants at a time and closed sessions are run for military personnel.

Austral Precast General Manager Andrew Nearhos is proud to be a part that Austral has been part of such an exciting new development. “Having been involved with the project, we are now all keen to experience the exhilaration ourselves. It looks amazing and they say it’s addictive,” he said.

PRECASTER: Austral Precast CLIENT: Indoor Skydive Australia Group

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BUILDER: Raybal Constructions ARCHITECT: Project Works Design ENGINEER: Eclipse Consulting Engineers

Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

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NATIONAL PRECAST FEATURE

FAÇADE IMAGERY PART OF RETAIL REVOLUTION Westfield Garden City Mt Gravatt Qld PRECASTER: Austral Precast FINISHES: ramsetreid graphic concreteTM and Nawkaw stain CLIENT: Westfield Design and Construction (Scentre Group) DESIGNER: UAP Studio A huge precast concrete mural is a striking feature in a $400 million makeover of one of Brisbane’s largest shopping centres.

Situated in a major commercial centre at one of Brisbane's busiest transport hubs and catering to a trade area of around 595,000 residents, Westfield Garden City Mt Gravatt has one of the largest trade areas among Westfield centres in Australia.

But there was much more to the redevelopment than just adding 100 new speciality shops and increasing retail space by 40 per cent.

Touted a next generation shopping centre, the Centre heralds ‘retailtainment’ as the latest weapon against online shopping. The concept is designed to lure shoppers back into centres by enhancing their retail experience.

When Westfield Design and Construction considered design options for the makeover, they wanted to incorporate features that would surprise and delight. As well as using “first-tomarket” digital entertainment and incorporating tailored shopping precincts in the design, striking large scale façade imagery was a priority.

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Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

PLANNING FOR A STUNNING FAÇADE In considering options for the Mt Gravatt redevelopment, Westfield Design and Construction decided that graphic concreteTM was the ideal solution for such an ambitious and exciting project. It would add a unique and innovative flair to the façade design.

Developed by the entrepreneurial Finnish architect and inventor Samuli Naamanka, graphic concreteTM is already used around the world, adding pattern and imagery to large-scale architectural surfaces by chemically etching imagery into concrete surfaces. Now available in Australia from National Precast Industry Partner ramsetreid, it is an exciting addition to the already extensive range of aesthetic options offered by precast concrete.

After a year of design evolution, a pattern

by Spanish-born artist Dani Marti was selected for a 12-metre high façade wall. The abstract flower design spans 30 large precast concrete panels, to form an imposing multi-coloured, three dimensional decorative exterior facade mural.

SPECTACULAR PRECAST BRINGS THE PLAN TO LIFE Once artwork design was finalised, the precast elements were manufactured by National Precast Member, Queensland-based Austral Precast.

Intent on delivering a high quality and innovative precast solution, the answer was a combination of products from Austral’s suite of finishes. graphic concreteTM imagery offered contrast between the smooth finish and the exposed

aggregate. To match the background colour, long-lasting Nawkaw colour staining was applied to the rebated edges. Unlike conventional paint systems which apply a thin film to the surface, staining penetrates the concrete substrate to produce a deep, long-lasting colour finish that resists UV, mildew, weathering and mould, and will not peel. Further, it is non-hazardous and has low VOCs. And formliners were used to build in articulation and texture.

STUNNING RESULT The finished facade of Westfield Garden City is impressive. The new look demonstrates the versatility and innovation of precast concrete and the detailed and intricate architectural finishes that can be achieved.

Westfield is thrilled with the eye-catching mural and shoppers are enthusiastic about the new environment. According to Centre Manager Stuart Elder “It means the centre isn’t just bland and white from one end to the other”.

I NEED WATERTIGHT CONCRETE TO MAKE MY PROJECT MORE DURABLE AND SUSTAINABLE

MasterLife 300D crystalline capillary waterproofing admixture has been used in over 400 major projects to make concrete more watertight. Over 175 of the projects are water or water treatment facilities. MasterLife 300D makes concrete 40% more watertight, extending the service life of the structure.

Hairline concrete cracks self-heal with the unique crystalline technology. It allows concrete to breathe. MasterLife 300D helps keep projects to time and budget. Warranty and technical support now available in ANZ. Call us today on 1300 227 300 (1300 BASF 00) or visit us at www.master-builders-solutions.basf.com.au

NATIONAL PRECAST FEATURE

PRECASTER: Hanson Precast CLIENT: Westmead Hospital BUILDER: AW Edwards Pty Ltd ARCHITECT: Conrad Gargett Ancher Mortlock Woolley ©2016 Photos by: Brett Boardman Courtesy Conrad Gargett Ancher Mortlock Woolley

ENGINEER: ARUP Precast was ideal for this particular project because of the complicated shapes required by the architect. To create those shapes and the detailed finish, Hanson used custom-made moulds. Mr Lorenzin says tailor-making products is a core ability of the business and producing them is rewarding for the precast team.

“This project was no exception. It’s interesting and satisfying for the entire team to produce such a unique finished product that looks so good”.

EARLY INVOLVEMENT OF PRECASTER REAPS REWARDS

WESTMEAD HOSPITAL CHILDREN’S MEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE The Children’s Medical Research Institute at Sydney’s Westmead Hospital was the country’s first paediatric medical research facility, opening in 1958. Over the years, its research has helped save the lives of thousands of children. An expansion of facilities has resulted in advances in the prevention and cure of childhood disease.

Stage one involved the highly specialised delivery of a nine-storey research facility.

ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND COLLABORATION Sydney-based precast manufacturer and National Precast member, Hanson Precast, 54

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played an important role in the redevelopment of this innovative facility, working in partnership with the project architect and builder.

The company manufactured precast concrete architectural panels for the façade, which was a combination of the precast concrete panels and glass. The panels have a light-coloured etched finish in quartz aggregate.

“We worked with the architect to get a faceted look to finish the panel, while ensuring it still appears solid,” said Hanson’s Estimating and Sales Manager Richard Lorenzin.

The precaster was involved in the project right from the start, something which benefits the project as a whole. The partnership with the architect extended to simplify the requirements for the building. Mr Lorenzin says collaboration resulted in minimising the number of types and sizes of panels needed, which in turn reduced the amount of mouldings required.

As challenges arose, the company focused on solutions to ensure the construction timetable and process ran smoothly. “For example, there was an issue on site with the weight of the panels, so we created a recess in the back face to make them lighter,” Mr Lorenzin said.

Not only are the panels lighter, they are also striking in appearance.

SMOOTH INSTALLATION As well as manufacturing the panels, Hanson installed them on the small construction site.

“Some of the panels were quite large and had to be transported using specialised transportation equipment,” commented Mr Lorenzin.

“There was a challenge in installation, particularly with the ground floor panels. We had to install them after the structure was built.

That meant more complex connection details and a meticulous process because of the risk of damaging panels as we got them into position, but it all went off without a hitch”.

The result is a high quality and successful construction project to fulfil the critical purpose of medical research.

NATIONAL PRECAST FEATURE

Melbourne Recital Centre features a GRC facade manufactured by Asurco Contracting.

FOCUS ON GLASS REINFORCED CONCRETE The Huge Potential Of GRC Glass Reinforced Concrete (GRC) is one of the most versatile precast concrete products available. GRC is a composite material consisting or a portland cement and sand mortar, reinforced with alkali-resistant (AR) materials glass fibres.

Those fibres reinforce the concrete, just like steel reinforcing does in conventional precast. This allows for the production of lightweight, strong, highly detailed and thinner elements.

MANUFACTURING METHODS GRC is commonly manufactured using a spray process into a mould. A cement / sand mortar slurry and chopped AR glass fibres are fed into a spray gun, which is either hand-held or machinemounted. The manual spray method can produce very complex shapes. The operator directs the stream of material perpendicular to the mould surface to build up the appropriate thickness of GRC. It is compacted by roller, which impregnates the fibre, removes any trapped air and develops adequate density. The rolled surface can be trowelled smooth, while the other surface has the

moulded finish. For more standard components there are mechanised spray techniques. Moulds are propelled along a roller or flat conveyor underneath a transverse moving unit spraying the mix. This technique is good for components that are substantially flat or shallow. A variation on the mechanised spray unit is a spraydewatering process. As with the mechanised method, a continuous GRC layer is formed, and it’s then dewatered to consolidate and produce a workable sheet material.

GRC can also be produced with premix processes which involve blending of the cement, sand, water, admixtures and chopped strands of AR fibre in a mixer prior to being formed. This is done in two stages. The first produces a high quality slurry, while the second stage blends the fibres. A two-speed mixer is usually used to mix the slurry at high speed and the fibre at a lower speed to prevent damage. Vibration casting, where the GRC premix is pumped or poured into an open or double-walled mould, is often used for low cost production of utility components

and products with intricate details. The vibration allows the slurry to flow and air to be removed. A combination of premix and spray methods, using normal spray equipment and vibration casting, is another manufacturing option. For relatively simple and small components rapid production is also possible using pressing techniques.

MOULDS AND FINISHES FOR GRC The finished panel surface will depend on the mould material used as well as the quality of the mould itself. The moulds are treated with a release agent so the GRC can be released without damage or staining and to ensure no impact on subsequent coating, painting or caulking operations.

Finishing techniques for GRC vary between different manufacturers. Mist coats are one of the most economical and form a smooth or fine off-form finish. The cement exerts the primary colour influence on a smooth finish and by using light-coloured cements, such as off-white, uniform colour control can be increased. Many

Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

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NATIONAL PRECAST FEATURE

Polished concrete benchtop by Concrete by Design.

types of surface finishes that are successful with architectural precast can be reproduced using GRC. By casting the panels against form liners, a wide variety of surface patterns and textures can be achieved. Combination finishes involving the use of more than one basic finishing method are almost infinite. Exposed aggregate surfaces can be achieved by removing the surrounding paste using chemical process including surface retarders or acid etching, or by abrasive blasting, honing and polishing. There are also a number

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Construction Engineering Australia • August 2016

of veneer finishes suitable for GRC including natural cut stone (granite, limestone, marble), brick, ceramic or quarry tile and architectural terracotta. Coatings can also be used for decorative purposes, with each type formulated specifically to obtain performance under specific conditions.

ADVANTAGES OF GRC GRC is a product that allows freedom of design because it can be shaped into any form and

colour with any surface pattern or texture. In addition to the aesthetics, the main advantage of GRC panels is the considerable weight saving.

GRC is easy to handle, because it is light-weight with a high strength to weight ratio. The reduced weight translates to lower transport and erection costs. GRC is durable, has chemical resistance, non-combustible and has good sound and heat insulation properties.

To find Australia’s leading suppliers of GRC, visit: www.nationalprecast.com.au

Steel Compliance.

If you don’t check for it, you might as well chuck it.

A factory production once-off assessment is not enough to assure steel compliance.

• As construction professionals using non-compliant steel could be your worst decision.

• E ngineers, certifiers or suppliers have the responsibility and power to refuse the use of unidentifiable or non-compliant steel.

• You manage the risk to human safety, reputation, livelihood and cost.

• Check your steel products’ compliance to AS/NZS Standards and building codes.

• Control your risks of non-compliance and reduce your liability through simple web downloads of ACRS Certificates at www.steelcertification.com

Don’t overlook steel compliance, look into ACRS first.

Call ACRS on 02 9965 7216 email info@steelcertification.com or visit www.steelcertification.com ACRS – The Australasian Certification Authority for Reinforcing and Structural Steels Ltd ABN 40 096 692 545

ACRS – Independent Third Party Australasian Standards Certification & Verification of Reinforcing, Prestressing & Structural Steels Compliance.

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