Concrete August 2019

AUGUST 2019

DRILLING DOWN ADVANCES IN CUTTING AND CORING

PHOTO: DERRICK CONCRETE CUTTING AND CONSTRUCTION LTD./JILLIAN ILA PHOTOGRAPHY

51

IN THIS ISSUE: www.on-sitemag.com 40 Concrete

progress at Site C dam | 43 A growing role for admixtures

CONCRETE NEWS

The custom-built slipform being used to pour the tunnel linings (above) and one of the roadheaders used in the digging process (right).

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C.—After nearly a year of work with roadheaders chewing through tens of thousands of cubic metres of rock, tunnellers at British Columbia’s Site C dam project are seeing daylight.

Excavation crews working on the first of two diversion tunnels broke through June 22, according to BC Hydro. Their counterparts in Tunnel 2 soon followed up on the major milestone, breaking through about three weeks later.

Work on the approximately 700-metre tunnels, which will be used to temporarily reroute the Peace River, began last July.

Together, the two diversion tunnels will be able to funnel about 3,000 cubic metres of water per second around the work site. With water bypassing its usual course, workers will be able to build the project’s earthfill dam across what’s normally the main channel of the river.

Peace River Hydro Partners, a consortium made up of Acciona Infrastructure Canada Inc. and Samsung C&T Canada Ltd., are heading the project as the

40 / AUGUST 2019

PHOTOS: PEACE RIVER HYDRO PARTNERS

Concrete crews at Site C dam begin lining diversion tunnels using custom-built slipform

contractors for the dam’s main civil works.

For the construction team on the approximately $10.7 billion project, the completion of tunnelling marks the end of one stage of work and the beginning of another.

The next step is to line the walls of each tunnel with concrete.

Crews have already started the process using a custom-built slipform. To support the walls of each tunnel as water flows through, the lining needs to range from about half a metre to two metres thick.

After each pour, the sections take between

two and three days to cure.

All told, about 41,000 cubic metres of concrete will be needed to reinforce the walls of both tunnels, BC Hydro said.

With about four years of construction on the dam project already complete, lining each tunnel is the last step before the river diversion can take place. Planners are targeting fall 2020 to reroute the flow of water. Because of monthly fluctuations in the river’s water level, the diversion needs to happen in September.

Overall construction on Site C is expected to take until 2024.

Construction doesn’t happen in the office.

Minimize risk and maximize profits with real-time project financials built for the field

Or trailer. Or spreadsheet. So why rely on financial tools that are tied to a desk? Cut the cord from systems that create field-to-office barriers and produce outdated financial reports. Procore’s construction management platform gives you real-time data, which means more trustworthy numbers, and more reliable profits.

Get paid faster by collaboratively collecting, reviewing, and submitting invoices

Eliminate double entry by seamlessly connecting with any accounting system

procore.com | +1 866 477 6267

“THE CONCRETE BREAKS BEFORE THE BOND BREAKS !”

TM

PROTECTS RECAP FROM MOISTURE FOR UP TO 8 MONTHS.

ADMIXTURES

ADDING L TO THE

MIX

Using admixtures to get your concrete to do what you want it to

ooking up at the coffered dome of the Roman Pantheon, several thousand tonnes of ancient concrete overhead, the majesty of the nearly 2,000-year-old temple is lost on few. The building’s dome, still the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world, spans 43-metres (142-feet) and contains a striking central opening, known as an oculus, wide enough to drive a pair of buses through.

What’s less obvious about the remarkably well intact piece of architecture is the composition of its concrete. While the basic recipe of Roman concrete has been an open secret for centuries, contemporary researchers have only recently deciphered the specifics.

Unlike modern concrete, which is built around Portland cement, the resilience of the mighty Mediterranean empire’s concrete relied on the use of silica-rich on-sitemag.com / 43

ADMIXTURES

volcanic ash as an additive.

Concrete admixtures today take on similar, though far more diverse, roles.

They offer properties like faster or slower set times, improved workability and added strength.

“It’s pretty common right across the board now,” says Brian Salazar, national business development manager for Canada at the Euclid Chemical Co. “I don’t think there’s a metre of concrete that goes out that doesn’t have at least a basic water reducer in it.”

Along with cutting down on the amount of water needed, water reducing admixtures let ready-mix producers use less costly cement while providing concrete crews with an equally workable mix.

Air entraining admixtures are another nearly ubiquitous component of modern concrete, particularly in Canada, according to Jordan Jancev, regional sales manager for Western Canada with TM Concrete, a

44 / AUGUST 2019

unit of Sika Canada Inc. With frequent freeze and thaw cycles through winter, air entrainers enhance durability.

“Having admixtures in a cementitious mix can certainly maintain the quality… through the phases of mixing of the mix, transporting, placing, handling and curing in adverse weather conditions,” Jancev says, adding that these additives typically reduce the cost of the entire construction process. “It’s a benefit for everyone – starting from the producer of the concrete, whoever is handling that concrete and certainly the end-user, the owner.”

MORE THAN WATER, CEMENT AND AGGREGATE It’s a familiar story in many big Canadian cities – an accident backs up traffic and suddenly, a trip that should have taken an hour takes two. Luckily, there’s an admixture for that.

Ross Monsour, the Ontario sales representative for concrete admixtures at Mapei Inc., pointed to set retarders and accelerators as two other key additives that let crews customize concrete for their specific job.

“When you’re pouring downtown Toronto, or somewhere like that and you want it off the truck quick, or you’ve been in traffic for two hours and it’s supposed to be off the truck, you’ve got to put in some admixtures to actually retard the mix, so it can be dumped a little later,” he says.

Particularly in urban areas and among larger general contractors, Monsour notes the use of a broader range of admixtures is really taking off. Water reducers, air entrainers and accelerators/retarders are well on their way to becoming standard, he says.

Superplasticizers aren’t far behind, though their higher cost limits their use to more specific applications, such as

WHERE CONCRETE

MEETS TECHNOLOGY

From the lab to the field, MAPEI knows concrete inside and out. Along with offering a complete range of admixtures for concrete, our team can satisfy the high-performance demands of our customers with custom-manufactured products.

With state-of-the-art laboratories and production facilities throughout North America, our experts are equipped to develop and deliver innovative, technology-driven solutions to our customers with unmatched service and technical support.

MAPEI Canada

IT’S TIME TO UPGRADE YOUR SAW FLEET WHEN SAFETY, EFFICIENCY AND PERFORMANCE MATTER - CHOOSE A HUSQVARNA. From cutting sidewalks to airport runways we have a flat saw to fit your need. Our saws have the right amount of power, efficency and productivity without compromising operator comfort - not to mention our nationwide support, service and training. Work smarter, not harder. In addition, don’t forget to pair your saw with a Z-EDGE diamond blade for the best day in and day out performance in cured concrete. To learn more or schedule a demonstration, contact your local Husqvarna representative. 800-288-5040

WWW.HUSQVARNACP.COM/CA-EN/CONTACT-US/

hcpcustomer.service@husqvarna.com Phone: 800-461-9589 Copyright © 2019 Husqvarna AB (publ.). All rights reserved. Husqvarna is a registered trademark of Husqvarna AB (publ.).

ADMIXTURES

One area that’s been gaining traction in the concrete market in recent years is the use of reinforcing fibres. Though separate from traditional admixtures, which are chemical additives in liquid or powder form, fibres represent an important step forward. concrete walls or columns that require a lot of rebar. Here, Salazar says, the goal is producing strong, workable concrete with as little water as possible. Also known as high-range water reducers, superplasticizers can cut the amount of water in the mix by anywhere from 15 to 30 per cent, compared to five to eight per cent for a conventional water reducer.

“A typical metre of concrete might take 150 litres of water,” Salazar says. “If we can now put in only say 110 or 120 litres of water, we can give you very strong concrete, but with the plasticizer, we can still give you workable concrete. If you were to try and mix that concrete with only 120 litres of water, it would be dry and unworkable.”

With improved performance, the industry continues to embrace new ways of working.

“Some contractors will balk at the idea of paying a premium for their concrete and they’ll try to do the same sort of thing that they could be using a plasticizer for, but they’ll try and just use regular concrete and vibrate or manipulate it in some way to make it work,” Salazar says. “These days, most of the contractors understand you get a benefit from using these higher-end admixtures.”

At the same time, the major concrete admixture suppliers, which generally work with ready-mix producers as opposed to directly with contractors, are developing the next generation of additives.

At Sika, for instance, three per cent of the company’s revenue is poured back into research and development each year. The company has nearly 400 people working on innovations for concrete and other cementitious systems at its main research hub in Zurich, Jancev says. He adds that many of the ideas for new products stem from feed-

PROVEN. CONCRETE. SOLUTIONS. QUALITY CONCRETE PRODUCTS

back from contractors looking for concrete that pours andinnovative sets in certain ways.

Through and sustainable technologies, The Euclid Chemical Company

has served as a leading supplier to the global concrete and masonry market.

FORGOING THE MESH

Our product offerings include: •

Chemical Admixtures

•

Grouts

•

Fibers

•

Repair & Restoration

•

Waterproofing

•

Mining & Tunneling

•

Decorative Concrete

•

Integral Color

•

Joint Fillers & Sealants

Euclid Canada Toronto, ON 1-877-210-4442 www.euclidchemical.com

on-sitemag.com / 47 OnSite_Aug_Euclid.indd 1

2019-07-08 11:15 AM

ADMIXTURES

Typically plastic or steel, fibres can enhance the structural integrity of the finished product, reduce plastic shrinkage when concrete sets and eliminate some of the on-site mishaps when using rebar and wire mesh, Monsour says.

“Wire mesh, to be effective, has to sit in the top one-third layer of concrete,” he says. “But if you can imagine a slab being poured, the guys are standing on the wire mesh and pushing it right down.

So, now when you combine the fibres right in the actual concrete, they’re dispersed uniformly and it avoids that problem.

Then, you’re minimizing the cracking and shrinking that actually happens.”

Polypropylene microfibres are often put to use on residential jobs such as garage slabs, while sturdier macrofibres about five centimetres (two inches) long can better enhance structural integrity.

“These provide a much stronger bind for the concrete to hold it together,” Monsour adds. “They actually can replace steel rebar.”

Steel fibres, which like their plastic counterparts are added to the mix at a ready-mix plant, can strengthen the concrete even further. Coming at a higher

48 / AUGUST 2019

cost, however, they’re often reserved for heavier-duty applications like industrial concrete floors that must sustain the continual stress of heavy equipment.

Both steel and synthetic fibre reinforcement is also increasingly common for shotcrete, or sprayed concrete mixes, an application that’s finding broader use both in tunnelling projects and beyond.

THE NEXT WAVE Meanwhile, many additive firms are experimenting with combining separate admixtures and fibres to form hybrid solutions.

At Mapei for instance, Monsour points to a new mix for jointless floors that incorporates an expansive admixture, shrinkage-reducer, superplasticizer and fibres.

The company also recently released an unconventional mix called Re-Con Zero.

Unlike a typical admixture, the new product takes concrete returned to the plant and makes use of it.

“It turns it into an aggregate about a Granular B size in about six minutes so that it can be reused for fill [or] blended with certain concrete mixes,” Monsour says. “There’s an economic savings to the producer. Or if he gets a full load rejected,

this stuff can turn it all back into an aggregate.”

Similarly, Sika is working on a range of innovations to its current product line, as well as entirely new products. Jancev says admixtures to improve the water permeability of concrete and new polymers that will be much better than those currently available are all in the pipeline.

At the same time, Euclid is tackling challenges posed by the harsh Canadian winter. Last year, the company introduced a new weatherproofing admixture known as Eucon Baracade WPT. A water repelling admixture, the additive reduces the potential for weather-related damage such as surface scaling and spalling.

While the focus is often on enhancing the finished product, admixtures also have a role to play in the global push to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

It’s no secret the energy-intensive process to produce cement and by extension, concrete, generates between five and eight per cent of worldwide CO2 emissions. Along with water reducers that allow ready-mix producers to cut down on cement, many are now adding slag cement or fly ash to reduce costs and emissions.

In the winter months, Salazar notes, about 10 per cent of the cement in a mix can be replaced with slag or fly ash, while in the summer, that figure can be

as high as 30 per cent. “That again helps to reduce the carbon footprint and in a lot of LEED buildings they do want mixes that have upwards of 50 per cent replace-

ment,” he says.

As building codes evolve to include emissions, chemical additives are likely to play an increasingly prominent role.

Construction 2019 Canadian PHOTO CONTEST SHARE THE VIEW FROM YOUR SITE

Submissions open this December

on-sitemag.com / 49 OS_Aug_PhotoHouseAd_HalfH_LAZ.indd 1

2019-08-06 11:04 AM

Alaska DOT is ready for any weather.

Powerful, durable and versatile, the Mack® Granite® can handle any job, in any condition. Toughness is just one way we earned Alaska DOT’s trust, and we’ll work hard to do the same for you. Because Mack delivers confidence and performance to get the job done. See how Mack does more, so your business earns more at MackTrucks.com/Alaska

CUTTING AND DRILLING

DRILLING DOWN

Concrete cutting and coring equipment advances on the job site

BY JILLIAN MORGAN

S

Murtagh, cutting manager at Alberta-based Derrick Concrete Cutting and Construction Ltd. “There’s just a lot of things you cannot do without concrete cutting or coring,” he says. “Especially with changes in renovations to older buildings and stuff, you have

to have concrete cutting involved or you’d have to break everything up and try to redo everything. It saves a lot of costs for general contractors.”

Continual repair contracts for concrete infrastructure such as bridge decks and piers fuel the demand, too, says Paul De

PHOTO: DERRICK CONCRETE CUTTING AND CONSTRUCTION LTD./JILLIAN ILA PHOTOGRAPHY

carcely any structure can be built without concrete, leaving no shortage of work for the crews that cut, core and demolish the ubiquitous building material on a diversity of job sites.

The labour-intensive process is necessary to deliver most projects, says Paul

on-sitemag.com / 51

PHOTO: HUSQVARNA

CUTTING AND DRILLING

Husqvarna offers a range of conventional and telescopic drill stand systems that are compatible with most core drills. They are designed to be quick to set-up as well as to dismount, saving contractors time and money.

Berardis, the director of building science and innovation at the Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON).

“Reinforced concrete is one of the most common and prevalent materials in all different forms of construction, whether it be building construction, infrastructure [or] transportation,” he says. “The fact that it can be repaired and brought back to like-new condition is why you have such a high need for cutting, coring and concrete drilling.”

Though concrete itself has gone largely unchanged, the tools used to cut and core concrete have steadily evolved, enabling contractors to deliver on those projects

52 / AUGUST 2019

“Any time a machine is down, it’s costing them money... They’re looking for different solutions to keep their equipment in the field.”

Mark Michaels, Husqvarna faster and safer.

Corey Saban, vice-president of Derrick Concrete, says the company often invests in new equipment. “Staying current is pretty important to us so we can provide the best service that we can,” he says.

“We definitely rely on suppliers to help us with equipment and let us provide the innovation with the resources on figuring out how to cut this certain square footage most efficiently.”

ON THE JOB The tools used to cut and drill tough concrete largely depend on the application.

Delaminating and spalling concrete in a parking garage, for example, could call for contractors to chip off the surface or perform a full depth slab replacement, De Berardis says. Loose concrete on a deteriorating bridge deck, on the other hand, may need to be broken off and replaced; coring can be performed to test the condition of the concrete.

Sawing window and door openings or coring holes for piping on new builds and renovation projects are also a significant part of the job.

“In slow economic times like we’re in, [there’s] a lot of renovation work. Lots

SO, YOU SAY YOU’RE INTO CONCRETE…

DECEMBER 2018

MARCH 2019

TAKING A BREATHER

With 55 years of experience, Takeuchi has earned a reputation for innovation. From the invention of the first 360-degree excavator to the very first rubber-tracked loader, Takeuchi has led the way in the compact construction equipment industry.

See for yourself how our performance, power and reliability stand the test of time.

INDUSTRY STEPS OFF THE JOB SITE FOR SHOW SEASON

Contact your nearest authorized Takeuchi dealer for details on the TB250-2 and our full line of excavators, track loaders, skid steer loaders and wheel loaders.

IN THIS ISSUE:

IN THIS ISSUE: LEARN MORE AT TAKEUCHI-US.COM

25 World of Concrete marks 10-year high | 33 Canadian industry looks to Toronto

33 World of Concrete preview | 37 Silica dust | 43 Canadian Concrete Expo preview

Then you won’t want to miss a single copy.

FREE to qualified subscribers…

OS_Feb_Takeuchi.indd 1

ONSITE_DEC18_LAZ.indd 29

2019-02-08 10:04 AM

ONSITE_MARCH2019_LAZ.indd 23

2019-03-08 2:28 PM

2018-12-04 10:22 AM

FREE TO QUALIFIED SUBSCRIBERS!

Please answer the following questions to renew your free subscription.

Incomplete forms cannot be processed.

Please fill in the following and mail/fax today!* For faster service, go to simply visit on-sitemag.com and click on Subscriptions YES! I wish to receive/continue to receive Choose your edition:

Digital

Print

absolutely FREE. Both

Signature (required)

Date

Name

Title

/

/

DD MM YR

Do you rent equipment?

Yes

No

What is the approximate number of employees at this location?

Company

Are you a contractor who works with concrete

related products and services?

Address City

Prov.

Postal Code

email

Tel

Do you wish to receive our E-Newsletter?

Yes

Do you purchase and/or approve the purchase of construction products or services?

Yes No

What best describes your primary business?

(Choose only one) Contractor engaged in Highway & Heavy Construction Con tractor engaged in Building Construction Distributors & Rental Houses Government & Public Works Other (please specify)

Yes

No

If Yes, please indicate which products Earth moving equipment Compact Equipment Safety Equipment Paving Equipment Dump Trucks Used Equipment Pick-Up Trucks Trailers Generators Attachments Hand Tools Compressors Lifting Equipment Power Tools Welding Tools

On-Site Magazine 111 Gordon Baker Rd., Suite 400, Toronto, ON M2H 3R1

No

visit on-sitemag.com to subscribe today

FAX: 416-442-2230

CUTTING AND DRILLING

PHOTO: BARTELL GLOBAL

Michael Cace, northeast regional sales manager for Bartell Global’s Construction Equipment Group, says diamond blades and core bits have “moved into the commodity category” over the last 30 years.

“This is really not a negative thing.

Prices have come down significantly because of the supply side. However, lower prices and selection have made concrete cutting more affordable,” he says. “Lower pricing has opened the door for more contractors to benefit from diamond tooling technology.”

The Samurai II diamond blade, available from Bartell Global, has a ribbed core to reduce friction and keep superior tension, even when cutting at full depth.

PHOTO: HUSQVARNA

The low-weight PRIME electronic power pack from Husqvarna uses both one and three phase power, and features just two connections.

of existing buildings are being modified,” Saban says. “A new tenant will come in and they’ll have different mechanical or electrical requirements, they’ll have different door openings.”

Green cutting freshly poured concrete to prevent slab cracking and diamond slab-sawing concrete for curb removal projects are other services offered by Derrick Concrete. For large-scale road resurfacing or utility installation, the team will use a Vermeer Wheel Cutter, capable of cutting depths up to 787 millimetres (31 inches).

54 / AUGUST 2019

“It’s beneficial for neighbourhood renewals or city expansion plans,” Saban says. “We can get the Vermeer in there and cut up a section of road and then they can run their utilities in there. For rehab projects, it’s a really good piece of equipment.”

To precisely cut and remove sizeable chunks of concrete, Derrick Concrete crews opt for diamond wire saws, says Cutting Operations Manager Ryan Chamberlin.

“Run [it] through at high speed and apply steady pressure and it will cut through large sections at a time,” he says.

Bartell Global offers diamond tools to suit a number of applications, such as sawing standard concrete blocks, concrete bridge decks or asphalt over concrete. With so many options, Cace says contractors should know what they’re looking for – whether it’s speed, longevity or price.

“Price usually can be a good measure of quality. However, a good operator is just as important,” he says. “Also, a contractor needs to know the right application or what specific material the diamond blade is cutting. If not, the wrong application will have significant consequences resulting in poor performance and safety issues.”

While the latest equipment can help contractors work more efficiently, concrete cutting and coring crews can run into a number of setbacks on the job.

“Jobs can change as you’re doing them,” Murtagh says. “You can run into different issues.”

One key trend saving contractors time is servicing agreements, says Mark Michaels, director of product management for Equipment, at Husqvarna. Through the company’s Upcare program, contractors can monitor and proactively maintain equipment. When a product fails, contractors

can access priority repair services or loaner equipment.

“Any time a machine is down, it’s costing them money in one way or another…

They’re looking for different solutions to keep their equipment in the field and there are a lot of them,” he says. “The big one that’s growing rapidly is service-type agreements where you can own a product or lease a product and have a pretty good programmer guarantee that if that product goes down, you either have priority for getting it repaired or, depending on the piece of equipment, it could be a loaner to keep you up and running.”

ergonomics, Michaels says. Husqvarna’s PRIME products, for example, offer features that reduce strain for the operator, such as low weight and optimally positioned handles.

“You can have two products that both weigh 20 pounds and one is kind of hard to lift and carry around and the other one

is very easy due to ergonomics,” Michaels says. “For owners or the buyers… Ergonomics is a harder thing for them to put a dollar sign on. They’re often looking at safety features, so we also concentrate on the more obvious types of safety features with different guarding and being able to control the blade speed in various ways.”

DRIVING PERFORMANCE Though safety focused developments – mainly around protecting workers from silica dust exposure – have played no small role, there are a number of other trends driving the evolution of cutting and drilling equipment.

“Performance is still the master,” Michaels says. “People will always gravitate towards performance if everything else is equal, because that’s where they’re going to make their money.”

At Derrick Concrete, crews have a range of tools to suit the needs of any particular job, such as hydraulically powered wall saws, electric handsaws and pneumatic diamond core drilling machines. For the demolition projects it takes on, the contractor uses the Brokk line of electric remote breakers that can complete jobs without putting workers at risk.

The shift from hydraulic and diesel equipment to electrical products marks a major development, Michaels says. Husqvarna’s PRIME line of high performance electric cutting equipment is one such technology. The range offers chainsaws, ring saws, wall saws and drill motors, to name a few.

“We can make very, very powerful equipment that has the extra features of being much, much lighter and more controllable and safer in some instances,” Michaels says. “It’s the same type of technology that can drive both, and that’s kind of the beauty of it.”

Electric equipment can also enhance

The Advantage is

Safety Worker safety drives everything we do. Vacuworx vacuum lifting systems are engineered to help your crew be more productive while keeping them out of harm’s way. From our lifters to the pads, right down to the filters and Tough Seal™, we pay attention to every detail because safety is the standard we live by.

Find out how much faster, safer and smarter your crew can be using Vacuworx lifting systems and put the Vacuworx Advantage to work for you.

vacuworx.com on-sitemag.com / 55