While there are many products on the market designed to keep you cool while working in the summer heat on the jobsite, none of those products actively measure your body temperature. A smart PPE manufacturer, named Kenzen, has recently released a patch to actively monitor the body temperatures of your team of workers.
screenshot of the Kenzen App, courtesy of Kenzen
The Kenzen Patch, which is designed to be strapped to the arm of the user, will send an alert to the worker and their supervisor if the worker’s body temperature gets too high. This goal is to allow for immediate intervention before a worker starts showing symptoms of heat illness.
In order to calculate the body temperature, the device uses a combination of data points, including heart rate, activity, and skin temperature, and ambient temperature. Alerts are sent via the Apple or Android app and will notify the worker and supervisor that the worker needs to take a break and follow necessary steps to lower their body temperature, such as find shade, drink water, and remove excess clothing.
From the management perspective, data will be collected in a dashboard, which can help team leaders adjust their schedules to reduce the effects their workers are feeling from heat. By knowing the trends, companies can better locate rest and shade areas, water stations, as well as change start and end times for work shifts.
the Kenzen dashboard, courtesy of Kenzen
The Kenzen Patch is currently available as a limited release and they are currently testing the devices in the construction, manufacturing, mining, and oil & gas industries, among others. The patch is targeting enterprises currently, but the companies does have plans to make the device available to individuals in the future. Companies are charged on a per worker, per month basis.
For over a decade, Milwaukee Tool has hosted an annual media event called the New Product Symposium (NPS), in which the company would show off hundreds of new tools that they planned to release over the next year. In the past, that had been an invite-only media event, but this year Milwaukee is opening its doors to ANYONE that registers.
Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, NPS is going to look a lot different and is branded by a different name. Instead of an in person event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the red tool team will be hosting a series of online “episodes” under the event name, Milwaukee PIPELINE.
Milwaukee Tool has announced 4 episodes of PIPELINE, spread out from August to November:
Episode 1: New M12, M18, and MX Fuel Tools
Date: August 20, 2020
Time 5:00pm CST
Episode 2: PACKOUT Modular Storage System
Date: September 10, 2020
Time: 5:00pm CST
Episode 3: Trade Focused and Application-Driven Products, Hand Tools, and Accessories
Date: October 15, 2020
Time: 5:00pm CST
Episode 4: PPE and Lighting Systems
Date: November 12, 2020
Time: 5:00pm CST
How to Register
Those interested will want to register as soon as possible. We’re not sure if Milwaukee will cap attendance, but you won’t want to wait to find out. Readers of Construction Junkie can visit the Milwaukee PIPELINE registrations page by clicking or tapping here.
After Autodesk’s acquisition of PlanGrid and BuildingConnected, the company has definitely not stifled either of their continuous improvement efforts. The two acquired companies, as well as Autodesk’s own BIM 360 continue to be updated on a regular basis throughout the year.
In a recent blog post, Autodesk announced 15 product updates for PlanGrid, BIM 360, and BuildingConnected. You can find out more about those updates below:
PlanGrid
Sequential Editing in Field Reports
This update enables companies to allow for multiple people to edit a report, but only one at a time, in sequence. PlanGrid now offers 3 different ways to fill out reports: a single contributor, multiple contributors in sequence, and multiple contributors in parallel, which allows multiple people to update the report at the same time.
For more information about this update to PlanGrid, click or tap here.
BIM 360
Checklist Improvements
Highlighted improvements coming the next few weeks include: faster mobile syncing of active checklists and the ability to import checklist templates
Tracking Actual Costs
Team members will be able to add expense costs manually, which will also be imported directly into your company’s accounting system. This feature will also automatically update the actual cost data into the overall budget view.
Cost Management Supplier and Owner Access
A ‘Collaborate’ permission level has been added for specific tabs in the Cost Management Module to allow for a supplier to review and respond to contracts and payment information.
Updated Issue Form and Screenshot
BIM 360 now supports automatic screenshots of clash issues within BIM 360 Model Coordination.
Insights and Reporting Enhancements
Team members can now schedule track, and share the Checklist Detail Report within Insight, as opposed to having to download it from Field Management.
A new report was added, called the Project Level Document Log, which allows users to download document information such as file names, latest versions, and a list of custom attributes.
The look and feel of BIM 360 reports and email notifications has been updated.
New partner cards have been added in the Insight module, including Esri, Raken, and Intelliwave Technologies.
Data Connector Added Capabilities
Earlier this year, Autodesk released Data Connector, which allows users to pull data from BIM 360 to use in other programs for deeper data analysis. This update will allow for custom attributes for issues and linking checklists to issues to export, as well.
Users will also get an email notification once their data is finished downloading, instead of having to continually check back to see if it’s done.
Autodesk has also added another Power BI template for RFI and Submittal workflows.
Assets Enhancements
In May, Autodesk released BIM 360 Assets to create a single source of truth for tracking all of your construction assets from the beginning to end of the project. With this update, users can now view asset information from the Issues or Checklist workspaces in Field Management.
The update also includes the ability to create a new asset from a mobile device.
Issue Enhancements
Admins can now export whole issue logs into xlsx format.
An “Assigned to me” filter has been added to allow users to more easily find the tasks that they’re responsible for.
BIM 360 Plan – Linked Activities
A “Linked Activities Actions” button has been added to BIM 360 Plan, so that multiple activities that are linked together can be moved at once.
For more information about these updates to BIM 360, click or tap here.
BuildingConnected
Indirect Costs – BuildingConnected Pro
Indirect costs, such as general conditions, insurance, contingencies, fees, and taxes can now be added into bid packages.
Connect Bid Board Pro and BuildingConnected Pro
This update pushes project information and bidding information from Bid Board Pro to BuildingConnected Pro.
Customize Columns in Pipeline – Bid Board Pro
Users can now rearrange the order of columns in the opportunity pipeline.
Change Opportunity Request Type – Bid Board Pro
Subcontractors can change the opportunity type from Proposal or Budget if a GC incorrectly labels the invite.
TradeTapp/ BuildingConnected Pro Vendor Unification
In the next several weeks, TradeTapp will be moving to inside of the BuildingConnected app.
For more information about the updates to BuildingConnected, click or tap here.
Heavy lifting, exhausting overhead work, and awkward positions are just some of the perks of working in construction, but they can also lead to chronic back and shoulder pain for many later in life. One technology that I’ve been following pretty closely in the past few years has been exoskeletons, which promise to alleviate at least some of those problems. At a recent press event, Hilti has thrown their hat into the ring with an exoskeleton announcement of their own.
The Hilti EXO-01 wearable exoskeleton provides relief for work performed at shoulder level and overhead by transferring weight from the arms of the wearer to their hips. The 4-pound device includes shoulder and waist straps, as well as forearm supports. The company states that internal and external research has shown that the exoskeleton can reduce the peak load on muscles and shoulders by up to 47 percent.
Like some other exoskeletons in the marketplace, the EXO-01 does not require external power to provide the support. The weight is transferred from the arms to the hips using a mechanical cable pulling technology.
To develop the technology, Hilti has partnered with Ottobuck, a prosthetics, orthotics, and exoskeleton provider.
“Exoskeletons are an important trend having great relevance for us. They provide relief for physically demanding tasks, such as those performed on construction sites every day. In Ottobock we have the ideal partner to combine our user protection and ergonomics knowledge with 100 years of biomechanical expertise. Our technology partnership will serve as the basis for the development of additional innovative and customer-oriented systems,” explains Johannes Wilfried Huber, Head of Hilti’s Diamond Systems Business Unit, in a press release.
Hilti has made it clear that this is only their first step in providing human augmentation devices and that there will be more to come in the future. In addition to releasing hardware, the company also plans to follow up the rollout with implementation, training, and support services for their customers.
The EXO-01 is expected to launch in the fall of 2020, but pricing has not yet been announced.
"Our innovations have always been fueled by our deep understanding of our customers' challenges and needs, so it's only natural that we can drive innovation with solutions for human augmentation and jobsite automation," said Rafael Garcia, Senior VP and CMO of Hilti North America. "Human augmentation and jobsite automation innovations, alone or combined, will create productivity gains the likes of which haven't been seen since cordless tools got a foothold in commercial construction."
Hilti has been a unique driver of innovation in the tool industry in recent years and the company has been busy investing in startups and other outside-the-box technologies to support the commercial construction industry.
For years, I’ve been saying that using a cloud-based project management software should be a no-brainer for any construction company. Having all relevant documents available at your fingertips is invaluable to running and properly documenting a project. Well, now at least one insurance company believes that, as well.
Announced today, The Travelers Companies, Inc. will begin offering their customers a 20% discount of their first year of Procore, the popular construction management software. Although, they’ve partnered with Procore to make this happen, I’ve been told that Travelers is footing the bill to encourage their customers join the platform.
At the start, this offer will be available for customers in the following states: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. To take advantage of the offer, you can visit procore.com/travelers.
“Procore’s platform can help contractors avoid many costly losses and delays through effective risk management and cross-team collaboration,” said Lisa Morgan, President of Construction at Travelers. “This exclusive offering is one more example of how we’re always looking for innovative ways to help our customers manage risk.”
I’ve admittedly been focused mainly on the productivity gains from using technology, but getting a discount from an insurance company to use it is an interesting side effect. There is certainly a value to them when a contractor has immediately available documentation, reports, and pictures of their entire project organized within a software in case a claim should arise.
In the recent past, Travelers has also been involved in the development and research of several other construction-related tools for risk management. Last year, the company developed a model that can predict how likely it is for particular injured workers to develop chronic pain, which can lead to opioid abuse. In 2018, they tested the safety benefits of wearable technology with Gilbane and Triax Technologies. In 2017, they developed a tool that can help identify areas that are at risk of damage from vibrations from heavy equipment called ZoneCheck.
With so many things still in flux in the construction industry due to the effects of the pandemics, it’s an extremely important time for employers to be able to get their open positions in front of the right candidates and for job seekers to be able to take advantage of the opportunities that are available. Construction management software company, Procore, has recently released a new job posting platform specifically tailored to the construction industry for free.
The Construction Career Board, as the website is being called, is available now at no cost to both employers and job seekers and you don’t even have to be a Procore customer to take advantage of it. The platform is powered by Arcoro, a human resources management software company that serves the construction industry, among others.
Both employers and jobseekers will have to sign up for an account in order to post a resume, apply for a job, or post a position, but the required information is pretty minimal. The board is also available in both English and Spanish.
“Procore’s vision is to improve the lives of everyone in construction. Construction has been greatly impacted by the pandemic, and Procore wants to support the industry as best we can,” said Tooey Courtemanche, Procore CEO, in a press release. “Our new Construction Career Board leverages our network to connect people looking for work with those who are hiring. I hope this will be a helpful resource during these challenging times.”
screenshot of the Construction Careers Board, courtesy of Procore
For Jobseekers:
Searching for a job is simple, just type in a keyword and a location and the results will come back in seconds. You don’t need an account to search for positions, but will need one to be able to apply for a job or upload a resume. Jobseekers can also set up “Job Alerts” in order to be alerted if a job that fits your search criteria gets uploaded.
For Employers:
Not only do you get the benefit of posting your positions for free, those postings can also be easily transferred to BirdDogJobs, Glassdoor, and Indeed.
Bonus for Procore Community Members:
For those of you that are part of the Procore Community page (announced at Groundbreak 2019), the Procore team will also be offering three live sessions, focusing on:
Hiring best practices,
Making hiring decisions, and
Building talent brand and candidate attraction
To take advantage of these sessions, you do have to be a Procore user. More information can be found on the Procore Community page.
In 2018, Autodesk made a huge splash in the construction industry by acquiring PlanGrid, BuildingConnected, and Assemble. In 2019, the company combined all of those acquisitions and their native BIM 360 application in Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC). Now, Autodesk is on the move again with a new acquisition and investments into a couple of other construction tech companies.
Announced yesterday, Autodesk has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Pype, a construction technology that uses artificial intelligence to simplify submittal logs, the closeout process, and project turnover. Last week, the company also announced strategic investments into Bridgit Solutions and Factory OS.
Pype
Founded in 2015 by Sunil Dorairajan and Karuna Ammireddy, Pype uses AI and machine learning to reduce human error on a project from project kickoff through closeout. Autodesk plans to intregrate Pype’s 4 main products to their Autodesk Construction Cloud after the acquisition to help build their portfolio to encapsulate a project’s entire lifecycle. Those 4 products are:
AutoSpecs – automatically searches through a spec book to create a submittal log
Closeout – allows quicker collection of documents to facilitate on-time closeout
eBinder – combines turnover documents into a PDF report with clickable links in the table of contents, has search functionality, and creates customizable slip sheets
SmartPans – extracts data directly from drawings, like submittals, product schedules, and contract compliance requirements
“Too many critical construction workflows are still performed manually by project teams, leading to inefficiencies and exposing companies to increased risk such as schedule delays and cost overruns,” said Jim Lynch, vice president and general manager of Autodesk Construction Solutions at Autodesk, in a press release. “Pype’s software makes data both actionable and collaborative, allowing teams to build and automate workflows that increase on-time and on-budget project delivery. Following the acquisition, Pype will join our portfolio of best-in-class solutions that are widely used by the construction industry to manage the building lifecycle from design through to operations.”
The terms of Autodesk’s acquisition of Pype have not been released.
Bridgit Solutions
On July 14, Autodesk announced a $7 million strategic investment into the Canadian based workforce planning software, Bridgit Solutions. In turn, Bridgit Solutions plans to use that money to build more advanced features, add new integrations, and increase their pace of technological innovations.
In 2019, the company added Bridgit Bench to its product offerings, which allows users to visually see how their workforce is being allocated, quickly assign them to different roles, and build a history of their work experience. They also offer Bridgit Field, for punch list and inspection management.
“Over the last three months, Bridgit has experienced a 72 percent increase in usage across our customer base, both in the US and Canada,” said Mallorie Brodie, CEO and co-founder at Bridgit, in a press release. “With construction recently restricted and projects delayed, contractors have needed to shift their processes and are demanding the workforce data and insights that Bridgit provides. The new funding will allow us to empower contractors to use their resources effectively, build more efficiently, and with Autodesk, have a more complete picture of people and projects across their organization.”
Factory_OS
Factory_OS facilitates the off-site construction of affordable housing in manufacturing influenced assembly line process. The company touts that their process yield 20% lower costs, builds houses 40% faster, and produces 70% less waste. Autodesk has previously invested into Factory_OS and their hope is that their continued support of Factory_OS will help the prefabrication, workforce development, and automation process in construction.
This post was written by Étienne Noël of Giatec Scientific Inc, maker of SmartRock. Giatec Scientific Inc. is a global company revolutionizing the construction industry by bringing smart testing technologies and real-time data collection to the forefront of every jobsite. Giatec’s suite of hardware & software products has leveraged advanced technologies such as; Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Internet of Things (IoT), including; wireless concrete sensors, mobile apps, and advanced non-destructive technologies (NDT) to drive innovation throughout concrete’s lifecycle. For more information visit www.giatec.ca.
This article appeared first on GiatecScientific.com and has been republished with permission from Giatec. The original version can be foundby clicking or tapping here.
Concrete is a material that has been used for over a millennia. Concrete is the most used construction material in the whole world! More than that, behind water, it’s the most used material, all categories combined! Worldwide, approximately 10 billion tons of concrete are produced per year. Obviously, the strength of the concrete produced varies, but in most projects, it is crucial to have an idea of this measurement.
During the last few decades of significant progress for concrete, today’s most widely used compressive strength standard emerged: the cylinder concrete break tests. It is a method that has allowed construction to prosper for so long, building the modern world that we live in. For that reason, we must all tip our hats towards this compressive strength test method.
However, it is also a method that allows for errors, which on numerous occasions can have significant safety consequences. Moreover, this is proportionally a very slow method for such a fast-paced industry, generating unnecessary costs and project extensions to general contractors.
Many errors can originate from this testing method, either giving a result that is higher or lower than the real mix design properties. In both cases, we are mostly aware of the problems causing these errors in strength values. However, there are too many variables to control for break tests to always yield perfect results. It is first necessary to understand the two types of cylinder break test methods, or rather the curing difference between standard-cured and field-cured.
Laboratory-Cured vs Field-Cured
Rodding on the top layer of a concrete cylinder, photo courtesy of Giatec Scientific Inc.
The standard-cured method, or laboratory-cured method, is used for quality control of concrete. The concrete cylinders are cast onsite and brought to a third-party laboratory, where the curing temperature is set at 23 ± 2°C (73 ± 4°F) and the humidity at a minimum of 95%. On the other hand, the field curing method is used to resemble, as close as possible, the conditions of the structure. To do so, the cylinders are kept close to the structure, hoping to mimic the temperature and humidity of the in-place concrete.
In both cases, the cylinders are cast onsite, with different layering and rodding methods depending on the country and the standard test methods used. By experience, I know that casting concrete cylinder samples is a repetitive task and it is hard to always prevent human errors. There could be mistakes made with the rodding depth, the size of the layers, the lack of tampering, and so on.
Once the cylinders are cast, they will remain onsite for 1 to 3 days for the initial curing to be over. The initial curing is a major factor in strength development. The cure must be done between 16 and 27°C (60 and 81°F) for concrete with specified strength less than 40 MPa (5800 psi) and between 20 and 26°C (68 and 79°F) for those with greater strength according to ASTM C31/C31M - Standard Practice for Making and Curing Concrete Test Specimens in the Field. Also, high humidity of the samples should be maintained at all times.
Unfortunately, those measures can be often disregarded, and the initial curing is non-standard in many cases. The worst aspect is when those non-standard cures are not reported, thus making them impossible to track when low breaks happen. In the future, this may encourage unnecessarily using concrete with higher specified strength to make sure the 28-days results are within the acceptable range, often at a much higher cost. Finally, these curing errors increase the variation between strength results. This sometimes leads to higher chances of having to drill concrete cores from the structure, creating massive delays on the job site as well as generating unnecessary costs.
Errors Associated with Field-Cured Cylinder Testing
Then, there is the whole aspect of handling, transportation, and storage of the cylinders, which can all create micro-fractures in the concrete, resulting in a low break. After that, the laboratory technician comes into play: firstly, taking care of some handling and some storage as well, but secondly having to prepare the sample in due time for the compressive strength test. The technician must grind or cap the extremities of the cylinder. Any imperfection on the two end surfaces or any deviation of the perpendicularity of the cylinder’s axis are once again more causes of low breaks caused by a human factor.
Finally, the laboratory technician tests the cylinders in compression… hopefully with a calibrated machine. The goal is to get well-formed cones and/or vertical cracking as they are the best type at reaching the highest potential concrete strength results. Unfortunately, there is always a possibility that the concrete does not fail properly, meaning that there is only side fracture(s) present at the top or the bottom of the cylinder. This kind of fracture will not reach the strength potential of the concrete cylinder and will result in a low break. At this point, it would be very easy for the third-party laboratory to falsify the numbers if certain errors occurred and there is no way to verify that the given results are accurate.
Inaccuracies of the Field-Cured Method
In the eventuality that everything went perfectly on every step of the process, in many cases it remains rather challenging to prove the results are trustworthy and representative of in-situ concrete. Field cylinders are based on the concept that cylinders kept beside the slab will be kept at a temperature and humidity approximating those of the slab. This is rarely the case, as the exothermic nature of cement hydration in large structural elements typically leads to a heat rise that is much more significant compared to that for cylindrical elements with large surface area to volume ratio. Obviously, the same mix, evolving at different temperatures, will gain strength at a very different pace. Overall, this method can’t always be trusted, as the cylinder and the slab will almost never gain strength at the same rate. Here is a quick summary of the many possible aspects where errors can be encountered:
Field-Curing of Concrete Cylinders on Site
Casting the cylinders on site: layering, rodding, tampering
Non-compliance for the initial curing
Manipulation/Handling
Transportation
Storage
Preparation of the samples: grinding and capping
Uncalibrated compression testing machine
Low breaks
Falsifying results
Field cylinders cure different from real cure
Still not convinced that this method isn’t optimal?
What about the long delays to get the results from the laboratory? What if you knew of a way to overlook all these issues, to get data on your concrete at any time and ignore all the hassle coming from cylinder testing? Sounds magical, but it is now becoming reality with concrete maturity testing. With wireless maturity sensors in your concrete, like SmartRock, all this becomes possible. By using the often-overlooked concrete maturity principle, it is now possible to get real-time data, as well as records of temperature, maturity, and strength of your concrete. With this method, it is known precisely when a certain concrete mix reaches a desired strength.
This allows for several new possibilities.
An early removal of formwork, saving you thousands of dollars.
A possibility to correct your concrete’s temperature to avoid thermal cracking or early-age freezing.
A peace of mind, knowing that your in-place strength is being accurately determined and therefore any safety consequences caused by concrete strength are properly mitigated.
All that is needed is the concrete mix information from your supplier and a device that has wireless connection. After making the switch to the incredible SmartRock technology, your concrete will only need the 28 day standard-cure compression strength cylinders for acceptance purposes and mix validation. Forget about the hassle of field-cure cylinders and all the disadvantages they bring, join the new way of concrete testing with SmartRock.
Tower cranes soar above any project they’re on, offering a unique view of the jobsite for their operators. But, that view comes at a cost, as they require climbing a fixed vertical ladder all of the way up.
Handling the physical stress of all of that climbing may be the least of the concern, because the actual time it takes to climb up and down create additional issues. Many operators stay in their cabs most of the day, which not only restricts how and when they can use a restroom, but also creates an extremely challenging situation if an emergency occurs.
To see what the climb is like for a 300 foot tall tower crane, you can check out this video we posted several years ago.
Select Plant Hire, a UK based construction equipment rental and solutions provider, has been developing am elevator system for tower cranes in order to alleviate the logistical problems the cranes present to their operators. At this point, it appears that the company is still testing the system out, but they do have at least working unit installed on one of their tower cranes.
There hasn’t been a lot of information released regarding the elevator hoist, but Laing O’Rourke, the owner of Select Hire, did post this video below, so you can see it in action and get the reactions of a couple of crane operators working in the area.
The Trump Administration has recently released its Spring 2020 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions, which reports on the actions that each of the administrative agencies expect to issue in the future. Among those actions were several involving OSHA and construction.
There are currently 24 OSHA related items on this year’s agenda, but only a handful affecting the construction industry:
Description (from agenda): OSHA lead standards allow for the return of the employee to former job status at a BLL < below 40 µg/dL. Recent medical findings indicate that lower blood lead levels (BLLs) in adults can result in adverse health effects including hypertension, cognitive dysfunction, and effects on renal function. These and other health effects (adverse female reproductive outcomes) are being identified in individuals with BLLs under 40 µg/dL. The lead standards for general industry and construction are based on lead toxicity information that is over 35 years old. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE), and California’s Medical Management recommends that BLLs among all adults be reduced to < less than 10 µg/dL.
OSHA is seeking public input from the public to help the agency identify possible areas of the lead standards for revision to improve protection of workers in industries and occupations where preventable exposure to lead continues to occur.
Description (from agenda): Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is proposing corrections and amendments to the final standard for cranes and derricks published in August 2010. The standard has a large number of provisions designed to improve crane safety and reduce worker injury and fatality. The proposed amendments: correct references to power line voltage for direct current (DC) voltages as well as alternating current (AC) voltages; broaden the exclusion for forklifts carrying loads under the forks from "winch or hook" to a "winch and boom"; clarify an exclusion for work activities by articulating cranes; provide four definitions inadvertently omitted in the final standard; replace "minimum approach distance" with "minimum clearance distance" throughout to remove ambiguity; clarify the use of demarcated boundaries for work near power lines; correct an error permitting body belts to be used as a personal fall arrest system rather than a personal fall restraint system; replace the verb "must" with "may" used in error in several provisions; correct an error in a caption on standard hand signals; and resolve an issue of "NRTL-approved" safety equipment (e.g., proximity alarms and insulating devices) that is required by the final standard, but is not yet available.
Description (from agenda): On March 25, 2016, OSHA published a final rule on Occupational Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica (81 FR 16286). OSHA issued two separate standards, one for construction, and one for general industry and maritime. The construction standard includes Table 1: Specified Exposure Control Methods When Working With Materials Containing Crystalline Silica, which matches common construction tasks with dust control methods that have been shown to be effective. In some operations, respirators are also needed. Employers who follow Table 1 correctly are not required to measure workers’ exposure to silica and are not subject to the permissible exposure limit (PEL).
OSHA is interested in information on the effectiveness of control measures not currently included for tasks and tools listed in Table 1. The agency is also interested in tasks and tools involving exposure to respirable crystalline silica that are not currently listed in Table 1, along with information on the effectiveness of dust control methods in limiting worker exposure to respirable crystalline silica when performing those operations. OSHA intends to evaluate the available information to determine if revisions to Table 1 may be appropriate.
Description (from agenda): OSHA is proposing to amend the Welding and Cutting Standard in construction to eliminate any perceived ambiguity about the definition of "confined space" that applies to welding activities in construction. On May 4, 2015, when OSHA published the final rule for Confined Spaces in Construction, a new subpart was added to provide protections to employees working in confined spaces in construction. This new subpart replaced OSHA's one training requirement for confined space work with a comprehensive standard that includes a permit program designed to protect employees from exposure to many hazards associated with work in confined spaces, including atmospheric and physical hazards. The explanation of the final rule also discusses in detail how the Welding and Cutting Standard in Construction works together with the confined spaces standard regarding the application of their respective requirements. Although the confined spaces standard states that it encompasses welding activities, the welding standard itself does not expressly identify a definition of "confined space". OSHA will conduct a rulemaking to eliminate any perceived ambiguity about the definition of confined space that applies to welding activities in construction.
Description (from agenda): OSHA clarified, through a memorandum to the field, the agency’s position that 29 CFR 1904.35(b)(1)(iv) does not prohibit post-incident drug testing or safety incentive programs. The agency would propose memorializing OSHA’s position on these issues through changes to 29 CFR 1904.35(b)(1)(iv) related to implementation of post-incident drug testing and safety incentive programs.
Description (from agenda): After the final rule for Cranes and Derricks in Construction was published on August 9, 2010, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) filed a petition for review on October 7, 2010, challenging certain exemptions affecting railroad roadway work. OSHA and AAR reached a September 9, 2014, settlement agreement filed with the court. The settlement agreement requires OSHA to propose a rule to expand exemptions affecting railroad roadway work by providing an additional exemption from the crane standard for a particular class of track maintenance hoisting equipment and partial exemptions from, or alternate work practices in lieu of particular requirements of the cranes standard. This final rule will address compliance concerns raised by the railroad industry.
Description (from agenda): On January 9, 2017, OSHA published its final rule Occupational Exposure to Beryllium and Beryllium Compounds in the Federal Register (82 FR 2470). OSHA concluded that employees exposed to beryllium and beryllium compounds at the preceding permissible exposure limits (PELs) were at significant risk of material impairment of health, specifically chronic beryllium disease and lung cancer. OSHA also concluded that the new 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA) PEL of µg/m3 reduced this significant risk to the maximum extent feasible. OSHA has evidence that beryllium exposure in construction and shipyards occurs almost exclusively during abrasive blasting and welding operations. OSHA is proposing to revise its standards for occupational exposure to beryllium and beryllium compounds in the construction and shipyards industries. These proposed changes are designed to accomplish three goals: (1) to more appropriately tailor the requirements of the construction and shipyards standards to the particular exposures in these industries in light of partial overlap between the beryllium standards’ requirements and other OSHA standards; (2) to more closely align the shipyards and construction standards to the general industry standard, where appropriate; and (3) to clarify certain requirements with respect to materials containing only trace amounts of beryllium.
From 1988 to 2017, the Palace of Auburn Hills was home to the Detroit Pistons of the NBA. On July 11, 2020, it was imploded into smithereens, ending a fantastic run for the historic arena.
While much of the building was previously demolished, Controlled Demolition Inc. (CDI) was brought into the site as the Explosives Subcontractor under Homrich Wrecking, Inc, the main contractor based in Michigan, in order to bring down the roof structure -- and they did so in spectacular fashion.
According to Fox2, the crews used 800 pounds of explosives in order to bring down the roof and the implosion appeared to be very successful. The razing of the arena will make way for a new development which is expected to house several corporate offices.
The success of this demolition is in stark contrast to the demolition of another historic stadium that used to be located just down the road from The Palace: the Pontiac Silverdome. Prior to The Palace being completed, the Silverdome was actually also the home of the Detroit Pistons for 10 years, spanning from 1978-1988. The NFL’s Detroit Lions called the Silverdome home from 1975-2001.
The demolition of the Silverdome was carried out by a different contractor in 2017, but their implosion efforts weren’t as successful. The day of the first attempt, several explosions could be seen going off, but the structure didn’t budge. The next day, crews once again attempted to bring the structure down and had much better luck.
You can check out several angles of the implosion of The Palace of Auburn Hills, uploaded to YouTube by CDI, below:
A Review of Top Wired and Wireless Temperature and Strength Concrete Sensors
This post was written by Aali Alizadeh, the CEO and Co-Founder of Giatec Scientific Inc. Giatec Scientific Inc. is a global company revolutionizing the construction industry by bringing smart testing technologies and real-time data collection to the forefront of every jobsite. Giatec’s suite of hardware & software products has leveraged advanced technologies such as; Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Internet of Things (IoT), including; wireless concrete sensors, mobile apps, and advanced non-destructive technologies (NDT) to drive innovation throughout concrete’s lifecycle. For more information visit www.giatec.ca.
This article appeared first on GiatecScientific.com and has been republished with permission from Giatec. The original version can be foundby clicking or tapping here.
Concrete Construction Planning
In a construction project, concrete is often on the critical path. Most of the jobsite activities can not be initiated unless the concrete that is placed for building structural elements such as beams and slabs has achieved sufficient strength (typically 75% of the specified compressive strength of concrete). If concrete is not cured properly in favorable temperature ranges (at least more than 5°C or 40°F based on ACI 306) after pouring, it is quite possible to have a slippage in the project plan and timeline due to the delayed strength development in concrete. Curing temperature is also important when it comes to mass concrete placements such as foundations. If the temperature differential between the surface and core of the mass concrete element exceeds a certain level, there is good chance of concrete cracking due to thermal stresses. Project managers, therefore, have a thermal control plan to ensure that concrete achieves the target strength values as scheduled during the first few days after pouring concrete so they can safely move to the next steps of construction such as formwork removal or post-tensioning with confidence.
Monitoring Concrete Curing and Hardening
A comprehensive thermal control plan describes the temperature monitoring procedure that the general contractor or concrete sub-contractor must implement when placing concrete in cold or hot weather conditions, as well as that for mass concrete elements. This plan generally includes details on the minimum and maximum allowable temperature values for different structural locations, maximum allowable temperature differential for mass concrete placements, type of equipment, sensors and tools for temperature measurement, frequency and duration of temperature readings, as well as relevant heating or cooling producers.
The in-situ concrete temperature measurements can also be used to estimate the strength of concrete using the maturity method (as per ASTM C1074) in real-time. The possibility of obtaining field strength of concrete (without relying of delayed lab test results), makes concrete temperature measurement even more important particularly in structural concrete elements. In addition to temperature measurement that is an essential part of every thermal control plan, some contractors have been leveraging the maturity method to optimize their project schedules and prevent delays in critical construction operations such as stripping forms, shoring and re-shoring removal, pulling post-tension cables, and opening traffic on concrete pavement. In addition, the simultaneous monitoring of concrete temperature and strength provides opportunities for the optimization of heating and cooling cost, as well as allowing for higher temperature differentials.
Different Types of Concrete Temperature Sensors and Maturity Meters
When it comes to the choice of concrete temperature or maturity measurement sensors and equipment, contractor have many options to select based on the cost, accuracy, and ease of use, and of course how all these considerations would fit their project needs and budget. The measurement systems available in the market are categorized as follows:
a. Thermocouples
b. Wired Temperature and Maturity Loggers
c. Wired Concrete Sensors with External Wireless Transmitter
d. Fully Embedded Wireless Concrete Sensors
Each of these temperature/maturity monitoring systems have their own advantages and disadvantages and it is important for contractors to review these before developing their thermal control planning in order to maximize the ROI. It should also be noted that infrared laser-based temperature measurement tools are not recommended for monitoring concrete curing and hardening as they can not capture internal concrete temperature.
Concrete Thermocouple
A concrete thermocouple consists of two wires of different metals connected twisted together at one end to form an electrical junction. There is a temperature-dependent voltage that is produced by the thermocouple due to its thermoelectric property. This voltage is measured by an external equipment and is then used to estimate the concrete temperature. The base metal thermocouple type J and K are the most commonly used types of thermocouple in the concrete industry as they are relatively inexpensive (about $1/ft) with a wide range of temperature measurement.
Thermocouple Wire Coming out of Concrete Connected to a Logger.
Concrete thermocouple wires are purchased in a bundle which is then cut into custom lengths based on the distance between the location of the temperature measurement and where the measurement equipment is placed. At one end, the two thermocouple metal wires need to be twisted together and at the other end, the two wires are connected to a plug. The wires need to be labeled for identification and stay connected to the external device at all times until the measurement duration is completed. The individual measurements are typically displayed on this unit. Once the measurements are completed, the unit can be connected to a computer to download and analyze the data. Recently, wireless devices have been introduced that send the thermocouple measurements to cloud or smartphone.
Left image: Thermocouple wires crossed over in the plug assembly causing error in the measurements (Courtesy of Jon Belkowitz, Intelligent Concrete Inc.). Right image: Handling and labeling the thermocouple wires is a major hassle on the jobsite.
Although thermocouples are relatively inexpensive, they have several disadvantages that make them not suitable for use in most of concrete thermal control plans. Most importantly, the measurement accuracy of thermocouples is low. Type J and K thermocouples have a standard error limit of at least 2.2°C (about 4°F) for typical concrete temperature ranges (See more details). This error is more than two times higher than the minimum measurement accuracy required in most concrete temperature measurement specifications (e.g. ASTM C1064 requires an accuracy of 0.5°C or 1.0°F for fresh concrete temperature measurement). Moreover, it is very time consuming to cut the wires, attach them to the plug, and install the setup in the field. Thin thermocouple wires are also very prone to cuts and damages, and thus measurement errors as they are typically not designed for harsh construction environments. In addition, the wires coming out of concrete and the external unit need to be protected throughout the entire temperature measurement period.
Wired Concrete Temperature and Maturity Loggers
To address some of the deficiencies in thermocouple-based systems, wired temperature and maturity loggers were developed. These loggers and meters have an electronic circuit board that contains a coin-size battery with an onboard thermistor (typically an NTC type sensor) for temperature measurement. The measurements are recorded and stored on this circuit board at pre-defined intervals. The whole circuit board is completely sealed with a connector wire coming out to download the measurements using an external device as needed unlike the thermocouple-based sensors that need to be always connected to an external data recording equipment. For the installation of these systems in concrete elements, the logger (or the sealed circuit board) is placed at the location where the temperature and maturity measurements need to be made. The connector wires are then dragged out of the structural element. After concrete pouring, users can connect their hand-held unit to the end of the wires to download the recorded temperature values.
Circuit Board Inside Concrete Connected With Wires to External Unit.
The wires used for these types of temperature/maturity loggers are more rugged compared to thermocouples which makes them less prone to damages on the jobsite. The external unit is also not exposed to potential damages in a constriction environment as it is used only when downloading the data. External devices can offer various types of data analysis in the field. But, for full analysis and report generation, the data needs to be downloaded later on to a computer.
Wires coming out of concrete are prone to damages on the jobsite. A sign is posted in this case saying “DO NOT CUT WIRES”!
These types of temperature and maturity loggers don’t have an electrical switch and are always turned on. So, their shelf-life is limited. In addition, the industrial-grade connector cable makes these sensors bulky and difficult to install specially when long wires are used for large structural elements. Similar to thermocouples, the end of the wires need to be labeled for identification after pouring and has to be protected against potential cuts or other damages on the jobsite. Moreover, finding the cable lead during the first few days after pouring could be challenging as there are many construction tools, materials and components being moved and displaced on the jobsite potentially covering the cable lead.
Wired Concrete Sensors with External Wireless Transmitter
Whether using thermocouples or wired loggers for concrete temperature monitoring, the hassle of connecting an external device and the need to visit the jobsite to collect the data and later downloading it to a computer have prevented these types of sensors from wide industry adoption. With the electronic advancements, wireless data transmitters were developed to address the above challenges. These external units are connected to the end of the wires coming out of concrete to store and transfer the temperature measurements over a wireless network either:
To a computer connected to internet,
To a local wireless hub or gateway that then transfers data to cloud, or
Directly to cloud through networks such as LTE or Sigfox.
Sensor Wires Coming out of Concrete Connected to Wireless Transmitter Either With Hub and Direct Connection to Cell Tower.
A great advantage of these wireless systems is that the data analysis can be done automatically on the cloud to generate custom alerts and notification for project managers and superintendents even when they are not on the jobsite. However, the wire connection to the external unit is still prone to cuts and the wireless unit located close to the concrete placement can be damaged in a harsh construction environment. Moreover, a complex system comprising wires, external transmitters and local hub can be challenging to install and configure as it has several different components. In addition, in remote jobsites where cell network connection is not available or if any of their components is damaged, these systems may not function properly.
Fully Embedded Wireless Concrete Sensors
With the advancements in electronics and wireless technologies, it has been possible to design self-contained wireless concrete sensors and loggers that are fully embedded in the concrete. The temperature measurements are stored on the sensor. The recorded data can then be download from the fully embedded sensor through various wireless communication protocols such as Bluetooth LE, LoRa, Zigbee, or wifi. In the case of Bluetooth LE, a smartphone or tablet can be used to connect wirelessly to the sensor to download the data and analyze it in real-time for maturity and strength estimation using mobile apps. The data is also transmitted to the cloud through the mobile device connection to the cell network. Alternatively, the sensor data can be downloaded automatically using a wireless local hub for transmission to the cloud without the need to visit the jobsite. For the other wireless protocols, the external hub must be used to download and transmit the data to the cloud as mobile devices do no support them.
Sensor Inside Concrete Connected Wirelessly to Smartphone or Local Hub.
The main advantage of the fully embedded wireless concrete sensors is that, unlike wired systems, they are not prone to potential damages on the construction jobsite after pouring. The data is securely held on the sensor inside the concrete and can be downloaded with confidence at any time. Moreover, the installation and data collection are relatively simpler and faster as there are no wires to be dragged out of concrete, or in the case of Bluetooth LE, no external units that need to be maintained. The overall cost of measurement could therefore be lower than wired sensor. However, due to the sophisticated electronics, the initial purchase cost of these embedded sensors is higher than that of the wired sensors/loggers. It should be noted that the wireless signal from these sensors can only go through a couple of inches of concrete. So, for deeper locations, a temperature measurement cable is used while the wireless sensor’s transmitter is placed inside the concrete typically on the rebar below the concrete surface.
Commercial Concrete Temperature Sensors and Maturity Meters
A survey of the market shows that there are several options for purchasing a concrete temperature/maturity sensor for monitoring the concrete curing and hardening in your concrete project. This gives contractors a wide range of options for selecting a concrete sensor in their construction project based on the cost, accuracy, and ease of use. Here is the list of various commercially available concrete sensors, temperature loggers, and maturity meters in an alphabetical order:
Command Center
Command Center was developed by Transtec Group Inc. for concrete temperature and maturity monitoring. The Command Center wired loggers are embedded in concrete. The wire lead can then be connected to a hand-held device to download the data or attached to Bluetooth transmitter to send the data wirelessly to a mobile device on the jobsite.
Concremote
Doka offers Concremote sensors for concrete temperature and maturity monitoring. Concremote units come in different formats. One of the options is to place the Concremote sensor on the surface of concrete. Data is recorded and transmitted directly to the cloud through cell network. The other option is to embed wired Concremote sensors inside the concrete and attach a wireless transmitter to the end of the wire for wireless data transmission.
Concrete Sensors
Developed by Structural Health Systems Inc., Concrete Sensors is a fully embedded sacrificial sensor that records temperature and humidity of concrete. The data can be retrieved and analyzed at any time using Concrete Sensors’s mobile application via Bluetooth. Concrete Sensors also offers another version of their sensor that directly connects to a local gateway for data transmission to the cloud. Concrete Sensors was recently acquired by Hilti.
Con-Cure NEX
Similar to Command Center, the Con-Cure’s wired maturity loggers are embedded in the concrete. The wire lead that comes out of concrete can be connected either to a hand-held device to download the data recorded on the Con-Cure’s maturity sensors, or to a wireless node that then transmits data to the cloud through cell network or save it on an SD card. Con-Cure offers sacrificial and reusable sensors.
Converge
Converge has developed various solutions for concrete temperature and maturity measurement. Their original product (Converge Mesh) included wired sensors connected to wireless nodes that wirelessly send data to a local hub for transmission to the cloud. Converge’s recent sensor called Signal is a wireless sensor that is fully embedded in the concrete. Recorded data is wirelessly sent to either a mobile device or a local hub and then to the cloud through cell network.
Exact Technology
The wired sensors offered by Exact Technology are embedded in the concrete. The wire lead is then connected to a wireless node that sends the data to a local hub for transmission to the cloud through the cell network. The Exact Technology node can accept four wires. The data is analyzed for maturity and strength calculation and reporting on the cloud.
HardTrack
Wake Inc. offers the RFID-based HardTrack sensor. The HardTrack sensor comes in different formats. The temperature measurement cable is connected to an RFID reader. The RFID tag can either be embedded in the concrete or placed outside to be reused. Users can use an RFID reader to retrieve the recorded data or install a local hub to wirelessly download the data for transmission to the cloud.
HOBO
HOBO developed by ONSET is one many commercially available thermocouple data loggers. Multiple thermocouple wires can be connected to a HOBO box that is installed outside concrete. HOBO offers a regular logger that records the data for processing later on a computer, as well as a wireless logger that can record and send the temperature data via Bluetooth to a mobile device. Users need to calculate the concrete maturity and strength themselves based on the temperature results.
intelliRock
intelliRock maturity meters were originally developed by Engius. The company was later acquired by Flir. The intelliRock’s wired maturity loggers are placed inside the concrete. The wire lead that comes out of concrete can be connected to a hand-held device to download and analyze the data, or it can be connected to a wireless transmitter to send the data to the cloud.
AOMS Technologies
AOMS offers Lumicon concrete sensor. Lumicon can measure temperature at multiple pre-made locations across its cable. The cable end that comes out of concrete is connected to a wireless transmitter that then sends data to a local hub and then to the cloud. The data analysis and concrete maturity calculations are performed on the cloud. Data is also accessible using Lumicon’s mobile app.
Sensohive
Sensohive offers Maturix sensors for concrete temperature and maturity monitoring. Maturix uses thermocouple sensors. One end of the thermocouple wires is embedded in the concrete and the other end needs to be connected to a node. Each wire needs to have a separate node. The nodes record the concrete temperature data and send it wirelessly to the cloud (either directly if Sigfox network is available or otherwise through a local gateway). Sensohive was partially acquired by Kryton.
SmartRock
The concrete testing device manufacturer, Giatec, offers SmartRock maturity sensors. The wireless SmartRock sensors are fully embedded in the concrete without any leads coming out of concrete. The recorded data is wirelessly sent using Bluetooth either to a mobile device or to a SmartHub located on the jobsite that then transmits the data to the cloud through cell network. The data can be analyzed either using the mobile app in real-time on the jobsite, or on the Giatec 360 cloud dashboard powered by AI capabilities. Giatec also offers SmartRock Plus sensors exclusively through concrete producers that are pre-calibrated to their concrete mixes.
vOrb
The Concrete QC software company, Quadrel, offers vOrb sensors in different formats. The vOrb sensors which use wifi communication protocol are embedded in the concrete. The data needs to be retrieved via a local hub before it is transmitted to the cloud. Quadrel offers another version of vOrb sensors for monitoring the temperature and maturity of concrete cylinders.
Which Concrete Sensor Should You Use in Your Project?
When it comes to selecting a concrete temperature sensor or maturity logger for your next thermal control plan or field strength monitoring, there are many options that you can consider based on the sensor cost, its accuracy and ease of use. Each of these considerations can affect the overall cost and time needed to setup, collect, analyze and report the temperature, maturity and strength data, and ultimately impacts the ROI related to monitoring the curing and hardening of your concrete placements. Here is a summary of the commercially available concrete temperature/maturity sensors categorized based on their type:
Note: All company, product/service names, and brands used in this article are property of their respective owners. This article is intended to be used for informational purposes only.
