Executive Summary. There are some basics to concrete formwork takeoff whether you’re doing residential flatwork, a 40-story condominium tower, or a $500 million wastewater treatment plant. Start here with learning just the basics of concrete takeoff. First, a quickie...
Cake Batter and Concrete Mix Design: Same Thing!
Executive Summary Knowing how to read a concrete mix design is helpful for the project management team: from project manager to foreman. Here are some basics. What is concrete? Concrete is arguably the most common construction material used on the globe. It is a...
It’s Concrete, not Cement.
Executive Summary: Defining concrete and cement. The common misconception. Once a month or so it seems I’m watching the news or listening to the radio and I hear about the guy who fell on the “cement sidewalk” or crashed into the “cement wall” with his truck. It’s...
Concrete Formwork – Pressure not a Function of Wall Thickness
Just a quickie on formwork pressures. One of my foremen once asked me if we needed more form ties in a 24″ thick wall versus a 12″ thick wall. That answer is “no”. Concrete, when being placed, is liquid. Just like water. And as all carpenters know, form ties are...
What is a Venturi Eductor?
Executive summary. There are different ways to prime a water pump. Here is one way you can do it using compressed air and the Venturi effect. And yes, a Venturi eductor is similar to an ejector!...
What’s a Form Ratio?
Acknowledgment. First of all, thanks to my friend Chris Souder at Cal State Chico – I based this article off of a conversation with him plus his article entitled Can Using Form Ratios Improve the Accuracy of Estimating Structural Concrete?...