44
LC DBM
HARD
News
Recent Reports from the Hardscape Industry
The American Concrete Institute recently released a new
guide covering the shotcrete process. Included in the pub-
lication, ACI 506R-16 Guide to Shotcrete, is information
on materials and properties of both dry-mix and wet-mix
shotcrete; equipment requirements and selection; com-
position, qualifications and responsibilities of shotcrete
crews; formwork; application procedures; pre-construc-
tion trials; types of finishes; craftsman qualification tests,
materials tests, and finished shotcrete acceptance tests.
https://www.concrete.org/publications.aspx
Light-emitting cement has been developed by Ph.D. José Carlos Rubio of Mexico's
University of San Nicolas Hidalgo. To create it, the cement was modified to get rid of
the crystal flakes, an unwanted element in hardened cement that prevents it from
absorbing solar energy, which is not the case with this modified cement. Anything
built from it can reportedly return the absorbed energy as light for approximately 12
hours a night.
Another new type of cement can be manufactured at less cost with lower greenhouse
gas emissions, and produce a more durable concrete according to engineers from
Oregon State University, Purdue University and Solidia Technologies, which licensed
core technology from Rutgers University. Called carbonated calcium silicate-based ce-
ment or CCSC, its early uses are predicted to be for precast concrete products.
A team of researchers at Singapore's Future Cities Laboratory,
an affiliate of the Swiss science and technology university ETH
Zurich, is trying to transform bamboo into a viable building
material that can be used for applications such as reinforcing
concrete. The work involves extracting the fiber from the plant,
which is known for its extreme resistance to tensile stress, but
untreated has many weaknesses as a building product, and
creating a composite material from it.
I n f o r m a t i o n R e q u e s t # 4 0 6