Courtesy of Pile Dynamics Inc. A view of the thermal readout, or heat map, produced by Pile Dynamics' field device displays the location of the thermal wires and the shape of the shaft. Nine cubic yards of wet concrete will release the energy equivalent of 400 lb of TNT as it cures. Researchers at the University of South Florida are now partnering with industry to deliver a new device and software to monitor the heat distribution in curing cast-in-place concrete foundations, such as drilled shafts and bored piles, as a new quality-assurance tool.The method, called Thermal Integrity Profiling (TIP), is
Engineering researchers are dissecting troves of data about the performance of structures hit by the Japanese tsunami of March 11. One of their sharpest tools is light imaging and ranging scan data. It captures distortion in exquisite detail.“We started talking about this [LiDAR] right after the earthquake,” says Michael Olsen, a professor of geomatics at Oregon State University.Olsen is the terrestrial LiDAR expert on a team convened by the American Society of Civil Engineers to analyze the tsunami's loads and the performance of structures and coastal engineering.The team, coordinating with Japan's Building Research Institute, has sent two missions into the
LinkedIn remains the most popular social media site for architecture and engineering firms, according to a recent survey by Knowledge Architecture. Related Links: Hashtag This: Social Media Risks and Rewards in Construction VHB/Eng-Wong, Taub and PB: Building Client Relationships with Social Media Corps Finds Facebook Excels for Flood Emergency Communications Social Media Reshape Job Hunting and Recruitment at Smith Group, CH2M Hill Water Social Networking Site Matches Water Providers With End Users Writing the Social Media Policy Handbook at Burns & McDonnell, HOK Construction companies are becoming active users of social media, but much of the chatter is hidden from
Photo courtesy of USACE As the Mississippi River swelled to dangerous levels last spring, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers prepared to open floodways by blowing levees. Nervous populations downstream craved information about the actions and consequences. By launching a Facebook page, the Corps found it could quickly deliver critical information on the unfolding situation to the people who needed it most. The response was enormous. Photo courtesy of USACE Last spring, faced with the need to disseminate quickly updates and information to an affected constituency about the probable need to blow a levee to relieve flood pressures, the Corps
Photo courtesy of VHB/Eng-Wong, Taub Photo Credit: Owen Murphy/Louisiana DOTD Related Links: Hashtag This: Social Media Risks and Rewards in Construction Social Media Reshape Job Hunting and Recruitment at Smith Group, CH2M Hill In Social Media, Some Conversations Are Best Kept Private Water Social Networking Site Matches Water Providers With End Users Corps Finds Facebook Excels for Flood Emergency Communications Writing the Social Media Policy Handbook at Burns & McDonnell, HOK One of the positive outcomes that firms report in using social media is building rapport with clients. Often, it evolves from teaming with them to help make information about
ENR Art Dept. Social Media: A Special Report Related Links: Hashtag This: Social Media Risks and Rewards in Construction VHB/Eng-Wong, Taub and PB: Building Client Relationships with Social Media Corps Finds Facebook Excels for Flood Emergency Communications Writing the Social Media Policy Handbook at Burns & McDonnell, HOK Social Media Reshape Job Hunting and Recruitment at Smith Group, CH2M Hill In Social Media, Some Conversations Are Best Kept Private Developers of a new website are hoping to use the power of social networking to launch what they call a “grassroots water revolution.” Englewood, Colo.-based CH2M Hill created the site WaterMatch
PHOTO BY TOM SAWYER / ENR PROPERLY ENGINEERED The U.S. Embassy in Haiti survived the devastating 2010 earthquake with minimal damage to its building systems. Seismic Design Group Inc. claims its new software will help users meet code requirements for non-structural seismic bracing for piping and other building utilities typically found in ceiling plenums and mechanical rooms. The SCoPe: Seismic Calculation Program is intended to help trade contractors choose the proper anchoring and suspension systems for a given seismic zone. The software is designed for use by the construction engineers of mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection system contractors.The program
+ Image + Image Construction and technology can be strange bedfellows at times.Take the U.S. Air Force example: Last year it graduated fewer fighter pilots and now uses more virtual pilots than real aviators (with UAV—unmanned aerial vehicles such as Predator drones). That's one story of innovation and its impact.What does this mean for the construction industry? How is innovation affecting our profession? Sometimes you have to review the basics to understand the trends. In “Diffusion of Innovation,” by Everett Rogers, a sociologist from the University of Iowa, Rogers uses math and charts based on his theory of how ideas,
Courtesy ClearEdge 3D Courtesy ClearEdge 3D Automating 3D model creation from laser point cloud data has been a dream for anyone who has modeled millions of points into 3D objects. One company now has released improved software that automatically recognizes flat surfaces, edges and cylindrical objects from point cloud data.EdgeWise Plant 2.0 from ClearEdge 3D Inc., Warrenton, Va., lessens the need to manually trace objects such as pipes, walls and joints. It uses algorithms to identify surfaces among millions of points of data collected by light detecting and ranging devices (LiDAR), such as laser scanners. It discards irrelevant data and
Many construction companies are adopting tablets on jobsites and raving about saving time and money in the process. Gartner Inc. predicts that the iPad will retain more than half the tablet market until 2015. But what about tech support in the field when the stuff breaks down? Who is helping to train users on the software that runs on the devices so that time saved with the technology doesn't turn into time spent to support it?These are some of the themes behind the tablet's rapid rise, according to recent interviews with major construction firms during a conference sponsored by field
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