BoatBanter.com - View Single Post - New Panama Canal Locks Have A Concrete Problem

Mr. Luddite

On 8/28/2015 3:53 PM, wrote:
On Friday, August 28, 2015 at 3:10:30 PM UTC-4, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 8/28/2015 2:36 PM, wrote:
On Friday, August 28, 2015 at 12:05:46 PM UTC-4, Wayne. B wrote:
On Fri, 28 Aug 2015 09:55:29 -0400, Justan Olphart
wrote:

On 8/28/2015 10:37 AM, wrote:
A core sample pulled from the concrete of the Cocoli Locks where
cracks and leaks have appeared does not bode well for the Panama Canal
expansion project, which is on a strict deadline for completion in
April 2016.

http://gcaptain.com/a-concrete-sample-was-pulled-from-the-new-panama-canal-locks-and-it-does-not-look-good/#.VeBqMn3LDyc

Looks like the east coast is going to have to get used to receiving
it's Chinese goods by rail. I hope Oh'bamer has *his* infrastructure in
order. Can't be blaming Bush anymore.

===

The Chinese are managing the project but it looks like someone fell
asleep on the job. Quality control of the concrete is critical on a
project like that.

I saw a show about the construction of the new Ravenel Bridge in Charleston. During construction they turned away a lot of concrete trucks because the concrete they contained had started to "activate" because of the heat and time in transit. It had to be just right to be used in the structure. I've never been across the bridge, but have passed under it several times in my boat going to/from Charleston Harbor. Impressive.

http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/charleston-county/ravenel-bridge.html

When the pool was installed in our backyard they tried to pump the
concrete up over the house using a really high boom. Didn't work.
Our house is three stories and the pump wouldn't get it up and over
the house. Scary to watch. Anyway, after a few failed attempts the
driver of the concrete truck was getting nervous because he had to go
dump it or do something before the stuff started to set.

They came back a couple of days later with another kind of pump that was
at ground level. The concrete truck filled a large container which was
then pumped through hoses to the backyard where the pool forms were.

When I built my backyard shop and extended the driveway to it, they couldn't drive the concrete truck over my driveway for fear of breaking it up. So I had to do the same thing with one of those pumpers. Not only is the pump-able concrete more expensive because of the pea gravel, but then you have to pay the pumper guy too.

The reason they tried using the boom was because otherwise they had to
back up beside the house over the leeching field for the septic system.
They were concerned about causing damage to the "D" box or the leeching
field itself. When the boom didn't work, they had a guy pull the
records from the town that showed the septic system design. Turns out
it is basically a commercial type system, the type that has boxes and
leeching fields under parking lots and is rated for heavy trucks. That
made the job easier and allowed the pump rig and the concrete truck to
back up beside the house. Worked out fine.

That area is now covered with stone pavers. FlaJim knows it well.
He has parked his land yacht there. There's a 50 amp RV service as
well. The wiring was put in for a whole home generator when the pool
was put in but we decided not to go with the generator at the time,
mainly because it would have to be propane powered and second of all
because the electrical contractor quoted a price that was almost double
what I knew they go for. So, we dug the trenches and put the wiring in
but I wired it as a RV service instead because at the time we had one.
Glad we didn't spring for the generator. It would have been used once
in the last 9-10 years.