Virginia DOT Tackles Deteriorating Truck Route Using Full-Depth Reclamation

When a 4.4 mile section of Virginia State Route 30 near Mechanicsville became worn out due to high volumes of heavy truck loading, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) turned to full-depth reclamation (FDR) with cement to create a new durable base. Route 30 is a two-lane, undivided primary route that carries approximately 4,400 vehicles per day, of which 21 percent are large commercial trucks.

VDOT rates pavements on a zero to 100 scale, with 100 being excellent. In 2013, the pavement ratings for the project ranged from 24 to 46.

VDOT chose to mill two inches of asphalt from the existing pavement and reclaim the remaining structure to a depth of 12 inches, with the addition of four percent portland cement. The milled material was placed in a trench in the shoulders and reclaimed along with the rest of the road and used to widen the pavement from 25 to 32 feet. This allowed VDOT to enhance the road's safety.

During reclamation, traffic was maintained throughout the project with the use of daytime lane closures and a pilot car.

David Stowel, Slurry Pavers sales manager, said “FDR was ideal for this project. The large amount of ordinary repair needed to prepare this project for a conventional mill-and-fill overlay would have been impractical. Full-depth reclamation using cement allows us the ability to maintain traffic while completely renewing the pavement structure. We see this process as applicable to many, many miles of roadway in Virginia and elsewhere.”
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Contact Roger Faulkner

2014 Cement Industry Yearbook Ready

The PCA 2014 U.S. Cement Industry Annual Yearbook is now available. The Yearbook is the starting place for the historical perspective on the U.S. construction and cement industries. It provides long-term historical data tables and graphs for indicators most relevant to the cement industry and shows the development of trends.

The publication contains detailed information covering U.S. economic activity, cement consumption and supply, infrastructure, industry operating characteristics, and international economic trends. In addition, the Yearbook has an analysis of construction activity trends, company rankings, cement trade, and energy consumption.
Contact Karen Arneson

Manufacturing Technology Conference Call for Abstracts

The 2015 European Symposium on Comminution and Classification (ESCC 2015) is now accepting abstracts. The conference is scheduled for September 7-10, 2015, at Chalmer University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Oral or poster presentations should focus on comminution and classification of minerals and ores; grinding, dispersion and classification of fine particles; fundamentals, modeling and simulation; innovation and new technologies; or industrial operation perspectives. Abstracts can also address the unifying theme through the conference of sustainability and energy efficiency.

The deadline for submission is December 20, 2014.
Submit an abstract at www.escc2015.org.
Contact Rick Bohan

U.S. Plant Information Summary Now Available

According to the 2013 Plant Information Summary, the U.S. cement industry operates 106 cement plants (99 clinker-producing and 7 grinding facilities). This includes just under 100 million metric tons of clinker capacity and 126 million metric tons of finish grinding capability annually. The latest plant survey reflects the industry emerging from the economic downturn as total capacity is 3.7 million metric tons less than the 2010 plant summary. 

The latest Plant Information Summary also illustrates the trend of increased kiln size. The average kiln now is equipped with an annual capacity of 698,000 metric tons, up from 673,000 in 2010.

Other plant metrics covered in the Plant Information Summary include types of cement produced by plant, sources of raw material, and fuels used. 
Contact Brian Schmidt

TCA Announces Winners of 24th Annual Achievement Awards

The Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA) has announced the recipients of its 24th Annual Tilt-Up Achievement Awards. The Achievement Awards program honors projects that represent an increasing diversity of building types constructed with site-cast tilt-up concrete as well as those that advance industry technology, apply innovative form, and provide unique solutions to building programs.

Additionally, following the formal scoring process completed by the judges’ panel, the TCA opened voting to the association’s social media fans. During this open selection process, three projects were chosen as “fan favorites.”

The judges recognized a total of 34 award recipients and selected 12 overall Excellence in Achievement winners. These projects exemplify the current state-of-the-art achievement in tilt-up construction with their unique and inventive use of the method.
More at www.tilt-up.org

Discounted Registration to World of Concrete

World of Concrete 2015 will be held in Las Vegas on February 2-6, 2015. The largest, most comprehensive commercial concrete and masonry event for the concrete industry features more than 1,500 exhibitors and more than 100 seminars and conference sessions.

As a cosponsor, PCA offers discount admission to exhibits. By registering through PCA and using promo code A32, exhibit admission is only $20, a $40 savings.

Additionally, PCA receives a rebate from Hanley-Wood based on the number of pre-registered attendees who come to the show.
For discounted registration, click here