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| Journal of | ||
| Construction Innovation |
February 2001 |
Nominations for the
2001 NOVA Awards
By Robert I. Carr[1]
Abstract: This
paper presents summaries of the 35 NOVA Award Nominations received between
Introduction
This paper presents summaries
of the 35 NOVA Award Nominations received between
Nominations are numbered in the
order they were postmarked. Readers can access the individual nominations to
obtain more detailed information at www.CIF.org. Robert I. Carr wrote these
nomination descriptions from original drafts of students in CEE 530 –
Construction Professional Practice Seminar at the
1 PRE-ENGINEERED POST & BEAM system for prefabricated timber structures
The Wolf Building System is a pre-engineered
non-traditional post and beam construction system. The components are
prefabricated and prefinished in a factory setting by various suppliers and
can be made of steel, metals, precast concrete, laminated wood, etc. Using
these engineered materials assures the system will be free of traditional
flaws of post and beam systems, which can include shrinkage, twists, cracks,
bending, or loose connections. The Wolf Building System incorporates a
patented new component-locking device, the Wolfhook,
which can be erected by ordinary trades people.
Benefits of this system include increases in structural strength; decreases in
overall construction time; and no restrictions on size, shape, form, and
design. Keywords: modular.[2]
Contact: Wolf Wilbert; Wolf Creative Design Ltd.; 10616-147 Street;
2 PLASTIC DUMP TRUCK BOX does not dent, cleans easily, does not rust
The Reiter Plastic Dump Body is a one-piece seamless
plastic dump truck body. It provides any dump truck with a less sticky, dent
free, no paint needed surface that will increase
the productivity of moving any type of load. The slippery plastic allows most
material to slide out easily, which decreases dump angle for unloading.
Plastic is lighter than steel, which increases payloads. The Dump Body is
optionally equipped with a rubber-sealed tailgate that allows transport of
liquid based materials, such as sludge and wet-batch concrete without leakage.
Dried material residue does not permanently attach to the plastic and is
easily removed by a mallet. Keywords: equipment. Contact: Bill Reiter; Reiter
Industries, Inc.;
3 BRIDGE SUSPENDER ELECTRONIC
INSPECTION detects external/internal damage
Electromagnetic inspection of suspension bridge suspender
cables tests entire metal cross-sections of suspender cables to detect
internal and external damage such as broken wires, corrosion, cracks, and
wear. The test sensor weighs 75 pounds and is built in two hinged pieces that
are opened and quickly installed on a tested cable up to 3-inch diameter. The
sensor is passed over the cable, and any magnetic field distortion, caused by
sharp defects such as broken wires, is detected. This enhances and replaces
the currently used visual test. In its first use, two people inspected all 54
cables of a bridge in only 6 hours, with minimal traffic disruption, and found
damage that was otherwise invisible. Contact: Mark J.
Bergander, P.E.; Scientific Technologies, Inc.;
4 INSULATED CONCRETE PANELS are prefabricated, then filled with
concrete in place
Insulated concrete panel (ICP) is a new alternative to
constructing an insulated wall, using 4' x 8' sheets of extruded polystyrene
attached to both sides of a structural steel frame. The panels are delivered
to the job site, set on conventional footings, fused together, and then filled
with concrete. The structural steel frame keeps the wall straight during and
after the concrete pour. This panelization process improves the finished wall
quality, increases worker safety, and saves 20% of labor and material cost.
ICP walls are poured in place, resulting in a monolithic concrete wall that is
structurally superior to pre-cast concrete panels that must be bolted together
at the seams. Keywords: prefab, modular, form. Contact: Brian Koehn; Benchmark
Resources, Inc.;
5 GENERIC WALL DESIGN for 8" and 12" single wythe concrete masonry load bearing walls
The Masonry Institute of Michigan has created the Generic
Wall Design, a set of user-friendly masonry details for concrete masonry units
(CMU). Generic Wall Design, Volume 1, contains designs for single
wythe loadbearing walls for reinforced and
unreinforced 8" CMU and reinforced and unreinforced 12" CMU. Designs include
several necessary details and focus on provisions to minimize rain
penetration. Details are unique because there is no substantial information on
flashing single wythe walls. Volume 1 is a printed
loose leaf bound reference manual containing 28 drawing sheets, with details
and guidelines. It has an accompanying CD-ROM, which can replace the manual.
Contact: Daniel S. Zechmeister, P.E.; Masonry
Institute of
6 SIDE-GRIP SHEET PILE driver allows standard excavators to handle tall piles
The Movax side-grip sheet
piler is mounted on a standard excavator. It grips
sheet pile and pipe and H-beam piles from the side to perform such typical
operations as lifting, driving, and extracting piles and compacting. The
piler operator can control the direction of a pile
and drive it at any angle. Pile length is not limited by lifting height of an
excavator, as with traditional pile driving methods that grip the top of the
piles. The Movax piler
is simpler to operate, and it increases productivity and safety. Keywords:
equipment, soil. Contact: Yrjö
Raunisto, Unisto
Oy; Tölkkimäentie
11; 13130 Hämeenlinna;
7 LASER SCANNING 3D as-builting produces dimensionally accurate representation
A laptop driven scanner directs a
laser beam over a physical object and determines the position in 3-dimensional
space of each scanned point on the object. The result is a “cloud of points” –
thousands of points in 3-dimensional space from which a 3D CAD model of the
object is produced. This solves the difficult
problem of interfacing new and old equipment and construction on
rehabilitation projects and on complex additions to current facilities. It is
quicker, more accurate, and safer than manual field measurements, which are
often not even feasible. Its largest current application is a major power
plant project by Detroit Edison in
8 UNDERPINNING PILES of segmental precast concrete replaces steel pipe piles
Jacked segmental precast concrete piles replace the
traditional underpinning method of using jacked segmental welded steel pipe
piles. This construction method was used to underpin an historic building in
9 BENEFICIATED FLY ASH for concrete produced from high/variable carbon fly ash
Patented, commercially viable, innovative process and
equipment remove excess carbon from fly ash. This energy efficient technology
economically processes unusable high carbon Class F fly ash into a consistent,
low carbon (beneficiated) fly ash called ProAsh
that is suitable for concrete. The process is clean, environmentally friendly,
efficient, and costs a fraction of other carbon removal processes (carbon
burnout, froth floatation) cost. ProAsh has proven
a commercial success in power plants in
10 WATER LEAKAGE CONTROLLING CMU resists water penetration of single-wythe wall
Control-BLK is a concrete masonry unit (CMU) designed for single-wythe wall construction to resist water penetration and interior moisture migration. Many buildings use expensive and time-consuming cavity wall construction to avoid critical water leakage. Replacing cavity walls, the beveled edge, grooved web, and tapered rib details of Control-BLK improve tight joint tooling and provide water-shedding benefits. Comparative tests versus conventional block show that Control-BLK has great capability of reducing water collected inside the concrete block cores. It has produced 25% cost savings, due to material and labor cost reductions. Contact: Ken Sroka; Master Builders, Inc.; 23700 Chagrin Blvd.; Beachwood, OH 44122; 216-831-5500 or 800-628-9990; Fax 216-831-6910; www.masterbuilders.com.
11 ZERO-WASTE MANAGEMENT software for ready-mix concrete
DELVOmatic is computer software with which ready-mixed concrete producers can implement a zero waste management program. It tracks the disposition of all plastic concrete returned to the ready-mix plant, whether it is combined with fresh concrete and resold, dumped in the yard, used for making blocks, or treated with DELVO Stabilizer or DELVO ESC. DELVOmatic also tracks the disposition of all concrete wash water from ready-mixed truck mixers, and it tracks and records the use of DELVO Stabilizer or DELVO ESC, hydration control admixtures in wash water, same day and overnight stabilization, and long-haul applications. It generates and prints an environmental audit report and a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly profitability report. Keyword: environment, recycle. Contact: Richard Hubbard III; Master Builders, Inc; 23700 Chagrin Blvd; Beechwood, OH 44122; 216-831-5500 or 800-628-9990; Fax 216-831-6910; www.masterbuilders.com.
12 ELECTRIC FAULT RECLOSER and control for electric utility distribution lines
This improved recloser and
control monitors and isolates electrical faults on electric utility
distribution lines. The device can be configured to automatically select an
alternate power source to customers should the normal source fail due to
fault. It will replace five older versions of reclosers
and low technology and external communication controls, reduce requirements
for spare parts, simplify handling and istallation
by linemen, reduce labor and equipment costs by 36%, reduce unit weight by
75%, replace the fragile porcelain insulating components with durable epoxy,
eliminate all of the oil previously required to insulate the old units,
seamlessly integrate into our existing communication system, and virtually
eliminate scheduled maintenance. Contact: Jerry Yakel;
Cooper Power;
13
SCHOOL of
INDUSTRIAL CONSTRUCTION attracts
high school students to construction
The BE&K School of Industrial Construction (SIC) was established in 1999 to attract high school students to construction. The SIC complements the standard high school curriculum, and high school students in the 11th and 12th grade enroll on an elective course basis. The class meets five days a week for three hours during afternoon school hours The curriculum is taught by certified instructors and involves both classroom training and hands-on experience with emphasis in welding, pipe fitting, electrical wiring, instrumentation, and mechanical/millwright work. Students receive summer jobs and are guaranteed employment upon graduation. The BE&K SIC is the first of its kind targeted at the high school age population. Keywords: human resources. Contact: Scott Flatley; BE&K, Inc.; 2000 International Park Drive; Birmingham, AL 35243; 205-972-6000; Fax 205-972-6779; www.bek.com.
14 GIRDER ALIGNMENT & ERECTION TEMPLATE for rapid erection of large bridge spans
This was used the 195m long 7500-ton main girder for a
precast concrete bridge to span the
15 CRIB POST hydraulic system raises roofs of industrial and
commercial
buildings
This system raises existing roofs of industrial and commercial buildings. With hydraulics, any type or size of roof can be lifted to any reasonable height using a patented lifting post called the Cribpost that has a stand-capacity of 25-tons. The system has created a way for buildings with low clear heights to increase their marketability and takes advantages of time, cost and disposal. Many older buildings located in urban areas have an ideal location for warehousing or distribution but are unsuitable for today’s high racking, storage, and distribution methods. A roof that would take two to three months to rebuild can be lifted in two to three weeks for about half the cost. Keywords: rehab, recycle, temporary support. Contact: Peter M. Vanderklaauw. Liftplate International, Inc.; 18571 SW 104 Avenue; Miami, FL 33157; 305-233-9000; Fax 305-233-0404; Info@liftplate.com; www.liftplate.com.
16 FIBER OPTIC CABLE IN SEWERS delivers broadband service quickly in cities
The municipal sewer company of
17 ELECTRIC CONTACT BREAKER for power tools contacting live/ grounded conductors
Metabo Contact is an electric
contact breaker for power tools used in construction. This adaptation of basic
technology is used predominantly for renovation work, and it is particularly
useful when drilling into elements containing possible grounded water lines,
grounded heating pipes, or oil/gas pipes. Upon exposure to any of these
materials, the contact electronics are activated, the tool’s power is cut, and
an LED glows red to notify the user of the caution. The contact function can
also be switched to the off position during use, but it will always
default to the on position when it is first powered up. Keywords:
rehab, retrofit. Contact: John Ham; Metabo Corp.;
18 ON-SITE DRUG-SCREENING provides immediate results
On-site drug screening is a program to prevent substance
abuse on construction sites. The steps in the program are these: New workers
receive the screening test, which takes 10 minutes. If result is negative, the
worker goes out on the job. If result is inconclusive, the worker does not go
to work, the sample is sent to a lab for a confirmation test. If it comes back
negative, the worker is paid for the 2-5 days s/he was not allowed to work. Of
12,000 workers tested, 3% were inconclusive, of which 95% were positive. Only
6 people, 0.0005%, were paid for the days they did not work. Keywords: drugs,
human resources, safety. Contact: Tim Alter; Rudolph/Libbe, Inc.;
19 LASER TEMPLATING for wood truss fabrication saves 50-70% of jigging time
In wood truss fabrication, jigging involves locating
lumber-holding devices called pucks, which ensure that the shape of the truss
matches its design length, height, and pitch and hold the lumber in place as a
roller embeds connector plates into the joints. Laser projection was being
used for truss jigging; however, it was found that jigging would be more
efficient if the laser projected puck location. Unskilled labor need only
slide a puck to the laser line until the laser lines up with cross hairs on
the puck. The puck is locked into this position. This has reduced time
required to jig a truss by 50-70%, which doubles production and improves
quality. Keywords: fabrication, automate. Contact: Ed Bianchin, P. Eng.;
Virtek Vision International, Inc.;
20 CAREERS WEB SITE describes building trades and lists apprentice programs
This website recruits apprentice and journey workers for
the organized construction industry. It provides a one-stop site for
technically inclined workers to access information and contacts on organized
training schools, and it describes work of each construction discipline. The
site has met overwhelming enthusiasm, and apprenticeship programs have
reported improved applicants from contacts with the site. Online for just over
a year, the site has received more than 100,000 hits, and many interested
individuals have learned about careers in construction. Contact: Sandra L.
Miller; Greater Michigan Plumbing & Mechanical Contractors Association, Inc.;
21 RAPID RESPONSE
MOBILE TRAINING for masons delivers where and when it
is needed
This addresses two concerns: supply of skilled craft workers and tight schedules. The International Masonry Institute dispatches one of three mobile training units when there is not time to send potential craft workers through a formal training program. Rapid Response Mobile Training units deliver career opportunities and quality training where it is needed most. Semi-trailers carry tools, tents, multimedia equipment, and classroom space – everything needed to train 20 pre-apprentices for 12 intense weeks. Training covers technical subjects, including safety and health, blueprint reading, and math, and it uses a series of mockups of all types of masonry details. Students work eight-hour days in this construction site environment. Contact: Clarence Nichols; International Masonry Institute; P. O. Box 755; Cascade, MD 21719; 301-241-5507; Fax 301-241-3571; cnichols@imiweb.org; www.imiweb.org.
22 MODULAR UNITS provide off-site fabrication for pharmaceutical/biotech manufacturing
This is modular construction of pharmaceutical/biotech
manufacturing facilities at an off-site location. Modules are of rugged steel
construction with concrete floors and can weigh 30-plus tons. They are
assembled at the initial construction site, and
process and utility equipment is installed and thoroughly function tested. The
modular plant is disassembled and transported to the client’s site. There the
modules are reassembled and subjected to final validation of all processes and
systems. This modular approach assures the client a guaranteed fixed price and
schedule at the preliminary design stage because of predictability of quality,
schedule, and cost. Moreover, the entire facility is readily moveable to
another site at a fraction of new construction cost. Keyword: prefab. Contact:
Clas Wallenborg;
23 NATIONAL CERTIFICATION of crane operators is uniform, non-political testing
The National Crane Operator Certification Program (CCO) is a nationwide assessment program that determines competency of crane operators through medical, written, and practical examinations. It developed an independent method of assessing crane operator proficiency. It has “leveled the playing field” by defining the knowledge and skill all crane operators should have to safely operate a crane, and then developing fair and reliable examinations to assess competency. Employers in a wide variety of industries nationwide are adopting the CCO program. It is nationally accredited by a nationally recognized professional credentialing authority and officially recognized by Federal OSHA in a formal agreement signed in February 1999. Keyword: safety. Contact: Graham J. Brent; National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators; 2750 Prosperity Avenue, Suite 120; Fairfax, VA 22031-4312; 703-560-2391; Fax 703-560-2392; info@nccco.org; www.nccco.org.
24 LASER SURVEY by helicopter saves time for highway design/construction
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)
and planners and designers from Parsons Brinckerhoff
tested and implemented a helicopter-mounted laser survey using light detecting
and ranging technology (LiDAR) to create a digital
terrain model for constructing a highway. It saved $1.5 million and 9 months
in constructing 42 miles of I-69. The LiDAR survey
used a low flying helicopter, airborne GPS, and 2 GPS base units to obtain
data. Data was evaluated using commercial software to create a digital terrain
model. Before its implementation, TxDOT evaluated
and compared this technology with traditional ground surveyed cross-sections,
aerial photogrammetry, and photogrammetry using airborne GPS. LIDAR has also
been used for power transmission lines, pipelines, and railroads. Contact:
Larry G. Redden; Parsons Brinckerhoff, Inc.; 2777
Stemmens Freeway,
25 CONTINUOUS ACOUSTIC MONITORING for structures identifies wire/strand failures
SoundPrint
is an acoustic monitoring (AM) system that provides long-term monitoring of
structures and bridges to detect failures in tensioned steel elements. AM
monitors lower frequency noises than acoustic emission and detects actual
breakage of wire elements. The main failures in tensioned components are
successive failures of individual wires within a tensioned component without
the owner’s knowledge, because no reliable inspection equipment is available.
SoundPrint now monitors over 4 million square feet
of unbonded structures. The system is being installed in several large
suspension bridges in
26 POTHOLE PATCHING MACHINE blows liquid asphalt and aggregate into void
The Pothole Patcher is a fully automated spray patching
road maintenance vehicle that places asphalt and aggregate into potholes using
a telescoping swing boom on the end of a truck. First, the hole is cleaned
with a high volume blower, and the same nozzle sprays a tack coat of hot
asphalt. Then, aggregate and hot asphalt are combined with the forced air and
shot into the pothole. The valve controlling the asphalt is turned off, and a
topcoat of aggregate is applied. One-man in the safety of the vehicle cab is
more productive and produces higher quality patches than a crew of two or more
using traditional throw-and-go methods. The Pothole Patcher can be used year
round (above 0˚F). Keyword: highway, road, rehab, automate. Contact: Steve
Simons; Rosco Manufacturing Co.; 1001 SW 1st
Street;
27 EXTERIOR CLADDING INSTALLATION on high rise buildings without tower crane
Unitized curtain wall panels
(cladding) are installed entirely from the building’s exterior without the use
of expensive tower cranes. The Beeche method
unloads, stores, transports, hoists, and traverses panels to their
installation points. Its advantages are that it radically reduces labor cost
to erect curtain walls, and it frees up interior floor space for other trades
to perform work sooner and more efficiently. This reduces total construction
costs and reduces competition among trades for scheduling expensive tower
cranes and materials’ elevators at the site, which significantly advances
project completion and virtually eliminates glass curtain wall panel breakage.
It also frees up critical ground space around the perimeter of the building.
Keyword: equipment. Contact: Greg Beeche;
Beeche Systems Corp.; S-G Industrial Park Building
202;
28 PALLET BARRIER FLOOD FIGHTING uses inexpensive, reusable folding pallets
The Aqua-Barrier is a system of angled pallets and
waterproof sheeting that protects against floodwater up to 1.8 meters (6 ft).
It can also be used for temporary basins for contaminated water, slurries, and
finishing ponds. Pallets are inexpensive, can withstand heavy loads, can be
bought or rented almost anywhere in the world, and are very simple to install.
They are of galvanized steel sheets and can be folded together to minimize
storage space. Pallets require no especial anchorages, because they are
anchored to the ground by friction and pressure. They are almost 50 times
quicker than sandbagging, and each pallet is equal to 1.5 tons of sand. The
system is widely used in
29 SEGMENTAL BRIDGE CASTING machines of 3 types used for world’s longest viaduct
The entire 6-lane, 55 kilometer roadway for the world’s
longest viaduct was precast in individual segments by the pre-cast segmental
method using three different types of casting machines. The three were for a
typical casting, pier segment casting, and variable deck geometry casting.
Each machine had its own variety of unique innovations to handle segment
geometry, production, and durability requirements. All machines included grout
sealing for low maintenance, durability, and tie-less design. Low profiling of
the machines brought them lower to the ground to reduce labor requirements.
Contact: Bob Jennings; EFCO Corp.;
30 WEB-BASED MANAGEMENT of projects provides on-line collaboration/ communication
The Cephren ProjectNet is an online, Web-based framework of services that enables geographically dispersed teams to collaborate effectively and efficiently. It supports more than 250 file formats, which enables users to view and edit documents and drawings online regardless of whether they have installed the correct vendor’s software. ProjectNet is the only online project management service offering workflow features that enable team members to send requests for information to designers and builders when changes occur or difficulties are encountered. Each online event is time and date stamped to preserve an audit trail through the life of the project. Contact: Robert J. Majteles; Cephren, Inc.; 1072 East Meadow Circle; Palo Alto, CA 94303; 650-845-2000 or 877-429-1557; Fax 650-845-2014; www.cephren.com.
31 SELF-RISING FORMWORK & PLACING BOOM move as a unit on high-rise buildings
A Doka SKE self-rising system
was used in
32 FIBER-REINFORCED POLYMER REBAR is lighter/stronger than steel without corrosion
Carbon composites are an alternative to steel bars in bridge decks, parking structures, and building facades where corrosion is an issue. The bars do not corrode, and they are easier to install, being much lighter than steel. Their tensile strength is 2 to 3 times that of Grade 60 steel, and they are about 5 times lighter for the same cross section. Bars are made from fiber reinforced polymer laminated composite panel that is cut from a panel to the desired width in rectangular cross-sections. Primary innovative features compared to other composite bars are an improved mechanical bond to concrete, ductility, and variable cross sections that offer efficient use of material. Contact: Petru Petrina; Department of Theoretical & Applied Mechanics; Cornell University; 201½ Wyckoff Ave; Ithaca, NY 14850; 607-255-3143; Fax 607-255-2011; pp25@cornell.edu.
33 TIED-ARCH TRUSS roof system permits fast erection for large arenas
The Big Rig Roof System is an innovative design that has met all desired functional requirements of covered sports facilities and provides a platform for rigging and staging events. The system is sized to permit fast roof erection, either with limited shores at center court or with splices made while arches are still “on the hook.” Design details allow simple bracing connections to support curved roof decks using economical straight members. Long diagonals that require piece-by-piece erection are eliminated to allow field delivery of shop assembled truss segments that greatly reduce construction time. The evolution brought about by the Big Rig Roof System has integrated advantages of cost, aesthetics, speed, and versatility into a fully coordinated structural arrangement. Contact: Thomas Z. Scarangello, P.E.; Thornton-Tomasetti Engineers; 641 Avenue of the Americas; New York, NY 10011; 212-741-1300; Fax 212-645-9236; TScarangello@TTEngineers.com; www.TTEngineers.com.
34 ON-LINE BUILDING PERMITS for residences provides 24/7 service and saves time and cost
Permits On-Line makes the building
permit process more efficient. Using digital signatures, valid credit
card, and capable web browser, contractors and homeowners can apply for and be
issued building permits via the internet for 22 different types of building
permits for which a technical plan review is not required. Permits can be
obtained on-line 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, cutting the routine for
construction permits. Customers can now complete permit applications online,
sign applications using a digital signature, pay permit fees, and receive
permits, all using a standard browser and printer from their home or office.
This saves time, improves service, and reduces costs. Contact: Scott Troyer;
City of
35 EFFLUENT OUTFALL TUNNEL ventilation was quick, inexpensive, safe, and flexible
A critical situation for the 9.5-mile Effluent Outfall
Tunnel $3.5 billion Boston Harbor Project occurred when two divers died during
removal of safety plugs at the base of risers. OSHA demanded ventilating the
entire tunnel. To do so, a jack-up barge was placed over a riser from which
safety plugs had been removed, 110 feet below the water’s surface. A caisson
attached to the barge was installed and dewatered and left open to the
atmosphere over that diffuser. The diffuser manhole cover was opened to the
atmosphere through the caisson, and fresh air was pumped into the tunnel
through the tunnel shaft on