1224 BC 2: Industry Day

Virtexco had a crane set up with a mock hallway and accompanying HVAC system that was to be hoisted and installed on top of the hallway.Before making the pick, the crane operator went over some basic knowledge for making picks with us. He talked about how the rigging attached to the unit has to have tags on them giving important information about the rigs such as weight limits. Then one student was given a crash course in the hand signals used between a crane operator and a signaller. (The hand signal chart is below.) Then the crane operator worked with the student to determine the radius necessary to make the pick to move the mock HVAC onto the mock hallway. The crane operator wrote down the numbers on the dash so that he could take the boom back to the same location. Then Rusty and Gregg hooked the rigging for lifting the mock HVAC onto the boom. After all this was done was when the unit could finally be picked.

A fellow student using the hand signals to communicate with the crane operator. Right now, he is telling the crane operator to lower the unit down (or lower). Mike Depp is holding the tag line leading out the right side of the picture which is used to stabilize the unit and prevent it from rotating on the boom while in the air.

This is the diagram of hand signals that is mounted on the side of the crane.

The fully constructed mock hallway with HVAC unit installed on top. One cross brace was screwed in on each end to add some structural integrity to the demo.

Spectra I.S. and American Infrastructure are 2 companies that are integrating GPS units into the field to utilize the ability to immediately update changes that correspond to both actual fieldwork and office drawings. By using the GPS technology, both the field and the office are on the same page at all times during the project. This use of technology allows for people in the office to be able to see what is happening in the field at real time and also makes automatic changes to drawings to match actual work. The technology works in reverse also by semi-automating machinery to aid operators to perform the right job the first time. For example, the computer reads the drawings, sends the data to a grading caterpillar, and sets the plow to the correct depth instantly with automatic adjustments when needed to allow operators to grade areas perfectly without need for back fill.

This is some of the new GPS equipment used in the field that transmits changes back to the office. The picture on the left is a surveying tripod with gps computer attached at the middle (picture on the right) and a digital auto-level. The other transmitter is in the background on the right of the left-picture sitting on the wall. The picture on the right is the GPS computer with a site plan on the screen. All this technology uses Wi-Fi and bluetooth technology to communicate.

Chandler is a concrete specialty contracting company that brought a mixing drum truck and a flat bed with some reinforcing materials and forklift mounted on the back. I spoke with one of Chandler's employees about the gauges on the left side of the truck near the cabin of the truck (picture on the right). He told me that one of the gauges measured how much water he had left in his tanks to mix into the drum with the concrete mix, and that the other gauge told him how much additive he left in his tanks to mix in with the concrete in order to create the best consistency. I also talked to him about how the concrete was mixed and how it was forced out of the drum when pouring. He explained to me that the inside of the drum is designed with a screw thread pattern that while turning one direction pushes the concrete mix and water down towards the cabin end of the drum, which causes the mixing of the concrete. To force the concrete out the back end and down the chutes, the rotation of the drum is reversed which causes the screw-thread pattern to grab the concrete from the cabin end of the drum and pull it towards the back end, finally forcing it out the opening and down the chutes.

PERMATILE is a company that will build just about anything out of concrete. They build concrete piping, mats, electric manholes, wet and dry wells, retaining walls (which are eco-friendly), traffic barriers, box culverts, Hy-Span instant bridges, and complete buildings. The picture to the right is a possible mock wall with examples of the types of insulation and structural steel they might use (batt insulation, ridged insulation, etc...)