Concrete Pumps are Given a Workout on the Panama Canal Project

While we are not a part of the project, we nevertheless find the engineering feat fascinating on both a professional and personal basis.  The expansion of the Panama Canal will not only double the capacity of the Canal but allow larger ships to pass through it.  The $5.2 billion project is now estimated to be closer to nearly $7 billion, and is the largest project on the canal since it officially opened in 1914.  It is expected to be completed in 2015. 

Once completed, the project will add a third lane of traffic by constructing new lock complexes at each end of the Canal.  On the Pacific side, the lock complex will be located southwest of the existing Miraflores Locks and the other will be east of the existing Gatun Locks.   As part of each lock complex, they contain three chambers that move vessels from sea level to the level of Gatun Lake and back down again.  Wikipedia explains, “Each chamber will have three lateral water-saving basins, for a total of nine basins per lock and 18 basins in total. Just like the existing locks, the new locks and their basins will be filled and emptied by gravity, without the use of pumps.”

What really struck us about this project was a short article by Putzmeister regarding their extensive equipment used on the Panama Canal.  This list includes Twelve Putzmeister Telebelt TB 130’s, one Telebelt TB 200, three 58-Meter Boom Pumps, one 52Z-Meter Boom Pump and four Thom-Katt TK 40 trailer pumps.  All of the equipment was used to construct the two 1,400-foot long by 180-foot wide by 60-foot deep channels that will make up the Canal’s third set of locks. 

We may not be working on the canal but our large pumping and belting divisions based out of Seattle, Northern California and the Washington areas have done their share of big projects.  Just in the last several years, Conco has been a part of many of the more notable construction done on the West Coast. 

Sources:  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Canal_expansion_project

Discover the experience of working with one of the top professional commercial concrete contractors in Northern and Southern California, Nevada, Oregon, Colorado and Washington.  The Conco Companies have been in business since 1959 delivering first-rate concrete services and has all the experience and expertise to handle even the most challenging projects. 

Conco is Committed to Meeting All New Requirements and Regulations

Safety is always in the forefront at The Conco Companies, and in that effort, we recognize the importance of keeping up with any new changes in safety procedures and regulations.  One important update occurred this past March with the publication of ASME’s B30.27-2014 Jobsite Responsibilities for Material Placement System that outlines specific responsibilities on the jobsite. 

The American National Standard’s most notable change came with the addition of language that was taken from the mobile crane standards to now use in concrete placement.  The new regulation includes a translation requirement for companies that import equipment into the U.S. and a clear description of responsibilities for general contractors, pump operators, and concrete mixer truck drivers as well as for anyone else that is a part of the process. 

The publication, Concrete Facts, explains the new regulation as such, “If specialized training is required, it is shown. Expectations of setup locations are spelled out. What an operator should know, and the items a contractor should consider when ordering a machine are listed. The only way everyone can go home safely after the pour is if everyone knows their piece of the safety puzzle and works to accomplish it.”

The new regulations will go into effect next year but the American Concrete Pumping Association (ACPA) has already stepped up to make sure their safety training programs comply with the new regulations.  Their goal is to see to it that concrete pump operators and ready mix drivers meet the safety training and competency requirements spelled out in the ASME B30.27-2014.   

At Conco, we continue to work at creating the safest work environment for all employees, fellow contractors, customers, and the general public.  As one of the largest pumping and belting companies in the U.S., we implement the highest safety standards in the industry.

Sources:

cfawalls.org/concretefacts/2014/06/30/a-new-american-national-standard-for-material-placement-safety/

mydigimag.rrd.com/publication/?i=216900

Conco is one of the leading commercial concrete contractors in the Western United States.  We have four regional offices serving California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Colorado and are experts at creating cost-effective solutions that take advantage of the most up-to-date techniques.  Our concrete services include commercial, educational, parking and other construction development as well as public works projects.

Conco’s Pumps are Located to Conveniently Serve the West

The Conco Companies’ pumping and belting division is one of the largest in the United States and is a very important and busy part of our operations.  After our historic Wilshire Grand mat pour, Conco got right to work on the attached parking structure and 73-story building that make up the project.  Our crews will be pumping approximately 80,000 yards of concrete vertically, which includes both lightweight concrete and 8,000 psi mixes. 

On the jobsite, we kept both of the placing boom towers that were used on the mat pour and brought in two additional placing booms to help with the construction of the underground parking structure.  We will use one of our trailer pumps to place shotcrete for the vertical concrete in the subterranean levels. 

In order to conveniently serve the pumping needs of our customers in Southern California, Northern California, Washington, Oregon, and Nevada, we have equipment strategically located throughout these areas.   To serve the Los Angeles area, we have a pumping facility in nearby Gardena and another based out of San Bernardino County.  Two pumping facilities in Martinez and Stockton service the Bay Area and Northern California.  For Washington and Oregon customers, our pumping facilities are based in nearby Kent and Rochester, WA.    

Our impressive fleet of pumps permit us to take on a project of the magnitude of the Wilshire Grand in Los Angeles, the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco, and the San Francisco 49ers Levi Stadium just to name a few.   We continue to expand our inventory of pumps and over the last several years have made large capital investments on equipment such as three brand new Schwing 58X long boom concrete pumps and several new 20, 39 and 47 meter pumps as well as new Telebelts. 

One of our most recent acquisitions included help from us to design and then to purchase the first, two Schwing S 36X pumps with tremmie options that allow us to safely support up to 1,100 at the boom.  All of our new pumps meet the latest emissions standards.

The Conco Companies has built a reputation in the greater Los Angeles area with first-class concrete reinforcing, formwork, place and finish, shotcrete and other ancillary services that benefit from our vast experience.  We have offered premium concrete services throughout the Western U.S. since 1959, and have four regional offices serving California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Colorado.

How Do Concrete Pumps Work?

The Conco Companies have been working on the Wilshire Grand in Los Angeles, which is slated to become the tallest build west of the Mississippi.  This project has included our world record largest continuous mat pour last February and since then, moving and placing concrete on each level of the skyscraper. 

For help with the job, Conco purchased a new Schwing M31 concretepump that was specifically designed to handle the heavy lifting of concrete loads that in the past needed the assistance of cranes.  Our new tremmie pump has up to 1,100 pounds of capacity for lifting up to 60’ tremmies of 4” 11Ga. safely without a crane assist. 

So exactly how do concrete pumps work?  A concrete pump is a specialized piece of equipment that is designed to handle the heavy weight of concrete and to keep it moving to prevent it from solidifying.  The process starts with a concrete truck discharging concrete into a hopper that is located on the back of the pump truck.  From there the concrete falls through a mesh gate on the hopper that is used to prevent large pieces of rock from moving into the pump truck hoses.  An auger inside the hopper churns the concrete to keep it liquid and flowable. 

Now that the concrete is in the hopper, “it gets sucked into a valve system in small intervals or strokes. As some of the concrete is being sucked into the valve, the concrete before it is being simultaneously pushed through the concrete pipe on the pump truck boom until it reaches the end of the concrete hose and placed where you need it.”   

The concrete placement continues with the pump operator monitoring the process for any blockages and making sure the hopper stays full.  The safety and stability of the pump is provided by the front and back riggers and the ACPA says that, “Setting the outriggers of a concrete pump with placing boom is one of the most critical jobs of the concrete pump operator and should always be done in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommended procedure.”

The Conco Companies have built a reputation in the Los Angeles area with superior concrete formwork, reinforcing, place and finish, shotcrete and other ancillary services that benefit from our vast experience.  We have been offering premium concrete services throughout the Western U.S. since 1959, and have four regional offices serving California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Colorado.

Sources:

everything-about-concrete.com/how-does-a-concrete-pump-truck-work.html

concretepumpers.com/sites/www.concretepumpers.com/files/attachments/sb_outriggers_1.pdf 

Conco’s Concrete Pumps Available Throughout California

The Conco Companies have owned and operated one of the largest concrete pumping companies in the United States for over 40 years.  To remain a leader, we continue to invest in new concretepumps to provide customers one of the most modern, state-of-the-art operations on the West Coast. 

In fact our concrete pumps helped us to successfully undertake the largest continuous mat pour for the new Wilshire Grand tower this past February to break the Guinness World Record.  Also on this project, we will use our equipment to pump concrete to reach the top floors of the 1,100 ft. tall skyscraper that is scheduled to become the tallest building in the West once it is completed.

To serve our customers, we have a large fleet of 27 concrete pumps that are located in Northern California (12 pumps) and Southern California (15 pumps).  Our pumps are manufactured by two of the top names in the industry.  Putzmeister America, Inc. is the North American division of one of the most recognized and respected manufacturers of concrete and material placing equipment.  Schwing America is a member of the SCHWING Group, a worldwide designer, manufacturer and distributor of premium concrete production and handling equipment that is headquartered in Herne, Germany.

Both our Northern and Southern California locations have a Schwing 58SX long boom concrete pump that meets the latest emissions standards and is helping to reduce emissions at our jobsites.  With a 4-Section Overhead Roll and Fold, the innovative boom design works well on bridges, commercial and industrial work and has a reach of 175 feet. The versatile boom has a main section that articulates 180-degrees, which allows it to be angled away from the pour and then guided horizontally into enclosed areas, positioned vertically for elevated work, and stretched out over the cab for flatwork.

Another impressive pump we have available in both locations is the Putzmeister 36Z.  With its detachable Putzmeister Z-Fold boom, the 36Z has great reach.  It is the only four-section, 116-foot 10-inch boom on the market using X-style outriggers. The powerful pumping performance with a small footprint makes it perfect for restrictive job sites.

Conco is a leading supplier of concrete services for the Western United States.  We have four regional offices serving California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Colorado. Our concrete services include commercial, educational, parking and other construction development as well as public works projects.

Structural Light-weight Concrete

The Conco Companies have always been on the leading edge of technological advances in the industry as demonstrated by our purchase of the new state-of-the art electric pump that we are using on the Wilshire Grand project in L.A.  The high pressure, high powered pump is the only electric pump of its size being used on the West Coast to pump concrete.  It will allow us to pump concrete 400 ft. horizontally and then 1,000 ft. vertically to reach the upper levels of the Wilshire tower. 

While the equipment used by the industry continues to become more and more sophisticated, so have the advancements in concrete practices and technology that help to improve the durability and strength of concrete.  High-performance concrete (HPC) and structural light-weight concrete have contributed to the versatility and functionality of concrete.   

Structural light-weight concrete is often used on skyscrapers and bridge decks as well as other projects where weight is a factor.  Light-weight concrete allows the concrete to be verticallypumped to great heights.  The process for making the concrete is to replace all or some of the ordinary aggregate with a lighter weight aggregate.  The light-weight aggregates used are natural materials such as pumice or scoria or processed aggregates that include shales, clays, slates and slags.   

Light-weight concrete generally has a density that is not greater than 1850 kg/m. and conforms to ASTM C 330.  It has a “compressive strength in excess of 2500 psi at 28 days when tested in accordance with methods stated in ASTM C 330.”  An article from Concrete Construction, states that, “Since it is generally 20% to 40% lighter than normal weight concrete, a structure’s dead load can be reduced, its foundation cost lowered, and it’s concrete and rebar needs lessened.” 

Sources:

concretecountertopinstitute.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=33

escsi.org/uploadedFiles/Technical_Docs/Structural_Lightweight_Concrete/4600.1%20SLWC%20-%20Concrete%20Construction%2007-95.pdf

Conco is a leading supplier of concrete services for the Western United States. We got our start in the Bay Area in 1959 by offering clients the best value on a wide range of concrete services and products.  Since that time, we have taken a leading role as one of the top concrete contractors in the region. We have four regional offices serving California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Colorado.

How Do Articulating Booms Enhance Maneuverability?

The ultimate advancement in moving concrete has been the concrete pump.  The Conco Companies own an impressive number of different size pumps that gives us the opportunity to use the very best equipment available in the industry to meet the specifics of each job.

As the saying goes that you need to use the right tool for the right job so is it goes for concrete pumps.  Many jobs could not be done without the boom pumps that can reach up to 184 feet horizontally to place concrete on to the upper floors of today’s super tall skyscrapers but just as important to the industry are articulating boom pumps.    

Articulating booms known as roll-and-fold or Z-fold come in four-section multi-Z booms or five-section Z-Fold booms and offer a lot of versatility and a great working range.  These booms can maneuver around obstacles and be used to reach difficult places but still provide a good vertical reach (the exact amounts depends on the model).  Another advantage to articulating booms is even though they offer a long reach they are able to fold up to a much smaller size when transporting.   

One example of an articulating boom is the Putzmeister 28Z.  Conco thinks it is such an important addition to our booms that we have one in all of our pumping locations including the Seattle area.  The pump offers a smooth concrete flow while having the smallest front outrigger footprint of all models in its class.  Since the 28Z does not require a large vertical clearance to unfold, it can unfold inside of a building when a job calls for it.  The smaller size means it travels easily and can be set up quickly. 

These lighter and very resilient pumps can adapt to different loads and now feature longer straight pipe for a less stressful concrete flow and better wear on parts.  The multi-Z configuration can pump even if the boom is not fully extended and “their elbow-like joints, controlled independently by hydraulic cylinders, often allow the operator to place concrete at any point between the truck and the boom’s maximum horizontal and vertical reach.”

Sources:

concreteconstruction.net/Images/What's%20New%20in%20Truck-Mounted%20Boom%20Pumps_tcm45-342799.pdf

The Conco Companies has built a reputation in the Los Angeles area with superior concrete formwork, reinforcing, place and finish, shotcrete and other ancillary services that benefit from our vast experience.  We have been offering premium concrete services throughout the Western U.S. since 1959, and have four regional offices serving California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Colorado.