Blog Archives

CONSTRUCTION

Posted by on 25/ 11/ 15

The following material is presented in the format of a typical specification used by one agency for the construction of noise barriers (noise walls). In addition to the type of wall included—timber wall with concrete posts—it can be adapted to walls of other types.

A. Miscellaneous Structure Removal

Abandoned structures and other obstructions shall be removed from the right-of-way and disposed of in accordance with DOT provisions except as modified below:

All debris resulting from the removal items and all other materials that become the property of the contractor and are not recycled into the project shall be disposed of outside the right-of-way in accordance with DOT provisions...

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Voids Filled with Binder

Posted by on 25/ 11/ 15

The standard categorizes minimum and maximum percentages of voids filled with binder (VFB). The following are the available categories of requirements and their denotations:

• Minimum percentage of VFB range from 71 to 86% in increments of 3% (i. e., VFBmin= 71, 74, 77….)[78] plus VFBminNR, where VFBminNR means no requirement.

• Maximum percentage of VFB range from 77 to 92% in increments of 3% (i. e., VFBmax= 77, 80, 83.)f plus VFBmaxNR, where VFBmaxNR means no requirement.

14.5.5 Binder Draindown

Tests of binder draindown should be performed according to EN 12697-18. Available categories of the maximum permitted binder draindown from the SMA mixtures are D03, D06, D10, and DNR, where DNR means no requirement...

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Flood-damage-reduction projects

Posted by on 25/ 11/ 15

A flood-damage-reduction plan includes measures that decrease damage by reducing discharge, stage, and/or damage susceptibility (U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1996). For federal projects in the United States, the objective of the plan is to solve the problem under consideration in a manner that will “… contribute to national economic development (NED) consistent with protecting the Nation’s environment, pursuant to national environmental statutes, appli­cable executive orders, and other Federal planning requirements” (U. S. Water Resources Council, 1983). In the flood-damage-reduction planning traditionally done by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), the level of protection pro­vided by the project was the primary performance indicator (Eiker and Davis, 1996)...

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HOW CAN CLOGS BE AVOIDED?

Posted by on 25/ 11/ 15

How can clogs be avoided? Clogs can be avoided by careful attention to what types of waste enter the septic system. Grease, for example, can cause a septic system to become clogged. Bacteria does not do a good job in breaking down grease. Therefore, the grease can enter the slotted drains and leach field with enough bulk to clog them.

Paper, other than toilet paper, can also clog up a septic system. If the paper is not broken down before entering the drain field, it can plug up the works.

Подпись: ✓ fast code fact Check your local code to see if garbage disposers can be installed in homes that are served by septic systems. Many jurisdictions do not allow garbage disposers in homes that depend on private sewage disposal systems. WHAT ABOUT GARBAGE DISPOSERS,

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Determination of the Void Content

Posted by on 25/ 11/ 15

The determination of the void content in compacted samples should be evaluated according to the standard EN 13108-20, Table D.2, as follows:

• Bulk density of a sample should be determined according to EN 12697-6, Procedure B (Saturated Surface Dry [SSD]).

• Maximum density of sample should be determined according to EN 12697-5, Procedure A (with the use of water).

•

Подпись: f Fu11 range: Vmax3, Vmax3.5, Vmax4, Vmax4.5, Vmax5 Подпись: V 55 V 6 V 65 V 7 V 75 V 8 ' ’ max^’ ’max^'^’ ’max'’ ’max'-^’ ’ max^

Calculating the void contents in compacted samples should be conducted according to EN 12697-8 (based on formulae given there).

VmaxNR.

If determining the void contents in a gyratory compactor at a set value of gyra­tions is required, testing should be conducted according EN 12697-31. In this case, methods of direct measurements of density should not be employed.

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Preparation of Samples

Posted by on 25/ 11/ 15

The method of preparing SMA samples in the laboratory to determine the void content is specified in the standard EN 13108-20, Item 6.5, with details in Annex C (Table C.1). The NAD should provide values of compactive efforts. Permissible methods include the following:

• Impact compaction according to EN 12697-30, with possible energies or 2 x 25 blows, 2 x 50 blows, 2 x 75 blows, or 2 x 100 blows

• Gyratory compactor according to EN 12697-31, with different numbers of gyrations

The standard EN 13108-20 also states that the JMF should clearly state the adopted method and prevailing conditions of the sample preparation.

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Refinishing Floors Safely

Posted by on 25/ 11/ 15

As the Safety Maven of Wingdale notes, "The nice thing about working on floors is that you don’t have far to fall." Nonetheless, there are safety issues to consider when refinishing.

Electrical. Before renting sanders, examine their electrical cords and plugs, reject­ing any that are frayed or appear to have been sanded over. If you don’t have a heavy – duty extension cord, rent or buy one; lightweight household cords could overheat and start a fire. User’s manuals or labels on big sanders indicate minimum cord spec’s. Household circuits must be adequately sized for the equipment:

220-volt drum sanders often require 30-amp circuits; 110-volt sanders typically require 20-amp circuits. In most cases, a drum sander’s 30-amp plug will fit a home’s 30-amp dryer receptacle.

Volatile chemicals...

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FOUNDATION DESIGN

Posted by on 25/ 11/ 15

The capacity of the foundation soil should be determined using accepted engineering prin­ciples and measurement of material parameters such as cohesion and angle of friction, or on the basis of field data such as the standard penetration test or the shear vane test. (See Chap. 8 for pertinent information.) One agency uses the following for default values:

1. Use angle of friction ф = 30° for granular soils and a cohesion value of c = 1000 lb/ft2 (48 kPa) for plastic soils to determine post embedment. Water encountered in soils above embedment depths will require special designs.

2. Use 2000 lb/ft2 (96 kPa) for allowable bearing capacity unless higher values are approved by the soils engineer.

3. A maximum of 2 ft (600 mm) of unbalanced fill on one side of the noise wall will be allowed...

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IS IT THICK ENOUGH TO SAND?

Posted by on 25/ 11/ 15

To avoid splintering wood floors when sanding them, keep at least ‘h in. of solid wood above the tongue of T&G flooring. The easiest way to assess the floor’s thickness is to remove a forced-hot-air floor register and look at the exposed cross sec­tion of flooring. If that’s not possible, pull up a threshold or a piece of trim and bore a small hole to expose a cross section. Or drill in a closet, where no one will see the hole. If you’ve got engi­neered flooring, its wear layer (top veneer layer) won’t be very thick to start with—Vn in. is typical— so start sanding with a less aggressive sandpaper, as suggested in "Floor-Sanding Materials,” on p. 490. In most cases, you can sand an engineered floor at least one or two times...

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Tidal mills

Posted by on 25/ 11/ 15

The notion of using tidal energy certainly came naturally to the people on the Atlantic coast, already familiar with both the tide and river mills. The appearances of tidal mills at several different locations would appear to have been essentially independent. We have already mentioned the Bassora mill, in Iraq, built in the 10th century. According to Frances and Joseph Gies there may be some evidence of such a mill in Ireland around the 8th century.[472] But the real development of such mills did not begin until the 12th century, more or less simultaneously at several locations in western Europe: at Bayonne (1120-1125) and in the Basque country; at Wooton in Hampshire (1132); then along all the east coast of England; at La Rochelle where there are the remains of a gift of Alienor of Aquit...

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