Technical

Jim Klinger, concrete construction specialist The Voice Newsletter February 2022 Full disclosure: The human central nervous system is a totally natural product that looks like it could be peeled right out of one’s dearly departed corpse and laminated onto a great big sheet of plywood (just run an image search for “real nervous system” and see what appears). The system is desig...

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Jim Klinger, concrete construction specialist The Voice Newsletter January 2022 Imagine, if you will, the following scenario.  You are scheduled to start installing rebar and PT for an elevated concrete slab tomorrow.  The plywood deck has been swept clean, and the MEP crew has moved out of your way.  You get a call from your stud rail (also known as PSR, or punching shear resist...

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Jim Klinger, concrete construction specialist The Voice Newsletter January 2022 Full disclosure:  To oversimplify enormously, philosopher Blaise Pascal approached the issue of whether or not there was a deity by saying that, if we took a leap of faith and assumed there was, and we were wrong, then we would lose nothing but a few hours of wasted prayer and adoration.  If we were right,...

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Jim Klinger, concrete construction specialist The Voice Newsletter December 2021 Full disclosure: It’s 17 July 1982, just about first light. I’m beachcombing barefoot along the pristine Ocean City shoreline. Up ahead, I spot a lone surfcaster working the incoming tide. Several species of highly prized sport fish are running along the Jersey coast now, and I can see straightaway this...

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Jim Klinger, concrete construction specialist The Voice Newsletter November 2021 Full disclosure: A pat on the back and a tip of the hat to Vince Bailey, who writes the “Estimators Edge” column that appears in the monthly AWCI (Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry) publication “Construction Dimensions”. In addition to offering estimating guidance, Bailey’s ...

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Jim Klinger, concrete construction specialist, The Voice Newsletter October 2021 Note #1: The ASCC Technical Division welcomes member phone calls to our Hotline and email traffic submitted by members either through the Forum or directly to us. Already this year we have fielded several hundred requests from our members for assistance with technical issues ranging from apparent cold joints in the...

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Jim Klinger, The Voice Newsletter September 2021 The ASCC Hotline has been in existence for about 50 years, taking calls on business, contracts/specifications and technical issues. The success of the Hotline is not about the person answering the calls, but the contractors that call in. As contractors call, more information is obtained about an issue or project, which collectively leads to a pin...

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Jim Klinger, Concrete Construction Specialist, The Voice Newsletter July/August 2021 Call it coincidence. I had a chance to commiserate with an old construction colleague over this past holiday weekend. Both of us had set foot on our first concrete construction jobsite during the second week of July, 1979 at the same small, mid-rise apartment project  just outside Bethesda...

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Jim Klinger, Concrete Construction Specialist, The Voice Newsletter June 2021 About a month ago I purchased one of those so-called “Ebikes” from our local big-box store. This particular model features 14-inch wheels and fold-down handlebars. A rechargeable battery-powered motor can be used to supplement the traditional foot pedals. Gears, shock absorbers and a comfortable seat were ...

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Jim Klinger, Concrete Construction Specialist, The Voice Newsletter, May 2021 Here at your ASCC Technical Division, much of our work product is created in response to concrete construction substrate acceptance issues disclosed by members via hotline calls or prompted by Email Forum posts. Sometimes, for example, a concrete floor slab substrate has been deemed unacceptable by a follow-on...

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