Construction Engineering Australia V7.04 Dec 2021/Jan 2022

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MasterSuna® RCT 323 Returned Concrete Recycling MADE EASY

SHANDYING...

YOU WOULDN’T STAND FOR IT WITH YOUR BEER… SO WHY STAND FOR IT WITH YOUR STEEL?

Are you getting what you ordered? (and what you PAID for?)

Does ALL of the steel you’re receiving comply with the right Standards?

The problem of mixed supply (or as it’s more commonly known, ‘shandying’) can have serious consequences – even if you’re specifying construction steels to meet Australian and New Zealand Standards.

Shandying can occur when conforming supply is ordered, but only a portion of the product supplied is sourced from ACRS Certified suppliers (and the rest is sourced from somewhere else). Using non ACRS Certified steel can leave you with non-compliant construction steel... and the risks that come with that.

By providing effective continuous review of both the manufacturer and the fabricator/processor, ACRS 2-stage steel certification scheme and the new ACRS traceability scheme play a major role in reducing the risk of shandying on your project.

Talk to us TODAY about how ACRS Certification gives you confidence in your steel supply.

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Ph: (02) 9965 7216 | E: info@steelcertification.com ABN: 40 096 692 545

ACRS - Independent, Expert Third Party Certification & Verification of Reinforcing, Prestressing and Structural Steels for Compliance with Australian and New Zealand Standards

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Editorial and Publishing Consultants Pty Ltd

ABN 85 007 693 138 PO Box 510, Broadford Victoria 3658 Australia Phone: 1300 EPC GROUP (1300 372 476) Int’l: +61 3 5784 2210 www.epcgroup.com Publisher and Managing Editor Anthony T Schmidt Phone: 1300 EPCGROUP (1300 372 476) Mobile: 0414 788 900 Email: ats@epcgroup.com Business Development Manager Lawrence Whiter Mobile: 0418 543 821 Email: lawrencewhiter@bigpond.com National Advertising Sales Manager Yuri Mamistvalov Phone: 1300 EPCGROUP (1300 372 476) Mobile: 0419 339 865 Email: yuri@epcgroup.com Advertising Sales - SA Jodie Gaffney - AmAgo Mobile: 0439 749 993 Email: jodie@amago.com.au Advertising Sales - WA Licia Salomone - OKeeffe Media Mobile: 0412 080 600 Email: licia@okm.com.au Graphic Design Annette Epifanidis Mobile: 0416 087 412

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Editorial

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Industry News

DEC 2021/JAN 2022 Volume 7 Number 4

10 Cover Feature: MasterSuna RCT 323 Returned Concrete Recycling made

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easy

16 Asset Management 20 ACRS Feature

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26 Precast Technology 30 Product Focus: Aussie Pumps Admiral 4000

32 Concrete Repairs

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34 Formwork Feature 38 Product Feature: Big River Nagambie Brewery

40 Innovative Solutions 42 Digital Technology Feature

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About the Cover MasterSuna RCT 323, an innovative new product from Master Builders Solutions, provides a fast, efficient and extremely easy-to-use recycling solution for returned ready-mixed concrete waste.

Turn to Page 10 for the full story.

EDITORS COLUMN

MANAGING URBAN SPRAWL

Investing in infrastructure to meet the needs of our expanding cities Dear Readers, While few would question the complexities associated with urban planning and development, it is also clear that in some areas - particularly ‘urban sprawl areas’ something appears to have ‘gone badly awry’.

More specifically, it appears that regardless of the much touted focus on ‘building communities’, the provision of appropriate supporting infrastructure, or for that matter, ensuring the suitability and/ or capacity of existing infrastructure in the vicinity of many new developments is still, for many, a secondary consideration.

That’s not to say that the majority of commercial and residential developers don’t focus on providing infrastructure within the new developments - quite the contrary. For most developers, highlighting the array of facilities and services within the new residential estate or commercial area is often the number one selling point.

Unfortunately, in the majority of instances, it appears that the focus on quality infrastructure extends only as far as the boundaries of the development precinct.

More often than not, there appears to be little or no concern on behalf of those involved about the impact that a sudden increase in population (working and/or residential) and, in particular, the associated increases in vehicular traffic or 2

Construction Engineering Australia • Dec 2021/Jan 2022

increased demand for public transport, will have on the surrounding areas.

These issues are further compounded by the fact that in recent years, many new developments are now being marketed as ‘multifunction’ or ‘mixed-use’ precincts, where there is a particular focus on the establishment of home offices and/or micro businesses in with the residential dwellings (ideal in the post-COVID world) - thereby further increasing activity and demand.

What’s more, when it comes to the existing infrastructure - particularly roads and drainage - in the outlying and in many instances, until recently, semi-rural areas that are often chosen as the location for these developments is often well past its ‘use-by date’ and is already being expected to cope with demands that far exceed its original design specification.

With that in mind, I believe that unless we urgently address the problems associated with the lack of appropriate infrastructure and facilities in the areas around these new estates and developments, we are seriously running the risk of undoing much of the excellent work that has been done in recent years to improve the quality of life in our cities particularly in terms of our road network.

It’s simply not good enough to place a set of traffic lights at the entry to a new estate and consider it effective ‘traffic management’.

Sadly, there are a number of major new estates that haven’t even provided traffic lights! And even if there are traffic lights, they do nothing to overcome the problems of traffic congestion that results from the introduction of hundreds (if not thousands) of additional vehicles onto an already ‘overstretched’ road network - a road network which in many instances was never designed or intended to carry such high levels of traffic.

I believe that the only way to overcome these issues is to take an holistic approach to infrastructure development - one that considers the wider ‘footprint’ of these new developments and takes into account the ‘true’ impact on the surrounding areas.

Needless to say, this process must then also deliver appropriate funding for the development and delivery of suitable infrastructure in the areas surrounding new estates. And this new and/or upgraded infrastructure needs to be delivered and fully-operational prior to the completion of the new estate - lest we run the risk of developing very expensive suburbs with second-rate facilities and access.

Anthony T Schmidt Managing Editor

MasterSuna® RCT 323

Returned concrete recycling made easy

MasterSuna® RCT 323 from Master Builders Solutions provides a fast, efficient and extremely easy-to-use recycling solution for returned ready-mixed concrete waste.

Simply add the dissolvable, water-soluble bags directly into the agitator drum of the concrete truck, spin it up for 60-90 seconds and empty it out. Next day, you’ll have a high quality gravel like material which breaks up extremely easily and is ideal for use as road base, construction backfill, or any number of applications.

Call us today on 1300 227 300 or scan the QR Code for more information.

A brand of

INDUSTRY NEWS

TECHTRONIC IN COURT FOR ALLEGED RESALE PRICE MAINTENANCE OVER POWER TOOLS The ACCC has instituted Federal Court proceedings against Techtronic Industries Australia Pty Limited (Techtronic), alleging it engaged in resale price maintenance in relation to the wholesale supply of Milwaukee brand power tools, hand tools and accessories, in breach of the Competition and Consumer Act. Resale price maintenance (also known as RPM) occurs when a supplier engages in conduct which prevents, or attempts to prevent, resellers of their goods or services from advertising or selling the goods or services below a specified minimum price.

The ACCC alleges that, between 2015 and 2021, Techtronic engaged in RPM conduct, including by entering into 96 agreements with independent dealers and buying groups which restricted the sale of Milwaukee products below a specified minimum price. The ACCC also alleges that Techtronic enforced these agreements by issuing reminders, warnings and breach notices to dealers that advertised or sold Milwaukee products below the specified minimum price.

In addition, it is alleged that Techtronic withheld supply from two of the dealers to enforce the restrictions on price discounting below the specified minimum price.

“Requiring retailers to charge at or above a minimum price for products in the way that we allege Techtronic has done, stifles retailers’ ability to compete on price, which ultimately hurts consumers. This is particularly so in industries where retailers would otherwise strongly compete on price, such as by offering price match guarantees to consumers,” ACCC Deputy Chair Mick Keogh said.

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Construction Engineering Australia • Dec 2021/Jan 2022

“We alleged that Techtronic’s actions meant Milwaukee power tool dealers could not sell the products at a discount below the specified minimum price, depriving consumers of the chance to benefit from lower prices driven by competition.”

The ACCC is seeking penalties, declarations, injunctions, a compliance program order, an order for corrective advertising and costs.

Techtronic is the Australian subsidiary of Hong Kong based Techtronic Industries Co Ltd, and is a major supplier of power tools in Australia. Its registered office and principal place of business are in Melbourne, Victoria. Techtronic is a wholesale supplier of Milwaukee products nationally to dealers and dealer groups, including major retailers with multiple outlets and buying groups of multiple independent retailers.

WHAT IS RPM Resale price maintenance (RPM) occurs where a supplier: • makes it known they will not supply unless a reseller agrees to advertise or sell at a price not less than a specified minimum price; • induces or attempts to induce the reseller not to advertise or sell below a specified minimum price; • enters into agreements or offers to enter into agreements for the supply of goods on terms that the reseller does not to advertise or sell below a specified minimum price; • withholds supply of goods or services because a reseller, or a purchaser from the reseller, has not agreed not to advertise or sell below a specified

minimum price; or has advertised or sold (or is likely to sell) at a price below a specified minimum price; • uses, in relation to goods or services supplied or that may be supplied, a statement as to price which is likely to be understood by the purchaser as a minimum resale price.

Resale price maintenance is strictly prohibited by the Competition and Consumer Act and is not subject to a substantially lessening competition test.

More information about resale price maintenance can be found at Imposing minimum resale prices.

Companies may lodge a notification of Resale Price Maintenance conduct or apply for authorisation of proposed RPM conduct, which will be permitted if the likely public benefit from the resale price maintenance conduct outweighs the likely detriment from the conduct.

In June 2020, the ACCC rejected a proposal by Stanley Black & Decker to set a minimum advertised price for Dewalt brand power tools and accessories, following a resale price maintenance notification it had lodged with the ACCC. In March 2021, the Federal Court ordered B & K Holdings (QLD) Pty Ltd, trading as FE Sports to pay a $350,000 penalty after it declared by consent that FE Sports had engaged in resale price maintenance in relation to cycling and sporting products.

In September 2021, Nero Bathrooms admitted to likely resale price maintenance by withholding supply of its tapware products from a small independent retailer who declined to raise its advertised prices.

© PROGRESS GROUP | Firmengruppe Max Bögl

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INDUSTRY NEWS

MB SOLUTIONS ANZ AND BLUEY TECHNOLOGIES COMMIT TO NET ZERO 2030 While matters of sustainability and carbon emissions have been in the media spotlight more than ever recently - especially in relation to the recent COP26 United Nations Climate Change Conference - the team at MB Solutions Australia, MB Solutions New Zealand and Bluey Technologies have spent much of the past year working to develop and implement the sustainability strategies which will guide all aspects of their business operations from 2021 well into the future.

In line with this commitment, the companies have established a Sustainability Council to help drive, develop and monitor the processes for sustainable development across their Australian and New Zealand operations, including amongst other things, implementing strategies that will enable them to achieve Carbon Neutrality by 2030.

Speaking about the sustainability goals, Jason Bolt, Executive Director with MB Solutions, commented: “From our products and services, through to our manufacturing operations and day-

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Construction Engineering Australia • Dec 2021/Jan 2022

to-day business activities, our goal is to lead responsibly - driving business growth in tandem with a genuine commitment to the four key pillars of Social, Environmental, Cultural and Economic Sustainability.”

In keeping with the global MBCC Group’s ESD goals and initiatives, the companies’ sustainability targets and initiatives are focused on a range of key areas including reducing consumption of electricity, gas, water and natural resources; minimising waste; maximising recycling and resource recovery; developing compostable packaging solutions, utilising secondary raw materials and other by-products to benefit the circular economy; and changing their fleet to electric-powered or hybrid vehicles.

“Importantly, our commitment to world’s best practice sustainable operations isn’t just empty words or clever marketing – it is a genuine commitment to minimising the environmental impact of our products and operations,” Jason Bolt said.

“It’s also about us being open to emerging technologies and discovering ways in which these can be implemented to benefit our day-to-day business operations as well as those of our customers.”

“The road to sustainability and Net Zero 2030 is a complex journey, and it is not without its challenges. And while some of our planned projects will no doubt take some time to implement, we’re already well on the way to achieving some of our sustainability goals, with a number of the first raft of projects nearing completion,” Jason concluded.

You can join MB Solutions and Bluey Technologies on their journey towards Net Zero 2030 at: https://www.master-builderssolutions.com/en-au/about-us/sustainability

INDUSTRY NEWS

INDUSTRY-FIRST CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING GUIDE LAUNCHED In an industry first, the Australian Constructors Association and Engineers Australia are overhauling the training and development guidelines for construction engineers—setting new and tighter benchmarks for skills and competencies across the sector.

The Construction Engineering Learning and Development Guide will create a pathway to recognise construction engineers globally in their area of expertise.

Australian Constructors Association CEO Jon Davies said the guidelines will provide clarity on career pathways for engineers in the construction sector.

“This is not only critical to retain engineers already working in the industry but to also attract a more diverse range of people to join,” Mr Davies said.

“We encourage industry to incorporate these competencies into their current learning and development frameworks to improve consistency of skills across the sector.”

Engineers Australia CEO Dr Bronwyn Evans said a sustainable construction industry is heavily reliant on the skills of its workforce and the new guide sets a high industry benchmark.

“In Australia and across the globe, governments are relying heavily on the construction industry to rebuild economies, yet capacity and capability constraints represent a real risk to the successful delivery of a record pipeline of infrastructure projects,” Dr Evans said.

“The Construction Engineering Learning and Development Guide has been developed to align with the Engineers Australia Chartered Elements of Competence and complement existing organisational learning and development pathways.

“Ultimately, this sets the foundations for a new Construction Area of Practice for global recognition of construction engineers.”

The guide is now available to download from: https://engineersaustralia.org.au/ sites/default/files/resource-files/2021-11/ construction-engineer-learningdevelopment-guide.pdf

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7

INDUSTRY NEWS

LATEST INEIGHT INNOVATIONS FACILITATE CONSTRUCTION 4.0 CAPITAL PROJECTS, TOUT COMPATIBILITY WITH NEW INTEGRATION PARTNER Enhancements to InEight’s open, integrated platform of solutions continue to create efficient, streamlined construction capabilities and equip project stakeholders with end-to-end visibility over capital project cash flow, costs, risks and assets.

InEight Inc., a global leader in construction project management software, recently announced the next instalment in a series of quarterly platform enhancements, the latest of which are designed to help minimise risk through price certainty, reduce operational costs with a digital twin, and enable customers to maximise use of daily tools for capital projects by leveraging a broad ecosystem of integration partners and data sets.

“The embrace of digitalisation in the construction industry – often described as Construction 4.0 – is only accelerating thanks to recent trends like remote work, sustainability, and supply chain shortages,” said Brad Barth, Chief Product Officer at InEight.

“Our open, integrated and secure construction management platform is enabling this transformation with an alldigital approach from project conception through asset turnover. Owners and contractors alike can create more realistic plans, budgets and schedules – informed by the collective knowledge of previous projects – and then execute those projects 8

Construction Engineering Australia • Dec 2021/Jan 2022

with full visibility to risks and expected outcomes.”

The latest innovations are aimed to equip capital project owners and contractors with intelligent data to make smarter decisions.

Enhancements will ensure cost certainty by identifying potential cash flow issues during the estimating phase to generate predictive pricing, as well as optimise pricing strategy for a wide variety of delivery models. Also, the digital twin provides shared access to a common environment where operational data is available in real-time, enabling crossdepartmental decision-making that creates closer alignment between project owners and contractors.

The new integration with SiteSense® by Intelliwave Technologies will see InEight’s open platform incorporate the construction industry’s widely adopted solution for digital supply chain, materials management and tracking of project materials and equipment to enable a holistic overview of project assets and create dynamic, data-driven capital project schedules and budgets. With rising material prices and shortages causing cost increases and delays to infrastructure projects, these innovations will enable smarter construction projects that proactively and predictively adjust everything from price to project schedule based on intelligent data.

Additional integrated platform enhancements offer a complete view of construction projects by unifying data from the back office to the jobsite and across the

project lifecycle with Microsoft Dynamics 365, provide real-time photos and video of projects for licensed EarthCam customers, and allow the exchange of data between InEight and Ryvit’s Viewpoint Vista.

The latest platform enhancements also include: • Realistic risk-based contingency analysis to optimise profit margins and project win rate • Quality and commissioning managed in one platform to seamlessly interconnect workflows from construction to operations • Access to parametric assemblies and templates from Database Solutions during the estimating process For more information about InEight’s quarterly innovations, please visit: www.ineight.com/innovations

ABOUT INEIGHT InEight provides field-tested project management software for the owners, contractors, engineers and architects who are building the world around us.

Over 400,000 users and more than 850 customers worldwide rely on InEight for realtime insights that help manage risk and keep projects on schedule and under budget across the entire life cycle. From pre-planning to design, from estimating to scheduling, and from field execution to turnover, InEight has powered more than $400 billion in projects globally across infrastructure, public sector, energy and power, oil, gas and chemical, mining, and commercial.

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E-COMMERCE SET TO EXPAND IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY’S SUPPLY CHAIN The national employer association Ai Group recently announced that it has been licensed to establish a chapter of ETIM International for Australia and New Zealand.

The E commerce/B2B based ETIM Technical Information Model is an international standard for the classification of technical product data. It is used by global manufacturers, distributors, and end-users doing business in dozens of countries to help them make better informed decisions on what are the best products for specific applications. The model and related product information also gives specifiers greater confidence that the products specified will be fit for their intended purpose.

Ai Group Chief Executive, Innes Willox, said that the introduction of ETIM into the construction supply chains of Australia and New Zealand would significantly enhance the supply of building and construction products.

“We at Ai Group have been pursuing the digitisation of industries for some time now and we are particularly pleased to be given the opportunity to operate a chapter of ETIM for Australia and New Zealand.”

“ETIM will make it much easier for the construction industry to identify and then specify the best products for construction activities and will save manufacturers, distributors and contractors significant time and cost,” Mr Willox said.

The chapter will be managed by Lindsay Le Compte, Ai Group's General Manager (Construction and Infrastructure) and head of Ai Group’s Construction Supply Chain Council. It will commence with the classification of products in the electro-technical sector.

Speaking about the decision, Mr Le Compte said: “Ai Group has already secured the support of major local and international electrical product manufacturers and distributors and we expect the chapter membership to grow significantly as the ETIM model is rolled out across the industry and its product lines.”

“Implementation of the ETIM model will also assist local manufacturers seeking access to export markets as the model will enable them to provide technical data relating to their products in a common internationally recognised format and in many different languages across key world markets,” Mr Le Compte said.

“There are also expected to be benefits for the industry in meeting product assurance and compliance responsibilities by linking the ETIM model to International and Australian Standards. We will talk with regulators to examine how ETIM may assist with their product registration, surveillance and check testing activities.”

“Importantly, user access to product technical information prepared for product lines using the ETIM model will be free,” Me Le Compte said.

Stephen Coop, Chief Executive of Australian manufacturer and distributor, NHP Electrical Engineering Products, praised Ai Group for its vision and support of the industry.

“The general use in Australia and New Zealand of international data models like ETIM is the way of the future for our industry and we congratulate Ai Group for taking this initiative which has our full support,” Mr Coop said.

Work is currently underway to expand the ETIM chapter to plumbing and HVAC products followed by general building products.

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COVER FEATURE

RETURNED CONCRETE RECYCLING MADE EASY MasterSuna® RCT 323, an innovative new product from Master Builders Solutions, provides a fast, efficient and extremely easy-to-use recycling solution for returned ready-mixed concrete waste.

MasterSuna RCT 323 allows ready-mixed concrete producers to convert returned fresh concrete into a usable material suitable for use in a range of applications including road base and construction backfill quickly and efficiently, without the need for any additional specialist equipment.

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Construction Engineering Australia • Dec 2021/Jan 2022

COVER FEATURE

R

eturned concrete has always represented a significant challenge for ready-mixed concrete suppliers, both logistically, financially and environmentally. Regardless of whether it’s processed through a mechanical recycling system, used for blocks, stockpiled for crushing, or simply disposed of at landfill, dealing with returned fresh concrete can be both time-consuming and expensive. Now, all of this looks set to change, thanks to an innovative new product from global construction chemicals specialists Master Builders Solutions.

Known as MasterSuna RCT 323, this remarkable new admixture allows ready-mixed concrete producers to convert returned fresh concrete into a usable material suitable for use in a range of applications including road base and construction backfill – quickly, efficiently, and perhaps most importantly, without the need for any additional specialist equipment.

By eliminating the need for crushing, dumping or landfill, MasterSuna RCT 323 provides a safe, effective and environmentally sustainable solution for what is by any measure a significant waste stream. Jason Bolt, Executive Director with Master Builders Solutions, explained: “While the average load of returned concrete generally only equates to one cubic metre or less, these returns can add up to a truly staggering amount of waste concrete over the course of a year – even for a relatively small premixed batch plant.”

“Needless to say, that waste can carry a significant cost, in more ways than one,” Jason added.

“Landfilling waste concrete costs many plants tens of thousands of dollars each year in disposal fees and transport alone, and that’s without taking into account labour costs and the environmental cost of additional carbon emissions.”

“Even plants with recycling systems and equipment – whether for fresh concrete or crushing stockpiled waste concrete - incur ongoing operational and maintenance costs, and that’s on top what is usually a significant capital investment,” he said.

MasterSuna RCT 323 not only eliminates the need for additional equipment to process returned concrete, the fact that it treats the returned concrete in the agitator drum in an average of only 60-90 seconds, makes it extremely cost-effective in terms of equipment time and labour costs. It really is a revolutionary solution to a sizeable and expensive challenge.

“MasterSuna RCT 323 provides concrete suppliers with an extremely fast, efficient and easy to use method of closing the loop on a major waste stream,” Jason Bolt said.

Fast, efficient & easy to use

MasterSuna RCT 323, is a single product admixture that allows ready-mixed concrete producers to develop a returned concrete solution that eliminates the need for onsite concrete crushing and disposal into landfills. Supplied in water-soluble bags which are added directly into the agitator drum of the readymixed concrete truck, MasterSuna RCT 323 admixture is a onecomponent engineered powdered polymer that gels the fresh concrete, resulting in very rapid stiffening while significantly minimising cement hydration and strength development.

MasterSuna RCT 323 is also extremely easy to use. Once the driver returns to the batch plant, they simply need to pull up to the slump stand, check that the mix has a slump of between 80 and 130 (water can be added to the returned concrete if

Aerial showing location of Wonder Reef Dive Precinct, less than a 10 minute boat trip from the Gold Coast Seaway.

MasterSuna RCT 323 produces a high quality gravel like material which breaks up extremely easily and is ideal for use as road base, construction backfill, or any number of applications without the need for any additional screening or crushing.

required), and then add one bag of MasterSuna RCT 323 for every cubic metre of returned concrete or part thereof.

Higher slump concretes can also be treated with a slightly higher dose rate.

Once the MasterSuna RCT 323 has been added to the mix, the agitator is spun up at maximum speed until the material gels. This process generally takes between 60-90 seconds and is clearly indicated by the changing sound coming from the barrel… it will sound like the barrel is only mixing aggregate rather than ready-mixed concrete!

At this stage the resulting material – which can be easily broken up and has a sandy gravel-type consistency - should be emptied in a suitable hardstand area (ideally as a small ‘windrow’) and then back-blade with a loader to achieve a height of around 150-200mm across the pile or windrow. This material should then be left overnight to settle. The following morning, the material is ready to use, without the need for any additional screening or crushing.

“MasterSuna RCT 323 provides concrete suppliers with an extremely fast, efficient and easy to use method of closing the loop on a major waste stream.”

Construction Engineering Australia • Dec 2021/Jan 2022

11

COVER FEATURE

Closing the loop on a significant waste stream

Supplied in watersoluble bags which are added directly into the agitator drum of the concrete truck, MasterSuna RCT 323 admixture is a onecomponent engineered powdered polymer that gels the fresh concrete, resulting in very rapid stiffening while significantly minimising cement hydration and strength development.

“The speed of the process, together with the fact that it’s carried out in the drum as soon as the truck returns, helps to minimise delays for both the drivers and plant operators.”

“It’s simply a case of adding the bags, mixing for an average of 60-90 seconds, and then emptying the material. From there, it’s an extremely straightforward process of back-blading the treated returned concrete with a loader and letting it sit Wonder Reef overnight.

The next morning you’re left with a high quality concept render. gravel like material which breaks up extremely easily and is ideal for use as road base, construction backfill, or any number of applications,” Jason Bolt added.

FEATURES

• One-component • Low dosage for ease of use • Fixed dosage to treat a variety of returned concrete mixtures • Fast acting – gels fresh concrete and provides rapid stiffening in two to five minutes

BENEFITS

• Provides concrete producers with a cost-effective solution to address returned fresh concrete • Eliminates the need for onsite concrete crushing, which improves safety and reduces the carbon footprint • Creates an environmentally sustainable solution to address the issue of returned concrete by diverting a waste material into beneficial applications

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Construction Engineering Australia • Dec 2021/Jan 2022

Returned concrete represents a significant waste stream across Australia and internationally. While the advent of computer-controlled batching and weighing systems have undoubtedly helped to improve efficiency and batch accuracy (especially in terms of the amount of concrete being produced and dispatched), miscalculations, overcompensation, or any number of changes at the job site, still result in a significant percentage of trucks returning to the batch plant with a portion of the load on board.

In fact, according to the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) in the USA, returned concrete can represent anywhere between 2% and 10% of total output.

These figures were similar to those uncovered in research conducted by Master Builders Solutions across Australia and New Zealand earlier this year, which showed that on average, around 2-3% of total ready-mixed output ends up as returned concrete.

Alarmingly, that same research also showed that while some producers had invested in equipment and systems to assist with recycling, or were utilising returned concrete for block making, on average, almost 49% of the total returned concrete stream still ends up as waste which is either landfilled or stockpiled.

COVER FEATURE

TREATING RETURNED CONCRETE WITH MASTERSUNA® RCT 323 IS AS EASY AS 1-2-3 STEP 1: Determine concrete volume and check that the mix has a slump of between 80 and 130* (water can be added to the returned concrete if required), and then add one bag of MasterSuna RCT 323 for every cubic metre of returned concrete or part thereof. *Higher slump concretes can also be treated with a slightly higher dose rate.

STEP 2: Mix at maximum speed until you hear the material gel* (generally 60-90 seconds) and discharge in small piles or a windrow. *It will sound like the barrel is only mixing aggregate rather than ready-mixed concrete.

On average, around 2-3% of total readymixed output ends up as returned concrete, with almost 49% of that total ending up as waste which is either landfilled or stockpiled.

STEP 3: (Same Day) Back-blade the discharged material with a loader to achieve a height of around 150-200mm across the piles or windrow. (Next Day) Scrape up the backbladed material with a loader to break it up and stockpile it ready for use.

“It’s simply a case of adding the bags, mixing for an average of 60-90 seconds, and then emptying the material.”

Developed with a focus on building the circular economy by converting this significant waste stream into a beneficial and marketable end-product, MasterSuna RCT 323 is already revolutionising the treatment and handling of returned concrete for many producers across the USA and Europe.

Not surprisingly, the product looks set to replicate its success across Australia and New Zealand following a number of extremely successful local trials, with a number of batch plants already using MasterSuna RCT 323 to treat their returned concrete.

For further information, please Scan the QR Code or contact your local Master Builders Solutions technical specialist on: (Australia) Freecall: 1300 227 300 or (New Zealand) Freecall: 0800 334 877 Construction Engineering Australia • Dec 2021/Jan 2022

13

INFRASTRUCTURE ASSET

All of your asset data…

DYNAMIC INFRASTRUCTURE utilises infrastructure asset inspection data - from historical reports, photos and videos, through to current drone imaging and LiDAR data - to provide asset owners and managers with a comprehensive condition report for their assets.

Our AI-based predictive analytics utilise your current and historical data to prioritise maintenance requirements and optimise your infrastructure asset management activities.

T: 1300 552 878

www.if3.com.au

MANAGEMENT MADE EASY Right at your fingertips

Spall

Delta +25% since 2015

Crack

Delta +12% since 2017

Corrosion

Delta +25% since 2018

Based on proven, cutting-edge AI technology, Dynamic Infrastructure provides asset owners and maintenance managers actionable insights to save money and increase maintenance efficiency.

Tested by certified engineers, Dynamic Infrastructure provides a live and proactive cloud-based system that extracts and predicts precise actionable information from past survey reports and day-to-day photos.

• Identify defects before they evolve into large-scale failures • Prevent unplanned expenses & manage risk • Maximise warranty through automated tracking of repairs • Gain full field-to-office visibility

ASSET MANAGEMENT

WHERE AI MEETS ASSET MANAGEMENT

A

sset management and maintenance planning can be a challenging task at the best of times – especially when it comes to critical infrastructure assets such as bridges.

Together with scheduled inspections, condition reporting, assessment of faults, failures or damage, and of course, the challenges associated with collating and managing all of the data, there is also the matter of prioritising and scheduling repairs and maintenance for specific structures within the context of the entire asset pool.

In short, bridge asset management and maintenance planning is a complex and often onerous task, even when dealing with only a relatively small number of bridges.

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Construction Engineering Australia • Dec 2021/Jan 2022

Be that as it may, this is all set to change, thanks to a groundbreaking new service and software package from international technology specialist Dynamic Infrastructure.

The package, which utilises the latest in cutting-edge AI (Artificial Intelligence) technology to identify and categorise faults and damage on bridges and other structures, is now available across Australia thanks to a partnership between Dynamic Infrastructure and respected Sydney-based specialist engineering and consulting company IF3 Pty Ltd.

ASSET MANAGEMENT

Above: Despite the complexity of the AI technology which lies at the heart of the Dynamic Infrastructure system, the software excels in terms of its design and usability.

‘GAME-CHANGING’ TECHNOLOGY

While the term ‘game-changer’ tends to be somewhat overused in this day and age, the Dynamic Infrastructure package genuinely qualifies for this accolade in every sense of the word.

Provided to asset owners and managers on a SaaS (Software as a Service) model, the Dynamic Infrastructure package delivers significant savings in terms of both time and cost. As well as simplifying and streamlining the tasks associated with bridge asset management and maintenance planning, the fact that it is provided as a fully-supported cloud-based SaaS system, means that it also eliminates any additional burden on in-house IT services, including the need for increased in-house processing capacity or specialist software professionals.

Importantly, while the benefits of the SaaS model are now widely recognised and accepted across a wide verity of software platforms, it is Dynamic Infrastructure’s processing and reporting capabilities which really put it in a league of its own – starting with the data collection process.

Whereas many traditional asset management and monitoring systems require data and reports to be provided in a specific format or worse still, manually entered and/or converted to a specified, often prescriptive format, the Dynamic Infrastructure system utilises all existing data and reports, regardless of the format or age - including paper-based engineering drawings and plans, photos, paper-based inspection and condition reports, together with digitised data and images - to build a detailed ‘health record’ for each bridge asset. The asset owner/manager simply provides this data to Dynamic Infrastructure, and they take care of the rest – scanning, converting an inputting the data into the system ready for analysis.

UTILISING AI TO IDENTIFY AND CATEGORISE FAULTS AND DAMAGE

Once the initial data has been collated into an asset record and the bridge has been assigned its unique identifier, the system’s state-of-the-art AI algorithms get to work analysing the data and images to identify any faults or damage. Any issues that are identified are then categorised (type of damage, severity, etc) and logged with their exact location on the structure, with this data appended to the bridge’s health record.

Speaking about the new system, Dane Hansen, General Manager with Dynamic Infrastructure’s Australian partner company if3 Pty Ltd, commented:

“We’re very excited to be able to bring the Dynamic Infrastructure technology to Australia. It really does represent a major step forward in bridge asset management and maintenance - both in terms of the system’s capabilities, and the massive savings that it can offer to asset owners and managers.”

“The cutting-edge AI technology used by the system is incredibly thorough and is able to identify and categorise all manner of faults and damage from photos and other historic data,” Dane said.

“What’s more, once the historical data has been used to create the bridge’s ‘health record’, the system collates the fault data by location on the bridge, and in chronological order, creating a ‘timeline’ for the bridge as a whole, as well as for each individual identified fault.

This not only enables users to keep track of faults and check for any escalation in severity, it also allows repairs to be prioritised and then logged when complete so they’re no longer flagged as requiring attention,” he added.

“Using AI technology to identify faults and damage effectively transforms the entire process from a subjective one which relies on an individual to find and identify all faults on a structure and then make a judgement call on severity, to an objective one where all faults are identified, categorised, logged and then rated for severity against a global database of over 30,000 bridges and counting,” Dane Hansen added.

INTUITIVE AND EXTREMELY EASY-TO-USE SYSTEM

Perhaps most importantly, despite the complexity of the AI technology which lies at the heart of the Dynamic Infrastructure system, the software excels in terms of its design and usability. Indeed, the system’s Graphical User Interface (GIU) is both intuitive and extremely easy to use, with a structure and layout that stands as testament to the software engineers’ obvious commitment to what is considered by many to be ‘the first rule of software design’…the user experience should in no way reflect the complexity of the system.

Individual bridge assets are allocated a unique global identifier - complete with its own individual email address. Each bridge asset record carries a fully detailed yet easy to navigate history of condition reports, images, identified faults, repairs and maintenance requirements - all of which can be classified and prioritised for budgeting and/or work scheduling. What’s more, once the record has been established, it is extremely easy to manage and append.

Construction Engineering Australia • Dec 2021/Jan 2022

17

ASSET MANAGEMENT

Above: The Dynamic Infrastructure package uses AI technology to automatically assess and identify faults from photos taken by field staff.

Together with the system’s cutting-edge AI capabilities, another innovative feature of the Dynamic Infrastructure package is that rather than relying solely on data from formal, scheduled bridge inspections, it also allows for data such photos taken by field staff of damage resulting from an incident to be added to the bridge’s ‘health record’ record by email. Critically, this email capability does not require the field staff member to have their own individual login for the Dynamic Infrastructure system to submit photos and data relating to bridge damage.

For example, if a field crew or incident response team identifies new damage or a new fault on a bridge structure, all they need to do is take photos of the damage and note its location on the structure. The photos and location data can then be sent via email to the bridge’s unique identifier email address. Once received, the images are scrutinised by the system’s AI algorithms, with information relating to the type and severity of the damage, as well the exact location of the damage, added to the bridge’s individual ‘health record’, together with the date and time.

As with all other condition data and damage assessments, the system provides the opportunity for the licensed users to access and/or modify data relating to the type and severity of damage, and to allocate priority code for both budgeting and operational purposes.

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Construction Engineering Australia • Dec 2021/Jan 2022

FIRST AUSTRALIAN CONTRACT DELIVERING OUTSTANDING RESULTS

Building on the system’s extraordinary international success, Dynamic Infrastructure and if3 have secured the first Australian contract for the AI enabled bridge asset management system, with Horsham Rural City Council in Victoria now using the Dynamic Infrastructure package for its bridge assets.

Situated in Victoria’s Wimmera region and centred around the city of Horsham some 300 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, the Horsham Rural City Council area covers 4,267 square kilometres and is home to a population of 19,800 – some 75% of which live in the urban area of Horsham.

Home to the Wimmera Intermodal Freight Hub (the central location for container grain handling and grain processors across one of the world's largest grain, pulse and oilseed growing regions) Horsham is a comfortable three and a half hour drive from Melbourne and four and a half hours from Adelaide on the Western Highway – the main road transport route between the two capitals. The municipality also lies at the hub of the State and National Highway system, providing key road transport routes to Mildura, Portland, Mount Gambier and Bendigo.

As well as providing access for residents and visitors, the city’s road and bridge network provides critical transport and freight linkages for agriculture and other industries. As such, infrastructure asset management and maintenance has always been a key priority for council.

ASSET MANAGEMENT

Left: The system builds a 'health record' for the bridge, detailing the type and severity of faults.

Below: Dynamic Infrastructure can also build a full 3D model of the bridge, allow the precise location of faults to be easily identified.

Bottom Left: The system's ‘timeline’ feature enables users to keep track of faults and check for any escalation in severity. It also allows repairs to be logged when complete so the fault is no longer flagged as requiring attention.

Krishna Shrestha, Manager Strategic Asset Management with Horsham Rural City Council commented: “We have over 60 bridges - including 28 major bridges – across the municipality. Ensuring that these bridge assets are able to keep up with the demands of increasing traffic numbers and larger vehicle loads is critical to the continued future growth and prosperity of the region.”

“With that in mind, rather than following the more traditional ‘reactive’ asset management and maintenance approach, our CEO wanted us to focus on developing a ‘proactive’ program which addresses bridge maintenance, remediation and upgrades before major issues arise.”

“As well as helping to ensure that all of our bridge assets are able to remain in service, this change in approach allows us to better develop long-term strategies for capital expenditure – whether it’s for maintenance, major remedial works or upgrades,” Mr Shrestha said.

Needless to say, having accurate and up-to-date condition data for the bridge assets is a critical factor in the success of any asset management and maintenance program. After all, it is all but impossible to budget or plan a path for the future, without accurate information about the current condition of the assets.

The Dynamic Infrastructure system not only enabled the Horsham Rural City Council team to build a full ‘health record’ for each of the municipality’s bridge assets, it also provided them with a timeline that put all of the historic bridge inspection data into a directly relatable context, thereby highlighting any damage or faults that were escalating with age.

“We implemented the Dynamic Infrastructure package early this year, and even though we’ve only been using it for a matter of months, everyone is extremely impressed with its performance and capabilities,” Krishna Shrestha said.

“The set-up process was extremely easy. We simply provided the Dynamic Infrastructure team with all of the historic data and reports that we have for each of our bridge assets, and they collated these into a full historic record for each bridge.”

“The AI system inspected all of the imagery and identified, classified and rated any damage or faults, and then created a record showing the type of fault or damage, the exact location on the bridge and the date of the image. It then produced a timeline for each bridge, which enables us to look at an individual fault across all of the inspections to see when it first appeared, whether or not it’s getting progressively worse, or if it’s been repaired,” he said.

“It really is a remarkable system,” Mr Shrestha added. “It has already made a massive difference to our bridge asset management and maintenance operations.”

“Not only has it streamlined and simplified all aspects of our bridge asset operations - from inspection, reporting and data management through to budgeting, planning and maintenance delivery – it is also playing a major role in helping us to develop, manage and deliver our 10-year bridge asset works program.”

For further information the Dynamic Infrastructure system, please contact the exclusive Australian provider if3 Pty Ltd, T: 1300 552 878 or visit: www.if3.com.au

Construction Engineering Australia • Dec 2021/Jan 2022

19

ACRS FEATURE

Confidence in Steel Supply From Source to Site There is no question! We live in challenging times, with the COVID-19 lockdowns and movement restrictions giving rise to global logistics issues and subsequent challenges throughout the supply chain. At the same, time governments around the world are investing in infrastructure at unprecedented levels, with a subsequent rise in demand for materials.

These rises in demand and challenges to the source of most building materials, including steels, are having a significant impact on product availability, quality and costs.

MULTIPLE SOURCES In today’s highly globalised markets, where materials are being sourced from multiple locations around the world (all of which are

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Construction Engineering Australia • Dec 2021/Jan 2022

being manufactured to an assortment of international standards) it is more important than ever before to ensure that steel coming into both New Zealand and Australia meets the required standards for quality and for sustainability.

From discussions in the industry, and judging by the outcomes of recent litigation, there is no question that in the current market, there are numerous suppliers who are either deliberately or unintentionally supplying materials that do not meet the specified standards. Alarmingly, there are also some material purchasers that appear to be oblivious to the issue, or worse still, are choosing to ignore these risks in the interests of meeting time frames or to minimize costs.

So, how can we achieve an appropriate

level of confidence in the materials being supplied? Is buying local enough? Is there any more assurance buying with larger suppliers?

Do buyers need to inspect materials to ensure compliance? Do buyers even have the required expertise on site to carry out the inspections? Or the resources or the time?

And what are the risks of non-compliance?

Focusing on steel and particularly on reinforcing and structural steel products, local production is reportedly already running at capacity, with some domestic manufactures having to supplement locally produced steel with imports to meet demand. So, buying local may provide confidence, but with mixed batches frequently being delivered, they may not necessarily be compliant.

ACRS FEATURE

Looking at the experience required to inspect materials, this is a challenging area as different standards require different parameters, and invariably the test certificates accompanying batches of steel are only for a single sample. These are generally provided by the manufacturer, not necessarily in English, and increasingly, cannot be shown to apply to all the steel in any one batch. So, can they really be relied upon to demonstrate compliance, or is there another way to demonstrate conformity?

In the current environment the Australasian Certification Authority for Reinforcing and Structural Steels (“ACRS”), is seeing increased enquiries from both sides of the Tasman around supply availability, and possibilities of importation of product into both New Zealand and Australia. ACRS has also received numerous requests for certification for steel manufacturers who are being used by buyers/traders for the first time, as ACRS is seen as a proven system to ensure the quality of the imported product.

Over the twenty years that ACRS has been

certifying steel destined for both countries, it should be stressed that the product being put forward for compliance has not always met the necessary standards, with some suppliers having been denied certification. Buying product that meets specified standards, regardless of what the accompanying documentation might state, cannot be taken for granted and ACRS would urge all endusers/purchasers to remain vigilant when using producers who do not hold ACRS certificates.

Andrew Wheeler, CEO, ACRS, also stated that “on a positive note, in respect to manufacturing, there have recently been a number of new mills that have gone through the ACRS audit process and obtained manufacturing certificates, consequently increasing the supply diversity of products into the building industry which is particularly important at this time.”

“Similarly, we are seeing an increase in firms taking up the traceability scheme to ensure products being imported maintain full traceability,” he added.

PROCESSING OF MILL MATERIAL While it is encouraging that there is an increase in ACRS Manufacturing Certificates, it is important to note that both New Zealand and Australian standards require that dimensional and mechanical properties need to be verified by the processors of reinforcement after the processing stage, or by the manufacture of sections. The processing of the bar, which includes straightening off coil and bending bars into scheduled shapes, can have a significant impact on both the material’s properties and its geometry, and it is mandated in the Standard that these be checked.

ACRS has seen numerous examples of poorly processed materials, with flattening of ribs, cracking of bars at bends, and significant reductions of ductility due to the steel being overworked. In each case, the resulting products were non-compliant. Hence, purchasers need to ensure they are checking the dimensional data, monitoring the longterm quality data supplied by the processor and verifying the appropriate test certificates.

Construction Engineering Australia • Dec 2021/Jan 2022

21

ACRS FEATURE

providing a rigorous mechanism covering the two critical aspects of steel supply, and the traceability of materials between them.

This 2-Stage ‘chain of certification’ provides a vital link between the steel producer, the downstream material processing, the steel supplier, and the construction site. Thus, providing assurance to the end-user on the construction site that: • All steel is from an approved source and satisfies the requirements of the relevant product Standard(s).

• Steel is correctly handled and processed so materials performance is not compromised during subsequent rebar processing or steelwork fabrication.

• The necessary procedures and documentation are in place to ensure full product traceability from steel mill through materials scheduling and fabrication to delivery to site.

ACRS CERTIFICATION Known as a “bookended” system, this type of The ACRS steel scheme certifies both the 2-stage certification is far more robust than steel mill (the producer of the raw product) a single point and the downstream processing (steel C074_ACRS FEATURE_End Graphic_210mm_MUST USE.pdf 1 27/12/2021 3:35:03 AM certification of either just the mill, or just the processor or fabricator. While reinforcement processor, mesh manufacturer, historically in New Zealand and Australia or structural welded section manufacturer) Alternatively, the purchaser can source product from an ACRS certified processor.

ACRS' audit processes ensure that all testing to the correct Standard has been carried out as part of the processing, and that that process has been independently verified. It should be stated explicitly that the processing of an ACRS certified product by a non ACRS certified processor means that compliance is no longer assured, and traceability of product may no-longer exists. In short, the product can no longer be called ACRS Certified.

In the current procurement and supply environment it is increasingly recognised that the whole supply chain has a responsibility for ensuring compliance. Consequently, understanding any third party certification and what it covers is critical to ensure what is being specified complies.

there were minimal compliance issues with products, in today’s dynamic market - with global sourcing and supply, growth in local processors and an increase in offshore fabrication - providing assurance in the end product is becoming increasingly difficult.

As ACRS steel certification covers both ends if the supply chain, the ACRS system inherently includes full materials traceability - not just for reinforcing and prestressing steels, but also for structural welded sections manufacture, covering CC1 to CC3 to AS/NZS 5131, which are increasingly used in construction. The specification of ACRS steel for fabrication using the processes outlined in with AS/NZS 5131 also provides the certifiers with confidence that complying materials with full traceability have been used in fabricated structures.

In short, for your steel to be ACRS certified, it must be covered by both the ACRS certificate from the Mill/Manufacturer and the ACRS certificate from the processors.

Any break in the ‘chain of certification’ between the steel mill and the processor or fabricator means the steel delivered to site is not ACRS certified.

COMPLIANCE ENSURED EASILY ACRS regular and rigorous audits by independent experts provides confidence in the suppliers and their ability to supply compliant products. By specifying and ensuring ACRS steel is delivered to site, you are receiving a product that has demonstrated ongoing compliance to the relevant standards, thus giving certifiers and end users confidence in the materials.

All certified suppliers and processors and their range of products may be easily found at www.steelcertification.com

Stay up-to-date at www.steelcertification.com Just because your supplier was previously ACRS Certified, don’t take it for granted that they still are. Their ACRS Certification status may have changed due to factors including: • Changes in ownership • Changes in manufacturing locations • Additional products • Discontinued Products That’s why ACRS’ comprehensive program of annual audits and rigorous 3-monthly data analysis is so important. It ensures that standards and quality are maintained, so you can have confidence in your construction steel supplies.

Importantly, checking and confirming that ACRS certificates for products/suppliers are current is quick and easy on the ACRS website.

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Construction Engineering Australia • Dec 2021/Jan 2022

Visit: www.steelcertification.com for full details of all current certificates.

THE CHOICE IS YOURS! TOCK

S MODEL F O E RANG

IN S

W O N & SET UPO GO T READY

At A1 Roadlines we understand that our customers have a range of preferences when it comes to fleet vehicles. That’s why we fit and service the Scorpion II TMA across a full range of suitable host vehicles from world-leading manufacturers including ISUZU, UD, FUSO and HINO to name a few.

So, when it comes to selecting a fully MASH tested, passed and eligible TMA that has also been ASSESSED, APPROVED & RECOMMENDED FOR ACCEPTANCE throughout Australia by ASBAP (Austroads Safety Barrier Assessment Panel), the only name you need to remember is Scorpion II® TMA from A1 Roadlines. When it comes to the brand of host vehicle… that’s up to you!

THE EQUIPMENT YOU NEED – THE SERVICE YOU EXPECT A1 Roadlines Pty Ltd | 89 Rushdale Street, Knoxfield, Victoria 3180 | www.a1roadlines.com.au P: 1300 217 623 (A1ROAD) | F: (03) 9765 9499 | E: sales@a1roadlines.com.au

INFINITY TESTING 'Infinity Testing’ is without a doubt the harshest method of testing the performance of a Truck Mounted Attenuator (TMA) during an impact.

NO RELIANCE ON ROLL-AHEAD DURING AN IMPACT Rather than relying on some of the impact energy being absorbed by the forward movement of host vehicle on which the TMA is fitted, with ‘Infinity Testing’ the host vehicle is anchored to the ground to prevent any forward movement during an impact.

TMA ABSORBS & DISSIPATES 100% OF THE IMPACT ENERGY Testing the TMA on a host vehicle which is anchored in place, tests – and for both the Scorpion II® TL-3 and Scorpion® II METRO® TL-2 TMAs – confirms the capacity of the TMA to absorb/dissipate 100% of the impact energy without the benefit of the host vehicle roll-ahead.

‘WORST CASE’ SCENARIO TESTING Compared to standard testing with an unrestrained host vehicle, Infinity Testing is a much tougher testing regimen.

It is considered ‘worst-case scenario’ testing which makes it much more difficult to meet the pass criteria for IS values, as all of the Ridedown Acceleration must be provided by the TMA absorbing the energy from the impact.

NO UPPER LIMIT FOR HOST VEHICLES From a practical standpoint, the fact that both the Scorpion II® TL-3 and Scorpion® II METRO® TL-2 TMAs were successfully tested to MASH Standards using the ‘Infinity Testing’ method, means both units are MASH certified with no upper weight limit for the host vehicle.

www.a1roadlines.com.au

THE ULTIMATE TEST OF ATTENUATOR PERFORMANCE HOW IT’S DONE With ‘Infinity Testing’ the host vehicle is anchored in place during the impacts to assess the TMA's capacity to absorb/ dissipate 100% of the impact energy without the benefit of roll-ahead.

WHAT ABOUT ROLL-AHEAD DISTANCES? Importantly, to emulate ‘real world’ operating conditions, both the Scorpion II® TL-3 and Scorpion® II METRO® TL-2 TMA have also been successfully tested and MASH certified using standard ‘non-anchored’ host vehicles, with both units posting impressively low roll-ahead distances.

Scorpion® II TL-3 TMA Crash Test: MASH Test 2-53 Impact Angle: 10.3 Degrees Roll-Ahead Distance: 5.1m

Impacting Vehicle Weight: 2266kg Impact Speed: 103.8km/h

Scorpion® II METRO® TL-2 TMA Crash Test: MASH Test 2-53 Impacting Vehicle Weight: 2295kg Impact Angle: 9.9 Degrees Impact Speed: 81.6km/h Roll-Ahead Distance: 12.4m

THE EQUIPMENT YOU NEED – THE SERVICE YOU EXPECT A1 Roadlines Pty Ltd | 89 Rushdale Street, Knoxfield, Victoria 3180 P: 1300 217 623 (A1ROAD) | E: sales@a1roadlines.com.au

PRECAST TECHNOLOGY

L-R: Craig Sewell, Site Manager; Ernst Gschnitzer, Project Director; Kurt Usel, Expert and Developer and Project Manager Automation; Edgar Schömig, Company Section Manager Tunnel Construction Strabag; Giacomo Vollaro, Project Manager Segment Production.

Strabag AG builds sustainable tunnel systems with tailor-made Progress machinery As a European technology group for construction services, Strabag AG implements complex construction projects that go far beyond classic road construction. Strabag SE, to which the German Strabag AG belongs, can look back on more than 90 years of tradition as one of the market leaders in traffic route construction. The portfolio includes all areas of the construction industry and covers the entire construction value chain. Strabag AG is represented in around 30 countries worldwide and has been active in the fields of building construction, civil engineering, tunnelling and specialist foundation engineering in the UK since March 2011. The company continues to drive its business development activities, particularly in tunnelling and infrastructure developments.

For the realization of projects in tunnel construction, Strabag relies on individually 26

Construction Engineering Australia • Dec 2021/Jan 2022

designed machines from Progress Maschinen & Automation, a Progress Group company. For the project in North Yorkshire, Strabag built a precast plant on the construction site and ordered, among other things, an M-System BlueMesh® mesh welding plant with mesh rolls, a Tunnel Master ladder welding machine and an EBA S 16 automatic stirrup bender.

PROJECT OF SUPERLATIVES In the north-east of England, in the middle of the North York Moors National Park, a 37 kmlong transport tunnel system is being created.

The Strabag North Yorkshire Polyhalite Project is part of the Woodsmith Project, which is owned by Anglo American, one of the world's largest mining companies. This is to extract minerals from the world's largest polyhalite deposit, a mineral used in the production of fertilizer. Of the 2.66 billion tons of polyhalite deposits estimated to be at the site, some 280 million tons are located within 5 km of the proposed mine. This represents only seven per cent of the project's stated resource area.

The rapidly increasing and urbanising world population continuously requires

The Tunnel Master uses computerized welding control to produce curved tunnel segments.

PRECAST TECHNOLOGY

The M-System BlueMesh® equipment produces customized reinforcing steel meshes.

more fertilizer for efficient food production.

Polyhalites are a sustainable solution for this.

It is extracted from a depth of 1.5 km through mine shafts and transported underground by

the MTS (Mineral Transport System) to the processing hall in Teesside for processing.

After processing, the product is driven to the port and mainly exported overseas.

Strabag was able to secure the contract for the planning and execution of the 37 km-long tunnel including the transport system.

MAJOR CHALLENGES AT PEAK TIMES Two of the biggest challenges in tunnel construction are the safety precautions and the evacuation strategy. High safety standards, a tight schedule, historic funding issues and contractual changes have added challenges to the project over time. The close cooperation with the client's team on site made it possible to achieve the best possible results.

FOR MORE SUSTAINABILITY From the design phase onwards, the project focused on sustainable, environmentally friendly construction methods. The MTS itself is an environmentally friendly measure for the mine without the use of roads or other surface transport. The precast plant that was built close to the site also fits into this concept.

The sustainable procurement policy guides the approach to the supply of raw materials.

It was decided early on to source sand and aggregates from local quarries, and the transport routes were specifically chosen so

as not to disturb the tranquillity of the national park.

The modern diesel-electric hybrid tunnel locomotives use kinetic energy recovery to make maximum use of the steep profile and length of the tunnel, radically reducing emissions and minimizing ventilation requirements.

EFFICIENT PRODUCTION OF LINING SEGMENTS A lining segment is a component of the outer shell of a mine shaft or tunnel. At the Redcar site, a town in the county of North Yorkshire in England, the tunnel construction elements are produced in a field factory, thus avoiding long transport routes. The entire production line was designed for a tunnel boring machine feed rate of 20 m per day.

The expected productivity was achieved by using local workers, many of whom had no experience in lining segment production. After a learning curve of only about 3 months, the workers were trained.

Despite a higher than expected rate of more than 17 rings per day or 26 m of tunnel, the lining segment production was exceeded by the daily TBM excavation rates of up to 52.65 m.

Innovations in lining segment production also included the use of robot assistants and automated welding for cage production.

Construction Engineering Australia • Dec 2021/Jan 2022

27

PRECAST TECHNOLOGY

Temporary storage of the lining segments - the concreted prefabricated elements for the outer shell of the tunnel.

MANY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN CHALLENGING TUNNEL PROJECTS For the joint tunnelling projects, Progress Maschinen & Automation has worked out individual solutions with Strabag, ensuring high quality and functionality of the end products. For this purpose, a special mesh welding plant from the model series M-System BlueMesh was designed with a device for rolling the mesh.

This flexible production plant can weld reinforcing steel meshes from the coil according to individual specifications and thereby fulfil the requirements very well.

The required production data is taken from the structural engineer's software using a bending list, processed accordingly, and transferred to the machine. This means that the correct lengths and spacing of the bars can be precisely prefabricated.

The Tunnel Master ladder welding machine from Progress is used to produce

straight and bent ladders from the coil.

The robust and low-maintenance welding machine is designed for fast and cost-saving production of reinforcements for tunnel segments. The Tunnel Master processes up to four longitudinal wires and arranges them, along with the cross wires, with the help of a continuously adjustable grid. Thus, this plant enables the fast, technically sophisticated, and cost-saving production of straight and curved ladders from the coil for tunnel segments and similar precast concrete elements.

In combination with the fully automatic stirrup bender, Progress offers a complete solution to produce reinforcements for tunnel segments. The automatic stirrup bender belongs to the EBA S-line and covers the performance segments in the wire diameter range 6 to 16 mm. The EBA S automatic stirrup benders are easy to operate and, thanks to the integrated high-quality

The prefabricated ladders are welded together with the reinforcement meshes by the welding robots (visible in the background) to form the finished cage for tunnel elements.

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Construction Engineering Australia • Dec 2021/Jan 2022

control, very high outputs and accuracy are achieved. Particularly high flexibility as well as low costs for operation, maintenance, and wear parts characterize this latest generation of machines.

TOTAL SOLUTION FOR REINFORCEMENTS IN TUNNEL CONSTRUCTION The prefabricated ladders mesh and stirrups are welded together fully automatically by special robots to form the finished reinforcement cage. The complete reinforcement for the tunnel construction project in North Yorkshire is thus prefabricated automatically and quickly with the Progress machines.

“The cooperation with Progress to develop the equipment for this special application was excellent,” says Kurt Usel, expert, developer and project manager for automation at Strabag AG, adding: “Especially for such prototype developments for an ongoing construction site operation with few testing possibilities, intensive teamwork is necessary.”

“This cooperation has led to success, and we have been producing the parts needed for robotic welding with the required quality and quantity since autumn 2020,” Kurt Usel said.

Progress' overall plant concept is in line with Strabag’ s objective and paves the way for the plant to manufacture quality products with few variables in the production processes and to remain competitive in the long term. The continuing trend towards more automation is also recognizable in the processing of reinforcing steel. Construction companies can work with Progress to take advantage of automated processes to increase efficiency.

For further information, please visit: www.progress-m.com

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Enhance Safety, Storage COMBi-XLE combines powerful, emission-free performance electric truck that can handle more demanding

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PRODUCT FOCUS

is standard equipment. The motor, four pole IP56 1450 rpm is designed for reliable long life performance.

Other major features include an 18 litre diesel fuel tank that provides long running time, especially when the operator runs it at 90° – 100°C. “We’ve seen operators who want to run these machines at 130 degrees continuously!

Apart from using a lot of fuel, that has a tendency to cook internal components like switches, creating potential premature failures,” Hales said.

The machines all feature a steel bumper for extra protection and a flexible coupling between the motor and the pump for a smoother, cooler drive.

PROTECTION PREVENTS FAILURE AND REDUCES COSTS

EARTHMOVING … KEEPING IT CLEAN One Australian pump and pressure cleaner manufacturer that understands the earthmoving business better than any other is Aussie Pumps. With some of the key executives having had a lifetime of being associated with big equipment, they understand the pressures, the opportunities and most of all, the challenges facing earthmoving contractors and their operators on a daily basis.

One of those challenges is maintenance, and the fact that efficient maintenance depends on the overall condition and cleanliness of machine.

The company, widely regarded as Australia’s leading manufacturer of engine drive high pressure water blasters up to 500 bar, has built machines tough for this industry.

A CLEAN MACHINE MAKES SERVICE EASY Nobody wants to have to battle through built-up oil and dust caked over an engine or transmission before they can start to do any disassembly or repair. What’s worse, often you can’t even see where the issue is, whether it’s a leaking o-ring or major seal that is the problem.

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Construction Engineering Australia • Dec 2021/Jan 2022

Australian Pump has developed a great range of pressure cleaners just for these types of applications. The heavy duty steam cleaners and hot wash machines are capable of blasting off greasy, dusty surfaces, making it easy to identify the source of the problem.

The company recently introduced a new 4,000 psi steam cleaner that is designed specifically for tough jobs in earthmoving.

“We know that earthmovers need to have reliable machines in their wash bays,” said Aussie Pumps Chief Engineer, John Hales.

“The reason we developed the Aussie Admiral 4,000 was to not only provide 130°C steam capability, but also the impact of 4,000 psi to blast off caked on dirt fast!”

The new 4,000 psi machine is built like a tank and designed for Australian conditions. Mounted on a steel chassis with stainless steel cover, the machine boasts four rubber tyred wheels for stability and manoeuvrability.

The heavy duty coil comes with a two year warranty and a top quality slow speed triplex pump with brass head and ceramic pistons

The Aussie Admiral 4,000 is also geared to protect the machine and the operator. Each machine is fitted with a low water cut out warning light, a low fuel sensor and warning light. The unit also features Timed Total Stop, an automatic shutdown device which switches the machine off a few minutes after the operator closes the gun. A Safety Thermostatic to protect the pump is also included as well as Micro-Leak Detection with warning light.

“Aussie Pumps knows that for operators working in what can be a wet environment, it’s easy not to see a leak, even a small one, under those conditions,” said Hales. “The Micro-Leak Detection warning light tells you something is wrong and to stop the machine and fix the leak before continuing.”

HIGH PERFORMANCE MOBILE STEAM SOLUTION

Need mobile steam? Try Aussie’s Heatwave.

This Honda petrol engine powered machine delivers 4,000 psi at 130°C steam and comes at a bargain price in stainless steel frame for only $10,820.

Best of all for operators, the machines are Class A, and therefore do not require operator certification. Earthmovers and truck operators who want to move dirt fast, where time is everything and every second counts, will appreciate Aussie’s complete range Further information is available in the Aussie Pumps Blaster Blitz 6, which is available for download from www.aussiepumps.com.au (see the Hot Water section for a world of heavy duty cleaning gear designed just for Aussie contractors and operators).

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THE CHOICE Flatlining Sales?

IS YOURS! K C O T IN S ADVERTISING WORKS! OW S MODEL F O E RANG

(After all, you’re reading this aren’t you?)

N & SET UPO GO T READY

At A1 Roadlines we understand that our customers have a range of preferences when it comes to fleet vehicles. That’s why we fit and service the Scorpion II TMA across a full range of suitable host vehicles from world-leading manufacturers including ISUZU, UD, FUSO and HINO to name a few.

So, when it comes to selecting a fully MASH tested, passed and eligible TMA that has also been ASSESSED, APPROVED & RECOMMENDED FOR ACCEPTANCE throughout Australia by ASBAP (Austroads Safety Barrier Assessment Panel), the only name you need to remember is Scorpion II® TMA from A1 Roadlines. When it comes to the brand of host vehicle… that’s up to you!

CALL US TODAY find out howYOU we can help you THE EQUIPMENT YOU NEED – THEand SERVICE EXPECT t: 1300 EPC GROUP (1300 372 476) e: ats@epcgroup.com A1 Roadlines Pty Ltd | 89 Rushdale Street, Knoxfield, Victoria 3180 | www.a1roadlines.com.au

www.epcgroup.com

P: 1300 217 623 (A1ROAD) | F: (03) 9765 9499 | E: sales@a1roadlines.com.au

CONCRETE REPAIRS

Cortec® MCI® empowers concrete bridge repairs to last longer The need for concrete repairs is unfortunately a fact of life, the root cause usually being corroded reinforcement that cracks and pushes away the concrete cover. In order to make repairs last as long as possible, it is important to protect against future corrosion by incorporating effective corrosion inhibiting technologies into the new concrete, grout, or repair mortars being utilized on the project.

Cortec® MCI® offers long-lasting corrosion protection and extension in service life of structures. Two excellent ways to incorporate this technology are with MCI®-2006 NS and MCI® Mini Grenades.

MCI®-2006 NS and MCI® Mini Grenades contain Migrating Corrosion Inhibitors that extend the service life of concrete repairs by adsorbing as a protective molecular layer on embedded steel reinforcement. MCI® Technology delays time to corrosion and reduces corrosion rates once started. As an ambiodic, or “mixed,” inhibitor, MCI® protects against both anodic and cathodic corrosion reactions. In repairs, this helps minimize the risk of the ring anode effect in which newly patched areas could spark a chain reaction of corrosion damage in adjacent concrete.

MCI®-2006 NS is the admixture of choice for larger repairs where a significant quantity of concrete will be used. MCI®-2006 NS can be pre-blended with bagged concrete mortars, or it can be added to the concrete mix at the ready-mix plant or onsite in the mix truck or into portable mixers. MCI®-2006 NS does

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Construction Engineering Australia • Dec 2021/Jan 2022

not significantly affect concrete properties, meeting the physical property requirements of ASTM C1582. It also shows excellent corrosion inhibition capabilities, significantly reducing corrosion in ASTM G109 testing.

MCI® Mini Grenades are ideal for smaller applications such as hand mixing into bagged mortars or grouts onsite. MCI® Mini Grenades contain MCI®-2006 NS powder, pre-measured into water-soluble pouches about the size of a quarter. These pouches provide a convenient way to add the proper amount of MCI® corrosion protection into bagged materials.

MCI® Mini Grenades dissolve easily in batch water, allowing the Migrating Corrosion Inhibitor™ to disperse throughout the mortar or grout.

MCI®-2006 NS and MCI® Mini Grenades are recommended for concrete repair on a variety of structures: • All reinforced, precast, prestressed, or post-tensioned structures • Steel-reinforced concrete bridges, highways, and streets exposed to corrosive environments (carbonation, deicing salts, atmospheric attack, marine conditions) • Parking decks, ramps, and garages • Concrete piers, piles, pillars, pipes, and utility poles MCI®-2006 NS and MCI® Mini Grenades have been used in a wide variety of repairs over the last decades. In 2003, MCI® Mini Grenades were approved by AL-DOT for use in post-

tensioning repairs on the Cochrane Bridge (Alabama, USA). Besides providing excellent corrosion protection, the pouches were easy to mix and did not affect the flow of the DYNA Grout used to fill voids in the grout cover of some cable strands.

In 2008, MCI®-2006 NS was used in repair grout and mortar for restoration of a nuclear power plant water reactor that was deteriorating from corrosion-induced damage from low concrete cover, high humidity, and high temperatures. A combination of MCI®2006 NS and MCI® Mini Grenades were added to repair mortars used to fix spalling concrete on a 70-plus year-old house in Iceland in 2010. In addition to use of these materials on many other occasions, one more interesting application of MCI®-2006 NS was for repair work on an Olympic-sized swimming pool in Israel between 2016-2020.

As these examples demonstrate, MCI®2006 NS and MCI® Mini Grenades are highly versatile and provide an unobtrusive way to inhibit corrosion and maximize the effectiveness of concrete repairs. These materials are available directly to contractors in the concrete repair business, as well as to building material suppliers interested in private-labelling these repair-enhancing technologies in their own formulations.

For more information on Migrating Corrosion Inhibitor™ additives for concrete grout and repair mortars please visit: https://www.cortecmci.com/contact-us/

Engineering, Innovation, and Technology Forum

In person and Live Stream 1–3 February 2022 Connecting minds, delivering value Don’t miss your chance to be a part of Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads’ premier transport industry event – the Engineering, Innovation, and Technology Forum.

The forum will include a multi-stream program focusing on transformative technologies, global trends and future opportunities in the transport sector.

The three-day event will include over 100 presenters across five streams, delivering their experiences and insights on the delivery of transport infrastructure projects and innovative research outcomes, as well as ‘outside the box’ thinking.

Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with colleagues and peers at this face to face event. For those who may not be able to attend in person we have added the option of accessing the event via Live Stream.

www.eitforum.tmr.qld.gov.au

Tuesday 1 - Thursday 3 February 2022 Royal International Convention Centre, Brisbane $1750 (inc gst) In person $500 (inc gst) Live Stream To register visit: www.eitforum.tmr.qld.gov.au

The 785m long Aftetal bridge is the centrepiece of the Bad Wünnenberg bypass. After a construction period of six years, it will be opened to traffic in spring 2022.

FORMWORK FEATURE

Building Bridges

A true expression of supreme engineering skill People tend to cross bridges as quickly as possible; because you never know. Experts even have a term for this phenomenon: gephyrophobia or “bridge anxiety”. Yet these valley-spanning structures are true expressions of supreme engineering skill, as illustrated by the new Aftetal bridge in the Western German State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

It’s a common enough experience for all motorists: you reduce your speed, see a warning sign for slippery roads or side winds, plus the obligatory windsock – followed by the brief rattle of the transitions, which cause a slight bump in the road. That's usually all you notice of a bridge. Travellers are rarely able to appreciate their true beauty. Who knows the name of a bridge, let alone the names of the companies involved in its construction?

Probably only a handful of people are familiar with the team around Matthias Urban and Markus Mühlnickel from formwork expert Doka – although they are actually always on hand wherever a complex bridge project involving concrete is underway in Germany.

This is true, regardless of whether the bridge in question uses cantilevering, incremental launching or launching-girder equipment/loadbearing systems.

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An impressive example is the steel-concrete colossus named the Aftetal bridge – almost 800 metres long, with 66-metre high piers, some of them at distances of up to 120 metres.

It is a valley bridge, which aims to ease the traffic situation in the Westphalian town of Bad Wünnenberg and facilitate travel between Brilon and Paderborn in the long run.

Matthias Urban, the project manager, emphasises: “It is an imposing, very long and wide bridge, and the piers are very massive.

You don't get that very often.” And that says a lot: After all, Doka has been supplying equipment and engineering expertise for cross-valley and cross-river traffic routes such as the Lahntal, the Nuttlar, Pfädchensgraben or Tiefenbach bridge for some time now.

Even after 15 and 27 years respectively on the job, the engineers stress, “…our department is passionate about bridges.”

Markus Mühlnickel, the group leader, quotes Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, who wrote about the importance of teaching people to long for the infinite, vast sea, if you want them to build a ship. This is probably also true if you want to build a bridge: it is best to keep the image of free-flowing traffic in mind right from the start. This is how you encourage motivation and enthusiasm. A bridge, says the engineer, is always a prominent feature and decisively shapes the landscape. It feels wonderful to watch it grow and ultimately create connections between places and people.

Below from left: For the safe assembly of the pier head formwork, the climbing pier head platforms of the Automatic climbing formwork SKE100 plus were used again; The 7-field bridge is supported by six piers, some of which reach a height of up to 66m; After the roadway slab had been completed, one of the two composite forming carriages was converted into a double-sided cap forming wagon to construct the parapets.

FORMWORK FEATURE

Above: Two composite forming carriages ensured that the concrete of the roadway slab could be connected to the steel structure. The suspended finishing-work platform provided a high degree of safety.

Top: The Doka formwork preassembly team took over the initial assembly of the formwork set incl. hydraulics and the relocation of the formwork.

Above: The entire SKE100 plus platforms were lifted away from one pier shaft to the next – saving time and money.

“Bridges are classic civil engineering,” says Urban, because they usually consist of abutments and piers, pier heads and a superstructure. Nevertheless, they only look alike at first glance.

When you take a closer look, they actually entail quite different engineering technologies.

And with the complexity of the bridge geometry, formwork requirements grow.

From this perspective, the Aftetal bridge is one of the more challenging constructions – with its height, the complex geometry of its piers, the massive pier heads and not least because of its length and span.

In principle, engineers tend to rely on standard systems for such a project as well.

However, some aspects will always need individual solutions. Urban mentions the special engineering skills required for bridges and the special solutions and interface planning, which are indispensable at this level.

A good formwork supplier does more than just supply components and systems. They also know how to make the most of its potential for the project at hand. It’s all about process, deadline and cost certainty.

“Clients often give us their plans and expect that we already have a ready-made solution up our sleeves,” adds Mühlnickel.

But for a bridge like this, there are no ready-made solutions. You have to sit down with the project partners, involve the team, plan, calculate, check, revise, meet again and continue to coordinate. “It's about arriving at the best solution, which is ideally also the safest,” says Mühlnickel. “At the end of the day, the workers want to return home safely to their families.”

After all, it’s not only about averting the risk of falling, it is also important to ensure that the equipment is ergonomic and minimises physical strain.

It is up to Doka to provide its partners with good advice, and to show the advantages and disadvantages of various methods, to make the right decisions with regard to provision and operating time. On top of that, we must design solutions that are safe for life and limb – a “return on prevention”, as it is called in technical jargon. Studies have shown that every euro invested in safe and ergonomic working conditions pays off twice or three time over.

“In other words, before an actual bridge is built, we have to build interpersonal bridges.

Only in this way great things – such as the Aftetal bridge – can happen.”

In the case of the massive piers, the responsible construction company Max Bögl relied on the principle of automatic climbing formwork. The high-performance, fully hydraulic system from Doka climbed accurately and precisely, every step of the way. The distances climbed were always

between five and six meters, up to the V-shaped pier heads, which required another special solution from the formwork experts.

This is where the formwork preassembly team came into play. This Doka service pays off especially in the case of exceptional assembly activities, for example when assembling and dismantling or moving the formwork from one pier head to the next – especially since the inhouse Doka service results in fewer interfaces and coordination work at the construction site.

This is particularly relevant since, in addition to cost savings, it is always the time factor that makes project partners more open to innovative or unconventional solutions.

For example, Max Bögl used two composite forming carriages at the Aftetal bridge to join the steel trough with the concrete of the deck slab. To create the cantilevered parapets with parapet wall, a composite forming carriage with two trailing parapets forming wagons, the so-called Forming wagon TU, was deployed.

This “pas de deux” saved a lot of time, as the engineers are pleased to point out – especially since the construction site also relied on the experienced formwork preassembly technicians.

So, what is the takeaway after four years of working on the Aftetal bridge project?

“The joy of having provided comprehensive support for the project,” says Urban. “The high priority that was given to the issue of safety.

And the fact that Doka provided the highest levels of consultation and service.”

“And not only because high above and far beyond is in the nature of bridge structures,” he added.

IN BRIEF: Project:

Construction of the new Bad Wünnenberg bypass, Aftetal bridge, B 480n Location: Bad Wünnenberg, Germany Project Owner: Straßen.NRW – Landesbetrieb Straßenbau Construction company: Max Bögl Group Formwork systems: Automatic climbing formwork SKE100 plus, Wall formwork FF20, Largearea formwork Top 50, Composite forming carriage, Forming wagon TU DOKA Services: Technical processing, statics, formwork pre-assembly, formwork instructor, project management Construction period: 2016 to 2022

Construction Engineering Australia • Dec 2021/Jan 2022

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The DOLRE bridge traffic barrier development demonstrates how the incorporation of FEA into the design process can optimise a solution that is vastly different from the solutions that traditional Engineering methodologies would produce.

Transition Test #1 for 2270kg Ute

Transition Test #2 for 2270kg Ute

Transition Test #3 for 2270kg Ute

A problem was identified and through the iterative use of FEM combined with Eurocodes for structural analysis a solution was found and optimised that was vastly different to the direction that traditional engineering was leading.

Once the bridge barrier design was optimised, the same process was used to assess transition designs to various European roadside barriers in accordance with EN1317 and TR16303-2011 requirements.

Transition Test #1 for 13,000kg Bus

Transition Test #1 for 900kg Sedan

Australian authorities required product assessment to Australian bridge standards. Future finite element modelling in accordance with MASH standards and NCHRP179 validation requirements satisfied ASBAP’s analysis for both traffic barrier and transition designs.

Ideal for Bridge Refurbis hment Projects.

ASBAP Approv ed for use in Austr alia

• Fully crash tested to European Standards and simulated to US MASH TL4 requirements • Unique design imparting low stress to bridge deck protecting water proofing membranes and coatings on the deck • Easy to install • Easy to dismantle in times of flood • Cost-effective bridge rehabilitation solution

www.lbaustralia.com.au Ph 1300 522 878

PRODUCT FEATURE

Big River Group’s timber product brings warm and authentic interior elements to the Nagambie Brewery Regenerating the rural township of Nagambie and attracting new visitors was the brief behind the reconstruction of lakeside hospitality offering, Nagambie Brewery and Distillery. Located on the foreshore of Lake Nagambie, a little over 90 minutes from Melbourne, the project brief was to transform an old retail strip including a former heritage police building into a new hospitality precinct.

Designed by award winning architectural firm Six Degrees, the result of the transformation is a stunning destination venue that enables locals and visitors to experience the region’s leading attraction, Lake Nagambie, which can be seen from the venue’s expansive deck.

The significant development is owned by businessman Gerry Ryan, who wanted to bring a contemporary hospitality design to Nagambie which fitted with the style and history surrounding it. Six Degrees created a space that embraces charm and warmth 38

Construction Engineering Australia • Dec 2021/Jan 2022

while taking full advantage of the spectacular surrounding views.

The complete project, which was awarded a commendation in the Victorian Architecture Awards 2020, includes a brewery, the Distiller’s Den, a dining room, café and a whiskey bar featuring viewing portholes into the brewery. The walls of the main restaurant and whiskey bar are lined with Big River Group’s superior plywood product Armourpanel in Spotted Gum, which assisted in creating warm and authentic interior elements to work alongside the more contemporary finishes of the project.

Having worked on multiple projects with the leading timber supplier, Six Degrees knew it was the right product to deliver the desired aesthetic and as well as providing the durability required for the commercial space.

“The client wanted the interior space to be textured with different finishes and they were looking for a certain result through warm and tonal materials which we knew Armourpanel could deliver,” says Dan Demant from Six Degrees Architects.

“The versatility, stability and toughness of the plywood product was a great match for the brief as it’s able to withstand hard wearing areas while also delivering on visual aesthetics,” says Dan. Confidently touted as Australia’s strongest plywood, Armourpanel has a unique construction method that sees each of its five layers of Australian hardwood sheets bonded together in a cross-ply manufacturing process to form a strong, solid, stable decorative panel.

Layered with texture, the inside space of the venue incorporates concrete, steel and brass as well as timber, with floor to ceiling windows that supply incredible views of the brewery and the surrounding lake. The architecture of the exterior pays a respectful nod to its heritage, with huge wooden barn doors and a classic white render, the new buildings blend subtly into their rural surrounds. Multiple outdoor deck areas allow for optimal enjoyment of the lake side setting and further complement the rustic charm of the interior.

PRODUCT FEATURE

For more information visit the website:

https://www.bigrivergroup.com.au

The brewery describes its offerings as unpretentious and approachable just like its surroundings, everything is open and there is nothing to hide. The interior is set up for onlookers to view the master brewers at work through portholes in the stunning timber clad whiskey bar. This intimate space is unequivocally warm and inviting with the beguiling allure of natural timber connecting to all the senses.

The walls of the room are clad entirely in Big River’s Armourpanel in Spotted Gum, the stunning and tonal material delivers depth and character while providing a charming experience for patrons to sit and enjoy the venue’s offerings.

“The depth of colour and unique timber characteristics of each panel gave an excellent finish,” says Dan. The decorative plywood from Big River offers simplicity, warmth and texture to create intimate and inviting environments, it is highly preferred by leading award-winning

architects when designing residential or commercial interiors. Armourpanel’s face veneer panels are available in a range of native species including Blackbutt, Flooded Gum, Spotted Gum and Sydney Blue Gum, all maintaining the natural characteristics of the selected wood species including their unique grain structures.

“We have specified Big River’s Armourpanel on many projects,” Dan added.

“It is such a beautiful product to work with and we have always been satisfied with their services and timber products, and quality and care of customer support in their sales and technical teams.”

Since its completion the Brewery has exceeded all expectations with regard to visitations, successfully encouraging locals and visitors to explore everything Nagambie has to offer with its stunning lakes, rivers and winery experiences while strengthening the region’s tourism industry and growing local jobs.

ABOUT BIG RIVER GROUP Big River Group manufactures and distributes timber and steel formwork products, timber flooring, structural plywood and related timber products, and distributes a broad range of other building products, including MaxiWall and MaxiFloor, primarily to the commercial and residential, non-residential and infrastructure construction market segments.

Big River owns and manages 21 sales and distribution outlets including Sydney, Gold Coast, Brisbane (2), Sunshine Coast, Townsville, Illawarra, Melbourne, Canberra, Geelong, Adelaide, Perth and New Zealand. The Company also owns and operates manufacturing facilities at Grafton and Wagga Wagga in NSW, Geelong, Perth and Auckland NZ. Big River provides customers with the security of a full support network, and technical expertise at every stage of the product lifecycle. This is the guarantee of quality and service that Big River has based its 110 years of success on.

ABOUT ARMOURPANEL Armourpanel is manufactured in Australia under the Plywood Association of Australia’s third party audited quality control program and milled from managed regrowth and plantation forest hardwoods. It is Australian Forestry Standard (AFS) certified.

Key features and benefits of Armourpanel decorative plywood include high strength characteristics making it ideal for hardwearing areas; the ability to withstand a range of harsh climatic conditions and a greater resistance to shrinkage than solid timber boards. It is supplied as 2400mm x 1200mm sheets or 1800mm x 1200mm sheets optionally in 15mm, 18mm or 21mm thickness.

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INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS

Biax General Manager Jim Prior (left), pictured with Matthew Holloway.

Holloway Group recently acquired Biax and expects to be able to quickly scale production to meet growing demand for this sustainable update to the waffle pod foundation.

Rocking the foundations of the building industry Sustainable innovation will revolutionise the way dwellings are constructed A generation ago, the waffle pod foundation forever changed the way engineers design, concreters prepare and builders construct homes – and now a new, sustainable product manufactured in Australia is creating the latest step change in foundation design, according to Jim Prior, General Manager of Biax, which was recently acquired by Holloway Group.

Biax represents a clever re-thinking of the waffle pod, replacing unsightly, hard-to-manage, environmentally-damaging polystyrene blocks with a compact, lightweight and sustainably produced product.

Broad adoption of Biax could help the construction industry eliminate 25,000 tonnes of styrene from the building market each year.

While some other brands have attempted to completely redesign the waffle pod to achieve better environmental outcomes, Biax retains the best elements of the waffle pod design, but replaces the bulky styrene blocks with compact, recycled plastic pods.

HOLLOWAY GROUP ACQUISITION READIES BIAX FOR RAPID GROWTH The Biax brand was recently acquired by Holloway Group, an Australian business that produces and distributes a number of innovative and sustainable products, in addition to offering custom moulding through its A Plus Plastics business.

Biax General Manager Jim Prior says Holloway Group was the perfect acquisition partner for Biax.

“Holloway Group was already manufacturing the product. Through this acquisition we have been able to remove one of the layers between manufacturer and purchaser, which will help bring costs down, but more than that, the acquisition will allow Holloway Group to leverage its manufacturing capability and national footprint to bring scale to the Biax operation.”

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Construction Engineering Australia • Dec 2021/Jan 2022

“The product has already been installed in over 800 slabs nationally, but we anticipate a rapid acceleration in demand that we are excited to meet. We know that about 80,000 residential waffle pods are poured each year, so there is a huge opportunity to be met and Holloway Group is positioned to keep up with fast-growing demand.”

DISTRIBUTION PARTNERS SOUGHT To help achieve scale and meet market demand, Holloway Group is looking to build a distribution network of reseller partners in key locations.

“This product is set to become the gold standard, so we want to develop a robust sales channel that includes businesses already selling into the markets we want to access,” Jim said. “This includes trade and hardware operations and we’re also keen to engage with businesses that sell adjacent products, like those who sell steel reinforcement for slabs.”

Jim says it has taken time for industry to recognise the need to move on from foam.“The waffle pod foundation system serves its purpose well, providing a very reliable, proven, cost effective base for building residential dwellings,” Jim said.

“But every builder and concreter knows that the polystyrene pods are a problem. They take up a huge amount of space on sites that are only getting smaller, they’re unsightly and they inevitably end up creating a mess throughout neighbourhoods when they break up with the slightest wind, resulting in pieces spreading to nearby properties or into waterways,” he added.

In addition to its sustainability credentials, the stackable Biax product takes up far less precious space on site – in fact, about 80% less than the space required for foam.

AN ALTERNATIVE THAT MEETS ENGINEERING SPECS Finding an alternative is something the industry has been working on for a long time, but Jim says the products weren’t right, and the timing wasn’t right.

Powering a Sustainable Future

Did you know you can access the latest issue of Construction Engineering Australia via Informit?

The Informit Engineering Collection is an ever expanding resource covering aspects of municipal engineering – urban management and planning, civil engineering and construction, environmental management, planning issues and traffic management.

The database offers an extensive variety of resources including journals, trade publications, reports and conference proceedings.

The Collection guarantees quality through partnerships with peak professional bodies including Engineers Australia and the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand, as well as Content Providers including EPC Media Group.

“It’s understandably difficult for engineers and builders to move away from a system they know is fundamentally reliable. While it clearly has flaws, when an engineer specifies a foam-filled waffle pod, they know it’s going to perform as expected and comply with all the relevant building codes. The trouble with some of the earlier products that tried to replace foam was that they threw the baby out with the bathwater, relying on an entirely different foundation design.”

“Biax retains everything that is good about the waffle pod slab, but replaces the foam with a product that is made of recycled and recyclable material. It’s stackable, so it’s easier to transport and store on site, and it’s priced comparably. Rather than simply replicating the same sizes as waffle pods, the Biax sizes are specifically calculated to also offer heightened engineering outcomes,” Jim said.

Jim notes that the building industry is under increasing pressure to adopt sustainable practices, and Biax can help achieve measurable improvements.

“Social licence to operate is becoming more of a focus area for builders, who face mounting scrutiny over their commitment to sustainability. There will come a point, probably soon, where environmentally unsustainable components like polystyrene will simply become unacceptable,” he added.

For further information, please visit: https://www.biax.com.au

The Informit Engineering Collection delivers hard to find content designed to complete and complement all your construction engineering requirements.

Other key titles published by EPC Media include: Highway Engineering Australia Waste + Water Management Australia

Request a quote or free trial via www.informit.org/trial-and-quote

Research for your global future

Construction Engineering Australia • Dec 2021/Jan 2022

41

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

Pre-Qualification of Contractors to Boost Safety and Efficiency David Erczmann, General Manager, LinkSafe Often used as a psychological tool to motivate the masses, platitudes have become the means to an end to achieve a positive outcome. Yet ‘Building a Path to a Brighter Future’ articulates a marketing position of progression – and its effective!

It’s less about hype and more about truth integral to how Australia’s commercial and residential construction sectors have played key roles in fostering the ongoing growth of Australia’s economy.

Australia’s construction and building sites prior to COVID once housed armies of builders and contractors, but all that has changed how sites operate.

COVID has manifested a different working environment.

Adapting to changing circumstances has meant the residential and commercial construction sectors have had to be nimble toward the management of contractors and induction of builders and tradesmen.

In the past, residential construction sites have seen companies’ sub-contract out work consistently, and not provide the necessary site and compliance tickets and information to company owners. It has the potential to leave company owners exposed to all forms of litigation and fines, with the potential of criminal prosecution hanging over them like the Sword of Damocles.

As for commercial construction companies, their ability to weather storms of potential prosecution is far greater with the outcomes more devastating - making 42

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compliance even more critical. Commercial construction companies can vary on site staff numbers, and contractors quickly – making site inductions, and recording of compliance harder to manage and administer, especially if personnel changes are consistently frequent.

Pre-qualifying may centre around a company’s key competencies, ensuring they understand the high-risk work requirements, that they have the right insurances in place, demonstrate an element of competency, and the principles associated with the need for the right governance.

Its essential contractors are pre-qualified, if commercial construction companies are to ensure they capture contractor data, ask the right questions on safety matters, and have a system that captures ABN validity, interrogates the ASIC database for ABN currency, and monitors expiry dates for key insurances., A company’s responsibility being a PCBU is detailed, and can be found by clicking onto the link https://www.safeworkaustralia. gov.au/law-and-regulation/duties-underwhs-laws/duties-pcbu Based on best practice principles, companies should have the ability to log in to their own portal and understand which of their staff are inducted prior to them being allocated work on construction sites – this means that time wasting is minimised.

It’s important to understand which contracting entities are pre-qualified, which of their staff are inducted and which of their staff have the appropriate licences/ credentials to perform work.

Having a system that can monitor expiry dates, send out email reminders as items approach expiry, and a system that can check validity on-site will save time, money, effort and mitigate legal liability.

Site project managers can scan people entering, confirming the company they work for is compliant, their inductions are within date, credentials and licences up to date and a fully searchable site register that can identify who has signed in, when they signed out along with a system that can be used to broadcast SMS messages.

There are many construction companies ill-equipped to have full-time on-site staff, however, that doesn’t preclude them from using a system that can provide compliance data and statistics, imperative to having the right people, accounted for, on site.

Knowing when contractors are on site, how compliant they are, whether they are ticketed or not, means technology plays an even more critical role managing contractors.

Systems with API (Application Programming Interface) technology are imperative. They allow flexibility for solutions to speak to one another, for example, API’s bring data into finance; work order management solutions and work order dispatches can be dependent of a compliance status of a company.

Changing the parameters of how construction companies adapt and operate means ‘Building a Brighter and Better Future’ for Australia’s future economic prosperity will continue.

For further information, please visit: https://linksafe.com.au

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

Next generation AI technology to protect the construction industry from the rise in cyber-attacks

by Hayley Turner, Director of Industrial Security, APAC at Darktrace Cyber criminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their modes of attack and already set their sights on the construction industry. While many large-scale construction companies have recognised this and started implementing systems to safeguard their data, smaller operators are starting to buckle under the pressure, and still alarmingly vulnerable to cyber-attacks.

Yet today, all organisations are vulnerable - this year we have seen organisations from global conglomerates, to schools, to national infrastructure falling victim to attacks.

The threat has now escalated to the point where the Australian Cyber Security Centre has officially warned smaller operators against the dangers of seemingly legitimate phishing emails. This points to a clear need to shore up cyber defences, yet a McKinsey report found the construction industry is lagging when it comes to embracing technology, being the second least digitised industry in Australia behind agriculture and hunting.

This lagging adoption, coupled with malicious actors targeting major sectors with increasingly sophisticated scams, means construction organisations should be on high alert.

THE DANGER OF BEING A DIGITAL STRAGGLER Despite being comparatively behind the curve on technology adoption, the construction industry is increasingly moving

towards a cloud-first approach in order to manage blueprints and safeguard sensitive customer data. The danger here lies in moving towards a cloud-first environment without adopting a digital savvy strategy across the board, meaning specific IT aspects such as cybersecurity are left behind exposing the industry to evolving external threats.

In addition, by its very nature the construction industry also finds itself at the mercy of its supply chain – with a multitude of third parties, suppliers, and contractors, the industry has built a complex and sprawling digital infrastructure, opening up multiple points of entry for attack. Without the right technologies in place, it can take just one phishing attack to cause a widescale compromise across multiple vendors across the world. Business owners and managers must now look at next generation solutions to safeguard against this onslaught of cyber-attacks that are getting more sophisticated each day.

ALLOWING AI TO DO THE WORK FOR YOU With threats evolving at such a rapid pace, the challenge of cyber security has gone beyond a human-scale problem. The construction industry would do well to adopt a self-learning approach to cyber defence - meaning leaning on technology that is autonomous, learning on the job to detect and respond to threats within seconds. These artificial intelligence (AI)-

based solutions not only protect sensitive data and mission-critical operations, but also relieve IT staff from the pressure of constant vigilance and eliminate any chance of human error.

This next generation technology can detect stealthy insiders and respond to sophisticated threats across the industry’s dispersed infrastructure, particularly with accelerated cloud adoption. It takes the onus off smaller operators who may not have the resources to invest in large IT teams, and allows them to refocus energy and budget towards necessary digital transformation and other proactive initiatives.

AI-enabled cyber security is particularly effective at protecting against email scams, specifically when deployed to uncover solicitation attempts either through spoofing, phishing or trying to impersonate a supplier or any other form of email attack. AI can dynamically assess activity across inbound and outbound emails including senders, recipients, links, IP addresses, and attachment types. The movement of all these objects are then used by the AI to create the ‘patterns of life’ for every user across all communications, including communications with external users who regularly interact with construction operators.

Cyber attackers are winning too many battles in an ongoing cyber war and with the construction industry now under attack, the stakes have never been higher. The threat to construction is compounded as the sector is lagging when it comes to tech, meaning it doesn’t have sophisticated defences to counter increasingly sophisticated attacks. Similarly, smaller operators will need to rely more on technology to modernise operations so they’ll be opening up new channels for threats.

Now is the time for operators in the industry to take a proactive approach and supercharge their cyber defences. The industry as a whole must now embrace more innovative and robust cyber security solutions that employ next generation technology. This is the only way to reverse the growing trend of increasing cyber attacks and make the construction industry more resilient – fighting back in real time, mitigating the spread before the damage is done.

For further information, please visit: https://www.darktrace.com

Construction Engineering Australia • Dec 2021/Jan 2022

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DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

The future of construction and engineering is here… the smart companies are those that embrace it

by Warren Zietsman, Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand, IFS Construction has paved the way for the world we all live in today. Through techniques developed across millennia, the structures that house our society in 2021 were borne out of the techniques of those who came before us.

But now, the construction industry is at a crossroads. We have entered a period that plays witness to an evolution of methods and competition, triggering a seismic shift in the construction landscape.

Recently IFS had the pleasure of partnering with the Engineers Association of Australia to host a webinar that analysed the future of the construction and engineering industries. Kenny Ingram, Vice President, Engineering, Construction & Infrastructure at IFS, shed light on the current industry challenges and threats, and the raft of opportunities available to those construction companies open to evolving with the times.

One of his most prominent points was that next generation construction companies use industry challenges to realise opportunities to improve performance and gain competitive advantage.

After a turbulent year, the construction industry continues to face project delays, persistent labour shortages, supply chain disruptions and less access to materials, stricter regulations and reduced margin for error, and fragmented operational IT systems.

This has been further aggravated by shifts in society expectations and market conditions, from modular construction models, renewable energy and sustainable living integration, unpredictable weather patterns, and even construction robotics – we saw robotic use recently to demolish the Sydney Harbour tower at Barangaroo!

These trends are likely to continue over the coming years. So, where to from here?

The next generation of construction companies are turning to Enterprise Resource Planning software as asset owners seek out construction companies to focus on the performance of the whole asset-lifecycle; the construction industry must react to these

needs. This shift allows for performancebased outcomes in the asset’s lifecycle to inform key performance indicators. For example, a future construction contract for a school may even reward the company based on test scores or university admission providing the incredible opportunity to generate business opportunities over the entire lifecycle of the asset.

As the construction industry competitive landscape changes, with background and geographically diverse entrants, existing construction companies need to embrace modern methods of construction and implement technologies as a strategy, rather than an experiment. This is achieved through simplifying the business system landscape by implementing modern methods of construction with the support of a strong and company-wide Enterprise Resource Planning software backbone.

We designed IFS Cloud for Engineering and Construction to deliver exceptional Moments of Service, both for the businesses using the platform and, importantly, for their customers. In the construction industry, this means addressing the above challenges that ultimately flow on to the customer by providing data-driven, integrated processes and systems to complete programs on time, on budget, while enjoying the costrelated benefits associated with new-found efficiencies.

Construction Engineering Australia • Dec 2021/Jan 2022

47

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

As the future of construction is here, merely experimenting and half-hearted adoption of technology and modern methods of construction is fraught with danger. Australian construction businesses must embrace modern methods and technology as a business strategy to turn known industry challenges, into fantastic business opportunities.

ABOUT IFS

With so many people involved in the chaotic world of construction projects, the key pillars of success surround a futureproof ERP backbone that is flexible, open and has innovation and construction at its core. We know that those who adopt simplified systems and new technologies

IFS develops and delivers enterprise software for customers around the world who manufacture and distribute goods, build and maintain assets, and manage service-focused operations. The industry expertise of our people and solutions, together with a commitment to delivering value to every one of our customers, has made IFS a recognised leader and the most recommended supplier in our sector.

Our team of 4,000 employees and growing ecosystem of partners support more than 10,000 customers around the world challenge the status quo and realise their competitive advantage.

Learn more about how our enterprise software solutions can help your business today.

For more information, please visit https://www.ifs.com

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Construction Engineering Australia • Dec 2021/Jan 2022

Whether it’s a TL-2 or TL-3 attenuator, your first question should always be:

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