Importance of Initial Curing Conditions of Test Cylinders
Why Curing Conditions for Test Cylinders is Important Acceptance testing for specified concrete strength is, and always has been, a necessary step in the construction industry. Nowadays, this process includes making cylinders or beams on site and bringing them to the lab for strength testing, followed by a…
Creep of Concrete Under the Nanoscope
Understanding the Underlying Mechanisms of Creep in Concrete Concrete is one of the main materials utilized in civil engineering construction in the modern age with an annual production of roughly 20 billion tons. For instance, the aging infrastructure in the US requires massive investment and the American Society…
5 Reasons Construction Professionals Buy IoT Devices
The Internet of Things, commonly abbreviated as IoT, refers to the connection of devices to the Internet. These IoT devices range from cellphones, computers, and wearable technology to cars, homes, and appliances. Although it might not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of connected…
IoT is Revolutionizing the Concrete Industry
When it comes to Smart Construction and Intelligent Building Operation, the Internet of Things (IoT) is a powerhouse that has revolutionized many aspects of the industry—including concrete installations and applications. Essentially, the IoT is a network of items that are embedded with sensors, electronics, actuators, and software that…
Giatec Award for Best Paper Recipients
Winner of the Giatec Award for Best Paper Nanoscale origins of creep in calcium silicate hydrates Ali Morshedifard, Saeed Masoumi, Mohammad Javad Abdolhosseini Qomi Synopsis The authors propose a novel three-staged incremental stress-marching technique to study nanoscale longtime phenomena, specifically creep, in atomistic simulations. The stress-induced time-dependent behavior…
How 3D Printing Has Transformed the Construction Industry
Recently, we discussed how the use of 3D printers at construction jobsites may soon become common practice. Advances in 3D-printing technologies have resulted in the ability to craft anything from chocolate and food to statues and even entire buildings. Considering the competitive nature of the construction industry, 3D…
Concrete 3D Printing May Soon Become Standard Practice in Construction
Innovation in the construction industry has taken a whole new turn with the latest advances in 3D-printing technology. If you’re not already familiar with this technology, 3D printing involves a machine that uses concrete as its “ink” to construct buildings from the base up. Layer by layer, the…
Giatec Adds Four New Ready-Mix Concrete Producers to the SmartRock® Plus Family
It’s been a busy summer already for Giatec, and we’re not slowing down as we welcome four new members to the SmartRock® Plus producer family. These ready-mix producers have embraced technology by integrating wireless concrete sensors into their business models to optimize the performance of their mixes and…
How Concrete Can Reap Solid Environmental and Economic Benefits
Made up of water, aggregate (rock, sand, or gravel), and Portland cement, concrete is the most widely used construction material. Its popularity is mainly due to the fact that concrete is flexible, cheap, and durable. Unfortunately, even with today’s contemporary recycling technology, used or old concrete is seen…
Testing Is Easier With the Concrete Slab Temperature Sensor SmartRock® Plus
On the job site, time is money, and delays can be costly. But what if making a small change could shave days off your schedule while saving big bucks? That’s the premise behind SmartRock Plus™, the concrete slab temperature sensor that allows contractors get real-time information about the strength and temperature…
How Drones Can Work With, Not Against, Inspectors
Recent advances in drone technologies (also known as unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs) and non-destructive testing (NDT) have led to significant changes in the way data is collected in the field, especially when it comes to structural inspections and repair/rehabilitation assessments. Traditional Inspections Just Aren’t Cutting It Traditional bridge…
Expose Your Civil Engineering R&D on a Global Stage with Giatec
At Giatec, we believe that today’s civil engineering researchers are shaping cities of the future. That’s why we have launched an annual contest to recognize innovative research and thought leadership in the world of civil engineering and concrete infrastructure. The Giatec Award for Best Paper is an essay-writing…
Defending the Most Sustainable Construction Material: Response to CNN
A few days ago, CNN published an article entitled “Concrete is a disaster for our planet: can the building industry break its addiction?” causing an uproar from thousands of construction industry professionals. Rightly so. The article, as we will discuss in greater detail below, was largely biased and…
Choosing the Right Tablet for Your Construction Projects
In today’s digital world, the use of tablets in the business environment is becoming increasingly popular. This is true for the construction industry as well, where tablets are being used to give contractors and engineers access to data on the go during various building and infrastructure projects. Technological…
Update Your SmartRock App Today!
At Giatec, we always take customer feedback seriously in order to add value to our products and give users the best possible experience. Today we’re excited to announce the launch of our new and improved SmartRock app, which has incorporated all your suggestions into a user-friendly, intuitive interface…
Intermat Paris 2018: SmartRock® Plus Concrete Sensors on the Global Stage
Paris, here we come! The Giatec office is buzzing with activity as we prepare for the International Exhibition for Construction and Infrastructure, a.k.a. Intermat. This year’s show is taking place from the 23rd to 28th of April 2018, and will welcome 1,500 exhibitors and 183,000 visitors from 167…
Increase Concrete Durability by Keeping Water Out
Image Copyrighted by https://pixabay.com/photos/crack-wall-concrete-texture-stone-695010/With concrete being the world’s most popular construction material, it’s clear why we must always push to find new ways of improving its inherent durability. And there’s no better to do this than to protect it from its nemesis—water. Why Is Water Bad for Concrete?…
Avoid Construction Delays During Shoulder Season
It’s cold out there! Shoulder season has brought record-breaking cold temperatures across Canada and the United States. Not only are these temperature fluctuations uncomfortable (to say the least), but they’re also taking their toll on hard infrastructure like buildings, roads, bridges, and tunnels. In fact, construction crews in…
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