I am interested in construction methods and practices, the reason why a project works, the solutions that made the project economical. To most it is given that the project will just work, but the reality is that a project has more reasons to stay at the beginning than it has reason to make it to the end. The difference between success and failure is detail. Concrete has that, a lot of detail that matters to make a project successful. Most of the detail comes down to the people you work with, peoples attitudes, knowledge, understating, all detail that needs to be interpreted.
I have worked on Bridges, buildings and roads; most roads out of gravel and asphalt. I have worked on project that have had unique aspects about there construction. Such as a single span bridges, construction with driven piles suspended in noncohesive material for lateral bridge movement. And what made this an interesting project is during construction we hit the water table, water became uncontrollable. The 600mm diameter CPS culverts that are designed to hold the noncohesive soil started to get sucked into the ground(mud). This resulted in meeting the designer of the bridges and learning about why the method for the single span bridge didn’t require the 100% perfected cleaned CSP culvert that was designed for our project. That if this was in-fact a multiple span bridge the CSP culverts would have had to be excavated out, 15ft below the water table to insure the perfectly cleaned out culvert.
I have inspected the installation of multiple bridges over the 407, 401, 400 north of highway 9. Girder inspection usually at the concrete plants to insure the QC of the girder for municipal and MTO project. But placement at night on the highway watching the multiple cranes place girders, insuring the placement is as per plan.
Successful placement of concrete in the tens of thousands meters cubed and going. Understanding the admixtures of concrete, the effects the environment has on concrete, the rules that are standard to follow for concrete curing. Effort is involved in concrete placement at every level, understanding that the most of the effort comes down to people, working with teams making great project happen.
