- by Kevin Yuers, Vice President, Kryton International

Ok, right off the top I’ll point out that the title of this week’s blog is supposed to be funny. In my experience, there is nothing easy about product development.

Where I work, we have a very long history of developing products to meet the needs of customers. In the earliest days, my father would invent a product at the request of any customer. “Need an industrial strength grease remover? No problem. You can pick it up on Monday.” At which point dear old Dad would call up his chemical supply contacts and after some long hours in the lab and factory floor, a meta-silicate solution would be sitting in buckets by the door Monday morning. That’s the kind of nimble innovation and entrepreneurial spirit that paid for my braces growing up. Today we do things quite differently but that spirit of innovation and entrepreneurialism is still there, even if we tend to be less nimble.

The first step in the product development process can sometimes be the most difficult. Step one is where you come up with the new product idea. Coming up with ideas sounds easy. In fact, you might find that everyone around you has what they think is a great idea for a new product. But you’ll probably find the idea has already been tried, isn’t practical or for one reason or another is just not that great of an idea after all.

Just like my father found many years ago, I’ve learned the best product ideas come from my customers. A customer expresses a need for a product that will do this or that. If you can come up with something that fills that need, you’ve probably got a winner. Recently, I had a customer that expressed such a need. The customer was a major hydroelectric power utility that owned a large number of aging and deteriorating concrete structures. The structures were getting to point of possibly needing replacement, but with the way the economy has been, they wanted to repair the structures instead. We developed a line of restoration and protection products to meet their request – realizing they were not alone in their need. That new product line is actually being launched by Kryton today. Discovering an unfulfilled need and developing a solution is really the key to success when creating a new product.

For a really great and inspiring video on developing your product idea, have a look at ABC Nightline’s The Deep Dive.

Step two in the product development process is creating the business case, which I’ll talk more about next time. As always, your comments are encouraged.

- by Kevin Yuers, Vice President, Kryton International

It is a typical sunny August day here on the West Coast of British Columbia. My wife Irene and I are sailing across Georgia Strait toward the San Juan Islands of Northern Washington state. There's a light breeze blowing from the West, which makes for pleasant sailing and a pleasant temperature. Irene is getting a little practice time at the helm so I am free to do what gets done a lot on these trips. That is, sitting back with a cold beverage, looking at the ocean and getting lost in one’s own thoughts. Of course, this blog is about Concrete Thoughts and so not surprisingly my personal thoughts often drift in that direction.

In the distance I can see a fellow sailor heading our same way. It is a particularly beautiful vessel with classic lines and long overhangs at both ends. It is quite possibly made completely from wood. Most modern sailboats are made from fiberglass these days. It occurs to me that I had not seen or heard about sailboats made from concrete in many years. I recall a time in my youth when I marveled at the idea that a boat could be built from concrete. Boats are made of wood, a child would logically assume, because wood floats. That makes sense. Concrete does not float so how could a concrete boat float? The concept of displacement was explained to me by my very patient father. Concrete boats were apparently common. The term “ferro-cement” comes to mind.

Yet when shopping for our sailboat three years ago, I did not come across a single mention of any boats with a concrete hull. What has happened to them? Is this a technology that just didn’t stand the test of time? Maybe seawater caused chloride induced corrosion of the reinforcement? I wonder if synthetic structural fiber might solve that today. Or perhaps crystalline waterproofing technology is the answer. It occurs to me now that there is plenty of concrete in contact with the ocean. Floating docks and bridge pontoons are actually not all that different from boats. When I get back to the world I think I’ll look up what Wikipedia has to say about concrete sailboats. I would also love to come back to a few of your comments on the subject. Please feel free to post something.

- by Jillian Work, Marketing Coordinator, Kryton International

Non-residential spending falls again
The U.S. Census Bureau is reporting that for the 15th consecutive month, private non-residential construction spending has fallen, slipping 0.5% in June.

Five hot jobs in the construction industry
A look at the top job placements in five U.S. states where construction is booming.

Tower owners in Abu Dhabi may face rise in earthquake insurance
A new report indicates the UAE is at a high risk for earthquakes, putting pressure on developers to create soundly constructed buildings in the area.

International green building codes ask for U.S. support
The International Code Council (ICC) has encouraged the U.S. government to reference the International Green Construction Code (IGCC) in an effort to apply sustainable design principals to the design and construction of new federal buildings.

- by Jillian Work, Marketing Coordinator, Kryton International

A weekly roundup of news highlights from the concrete industry

USGBC opens Building Performance Partnership to current LEED-certified building
A new program from the U.S. Green Building Council encourages owners and managers of commercial and residential LEED-certified buildings to monitor performance through data collection, analysis and action. The goal is to establish a “comprehensive green building performance database” that will standardize reporting metrics.

World of Concrete conference schedule online
The schedule for the construction industry's annual must-attend conference can now be viewed online, along with the 2011 Education Program Grid.

Saudi Arabia to invest billions into infrastructure
According to the Saudi Press Agency, Economy and Planning Minister Khalid Bin Mohammad Al Qusaibi announced a five-year plan budgeted at $385 billion to build schools, hospitals, housing and other infrastructure projects.

NRMCA testifies on fly ash disposal
National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) has testified before U.S. Congress on the “negative impact of a proposed Environmental Protection Agency rule on the use and disposal of fly ash.” NRMCA president Robert Garbini said the concrete industry used 15.8 million tons of fly ash in the manufacturing of concrete in 2008 alone.

- by Jillian Work, Marketing Coordinator, Kryton International

A weekly roundup of news highlights from the concrete industry

World records in construction include man-made island
The top ten construction world record holders include Australia’s Q1 Tower, which is the tallest residential building, and Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, the largest man-made island. Kryton products were used in three of these engineering projects.

How much infrastructure in Canada is enough?
A new study from the Residential and Commercial Construction Alliance of Ontario (RCCAO) suggests a more flexible infrastructure strategy is needed to prevent underinvestment in the industry.

Losing census data could harm construction industry
Changes to Canada’s census could impact construction decisions, such as projections on public infrastructure needs.

- by Alireza Biparva, Technical Services Rep/Concrete Specialist, Research & Development at Kryton International

While many industries flourish in warm climates, high temperatures and humidity also create a number of challenges for the construction industry. Hot, dry weather can lead to excessive surface moisture evaporation during concrete curing. Wind is also the enemy in this environment as it exacerbates the accelerated evaporation process. The result is shrinkage, cracking and finishing difficulties that can substantially reduce the concrete strength in your building or structure.

One of the best ways to avoid this is to keep the concrete cool. Cooling the mix by replacing part of the mixing water with ice will significantly lower the concrete's temperature and decrease slump loss. On site equipment – from the mixers to the conveyor belts – should be kept shaded and as cool as possible to protect the concrete.

Hot weather also impacts the setting time of concrete by accelerating the hydration and causing it to dry too quickly. Acceleration in the hydration process will increase slump loss, whereas retardation in the hydration process will decrease slump loss. To find the right balance, you can use an admixture to act as a set retarder to mitigate this process.

Dubai required hot weather concreting process

We used our Krystol Internal Membrane (KIM) product for a recent project in a hot and humid environment where the temperature often ran in the mid to high 40⁰C range. Although KIM’s primary function is to act as a concrete waterproofer, it also automatically enhances the durability of concrete. By managing the heat of hydration, KIM can reduce shrinkage and cracking by up to 25% and assist in internal curing which ultimately leads to a more durable and waterproofed concrete structure.

Construction of the Emirates Call Center in Dubai was running behind schedule and due to tight timelines, KIM was selected as the waterproofing system in place of membranes. The entire raft slab and vertical walls were cast with KIM dosed concrete, while the horizontal joints were waterproofed with the Krystol Waterstop System. This project was delivered on schedule in large part because of the efficiency of the hot weather concreting process assisted by Kryton’s KIM admixture.

- by Jillian Work, Marketing Coordinator, Kryton International

A weekly roundup of news highlights from the concrete industry

Qatar leads infrastructure growth in Middle East
Business Monitor International reports growth is expected to average 9.9% between 2010 and 2014 for Qatar. Current projects include $9 billion New Doha International Airport, the $7 billion New Doha Port project, the $13 billion Qatar-Bahrain Causeway and the $17 billion development of a national rail network.

Can Haiti benefit from a concrete recycling program?
Community teams in Haiti are sorting through rubble, making piles of trash, concrete and metal to be loaded onto trucks that transport debris to dump sites. This editorial calls for a larger-scale strategy that involves recycling of materials such as crushing concrete to use as road aggregate.

A historical timeline of concrete
This timeline begins in 12,000,000 BC and includes the Petronas Twin Towers built in 1996. One to add: 1973 - Kryton International invents a way to waterproof concrete from the inside out.

U.S. construction recovering, worldwide mega projects to surge
A report from Independent Project Analysis, Inc. (IPA) projects that global demand, especially in emerging regions such as India and the Middle East, is a primary driver of the increased number of mega projects. The Associated Builders and Contractors' latest Construction Backlog Indicator (CBI) increased by 27% from January of this year.

- by Alexandra Emlyn, BSc Chemistry, LEED-AP, Director of Research & Development

As countries begin to embrace low carbon economies, customers are increasingly asking for sourcing documentation on the products they are considering for their building projects. For construction projects that are striving for low carbon building status, there is no room for products that do not conform to LEED Canada-NC: Regional Materials 5.1 and 5.2.

Greenhouse gas emissions associated with building construction mainly come from the manufacturing of materials (e.g. concrete), transportation of materials, and transportation and treatment of demolition waste. The construction of a typical building is, on average, responsible for 500 kg CO2e/m2 worth of emissions.

To achieve low carbon building status, a project must prove a reduction of this number by 80%. A key strategy adopted by low carbon building projects to reduce greenhouse gases during construction is to select material suppliers as close as possible from the construction site and suppliers whose raw materials are sourced locally.

Some stats for you to consider: a tanker carrying raw materials from overseas uses 35 tonnes of Bunker C oil per day and typically takes 11 days to make a crossing from China to Canada’s West Coast. A tug boat and barge uses 25 gallons per hour of diesel fuel. A railcar uses 125 gallons per hour of diesel fuel. A truck uses four gallons per hr of diesel. If you do the math, locally sourced and locally produced wins every time.

- by Jillian Work, Marketing Coordinator, Kryton International

A weekly roundup of news highlights from the concrete industry

Recycling of concrete aggregate increasing in popularity
Traditionally, concrete that had reached the end of its lifespan was disposed of in landfills. A new trend has emerged that finds concrete aggregate being recycled via crushing machines. While most concrete treated with a traditional waterproofing membrane cannot be recycled, Kryton’s integral crystalline waterproofing products allow for concrete to be recycled at the end of life. Recycling concrete aggregate has a number of significant economic benefits.

Market for green building materials predicted to see significant growth by 2015
The demand for green building materials is predicted to reach $406 billion by 2015. Due to a greater awareness of the value in building sustainable structures, the idea of green building is set to become a global phenomenon.

American Society of Concrete Contractors finds solutions to members’ job site problems
The American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC) has set up a 1-800 number exclusively for members that it is using, in combination with its newsletter, to provide members with solutions for real-life construction challenges.

- by Kevin Yuers, Vice President, Kryton International

Traditionally, waterproofing of concrete structures has been accomplished using a membrane of some sort. The membrane can be anything from a simple coating of tar to a very technical adhered polymer sheet membrane system. But whether simple or high-tech, these products have one thing in common: they are all applied to the surface of the concrete. Being applied to the surface, they are prone to failure as a result of one or more of the many variables that can and do occur when human beings are doing things. For example, the surface may not have been prepared or cleaned properly. There might be unsuitable weather conditions. Perhaps a seam or penetration was not perfectly sealed. A membrane can be punctured – possibly during backfilling or other construction activities.

Such concerns have led a growing number of builders to switch to integral waterproofing. Integral waterproofing is accomplished by adding a crystalline waterproofing admixture to the concrete when the concrete is batched. Special chemicals in the admixture react within the concrete to form crystals, which grow to block the naturally occurring capillary pores and micro-cracks that exist in all concrete. Because it is the concrete itself that becomes the “membrane,” it cannot be punctured or damaged. And since there is no installation, there are no workmanship or jobsite concerns. However, integral waterproofing is not magic. To be successful, it requires the builder to think differently about how a concrete structure is built.

Concrete pulls double duty

Most builders have constructed countless concrete structures. The steel reinforced concrete forms and shapes the structure and supports the loads that will be placed on it. If there are a few cracks, honeycombs and porous areas, it doesn’t make much difference. It’s a common occurrence and the building isn’t going to fall down. But when using integral waterproofing we must think differently. The concrete is not just there in a structural role. It is pulling double-duty as the waterproof membrane as well. Cracks, rock pockets and poorly formed joints that are tolerable in simple structural concrete are not tolerable when the concrete must also hold back water under pressure.

Fortunately the solution is very straight forward:

1. The concrete must designed to minimize shrinkage. Generally this means using as little water as possible.
2. The concrete must be placed using the best practices so as to avoid poorly consolidated areas and unintended cold joints.
3. The concrete must always be cured properly. This means wet curing for at least 7 days and/or the application of a high-quality curing compound.

Actually these are not really onerous requirements at all. It is how concrete normally should be placed. The American Concrete Institute stipulates that all concrete should be placed this way, not just integrally waterproofed concrete. Of course the reality is that common construction practice is to not follow ACI guidelines. Instead, builders do what they always do and the flaws mentioned above are accepted as the way things are and there is seldom a problem.

That is exactly why when waterproofing using crystalline integral waterproofing, we must think differently than we are accustomed to thinking about concrete structures.

Applying membranes to your concrete’s surface is the way things used to be done. Today, smart builders waterproof from the inside out using crystalline integral waterproofing. Change your thinking and you will find that you have a much more successful and reliable waterproofing system.