While in Mongolia I did certifications of five concrete batch plants. Certification is a little different than those Western Technologies normally does. The equipment is manufactured in China, thus they do not have the plant and truck ratings that we have in the USA. I had to perform uniformity test at each batch plant. This test is to insure that the concrete is of uniform quality throughout the load.
Each batch plant is a central mix plant less than five years old. The technology is up to date. Each plant certification takes about a day to perform – the typical problem I see is concrete buildup in the truck drum and on the chute.
Part of this problem is because they have very long summer days (typical construction work is from 9:00 am to 9:30 pm) and a short construction season, April to October. Everyone works long hours and do not always take the time to clean the equipment.
A lot of concrete trucks to be inspected. I must inspect the drum of each truck- a lot of climbing!
Luke inspecting one of the trucks. They gave me the gloves and cape so I would not get concrete dust on me – My chance to be “Batman”!
This is part of the uniformity test. They are washing out the sand and cement. I will then determine if the coarse aggregates are “uniform” throughout the load of concrete.
About the Author
Luke M. Snell is a Senior Materials Engineer at Western Technologies, Phoenix Arizona and is an Emeritus Professor from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. His research interests include construction materials and concrete construction. Luke Snell is a licensed Professional Engineer in Arizona, Illinois, and Missouri. He has done extensive consulting work on construction and concrete problems throughout the United States, Algeria, Mongolia, and Saudi Arabia. He has written over 300 articles on concrete, construction materials, and construction education. Snell has been the Chair of the ACI International Committee and instrumental in starting ACI chapters in Algeria, Ethiopia and Mongolia, and he has worked with China, India, Saudi Arabia, and Taiwan to start concrete certification programs. Luke is a ACI Fellow, has received many awards, and was named one of the Ten Most Influential People of The Year in the concrete industry by Concrete Construction and Concrete Producer magazines in 2007; Construction Laureate of Mongolia (2007). He recently was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Aria University of Sciences and Sustainability, and the ACI Certification Award.
