From a building material that used to be just covered up to one what is now central to design, concrete has come a long way. In its latest iteration, commercial concrete lights up. Using fiber optic material embedded in the concrete, the material takes on a translucent appearance when light is applied to the fibers. […]
Blog
Research Focuses on Recycled Concrete
Concrete is one of the most successful and useful products ever created. It has helped transform the world, but a lot of it is piling up in the trash heaps. Researchers at the University of Notre Dame are trying to find a way to use recycled concrete in new buildings. Currently, recycled concrete is used […]
Below the Surface of Precast Concrete Manholes
Before the advent of precast concrete manholes, the access points for sewer and storm water systems were made using brick and mortar. Masons would build the structure in place, which took time and great effort. With the introduction of precast concrete manholes, the structure is built offsite at a controlled facility and then shipped to […]
Out Of This World Concrete Mix Could Conquer Mars
With Mars colonies scheduled for 2025 and 2030, NASA issued a challenge to researchers to find a way to build habitats on the planet. One group came up with a concrete mix that is out of this world. A team from Northwestern University came up with a concrete mix which uses only materials available on […]
Shocking: Electrified Concrete Melts Snow
An experimental slab of electrified concrete at the University of Nebraska may someday eliminate the need to shovel snow off of sidewalks. The slab is the brainchild of a professor at the university who added steel shaving and carbon particles to the normal concrete mix. When electrified, the slab conducts enough electricity to melt snow […]
Come See Us At World Of Concrete
World of Concrete 2016 is the only international concrete convention for the commercial concrete and masonry construction industries. For 43 years WOC has introduced the latest industry innovations as well as brought thousands of suppliers and buyers together in one place. Del Zotto Products will be there from Feb. 2-5 at booth N1257. As the […]
Precast Concrete Towers Will Let Wind Turbines Reach Higher
Wind energy producers may soon reach new heights thanks to the strength and versatility of precast concrete towers tested recently at the Iowa State University. The tests, which put the tower sections through thousands of hours of the same twisting forces experienced in the real world, were a success. “I think we’ve made great progress […]
Precast Concrete Sidewalks Get Traction
In the constant struggle to keep concrete sidewalks passable, some cities are ditching poured-in-place sidewalks for precast concrete sidewalks instead. San Antonio, Texas is the latest community to be testing precast concrete sidewalks. Historically, the city has poured their sidewalks in place with the use of forms. This is how many municipalities install and replace […]
Study: U.S. Demand for Precast Concrete Products to Increase
The demand for precast concrete products is expected to increase through 2018, according to a recent market research study. The study, conducted by the Freedonia Group of Cleveland, forecasts the precast concrete segment will grow by 6.4 percent per year to $12.2 billion in sales in 2018. The forecasted growth is in part due to […]
Why Precast Concrete Costs You Less
While the initial price may be more, precast concrete costs less because of the time it saves on the job site. Pouring concrete in place is cheaper in theory. Looking at just the price of materials and labor, a poured-in-place product wins every time. But a deeper look at what it actually costs you to […]
Precast Concrete Stormwater Systems Help Environment
There was a time when stormwater just drained straight into rivers and lakes. Stricter environmental guidelines, however, have made precast concrete storm water systems a smart choice for your next project. Keeping pollution out of lakes and rivers has become a serious concern in the United States. New laws and regulations have impacted construction and […]
Behind the Scenes at a Precast Concrete Plant
Your typical precast concrete plant is a collection of steel forms, lots of rebar and, of course, concrete. The forms are among the most important parts of the operation. Whether making manholes or enormous septic tanks, quality-made forms lessen the amount of downtime. The forms take a daily beating. They hold back tons of caustic […]
Steel Rebar: The Unseen Concrete Construction Hero
Concrete is among the strongest building materials available. But when used on its own for concrete construction, it has an Achilles’ heel. Pitted against compression forces, concrete is tough to crack. But the material doesn’t hold together as well against pulling or twisting forces. The addition of rebar, short for reinforcing bar, helped strengthen concrete’s […]
Aggregate: The Overlooked Star of the Concrete Mix
Up to 80 percent of your typical concrete mix is made of aggregate, which is mostly filler material from fine sand to chunky gravel. The cement, which gets nearly all the recognition, binds the aggregate together and hardens to form concrete. But without the right aggregate, the cement is useless and the resulting concrete will […]
Science Makes Strong Concrete
Cement is what makes strong concrete, but making cement is like a trip to chemistry class. First, the right amount of calcium, silicon, aluminum and iron are ground into a fine powder and put into a cement kiln where the material is heated to nearly 2,732 degrees Fahrenheit. The process burns off some properties and […]
Fibers in Concrete: The Old is New Again
For millennia, fibers in concrete and other masonry were used to strengthen and reinforce the material. Use of natural fibers like horse hair and straw fell out of favor with the introduction of reinforced steel and wire mesh. But today the development of super-strong synthetic fibers has made the use of fiber-reinforced concrete more widespread. […]
Precast Concrete Keeps our Troops Safe
Precast concrete has continued to grow in popularity in construction and road building because of its ease of installation and strength. But the industry has made significant inroads in technology which has increased partnerships with the military. In addition to the precast barriers often seen surrounding older military or civilian buildings, the military is now […]
‘Thirsty’ Concrete Gulps Water Like Sieve
A British company recently showed off a new type of concrete which can absorb more than 1,000 gallons of water per minute. The demonstration shows copious amounts of water being dumped onto what looks like an asphalt parking lot and disappearing just as quickly. The “asphalt” is actually a permeable concrete that allows water to […]
How Curb Inlets Keep You Safe
Those innocuous slits in the curb found every so often along city roads, which are mostly ignored by many motorists, are an elegant way to keep water off the roads and cars on them. Without these structures, called curb inlets, roads would flood even during light rains. The inlets, which work on a gravity-fed system, […]
This Plant Is No Pipe Dream
When a big concrete pipe maker refused to sell its pipe to Del Zotto Products in 2008, we decided to come up with a way for our customers to make their own pipes. Tapping into our can-do background as a company founded by the son of an Italian bricklayer more than 50 years ago, Del […]