Cylinders to go

A core sample needs to be transported from the job site to each district's lab several times a month during the slow season, and at least once a week during peak season. District 5 Materials Engineer Greydon Wright noticed a lot of unwanted movement when he was transporting the concrete cylinders from the field back to the lab after they had their initial cure.

"They moved all over inside the cooler we used to transport them," he explained. "This could create damage to the cylinders and cause inaccurate results during testing on core strength if they had pre-existing breaks and damage. Overall, it was an unsafe practice."

So Rocky Burch, Kathy Buffat and Brad Day decided to build a holder in the cooler for the concrete cylinders. They welded a pair of old signs together and adding some "feet" to them to create a more stable foundation.

Now the cylinders stay put and don't move during transport.

"By preventing damage to the concrete cylinders, we are able to get more accurate results during testing and able to produce higher quality products," Wright said.

 

Published 06-22-18