STAFF WRITER
– The OCR Special Feature
At World of Concrete 2016 in Las Vegas, ProAll will introduce the Commander, an all-new control system that makes the Reimer Mixer the highest performance concrete mixer in the world.
For construction contractors and concrete producers, volumetric mixers have long been an invaluable solution for quality, cost-effective on-site mixing. All of the components – stone, sand, cement and water – are loaded into separate compartments on one truck, metered, and mixed into fresh concrete in a high production mixing auger for a fresh mix anywhere, anytime.
ProAll vice president Steve Fillmore says until now, volumetric mixers have been susceptible to inconsistencies throughout a load and required much technical skill to maintain mix specifications. “Without a careful eye on the mix, slump could change and delivering a consistent pour could take constant, inexact adjustments to several aspects of the mixer. With the launch of the Commander control system, those days are gone for good.”
With the Commander, automated functions and digital controls give unprecedented control, accuracy, and consistency. For the first time, he says, the mix elements are precision measured several times a second, and auto controlled by a cutting edge PLC system.
“Further, unlike any other mixer in the world, with the Commander all functions of the mixer are connected—including belt speed, water, and cement. So, belt speed will always be constant, and it will be precisely linked to a variable cement flow, water flow, and auger speed, so your slump and strength are right on, every time—just set a water-cement ratio, and let the Commander do the rest.”
“This new setup removes a large human error factor that exists with other volumetric mixers,” Fillmore says. “On other mixers, when you’re putting out a load your slump could change, but with the Commander your mixer stays at a constant rate and you’re not worried about your machine speeding up on you or something falling out of whack. Throughout the entire load— wheel barrow to wheel barrow—you know your mix will be accurate and consistent. Once you choose your mix specifications, nothing will change.”
Beyond the accuracy and consistency provided by automated mixer functions, operators can now grab total command of pours with fully digital controls, all on one dashboard. All mix measurements are displayed together on one screen where production can be tracked in real time and warning messages will appear if mix proportions become incorrect. All mix adjustments can also be made on the same panel.
“Change the strength, tweak your watercement ration or adjust your speed, all with a single turn of the dial.”
The Commander’s control panel will also track mix information for thousands of jobs, so operators can not only track job activity daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly— they can auto-set elements to a past mix design with the push of a button. Delivering engineered specifications has never been easier, Fillmore says.
“There are so many distractions on a construction site, and while you’re pouring concrete there are a lot of things to worry about. With the Commander, one quick glance will show you that your water, your chemical, all elements of your mix are in check; and if you should need to make an adjustment, for example to add more water, it only takes a small, simple adjustment on the dial.”
“So you not only have more dexterity with your water control with a digital control and an exact measurement on the screen, but you only have to make one adjustment because the belt and cement settings and everything else will automatically change according to the water adjustment you just made. Completing a pour will involve less strain, less stress, and inspire more confidence.”
Attendees of World of Concrete will also discover many other helpful features of the Reimer Mixer’s Commander control system, he says, like a washout setting for quick and easy cleanup and joystick chute controls for ultra-responsive auger movement. All of the above features of the new look Reimer Mixer are exclusive to ProAll, he says, and never before seen with any mobile mixing technology. As such, he says ProAll is excited to be at the forefront of the industry.
“The way an operator now pours concrete with our mixer is unparalleled. It’s a more capable, more functional, more precise, and more responsive mixing experience than anyone has ever seen,” explains Fillmore. “With the Commander, the Reimer Mixer is without a doubt the highest performance mobile mixer in the world.”
ARCHITECTURAL MERIT
The Bergeron Centre for Engineering Excellence (Toronto)
This five-storey building at York University’s Keele campus serves the Lassonde School of Engineering. There are five concrete exterior retaining walls projecting around the building’s perimeter. The rounded concrete base building houses a high bay structural lab within the building’s footprint.
Architect of record: ZAS Architects + Interiors
Engineer of record: Arup Canada
General contractors: Gillam Group Inc. and Laing O’Rourke Canada
Forming contractor: Hendrock Forming Co. Ltd.
Material suppliers: Dufferin Concrete (a division of CHR Canada Group Inc.); Stone-Link Corp.
Additional participants: Alliance Site Construction, Aluma Systems Inc., Bothwell-Accurate, Carpenters Local 27, Euclid Canada, Harris Rebar, Innocon Inc., Ironworkers Local 721, Keller Foundations, LiUNA Local 506, National Concrete Accessories and St. Marys CBM.
ARCHITECTURAL HARDSCAPE Gore pedestrianization initiative – Veterans Place (Hamilton)
An existing city roadway has been converted into a new pedestrian promenade, which also supports emergency, vehicles, meeting municipal roadway, pavement standards.
Owner: The City of Hamilton, Landscape, Architectural Services
Architect of record: The MBTW Group
Engineer of record: AECOM
General contractor: UCC Group Inc.
Material supplier: Essroc Ready Mix, Italcementi Group
Additional participants: Carpenters
Local 18 and Local 27, City of Hamilton – Public Works, Grace Canada,
LiUNA Local 837
INFRASTRUCTURE
Spragues Rd. Rehabilitation
(North Dumfries)
The existing composite pavement in this 1.2 km. road in a rural township
near Cambridge in the Waterloo Region has been rehabilitated with 160
mm. of unbundled concrete overlay.
Owner: Region of Waterloo
General contractor: Capital Paving Inc.
Concrete pavement design: Applied Research Associates, Inc.
Concrete paving subcontractor: Brennan Paving & Construction Ltd.
Material supplier: Hogg Fuel & Supply Ltd.
Additional partners: Amec Foster Wheeler, Euclid Canada, Lafarge
Canada Inc., LiUNA local 1081
INSTITUTIONAL BUILDING
Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre
(Toronto)
The structure, designed with a bold,sloping custom precast panel facade,
incorporates a precast concrete dive tower. The project represented the
largest single investment in amateur sport in Canada’s history, with a $205
million construction cost.
Owners: City of Toronto/University of
Toronto
Architect of record: NORR Limited
Engineer of record: Parson Brikerhoff
Halsall Inc.
General contractor: PCL Constructors
Canada Inc.
Material suppliers: Coreslab Structures
(ONT) Inc., RES Precast Inc., St.
Marys CBM
Additional participants: AGF-Albrecht,Aluma Systems Inc., BASF Canada
Inc., Carpenters Local 27, Euclid Canada, Ironworkers Local 721,
LiUNA Local 506, National Concrete Accessories, Smith + Anderson, Structform International Limited, Structural Floor Finishing.
MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT AND INNOVATION
Ryerson University Student Learning
Centre (Toronto)
This project included complex columns and geometric shapes, with a high level finish for all exposed surfaces. There were resourceful angled architectural concrete columns spanning many floor levels.
Owner: Ryerson University
Architect of record: Zeidler Partnership Architects
Design architect: Snohetta
Engineer of record: CH2M Hill Canada Limited
General contractor: EllisDon Corporation
Forming contractor: Alliance Forming Ltd.
Materials supplier: St. Marys CBM
Additional participants: AGF-C&T Inc.,Aluma Systems Inc., BASF Canada
Inc., Carpenters Local 27, Ironworkers Local 71, LiUNA Local 506.
MID TO HIGH RISE RESIDENTIAL
Saginaw Gardens Apartments
(Cambridge)
Floors for this seven-storey building were built with 10-in. thick precast
concrete, hollow-core slabs. The structure incorporates a diversity of precast concrete products including columns, beams, balconies, and exterior load bearing and interior solid wall panels.
Owners: Killam Properties Inc.
Developer: HIP Developments
Architect of record: ABA Architects Inc.
Engineer of record: MTE Consultants Inc.
General contractor: Melloul-Blamey Construction Inc.
Materials supplier: Coreslab Structures (ONT) Inc.
Additional participants: Aluma Systems Inc., C.J. Pink Ltd., Euclid Canada,
HGS Ltd Consulting Engineers, Ironworkers Local 721, Ironworkers Local
736, LiUNA Local 1081, Mansteel Rebar Ltd., Solar Precast.
SPECIALTY CONCRETE APPLICATIONS
Guardian Under-Run Protection
System (Toronto)
Innocon Ltd. and Lafarge Canada Inc. jointly developed the system to prevent cyclists and pedestrians from falling under the wheels of ready mixed concrete trucks if on-road collisions occur.
Most of the Innocon trucks delivering concrete to the HNR Dundas Square
project in downtown Toronto were equipped with this system. (Suppliers
and others below refer to the Dundas Square project.)
Owner: HNR Properties Ltd.
Architect of record: Diamond Schmitt Architects
Engineer of record: Jablonsky, Ast. and Partnership
General contractor: Tucker HiRise Construction Inc.
Material suppliers: Innocon Inc., Lafarge Canada Inc.
SPECIALTY CONCRETE PRODUCTS
Tilt Wall Ontario office (Woodstock)
Tilt Wall’s new office has been designed to showcase the construction
model with its versatility and effectiveness and speed of construction, with
three unique frontages.
Owner: Orangewood Holdings Inc.
Architect and engineer of record: Barry Bryan Associates
General contractor: Tilt Wall Ontario Inc.
Material supplier: Lafarge Canada Inc.
Additional participants: BASF Canada Inc., Dayton Superior Canada Ltd.
STRUCTURAL DESIGN INNOVATION
Billy Bishop Airport Pedestrian Tunnel
(Toronto)
This massive project implemented, for the first time in Canada, an innovative pre-support technique to drill seven, 1.8 m. diameter interlocking drift bores (mini tunnels) above the main tunnel
crown using boring machines. These drifts allowed excavation to continue
under the crown, while enabling the tunnel to hold its shape.
Owner: PortsToronto
Engineer of record: Arup Canada
Geotechnical engineer: exp Services Inc.
General contractor: PCL Constructors Canada Inc.
Tunneling contractor: Tehnicore Underground Inc.
Material suppliers: Dufferin Concrete, a division of CHR Canada Group Inc., Tecmix.
Additional participants: Alpine Forming,Aluma Systems Inc., BASF
Canada Inc., CRH Canada Group Inc.,Euclid Canada, Forum Equity Partners,Gilbert Steel Ltd., Hatch Mott Mac-Donald, Ironworkers Local 721, Isherwood Associates, LiUNA Local 183,National Concrete Accessories, ZAS Architects and Interiors
SUSTAINABLE CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION
Southcore Financial Centre (Toronto)
This project applied industrial scale,advanced technologies, including selfconsolidating concrete. The usable floor area was increased with high
strength and performance concrete, which allowed for reduced column
sizes.
Owner: bcIMC Realty Corporation c/o GWL Realty Advisors Inc.
Architect of record: KPMB Architects
Engineer of record: CH2M Hill Canada Ltd.
General contractor: EllisDon Corp.
Forming contractor: Structform International Ltd.
Material supplier: St. Marys CBM
Additional participants: Aluma Systems Inc., BASF Canada Inc., Carpenters Local 27, Harris Rebar, Ironworkers Local 721, LiUNA Local 506, National Concrete Accessories, Page + Steele Architects, Structural Floor Finishing.