Construction Machine Blog

People are always seeking the most effective and efficient way to get things done, which can also be proved by the birth of mini excavators. It is traditionally regarded that the greater its weight is, the more powerful the excavator becomes and thus the better it is. That is why excavators used to appear very big and heavy. However, later on, people find these big ones are inconvenient for moving. And in most cases, a less powerful but much lighter can also get the task done well. As a result, mini excavators come into existence. These machines are so versatile you can do just about any type of construction work with them – from using a hammer to break up concrete to digging holes for landscape work.

Mini  Excavators

What can Mini Excavator do?

The mini excavator, also called the compact excavator, is a user-friendly, versatile machines are becoming an important development tool, particularly in urban areas where tighter quarters demand smaller, lighter equipment.

With many bucket sizes and multiple attachment options, the mini-excavator is an extremely versatile tool. The following are some of their functions:

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There are various brands and sizes of excavators available in the market. All of them can be divided into two types. One is the Back Hoe loader; and the other is the wheel loader. These two different types of excavators are not of varied shapes, but more importantly, of different functions and applications. In order to help readers make a wise choice of purchasing a excavator, I want to address a brief introduction of the two types.

Excavators

Backhoe Loader

Backhoe loader, also called a Loader backhoe, is a type of excavator which consists of a tractor, front shovel bucket and small backhoe in the rear.

As the name implies, it has a loader assembly on the front and a backhoe on the back. When both the loader and the backhoe are permanently attached it is almost never called a tractor, not generally used for towing and usually does not have a PTO. When the backhoe is permanently attached, the machine usually has a seat that can swivel to the rear to face the hoe controls. Removable backhoe attachments almost always have a separate seat on the attachment itself.

Due to its relatively small size and versatility, backhoe loaders are generally used in the urban areas where there is not enough space available for performing a construction. In small constructional projects such as building a small house, fixing city roads etc, backhoe loader can be used efficiently to enhance the overall conditions. Its tiny size and flexibility have made it immensely popular in the market. If it is about repairing a large construction, it is very easy and efficient to maneuver in that particular purpose.

Apart from that there are other areas where it can play an important role. Making road can be done easily if its help is taken. The transportation problem of the building equipments can be solved very easily if one uses this excavator for that purpose. Further it has an advantage of connecting various attachments for performing various operations. Whether it is the grapple, a stump grinder, auger or grapple, it can be attached with them without wasting a huge amount of time. In fact it is this versatile nature that made it nonpareil in the market.

Backhoe Loader

Wheel Loader

Wheel Loader is a front end loading machine. Wheel loaders dig and do secondary loading as well. Wheel loaders which do only secondary loading are called Pay Loaders.

The Wheel loaders are classified according to there bucket size and operating weight. The bucket size ranges from 1 cum upwards. The Wheel loaders can be tyre mounted or track mounted. The more popular version is the former, tyre mounted. .

The Wheel loaders are very versatile and can be engaged in construction works, ranging from road work, plant loading, hopper and wagon feeding, stevedoring and mineface excavation.

A Wheel loader typically has semiautomatic or automatic transmission with automatic gear sifting. The power train will include engine, transmission, related propellar shafts and powered axles at both front and rear.

A typical hydrolic curcuit for implimentation will include fixed/variable displacement pumps, controll valves, and actuators for boom, arm and bucket operation. Normally the steering curcuit is kept separate from the impliment circuit

Wheel Loader

Of course, there are many other categorizations according to different standards. But the above division is the basic one, which I sincerely hope can be of some help for you dear readers.

The Chinese cement industry is known as the number one in the world, leaving behind developed markets such as the U.S and Japan. Drawn by this tend, Chinese concrete machinery industry also ranks the top among the whole world’s. Recently, its’ 2008-2009-new market report has just been published officially. According to this report, China has established a comprehensive industrial system of this field, called the “one plant, three vehicles “,including concrete mixing plant, concrete mixer truck, concrete pump and concrete pumping vehicle.To be specific, after decades of development, concrete machinery has become a key part of engineering machinery in China, with considerable production capacity and accounting for 6% of the whole construction machinery industry.

concrete mixing plant

concrete mixer truck

concrete pump

concrete pumping vehicle

 Even faced with global economic slowdown in 2008, Chinese concrete machinery export still maintained a good growth. In 2008, 2,149 concrete pumps were exported, valuing at US$102.92 million. In quantity, the export increased 13.5%; but in capital, the export decreased 24.1%; the average export prices rose somewhat. Only 3,263 concrete mixers were exported, up 21.9% from 2007; the export valued US$ 188.42 million, 37.4% up over 2007, maintaining continuous increase.   

Currently, in Chinese concrete machinery industry, there are more than 200 enterprises, producing diversified products. China has the leading status in the production of concrete pumps. In 2007, SANY Heavy Industry Co., Ltd participated in the construction of Shanghai World Financial Center with 492 meters in height. At the end of Dec 2008, Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science and Technology Development Co., Ltd. transferred super viscous C100 high-performance concrete pumps to Guangzhou International Financial Center (West Tower) with the height of 432 meters by super high-pressure concrete pump. In 2008, SANY successfully manufactured a 72-meter pump, the highest pump in the world.

Shanghai World Financial Center	Guangzhou International Financial Center

 In addition to the conventional specifications of 32m, 37m, 42m, 45m, 48m, 52m and 56m, SANY also produces the products of 38m and 40m. In January, 2007, SANY produced the super long-arm pump with 66m. However, the main specifications of SANY are 37m, 45m, 48 and 56m. The specifications of Zoomlion’s pumps ranges from 37m to 56m, but the specifications applied most widely are 37m, 44m and 47m. Putzmeister Shanghai factory produces such key models as 36m, 38m, 42m and 46m. The mainstream models of Shanghai Hold Machinery Co., Ltd. are 22m, 37m, 40m, 43m and 47m. It is worth mentioning that the short-arm pumps with the length of below 27m only include the ones of 25m produced by SANY and 22m by Shanghai Hold Machinery. The current sale of short-arm pumps account for less than 2% of that of the overall pumps, but the cost of short-arm pumps is low, which benefits the construction of buildings in dense urban areas, so the development of short-arm pumps is promising.

Concrete machinery is technology-intensive, capital-intensive and personnel-intensive, so it is difficult to enter the field. The main barriers for entering the concrete machinery industry lie in technical capabilities, qualifications, financial strength and customer service. Concrete trucks, concrete pumps and vehicle pumps are the modified automobiles, which are subject to the industrial policies of China. The manufacturers must be qualified for the production of civil converted vehicles, and they must complete test reports and apply for bulletin catalog to the government before marketing each vehicle. In general, the application period lasts long.

To most common people in Taiwan, the Typhoon Morakot is a destructive natural disaster. To some others, it can also mean something positive. Companies of construction and machinery field are all sensing the commercial opportunity in Morakot. Among them, who will become the biggest winner? The answer might be cement plants. It is commonly predicted that building materials especially cements will increase dramatically after Typhoon Morakot battered the island leaving over 100 people dead and causing buildings to collapse amid the worst rains on record.

Buildings are collapsing in Morakot

Bridges is also broken in Morakot

As a matter of face, such a prediction has already been proved by the figures from Stock Market. On Aug 10, stocks of the several cement corporations all experienced an unparalleled rise. Taiwan Cement Corp. climbed 3.5 percent to NT$38.50, the most since July 23, and surged as high as 7 percent during Taipei trading. Asia Cement Corp. (1102 TT) rose 3.1 percent to NT$36.70, the highest since June 12. Construction company Highwealth Construction Corp. (2542 TT) surged by its 6.9 percent daily limit to NT$38.75, the most since July 20. The benchmark stock index added 0.1 percent.

Taiwan Cement Corp.

Cement industry is flourishing

“These shares will outperform the market, as demand for re-building in flooded areas will be strong,” said Taipei-based KGI Securities Co. trader Randy Chang by telephone. 

Morakot left at least 106 people dead in Taiwan and destroyed more than NT$8 billion in agricultural production after the worst rains in a century, the government said.

The typhoon resulted in buildings collapsing, including The King Shai Hotel in Taidong, south-eastern Taiwan, which crumbled into a river after flooding undermined its foundations. Floods also forced the closure of 51 bridges. Their rebuilding will create a great demand for the cement.

When the global economy is in its recession and the construction market is gloomy, Morakot really provide the cement industry a remarkable opportunity. To some small companies, the chance is even of live-or-dead significance.

In my last post, I show you how to repair concrete, which is a common task that many people would have to deal with. Besides repairing, another thing that people always do with concrete is to clean it. So today I would like to teach you how to do the cleaning.

clean concretes are beautiful

Concrete surface round the home the surface of concrete road can get dirty easily. From oil stains on a concrete driveway or garage floor to spills on concrete slabs around pools, there is likely to be a need to engage in concrete cleaning at one time or another. If you are faced with the task of ridding your concrete surfaces of blemishes and stains, here are some methods that may be ideal for your situation.

One of the more common issues with concrete drives and garage floors is the presence of deep stains. These are usually created by oil spills and other fluids that leak from the engine of a vehicle. Fortunately, there are a couple of simple methods that will make a big difference when cleaning concrete. First, purchase a highly absorbent brand of cat litter. Sprinkle the litter over the stain and leave it in place for a couple of days. Sweep the litter away and examine the stain. Cat litter will lift a stain that has not seeped too deeply into the concrete. If the stain is now gone, you are done.

cat litter

sprinkle cat litter over the stain

When a more stubborn stain is present, you will need to apply a second strategy to the task of cleaning concrete. Place an even layer of concrete powder over the stain. Make sure the powder is dry, and do not allow it to get wet from rain while the layer is setting on the concrete surface. The powder will leach into the concrete and draw the deeper stain out of the concrete. As with the cat litter, allow the powder to remain in place for a couple of days, then remove the powder. The stain will be gone in most cases.

However, if these simple approaches to cleaning concrete do not completely clear the stain, you will need to employ a power washer. Make sure to use a cleaning agent that is recommended for power washing concrete surfaces. While you can try a pressure washing with hot water, that really stubborn stain is much more likely to disappear by using a power washer.

One way to minimize the chances for a deep stain is to apply a sealant to the concrete once the surface is clean. By creating a barrier between the concrete and any liquids or other agents that may spill onto the surface, you can make the task of cleaning concrete much easier and also save you a lot of money on equipment rental. The sealant will also give your concrete surface more of a finished look, which will only enhance the appeal of your home.

apply a sealant to the concrete

Reading this title, I suppose many of you may burst in laughter.

“Are you kidding me? Is there any technique in repairing concrete?” Some readers would question.

cracked concrete

concrete repair

The answer is absolute yes. Although repairing concrete is common and plain work, it calls for techniques too. Regardless of them, you cannot do the repairing well. For the worse, you can even make yourself hurt. Generally speaking, the whole process of the repairing can be divided into the follow steps.

Safety is always the first step in the process of doing anything. Always wear eye protection, as concrete tends to crumble and the tiny pieces can cut your eyes, causing permanent damage. It is also recommended to wear gloves to prevent smashing your fingers or cutting your hands.

wear gloves

do not forget your glasses

Read more…

As I have mentioned in my previous articles, bricks and their construction are usually considered to be very fierce and quite resistant. However, extreme weather can still have a negative effect over time. One of these evidences is the Great Wall. Some part of the wall was built by bricks, but they have been eroded for centuries. Then what can we do to help bricks stay longer, elegant and resistant? Fortunately, waterproofing can solve at least soften this problem. As a matter of fact, both a building with brick veneer and a solid brick structure can benefit from waterproofing.

Bricks would be eroded

Bricks with waterproofing

Most sealants are made with siloxane, which chemically bonds to the material and prevents water from passing through it. This type of brick waterproofing sealant is clear, so it does not change the appearance of the building. In fact, rather than staying on the surface of the structure, brick sealant penetrates the material. It will need to be reapplied to older brick structures about every four to seven years, and newer buildings approximately every five to ten years.

Brick sealant

Brick sealant used, before and afer

A benefit of brick sealant is that, while it does not allow liquid moisture to seep through to the material, it does allow vapor to escape from the bricks. Considering that all buildings contain some moisture within the materials that needs to be let out, this is convenient. Brick waterproofing is also helpful in resisting the accumulation of dirt, so keeping a building looking as new and clean as possible can be increased by using brick sealant.

One major issue that brick sealing can help avoid is efflorescence, which is white staining often observed on brick construction. This is caused by the buildup of salts in the brick. The moisture inside each brick begins to dissolve the salt, and when the water evaporates, the salts are visible on the surface. Avoiding the white staining that occurs as a result is possible with brick waterproofing.

 Spalling is another potential problem with brick construction. It occurs when the brick begins to flake due to water freezing within it. This causes expansion and eventual flaking. Sealants made with silicone, epoxy, polyester, or acrylic materials typically do not prevent spalling, while the kind made of siloxane does.

protected by waterproofing

Protected by waterproofing

 Although brick waterproofing products usually last years, the sealant will likely have to be reapplied several times throughout the life of the building. Sticking to the suggestions of when to apply brick sealant depending on the age of the building is a good idea, but those in extreme climates will likely need to reapply more often. Just like any other waterproofed product, when water no longer beads upon contact with the brick, it is time to reseal.

Recently, there was a live Spiderman & Villain fighting appearing on the street of Abu Dhabi. Why is it called Spiderman & Villains fighting? It is because the fighting happened in the air, and one man fell down from a height of 40 meters, which scene can only be seen in such scientific movies as the Spiderman.

Spiderman in the air

Tower crane in the air

According to Khaleej Times Online, the whole story goes like this. The victim, a 39-year-old Arab assistant engineer got enraged when the 33-year-old Asian crane operator called him ‘crazy’ over some work-related dispute. In a fit of anger, he climbed the crane tower to discipline the operator. An altercation developed between the two and in self defence the crane operator hit him with an iron bar. The assistant engineer fell down from a 40-metre-high crane and died.

I am very sad at this accident, which should have been avoided. Although both the engineer and the crane operator are experts in some aspect, they fail to have the least common sense of safety, because when you are in the tower crane, you should pay close to your behaviors in case even a trivial mistake would bring about disastrous result. You cannot be distracted in the crane, let alone fighting. As for the crane operators, they should always keep focused and keep calm. Any bad and unrest mood should be dispelled before they board the crane.

Other crane accident

Other crane accident

This bloody tragedy must give a good lesson to all drivers, especially crane operators and alarm them again of life safety. In addition to the basic rules mentioned above, there are also some other safety tips that crane operators should keep in mind. For example, the crane operators should keep consistent with the hand signals from his guide strictly. This involved information, including tips and hand signals, has been covered in my two previous posts. If you are interested, you can go back to the homepage my weblog, finding and reading them.

Wish everybody safe

All in all, I want to remind all crane operators: Do not play fire with your cranes ; keep yourself happy and safe everyday, which is the best way to love both yourself and your family.

These days, the horrifying typhoon Morakot is sweeping through the whole Asia, from Japan to Philippines, and now it reaches China. The typhoon Morakot is extremely destroying. It has caused and will continuously cause heavy storms and mudslides and many other consequent disasters. As far as it is reported, many buildings have collapsed and many villages have been buried because of mudslide with many casualties and unaccountable ones.

Typhoon Morakot

Typhoon Morakot slams China, Taiwan

Since the typhoon is so destructive, the involved governments are all very concerned about it. They have put lots of resource and equipment to limit its damage and rescue those in danger. However, just as I have mentioned above, as some villages are totally buried with all roads outside blocked and the ground is so slippery that helicopter cannot land, many rescuers can do nothing but to wait. As a expert of construction machinery, I get an idea as soon as I read this. I think, the excavators can play a constructive role in the process of rescue.

An excavator clears the landslide area in search and rescue operation

An excavator (also called a digger) is an engineering vehicle consisting of an articulated arm (boom, stick), bucket and cab mounted on a pivot (a rotating platform, like a Lazy Susan) atop an undercarriage with tracks or wheels. Although it is mainly used in construction basis, building buildings or tunnels, the excavator is versatile. It can be used as many other function, which I think will make itself a powerful tool in the typhoon disaster.

Why Excavators
To begin with, excavators can help clear the way. After the typhoon went by, many roads would be blocked by rocks, trees and other substances, which makes the affected place isolated and even more dangerous, neither the insider can get out nor the outsider can get in. Though convenient, helicopters come across a problem with the rescue. It cannot land on the slippery ground left behind the heavy storm. As a result, the excavator might be a good alternative. It can not only get into the influenced places by itself, but also clear away these obstacles on roads, making further rescue effective and efficient. In addition, excavators are also an essential to search the living in the ruins and wreckages. As I have mentioned at the right beginning, many people, the living ones, have been buried in the collapsed substances. To get them out, shovels are not appropriate, for it would take more time than the trampled ones can afford. Using excavator would be more effective and efficient.

Helicopter cannot land because of the slippery ground

excavators can clear roads

As a result, I really hope the involved governments can take a serious thinking about the application of excavator for the rescue.

After I have finished my last blog, I realized that I might have made a mistake, which would probably put some readers into confusion. The mistake is that I have not given a basic introduction of the bricks. I do apologize here for my fault and share my information about bricks with all of you showing interest.

I think, all of us have some common sense of bricks. They’re simple to use, inexpensive, attractive to look at, and they can last hundreds of years. And of course, as I have mentioned before, they are main building material for the Great Wall of China. However, if you want to be an expert on this topic, knowing this is still not enough. There is something more you should know about them. Let’s take a closer look at them!

What is brick?

Stone is a natural building material you can use the moment you dig it out of the ground. Bricks, on the other hand, have to be made from clay before we can build with them. Clay is a naturally occurring ceramic based on the chemical elements aluminum, silicon, and oxygen. If you’ve ever dug wet, clay-rich soil, you know it’s very thick and sticky. To turn this gooey material into hard, durable bricks, we have to cut and mold it into rectangular chunks which are then fired in an industrial oven called a kiln at temperatures of over 1000°C (1800°F).

stone building

brick building

The advantages of bricks

Compared with some other building materials, bricks have some following advantages. First, clay is available throughout the world in large quantities and brick making is a fairly simple process, so bricks themselves are relatively inexpensive. Building bricks are much lighter and easier to work with than stone and sometimes last longer. They’re attractive to look at, weatherproof, and—like other ceramics—very good at resisting high temperatures. By using different clays, it’s possible to make bricks in different colors. Traditional red bricks take their color from iron in their clay, while yellow bricks have a greater quantity of lime or chalk.

bricks of different shapes

bricks in different colors

Types of bricks

According to their application, bricks can be divided into two kinds: ordinary building bricks and refractory bricks:

Building bricks are made to a standard size (typically 20-22cm long, 9-11cm wide, and 5-7cm high (approx 8-8.5in long, 3.5-4.5in wide, and 2-3in high), with the dimensions varying slightly from country to country). They’re made from higher grades of clay and finished on at least one side (face) so they look attractive on houses and walls.

Refractory bricks are made for high-temperature use for lining such things as industrial smokestacks (chimneys) and household fireplaces, so they tend to be made more crudely and less attractively finished. Unlike ordinary bricks, they’re typically made using such raw minerals as fireclay, alumina (aluminum oxide), silica (silicon oxide), and dolomite (calcium magnesium carbonate)

Building bricks

Refractory bricks

The process of brick making

The places or factories in which bricks are made are called “ceramic tiles” or “brick kiln. They are typically built in places where there are large supplies of clay available nearby.

The first stage in making bricks involves digging the clay from pits in the ground. Raw clay isn’t immediately usable as it is: rocks and other impurities have to be removed first by screening and filtering.

The clay is then mixed with water and kneaded in machines that resemble giant traditional food mixers or modern bread making machines. The now-soft clay mixture is squeezed out through a rectangular-shaped hole (imagine toothpaste squeezing from a tube with a square-shaped hole) in a process called extrusion. Wires cut the lengths of clay into separate bricks, which are then stacked up on trucks and moved into drying rooms where the moisture they contain is allowed to evaporate over a period of about a day or so.

Once that process is complete, the trucks are moved again into giant kilns (the ovens that turn the soft clay into hardened bricks ready for building), some of which are over 100m (330ft) long! The firing time and temperature vary according to the type of clay being used and the type of end-product required.

Although much more efficient, this process—digging the clay, shaping it, and heating it to harden it—is essentially the way bricks have been made for at least 6000 years. Traditionally, bricks were shaped by hand and left to fire in the sun. Sun-dried adobe bricks are still made this way.

The whole process of brick making

Brick machine

Thank you for finishing reading my blog. Congraduations to you for becoming a expert on bricks.