Curing Cement Slurry | Winter Construction
Hello, everyone. This is Enta. The other day, I conducted an experiment. It was a compressive strength test. The experiment involved observing changes in early strength using the same mix design. That said, it was simply a matter of whether or not to leave the test specimens as they were after taking them. I left these test specimens as they were until morning…
Drilling Through Clay and Silt Is Difficult | Approaches by Soil Type
Hello, everyone. This is Enta. I’ve been working on some boiler blueprints for the past few days. Drawing them in 2D is relatively easy, but since I’m working with 3D data, I’ve completely forgotten how to use CAD… By the time I’m done looking things up, the day’s already over lol. I’ve been so forgetful lately—it’s no good…
A Thicker Cement Slurry Is More Effective | Tips for Mixing
Hello, everyone. This is Enta. You know how you take test specimens (cement slurry) at job sites, right? Like for ground anchor work, rebar insertion, or piles. There are all kinds of projects, but when you’re making these test specimens, if they’re extremely soft, you just throw them away, right? lol But on the other hand, if they’re on the hard side…
Cutting Steel! (Special Edition) | A Roundup of Cutting Tools
Hello, everyone. This is Enta. Have you ever cut the “Tools” bit on an Anchor drill? lol For various reasons, I decided to cut the “Tools” bit from the drill I usually use. I think the “Tools” bit has a hardness of around 50 on the super-hardness scale. The hardness is measured in HRC, and for this material…
Construction Fair 2020 in Chubu (Part 3) | Discovering New Technologies
Hello, everyone. This is Enta. Can you believe the Construction Fair 2020 in Chubu is going on for three whole days! Well, I’m posting this for those of you who didn’t know, lol. Here’s what’s coming next!! It might be a little hard to tell, but do you know what this is?? That’s right! It’s a wedge. Grau…
Clear Autumn Skies and Grade Adjustment | The Season for Slope Work
Hello, everyone. This is Enta. As you’d expect at this time of year, my schedule is really starting to fill up. I’m up on the scaffolding this fall. Man, it feels so good! Working on-site at this time of year is absolutely the best. It’s cool thanks to a light sweat, and it’s neither too hot nor too cold…
Experiencing Both the Good and the Bad | A Slope Engineer’s Outlook on Life
Hello, everyone. This is Enta. I was wondering what to write about for my blog, so I was looking through some old photos. I happened to come across a photo where I accidentally added the date, lol. It’s a photo from 2003, taken during a lift-off test and unloading operation—which were probably quite rare in the industry at the time! …
The Gap in Experience Can't Be Bridged | Careers in the Construction Industry
Hello, everyone. This is Enta. Something happened recently that was—well, not just amazing, but made me wonder, “Is that even a thing??” The design calls for a prestressed concrete (PC) bearing plate to be installed on top of sprayed mortar on a cut slope, with no leveling required. I could understand using a PC bearing plate directly on the natural ground, but on a layer of mortar…
Trying Out a Down-the-Hole Hammer | Drill Performance
Hello, everyone. This is Enta. I’ve uploaded a video to YouTube showing drilling with a down-the-hole hammer. This site is made of granite, so it’s incredibly hard. Depending on the machine’s capabilities, if you were to drill with a standard backhammer, you probably wouldn’t even be able to drill one hole a day. That…