Putzmeister pumps place 4,885 cubic yards
of concrete for schools
STURTEVANT, WI (February 16, 2009) – As part of Orange County Public School's initiative to renovate existing schools and build new schools in their jurisdiction, T&T Construction of Central Florida (T&T), and their Putzmeister concrete pumps, are placing concrete for both Dommerich Elementary School (Dommerich ES) and Maitland Middle School (Maitland MS) in Maitland, Florida.
In September 2002, a half-cent sales tax in Orange County was approved. This tax is funding the Dommerich ES and Maitland MS projects, as well as the renovation and replacement of other existing schools in the county.
A new two-story school is being built to replace the old Dommerich ES, and once the new school is complete, the old one will be demolished, according to Stuart Henry, Vice President of Operations for Welbro Building Corporation (Welbro).
And at Maitland MS, a new two-story main classroom building is being built, while four original buildings on campus (the Media Center, Music/Art building, a locker room and gymnasium) will remain with the rest demolished. The Maitland MS project will also include technology upgrades as well as fire sprinkler and security additions.
"Both schools are being constructed at the same time, during the school year and on a restrictive footprint, all of which bring their own challenges to the table," says Henry. "Given these multiple challenges, we needed to choose our sub-contractors carefully and ensure clear communication from the top, down."
Breaking ground in July 2008, Welbro chose Casselberry, Florida-based subcontractor T&T to manage the concrete pumping and masonry needs.
"We've worked with T&T and their innovative equipment before so we are confident they will get the job done on time and on budget," says Henry. "We also know they hold their safety standards very high; T&T's safety record is very good. That's always number one priority on our job sites, so it's important to us that we work with sub-contractors who have the same values. In fact Welbro, along with the project's Site Safety Committee, have recognized Gilles Belanger and Gabriel Chimal of T&T for their outstanding dedication to the job site rules and General Site Safety compliance on this project."
Tarmac of Port Orange, Florida, was hired as the concrete ready mix supplier.
Accessibility Working Against Them
"Because the new school buildings are going up right next to the old ones, our accessibility automatically became much more restrictive in terms of getting our machines around on site, while placing the concrete and grout in an efficient manner," says Philip Keys, Manager of the Concrete Pump Department of T&T. "The restrictive site made us select our equipment differently; knowing which units are the most maneuverable, while also providing a quick setup and teardown was key."
The Putzmeister equipment that T&T has on site for both schools includes a 58- and 40Z-Meter concrete truck-mounted boom pump, along with their Thom-Katt® TK 40 and TK 70 pumps, and a P30 mechanical grout and concrete pump.
"Both of our truck-mounted boom pumps on site have proven to be invaluable," notes Keys. "Our 40Z-Meter offers a compact and lightweight design, making moving from location to location seamless on the job. For this project, we're moving multiple times throughout a pour, and to teardown and setup at another on site location takes a mere 15 minutes.
"In addition, our 58-Meter, although larger weighing in at over 116,000 pounds (52,617kg), is still very versatile on site as well, while offering an impressive 260 cubic yards per hour (200m3/hr) output."
Keys also touts their TK 40 and TK 70 pumps.
"Both of our TKs are compact, easy to operate, reliable and inexpensive to maintain," comments Keys. "They provide fast setup, smooth pumping, easy cleanup and long-term dependability, all of which make having the TKs on site a tremendous advantage for all involved."
Multiple Pumps, Multiple Mixes
T&T's 58-Meter and 40Z-Meter are on site to pump and place concrete for slabs, panels, elevated decks and some footers. The TKs are on site for the pumping and placing of concrete for columns, tie beams, cell fills (masonry block) and pan stairs. Their P30 is there to take the place of the TKs if, for some reason, they are unavailable for a day's pour.
A total of 4,885 cubic yards (3,735m3) of concrete will be pumped and placed by T&T's boom pumps and TKs when all is said and done; almost all of which is now complete. The 58- and 40Z-Meter combined have pumped a total of 4,385 cubic yards (3,353m3) of concrete and the two TKs have pumped about 500 cubic yards (382m3) of concrete.
"Because this project was done during the school year and in a residential area, we were required to pump during non-school hours, so our pours always occured during the night," says Jay Swank, a boom pump operator for T&T. "A lot of benefits came from this, including less traffic to navigate through for the machines and less safety concerns because we weren't pumping when the students were on campus."
"Most of our pours were erratic, averaging from one to three pours per week," adds Keys.
Back on September 11, 2008, the first pour, which was for the foundation and slab-on-grade, occurred for Maitland MS. Within 5 hours, 450 cubic yards (344m3) of concrete was pumped and placed by the 58-Meter.
The first pour for Dommerich ES occured on September 30, 2008 which was also for a foundation and slab-on-grade. 600 cubic yards was pumped and placed by T&T's 58-Meter in about six hours.
"Throughout the project our 58-Meter has showcased its versatile four-section roll-and-fold boom," notes Charles Sparks, a boom pump operator for T&T. "The 58's boom design features an impressive 188' 1" (57.33m) vertical reach and a 174' 3" (53.11m). Anywhere we needed to place the concrete for either school the 58 had it covered, no problem."
"Our 40Z-Meter was primarily used for the tilt-up panels and eleveated decks on both schools," comments Keys. "It can pump up to 210 cubic yards of concrete per hour (160m3/hr) at 1,233 psi (85 bar). An additional feature that has not only been helpful to have on this job site but others as well, is the 40's four-section Multi-Z boom design which has up to a 128' 3" (39.09m) of vertical reach and 115' 2" (35.10m) of horizontal reach."
According to Keys, both the 58- and 40Z-Meter have been averaging an output of about 100 cubic yards per hour (76m3).
T&T's TK pumps have also proved to be workhorses on the job.
Page 5/ School Pumping Project Earns High Grades
"Our TKs feature impressive output at high pressures," notes George Swiger, TK operator for T&T. "The TK 40 can pump up to 40 cubic yards per hour (30m3/hr) at a maximum high pressure of 1,150 psi (79 bar), and our TK 70 can pump up to 74 cubic yards per hour (57m3/hr) at a maximum high pressure of 1,130 psi (78 bar)."
"In addition, both of the hoppers on the TK 40 and TK 70 have a capacity of 9.5 cubic feet (270L)," says Mike Arriaga, TK operator for T&T.
The TK 40 is powered by a 68 hp (50kW) Deutz BF4L2011 engine, while the TK 70 is powered by a 100 hp (75kW) Deutz BF4M2012 engine.
According to Phil Crawford, Concrete Project Manager for T&T, their TKs will be on site yet for a few miscellaneous pours as the project wraps up.
Crawford also notes that multiple concrete mixes and strengths are being used on both schools.
"We have a regular 3,000- and 4,000- concrete mix," says Crawford. "The 3,000-psi mix is being used for slab-on-grades and foundations while the 4,000-psi mix is being used for vertical walls and tilt-up panels.
"In addition, we have a 4,000-psi pump mix. The pump mix has a smaller aggregate mixed in. This mix was used for cast-in place tie beams, stairs and vertical columns on both schools.
According to Crawford, they also have a 3,500-psi blended mix.
"The blended mix is a combination of large and small aggregate blended together," comments Crawford. "This mix was used for the elevated slabs for both schools."
"We also have a 7,000-psi grout mix that was used for the tilt up panels. The grout was pumped by our TK 70 and TK 40," adds Crawford. "This grout mix was placed under the tilt panels to give it more support; basically, the grout bound the panels and the floor together."
T&T's 58- and 40Z-Meter pumped all of the concrete mixes except for the 7,000-psi grout mix.
Keeping it Moving
In the 14 years since it originated, T&T has grown into one of the largest concrete and masonry companies in Central Florida, and they don't show any signs of slowing down. A few projects T&T is currently working on include Premeire Beverages' 550,000 square-foot warehouse in Tampa, Florida; Osceola County Middle School in Kissimmee, Florida and a Target store in West Melbourne, Florida.
T&T for the most part is complete with the concrete pumping and placement except for a few miscellaneous pours where the TKs will be needed through June 2009. Both schools will be complete and ready for use in August 2009.