Baucon India 2002
Showcasing
the Best in Construction
Indigenous companies rubbed shoulders with the world
construction giants to showcase the latest trends in the construction industry
at the recent exposition in New Delhi’s Pragati Maidan.
- Dr. Ranjit Singh
IMAG,
International Exhibition and Fair Service Ltd., the international trade fair service
in the Messe
München group of companies, for the first time organised a trade fair for construction machinery, building fixtures and fittings, and building materials with its partners Tafcon Projects Pvt. Ltd., based in New Delhi. The range of exhibits at BauconIndia focussed on construction machinery and building material machines, construction equipment and tools, marble, stone and technology, building fixtures and fittings.
Visitors were treated to some of the rare equipment machinery being used worldwide for implementation of gigantic projects. India’s largest construction company, ECC of Larsen & Toubro rubbed shoulders with construction giants from overseas such as the HochTief Group of Germany, Ellicott of America, Berminghammer of Canada, PTC of France, Wiggert of Germany, . For the first time, companies from Italy had come together under the umbrella of the Italian Trade Commission. Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore also had their presence.
A discerning viewer could spot and learn a lot from the new technologies and trends projected in the Fair. For example, some of the most interesting applications and machinery developed indigenously by BMTPC (Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council) pointed out novel ways to utilise agro-industrial wastes. One could know about a Hydraulic machine developed by BMTPC to make 10000 cement bricks per day using clay/ clay flyash. Corrugated wooden sheets that exhibit high strength elicited trade enquiries at their stall. German-based HOCHTIEF prides itself of having implemented and partnered gigantic construction projects throughout the world. According to Commercial Manager, M.K. Nanda Kumar, Commercial Manager representing the company’s Indian operations says that being an international construction services provider, HOCHTIEF designs, finances, builds, and operates complex projects of all kinds. |
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| Hochtief’s significant achievements include The 7.8-kilometer long bridge over the Öresund, the stretch of water connecting Denmark and Sweden, Katse Dam in the Kingdom of Lesotho , Xiaolangdi dam that tames the water of the Yellow River in China, International airports at Athens and Hamburg, ABN Amro Plaza in Chicago, Nangbéto reservoir that meets one-third of the electricity requirements of the states of Togo and Benin in West Africa and so on. |
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Outsourcing Resources
In view of the high costs involved, there is an emerging trend to have the equipment on hire from overseas companies.
| Kalyan Bhattacharya, customer support engineer at Kolkata-based Ashok Enterprises explains that his firm serves the Indian construction entities via making available some of the state-of-the-art construction equipment from world leaders like Casagrande of Italy, Ellicott of Canada, Berminghammer of Canada, PTC of France, and so on. Photographs of some of these exotic equipments are in figures 3 to 5. |
The eccentrics, ordered in pairs , turn with the same angular velocity in opposite directions, generating the centrifugal force. |
Fig
5. Vibrodriver from PTC, France : It vibrates the profile, sheet pile or casing
to be driven or extracted in vertical vibrations. This causes the adjacent ground
to shift. The ground is loosened, which leads to the pile being driven into the
ground by its own and the vibrator’s weight. Th evibrator is shifted in unidirectional
vertical vibrations through the eccentrics mounted in th egearbox. CASE STUDY
Beautifying Timber via Glue Lamination
Timber has, for centuries, been a prime construction option. For over 40 years, McIntosh of New Zealand have been at the forefront in developing structural glue laminated timber, with projects spread over 25 countries - from pacific to the Middle East and Europe.
"Thanks to the advancing technologies in Glulaminated manufacture, the possibilities for the future are limitless", says Satwinder Singh, Managing Director of Sigma Enterprises.
McIntosh offers the ability to design and manufacture this material into structures of almost any size and shape. Glulam uses New Zealand’s only natural renewable construction material - plantation timber.
Glue laminated timber beams are load bearing structural members for roofs, floors or other construction situations e.g. bridges, posts etc. Glulam is an engineered product using stress rated, seasoned and selected timbers - usually radiata pine or Douglas fir (see Lead Visual). Each single piece of timber is graded and end jointed to produce the length required. Multiple layers of timber - laminations - not exceeding 45mm thickness are bonded together with suitable adhesives to provide a variety of sectional beam sizes. By building up large, strong members from a number of thin laminations, any size, shape and length of member can be manufactured. Glulam members are stronger weight for weight than other structural materials.
Applications of Glulam include:
* Industrial - factories, warehouse, fertiliser
stores, wool scours, aircraft hangars.
* Commercial - administration
buildings, office blocks, reception lounges, hotels.
* Leisure - sports
centres, swimming pools, grandstands, community centres, resorts.
* Churches
- chapels, auditorium, halls, convention centres.
* Education - halls,
gymnasiums, classrooms, universities.
* Domestic - roof, floor beam,
pole houses.
* Bridges - road bridges, footbridges.
* Specials
- columns, bench tops, curved plates.
Desirable Features include:
Strengths - Due to the superior strength of seasoned material and the confining of knots to one lamination glulam beams reduce the overall section of members up to 40% compared to unseasoned timber.
Stability - Multiple laminations with variety of grain, strong glue lines and seasoned timber make glulam one of the most stable structural members.
Shock Resistance - Glulam’s resilience permits it to absorb seismic and wind shocks that would cause failure in other materials. Wood has excellent thermal, acoustic and electrical insulating qualities.
Economy - Up to date production methods, experienced manufacturing techniques make McIntosh Glulam Beams economically attractive. Pre cut and pre finished, these structural members add to the aesthetics of your project.
Ease of Installation - Light, dry, timber beams arrive on site pre-fitted as arranged including connections ready for speedy installation. Glulam members are confidently handled by carpenters and sub contractors - they require no specialist erection techniques.
Low Maintenance - Timber is naturally resistant to attack by corrosive atmospheres. Appropriate timber treatment avoids deterioration. Glulam members arrive sealed or stained. They require minimal long term maintenance.
Renewable Resource - Glulam utilises most prolific, renewable resource. It requires less energy consumption and cost to produce glulam beams than any other structural material. Glulam enables the best utilisation of available timber supply by careful grading selection.
Corrosion: Since timber is relatively inert, chemically it will not rust or deteriorate when exposed to aggressive atmospheres. This makes Glulam ideal for corrosive situations such as swimming pools, sea front structures, resorts or chemical storage.
Fire Resistance Glulam has a proven fire resistance. Char forming on the outer perimeter of the members prevents continuous combustion. Under fire conditions the glulam member maintains its strength and does not fail. The allowed charring rate is 0.65mm per minute. Fire rating calculations should be done by a structural engineer. Fire fighting and Insurance industries recognise the superior performance of glulam under fire. In a number of recorded cases glulam beams remaining in place after fire have had the char layer removed by sand-blasting and then a further sealer coat applied.
Durability Radiata pine’s performance as a highly successful timber can be enhanced with specified treatments that gives it added durability and resistance to insect and fungal attack.
Flexibility Of Design Because Glulam can easily be formed into complex shapes designers can express a large variety of architectural concepts.
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