Mat foundation pouring operation - photo

**Altair** · Mar 16, 2021, 04:42 PM

Eleven-hour, 259-truck pouring operation of a 13,502-yard mat foundation in San Diego.

Previously:

CIFA concrete pump truck- GIF
Filling a concrete mixer from a distance - GIF
Concrete being pumped across construction site - GIF
Cooling a concrete truck with liquid nitrogen - GIF

**nova_robotics** · Mar 17, 2021, 08:25 PM

I've done some big pours, but nothing like this. The logistics of that pour, while impressive, are not as impressive as that rebar cage.

**mwmkravchenko** · Mar 17, 2021, 08:34 PM

Originally Posted by nova_robotics

I've done some big pours, but nothing like this. The logistics of that pour, while impressive, are not as impressive as that rebar cage.

THis is pretty massive. My largest was 38000 square feet. But we broke it into 5 pours. THis is bigger. ANd much thicker than a normal commercial floor. Taint no 6 inches there!

**nova_robotics** · Mar 17, 2021, 09:22 PM

Originally Posted by mwmkravchenko

THis is pretty massive. My largest was 38000 square feet. But we broke it into 5 pours. THis is bigger. ANd much thicker than a normal commercial floor. Taint no 6 inches there!

That's a decent sized pour. I think the biggest I've ever seen was the foundation for a cone crusher for a gold mine. I wasn't actaully on that project though. For projects I was on maybe some of the big equipment bases, like this giant vibratory screen a few years ago. Hard to say. The big solid cubes of concrete are no fun though. It's the pours with all the weird geometry that are interesting. Have you ever done a project with pre-stressed concrete? I haven't, but I find that interesting as well. Even just jelly bean pre-fab core slabs are kinda neat (but I've never done that either - only installed them after they were fabricated and delivered to site).

**mwmkravchenko** · Mar 17, 2021, 10:03 PM

Originally Posted by nova_robotics

That's a decent sized pour. I think the biggest I've ever seen was the foundation for a cone crusher for a gold mine. I wasn't actaully on that project though. For projects I was on maybe some of the big equipment bases, like this giant vibratory screen a few years ago. Hard to say. The big solid cubes of concrete are no fun though. It's the pours with all the weird geometry that are interesting. Have you ever done a project with pre-stressed concrete? I haven't, but I find that interesting as well. Even just jelly bean pre-fab core slabs are kinda neat (but I've never done that either - only installed them after they were fabricated and delivered to site).

The last pour I did was a re-pour of my garage floor! Large concrete work is decades ago. I might be doing a 40 x 60 shop building. But that will done pretty much off of trucks with those mini pumps/conveyors on them. I'm getting lazy!

As for pre-stressed. Nope. Like you it interests me. I have an idea for a decent sized vertical CNC milling machine that could use some pre-stressed sections. But that will be a geopolymer concrete not a Portland cement based concrete. Basically Roman concrete with a few chasers like a flow agent and some fiber reinforcing. I'm nowhere near as proficient at concrete work as I once was. But I appreciate what it takes. Few people give it much thought. As you say. The fun ones are the crazy shaped ones. Just the forming can be some serious carpentry skills on some of the stuff you see.

**nova_robotics** · Mar 17, 2021, 10:15 PM

Originally Posted by mwmkravchenko

geopolymer concrete not a Portland cement based concrete. Basically Roman concrete with a few chasers like a flow agent and some fiber reinforcing.

Geopolymer sounds interesting. I'll have to do some reading. Have you looked at basalt reinforcement? That's on my bucket list as well. It's probably a terrible choice for your project, I've just been trying to find an excuse to try it out.

**IAMSatisfied** · Mar 17, 2021, 10:24 PM

That is one big pour... they've even got three booster pumpers in the pit to reach the far corner. I've done a fair amount of commercial & residential flat-work, but nothing approaching this.

**baja** · Mar 18, 2021, 10:01 AM

My stepson may be driving one of the concrete trucks in this picture.

**drivermark** · Mar 18, 2021, 10:06 AM

When I first started driving mixer trucks the company I worked for (Lonestar, now called Cal Portland) did a pour in Vancouver, Wa. that was the floor slab for some big electronics company that was 14000cy. I missed out on that one because the sign up list was full of senior drivers wanting the OT.
I heard they basically evacuated the neighborhood around the project and put everybody up in local motels to avoid noise complaints. The job started on Friday evening and finished up in the wee hours of Sunday morning.
The biggest pour I was ever involved in was for the Fox Tower foundation in Portland, Or. which was 4500cy right in downtown. There were 4 big Brundage Bone pumpers working with 2 onsite as backup incase something broke. Drivers didn't even get out of their trucks to pour we backed up to the pump and there were Plant managers, QC guys and other company guys that would guide us in flip down the chute, work the controls and scrape the chute when we were done. They were also batching out of 4 batch plants in 2 locations. ( 1 wet, 1 dry plant each location ) oh, good times.

**Unkle Fuzzy** · Mar 18, 2021, 01:38 PM

We have a local cement delivery company with an interesting set up. Their trucks discharge the cement onto a high speed conveyor belt that literally throws the cement a fair distance into the receiving form. Pretty interesting to watch.

The first time I saw it work was on a sidewalk pour, I kind of wondered how much the company charges the guy to get to run the machine. Here is a similar truck spreading gravel.