Alchatek Blog

In 1927, a German physicist, Werner Heisenberg, introduced what would become the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. In short, his theory maintained that two very distinctive properties when examining any particle, location and momentum, could not be accurately measured at the same time. The more one knows about one value, the less it knows about the other. So how does this relate to business? 

By multiplying the deltas of position and momentum we arrive at a value that is equal to Planck’s constant/2pi. Planks constant is relevant here as it’s essentially a measure of granularity in the world around us. And there is the magic word: Granularity. How often do our Strategy teams discuss granularity? It’s turned into one of those jargon words that seem to carry more form in conversation than any function in execution. But nonetheless, everyone in Strategy wants granularity.

The physical world around us is made up of particles. You, me, the buildings we work in, and the computer screen you’re looking at; all made up of particles. So, let’s be careful on the amount of granularity that we all aim to achieve in decision making processes. The often-quoted phenomenon of analysis paralysis lies in the Uncertainty Principle. The more you examine one aspect of any given part of the physical world, products and opportunities included, the less you know about another aspect. There’s no way around this.

To find the spin of a particle, or the angular momentum, light is often shined on that particle. But true to Heisenberg’s Principle, the energy from the light makes the particle spin faster, thus harder to measure. So next time you tell your team members to ‘get more granular’, remember Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle. You may be far more effective by identifying an opportunity, and creating your own spin. Or taking an existing spin, and find your own location. Werner Heisenberg has well shown us that it’s not possible to strategically measure both. The more light you shine on something, the faster it spins. So be careful with how granular you get.

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When you set out to work on a leak seal injection project, it's important to be prepared. 

Let's imagine you have a big polyurethane grout injection job today. Great, let’s go!

Everything starts going into the truck and you’re off. You get to the job, start pulling material, equipment, tools and a lot of other stuff out of the truck - then someone asks, “Where is the______? And where is the _______? And what happened to the _______?"

Suddenly it’s time to find the nearest hardware store, so you can get what you need, so you can get your job started and finished and cleaned up after you’re done. When you're not prepared, one trip to the hardware store is usually only the beginning. Sometimes multiple trips are necessary to get the project done.

The Boy Scouts always talk about the importance of being prepared. Here is a little help. Make a checklist to be sure you have what you need, so you can get to the job…..get started……..and get it done (without holding up work because someone needs to go to the hardware store).

Here is a suggested starter list. Add to it whatever else you think you may need:

Equipment	Materials	Safety Wear	Clean up
Pumps (parts)	Injection resin (s)	Safety Glasses	Garbage bags
Hoses	Accelerator (s)	Hard Hats	Hand cleaner
Buckets	Clean water	Safety Vests	Rags
Injection wand (F-Valve)	Pump Flush	Rubber Gloves
Zerk fitting adaptor	Cement patch or plug
Extension cords(3)
Hammer Drill
3/8” drill bits
Flashlights
Tool box / bag  (stocked)
Teflon Tape
Bag of injection ports
Batteries
5/16” nut driver

Before you pack up for a job, it's critical to make a checklist of what you need. Check it twice (like Santa does) to make sure you have everything squared away up front. 

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• Drill at a 45 degree angle, injecting on alternating sides of the joint. Drill deep into the wall, but don't drill through the wall and into the soil. Instead the drill holes should penetrate the crack itself, allowing for resin to seal the crack in the wall.
  
  
• Drill straight through the wall and into the soil. Inject through either side of the joint every 8 to 10 inches.  Curtain grout behind the joint and into the soil, creating a leak barrier behind the wall.
  
  
• Soak AP Oakum in our resin, then dip it in water and shove it into the joint.  Pack oakum to the back of the joint, working your way towards the front of the joint.  Now you have a tight seal.
  
  
• Pack AP Oakum into the front half of the joint, leaving the back of the joint oakum-free.  Then push an injection needle through the oakum, and pump grout to back side of joint. This will fill the void with foam and make a very good reinforced seal.

• Spetec PUR F400
• AP Seal 500

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The Deep Lift™ process is different from common slab lifting in that it requires polyurethane foam to be injected deep into the soil beneath the structure. Deep Lift™ is often appropriate for certain larger structures and more flexible pavements that may not be ideal candidates for conventional slab lifting. It can also be used in conjunction with conventional slab lifting. In this post, I'll provide a quick overview of the Deep Lift™ process and its many applications.

The Process:

1. Complete a thorough site evaluation including – soil borings, DCP testing, and GPR as necessary
2. Address any potential binding with saw cutting, clearing of joints, and removal of old grout
3. Based upon soils data, calculate grid spacing and injection depths
4. Drive injection tubes to the correct depths and locations
5. Inject the appropriate AP Lift series polymer(s) in the predetermined sequence while monitoring for lift
6. Follow the grout plan, adjusting the injection depths and locations as the structure raises into place

The Applications:

• Bridge abutments
• Highway approach slabs
• Rigid and flexible pavements
• Ports and airports
• Settled buildings
• Soil densification and encapsulation
• Lift stations
• Pipe and tunnel segments
• Equipment pads

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Continuing on from the previous overview of Mechanical Packers and Ports, let's take a closer look at all of the required mechanical ports and accessories you could possibly need for your next chemical injection project.

The product line is comprised almost entirely of the most versatile steel mechanical packers compatible with practically all of the chemical injection grouts supplied on the market. These steel packers are offered in bottom-zerk and top-zerk style, allowing for customization and familiarity on site for all contractor preferences of technique and clean-up. All top-zerk configurations are interchangeable with button head clutch-couplings that prohibit excessive leakage which is ideal for finished or pristine spaces, or overhead applications. Alchemy-Spetec also supplies the required couplers that connect the anti-return valve to most standard industry hoses. For custom fittings, please consult your local pneumatic or hydraulic parts supplier.

Other common industry offerings are also available in zinc and aluminum designs, which offer variances in weight, price point, and chemical resistances. Plastic bang-in types are available in 3/8” and 5’8” diameters, and are most commonly used on concrete slab-lifting and soil stabilization projects allowing for higher volumes of material to be pumped prior to reaction.

Alchemy-Spetec is also very pleased to bring back the high-pressure blue and red 5/8” and 1/2" diameter mechanical packers with a large washer on the top. An industry go-to packer for many years, these packers feature a specialty rubber allowing for even higher tolerances for pressure hold. Rounding out the accessory items offered by Alchemy-Spetec are flush wands to clear drill holes of debris, injection needles to point-inject behind oakum or existing sealants, and F-assemblies that permit the ultra-effective twin-streaming technique of pre-mixing water and hydro-active chemical grout.

Please take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the Alchemy-Spetec Mechanical Packer and Accessories brochure (see download button below). Call us directly at 404-618-0438 for samples, pricing, and/or local distributor contact information.

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The term ‘Mechanical Packer’ probably doesn’t mean much to those not in the concrete repair industry. But for those close to chemical grouting, this term certainly brings about thoughts of both form and function. Mechanical packers are also referred to as ports, or more simply, packers. But we would like to be very clear that a port is not a packer.  

Mechanical packers were designed to withstand high pressure injection applications by inserting them into pre-drilled holes in a concrete substrate at various diameters ranging most commonly from 1/4" – 5/8”. Mechanical packers feature a rubber base with a threaded shaft. As the threaded shaft is tightened, the rubber base is compressed, creating a compression seal inside the drill hole. The ultimate pressure tolerance is dependent upon the amount the rubber is expanded and the total surface area of the rubber base that is in contact with the drill hole. That is, a smaller diameter packer will have considerably less surface area of rubber compressed against the concrete side walls, and thus holding a lower amount of pressure when connected to high pressure equipment. Most job site and substrate conditions will permit successful injection results with a diameter of 3/8” – 1/2".  Of course, some contractors have personal preference of smaller or larger sizes.  

Concrete packers also come in various types. Suppliers will market benefits of steel, brass, zinc, or aluminum. All things considered, steel packers tend to be the most versatile packers as they are compatible with all chemical grout types, while the brass, aluminum, and zinc can exhibit signs of deterioration when using oxidizing agents such as the salt component in a polyacryate gel. However, some contractors insist that the breakdown is not as quick as marketed by suppliers, therefore utilizing brass and aluminum packers in these applications as well.  

Each packer features an anti-return ball valve that is opened under pressure, allowing the passage of chemical grouts. Upon depressurizing, the ball valve will close, prohibiting the return flow of the injection resin out of the drill hole. This ball valve can be located on the top of the packer, in the base of the packer, or even freely-floating in the packer shaft to allow for maximum flow. There are pros and cons to each ball valve location depending on job site condition and application and finishing techniques.  

Lastly, there are plastic alternatives commonly referred to as ‘bang-in’ or ‘hammer-in’. These packers do not have the threaded metal shaft, but as they are driven into the drill hole, the same compression seal theory takes hold as the tapered edges become lodged into the drill hole sides. Another form of plastic ports is a plastic, surface-mounted version that is commonly used in epoxy injection and/or in the event that drilling into the substrate would be considered harmful or ill-advised.  

For more detail on your specific project needs and packer or port recommendation, please contact a knowledgeable Alchemy-Spetec representative at 404-618-0438. Alchemy-Spetec offers all of the packers and ports listed above, as well as all of the chemical grouts and pumping systems required to make your next chemical grouting job a success!

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We have launched our new application!

Finally, a polyurethane estimating calculator for slab lifting and void fill jobs.

This app is a simple, fast, and reliable way to take the guesswork out of estimating Alchemy-Spetec polyurethane slab lifting and void filling materials while prepping for a job.

Follow these steps to download and operate this app:

1. Download App
Search Alchemy-Spetec in your Apple App Store or Google Play Store to install the Poly Estimating App.

 

2. Create an Account for the App
After installing the app, create an account by clicking "Sign Up" at the bottom and following the prompts.

3. Click the Slab Lifting Material Estimator or Void Filling Material Estimator button at the bottom.

4. Select Your Product: 430, 440 or 475
Watch for the expansion rate to appear at the bottom once you've selected the product.

       

5. Input Data
Enter the square footage of the slab and number of inches the slab has settled, then press enter.

6. End Result
The final screen displays the amount of resin needed for your specific job. You will see options for slabs in which 1 side is settled, 2 sides are settled, and all sides are settled. 

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If you're not familiar with polyurethane soil stabilization, here's a basic overview excerpted from the brochure you can download at the bottom of this blog post:

Unstable soil can be defined as soil that will not stay in place on its own, and therefore requires extra support. It should be noted that unstable soil can threaten the stability, security, and safety of infrastructure and can damage, degrade, and even destroy a number of structures, such as buildings, bridges, and roads. There are a variety of factors that can cause unstable soil including erosion, poor compaction, freeze/thaw cycles and decomposition.

Soil can be stabilized with AP Soil 600, Spetec PUR H40, Spetec AG100 and Spetec AG200. Once the bearing capacity of the soil has been increased with this process, then the structure can be lifted if necessary.

For a detailed explanation of the process in a variety of settings, watch the animated video below...

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Thanks to everyone who invested their time and money to visit us at the World of Concrete in Las Vegas last week.  We appreciate your interest in new offerings such as the Deep Lift process, the Cart System mini rig and the MixMaster Pro slab lifting gun with Stand Up Attachment.  We also appreciate all the interest in the rest of the Geotech and Waterproofing lines.

In the following weeks you will be contacted by one of our representatives to see how we can assist you further.  Let us show you how to get a return on your investment.  We help you do what you do, better than anyone else.  If you need something faster than our representatives are able to reach out to you, please feel free to contact us directly at 404-618-0438.

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“It always seems impossible until it’s done” – Nelson Mandella

These is a tricky blog subject to connect with a broad audience.  Prioritization of principles is such a subjective topic that there really is no one way to frame it.  Principles that work for one organization may be vastly different than others, while both may be wildly successful.  Let’s examine the differences in one of the most well-discussed company principles known to us all – work hours. 

Elon Musk is commonly quoted with messages suggesting that most successful people simply put in more hours than others.  He has famously been known to work 100+ hour weeks, and suggests that if you work twice the hours of a competitor in a given year, it will take you 6 months to achieve what they do in an entire year.  Sure, this sounds idealistically simple coming from a genius with laser focused visions, but the point is well taken in concept.  And in principle it is true, you have to be willing to out-work your competition.  There are no two ways about this in anything you do.  Now, the art lies in how you outwork them.  If you implement systems modeled around efficiency, perhaps you can accomplish things in 24 hours that would previously require 48.  In theory, with efficient modeling and hard-work, your organization can even out-pace competitors working 100+ hours each week, right?  The debate around working harder or smarter is a circular one.  With the winning position going to working smart and hard. 

On the other side of this spectrum, let’s consider Richard Branson.  Branson believes in a flexible working condition in which employees can utilize technology to work from home and have unlimited leave which Virgin believes adds to an increase in their happiness and productivity.  Now, if you’re like many of us, your reality probably lies somewhere in the middle of these two extremely successful business owner approaches.  So, which the right one?  My humble belief is that it encompasses all of the topics in this blog series, People, Partners, and Products.   

Throughout 2018, you will see this common structure to the monthly blogs I post in the Conference Room Series.  We hope that you will start to notice the breakdown of People, Partners, Products, and Principle.  This should provide you with a behind-the-scenes snapshot of what we are all about at Alchemy-Spetec.  So, getting back to the question of what is the correct working hours principle?

• Find the right people. Only bring on professional adults who respect themselves and the quality of the work they produce.  And appreciate them for it. 
• Partner with like-minded companies and people up and down your vertical. Partner people are just as important as your own co-workers.  (See #1 above.)
• Know what your products do and don’t do. An experienced team with conviction of what their products do, and more importantly, what their products don’t, advances your brand with much greater strides than what over-promising ever will. 
• When #1, #2, and #3 are done correctly, work ethic Principles take care of themselves. You see, it all goes back to people.  Branson and Musk are great visionaries who create great Products, enter into the right Partnerships, and surround themselves with the best People.  Those are the Principles.  Don’t blame your business success or failure on work hours. (See #1 above.)

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