Day 5 - Wednesday May 18

We went to our first site visit today, which was a concrete batching plant, called RMB (Ready Mix Beton). To ensure safety for all the students, personal protective equipment (PPE) was worn, which includes safety vests, hard hats, gloves, and glasses. Our visit began with an introductory lecture given by the technical manager of RMB, Mr. Adel William. This lecture was about the RMB projects and the basics about how to mix concrete, including the specific ingredients RMB uses. Mr. William informed us about the “Pentominium Tower”, the tallest residential tower in Dubai. RMB has been responsible for making and distributing concrete to this site. Mr. William also talked to us about the different additive materials used and their effect on durability and workability of concrete. These additives that improve the quality of the concrete include GGBS, Fly Ash, and micro-silica. Chemical admixtures such as super-plasticizers also have a role in increasing the workability of the concrete without increasing the water content. One aspect specific to concrete in Dubai’s climate is its temperature. To ensure uniform settling and lower concrete temperatures of 30-32 Degrees Celsius needed for a normal ready mix, RMB adds thin ice flakes to every batch. The processes behind pumping and placing of concrete were also discussed before we left the offices for the tour.

Next, we took a tour of the RMB plant where we saw the pumping station, the testing labs, the stock storage location, the silos and mixers, the batching plant production office, and the ice flakes used during the mixing to reduce the temperature. Mr. William showed took us to one of the labs and the technician performed a compressive strength test on a 8.56 kg sample. The test showed that the sample failed at 1975 kN, or approximately 88 MPa. After the tour, we returned to the office and had a small break where we had the opportunity to ask Mr. William a few questions regarding some parts of the batching plant that were unclear.

In the afternoon, Mr. Ian Harper continued our discussion on construction management. We learned how construction management used to only focus on time, quality, and cost, but now attention needs to be paid to health and safety, as well as environmental management. Later, we were introduced to delays, disputes, and dispute resolution. We learned about the different steps that can be taken to settle disagreements from delays, for instance. However, it is best to avoid arbitration and instead make amicable settlements when resolving disputes because of the time and money wasted on the process.