Prior to our tour of the concrete plant, we were given a very interesting and informative lecture by Mr. Adel Willam (owner of RMB Concrete Company).
Fun Fact = concrete has to be pored under special conditions in order for it to set correctly. Here in Dubai they have to add ice chunks and poor the concrete in the middle of the night to maintain favorable concrete temperatures.
Lebanese student, Pierre Karam and I enjoying our tour of concrete.
This is light weight concrete. New technology in concrete has been able to maintain similar strength properties but reduce the total weigh by adding tinny Styrofoam balls. COOL RIGHT!
Off to the beach again after work! It's becoming a after work tradition. Such a good way to destress form the day. Well our taxi driver suggested a new beach that was a litter further away than we hoped... Was a decent beach with a very tropical feel. Warm water, nice sun set and good friends. Can't ask for too much more!
So after it got dark we had a little trouble finding our way back to where our taxi left us. Did a lot of unexpected walking but was a fun adventure in the end! Thanks, and talk to you soon.
Hey Sean – or how does this translate:
ReplyDeleteيا شون،
Thanks so much for a well-written and informative blog. I make it a point of reading your commentary and the DCC blog every morning – on par with my New York Times and Starbucks Coffee. I am probably just one in a group of millions around the world that are following your every blogged step.
I find the exploits of the SU and LAU Dubai team fascinating - whether it be visiting a souk in Old Dubai or seeing RMB through your photos or reading the descriptions of food at a Lebanese restaurant (I’m guessing it was the Burj al Hamam).
After reading the blogs, I found it necessary to know more about GGBS – you can find anything on the internet. I was reading about the durability, appearance, strength, solar reflectance and sustainability that GGBS adds to concrete. It also gets high LEED’s ratings. Do they have LEED or something equivalent in UAE? I am sure Mr. Adel William told you all about it. Read up because I’m sure Mr. Yabroudi will be testing you on it imminently: http://www.worldcement.com/sectors/sustainability/articles/GGBS_the_worlds_most_sustainable_building_material.aspx
It would be interesting to know what GGBS costs in such huge quantities since it is a by-product of making iron and how much effort /cost is required to turn it into a useable product by RMB – probably all industry secrets.
How’s this for a non-sequitur – You’re too young to remember Don Adams playing Maxwell Smart Agent 86 in the old Get Smart TV series (unless you watch Nick-at-Nite). It could be either Steve Carell (your generation) or Don Adams (my generation) playing Maxwell Smart, but he would say something like – “The old Ice crystals in the batch of cement trick!” I was assuming that something special needed to be done to handle the Dubai heat in concrete processing. I am sure you all remember your specific heat and attributes of polar molecules from Thermodynamics class. I would assume that amount of added ice crystals would need to be carefully measured since added water will change the integrity of concrete. How’s the Metric System coming along? I remember that there are 454 grams in a pound - everything can be derived from there. Haha.
Do you also provide ice crystals to the Ski Dubai resort - the indoor winter wonderland behind the Kempinski Hotel? Any snow boarders among you? I’m sure you’ve seen this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Shuk-T0jPfY . You gotta try that when it’s 115 degrees out.
Hey, I noticed that the Dubai Mall has Starbucks Coffee. The real question is – can you get today’s New York Times?
I know you’re making the most of your Dubai experience. Absorb all you can from your talented mentors and your fellow Dubai team members – everyone brings something unique to the table. I look forward to reading about your future exploits.
Talk to you soon.
Love,
Dad