In concrete production, water and cement react to bind together fine aggregates (primarily sand) and coarse aggregates such as crushed stone or natural gravel. A relatively small amount of water is needed to initiate this chemical reaction (hydration) to transform the ingredients into concrete. 

However, additional water is often required to make the mix workable enough to be poured and finished, and the addition of too much extra water can decrease the strength of finished concrete. Reduced durability in concrete can lead to a premature need for repairs or replacement in the residential and nonresidential building sectors, as well as in such public projects as highways, streets, bridges, and dams.

Technological innovation is transforming all aspects of the motorcycle production process, even the product testing phase. The development of new, state-of-the-art testing technologies allows companies to design and produce cutting-edge motorcycles that offer increased safety and superior performance.

Over the past few years, trends in three key indicators have taken hold of some of the larger markets for engineering services. These are:

• dynamic changes in natural gas and crude oil prices
• a surge in spending on nonresidential building construction
• an uptick in the retirement of coal-fired power plant capacity

The direction these indicators take going forward may significantly influence demand for engineering services in their associated market segments.

Consumer spending on professional services is projected to total almost $481 billion by 2020, representing yearly growth of 3.8% from 2015 levels. Positive economic trends will drive growth as consumers gain more disposable personal income and seek professional services for their financial and personal needs.

Many innovative technologies are changing how we access professional services. If you’d like to seek legal advice, chances are you can do it on your computer or mobile device. Many online services are also cheaper than traditional ones, leading established companies to change their marketing strategies and to offer services on a variety of platforms.

In the US, the majority of trucks are powered by soybeans. Sort of. Under its Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), the Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a target of 2.0 billion gallons of biomass-based diesel in the US diesel supply for 2017 – a 16% increase over 2015 levels. Soybean-derived biodiesel represents the predominant type of this renewable fuel.

But another type of biomass-based diesel – renewable diesel – is experiencing vigorous growth in demand due to a confluence of EPA mandates, rising distillate fuel consumption, and performance advantages.

With almost everyone getting great gift deals sent to their inbox these days, it’s not surprising that the peak holiday shopping period of November and December brings in 30 percent more revenue for e-commerce retailers than non-holiday months, according to a report by RJMetrics.

This year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday, two of the biggest online shopping days of the period, saw record-breaking sales totaling $6.8 billion in 2016, a 17 percent increase over 2015. 

One of the few things both political parties agreed on during the recent US presidential election campaign was the need to rebuild the nation’s transportation infrastructure. Not only are many of the nation’s roads and bridges in need of repair, if not outright replacement, but this surge in construction activity would generate high-paying jobs. 

The election of Donald Trump as the 45th US President has spurred interest in large-scale public works projects, especially with his call for a national infrastructure bank. While some parts of his plan remain controversial — and details on how to pay for it remain murky — many businesses are betting that there will be an increase in US construction activity. 

Watching paint dry? That’s boring. But knowing that as the paint dries, it’s water – not toxic chemicals – evaporating into the air? Now that’s exciting.

Water-Based vs. Solvent-Based Coatings

Water-based coatings, which employ water as their liquefying agent rather than chemical solvents, have made huge inroads worldwide over the past few decades. Consumers, professional painters, OEMs, as well as government regulators, have increasingly recognized the advantages of eco-friendly water-based paints, including low volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, easy cleanup, and low odor.

2015 marked a turning point for the US funeral and cemetery industry. For the first time, more Americans were cremated than buried underground.

The past decade has been an exhilarating ride for producers of frac sand, or silica sand used in hydraulic fracturing. North American shale oil and gas production has surged since 2010, bringing tremendous opportunities to the previously quiet silica sand industry. In 2014, the market for frac sand in North America was 20 times larger than it was a decade earlier, according to a recent study published by The Freedonia Group.

But for every boom, there is a bust. In late 2014, consumption began to decline as oil and gas prices plummeted across the world. Now, instead of embarking on ambitious expansions, frac sand suppliers have idled production and mining operations. The stock price of Fairmount Santrol, the US’s largest frac sand producer, dropped from $16.98 at the time of its IPO in 2014 to a low of $1.23 in January 2016.