Category Archives: Uncategorized

New Trenchless Pipe Repair Tech Saves Time & Money

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Have you ever seen an entire road torn up to fix one pipe underneath it? We all have, but hopefully not for much longer.   A new type of pipe repair company is trying to leave the mess behind and repair pipes without digging up roadways. Companies like Nu Flow and Formadrain have been using new trenchless pipe repair techniques to fix underground pipes without the mess.

How does it work? Each company has a slightly different process but the basic approach is the same:

  1. Insert a pipe-navigating robot into an access point like a  manhole or metering station to assess debris, pipe cracks/breaks and any other nasty surprises (Nu Flow has pipe video of an alligator).
  2. Once any debris or blockage has been removed, a pipe liner sleeve is inserted on the interior of the pipe.
  3. Steam is pumped through the pipes to cure and harden the epoxy. The lining expands by up to 200% in the curing process.

While it may seem simple based on the steps above (and is less expensive than tearing up the street), these trenchless pipe repair companies have solved a variety of problems in developing trenchless pipe repair. Different types of pipe connections, for example, used to be a problem. How do you apply pipe liner to a T junction or apply the pipe liner to larger pipes (since it requires additional pressure)?

It will be interesting to see if this new pipe repair technology will catch on. I would be surprised if it didn’t. It costs less, takes less time, is easier to clean up and is environmentally friendly.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments. In the meantime, check out this YouTube clip showing before and after footage of new trenchless pipe repair technology.

VIDEO — http://youtu.be/n28og2p6vs0

 

 

NC State Professor Hans Conrad’s Research Makes Ceramics More Efficient

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Here at EonCoat, we like to think we’re on the cutting edge of ceramics technology.  After all, EonCoat is a ceramic material that can flex up to 19% prior to failure (other ceramics tend to be brittle and crack when flexed) but we have to take our hats off to Professor Hans Conrad at NC State University.

Conrad has a history of discoveries in materials science and over the last year has published several papers on the benefits of using small electrical fields in conjunction with ceramics.  Want the details? We’re glad you asked!

In a well received 2010 journal article, Conrad showed that electrical fields (60 Hertz AC field at 13.9 volts/centimeter) could be used to reduce the grain size of ceramics by 63% and was able to illuminate porosity at 1250 degrees Celsius instead of 1500 degrees Celsius.  Translation?  Conrad has found a way to create a superior ceramic using less energy.  The effects of this research could be far reaching as ceramics are used in everything from body armor to space travel and may even be used one day in a gas turbine engine.

Dr. Hans Conrad has been working in the material science world since World War II and since retiring from NC State in 1993 has continued to work and produce research.  In fact, ASM International, one of the top materials sciences societies, announced that Conrad will receive the ASM Gold Medal for 2012 (pdf).  This award is given to one materials science researcher each year, if at all (some years the Gold Medal is not awarded).  Congrats to Dr. Hans Conrad for his ASM Gold Medal, for his past accomplishments and for still making significant discoveries at the age of 68!

What do you think about his most recent ceramic research?  Let us know in the comments.

Are We Still Under Attack From Lead Paint?

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In 2011 alone, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s lead paint recall list of child products and toys extended 60 pages. The report included products such as toys, purses with painted zippers, sportswear, painted jewelry, hockey sticks, painted furniture and playground equipment.

100 Years of Lead

As early as 1900 the public was aware of the dangers of lead. Lead in paint was the most common target of concern; if it is ingested by children through toys or interior house fixtures, it can cause lifelong health problems. Since lead does not break down in the body but settles into the blood and fat tissues, it can cause a series of defects. In children these defects take the form of brain and nervous system damage, stunted growth, hearing problems and headaches. In adults the symptoms are transformed into digestive problems, nerve disorders, high blood pressure and reproductive problems.

In 1978 the U.S. banned white lead paint (Lead Carbonate PbCO3) even though countries such as Great Britain, Sweden, Poland and Yugoslavia banned it as early as 50 years prior.

“Made in China”

In 2007, almost 30 years after the U.S. banned lead paint on products, China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), finally agreed to eliminate the use of lead paint on toys manufactured in China and exported to the U.S.

As China is the manufacturer for 80% of the world’s toys, this agreement was important and long overdue.

If China’s AQSIQ made an agreement to halt the use of lead paint in its toys four years ago, why does the list of lead paint recalls from 2007-2011 include a long list of China-manufactured products? We can only guess…

Here are a few of those Chinese manufactured toys that may be lying around your house:

  • American Girl Crafts Pearly Beads & Ribbon Bracelets kit
  • Toy Story 3
  • Oriental Trading Company Ceramic Banks
  • Target boys’ and girls’ belts
  • Sportime TechStitched Soccer Balls
  • Bauer Children’s Hockey Sticks
  • S&S Painted Wooden Beads
  • Papyrus Brand Greeting Cards with Bracelets
  • Blip Toys Horse Toy Figures

Keep it Clean

Keep the following phrases in mind the next time you’re browsing through the toy store or even when shopping for household decorations and you’re much more likely to keep your family safe:

  •  “Non-Toxic”
  • “Toxic-free”
  • “Lead Free”
  • “Lead Tested”
  • “PVC-free” – Although not a lead bi-product, Polyvinyl Chloride is a toxic plastic used in children’s toys, home furnishings and building materials

 

Sources: Recall Owl, CNNMoney.com, Photos from David Broadbeck and Khon2.com respectively