Masonry Magazine June 1997 Page. 32
Forklifts have four different types of steering and tight turning radiuses to allow for use on construction sites with limited room for maneuverability. These steering systems allow the laborer to place loads in very difficult places. Extended reach of these machines allows the load being carried not only to be raised overhead, but also to be extended farther in front of the machine than would be possible with the straight masts forklifts. The ability to move the load forward and backward enables the forklift to position the loads over obstacles with minimum maneuvering of the machine, saving time.
Today's rough terrain forklifts have allowed contractors to easily stock floors without the use of cranes or elevators, saving time and money. In addition, forklifts have made the movement of scaffolding, mortar silos and mixers easy and cost effective.
Rough terrain forklifts have become necessary in order to allow the masonry industry to keep on schedule and be competitive. In construction today, "time is money" and the speed with which a laborer and a machine can do a task can keep the job on schedule and within the budgeted construction price.
First West Brick Buggy rough terrain, forward reach forklift introduced in 1954. It differed from conventional units in that it carried the load between its front wheels rather than in front on the machine.
Article references: MCAA's Rough Terrain Forklift Safety Maintenance Training Manual, copyright 1992 Masonry Magazine, Nov/Dec 1992 32 MASONRY-MAY/JUNE, 1997
Device Designed to Aid Masonry Workers
ISU Professor Bruce Dallman demonstrates "MAMA" at the Technology Transfer Center at the University
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. Back injuries and fatigue-induced accidents are among the most common health hazards masonry workers face on the job. That's why researchers have introduced a device that can lift and lower into place the heavy blocks used to build walls. The prototype of the Mechatronically Assisted Mason's Aide, called MAMA, is currently housed at the Construction and Technology Transfer Center at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Ind. Bruce Dallman, ISU professor of construction technology, and the CTTC staff have worked the past seven months fine-tuning the device. The project is a joint effort among ISU, the International Masonry Institute in Washington D.C. and the U.S. Army's Construction Engineering Research Laboratories in Champaign, III.
"We have a working prototype that has proven the concept. We need to perform a detailed field test on an actual job to finalize the design and then locate a commercial partner to manufacture the unit," said Jeff Kirby, project leader at CERL.
Dallman believes MAMA can have a far-reaching impact on the masonry industry in several ways. "While protecting an aging work force is the top priority MAMA'S capability to reduce in-wall costs is the measurable effect of this system. MAMA is a cutting edge technology that will impact the future of masonry in the construction industry," Dallman said. The repetitive, simultaneous bending and lifting masonry craftsmen do to lay blocks has caused a high occurrence of on-the-job back injuries, resulting in a high percentage of work-related disabilities and early retirement of skilled workmen. That's prompted the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration to propose new guidelines for manual lifting that lower allowable limits. The new limit is below what many common types of concrete and masonry unit blocks weigh, making the need for a device to assist in lifting and positioning heavy masonry units essential.
Besides the obvious human toll, back injuries also contribute to escalating insurance costs. One major U.S. insurance company, for example, reported it has recorded more than 14,000 claims for back injuries, each costing an average of $14,000 to $15,000. "That's a more than $200 million loss that this machine can help eliminate," Dallman said.
Work on the MAMA prototype began in 1990 and was funded by IMI and CERL Though MAMA was successfully demonstrated in 1994, it was damaged in a tropical storm at the IMI's annual meeting in Florida in November of that year. The device was put into storage because repair funds were not available.
Last summer, CTTC joined CERL in resurrecting the effort. The prototype was delivered to ISU's CTTC facility mid-summer. The prototype consists of a rail trolley system that can be attached to standard, mast-type masonry scaffolding. The rails provide power and transverse mobility to a double-jointed arm suspended below it, much like a crane. At the end of the arm, a steel cable with a mechanical gripping device attached to the end provides the lifting power to pick up and place concrete masonry units.