Embodiments disclosed herein include dissolvable and intentionally degradable objects that are useful for hydraulic fracking operations. Such objects are at least in part manufactured using materials that are soluble in certain fluids including water. The dissolvable and intentionally degradable fracking objects can be manufactured from one or more materials, including composite materials. In one embodiment, dissolvable fracking objects are manufactured from ceramic materials that are soluble in fluids such as water. Such dissolvable fracking objects include fracking balls and plugs. These fracking balls and plugs are arranged to seal a well for a predetermined period of time and dissolve over that predetermined period of time until the well is no longer sealed. In another embodiment, tools generally useful in fracking operations are manufactured to have desirable elastomeric properties. Such tools can be manufactured from a combination of materials that are soluble in fluids and generally dispersible in fluids.

Embodiments disclosed herein include dissolvable and intentionally degradable objects that are useful for hydraulic fracking operations. Such objects are at least in part manufactured using materials that are soluble in certain fluids including water. The dissolvable and intentionally degradable fracking objects can be manufactured from one or more materials, including composite materials. In one embodiment, dissolvable fracking objects are manufactured from ceramic materials that are soluble in fluids such as water. Such dissolvable fracking objects include fracking balls and plugs. These fracking balls and plugs are arranged to seal a well for a predetermined period of time and dissolve over that predetermined period of time until the well is no longer sealed. In another embodiment, tools generally useful in fracking operations are manufactured to have desirable elastomeric properties. Such tools can be manufactured from a combination of materials that are soluble in fluids and generally dispersible in fluids.

A method of making a chemical-resistant concrete composition, namely a quartz-based casting composition, is provided. The quartz-based casting composition provides excellent resistance to attack by chemicals, including weak and strong acids. The quartz-based casting composition is useful as concrete in various construction applications where corrosion resistance is needed. The casting composition includes a dry component and a wet component. The dry component includes about 25% to about 100% by weight quartz and the corrosion resistance increases with increasing quartz content.

A method of making a chemical-resistant concrete composition, namely a quartz-based casting composition, is provided. The quartz-based casting composition provides excellent resistance to attack by chemicals, including weak and strong acids. The quartz-based casting composition is useful as concrete in various construction applications where corrosion resistance is needed. The casting composition includes a dry component and a wet component. The dry component includes about 25% to about 100% by weight quartz and the corrosion resistance increases with increasing quartz content.

A method includes: providing a mold having a plurality of mold cavities, wherein each mold cavity is bounded by a plurality of faces joined along common edges; filling at least some of the mold cavities with a sol-gel composition that includes a release agent dispersed therein; at least partially drying the sol-gel composition thereby forming shaped ceramic precursor particles; calcining at least a portion of the shaped ceramic precursor particles to provide calcined shaped ceramic precursor particles; and sintering at least a portion of the calcined shaped ceramic precursor particles to provide ceramic shaped abrasive particles. A sol-gel composition, shaped ceramic precursor particles, and ceramic shaped abrasive particles associated with practice of the method are also disclosed.

A method includes: providing a mold having a plurality of mold cavities, wherein each mold cavity is bounded by a plurality of faces joined along common edges; filling at least some of the mold cavities with a sol-gel composition that includes a release agent dispersed therein; at least partially drying the sol-gel composition thereby forming shaped ceramic precursor particles; calcining at least a portion of the shaped ceramic precursor particles to provide calcined shaped ceramic precursor particles; and sintering at least a portion of the calcined shaped ceramic precursor particles to provide ceramic shaped abrasive particles. A sol-gel composition, shaped ceramic precursor particles, and ceramic shaped abrasive particles associated with practice of the method are also disclosed.

A hinged corner for a construction form includes a first flange connected to a first mounting plate for a form member and a second flange connected to a second mounting plate for a form member. The first flange and the second flange pivot relative to one another in an overlapping relationship about a pivot point disposed between the first mounting plate and the second mounting plate.

Various embodiments of an adjustable mold and method for making precast concrete traffic barrier panels with different geometries are disclosed. The panels are used for creating a continuous traffic barrier by placing the panels in a contiguous side-by-side arrangement adjacent a roadway atop a modular earth retaining wall. Each traffic barrier panel has a body with at least front, back, top, bottom, left, and right sides. The mold body has a plurality of walls that define an interior chamber, a door opening to the interior chamber, and a concrete inlet to the interior chamber. The door is designed to be installed on and to be uninstalled from the mold body to respectively close and open the door opening. The door has left side and right side forming panels that are designed to define respectively a left side two-dimensional geometry and a right side two-dimensional geometry of the left and right sides respectively of a traffic barrier panel to be made. The left side and right side two-dimensional geometries are changeable by interchanging the door with differently oriented forming panels or by adjusting two-dimensional orientations of each of the left side and right side forming panels on the existing door. The interior chamber of the mold body in combination with an interior side of the door define an outer surface geometry of the front, back, top, bottom, left, and right sides of the traffic barrier panel to be made.

Various embodiments of an adjustable mold and method for making precast concrete traffic barrier panels with different geometries are disclosed. The panels are used for creating a continuous traffic barrier by placing the panels in a contiguous side-by-side arrangement adjacent a roadway atop a modular earth retaining wall. Each traffic barrier panel has a body with at least front, back, top, bottom, left, and right sides. The mold body has a plurality of walls that define an interior chamber, a door opening to the interior chamber, and a concrete inlet to the interior chamber. The door is designed to be installed on and to be uninstalled from the mold body to respectively close and open the door opening. The door has left side and right side forming panels that are designed to define respectively a left side two-dimensional geometry and a right side two-dimensional geometry of the left and right sides respectively of a traffic barrier panel to be made. The left side and right side two-dimensional geometries are changeable by interchanging the door with differently oriented forming panels or by adjusting two-dimensional orientations of each of the left side and right side forming panels on the existing door. The interior chamber of the mold body in combination with an interior side of the door define an outer surface geometry of the front, back, top, bottom, left, and right sides of the traffic barrier panel to be made.

Various embodiments of an adjustable mold are disclosed for forming a precast concrete top panel for a modular earth retaining wall, for example but not limited to, a modular mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining wall. The adjustable mold has a support base with a top surface, bottom surface, and surrounding periphery. A plurality of rails is mounted to the support base and upstand generally perpendicular from the support base. The rails are collectively attached together to form a closed lateral side boundary with an open top designed to receive liquified concrete. The support base and rails are designed to form sides of the precast concrete top panel. The rails can be adjusted to change a geometric shape associated with the closed lateral boundary in order to enable production of different top panels having different lateral boundaries, and therefore geometries.