NEWS

(ALEXANDRIA, VA — OCTOBER 7, 2013) Online registration for Coverings 2014, the largest international tile and stone exposition and conference, which returns to Las Vegas from April 29 — May 2, 2014 opens today. Coverings 2014 marks the return of the super show and conference to the West coast, this time in the South Halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center. The show is anticipated to offer more than 900 exhibitors representing more than 35 countries, in addition to a robust program of CEU accredited seminars, demonstrations and networking opportunities – all at no cost.

Today, there is a big push for “whole building lifecycle assessments (LCAs).” While simple in theory, whole building LCAs are very difficult to standardize. Given today’s marketplace, which is heavily reliant on the prescriptive checklist approach of green building standards and rating systems, it would be unrealistic to expect that whole building LCAs could be fully and exclusively adopted all at once. However, whole building LCAs are widely embraced, and the transition towards their partial implementation is already taking place.

Article Review: Using virtual reality and mood-induction procedures to test products with consumers of ceramic tiles
Berenice Serrano, Cristina Botella, Rosa M. Baños and, Mariano Alcañiz
Computers in Human Behavior 29 (2013) 648–653

(ATLANTA, GA – MAY 21, 2013)— Coverings 2013, The Ultimate Tile + Stone Experience, attracted an increased number of architects, designers and specifiers this year when the four-day event was held in Atlanta for the first time, April 29-May 2. The audience segment grew by three percent, drawn by the opportunity to see the latest innovations by more than 950 exhibitors from over 35 countries, and attend more than 70 free education sessions, many of which offered CEUs.

Article Review: Characterization of porosity and defect imaging in ceramic tile using ultrasonic inspections
Elif Eren, Semra Kurama and, Igor Solodov
Ceramics International 38 (2012) 2145–2151

Non Destructive Testing (NDT) are methods or techniques which can be applied to analyze the properties of materials without causing permanent damage to the test material. NDT has been adopted by various industries as a quicker way to detect defects in products during manufacturing processes, to avoid delays caused by more conventional methods. The article reviewed is a study by a group of investigators from Anadolu University, Turkey and University Stuttgart, Germany to assess ultrasound testing as a possible NDT for application in quality control during manufacturing and processing of ceramic tile. The physical properties under scrutiny are porosity and defect imaging.

With year one of Green Squared® in the books, and nearly 1,000 Green Squared Certified® products in the marketplace, the Tile Council of North America (TCNA) and its Green Initiative Committee are pleased to announce the industry’s growing presence in the green building community.

Tile Council of North America’s (TCNA) Product Performance Testing Laboratory is pleased to announce several new services designed to meet the industry’s growing and ever-changing needs for relevant, up-to-date product testing.