AUGUST 2019 V. 41 No.

Mixing, Placing & Curing

18 NPCA Sustainability Awards
for 2019
$3RZHUIXO6RIWZDUH6XLWHIRU'HWDLOHG
$QDO\VLV 'HVLJQRI5HLQIRUFHG&RQFUHWH6WUXFWXUHV
Pave the way with us—
transforming, building, always advancing, together!

Join the ACI Foundation

to become part of the only nonprofit that supports all facets of concrete
application to the built world. Working together alongside ACI and the
Foundation, you will enable the concrete community to advance quality
of life and transform the future.

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Ci
AUGUST 2019 V. 41 No. 8
Concrete
international
The Magazine of the Concrete Community

MIXING, PLACING & CURING

18 NPCA Sustainability Awards for 2019

21 Key Changes in the 2019 Edition of the ACI Building Code

(ACI 318-19)
The committee chair summarizes updates in the most recent edition
by Jack P. Moehle

35 The Eco Concrete Competition

Lessons learned by (and from) students
by Hessam Azarijafari, Julie K. Buffenbarger, and Sean Monkman

41 Concrete Placements Exposed to Rain

Damage types, protection options, and repair methods
by Ronald L. Kozikowski, Scott M. Tarr, Kevin Rowswell, and
Bruce A. Suprenant

38 48 Application-Driven Curing Solutions

Producers must choose curing solutions based on the product

51 Floating Dry Dock Repaired at Sea

Concrete hull treated with Alchemco’s TechCrete 2500 system

ALSO FEATURING

16 ACI Foundation: Knowledge to Practice

Annual research request for proposals now open

28 Measuring Concrete Modulus of Elasticity

Summary of testing procedure and tips for technicians
by David M. Mante

71 Concrete Q&A: Designing Beams in Mat Foundation

and more

53
www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 3
 August
Ci
Concrete international
PUBLISHER
John C. Glumb, CAE
[email protected] 9
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Rex C. Donahey, PE
[email protected] departments
7 President’s Memo
ENGINEERING EDITOR
W. Agata Pyc 8 Chapter Reports
[email protected]
12 News
MANAGING EDITOR 55 Products & Practice
Keith A. Tosolt
[email protected] 58 Product Showcase
EDITOR 60 Industry Focus
Rebecca Emanuelsen
[email protected]
62 Calls for Papers

A winning project in the Sustainability

64 On the Move
ADVERTISING
Awards program of the National 65 What’s New from ACI
Jeff Rhodes
MCI USA Precast Concrete Association keeps
[email protected] both motorists and wildlife safe in 66 Sinopsis en español
the state of Washington. H2 Pre-Cast
cast the arched sections that form twin 67 Meetings
PUBLISHING SERVICES
tunnels and Wilbert Precast created 68 Public Discussion
MANAGER the wall to form a bridge over I-90 so
Barry M. Bergin elk and other wildlife no longer need 70 Advertiser Index
to trek across a major highway during
EDITORS migrations. For more on the projects
Carl R. Bischof, Kaitlyn J. Dobberteen, recognized for their sustainability
Tiesha Elam, Angela R. Matthews, aspects, see the article on page 18
Kelli R. Slayden (photo courtesy of H2 Pre-Cast).

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS
Susan K. Esper, Ryan M. Jay,
Gail L. Tatum

Copyright © 2019 American Concrete Institute. Printed in the United States of America. All correspondence should be directed to the
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Institute publications are not able to, nor intended to supplant individual training, responsibility, or judgment of the user, or the
supplier, of the information presented. Permission is granted by the American Concrete Institute for libraries and other users
registered with the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) to photocopy any article herein for the fee of $3.00 per transaction. Pay-
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4 AUGUST 2019 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

 American Concrete Institute
IN Ci Board of Direction
President Directors
Randall W. Poston Heather J. Brown William M. Klorman
Guidance Mark A. Cheek Michael E. Kreger

A
Past President Walter H. Flood IV Ishita Manjrekar
CI membership unlocks a vast Board Members H.R. Trey Hamilton Tracy D. Marcotte
repository of knowledge. For Michael J. Schneider Joe Hug Michael J. Paul
example, Individual, Student, Khaled W. Awad Maria G. Juenger Michelle L. Wilson
David A. Lange
and Young Professional members have
free access to the Online ACI Collection
of Concrete Codes, Specifications, and Vice Presidents Executive Vice President
Practices. While ACI’s Chapter Members Jeffrey W. Coleman Cary S. Kopczynski Ronald Burg
have always had networking opportunities,
many now also have free online access
to CI and ACI University Tokens for Technical Activities Educational Activities Certification Programs
online learning, regardless of their status Committee Committee Committee
chair chair chair
in the greater organization. These Chapter Lawrence F. Kahn Thomas M. Greene Joe Hug
Members have gained these benefits
secretary staff liaison staff liaison
because their chapter officers chose Matthew R. Senecal Kathryn A. Amelio John W. Nehasil
to join the ACI Local Membership
program. This program is available at Michael C. Brown Diana Arboleda Bryan R. Castles
Robert J. Frosch Arturo Gaytan Covarrubias William Ciggelakis
zero additional cost above the members’ Mary Beth D. Hueste Walter H. Flood IV Oscar Duckworth
chapter dues, yet it offers Chapter Kamal H. Khayat Seamus F. Freyne Werner K. Hellmer
Members enhanced further guidance. Neven Krstulovic-Opara Joe Hug Augusto H. Holmberg
Kimberly E. Kurtis Kimberly Waggle Kramer J. Scott Keim
I’m biased, but I think the guidance Carl J. Larosche Anthony J. Lamanna Steve R. Lloyd Sr.
in this month’s CI will more than Tracy D. Marcotte Robert Lewis Christopher J. Robinson
compensate for the price of any chapter’s Barzin Mobasher John B. Robertson Xiomara Sapon
dues. An outstanding example is an Michael S. Stenko Jackie A. Sempel Robert L. Varner
Thomas J. Van Dam Wayne M. Wilson
introduction to changes in the 2019
ACI Building Code. This article by
ACI Committee 318 Chair Jack Moehle
will be a useful resource to have in
hand as one studies and adapts to the
new Code. Another great example is a ACI Staff & Departments
discussion of how rain events can affect Executive Vice President: Ronald Burg, [email protected]
concrete placements. This article, by Senior Managing Director: John C. Glumb, [email protected]
Ron Kozikowski, Scott Tarr, Kevin ACI Foundation: Human Resources:
Rowswell, and Bruce Suprenant, will be [email protected] [email protected]
a great resource to keep in your tablet, Certification: Information Systems:
whether you are in the office or in the [email protected] [email protected]
field. Yet another example is a guide Chapter Activities: Marketing:
for measuring concrete modulus of [email protected] [email protected]
elasticity. This how-to guide by David Engineering: Member/Customer Services:
Mante should be useful to researchers [email protected] [email protected]
and test technicians, and one day Event Services: Professional Development:
it might serve as a supplement in a [email protected] [email protected]
certification program. Finance and Administration: Publishing Services:
My recommendation to chapter [email protected] [email protected]
officers is to make the guidance
available to your Chapter Members,
whether by participating in the
Sustaining Members
ACI Local Membership program or
including one or more of the articles See pages 10-11 for a list of ACI’s Sustaining Members.
in your chapter’s newsletter. To learn more about our sustaining members, visit the ACI website at
Rex C. Donahey www.concrete.org/membership/sustainingmembers.aspx.

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 5

 Now Introducing
ACI Collection of Concrete Codes,
Specifications, and Practices

T
he American Concrete Institute
introduces the ACI Collection of
Concrete Codes, Specifications,
and Practices (formerly the Manual
of Concrete Practice). With nearly
50 codes and specifications and more
than 200 practices—the ACI Collection
is the most comprehensive and
largest single source of information
on concrete materials, design,
and construction.

The ACI Collection includes ACI 318-14, ACI 301, Regular Price Member Price

and ACI 562. The ACI Collection also covers concrete

Guides and Reports:
materials, properties, design, construction, reinforce- FREE with ACI
ment, repair, structural analysis, and innovation— Membership
$799.00/year
plus popular topics such as slabs, formwork, masonry, Annual Online Standards:
Subscription
and more. (Continuously $239.00/year
Updated)
The ACI Collection is available in three formats—
an online subscription that is always up-to-date and
includes historic editions of codes and specifications; $899.50 $549.00
a USB drive for convenient digital access anywhere,
USB Drive
with or without an internet connection; and an
eight-volume set of books.
Please visit www.concrete.org to subscribe $1099.00 $699.00
or purchase. 8-Volume Books

www.concrete.org
President’s
Memo
ACI 318-19 Revised in Full Color
I
n last month’s President’s year and be held at over 20 locations around the United States,
Memo, I gave a brief history plus additional locations around the world. These seminars are
of the ACI 318 Structural being crafted to help users navigate what is new in the
Concrete Building Code. In this updated Code, and the first will be held at the ACI World
memo, I would like to briefly Headquarters in Farmington Hills, MI, on September 12,
summarize the ACI 318-19 2019. An on-demand course will be available later this year
Building Code, which was on the ACI website.
published in June. This is the
first edition of the Code since
the reorganized format of the “…the ACI 318-19 Code has some
Code was published in 2014. By
most measures, the ACI 318-19 of the most significant technical
Randall W. Poston
Code has some of the most
significant technical changes changes since the 1971 Code.”
ACI President
since the 1971 Code. I commend
ACI Committee 318, under the The very popular ACI Reinforced Concrete Design
leadership of Jack Moehle, for the wealth of technical changes Handbook that provides professionals involved in the design
transferred from research and practice into the Code. of structural concrete buildings and other types of structures
Although the format of the 2019 Code is the same as the with detailed examples and explanation is being updated for
2014 Code, there are considerable changes in the technical alignment with ACI 318-19. It is scheduled to be released late
content and appearance of the Code. One area of technical this year in both digital and print formats. Revisions were
change is that the Code addresses higher-strength reinforcing made in the text of multiple chapters to coordinate with the
steel for many applications in structural concrete member changes in ACI 318-19. The design examples have also been
design. Also, for the first time, an appendix to the Code updated to demonstrate the technical changes in ACI 318-19.
provides requirements for nonlinear analysis when used for In response to how professionals around the world access
seismic design. In addition to numerous technical changes, the information and interact with technical content, a new
Code for the first time includes full-color illustrations. subscription product is also being developed. Called ACI 318
It is anticipated that ACI 318-19 will be referenced in the Plus, this product will provide users with digital/interactive
2021 International Building Code (IBC). You can learn more access to ACI 318-19 along with links (in-document access)
about the content additions and the revisions to the Code in an to related resources. ACI 318 Plus will provide enhanced
article from ACI 318-19 Chair Moehle, which appears in this digital search features through all Code provisions and
issue of Concrete International. commentary. Users will be able to make digital notes
ACI 318-19 is available as a PDF download, or subscribers alongside ACI 318-19 provisions and commentary, and these
to the ACI Collection of Concrete Codes, Specifications, and will also be searchable. There will be additional manual
Practices (formerly the Manual of Concrete Practice) can navigation functionality by section, by chapter, and/or by
view it online. Of course, the traditional print edition is provision. Although ACI 318 Plus will be optimized for
available as a softcover book. In addition, a hardcover book desktop or laptop computers, it will nonetheless be accessible
will be available. on tablets and mobile devices.
To support the acceptance and awareness of ACI 318-19, Additional information on ACI 318 Plus will become
the Institute is planning several supplemental resources, available closer to its anticipated launch in mid-2020.
including ACI 318 seminars, an update to the ACI Reinforced For updates, visit the ACI 318 Building Code Portal at
Concrete Design Handbook, and an online subscription called www.concrete.org/aci318.
ACI 318 Plus.
The seminars, named “ACI 318-19: Changes to the Randall W. Poston
Concrete Design Standard,” will begin in September of this American Concrete Institute

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 7

Chapter
Reports
Philippines Chapter – ACI FRC Bowling Ball Catherine Lucero, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation; and Dave
Competition Figurski, LafargeHolcim—dedicated numerous hours to
The Philippines Chapter – ACI hosted a Fiber-Reinforced ensure the success of the event. Projects were judged by a
Concrete (FRC) Bowling Ball Competition on June 22, 2019, panel of judges representing different segments of the
on the campus of the University of the Philippines – Diliman. construction community: Paul Doak, Martin & Martin, and
Ten teams participated in the competition with the objectives Past President, Structural Engineers Association of Colorado;
of demonstrating the effects of fibers in reinforcing concrete Dana Rotkovich, Bestway Concrete Company, and President,
and displaying creativity in engineering and design analysis. Colorado Ready Mixed Concrete Association; and Matthew
The winning teams were: Best, Best Engineering Solutions, and President, RMACI.
•• First Place, Far Eastern University Institute of Technology; The evening’s event was emceed by RMACI Past President
•• Second Place, University of the Philippines – Diliman Zachoriah Ballard. Sponsors supporting the awards program
Team B; and included Platinum sponsors Sika and LafargeHolcim; and
•• Third Place, University of the Philippines – Diliman Team A. Gold sponsors All-Phase Concrete Construction, Colorado
The first-place winner will receive financial support from Ready Mixed Concrete Association, and Surface Tech. All
the local chapter to participate in the upcoming ACI FRC projects submitted were recognized at the awards banquet and
Bowling Ball Competition in Rosemont/Chicago, IL, on winning project team members were awarded a beautiful
March 29, 2020, during The ACI Concrete Convention and concrete Excellence in Concrete Awards plaque.
Exposition. The winners of the 2019 Excellence in Concrete Awards
were honored in seven categories:
•• Restoration/Repair, ANB Cherry Creek North—Realty
Management Group, Owner; Open Studio Architecture,
Architect; S.A. Miro Inc., Engineer; GE Johnson
Construction, Contractor; Bestway Concrete, Concrete
Supplier; and Baker Concrete and GE Johnson
Construction, Concrete Contractors;
•• Flatwork/Paving, Thorncreek Golf Course—City of
Thornton, Owner and Engineer; Martin Marietta, Concrete
Supplier; and SLV Quality Concrete, Concrete Contractor;
•• Decorative, Metro State University of Denver – Aerospace
and Engineering Building—Metro State University of
Denver, Owner; Anderson Mason Dale Architects,
Architect; KL&A Structural Engineers, Engineer; GH
Phipps Construction Companies, Contractor; Ready Mixed
Concrete, Concrete Supplier; and GH Phipps Concrete
Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Bowling Ball Competition hosted by the Services, Concrete Contractor;
Philippines Chapter – ACI •• Infrastructure, Betasso Water Treatment Facility—City of
Boulder, Owner; HDR, Inc., Architect and Engineer; Moltz
Rocky Mountain Chapter – ACI Excellence in Construction, Contractor; Aggregate Industries, Concrete
Concrete Awards Supplier; and Stresscon, Precast Concrete Supplier;
On April 25, 2019, the Rocky Mountain Chapter – ACI •• Residential, The Quincy—Shea Properties, Owner; Davis
(RMACI) held its 51st Annual Excellence in Concrete Awards Partnership, Architect; S.A. Miro Inc., Engineer; GE
program at the Lakewood Country Club in Lakewood, CO. Johnson Construction, Contractor; and Ready Mixed
The program recognizes unique and innovative applications of Concrete, Concrete Supplier;
new or existing concrete construction techniques and •• Judges Choice Award Concrete Constructability,
materials; innovative engineering design; and creative E-Commerce Fulfillment Center, Thornton—Thornton
architectural designs that showcase concrete as a sustainable, Investments LLC, Owner; Macgregor Associates
versatile, and aesthetically pleasing construction material. The Architects, Architect; Structural Services Inc., Engineer;
RMACI Excellence in Concrete Awards committee— RC Anderson, LLC, Contractor; Burnco, Concrete Supplier;
comprised of Josh Smith, Denver Water; Michael DeRubeis, and Suntec Concrete Inc., Concrete Contractor; and
S.A. Miro Inc.; Zachoriah Ballard, Level Engineering; •• Judges Choice Award Engineering and Construction,

8 AUGUST 2019 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

 Chapter Reports

Innova Dry Creek—Capri-EGM, Owner; Powers Brown Coliseum is undergoing a significant refurbishment to be used
Architecture, Architect; LJB, Inc., Engineer; Adolfson and as the main venue for the 2028 Olympics.
Peterson Construction, Contractor; Boral Ready Mixed
Concrete, Concrete Supplier; and All-Phase Concrete
Construction, Concrete Contractor.
The evening culminated with the announcement of six
projects the RMACI Board of Directors nominated to
participate in the 2019 ACI Excellence in Concrete
Construction Awards. The projects selected were the ANB
Cherry Creek North, Metro State University of Denver –
Aerospace and Engineering Building, Betasso Water
Treatment Facility, The Quincy, E-Commerce Fulfillment
Center, and Innova Dry Creek.
The projects will compete against other award-winning
projects from the global network of ACI chapters, and winners
will be announced on October 21 at the 2019 ACI Excellence
in Concrete Construction Awards Gala in Cincinnati, OH. The Southern California Chapter – ACI stadium project tour
chapter encourages all segments of the construction industry to
submit projects for the 2020 Excellence in Concrete Awards; to University of Balamand Receives Outstanding
learn more, visit the chapter website at www.rockymtn-aci.org University Award
or contact Dawn Miller at [email protected]. For its activities in 2018, the University of Balamand
Student Chapter – ACI (ACI-UOB) received an ACI
Outstanding University Award. In 2017, the chapter received
the ACI Excellent University Award. These awards are given
yearly by ACI to universities that satisfy certain criteria
related to students’ activities.
Joseph Assaad, Chair of the Civil Engineering Department,
indicated the importance of such an award as it places the
University of Balamand, El-Koura, Lebanon, among the top
universities worldwide. Assaad praised the important role that
faculty members and students play in improving academic
work and developing research at the university. He especially
commended Nariman Khalil, ACI-UOB Student Chapter
Advisor, for her active role in ACI, and Hikmat Zerbe,
Student Competitions Coordinator.
Representatives of the E-Commerce Fulfillment Center project
received the Judges Choice Award Concrete Constructability from
the Rocky Mountain Chapter – ACI

Southern California Chapter – ACI Stadium

Project Tour
On June 5, 2019, members of the Southern California
Chapter – ACI toured the iconic Rams Stadium and the Los
Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Both site visits allowed
participants to get a sneak peek of the changes to come.
The Rams Stadium is being constructed as the home of two
National Football League teams and a venue for various
sporting events, including the 2021 Super Bowl. It is University of Balamand received an ACI Outstanding University
incorporating many firsts in its construction. The Memorial Award for 2018

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 9

ACI SUSTAINING
The Foundation
Sustaining members show true dedication
to advancing concrete knowledge.
The continued support from these organizations has
enhanced the progress of the concrete industry.

www.arcosalightweight.com www.bakerconcrete.com www.master-builders-solutions.basf.us

+1.678.777.6278 +1.513.539.4000 +1.800.628.9990

Arcosa Lightweight is America’s largest Baker is the industry leader in concrete BASF creates chemistry for construction
producer of expanded shale and clay construction. Baker offers a full spectrum of through the Master Builders Solutions
lightweight aggregate, with operations concrete construction and related services, brand to improve durability, water
in California, Colorado, Texas, Louisiana, from preconstruction through completion. resistance, energy efficiency, safety, and
Alabama, Kentucky, Indiana and Baker creates structures and relationships aesthetics.
Arkansas. that are built to last.

www.ftcny.com www.kryton.com www.lehighhanson.com

+1.516.355.0168 +1.604.324.8280 +1.972.653.5500

FTC is the industry leader in the New York Kryton International Inc. is the inventor of Lehigh Hanson and their affiliated
metropolitan area, providing superior the crystalline waterproofing admixture companies have been producing the
inspection services and materials testing and has been waterproofing concrete construction materials that have built and
with an in-house licensed and accredited structures with its proprietary Krystol® shaped the modern world. Their core
laboratory. technology since 1973. It has won awards activities include the production and
for innovation and manufacturing. distribution of cement and aggregates, the
two essential raw materials for concrete.

Advanced Construction Technology Services Bentley Systems Inc. Dayton Superior Corporation
American Engineering Testing, Inc. Boral Resources Doka USA Ltd
American Society of Concrete Contractors Cantera Concrete Company Ductilcrete Slab Systems, LLC
Arcosa Lightweight Ceco Concrete Construction LLC Euclid Chemical
Ash Grove Cement Company CHRYSO, Inc. Full-Tilt Constructors, Inc.
Baker Concrete Construction, Inc. Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute Future Tech Consultants
Barrier-1, Inc Concrete Strategies LLC GCP Applied Technologies
BASF Admixtures Inc. CTLGroup Keystone Structural Concrete LLC
Bauman Landscape & Construction Curecrete Distribution, Inc. Kryton International Inc.
MEMBERS
of our Success
To learn more about sustaining members,
visit www.concrete.org/sustainingmembers.
Read more about this month’s featured
Sustaining Members in the profiles below!

www.bentley.com/structural www.flyash.com www.crsi.com

+1.800.BENTLEY +1.901.984.9400 +1.847.517.1200

Model, analyze, and design any structure, Boral Resources—America’s leading Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute (CRSI)
from a single foundation to an entire marketer of coal combustion products— is a technical institute and Standards
stadium with Bentley’s trusted structural operates an extensive distribution network Developing Organization (SDO) that stands
applications: Structural Enterprise | and offers proprietary technologies ensuring as the authoritative resource for steel-
STAAD | RAM consistent, high-quality fly ash. reinforced concrete construction, serving
engineers, architects, and construction
professionals.

www.penetron.com www.peri-usa.com www.xypex.com

+1.631.941.9700 +1.410.712.7225 +1.800.961.4477

Penetron is the global leader in crystalline PERI is one of the largest manufacturers XYPEX Chemical Corporation is the
concrete technologies for permeability and suppliers of formwork, shoring and leading manufacturer of crystalline
reduction, waterproofing and concrete scaffolding systems worldwide. Their concrete waterproofing technology with
durability. Proven on infrastructure, expansive network of rental yards and a network of distributors in more than 80
industrial and commercial projects engineering offices have made them a countries around the world.
worldwide. preferred supplier for concrete contractors
across the U.S.

LafargeHolcim (US) Inc. North Starr Concrete Consulting PC STRUCTURAL

Lehigh Hanson Oztec Industries, Inc. Structural Services, Inc.
Lithko Contracting, LLC Penetron International Ltd TEKNA CHEM SPA
Meadow Burke Products Inc. PERI Formwork Systems TWC Concrete Services LLC
W.R. Meadows, Inc. Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute Twining Concrete Insight
Metromont Corporation Saudi Building Code National Committee Xypex Chemical Corp.
Modern Technology Laboratories - MTL Seretta Construction Inc.
Multiquip Inc. Sika Corporation
Municipal Testing Group Specialty Products Group, Inc.
News
ACI Sponsors 2019 National Concrete Canoe judges’ panel: Bill Rushing, ACI Past President and Chair of
Competition the ACI Chapter Activities Committee, and Eric Koehler,
Chair of ACI Subcommittee 301-A, General Requirements,
Definitions, and Tolerances – Section 1, served as judges for
the event.
University of Puerto Rico – Mayagüez was the winner of
the Innovation Award for the best use of concrete—an award
sponsored by ACI. “The students from Puerto Rico were able
to create a vibrant blue and white canoe by adding pigment to
their cement mix,” said Bill Rushing, head judge. “The colors
were so bright that everyone thought they used paint, which is
not allowed. However, the team was able to demonstrate how
they created a concrete paint mixture by adding a lot of pigment.”
University of Florida took first place overall, followed by
University of Puerto Rico – Mayagüez received the 2019 Innovation California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Award sponsored by ACI (Cal Poly SLO) in second, Université Laval in third, Tongji
University in fourth, and Western Kentucky University in
The 32nd Annual ASCE National Concrete Canoe fifth. The University of Florida concrete canoe team honored
Competition (NCCC) was held June 6-8, 2019, on the campus the late Tom Petty, a Gainesville, FL, icon, by naming their
of Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, FL. Serving boat Free Floatin’. The longest and lightest canoe at this
as a Crimson Sponsor of the event, ACI promoted free student year’s event, Free Floatin’ was constructed using a concrete
e-membership, the competition travel stipend program, jobs mixture with a specific gravity of 0.70 and a strength of
and internships available through the ACI Career Center, and 2500 psi (17.2 MPa) at 21 days.
ACI Foundation Scholarship and Fellowship opportunities. Cal Poly SLO won final product segment and the overall
Organized by the American Society of Civil Engineers race standings, but Florida took first in the design paper and
(ASCE), the 2019 competition hosted 24 teams from the presentation segments while taking second in racing and final
United States, Canada, China, and India. Each of those teams product. The Florida program last won the NCCC in 2015,
had won regional qualifying events, making them eligible to followed by close runner-up finishes to Cal Poly SLO in 2016
represent their universities at what has become an and 2017. This event marked Laval’s second straight third-
international competition. place finish, and Tongji’s third straight fourth-place finish.
The 3-day competition comprises display, oral In another quirk of recent concrete canoe history, the team
presentation, and race days. Each has a different focus and set representing the Ohio Valley Student Conference finished in
of judging criteria, and the cumulative scores determine the the NCCC top 5 for the fourth straight year: Western
final competition winners. ACI’s presence was seen not only Kentucky finished fourth in 2016, the University of Akron
through its sponsorship of the competition but also on the finished third in 2017, Youngstown State University finished
fifth in 2018, and Western Kentucky finished fifth this year.
The complete competition results are posted at www.asce.org/
concrete-canoe-results.
Next year’s ASCE National Concrete Canoe Competition
will be hosted by University of Wisconsin – Madison.

ASCE’s Two New Student Competitions Debut

This year, for the first time, the NCCC event also featured
the finals of two other student competitions—the ASCE
Sustainable Solutions Competition: Dog House Challenge and
the ASCE Blue Sky Competitions Contest.
The Sustainable Solutions Competition tasked college
teams with designing an innovative, sustainable dog house
Jose Carrasco, ACI Marketing Coordinator, talks to students about and required them to race to assemble their structure. First
ACI student member benefits at the NCCC event place went to Hohai University, followed by Trine University

12 AUGUST 2019 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

 News

in second, and the University of Louisiana, Lafayette, in third.

“It was a process of exploring new things that are very
interesting,” said Hohai team captain Ma Ying Hao. “We used
software to analyze the impact on the environment, so for us I
think that’s cool. The most important things we learned were
concepts about sustainability. As the team leader, I learned
how to allocate the tasks. As the leader, I have to tell them
what to do and how to do it with efficiency.”
The Blue Sky Competitions Contest asked college teams to
explore creative, visionary ideas for new student competitions.
The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México won the
contest with an idea for a “floating cities” competition,
followed by Brigham Young University in second and Angelo
State University in third.
More than 80 college teams took on the challenge of the
new ASCE competitions this school year, with the annual
Hohai University (China) won first place in the Sustainable Dog Student Conferences (19 in total) serving as qualifiers. The
House Challenge qualifying teams attended the welcome dinner and tour at the

ONLY 6
WEEKS LEFT!
Has your Chapter
purchased their
Awards Gala Table?

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 13

News

Kennedy Space Center with the competing canoe students, “ACI-certified workers are critically important to the
cheered on the concrete canoe races, and celebrated the concrete industry, as they provide assurance that testing,
weekend at the closing awards reception. placing, and inspecting are performed correctly. Through our
For more information on the ASCE student competitions, certification programs, ACI is strengthening the workforce
visit www.asce.org/student_conferences. with competent and proven individuals who can perform their
jobs in a way that will help ensure longevity for the industry,”
Download the ACI Certification Verify App continued Nehasil.
ACI has released its new ACI Certification Verify app. The To learn more about ACI Certification or to download the
app allows users to quickly and easily verify the status of app, visit www.whyACIcertification.org.
ACI-certified individuals through three search options: 1)
verify an individual’s certification ID number, 2) search by an 2019 AIA Upjohn Research Initiative Call for
individual’s name, and 3) find the total number of ACI- Submissions
certified individuals in an area. Download the app through the The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Upjohn
Apple App Store. Research Initiative supports applied research projects that
“The ACI Certification Verify app is the perfect tool to use enhance the value of design and professional practice
on the jobsite,” said John W. Nehasil, ACI Managing Director, knowledge. This AIA program funds up to six research grants
Certification. “Using simply a phone or tablet, anyone can of $15,000 to $30,000 annually for projects completed in a
easily verify the status of people working on a particular 6- to 18-month period. Grant recipients’ research findings and
project or find the total number of ACI-certified individuals in outcomes are published online by AIA.
an area.” Upjohn Research grant funding will be allocated to projects
This app is valuable to those working in the field, who may related to AIA’s priorities for 2019. These include a drive
not have easy access to a computer. The ACI Certification toward design that helps reduce energy use, supports the
Verify app helps the entire verification process move more investment in sustainable buildings, and encourages equitable
quickly and easily so jobs can move forward, with the same communities. More specifically, research projects must
functionality of the www.concrete.org/verify web-based address one or more of these areas:
verification tool. An Android version is expected to be •• Net-zero buildings (including design strategies, materials,
available soon. technology, and the like);
•• Regenerative design (for example, projects that lead to the
improvement of the ecosystem, creating resilient and
equitable systems);

ReadCi
•• Innovations that measurably reduce the carbon use in
buildings;
•• Metrics or other measures to help evaluate the performance
of buildings in relation to energy use, life-cycle analysis,
and the business case for sustainable design; and
•• Economic case for carbon-free design/construction.
Entries will be reviewed by a jury panel comprised of
ONLINE COVER-TO-COVER seven professionals from the AIA Board Knowledge
Committee and the AIA College of Fellows. The deadline for
A flip-book version of the entire current issue of submissions is August 29, 2019. Visit www.aia.org/
CI is available to ACI members by logging in at upjohnresearch for further information.
www.concreteinternational.com.
Ridgecrest, CA, Earthquakes: StEER Report
Released
Click “view the flipbook” on the magazine's
The Structural Extreme Events Reconnaissance (StEER)
home page.
Network, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF),
issued a Preliminary Virtual Reconnaissance Report (PVRR)
for the 6.4- and 7.1-magnitude Ridgecrest, CA, earthquakes
that occurred July 4-5, 2019. The report was prepared in
collaboration with the Earthquake Engineering Research

14 AUGUST 2019 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

 News

Institute (EERI) Virtual Earthquake Coast Guard and for Metcalf & Eddy was an active member of ACI
Reconnaissance Team (VERT). (now AECOM), where he spent most of Committee 350, Environmental
On the morning of July 4, a his career until he retired in 2015. Fiore Engineering Concrete Structures.
6.4-magnitude earthquake occurred near
Searles Valley, in San Bernardino
County, CA. On July 5, approximately
34 hours after the first earthquake, a
7.1-magnitude earthquake occurred near
the same location. This earthquake
sequence is important because it
Formwork for
includes the two largest earthquakes that
have occurred in Southern California in Concrete 8th Edition
the past two decades, and it provides
several useful lessons.
The first product of the StEER
response to the 2019 Ridgecrest, CA,
earthquakes is this PVRR, which is Updated to
intended to:  current standards.
•• Provide an overview of the hazard
characteristics;
•• Introduce the regulatory and disaster Allowable strength
design, load, and
••
response context for these events;
Summarize the preliminary reports  resistance factor
of damage to wide-ranging design examples.
infrastructure;
•• Review StEER’s event strategy in
Chapter problems
response to these earthquakes; and
•• Enhance situational awareness to  for classroom
study.
guide subsequent missions conducted
by StEER and the engineering
reconnaissance community.
The lead author is Khalid M. Mosalam,
University of California, Berkeley, CA. available at
Visit www.steer.network for more
information.
concrete.org
Member Price: $149.00
Regular Price: $249.50
In Remembrance
Morris (Skip) Huffman Jr. of
Harrisville, UT, passed away unexpectedly
on June 2, 2019, at the age of 70. An
active ACI member, he worked for Gifford
Hill and then Pozzolanic Northwest Inc.,
which became Headwaters Resources.
He represented the firm throughout the
western United States until he retired.
Ronald R. Fiore of Stoneham, MA,
died June 3, 2019, at the age of 71. After
receiving his BS and MS in engineering
from Northeastern University, he
worked as a structural engineer for the

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 15

Knowledge to Practice:

Annual Research Request for Proposals Now

Open
The Concrete Research Council of the ACI Foundation is
seeking proposals for research that will further the knowledge
and sustainability of concrete materials, construction, and
structures. Key points of the request for proposals include:
•• Topics are encouraged from all areas of concrete research;
•• Up to $50,000 may be approved per project for direct costs;
•• The ACI Foundation limits the indirect costs of the
research institution to 15%; and
•• An ACI technical committee must support the research
concept.
The latter point is essential for approval. Principal
investigators should reach out to technical committee chairs as
soon as possible to ensure that proposed research will have the
support and engagement of a committee.
Proposal submissions are due December 1, 2019, by
11:59 p.m. Eastern time.
Please visit www.acifoundation.org/research.aspx for
more information on requirements, details, and tips to help
prepare materials for submission. The next SDC Technology Forum will be held August 27-29, 2019, in
Pittsburgh, PA
Join Us at SDC’s Technology Forum 46
The ACI Foundation’s Strategic Development Council
(SDC) will host Technology Forum 46 in Pittsburgh, PA, on
•• Opportunity for Improved Productivity and Quality with
Robotics;
August 27-29, 2019. Please join us as we discuss numerous
material options in reinforcement and prestressing, code
•• Machine Learning—Prediction of Concrete Performance
from Mixture Proportions; and
changes, industry critical research results, and the potential
roles of computer vision, artificial intelligence, and robotics in
•• Integrating Traditional Civil Engineering with Artificial
Intelligence.
the concrete industry. A panel presentation moderated by ACI President Randall W.
The program begins on Tuesday, August 27, 2019, with an Poston on the “Use of Non-Metallic Reinforcement” will
opportunity to take a tour of the Frick Environmental Center. show the technology from the viewpoints of private owner,
This outstanding Pittsburgh Chapter – ACI project won public owner, designer, contractor, manufacturer, and
second place in the Low-Rise Buildings category in the 2017 researcher. Speakers will discuss the state of research and
ACI Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards development; activities by ACI, ASTM, and AASHTO; and
competition. The tour will take place from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. constructability, productivity, and risk.
and is available for a maximum of 20 people. Following the Other presentations will include:
tour, a fun evening of mingling is planned as we host a
welcome reception at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco, located in
•• Engineering Analysis for Fiber-Reinforced Polymer
Composite Solutions Using ACI 440.1R and ACI 544.4R
downtown Pittsburgh, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Design Guides; and
The forum will include several technology showcases that
highlight new and innovative equipment, materials, and
•• Value Proposition of Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer
Reinforcing Bar in Bridge Decks.
applications that have the potential to advance the industry, For more details, visit www.acifoundation.org/sdc.aspx.
including:
•• Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite Macrofibers Used in ACI Foundation’s Concrete Research
Precast Concrete; We are excited to share that the ACI Foundation funded six
•• Strengthening Bridges and Existing Concrete Structures research projects this year. This month, we focus on two final
Using Titanium; projects. To learn more about all the research projects funded
•• Integrated Design of Chemical Admixture Systems via by the ACI Foundation, please visit us at www.acifoundation.
Machine Learning; org/research.aspx.

16 AUGUST 2019 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

Knowledge to Practice:

Deconstruction Monitoring of a Cast-in-Place This project will be useful for designers, practitioners, and
Segmental Concrete Box Girder Bridge the concrete industry in general, as it will advance industrial
Principal Investigator Matthew Yarnold, Texas practice by simplifying the proportioning of trial mixtures,
A&M University reducing production costs, and yielding better FRC. The goal
Co-Principal Investigator John Mander, Texas is to compile an exhaustive database with information on
A&M University different FRC mixtures and their properties, and to use data
The goal of this study is to further the state-of-knowledge analytics to develop mathematical models for mixture
about the long-term behavior of segmental concrete box girder optimization. Using papers published since 1999 as the main
bridges. Due to increased traffic volume and ship clearance source of information, probabilistic analyses will be used to
demands, the Sam Houston Ship Channel Bridge is being define quality control charts for use in the monitoring of
replaced after 36 years of service. This presents a unique continuous production of FRC mixtures. The models will be
opportunity to conduct a detailed field study to identify the implemented in a software package called “OptiFRC,” which
locked-in prestressing forces in addition to the in-service will allow users to access the database developed in this
behavior under thermal variations and live load demands. The program, to visualize models developed for the optimization
locked-in prestressing forces will be measured using of FRC mixture proportioning, and to calibrate and apply
deconstruction monitoring—the measurement of deformation quality control charts. The software will be user-friendly, and
in structural members as the structural system is being the information will be accessible to concrete practitioners
disassembled. These measurements will be valuable for without requiring specialist statistical knowledge. This
evaluating prestressing forces over the life of a segmental application-oriented project is endorsed by ACI Committee 544,
concrete bridge. Long-term effects such as concrete creep and Fiber-Reinforced Concrete.
shrinkage, along with steel strand relaxation, can significantly
alter these forces over time. The measured results will be
compared to a variety of current models and the original design.
“As a former DOT researcher, I fully recognize that the
ability to monitor during deconstruction can provide
information that cannot be obtained by any method from a
structure that remains in service,” said Michael C. Brown,
Chair of ACI Committee 343, Concrete Bridge Design, and
Senior Supervising Engineer, US Bridge Asset Management
Leader, WSP USA. “Such information can inform designers
about the accuracy of long-term assumptions of prestress
losses and load distribution and will provide valuable insight
to ACI Committees 342, Concrete Bridge Evaluation, and
343, Concrete Bridge Design, as well as to the greater
transportation industry, including AASHTO, TRB, PCI, PTI,
and ASBI, and their constituent stakeholders,” Brown continued. Students can now apply for 2020-2021 ACI Foundation Scholarships
and Fellowships
Optimization of Fiber-Reinforced Concrete
Using Data Mining Applications for Scholarship and Fellowships
Principal Investigator Emilio Garcia-Taengua, Now Open
University of Leeds The 2020-2021 application cycle for fellowships and
Fibers improve the mechanical properties of concrete, and scholarships opened July 1. Based on essays, submitted data,
fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) has gained increasing and endorsements, the Scholarship Council will select award
presence in routine production and field applications. recipients who appear to have the strongest combination of
However, the residual flexural strength parameters, which are interest and potential for professional success in the concrete
the basis of FRC characterization and specification, present industry.
high levels of variability. The proportioning of FRC mixtures If you or someone you know plans to apply, visit www.
must include consideration of fresh and hardened state acifoundation.org/scholarships.aspx for more information
properties as well as their variability, and a comprehensive on requirements, details, and tips to help prepare materials
study is urgently needed. for submission.

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 17

NPCA Sustainability
Awards for 2019

T
he Sustainability Awards program of the National decreased. With less clutter around the plant, safety has
Precast Concrete Association (NPCA) recognizes improved as well. The plant has logged more than 1000 days
member companies for contributing to sustainable without a recordable incident.
construction projects and for instituting sustainable practices
in their plants. NPCA presented the awards at The Precast
Show 2019, held February 28-March 2 in Louisville, KY.
The awards are given out in four categories for Producer
Members and Associate Members. The Best Project award
recognizes a precast product being used in its final design
purpose that contributes to the sustainable attributes of the
project. The Best Company/Plant award highlights a practice
that is performed by the company in doing business
specifically at the precast manufacturing plant, showing
improvement in sustainable practices.
Points are awarded based on:
•• Benefits—What are the benefits of the project to the
company, the community, and/or the environment?; Bates’ extensive recycling program includes selling test cylinders to

•• Innovation—The originality of the project/product in terms contractors for fill and recycling mixer truck washout water (photos
courtesy of Bates Precast)
of subject and/or approach;
•• Wider Applicability—Points will be earned if the idea can
Associate Category, First Place Plant
be applied to other member companies; and
•• Employee Benefit/Participation—Employee benefits and/or Taylor Machine Works Inc., Louisville, MS
Production Facility Efficiency Improvements
participation in the project will gain further credit.
The winning projects included: Taylor’s push for a more sustainable plant resulted in many
improvements that make its products and workplace stronger,
Producer Category, First Place Plant safer, and more efficient. The company moved to energy- and
Bates Precast Concrete Inc., Lake Park, GA time-saving fiber-laser technology to cut parts rather than
Sustainable Recycling traditional plasma cutters. The company also designed and
Very little goes to waste at Bates Precast Concrete Inc. The built an innovative gantry-style dual-bead subarc welder that
company’s extensive recycling measures include capturing eliminates slag and spatter, reduces cleanup time, reduces
and filtering their mixer truck washout water. The filtered worker fatigue, and greatly increases productivity. The
water is recycled to dampen aggregate used in production. induction-heating innovation also eliminates large propane
The washout is sold to contractors as driveway fill. Test blower preheaters.
cylinders and damaged concrete are also sold to contractors Taylor also implemented LED lighting that saves more
for fill. In addition, Bates has instituted extensive recycling of than $4600 per year and reduces eye strain and fatigue. In
tires, cardboard, and wooden pallets, which has paid off in a addition, a new-generation solar array grid greatly offsets the
safer yard. Thanks to the recycling efforts, costs for water and plant’s energy needs. The grid should pay for itself in 4 years
electricity, waste production, and garbage removal have all and has an estimated life span of 25 years.

18 AUGUST 2019 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

 Tunnel sections from H2 Pre-Cast are key components in a bridge
that helps elk safely migrate (photo courtesy of H2 Pre-Cast)

The gantry-style dual-bead subarc at Taylor Machine Works uses

induction preheating, saving time and energy (photo courtesy of Taylor
Machine Works)

Producer Category, First Place Project

H2 Pre-Cast Inc., East Wenatchee, WA
Wilbert Precast Inc., Spokane, WA
I-90 Animal Crossing
As traffic has increased, keeping both motorists and
wildlife safe along the corridor between Seattle and Spokane
has become a growing problem in the state of Washington, Wall structures from Wilbert Precast confine the soil used to create a
particularly when elk are migrating. Thanks to the work of H2 natural environment for the wildlife bridge (photo courtesy of Wilbert
Pre-Cast and Wilbert Precast, elk and other wildlife no longer Precast)
need to trek across a major highway. H2 cast the arched
sections that form twin tunnels, and Wilbert created the wall
to form a bridge over I-90. The bridge is covered in soil and
vegetation to imitate the natural surroundings of the forest,
and elk naturally migrate across it without realizing there is a
road below.
The project is the first of its kind in the state, and the
state’s department of transportation is looking at adding more
wildlife crossings to ensure the safe passage of animals and
commuters.

Associate Category, First Place Product

Full Circle Water, St. Joseph, MN
Water Recycling Solutions
Full Circle Water developed a Slurry Silo for concrete
producers who were looking for water-recycling solutions.
Using decanting technology and polymers for coagulating
slurry to help it settle faster, the Slurry Silo became a solution
that worked for both precast and ready mixed concrete
producers. As more concrete cutters and paver producers have
grappled with recycling their water, the Slurry Silo has
established itself as a capable standalone product.
Alternatively, it can be paired with a filter press as part of a
more comprehensive solution. The simple design, low-
maintenance components, and affordability are added benefits.
Slurry Silo developed by Full Circle Water (photo courtesy of Full Circle
For additional details, visit www.precast.org/awards. Water)

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 19

Shotcrete
Guide to Shotcrete
2016

Now Available
Serving as an excellent primer with numerous pictures and figures detailing the entire shotcrete
process, ACI 506R-16 includes the history, equipment selection, material requirements, formwork,
crew composition and qualification, proper placement techniques, types of finishes, QA/QC
testing, and sustainability for shotcrete design and construction. Completely reformatted, the
guide serves as a companion document to the mandatory language in ACI 506.2, “Specification for
Shotcrete.” Additional industry-leading education and certification programs are available from
the American Concrete Institute and American Shotcrete Association.

www.concrete.org www.shotcrete.org
Key Changes in the 2019
Edition of the ACI Building
Code (ACI 318-19)
The committee chair summarizes updates in the most recent edition

by Jack P. Moehle

A
CI Committee 318, Structural Concrete Building Code, changes for ACI 318-19. To help Code users identify these
has completed the technical work for “Building Code and other changes, they are marked within ACI 318-19 by
Requirements for Structural Concrete (ACI 318-19) vertical lines beside the Code and Commentary text where the
and Commentary (ACI 318R-19),”1 including responses to changes occur.
public comments on the nearly completed document. This
represents the successful completion of a 5-year cycle for the Code and Commentary Format
current committee members. This article introduces some of One of the most apparent changes to the Code and
the changes so that prospective future users of the Code will Commentary is the widespread use of color to identify
know what to expect. different parts of the document and to improve clarity of
Before getting to the changes, I want to recognize the figures. A few figures incorporated in this write-up illustrate
committee members who worked so hard to get us to this the improved figures. The index has been expanded as an aid
point (refer to the Acknowledgments on p. 25 listing the to help Code users locate provisions.
members). During this Code cycle, ACI Committee 318
comprised 40 Voting Members, including 11 Subcommittee Chapter 7: Structural Integrity Reinforcement
Chairs, who kept the work flowing and contributed to the for One-Way Slabs
material in this article. As Chair, I was responsible for inviting While previous editions of the Code have contained
the members to join, and I was careful to ensure that the structural integrity provisions for beams and slab-column
Voting Members represented a balance among Academic/ connections, including requirements for continuity of
Educator (32%), Consultant (20%), Contractor (5%), Designer longitudinal reinforcement and configuration requirements for
(22%), and Producer (15%) interests, and General interest transverse reinforcement, one-way cast-in-place slabs have
(5%). The Voting Members were supported by a very active had no similar provisions. ACI 318-19 includes a new section
and well-balanced group of 72 Subcommittee Members drawn (Section 7.7.7) incorporating provisions, similar to those
from across the United States and from the international provided for beam design, to ensure that failure of a portion of
community of ACI 318 users. Rounding out the committee a slab does not lead to disproportionate collapse. Section 4.10
were 14 Liaison Members and five Consulting Members. ACI provides cross-references to all the structural integrity
Staff Engineer Greg Zeisler deftly managed the secretarial and provisions of the Code.
administrative tasks of the committee. I have been honored to
be able to work with such a talented, dedicated, and Chapter 8: Provisions for Two-Way Slabs
harmonious group of individuals. The Code has contained detailed provisions for use of the
The committee from the previous Code cycle devoted Direct Design and Equivalent Frame Methods since their
significant energy and time to a once-in-a-generation introduction in the 1970s. Although these methods are still
reorganization of the Code, resulting in ACI 318-14.2 For the applicable to the design of two-way slabs and are still
present Code cycle, we left the organization mainly as it was permitted by ACI 318-19, they have been largely replaced in
and focused instead on technical changes to improve safety, practice by computer software based on finite element
economy, and sustainability, while introducing new analysis methods. To reflect the change in practice, ACI
technologies and ideas to advance the concrete industry. Committee 318 decided it was time to remove the detailed
The following paragraphs introduce some of the key provisions for these two design methods. The result is a

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 21

streamlined set of provisions for two-way slab design that approach was for ACI to remove the composite column
helps clarify the fundamental requirements for strength, provisions and refer the engineer to the more complete AISC
serviceability, and reinforcement detailing. provisions. By extension, going forward, provisions for other
Tests on interior column-to-slab connections have shown types of steel/concrete composite construction, such as
that yielding of the slab flexural tension reinforcement near a concrete-encased steel coupling beams, are intended to be
column or concentrated load leads to increased local rotations covered by AISC rather than ACI.
and opening of inclined cracks existing within the slab. This
in turn can result in a flexure-driven punching failure at a Chapter 11: In-Plane Shear Strength of Walls
shear force less than the strength calculated by the two-way The Code traditionally has used different equations for
shear equations in the Code. Section 8.6.1.2 introduces a new in-plane shear strength design of structural walls for nonseismic
requirement for minimum reinforcement to address this (Chapter 11) and seismic (Chapter 18) applications. To improve
failure mode. consistency in the Code, the nominal in-plane shear strength
Since the 1956 edition, the Code has had provisions and a equations in Chapter 11 were modified to have the same form
figure providing minimum lengths and required extensions of as the shear strength equations used in Chapter 18. Studies
bars in two-way slabs. These were developed for slabs of indicate that the former equations and the revised equations in
“ordinary” proportions supporting gravity loads, and they may Chapter 11 provide a comparable level of safety.
not be sufficient to intercept potential punching shear cracks
in thick transfer slabs, podium slabs, and mat foundations. Chapters 13 and 18: Deep Foundations
Section 8.7.4.1.3 introduces a new requirement for bar This Code edition includes revisions and additions aimed
extensions to cover requirements for these thicker two-way slabs. at eliminating conflicting provisions in ACI 318, ASCE 7, and
the International Building Code (IBC) regarding design of
Chapter 9: Hanger Reinforcement for Beams deep foundations for earthquake-resistant structures assigned
If a reinforced concrete beam is cast monolithically with a to Seismic Design Categories (SDC) C through F. For some
supporting beam and intersects one or both side faces of the time, these differences have been a source of confusion for
supporting beam, the soffit of the supporting beam may be both engineers and code officials. The purpose of the Code
subject to premature failure. To avoid this type of failure, the change is to have all pertinent concrete-related design and
Commentary recommends conditions under which additional detailing provisions for the seismic design of deep foundations
transverse reinforcement, commonly referred to as hanger in SDC C through F contained within ACI 318-19. The Code
reinforcement, should be provided to transfer shear from the change includes provisions for both cast-in-place and precast
end of the supported beam (shown in Fig. R9.7.6.2.11). concrete deep foundations.
The revisions and additions to the Code are taken directly
Chapter 10: Removal of Provisions for from the most current relevant provisions in ASCE 7-16.3
Composite Columns New provisions for precast concrete piles were based on
ACI 318-14 has composite column provisions that are recommendations made by the PCI Piling Committee and
outdated and incomplete. Consequently, those provisions are previously adopted in the 2018 edition of the IBC.4
insufficient to fully design composite columns. Previous editions of the Code did not include axial load
Representatives from ACI and the American Institute of Steel limitations for deep foundations. ACI 318-19 added
Construction (AISC) met and resolved that a preferred provisions for the allowable axial capacities for deep
foundations that are consistent with the IBC allowable stress
provisions. Lastly, the Code added strength design
requirements that are consistent with ACI 543R-12.5 This
Code change will allow designers of deep foundation
members to use either the traditional allowable strengths that
have been in the general building codes for years or the
strength design method using strength reduction factors that
are consistent with the rest of ACI 318-19.

Chapters 15 and 18: Beam-Column Joints

ACI 318-19 incorporates design provisions for shear
strength and reinforcement detailing of beam-column joints of
SDC A frames, ordinary moment frames, intermediate
moment frames, and frames that are not part of the seismic
force-resisting system in SDC B, C, D, E, and F. Also,
existing design provisions for special moment frames were
Fig. R9.7.6.2.1: Hanger reinforcement for shear transfer1 expanded to include shear strength of roof joints. The shear

22 AUGUST 2019 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

strength factors incorporated in Chapter 15 are based changes is a new provision (Section 18.10.3.1) that, in some
primarily on those given in ACI 352R-02,6 with each cases, requires substantial amplification of earthquake shear
connection type defined by whether the column or the beam forces for design. This new provision arose from experience
in the direction of considered shear is continuous, as well as gained over the last 15 years with nonlinear dynamic analysis
by confinement provided by transverse beams. of multiple core-wall buildings, which indicated that shear
Chapter 15 also now requires consideration of the presence wall design forces may be amplified by inherent wall
of opening and closing moments in corner joints. This overstrength and by apparent higher-mode effects. In some
includes consideration of moment transfer across a diagonal cases, the design shear force will be more than double the
section through a corner joint, which is particularly critical design shear from previous Codes.
where the joint connects a cantilever member for which no Observed behavior of structural walls in the 2010 Chile
redistribution of moments is possible. earthquake and 2010-11 Christchurch earthquakes, as well as
in laboratory tests, have led to new detailing requirements for
Chapter 16: Connections Between Members boundary elements of special structural walls. To improve
The Code provisions for precast concrete bearing concrete confinement and longitudinal bar support, Section
connections were updated to provide uniform and consistent 18.10.6.4(f) now limits the aspect ratio of hoops in the
provisions for the design forces developed by volume change boundary element and requires that all crossties have seismic
effects. Prior editions of the Code contained specific hooks at both ends (shown in Fig. R18.10.6.4a(b)1). To avoid
provisions for restraint forces only for corbels and brackets. brittle fracture of underreinforced walls, Section 18.10.2.4
In 2019, Sections 16.2.2.3 and 16.2.2.4 were added to include now requires some walls to satisfy minimum longitudinal
consideration of restraint forces at all bearing connections. reinforcement requirements.

Chapter 17: Anchoring to Concrete

Post-installed, concrete screw
anchors are increasingly used as a viable
anchoring solution, and this anchor type
will now be recognized in ACI 318-19.
In addition, ACI 355.2-077 adds tests for
concrete screw anchors to address some
of the unique considerations for this
anchor type.
ACI 318-19 also introduces
provisions for shear lugs comprising a
steel element welded to a base plate.
Shear lugs are usually used at the base
of columns to transfer large shear forces
through bearing to a foundation
element (shown in Fig. R17.11.1.1a1). Fig. R17.11.1.1a: Examples of attachments with shear lugs1 (elevation views only)
Chapter 17 and its Commentary were
reorganized into the Code format
followed for the 318-14 edition of the
Code. To help identify the various ψ
factors used for the shear and tension
equations, the chapter more clearly
identifies the factor type (for example,
edge or thickness) to assist the Code user
in their application. In addition,
applicable design, specification, and
inspection information has been moved
to the appropriate sections of Chapter 26.

Chapter 18: Earthquake-­

Resistant Structures
ACI 318-19 includes several new
provisions related to design of structural Fig. R18.10.6.4a: Configurations of boundary transverse reinforcement and web crossties1
walls. One of the most significant (portion (b) only)

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 23

 Since the 1994 Northridge earthquake, extensive research
has been carried out on the seismic behavior and design
requirements for precast concrete diaphragms. The 2016
edition of ASCE 7 incorporated new provisions that called for
significant increases in seismic design forces, and it
established new requirements for the design and detailing of
precast concrete diaphragms, particularly the connections
between precast elements. To provide design guidance, Joint
ACI-ASCE Committee 550, Precast Concrete Structures,
developed two new ACI standards: ACI 550.5-188 and ACI
550.4-18.9 ACI 318-19 adopts by reference both of the ACI
Committee 550 standards. Fig. R21.2.2b: Variation of ϕ with net tensile strain in extreme tension
reinforcement, εt1

Chapter 19: Materials and Durability

While the IBC has included provisions for the use of maximum axial compressive strength Pn,max of columns. It is
shotcrete over several Code cycles, there has been no explicit likely that Grade 100 reinforcement will be used mostly for
mention of shotcrete in previous editions of ACI 318. Working vertical bars of shear walls and columns, though it might also
with the American Shotcrete Association and ACI Committee be used for heavily loaded floor systems.
506, Shotcreting, ACI Committee 318 has introduced and Substantial new research funded by the Pankow Foundation,
updated Code provisions to reflect current practice. The updated ACI Foundation, and others has demonstrated acceptable
provisions are located in several places throughout the Code. performance of members of special seismic systems
Cross-references are provided in Commentary Section R4.2.1.1. reinforced with ASTM A706 Grade 80 reinforcement and
ACI 318-19 added a new approach for establishing λ, the ASTM A706-equivalent Grade 100 reinforcement. Recognizing
modification factor to reflect the reduced mechanical this, ACI 318-19 now permits special moment frames with
properties of lightweight concrete. This change adds a means ASTM A706 Grade 80 reinforcement and special structural
of establishing λ based on unit weight of lightweight concrete. walls with ASTM A706 Grade 80 and ASTM A706-equivalent
This approach will make it easier for a designer to specify a Grade 100 reinforcement. The provisions allow the use of the
unit weight and determine a value of λ to use during the higher grades to resist moments, axial forces, and shear. To
design process. The method for establishing λ by specifying accommodate these higher grades, additional restrictions on
splitting tensile strength was removed from the Code. hoop spacing, beam-column joint dimensions, and lap splice
Until now, the Code has been silent on alkali-aggregate locations have been added that will contribute to more reliable
reaction. ACI 318-19 adds provisions for preventing alkali- performance of special structural systems.
silica reaction (ASR). The approach taken is to identify
concrete that will be exposed to water in service. As such Chapter 21: Strength Reduction Factors
exposure is identified, the Licensed Design Professional The introduction of higher-strength reinforcement required
(LDP) is required to investigate and determine appropriate an adjustment to the strength reduction factor for moment and
action for aggregates susceptible to ASR. Aggregate combined moment and axial force. In the new Code,
susceptible to alkali-carbonate reaction is banned by the Code. compression-controlled failure is defined for net tensile strain
εt ≤ εty and tension-controlled failure is defined for εt ≥ εty +
Chapter 20: High-Strength Reinforcement 0.003, where εty is the nominal yield strain of the deformed
A major thrust of the 2019 Code cycle was to expand reinforcement. Concurrent with this change, the Code also
permissible applications of high-strength reinforcement. Table requires that sections of nonprestressed beams and slabs with
20.2.2.4(a) now permits the use of Grade 100 reinforcement to Pu < 0.10 fc′Ag shall be tension-controlled, such that the
resist moments and axial forces from gravity and wind load strength reduction factor is always 0.9 (shown in Fig. R21.2.2b1).
combinations. The use of higher-grade reinforcement raised
concerns about serviceability (cracking and deflections), Chapter 22: New Sectional Shear Strength
which were addressed through a series of changes for slab and Equations
beam minimum reinforcement, effective moment of inertia, ACI 318-19 introduces a new set of simplified equations
and requirements for deflection calculations for two-way for one-way shear strength, applicable to nonprestressed
slabs. Strength and ductility concerns were addressed by beams, slabs, and walls loaded out-of-plane. The equations
introducing new requirements for mechanical properties of include a size effect for sections that do not have minimum
reinforcing bars, adjusting the method for calculating the shear reinforcement. The size effect is also applicable to
strength reduction factor for moment and combined moment two-way shear and to strut capacity for strut-and-tie models
and axial load, revising development length provisions, and without a minimum grid of reinforcement. The size effect
limiting the value of fy that can be used for calculating the factor is not applicable to isolated and combined footings.

24 AUGUST 2019 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

Chapter 23: Strut-and-Tie Method weakened by diagonal tension rather than bottle-shape
The committee approved 12 changes related to the strut- behavior warranted changes in the strut efficiency factors and
and-tie method (STM) for design of discontinuity regions a shear stress check in unreinforced D-regions. Other
(D-regions). The requirements for distributed reinforcement in noteworthy changes include new requirements for ties
deep beams were expanded to include most other extending from bend regions of reinforcing bars (curved-bar
discontinuity regions, although distributed reinforcement is nodes), increases in allowable node and strut stresses based on
not required where it is impractical and unnecessary—in pile confinement at bearing areas, and new requirements for design
caps, for example. Recent research showing inclined struts are and detailing of D-regions that may experience bar yielding or

Acknowledgments

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 25

concrete crushing in an earthquake. Collectively, the STM sustainable. While allowing use of these materials, the Code
changes for ACI 318-19 will make the method more versatile, includes warnings to the LDP to review the design and
while improving safety and serviceability. durability properties of these materials before allowing their use.
Requirements for “qualified” technicians were changed to
Chapter 24: Serviceability “certified.” Additionally, all referenced ACI certification
A new method for calculating the effective moment of programs are now listed in the Commentary References with a
inertia Ie has been introduced to improve accuracy for URL to allow users to determine what is covered in each
members with low reinforcement ratios and to better reflect program.
effects of construction loads on cracking of “green” concrete. The inspection provisions were enhanced to reflect all
requirements currently in the IBC. The committee’s
Chapter 25: Reinforcement Details expectation is that the IBC will reference ACI 318 for
Ongoing research has provided data adequate to extend the concrete inspection.
ACI 318-14 provisions for development length for deformed Multiple changes were made to the construction provisions
bars, standard hooks, and headed deformed bars in tension to reflect other changes made throughout the Code during this
considering higher concrete compressive strengths and Code cycle.
higher-strength reinforcement. The provisions for
development of deformed bars are similar to those in past Chapter 27: Strength Evaluation of Existing
Codes, but with an additional factor ψg ≥ 1.0 and a Structures
requirement for transverse reinforcement when higher grades ACI 437.2-1310 was developed to be a standard for load
of reinforcement are used. The provisions for standard hooks testing of existing concrete structures. Changes were made
and headed deformed bars are substantially different from to Chapter 27 to modify the test load magnitude and
those of past Codes and better represent the effects of bar acceptance criteria of the Code to be consistent with the
diameter, concrete compressive strength, spacing between requirements in ACI 437.2-13. The proposal also allows for
reinforcement, and level of confining reinforcement on cyclic load testing of structures using ACI 437.2 criteria for
required lengths. load testing.
Section 25.9.4 was updated to clarify requirements for
anchorage zone reinforcement for unbonded monostrand Appendix A: Design Verification Using
tendon anchorages in slab edges. Analysis of test data has Nonlinear Response History Analysis
shown that for slab edge anchors to perform reliably, Not so long ago, the use of nonlinear dynamic analysis
horizontal bars oriented parallel to the slab edge and located methods for design of earthquake-resistant buildings was an
in close proximity to the anchorage devices (known as academic issue. Today, the biggest and most iconic buildings
“back-up bars”) must be provided. This change clarifies these on the West Coast of the United States, and many other
requirements for slabs of varying thickness. seismic regions of the world, are being designed by these
methods. For the first time, ACI 318-19 includes provisions
Chapter 26: Construction Documents and for application of these methods to concrete buildings,
Inspection including the enabling clause of Section 4.4.6.7, requirements
Provisions to allow the use of alternative cements and for nonlinear analysis in Section 6.8, and complete provisions
recycled aggregates were added. Both of these materials are for earthquake-resistant design in Appendix A. The provisions
drawing a lot of attention as a means of making concrete more are intended to be fully compatible with Chapter 16 of ASCE
7-16, which contains requirements on seismic hazard,
selection of earthquake ground motions, load combinations,
Errata for and independent peer review.

ACI Publications References

Available Online 1. ACI Committee 318, “Building Code Requirements for Structural
Concrete (ACI 318-19) and Commentary (ACI 318R-19),” American
Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 2019, 623 pp.
Under the menu for “Publications” at
2. ACI Committee 318, “Building Code Requirements for Structural
www.concrete.org, document errata can be
Concrete (ACI 318-14) and Commentary (ACI 318R-14),” American
searched by document number or keywords.
Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 2014, 519 pp.
Call ACI Customer Service at 3. “Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures
+1.248.848.3700 for more information. (ASCE/SEI 7-16),” American Society of Civil Engineers, Reston, VA,
2017, 800 pp.
4. “2018 International Building Code (2018 IBC),” International
Code Council, 2017.

26 AUGUST 2019 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

 5. ACI Committee 543, “Guide to Design, Manufacture, and
Installation of Concrete Piles (ACI 543R-12),” American Concrete Jack P. Moehle, FACI, is the Ed and
Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 2012, 64 pp. Diane Wilson Presidential Professor of
6. ACI Committee 352, “Recommendations for Design of Beam- Structural Engineering in the Department
Column Connections in Monolithic Reinforced Concrete Structures (ACI of Civil and Environmental Engineering
352R-02) (Reapproved 2010),” American Concrete Institute, Farmington at the University of California, Berkeley,
Hills, MI, 2002, 38 pp. Berkeley, CA, where he has taught since
7. ACI Committee 355, “Qualification of Post-Installed Mechanical 1980. He has served on the ACI Board
Anchors in Concrete and Commentary (ACI 355.2-07),” American of Direction and Technical Activities
Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 2007, 35 pp. Committee. He was the Chair of ACI
8. Joint ACI-ASCE Committee 550, “Code Requirements for the Committee 318, Structural Concrete Building Code, during the
Design of Precast Concrete Diaphragms for Earthquake Motions (ACI most recent Code cycle. He is a member of ACI Committees
133, Disaster Reconnaissance, and 369, Seismic Repair and
550.5-18) and Commentary (ACI 550.5R-18),” American Concrete
Rehabilitation; and Joint ACI-ASCE Committee 352, Joints and
Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 2018, 24 pp.
Connections in Monolithic Concrete Structures. Moehle received
9. Joint ACI-ASCE Committee 550, “Qualification of Precast
the 1998 ACI Alfred E. Lindau Award, 2001 ACI Delmar L. Bloem
Concrete Diaphragm Connections and Reinforcement at Joints for
Distinguished Service Award, 2007 ACI Chester Paul Siess Award
Earthquake Loading (ACI 550.4-18) and Commentary (550.4R-18),”
for Excellence in Structural Research, 2008 ACI Foundation
American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 2018, 18 pp.
Concrete Research Council Arthur J. Boase Award, and 2019
10. ACI Committee 437, “Code Requirements for Load Testing ACI Joe W. Kelly Award. His research interests include structural
of Existing Concrete Structures (ACI 437.2-13) and Commentary,” engineering with an emphasis on reinforced concrete and
American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 2013, 21 pp. earthquake engineering. Moehle is a licensed civil engineer in
California.
Selected for reader interest by the editors.

Mark your calendars!

Fall Chapter Officer Roundtable
Saturday, October 19, 2019
chapter The ACI Concrete Convention and Exposition
Duke Energy Convention Center, Cincinnati, OH

roundtable To register for event e-mail [email protected]

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 27

Measuring Concrete
Modulus of Elasticity
Summary of testing procedure and tips for technicians

by David M. Mante

C
oncrete material stiffness, as represented by the Background
modulus of elasticity Ec, is a critical design parameter Concrete is assumed to exhibit relatively linear-elastic
as it is a load-deformational relationship that serves as behavior through approximately 40% of f cʹ. Beyond that point,
the foundational constitutive relationship for structural interfacial microcracking causes a concave downward
analysis and design. The modulus of elasticity of a given stress-strain relation,14 as shown in Fig. 1.
material represents the ratio of applied stress to instantaneous Further, beyond the range of linear-elastic behavior,
strain within an assumed proportion limit,1 and Ec is typically permanent deformation is exhibited upon loading and
measured for applied compressive loading under static loading unloading. Figure 1 also shows three common representations
conditions.2 of elastic modulus, including initial tangent modulus, chord
For many design applications, prediction equations3-6 are modulus, and secant modulus. The chord modulus is the
employed to estimate the expected Ec as a function of preferable metric for elastic modulus testing in concrete and
compressive strength f cʹ, unit weight, and/or aggregate the method designated by standard test method ASTM C469/
stiffness. Among the most common formulations are C469M. This metric, represented by the slope of a line
Eq. (19.2.2.1.a or b) in ACI 318-147 or Eq. (5.4.2.4-1) in adjoining two predefined points within the elastic portion of a
AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications.8 The use of stress-strain curve, minimizes the effect of initial nonlinearities
available prediction equations is expected to produce and appropriately characterizes the linear elastic range.
estimates of elastic modulus within ±20% of measured
values.7 While this magnitude of error is of little consequence Testing Procedure
to many design applications, certain applications exist where The testing procedure of ASTM C469/C469M requires a
an error of this magnitude may result in serviceability compression testing machine and a sensing device capable of
problems (that is, excessive deflections in high-rise building
columns,9 slender floor systems,10 geotechnical applications,11
and/or prestressed bridge girders12). For these applications,
direct measurement of Ec is often justified to confirm
adherence to a designer-specified elastic modulus or to
validate design assumptions.
When warranted, measurement of the static Ec is conducted
in accordance with standard test method ASTM C469/
C469M.13 ASTM C469/C469M involves simultaneous
measurement of applied stress and shortening strain through
an arbitrary proportional limit of 0.4f cʹ. Despite the increasing
demand for this test, limited operator training is available, and
this testing procedure is excluded from ACI technician
certification programs. The purpose of this article is to provide
general background information regarding Ec, a summary of
the ASTM C469/C469M testing procedure, and guidance to
help test operators avoid common errors associated with this Fig. 1: Stress-strain curve and elastic modulus depictions (adapted
test method. from Naaman15)

28 AUGUST 2019 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

measuring concrete strain to the nearest 5 millionths.13 The accordance with ASTM C192/C192M.17
test method prescribes the use of a compressometer, as To minimize the number of testing specimens required for
illustrated in Fig. 2, to indirectly measure the longitudinal a testing sequence, operators may determine f cʹ by ASTM C39/
strain at the specimen centerline. The lower yoke is rigidly C39M destructive testing of an initial test specimen followed
affixed to the cylinder with three attachment points, while the by evaluating each remaining specimen first by ASTM C469/
upper yoke is secured by two attachment points to allow C469M nondestructive testing and, finally, by ASTM C39/
rotation under axial shortening of the specimen. C39M destructive testing.
A compressometer mechanically amplifies the desired The chord modulus of elasticity E for the tested cylinder is
measurement quantity (typically by a factor of 2.0) to allow computed using the average measured values from the second
for increased measurement precision. Common sensing and third loading cycle13:
devices for strain measurement include dial gauges or linear
variable differential transformers (LVDTs). E = (S2 – S1)/(ɛ2 – 0.000050) (1)
A typical testing sequence for Ec, shown in Fig. 3, includes
determination of f cʹ in accordance with ASTM C39/C39M16 where
(one test per cylinder, two cylinders minimum) and multiple S2 is stress corresponding to 40% of ultimate load, psi (MPa);
cycles of nondestructive ASTM C469/C469M tests (minimum S1 is stress at specimen centerline corresponding to a
of three tests per cylinder, number of cylinders determined by longitudinal strain, ε1, of 50 microstrain, psi (MPa) at
test specifier). All specimens must be prepared and cured in specimen centerline; and
ε2 is longitudinal strain produced by stress S2 (in./in.).
Modulus of elasticity test results are reported to the nearest
50,000 psi (200 MPa) with a single-operator multibatch
precision (repeatability) of ±4.25% (R1S %) maximum for
specimens over the range from 2.5 to 4 × 106 psi (17 to 28 GPa).13
Operators should expect that the results of duplicate cylinders
from different batches should not depart by more than 5%
from the average of the two for measured elastic moduli
within the specified range. ASTM C469/C469M does not
specify repeatability metrics for modulus of elasticity values
exceeding 4 × 106 psi.

Avoiding Common Testing Errors and Pitfalls

While ASTM C469/C469M dictates the formal
requirements for Ec testing, varying means and methods (for
Fig. 2: Compressometer and test schematic example, preferred laboratory equipment, testing sequences,

(a) (b) (c)

Fig. 3: Laboratory testing: (a) concrete compressive strength per ASTM C39/C39M16; and concrete modulus of elasticity per ASTM C469/
C469M13 using: (b) analog dial gauge, and (c) linear variable differential transformer (LVDT)

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 29

and data-processing practices) are able to satisfy ASTM C469/ pivot rod and displacement indicator mounting centerline,
C469M requirements. The following general discussion eg + er, is precisely twice the horizontal distance between the
highlights common operator errors and pitfalls that may result pivot rod and the specimen centerline, eg, as shown in Fig. 5(a)).
in improper test results. Operators are cautioned against inadvertently altering the
intended geometry ratio (unless explicitly measured and
Improper compressometer attachment to specimen accounted for in calculations) by either positioning the dial
To avoid improper positioning of the compressometer gauge and offset bracket with an outward or inward skew
during attachment to test specimens, the use of a pedestal and/ (marked red in Fig. 5(b)) or retrofitting a compressometer
or metal blocks, as shown in Fig. 4, is a standard practice in frame intended for a dial gauge with an offset bracket to a
many laboratories. nonoffset LVDT sensor (marked red in Fig. 5(c)). Note that
Such blocks ensure that the bottom of the frame is the potential geometric errors illustrated in Fig. 5(b) and (c)
positioned parallel to the face of the specimen with sufficient could apply to compressometer geometry ratios other than 2:1.
clearance to accommodate unbonded ASTM C1231/C1231M18
steel retaining rings. Locating pins (as shown in Fig. 4) on the Improper data readings
pedestal may assist with centering of the specimen within the Operators may initially find it difficult to monitor both the
compressometer. After frame installation and removal of the loading and the compressometer readings, so the readings
side braces, operators can confirm compressometer positioning needed for Eq. (1) may not be taken correctly. Tables 1 and 2
by applying light finger pressure to the top of the yoke directly provide approximate measurements for ASTM C469/C469M
above the measurement gauge. If no gauge movement is testing of concretes with varying compressive strengths. The
observed, it is likely that the pivot rod is not properly seated aids were developed using the following assumptions:
and the compressometer may need to be reinstalled. compressometers for 6 x 12 in. (150 x 300 mm) or 4 x 8 in.
(100 x 200 mm) cylinders are configured with an 8.0 in.
Inadvertent modifications to compressometer (200 mm) or 5.33 in. (135 mm) gauge length, respectively;
geometry the compressometer has a 2:1 geometry ratio; and the
Prior to testing, operators should confirm the intended modulus varies with the strength per the correlation developed
compressometer geometry ratio by measurement and/or by by Pauw3 for concrete with a unit weight of 145 lb/ft3 (density
consulting the manufacturer’s literature. A helpful technique of 2330 kg/m3).
for measuring the intended compressometer geometry ratio Per Table 1, an operator performing ASTM C469/C469M
(which is a function of yoke geometry only) is to trace the testing on a 6 x 12 in. specimen with a compressive strength
outline of either the upper or lower yoke on a sheet of paper, at the time of testing of 8000 psi (55 MPa) might expect an
noting relevant locations, and folding the paper into quarters initial dial gauge reading of 0.0008 in. (0.02 mm) to occur in
to precisely locate the yoke center point. Most commercially the vicinity of an applied stress of 258 psi (1.8 MPa) and a
available compressometers are intended to operate with a dial gauge reading at 0.4 f cʹ of 3200 psi (22 MPa) to occur at
geometry ratio of 2:1 (that is, the horizontal distance between about 0.0099 in. (0.25 mm) displacement.

Side brace
Locating Metal
Pedestal pins blocks
Fig. 4: Compressometer positioning by pedestal (left/center) or metal blocks (right)

30 AUGUST 2019 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

Improper loading rate Experienced ASTM C39/C39M between 4000 and 12,000 psi, the upper
The specified loading rate for ASTM operators may be accustomed to measurement point 0.4f cʹ of a testing
C469/C469M testing is 35.0 ± 7 psi/s manually advancing well past this point cycle typically occurs between 45 and
(250 ± 50 kPa/s).13 For concrete to expedite testing. Operators will need 140 seconds after initial load application.
strengths between 4000 and 12,000 psi to ensure a sufficiently slow loading rate
(28 and 83 MPa), the initial measurement near this initial measurement point to Improper reading of high-
point (a strain of 0.000050) typically ensure that the precise loading precision analog dial gauge
occurs within the first 7 to 11 seconds corresponding to a strain of 0.000050 One of the most common confusions
of testing following specimen seating. can be recorded. For concrete strengths associated with ASTM C469/C469M
testing results from improper reading of
high-precision analog dial gauges.
Whereas a common 0.001 in. (0.025 mm)
precision dial gauge (shown in Fig. 6(a))
is relatively intuitive to read (inner dial
first, followed by outer dial), a dial
gauge with an enhanced precision of
0.0001 in. (0.0025 mm) (Fig. 6(b)), as
required for ASTM C469/C469M
testing, can be a bit more challenging
to interpret.
(a) (b) (c)
The analog gauge in Fig. 6(a)
Fig. 5: Compressometer for intended 2:1 frame ratio: (a) proper orthogonal symmetry; displays a reading of 0.2 [inner dial] +
(b) skewed gauge offset (outward shown); and (c) frame designed for offset gauge used with 0.050 [outer dial] = 0.250 in. (6.4 mm),
no gauge offset while the gauge in Fig. 6(b) displays a

Table 1:
Approximate expected measurements for ASTM C469/C469M13 testing (normalweight concrete), 6 x 12 in.
(150 x 300 mm) specimens with 2:1 compressometer geometry
Reading No. 1 (lower range) Reading No. 2 (upper range)
Approximate
Concrete compressive strength compressive stress fc, Compressive stress fc, Approximate dial
fc′ at time of testing, psi psi Dial gauge reading, in. psi gauge reading, in.
4000 182 0.0008 1600 0.0070
6000 223 0.0008 2400 0.0086
8000 258 0.0008 3200 0.0099
10,000 288 0.0008 4000 0.0111
12,000 316 0.0008 4800 0.0122
Note: 1 psi = 0.007 MPa; 1 in. = 25 mm

Table 2:
Approximate expected measurements for ASTM C469/C469M testing (normalweight concrete), 4 x 8 in.
(100 x 200 mm) specimens with 2:1 compressometer geometry
Reading No. 1 (lower range) Reading No. 2 (upper range)
Approximate
Concrete compressive strength compressive stress fc, Compressive stress fc, Approximate dial
fc′ at time of testing, psi psi Dial gauge reading, in. psi gauge reading, in.
4000 182 0.0005 1600 0.0047
6000 223 0.0005 2400 0.0057
8000 258 0.0005 3200 0.0066
10,000 288 0.0005 4000 0.0074
12,000 316 0.0005 4800 0.0081
Note: 1 psi = 0.007 MPa; 1 in. = 25 mm

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 31

reading of 0.09 [inner dial] + 0.0029 [outer dial] = 0.0929 in. within the controller/logger; inaccessible factory-configured
(2.4 mm), with each tick mark indicating a change of 0.0001 in. programming; or, perhaps most notable, the need for frequent
Confusion may arise from the printed scale on the face of calibration of LVDTs to ensure proper readings.
Fig. 6(b), which for ASTM C469/C469M testing purposes In a recent laboratory conversion to automated data
might more appropriately read 10, 20, 30, etc., to imply collection for ASTM C469/C469M testing (Fig. 3(c)), our
10/10,000, 20/10,000, 30/10,000, and such, in lieu of the technical staff noted a calibration error as shown in Fig. 7(a).
displayed 1, 2, 3, and such. The maximum anticipated change It was determined that the grade markings protruding from the
in dial-gauge reading within a single cycle will seldom exceed factory-supplied bolt-head surface (Fig. 7(b)) had caused an
0.0100 in. (0.25 mm) (refer to Table 1), which corresponds to incorrect offset of the LVDT gauge during calibration. As
one full revolution of the outer dial on the gauge in Fig. 6(b). shown in Fig. 7(c), during calibration, the gauge block rested
atop the protruding bolt-head grade markings, whereas during
Improper calibration of automated apparatus testing, the LVDT conical tip was able to directly bear on the
Laboratories that routinely conduct ASTM C469/C469M furnished bolt head (between grade markings) as shown in
testing to determine Ec often seek to automate the data- Fig. 7(d).
collection effort using a combination of an LVDT-equipped Operators of LVDT-equipped compressometers are
compressometer, a standalone data logger, or a proprietary cautioned to ensure the top surface of the bolt head is
compression testing machine controller with data-logging smoothed prior to calibration (if bolt grade markings are
capabilities. Limited proprietary options exist for out-of-box present), compare results of automated measurement setup to
automation of ASTM C469/C469M testing, and available analog setup to ensure accuracy prior to use, and consistently
systems often have pronounced drawbacks. These limitations verify LVDT calibration.
can include a lack of means to actively monitor recorded
values during testing; an inability to postprocess the data Summary
With increasing frequency, designers of concrete elements
are specifying minimum required values for Ec or becoming
otherwise involved in ensuring that sufficient concrete
stiffness is provided in finished structures to avoid
serviceability issues. As a result, modulus of elasticity testing
in accordance with ASTM C469/C469M is becoming a more
commonly demanded test. The guidance offered in this article
is intended to both highlight the intricacies of this testing
method to the design community as well as provide a resource
(a) (b) to assist novice operators in avoiding common pitfalls
associated with ASTM C469/C469M procedures.
Fig. 6: Analog dial gauge faces with resolutions: (a) 0.001 in.
(0.025 mm); and (b) 0.0001 in. (0.0025 mm)

(a) (b) (c) (d)

Fig. 7: Defect in proprietary automated ASTM C469/C469M data-collection system: (a) calibration error; (b) grade markings protruding from
the bolt head surface; (c) gauge block rested atop the protruding bolt-head grade markings; and (d) LVDT conical tip bearing directly on the
furnished bolt-head (between grade markings)

32 AUGUST 2019 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

Acknowledgment of Unbonded Caps in Determination of Compressive Strength of
The author thanks Robert W. Barnes, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, Hardened Cylindrical Concrete Specimens,” ASTM International, West
for his indirect contribution(s) to this work. Conshohocken, PA, 2015, 5 pp.

References Selected for reader interest by the editors after independent expert
1. Mehta, P.K., and Monteiro, P.J.M., Concrete: Microstructure, evaluation and recommendation.
Properties, and Materials, fourth edition, McGraw-Hill Education, 2014,
704 pp.
2. “ACI Concrete Terminology (ACI CT-18),” American Concrete ACI member David M. Mante is an
Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 2018, 76 pp. Assistant Professor in the Civil and
3. Pauw, A., “Static Modulus of Elasticity of Concrete as Affected by Environmental Engineering Department
Density,” ACI Journal Proceedings, V. 57, No. 12, Dec. 1960, pp. 679-688. at Lafayette College in Easton, PA,
4. Noguchi, T.; Tomosawa, F.; Nemati, K.M.; Chiaia, B.M.; and and Director of the Lafayette College
Fantill, A.P., “A Practical Equation for Elastic Modulus of Concrete,” Concrete Laboratory (LCCL). His research
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by AASHTO,” PCI Journal, V. 54, No. 3, Summer 2009, pp. 44-63. structural testing of large-scale accelerated bridge construction
6. Green, G.; Castrodale, R.W.; and Graybeal, B., “Recent Changes components, concrete sensor development, and engineering
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in AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications Regarding Lightweight
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Concrete,” Proceedings of the National Accelerated Bridge Construction
Presidents Fellowship. He received his MS and PhD from Auburn
Conference, Miami, FL, 2015.
University, Auburn, AL, in 2012 and 2016, respectively.
7. ACI Committee 318, “Building Code Requirements for Structural
Concrete (ACI 318-14) and Commentary (ACI 318R-14),” American
Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 2014, 519 pp.
8. AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, eighth edition,
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
(AASHTO), Washington, DC, 2017, 1780 pp.
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prairie.com/en-us/Pages/Media%20Center/News/The-High-E-Trend-
Continues.aspx. (last accessed July 2019)
10. Boyce, W.H., “Deflections of Reinforced Concrete Slabs: Case
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Career
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11. Hayes, J., and Simmonds, T., “Interpreting Strain Measurements
from Load Tests in Bored Piles,” Proceedings—Ninth International
Conference on Piling and Deep Foundations, Nice, France, 2002, 397 pp.
12. Tadros, M.K.; Fawzy, F.; and Hanna, K.E., “Precast, Prestressed
Girder Camber Variability,” PCI Journal, V. 56, No. 1, Winter 2011,
Center
pp. 135-154.
13. ASTM C469/C469M-14, “Standard Test Method for Static
Modulus of Elasticity and Poisson’s Ratio of Concrete in Compression,”
ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2014, 5 pp.
14. Neville, A.M., Properties of Concrete, fifth edition, Pearson
Advance your career.
Education, 2013, 872 pp. The ACI Career Center, specifically targeted to
15. Naaman, A.E., Prestressed Concrete Analysis and Design, second the concrete industry, brings together great job
edition, Techno Press, 2004, 1072 pp. opportunities and great candidates. Featuring
16. ASTM C39/C39M-18, “Standard Test Method for Compressive hundreds of job postings across the country and
Strength of Cylindrical Concrete Specimens,” ASTM International, West
around the world, ACI’s Career Center is the right
solution for your job search needs.
Conshohocken, PA, 2018, 8 pp.
17. ASTM C192/C192M-18, “Standard Practice for Making and Follow @ACICareerCenter
Curing Concrete Test Specimens in the Laboratory,” ASTM International,
West Conshohocken, PA, 2018, 8 pp.
18. ASTM C1231/C1231M-15, “Standard Practice for Use
www.concrete.org/careercenter
www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 33
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A contribution from ACI Committee 130, Sustainability of Concrete

The Eco Concrete

Competition
Lessons learned by (and from) students

by Hessam Azarijafari, Julie K. Buffenbarger, and Sean Monkman

T
he ACI Eco Concrete Competition was proposed by evaluated based on durability, established through electrical
ACI Committee 130, Sustainability of Concrete, in resistivity tests performed on samples provided by the teams,
2014, with the goal of promoting mixture design as an and compressive strength. In addition to these evaluations, the
important aspect of concrete sustainability. The competition was teams were judged by the quality of their submitted reports
designed by the University of Sherbrooke Student Chapter – ACI, and poster presentations made at the convention site.
Sherbrooke, QC, Canada, under the direction of Arezki
Tagnit-Hamou. Four teams of students competed at the first Eco Rules and Tools
Concrete Competition, held at The ACI Concrete Convention The competition rules require the students to conduct
and Exposition – Spring 2017 in Anaheim, CA. Twenty-three life-cycle assessments (LCAs) of the BCS and ACS mixtures
teams competed at the second Eco Concrete Competition, based on a functional unit2 of 1 m3 of concrete. The competition
which was held at The ACI Concrete Convention and LCA is limited to a cradle-to-gate boundary (as shown in Fig. 1),
Exposition – Spring 2019 in Québec City, QC, Canada. which includes the environmental and economic impacts related
Because raw material availability and concrete production to the extraction of raw materials, production of mixture
practices are geographically specific, the competition rules constituents, and transportation of those constituents to the
were written to encourage students to design mixtures based concrete mixing plant (assumed as the location of the team’s
on local conditions. To give students a sense of a comparative school). The cradle-to-gate boundary does not include concrete
study, the rules require the students to design two mixtures production, manufacturing and use, or demolition and end-of-life
with the same water-binder ratio (w/b) but different stages. While these stages would be included in a conventional
constituents. The first mixture, the base case scenario (BCS), cradle-to-grave LCA (also shown in Fig. 1), the developers of the
is defined as the benchmark for the assessment. The rules competition were concerned that such an LCA would have been
require this mixture to be representative of a conventional too complex for a student competition. Applying a full life-cycle
concrete mixture from each team’s region. The goal for the assessment is time-consuming and complicated,4 and few civil
second mixture, the alternative case scenario (ACS), is engineering departments have an in-depth LCA course in their
improved environmental performance relative to the BCS, curriculum. Moreover, the processes used to complete an LCA
gained through the substitution of alternative materials for the are iterative in nature, and large amounts of data are required
BCS constituents, all while balancing performance attributes from the manufacturing of components.
such as durability and compressive strength. The competition developers created software tools to
Teams were evaluated based on comparisons of the simplify the teams’ calculations. As with the rules, the tools
environmental impacts of the BCS and ACS mixtures. The were created by the University of Sherbrooke Student Chapter –
teams were to assess impacts categorized as global warming ACI. The tools assist in the development of a mixture’s life-cycle
potential, carcinogenic effects, ozone depletion potential, inventory (LCI)—a detailed tracking of the raw resources, energy,
ecotoxity, and fossil fuel depletion. These categories were water, and emissions associated with the production of a mixture.
selected for the competition based on rankings from The tools also assist in the development of a mixture’s life-cycle
Reference 1. In addition to the evaluation of the mixtures impact assessment (LCIA)—an evaluation of the environment
relative to these five impact categories, the mixtures were impacts associated with the manufacture of a product. The LCI

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 35

was extracted from the ecoinvent v. 3.1 database.5 The LCIA was those required for producing concrete constituents. The
performed using TRACI v. 2.1.6 inventory of mixture binders extracted from the ecoinvent
To ensure that student teams were competing on a uniform database represent the average of all regional impacts. For the
basis, surrogate materials were used for the LCI values. accounting of electricity and heating energy processes, teams
Material characteristics and/or manufacturing processes for in North America were assigned values based on the U.S. LCI
the surrogates were deemed by the committee to be similar to (USLCI) interconnect region electricity datasets.7 Teams
outside of North America were assigned values based on an
average of the global energy inventory.5
air, water, and soil
Emissions to

Economic allocation
of environmental
burdens

Fig. 1: Schematic of system boundaries for a cradle-to-grave LCA (delimited by an orange dashed line) and a cradle-to-gate LCA (delimited
by a green dashed line). The former boundary is generally used to assess the full environmental impacts of concrete production, use, and
disposal. The latter boundary was implemented in the Eco Concrete Competition (adapted from Reference 3)

36 AUGUST 2019 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

Scoring materials—such as lobster shell, waste sludge, and glass and cane
The relative improvement in the five impact categories— bagasse ash powders—as a binder material. Eleven teams used
improvement gained by producing the ACS mixture rather than recycled coarse aggregates in their ACS mixture design, which
the BCS mixture—was determined using normalization factors, were characterized in their reports as having limited adverse effects
resulting in a single score for LCA scoring of each team’s in comparison to virgin coarse aggregates.
concrete mixtures. The improvements in electrical resistivity Each team’s report and poster were reviewed by three
and compressive strength were also evaluated. The results of experts in the field of concrete sustainability and LCAs. While
the evaluations of the environmental benefits, durability, and the quality of the reports was high, the reviewers identified a
strength were weighted as 55% of the final score for each team. few teaching opportunities and noted that many of the reports
The quality of the report and poster presentation comprised the could be improved by including:
other 45% of the final score. •• The energy consumption of crushing, grinding, and sieving the
recycled materials and natural pozzolans used in each mixture;
The Competition •• A consistent selection of virgin materials for both the BCS
The competition rules encourage teams to substitute various and ACS mixture designs. The competition rules state that
virgin components of the BCS with locally available alternatives the source of virgin materials in both the BCS and ACS
for the ACS. These substitutions can be categorized as SCMs, should be identical. However, some teams used a source of
alternative SCMs (ASCMs), fillers (for example, limestone aggregates closer to the concrete plant for the ACS to
powder), and recycled and alternative aggregates. Figure 2 presents reduce the environmental impacts of the aggregate supply;
a summary of alternative binders used in the ACS mixture designs •• All transportation distances for contituents—not just those
of the 23 teams. Teams replaced the portland cement content with between the local distributor and the concrete plant; and
different binder materials; these nonportland cement materials were •• The minimum content requirement for aggregates in both
integrated proportionally and comprised 20 to 40% of the overall mixture designs.
mass of the binder materials. Slag cement and fly ash were most In the poster sessions (shown in Fig. 3), students were
frequently used, with fly ash being used in 70% of the ACS challenged to explain their ACS in comparison to their BCS.
mixture designs. Three teams used silica fume in a 1 to 5% Students were expected to compare environmental impacts,
replacement rate for portland cement to achieve higher initial electrical resistivity, and compressive strength results. The
compressive strength and improved electrical resistivity. Thirty judges often delved deeper, asking for an explanation of the
percent of the competitors used unconventional powder students’ selection of materials as well as the balance and

Acknowledgments
ACI Committees 130, Sustainability of Concrete, and The committee also appreciates the on-site judges who
S801, Student Competitions, would like to thank everyone evaluated posters and quizzed students, namely: Francisco David
who assisted in this competition. The development, Anguiano, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León; Julie K.
management, and judging involved an enormous commitment Buffenbarger, Beton Consulting Engineers; Tara Cavalline,
of time and energy. This competition was proposed by Arezki University of North Carolina at Charlotte; Andrew Fahim, Giatec;
Tagnit-Hamou, Professor at the University of Sherbrooke and Walt Flood, Flood Testing Labs; Arturo Gaytan, CEMEX;
member of ACI Committee 130. Revisions to the rules Frances Griffith, University of Arkansas; Alejandro Duran
following the first Eco Concrete Competition were based on Herrera, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León; Ted Moffatt,
comments received from student participants and judges. The Royal Military College of Canada; Sean Monkman, CarbonCure
committee thanks Jean-Martin Lessard (University of Technologies; and Kimberly Wilson, Flood Testing Labs.
Sherbrooke) for revision of the LCA tool. The role of ACI A special thank you goes to the volunteers from the
staff—particularly Sharon Schuman, who patiently forwarded University of Sherbrooke Student Chapter – ACI (Ablam
all questions prior to the competition—is greatly appreciated. Zidol and Ousmane Ahmat Hisseine) and the Laval
The committee also thanks the following individuals, who University Student Chapter – ACI (Catherine Joly-Lapalice,
helped score the reports: Godwin Amekuedi, GACS Consulting; Alicia Dupuit, Jean-Benoît Darveau, and David Bouchard),
Donguk Choi, Hankyong National University; Matt Dalkie, who tested the 92 submitted compressive strength and
Lafarge Canada Inc.; Arturo Gaytan, CEMEX; Geoffrey Guest, electrical resistance specimens.
National Research Council of Canada; Mohammad Davoud Redha Esselami and Amine el Mahdi Safhi (University of
Heidari, University of British Columbia; Kimberly Kramer, Sherbrooke) are thanked for coordinating the poster judges
Kansas State University; Sean Monkman, CarbonCure and presenting this report at the committee meeting. The
Technologies; Mezgeen Rasol, Polytechnic University of effort and time that Isabelle Fily-Paré and Mathieu
Catalonia; Marcella Saade, University of Sherbrooke; and Thomassin (Québec and Eastern Ontario Chapter – ACI)
Fariborz Tehrani, California State University, Fresno. spent on organizing the competition on site are appreciated.

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 37

economic and social trade-offs in the use of alternative highest score in the poster presentation, had the second
materials. The judges also asked questions regarding highest score for their report, and ranked in the top five in
durability and resilience of materials and their potential electrical resistivity and LCA results. The University of
impacts on a more expanded, cradle-to-grave LCA. Cuenca, Ecuador, and Western Pomeranian University of
In the end, the team from the University of the Philippines – Technology, Szczecin, Poland, ranked as the first and second
Diliman was declared the winner. This team achieved the runners-up, respectively.

(a)

(b) (c)

Fig. 2: The student teams used numerous types of binders in the ACS mixtures. Portland cement replacements included fly ash, limestone,
natural cement, silica fume, and slag cement. The category “non-conventional” includes lobster shell, waste sludge, and glass and cane bagasse
ash powders. Binder types and replacement rates for the various teams are shown for those located in: (a) North and Central America; (b) South
America; and (c) Europe and Asia

Fig. 3: During the Eco Concrete Competition poster session, teams presented their work and responded to judges’ questions

38 AUGUST 2019 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

Student Outcomes Assessment of Chemical and Other Environmental Impacts (TRACI),”
The judges and others observed that the students were TRACI version 2.1, United States Environmental Protection Agency,
well trained in the technical aspects of concrete mixture Washington, DC, 2012, 24 pp.
design. The presented selections of binders, substitution 7. “USLCI Interconnect Region Electricity Datasets, 2008,” National
rates for portland cement, use of alternative aggregates Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO, 2008, https://catalog.data.
and pozzolans, and discussions of the balance and trade- gov/dataset/uslci-interconnect-region-electricity-datasets-2008. (last
offs of materials on the environment, society, and accessed July 2019)
economics also demonstrated that teams had carefully
considered the tasks at hand. Selected for reader interest by the editors.
Despite the technical acumen displayed by the teams, however,
many teams did not demonstrate clear understanding of the
benefits of life-cycle thinking. Nearly half of the teams failed to
acknowledge processes in the upstream level of the supply chain. ACI member Hessam Azarijafari is a
While most of the reports discussed the effects of different binders Postdoctoral Associate in the Concrete
on the compressive strength and electrical resistivity of their Sustainability Hub and Materials Systems
mixtures, many failed to thoroughly discuss the environmental Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of
performance of each mixture. This matter was more evident in the Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA. He is
discussion of indicators. While most focused on global warming also working as a Postdoctoral Fellow at
potential, many failed to discuss carcinogenic effects, ozone the University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke,
depletion potential, ecotoxity, and fossil fuel depletion. No team QC, Canada. He has conducted and led
scored perfectly in the discussion of indicators. several projects in the field of industrial
The committee is exploring ways to promote life-cycle ecology and sustainability of infrastructures. Azarijafari is a member
thinking among the teams who participate in the next of ACI Committees 130, Sustainability of Concrete; 237, Self-
competition. It is also considering how to emphasize the need Consolidating Concrete; and S801, Student Competitions. He
to recognize multiple environmental effects. served as Chair of the inaugural and second version of the ACI Eco
Concrete Competition. Azarijafari received his PhD from the
Conclusion University of Sherbrooke.
This competition is dependent upon several volunteer tasks that
require collaboration. For future competitions, members of ACI Julie K. Buffenbarger, FACI, is Senior
Subcommittee 130-G, Education, will focus on revisiting and Scientist and Sustainability Principal at
Beton Consulting Engineers, LLC, Mendota
revising the rules and tools for the competition, engaging students
Heights, MN. She was previously Chair of
and volunteers, and broadening the scope of the competition.
both ACI Committee 130, Sustainability of
Because ACI Committee 130 is devoted to continuously improving
Concrete, and the Concrete Joint
the quality of this competition and promoting the sustainability of
Sustainability Initiative. She is a member of
concrete, an invitation is extended to all interested ACI members to
ACI Committees 132, Responsibility in
present their ideas about the competition to the committee. Concrete Construction; 232, Fly Ash in
Concrete; and 234, Silica Fume in Concrete; and ACI Subcommittee
References C601-E, Concrete Construction Sustainability Assessor.
1. Lasvaux, S.; Achim, F.; Garat, P.; Peuportier, B.; Chevalier, J.;
and Habert, G., “Correlations in Life Cycle Impact Assessment Methods ACI member Sean Monkman is Senior Vice
(LCIA) and Indicators for Construction Materials: What Matters?” President of Technology Development at
Ecological Indicators, V. 67, Aug. 2016, pp. 174-182. CarbonCure Technologies, Dartmouth, NS,
2. “ISO 14044:2006, Environmental Management—Life Cycle Canada. He is Chair of ACI Committee 130,
Assessment—Requirements and Guidelines,” International Organization Sustainability of Concrete, and ACI
for Standardization, 2006, 46 pp. Subcommittee C601-E, Concrete
3. Azarijafari, H.; Taheri Amiri, M.J.; Ashrafian, A.; Rasekh, H.; Construction Sustainability Assessor, and a
Barforooshi, M.J.; and Berenjian, J., “Ternary Blended Cement: An member of ACI Committees 212, Chemical
Eco-Friendly Alternative to Improve Resistivity of High-Performance Admixtures; 236, Material Science of
Self-Consolidating Concrete Against Elevated Temperature,” Journal of Concrete; and 329, Performance Criteria for Ready Mixed Concrete;
Cleaner Production, V. 223, June 2019, pp. 575-586. and ACI Subcommittee 241-A, The Application and Implementation
4. Jolliet, O.; Soucy, G.; Shaked, S.; Saadé-Sbeih, M.; and Crettaz, of Nano-Engineered Concrete. He was recognized as the Mission
P., “Goal and System Definition,” Environmental Life Cycle Assessment, Innovation Champion for Canada at the Fourth Mission Innovation
CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2015, pp. 23-46. Ministerial in Vancouver, BC, Canada, in 2019. Monkman received his
PhD in civil engineering from McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
5. “Ecoinvent v. 3.1 Database,” ecoinvent, Zurich, Switzerland, 2014.
6. Bare, J.; Young, D.; and Hopton, M., “Tool for the Reduction and

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 39

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Concrete Placements
Exposed to Rain
Damage types, protection options, and repair methods

by Ronald L. Kozikowski, Scott M. Tarr, Kevin Rowswell, and Bruce A. Suprenant

C
oncrete contractors in some parts of the country are and rainwater: “Freshly placed concrete that has been struck
adept at placing concrete in rainy weather. Those in off and bull floated is not very permeable. Note, for instance,
the Pacific Northwest must deal with an extended wet that bleed water collects on the surface instead of soaking
season. Contractors in Miami must be prepared for short back into the concrete. As long as no attempt is made to
bursts of intense rain with little to no notice. Flatwork further finish the concrete while there is free water on the
placements are driven by the construction schedule, so surface, the strength and durability are unlikely to be affected…”1
concrete contractors don’t have the luxury of waiting for a
100% probability of clear skies. That’s why experienced Properties of Rainstorms
contractors have developed means and methods for dealing Timing, duration, intensity, and volume are the potentially
with concrete placements that occur during a rain event. harmful properties of rainstorms. Timing is the most
With rain comes risk, but having a sound awareness of influential factor. If rain falls on a slab during the placement
situational options, having established protection plans, and stage, damage is likely because excess water may be
ensuring that the right supplies are ready for use allow risk to intermixed with concrete as workers walk through,
be managed effectively. This article discusses the properties of consolidate, and strike off the plastic concrete. If rain falls on
rainstorms and potential types of damage that can occur. It a slab after the concrete is placed and floated, there should be
also provides situational protection options for managing no damage if the rain stops in time for the contractor to
placements exposed to rain. Further, it discusses repair remove the excess surface water prior to final finishing. The
methods that can be used if superficial damage occurs despite shorter the storm’s duration, the better chance that excess
protective actions. The content of this article can be used as a water can be removed prior to finishing. Lastly, if rain falls on
guide to help contractors establish a rain protection plan that a slab shortly after finishing operations are complete, then the
prepares finishers to take actions that minimize the potential slab has likely stiffened enough to resist damage. In this case,
need for repair. rain may be beneficial because it will contribute to curing.
Intense rain has the potential to wash away surface paste.
Rainwater and Bleed Water Some contractors choose to place plastic sheets on sloped
Addressing rainwater concerns can be complicated, but surfaces to minimize loss of paste. However, many contractors
contractors, designers, and owners should recognize that in allow water to collect and pond on horizontal surfaces as the
many ways, rainwater is similar to bleed water. Neither standing water cushions the blows from rain droplets. As
should be intermixed into the body of the concrete or worked noted previously, both excess bleed water and rainwater must
into the surface of the concrete. be removed prior to final finishing operations.
Other than air, water is the lightest component of the The volume of rainwater falling on a slab is the least of the
mixture and is forced to the top of the slab during the bleeding four concerns; however, large volumes can pose issues from a
process. Rainwater has a different source, but water standing labor standpoint, and large volumes of flowing water can
on top of plastic concrete that has already been placed and wash away excess surface paste if not handled properly.
floated will not harm the concrete if the water can be
effectively removed prior to final finishing. Potential Damage Types
ACI’s “Concrete Craftsman Series: Slabs on Ground”1 has Loss of surface paste
a “Rained-on surfaces” section that helps finishers prepare for A highly intense storm or a high volume of rainwater
rain. The section makes the same comparison to bleed water passing over the surface of a slab can remove an excessive

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 41

amount of paste. A substantial amount of surface aggregate is surface should not be a concern. However, if the conditions
thus exposed (Fig. 1), and it will be difficult to rework enough prevent removal of standing water before final finishing
paste to the surface to provide an acceptable finish. operations, the surface could be weakened as shown in Fig. 2(a).
Fortunately, as shown in Fig. 2(b), this type of damage is very
Low compressive strength shallow (typically 1/8 in. [3 mm] or less) and can often be
Low compressive strength may result if rain occurs during addressed by repair options discussed later in this article. Slab
concrete placement and workers intermix the rainwater with surfaces may also be marred by protective covers, as shown in
the fresh concrete, thus increasing the water-cement ratio Fig. 2(c), or impacts of rain droplets, as shown in Fig. 2(d).
(w/c). However, we are not aware of any low-strength issues However, in both cases, the damage is generally very shallow
as the result of rain collecting on the surface of plastic and repair is possible.
concrete that has already been placed and vibrated.
Protection Options
Weakened or marred surface Planning is a critical part of providing protection against
If the timing and duration of a rainstorm permits finishers damage during a rain event. To simplify planning, we have
to remove standing water prior to final finishing, a weakened broken the placement and finishing operations into four
stages: placement, waiting/dormancy, final finishing, and
curing (shown in Fig. 3). The situational protection options for
a rain event vary with these stages.

Stage 1: Concrete placement

Stage 1 involves the placement, screeding, and floating of
concrete. This is the only stage of the placement where
rainwater may get intermixed into the body of the slab.
Mixing water into the body of the slab may create strength
concerns due to localized increases in w/c. Figure 4 shows an
example from a placement where a rain event occurred during
Stage 1. In this case, the most viable protection plan is to stop
placement, install an emergency bulkhead (Fig. 5), and
Fig. 1: An intense rainstorm can cause excessive loss of surface paste evaluate the affected concrete.

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

Fig. 2: Examples of concrete exposed to rainwater after it has been placed and floated: (a) a weakened surface; (b) shallow depth of the
weakened surface; (c) surface marring caused by a protective cover; and (d) pockmarks caused by rain droplets

42 AUGUST 2019 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

Stage 2: Waiting period/dormancy for protecting washout of surface paste, removal of excess
A rain event occurring during Stage 2 is much more water, and maintaining a dry slab. There is always a chance
favorable than one occurring during Stages 1 or 3. As that the duration of the storm may extend beyond the
discussed previously, once concrete is placed and floated, it is dormancy period and impact the slab’s finish. However, the
not very permeable. Rainwater will not be absorbed into the dormancy period typically extends several hours, allowing
slab. A protection plan for Stage 2 will include considerations time for the rain to stop and finishers to remove excess water
prior to finishing.
Covering the slab may not be the best option. In cases of
intense rain or on sloped surfaces, covering the slab with
plastic sheeting can help prevent the loss of excess surface
paste from the surface of the slab. In other cases, covering a
slab can be problematic. The concrete may be too plastic to
walk on without damaging the surface; and items projecting
from the slab such as anchor bolts, reinforcing bars, and
plumbing often create punctures in the plastic and make it
difficult to spread.
Sheets of plastic are rarely large enough to cover an entire
placement, so it is likely that water will find its way onto the
Fig. 3: The stages of concrete placement and finishing are correlated concrete surface at the seams between sheets. Further, water
with concrete stiffening will shift to the concrete during the removal of the plastic
sheets, and this water must be removed from the concrete
prior to finishing.
Most importantly, we have found that plastic sheeting
traps heat and limits the cooling effect of exposed pools of
water. As a result, the setting time of a covered slab will be
about 10 to 20% faster than the setting time of an exposed
slab, reducing the time available for removing water prior
to final finishing.
Removing water from the surface is critical. Timely
removel of water from the surface of the slab is critical to
success of the placement. The goal is to remove rainwater
as quickly as possible without removing excess surface
paste. A loss of some surface paste is expected, however,
and removal of the uppermost paste layer that was in contact
with standing water may be beneficial.
We have observed several different methods of water
removal. Finishers may find the following summary of
Fig. 4: Freshly placed concrete with rainwater puddles alternatives helpful when preparing for future projects or
developing a rain protection plan.
Water removal tools include:
•• Squeegees;
•• Polystyrene foam insulation boards;
•• Garden hose;
•• Old compressor hose; and
•• Leaf blowers.
If a garden hose is used, it should be filled with water to
make it heavier and able to maintain better contact with the
slab surface. Old compressor hoses offer the benefits of being
more flexible and heavier than garden hoses. Based on the
number of slab projections and the placement layout, a
combination of these tools may be needed. For example,
dragging a hose over the slab will cover the widest amount of
area at once; however, in congested areas containing
projecting obstructions, squeegees or foam boards will be
Fig. 5: Installation of an emergency bulkhead easier to maneuver over the surface (Fig. 6).

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 43

 (a) (b)

Fig. 6: Removal of rainwater from concrete surface: (a) using a squeegee and hose; and (b) using a foam insulation board

In our experience, we have found that a foam board (Fig. 6(b))

is often the best tool, as it covers more area than a squeegee
and can be more easily worked around penetrations than a
hose. The smooth texture and relatively soft material in the
board also help minimize the amount of surface paste lost
during water removal.
Typically, after water removal, the slab surface may appear
slightly sandy, as shown in Fig. 7(a). Figure 7(b) is a view
taken at the same location after the first pass of a ride-on
trowel machine and shows how additional paste is easily
worked into the surface. Figure 7(c) shows progression of the
(a) finishing process and how a hard/dense finish was created on
the previously rain-covered slab. Note the drying surface of
the slab (Fig. 7(a)) prior to final finishing.
As mentioned previously, working with rainwater on a slab
is no different than finishing a slab with excess bleed water.
An important consideration is that the ambient humidity after
a rain event is often high and does not support quick water
removal and stiffening of the slab surface. If additional rain is
forecast, finishers may find it helpful to use portable leaf
blowers to help remove excess water and stiffen the surface
more rapidly in preparation for final finishing and to beat an
incoming storm.
(b) Be prepared to keep water off the surface. While it is
desirable to drag water off the edge of a slab to completely
remove it, this is not always possible. Finishers should have
pumps ready to remove water as it is directed away from the
placement. Figure 8 shows a unique solution that finishers
might apply when they are in a bind: using dry cement or sand
to create a dam around the perimeter of the placement to
prevent previously removed rainwater from flowing back onto
the working area. Note, however, that dry cement should never
be added to fresh concrete. The dam must be placed outside of
the fresh concrete and removed shortly after final finishing.

Stage 3: Final finishing

(c)
Unfortunately, if rain occurs or continues into Stage 3, only
Fig. 7: Concrete slab surface: (a) after removal of rainwater, with a a few protection options are available to finishers. During this
close-up showing the sandy appearance of the surface; (b) after the stage, the slab surface is rapidly stiffening and finishing
first pass of a ride-on trowel; and (c) during final finishing operations are being conducted to flatten and densify the

44 AUGUST 2019 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

surface. If a light rain occurs between finishing passes, it may necessary. If the timing, duration, or intensity of the rain event
still be possible to rapidly remove water and air-dry the results only in damage to the concrete surface, it may be
surface with blowers as discussed in Stage 2. However, if possible to repair the surface. The affected layer is very
water is worked into the surface during finishing operations, it superficial in most cases and several repair options are
will create a weaker surface layer2 that may require repair. available. The solution should be developed based on the
depth of the damage and the acceptance criteria for the final
Stage 4: Curing surface appearance.
The most ideal timing for a rain event is during the curing In addition, if repair is necessary, the contractor needs to
stage. Generally, slabs have achieved final set after hard- consider what is going on top of the slab. Review Division 9
troweling passes are complete. If the surface has sufficiently (floor coverings) in specifications and identify what level of
hardened and the rain is not intense enough to remove paste, repair is needed for the type of floor covering applied. For
rain will be beneficial to the curing process. While it is unlikely example, carpet or thickset tile will require less remediation
that washout of the surface paste would occur at this point, than thinset tile or a polished floor application.
finishers could be prepared in the event of a very intense rain by Common repair approaches follow.
having plastic sheets ready to cover a freshly finished surface.
Application of surface hardener/densifier
Rain Slab Repair Options Application of a penetrating reactive silicate-based
Unfortunately, not all rained-on slabs are successfully hardener/densifier is an economical remediation approach if a
finished. If substantial intermixing of water occurs and the rain event resulted in a surface that is less wear-resistant than
damage impacts the concrete full-depth, slab removal may be adjacent areas that weren’t affected by rain. The effectiveness
of a reactive silicate treatment depends on the amount of
calcium hydroxide available for the reaction. When portland
cement concrete cures, two basic compounds are formed:
calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) and calcium hydroxide. The
formation of these compounds depends on the effectiveness of
the curing (retention of moisture within the concrete as well as
at the exposed surface of the concrete). While a hard-trowel
densified surface will help retain moisture within the concrete,
for example, it does very little to retain moisture and “cure”
the exposed surface. In general, when effective curing is
provided, CSH is the compound that provides the strength and
hardness of the concrete, while calcium hydroxide is a benign
by-product. Whether sodium, potassium, lithium, or any other
type of silicate-based treatment is used, it is the silicate
Fig. 8: Finishers used dry cement to create a dam outside of the fresh portion of the product that reacts with available calcium
concrete placement and prevent previously removed rainwater from hydroxide in the presence of moisture. The reaction forms
flowing back onto the working area. The dry cement was removed additional CSH, thus “hardening” and “densifying” the
shortly after final finishing concrete surface (Fig. 9). The depth of the reaction depends

(a) (b)
Fig. 9: Discolored (whitish) concrete slab (on the left) and the same slab after an application of a silicate hardener (on the right)

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 45

on the depth of penetration of the silicate product. Typically,
silicates penetrate less than 1/2 in. (13 mm), but this is enough
to repair weakened rain-affected surfaces that are superficial
in nature.
Application of a penetrating reactive hardener can be an
economical and effective repair approach if the surface was
well-cured and sufficient calcium hydroxide is present. For a
rained-on slab repair, the recommended approach is to
conduct a series of small 4 x 4 ft (1.2 x 1.2 m) mockups using
various surface-hardener products. Based on the performance
of the mockups, the best product can be selected and applied
to the entire rain-affected area.

Surface grinding
Grinding is a long-accepted approach for repairing
concrete surfaces. The American Concrete Pavement
Fig. 10: An example of a ground mockup section where a superficial
Association (ACPA)3 and others2,4 recommend grinding as an weak area was removed, exposing dense concrete layer below
acceptable means for repairing rain-damaged slabs. While
some engineers and owners may question the durability of
slabs that have been repaired by removing a thin layer of The surface can be subjected to successive passes of
paste, ACPA indicates that diamond grinding has been grinding equipment. Each pass or operation can be performed
successfully used to repair rain-damaged surfaces exposed to with progressively higher “grit” of diamond-impregnated
winter conditions and many years of truck traffic.3 Compared pads. Like sandpaper designations, the higher the grit, the less
to exterior pavements, the exposure conditions and traffic on material is removed and the finer and more polished the
interior floors is typically less harsh. In cases where slabs are surface becomes. If the depth of the weakened surface is very
exposed to hard-wheeled forklift traffic, mockup sections can minimal, grinding can start with 200-grit pads to restore the
be used to evaluate the repaired surface. Abrasively removing surface hardness and wear resistance. If the weakened layer is
the weakened layer of paste will result in a surface that is as deeper, the initial grinding passes should be made using
hard and wear-resistant as adjacent surfaces that did not 100-grit (or lower) pads, so that more material is removed.
experience the rain event. Further, equipment and technologies Later passes can use 200- and 400-grit pads. It is important to
have been developed over the past decade to provide a determine the grit that will result in a surface smoothness and
“diamond-polished” slab surface that is attractive and durable. shine equal to the surrounding surface not exposed to rain.
However, we recommend that a small area is initially treated Typically, a hard-troweled surface is equal to about a 400-grit
for owner approval prior to grinding an entire slab. Figure 10 grind. Grinding passes made with higher-grit pads can result
shows a mockup section where the superficial weak layer was in a surface that stands out from the rest of the floor.
removed, exposing the hard and dense concrete layer below.
Topping slab
Rain-affected surfaces are superficial and application of a
thin bonded topping or overlay is another way to restore a slab
surface damaged by rain. For a detailed discussion of topping
Sign up for Concrete slab options and design, refer to References 5 and 6.
Proprietary products are available for bonded overlays
where the top 1/2 in. or less of the surface is being restored.
The manufacturer’s installation instructions should be
followed carefully. It is recommended that small 4 x 4 ft
mockup sections using different products be evaluated prior to
The smart way to stay on top of full-scale repairs. Mockup sections are helpful for
concrete industry news. investigating surface preparation, bond strength, and
appearance of the final product.
Created by SmartBrief in partnership with ACI, Concrete
SmartBrief provides a daily e-mail snapshot of the concrete
industry with news from leading global sources. Summaries Final Thoughts on Mitigating Risks
of what matters to you, written by expert editors, to save As this article discusses, concrete contractors need to be
you time and keep you informed and prepared. aware of the risks of rain events. Being proactive,
understanding the options based on the timing and duration of
www.smartbrief.com/ACI a rain event, and developing a wet weather plan are keys to

46 AUGUST 2019 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

success. When preparing for placements in adverse weather
conditions, we recommend that contractors: ACI member Ronald L. Kozikowski is

•• Use the preplacement meeting to discuss how the Vice President of North S.Tarr Concrete
Consulting, P.C., Dover, NH, specializing
construction team will handle a rain event;
•• Work with the project’s design professionals to develop an
in troubleshooting of concrete
construction issues. He has over 20
approved bulkhead plan, along with doweling requirements
years of experience as a construction
and options;
••
and materials engineer and is a member
For elevated flatwork projects, develop a plan for removal of ACI Committees 207, Mass and
of surface water and controlling splatter to avoid damage to Thermally Controlled Concrete; 213,
the finishes on nearby vehicles, equipment, and building Lightweight Aggregate and Concrete; 301, Specifications for
elements; Structural Concrete; 306, Cold Weather Concreting; and 308,
•• If possible, ensure that finishers have at least 3 ft (1 m) of Curing Concrete; Joint ACI-ASCC Committee 117, Tolerances;
work space adjacent to placements; and Joint ACI-CRSI Committee C680, Adhesive Anchor Installer
•• When placing under a metal deck, be prepared for rainwater Certification. He received his BS and MS in civil engineering from
to leak through the decking and onto the placement. the University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH.
Preparation should include access to a means for diverting
or removing rainwater from the decking above; Scott M. Tarr, FACI, is President of North
•• Recognize that a very narrow window of time may be S.Tarr Concrete Consulting. He is a licensed
available for removing rainwater and completing finishing engineer with nearly 30 years of experience
operations. When there is a chance of rain, contractors may in concrete floor slab design and floor
need to consider having additional finishing equipment covering issues. He has authored
available to complete final finishing operations as quickly numerous articles and documents,
as possible; and including the book Concrete Floors on

•• When trying to complete a placement prior to a rain event, Ground. He is Chair of ACI Committee
360, Design of Concrete Slabs on Ground,
clearly communicate with the concrete supplier and verify
and a member of several ACI committees,
that required delivery rate can be achieved to finish the
including 301, Specifications for Structural Concrete, and 302,
placement on time.
Concrete Floor and Slab Construction. He is also a member of
There is very little standardized information available on
ASCC, ICRI, ASCE, ASTM International, and ACPA.
preparing for wet weather concreting or how to address
rain-damaged slabs. We hope that the situational considerations
Kevin Rowswell is a Project Executive
discussed in this article will enable construction teams to for Baker Concrete Construction, Inc.,
develop their wet weather plans and help them understand Monroe, OH. He is also the company’s
practical repair options if damage does occur. Pump Place Finish Manager for the
southeast region of the United States.
Acknowledgments Rowswell has been with Baker for
Special thanks to Roger Webb, John Hausfeld, Damian Wilcox, and nearly 35 years. His previous duties
Clay Hamby of Baker Concrete Inc. for providing additional input and have included overseeing Baker’s
examples on this matter. Midwest Commercial Division and its
Central Florida Division. He is the Past President of the Greater
References Miami Chapter – ACI. Rowswell received his BS in construction
1. “Concrete Craftsman Series: Slabs-on-Ground,” CCS-1(10), management from the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH,
American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 2009, 68 pp. and an associate degree in civil and construction engineering
2. Seegebrecht, G.W., “When It Rains, It Can Pour…on Flatwork technology from the Ohio College of Applied Science, Cincinnati, OH.
Projects,” Concrete International, V. 34, No. 8, Aug. 2012, pp. 34-37.
3. “How to Handle Rained-on Concrete Pavements,” R&T Update: Bruce A. Suprenant, FACI, is the Technical
Concrete Pavements Research and Technology, No. 4.04, American Director of the American Society of
Concrete Pavement Association, Rosemont, IL, 2003, 4 pp. Concrete Contractors. He is a member
4. Barnes, R., “Rain Damaged Concrete,” Concrete Advice No. 38 of ACI Committees 134, Concrete
Constructability; 302, Construction of
(CAS38), The Concrete Society, Surrey, United Kingdom, 2010, 3 pp.
Concrete Floors; and 318, Structural
5. Tarr, S., “Concrete Q&A: Concrete Toppings,” Concrete
Concrete Building Code; and Joint
International, V. 35, No. 8, Aug. 2013, pp. 83-84.
ACI-ASCC Committee 117, Tolerances.
6. ACI Committee 360, “Guide to Design of Slabs-on-Ground (ACI
Suprenant’s honors include the 2013 ACI
360R-10),” American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 2010, 72 pp.
Certification Award, the 2010 ACI Roger H. Corbetta Concrete
Constructor Award, and the 2010 ACI Construction Award.
Selected for reader interest by the editors.

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 47

Products&PracticeSpotlight

Application-Driven Curing
Solutions
Producers must choose curing solutions based on the product

P
roperly cured concrete will meet strength For curing applications, Polarmatic’s thermal-energy units
requirements; exhibit volume stability; and resist can be used to provide:
freezing-and-thawing cycles, abrasion, and scaling. •• Warm, moist air;
The selection of a curing system depends, however, on the •• Circulating warm water; or
local climate conditions and other factors. •• Turbosteam.

Options Warm air

“When choosing a curing solution, producers and plants Warm-air curing is commonly used by producers of blocks,
should consider their final products,” says Juha Niemi, Sales pavers, or other architectural precast products that require
Director, Polarmatic Oy, Tampere, Finland. Polarmatic is a uniform appearance. “Heated air circulates in the curing
leading developer and supplier of heating, curing, cooling, chamber or kiln,” says Niemi. “This gives even distribution of
control, and information management solutions for the heat. When increasing the temperature of the curing chamber
concrete industry. The company celebrated its 50th or kiln, you want to add a little moisture to keep the relative
anniversary last year. humidity on a high level to avoid drying out the product surface.”

(a) (b)

Fig. 1: M CON Pipe & Products Inc. uses a Polarmatic TURBOMATIC-1500 thermal-energy unit for heating aggregates, curing concrete,
heating mixing water, and heating buildings at its production facility near Ottawa, ON, Canada. The company produces infrastructure
products such as circular and elliptical concrete pipe, circular and box maintenance holes, catch basins, highway barriers, box culverts, oil grit
separators, and gravity-retaining-wall components: (a) an aerial view of the production facility, which includes over 121,400 m2 (30 acres) of
storage capacity for finished products; and (b) a ground-level view of the batching plant and the thermal-energy unit (in a white shipping
container adjacent to the plant). The facility’s ample storage and state-of-the-art production equipment ensure consistent availability of
high-quality precast concrete infrastructure products for eastern, central, and northern Ontario (photos courtesy of M CON)

48 AUGUST 2019 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

 Products&PracticeSpotlight

Warm water several more years. “When we installed the Turbomatic, we

Warm water is used by plants that manufacture products took our two curing systems off-line,” says Galloway. “The
for the housing market, such as walls, ceilings, prestressed Turbosteam has no problem meeting our demands.” The
hollow-core slabs, and concrete products made with casting Polarmatic natural-gas heating system also provides safety
tables. In these applications, warm water is circulated below benefits. “I know that the presence of carbon monoxide can be
the molds and tables used to contain the fresh concrete. a concern for producers who use steam-curing machines,”
says Galloway. “But there have been zero carbon monoxide
Turbosteam issues in the six years that we have had the system.”
Turbosteam is commonly used for precast products used in Galloway reports that the Turbomatic system’s blower has
infrastructure works, such as drainage piping, manholes, and enough power to rapidly penetrate deep into frozen
other products that will be buried underground. With aggregates. “Our previous system was inefficient,” says
Turbosteam, combustion gas is combined with steam to Galloway. “We would get bridging of the aggregate and our
provide a carbon dioxide-rich, moist heating medium. staff would have to break it up to get it up the conveyor. Now,
“Products cured with Turbosteam are mostly dry-cast the aggregate gets thoroughly heated within three minutes.”
products, because the producers need the concrete surface to —Polarmatic Oy, www.polarmatic.com
stay moist,” says Niemi. Because Turbosteam circulates
carbon dioxide within the curing chambers, it helps to
increase the initial strength of the concrete and therefore Canadian Concrete Expo 2020
allows faster curing times. More information on Polarmatic and other curing
technologies will be available at the Canadian Concrete
Customer-Based Solutions Expo (CCE), to be held January 22-23, 2020, at The
M CON Pipe & Products Inc., Ayr, ON, Canada, uses International Centre in Mississauga, ON, Canada. The
Polarmatic technology in their plant near Ottawa (Fig. 1). The CCE will also include 26 conference sessions, several
company purchased a Polarmatic TURBOMATIC-1500 equipment demonstrations, and stage presentations.
thermal-energy unit in 2013. “We had looked at other Further, special networking events are soon to be
solutions for aggregate heating, but the cost and capabilities announced. The International Centre is conveniently
made much more sense for us to go with Polarmatic,” says located near Toronto Pearson International Airport, more
Steve Galloway, M CON’s Plant Superintendent. In addition than 40 hotels, and commuter-rail service to downtown
to heating aggregate, M CON uses the thermal energy unit for Toronto.
curing concrete, heating mixing water, and heating its To inquire about attending, exhibiting at the event,
buildings. or becoming a sponsor of the CCE, visit https://
At the time of the purchase, M CON had two functioning canadianconcreteexpo.com/contact-us/.
steam-curing machines that each had life expectancies of

Get Connected with ACI

Visit www.concrete.org
www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 49
New ACI 318-19 Now Available
The newest edition of ACI’s 318 Building
Code Requirements for Structural Concrete
and Commentary is now available. The
latest edition includes new and updated
code provisions along with updated color
illustrations for added clarity.

FIND AN ACI 318-19 SEMINAR NEAR YOU

Learn more about the latest edition of ACI 318 by attending
the public seminar “ACI 318-19: Changes to the Concrete
Design Standard.” Visit concrete.org/ACI318 for a complete
list of dates and locations and register today!
Products&PracticeSpotlight

Floating Dry Dock Repaired

at Sea
Concrete hull treated with Alchemco’s TechCrete 2500 system

T
he Peleke Nui, the largest concrete floating dry dock the issue quickly and minimize downtime. The solution was to
ever built in Southeast Asia, was commissioned by use a heavy lift vessel to extract the dry dock from the water,
U.S. company Marisco Ltd. and launched by make the repairs, and return the dock to operational status as
Singapore-based marine engineering company GL
Engineering & Construction Pte. Ltd. Built in Batam,
Indonesia, the dry dock cost $12 million USD and is currently
in use for the construction, maintenance, and repair of
commercial ships and naval craft, serving international clients
from the owner’s base in Hawaii.
Weighing 16,500 tons (15,000 tonnes), the dry dock can lift
ships up to 10,500 tons (9500 tonnes) and provides a clear
working space of 118 ft (36 m) between its wing walls. The
dry dock structure comprises a concrete pontoon and steel
wing walls. The concrete pontoon is 14 ft (4.3 m) tall, 451 ft
(138 m) long, and 151 ft (46 m) wide. The steel wing walls
are 49 ft (15 m) tall.
Supported by over 500 local laborers and an international
team of designers, consultants, and engineering experts, Peleke Nui dry dock onboard a heavy lift vessel
construction of the dry dock spanned over 13 months, starting
in March 2016. The construction process comprised the
placing of reinforcing bars, post-tensioning ducts, and
concrete to fabricate the concrete base slab for the pontoon;
installing precast concrete silos, interconnecting fin walls, and
precast concrete planks to form a honeycomb interior for the
pontoon; placing a concrete topping course over the precast
planks; tensioning the post-tensioning tendons; and installing
the steel wing walls. After construction was completed, 120
airbags were laid to lift the structure for the eventual sea
launch. The dry dock was transported to Hawaii on a heavy
lift carrier and was put into service in mid-May 2017.

Leaks Detected and Treated

Shortly after putting the dry dock to sea, it was discovered
that the concrete hull was leaking. The dry dock’s schedule
was already committed to clients, so the owner had to resolve Project materials delivered at sea

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 51

Products&PracticeSpotlight

quickly as possible. The owner chose Alchemco’s TechCrete® form a calcium silicate gel complex. This complex is
technology as the solution. designed to fill pores, cracks, and capillaries and remain
The entire 33,000 ft2 (3065 m2) project—including reactive to provide long-term protection against moisture; and
cleaning and product application—was completed within •• Applied TechCrete Accelerating Agent, which is a
26 hours, using two crews of four members each working calcium acetate solution that increases the calcium
12-hour shifts around the clock. Mario Baggio, Alchemco’s content of the concrete to harden the surface and enhance
representative present on this project, said “the Marisco Ltd. the sealing of cracks.
maintenance team quickly realized the speed and ease of Between each step, the workers allowed the concrete
application, and did a great job applying the products.” The surface to dry, which took about 2 hours.
team members: “Alchemco’s environmentally friendly product lines allow
•• Pressure washed the hull, which took roughly 5 hours; applicators to waterproof projects without fear of damaging
•• Applied TechCrete 2500 Waterproofing Agent, which is a the surrounding areas. In this case, the fact that TechCrete
sodium silicate solution designed to penetrate the concrete 2500 Waterproofing System is certified by UL for NSF/61
and increase concrete hardness, seal cracks up to 2 mm (Potable Water Safe), meant that this project could be done at
(78 mils) in width, and seal future cracks up to 0.4 mm sea, which met Marisco’s critical timeline,” Baggio explained.
(16 mils) in width; The project started at 9 a.m. on the first day and was
•• Applied fresh water to the treated surface to enable the completed before noon on the second day. Recent discussions
reaction of the agent with free calcium in the concrete to with the project manager confirmed no water leaks since

ACI PHYSICAL TESTING

OF CEMENT TRAINING VIDEO (EDPTCT13)
To supplement on-the-job training, ACI has developed the ACI Physical Testing of
Cement Training Video as a resource for new testers and a refresher for experienced
testers. The following tests are included:

ASTM C109 – Compressive Strength ASTM C191 – Vicat Time of Setting

ASTM C151 – Autoclave Expansion ASTM C204 – Blaine Fineness
ASTM C185 – Air Content ASTM C266 – Gillmore Time of Setting
ASTM C187 – Normal Consistency ASTM C1437 – Flow of Mortar

Additionally, the video includes a review of safety, equipment, and the laboratory
environment. Each chapter reviews the equipment specific to the ASTM test, the
test procedure to follow, and the calculation of the result. Helpful tips are provided
throughout to improve the technicians’ knowledge and technique.
Check out a preview clip on YouTube; search for “ACI testing cement training
preview.“

Details can be found at

www.concrete.org; search the
bookstore for “EDPTCT13.“

52 AUGUST 2019 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

 Products&PracticeSpotlight

the application. A video of the project is available at extremely happy with the performance,” Stewart said.
www.techcretesystem.com/videos. —Alchemco, www.alchemco.com
According to Michael Stewart, Production Superintendent
for Marisco Ltd., “The TechCrete 2500 Waterproofing System Project credits
did a fantastic job of solving our water seepage problem on Marisco Ltd. Maintenance Team, Applicator; and Mario Baggio,
the concrete pontoon section of the Peleke Nui floating dry Alchemco, On-Site Supervision.
dock. The spray-applied application was very fast, which
Acknowledgments
allowed us to resume operations in less than 2 days.”
Portions of the article “Southeast Asia’s Largest Concrete Floating Dry
“The dry dock has been in full-time operation since 2017
Dock Launched,” posted by Michelle Howard, May 11, 2017, were
without any additional water leaking incidents. The design life
excerpted with permission of www.marinelink.com.
of the concrete pontoon section is 200 years, which is why we
selected a proven, long-term waterproofing solution. We are Selected for reader interest by the editors.

Step 1: Job preparation began with pressure washing the concrete hull Step 2: TechCrete 2500 Waterproofing Agent is spray applied

Step 3: The “watering in” process Step 4: TechCrete Accelerating Agent is spray applied

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 53

 Become an
ACI Sustaining Member
support the concrete industry

 Technical and Industry Knowledge

»» Two free copies of the ACI Collection of Concrete Codes, Specifications,

and Practices
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displayed at the ACI World of Concrete exhibit to 55,000+ attendees

 Extras

»» View all the benefits of becoming an ACI Sustaining Member and sign up
today at www.concrete.org/membership
Products &
Practice
Terex Bid-Well 3600RC Remote Control Paver
The Terex® Bid-Well 3600RC offers enhanced safety
because its remote control allows users to operate the whole
machine, from the engine to the machine and carriage travel
speed, from the work area. It also provides the ability to
communicate with other team members. The 3600RC comes
standard with two Kohler PRO EFI 25 hp (18.6 kW) air-cooled
gasoline engines. With paving widths ranging from 8 to 86 ft
(2.4 to 26 m), it is capable of paving bridge decks and roads.
––Terex Bid-Well, www.terex.com/concrete

W.R. MEADOWS Air-Shield Aluminum Sheet Membrane

The Air-Shield™ Aluminum Sheet Membrane from W.R. MEADOWS
is a self-adhering system that provides a complete above-grade air, vapor,
and liquid moisture barrier. This roll-type product is nominally 40 mils
(1 mm) thick. It comprises aluminum bonded to specially modified asphalt
and can withstand an extended 12-month exposure time. Air-Shield
Aluminum Sheet Membrane will adhere to most primed surfaces when
installed at a minimum temperature of 40°F (4°C). It will not shrink, sag,
dry out, crack, or rot, and it remains flexible when surface mounted.
––W.R. MEADOWS, www.wrmeadows.com

TEI Rock Drills MMB326 Hydraulic

Drifter Rock Drill Attachment for
Brokk 300
The MMB326 hydraulic drifter rock drill
attachment from TEI Rock Drills is designed to be
coupled with the Brokk 300 demolition robot. The
attachment’s lightweight, compact TE326 drill head
can produce holes up to 3 in. (76 mm) in diameter
in concrete, rock, and compacted soil. At just under
30 in. (762 mm) long, the MMB326 delivers 200 ft-lb
(270 J) of impact energy at 3480 blows per minute.
The drill also produces 250 ft-lb (340 J) of torque
and reaches rotation speeds of up to 250 rpm. The
MMB326 has a 360-degree positioner for drilling
in a variety of positions, can be used with a manual
centralizer for rock drilling or with a hydraulic
clamp for extension drilling and roof bolting, and is
available in 5.9 or 7.8 ft (1.8 or 2.4 m) mast lengths.
––TEI Rock Drills, www.teirockdrills.com
––Brokk, www.brokk.com

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 55

Products & Practice
Leica Lino Laser Series
The Lino series of cross-line and point-line lasers from Leica
Geosystems were created to ensure outstanding laser visibility. The
new green laser diodes are up to four times more visible, so users can
work efficiently even in very bright ambient conditions. These lasers
connect to precision-made adapters by strong magnets. The rotating
TWIST adapters can be set up on edges and profiles or fixed to tubes
and rails. The lasers are infinitely adjustable in height, thanks to
the setting wheel on the magnetic wall bracket. The optics of these
lasers are protected by a high-grade aluminium frame and impact-
absorbing rubber components. The Lino series lasers can be operated
with lithium-ion rechargeable or alkaline batteries, or they can be
connected directly to a power supply.
––Leica Geosystems, www.leica-geosystems.com

Scale-Tron High Pressure Washout

Scale-Tron’s High Pressure Washout can be used with ribbon, twin-shaft, planetary, pan, or rotating-pan mixers. It
offers fully automatic end-of-shift cleaning that eliminates the need for manual cleanup and can save up to half an hour
of labor in every shift. The product is available with a self-install kit that includes a comprehensive instruction manual.
Once mounted inside a mixer, the High Pressure Washout’s nozzles spray in a hemispherical pattern to thoroughly clean
the mixer. The system also comes with a hand-operated gun that can be used to clean buckets, hoppers, and chutes.
––Scale-Tron, www.scaletron.com

Sherwin-Williams LOXON Self-Cleaning Acrylic Coating in

Satin Finish
Specifically engineered for exterior, above-grade masonry, LOXON® Self-Cleaning
Acrylic Coating from Sherwin-Williams is now offered in a satin finish. This coating
extends the lifetime of concrete and masonry while providing a clean look. Its self-
cleaning formula sheds dirt upon contact with water. It provides advanced durability,
defends against wind-driven rain, and inhibits the growth of mildew on the surface of the
coating. This coating can be applied to either bare or previously coated concrete without
the need for priming.
––Sherwin-Williams, www.sherwin-williams.com

Continental ContiPressureCheck
ContiPressureCheck™ by Continental—available on the Geotab Marketplace—was designed to reduce maintenance
costs, minimize fuel consumption, and improve safety for commercial fleets. The ContiPressureCheck tire pressure
monitoring system (TPMS) uses sensors mounted inside the tire to capture accurate temperature and pressure data in
real time. Data are transmitted through Geotab’s GO device, and real-time alerts become available to the driver in the
MyGeotab app. Multiple levels of low-pressure alerts are provided to reflect the severity of the issue and help determine
the appropriate course of action.
––Continental, www.continental-truck.com
––Geotab Marketplace, https://marketplace.geotab.com

56 AUGUST 2019 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

 Products & Practice
Mallard Creek Polymers Acrylic Emulsion Admixtures
Mallard Creek Polymers offers two all-acrylic emulsion admixtures: Rovene® 403 and Rovene® 6023. Both are designed for
use in hydraulic cementitious mixtures and can be used in decorative concrete overlays, repair mixtures, base coats in exterior
insulation and finish systems, and mortars. Added to portland cement mixtures, they can increase adhesion to most substrates,
improve water resistance, and increase flexural strength. Both products should be used with an antifoaming agent to avoid high
air content in the mixture. Rovene 403 can be used where a low-odor application is required.
––Mallard Creek Polymers, www.mcpolymers.com

Book Notes
Concrete-Filled Stainless Steel Tubular Columns
by Vipulkumar Patel, Qing Quan Liang, and Muhammad Hadi
This book, written for practicing structural and civil engineers, discusses the latest computational techniques and
design methods for concrete-filled stainless steel tube (CFSST) columns. CFSST columns are increasingly used in modern
composite construction due to their high strength, high ductility, high corrosion resistance, high durability, aesthetics, and
ease of maintenance. This book presents computational models for the nonlinear inelastic analysis and design of CFSST
short and slender columns under axial load and biaxial bending. It describes the mathematical formulations, computational
procedures, and model verifications for circular and rectangular CFSST short and slender columns. The behavior of
CFSST columns under various loading conditions is demonstrated by numerous numerical examples.
$109.95 (hardback); 132 pp.; ISBN 9781138543669
––CRC Press, www.crcpress.com

Products&Service
Literature&Videos
The Real Value of Resilient Construction
by the Portland Cement Association
This 22-page document examines what resilience is, why it’s necessary, and how it can be achieved. It compares a variety
of structural systems as well as building costs for different concrete structural systems. It also discusses maintenance costs in
relation to durability and the money savings of hazard-resistant designs. The document is available in PDF format, and it can
be viewed or downloaded at www.cement.org/docs/default-source/resiliency-2019/rvrc_report_final.pdf.
––Portland Cement Association, www.cement.org

Web Notes
Humboldt Website Redesign
Humboldt updated their company website. The update makes it easier for users to find products and information, and
it includes a new homepage with direct-click links to product categories. The new homepage features a News and Events
area to keep users up to date on company news and trade show attendance. The Support page was also redesigned; it now
provides all support and information for Humboldt products in one place. Users can search for a part number and get all
the information available for that product, including data sheets, manuals, videos, and help articles. 
––Humboldt, www.humboldtmfg.com

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 57

Product
Showcase
Curing Technologies
PNA HydraCure Covers
HydraCure™ covers optimize hydration during concrete
curing to ensure uniform concrete flatwork. These covers
can be used on paving projects and slabs, whether indoors
or outdoors. They comprise inorganic materials—
nonwoven fabrics coated with a polyethylene film—that
maintain a 100% humidity condition below the cover. The
polyethylene film is UV-resistant and reflects sunlight to
prevent heat buildup. Available as single-use (HydraCure
S16) or multiuse (HydraCure M5), these covers will leave a
project stain- and residue-free while increasing concrete
strength and durability and reducing cracking, crazing,
scaling, dusting, and pop-outs.
ChemMasters Polyseal EZ Shield ––PNA Construction Technologies, www.pna-inc.com
Polyseal™ EZ Shield™ from ChemMasters is a
nonyellowing acrylic curing and sealing compound with a
penetrating silane shield for beautification and protection of
decorative concrete. It may be used on decorative concrete
finishes, including stamped and exposed-aggregate concrete.
The product provides protection from fertilizers, salts, grease,
oil, stains, alkalis, and mild acids while minimizing spalling
due to freezing-and-thawing cycles and deicing chemicals.
Polyseal EZ Shield forms a clear, protective, UV-stable
coating that meets ASTM C309 curing efficiency specifications.
The compound is formulated to prevent the formation of
bubbles, ensuring maximum user-friendliness during
application under a wide variety of environmental conditions.
The silane component does not detract from clarity, gloss, or
color development.
––ChemMasters, Inc., www.chemmasters.net

AOMS Technologies LumiCon Concrete

Sensors
LumiCon™ wireless concrete sensors sync with the
Allen PRO430E Edger Walk-Behind Trowel
The PRO430E Edger Walk-Behind Trowel features a
cloud to provide real-time data on temperature, maturity,
unique rotating edge ring that can trowel along the edges of
strength, humidity, and evaporation rate through any
walls or around protruding pipe and conduit. The spinning
device connected to the internet. To install, sensor
edge ring allows finishing within 5/16 in. (8 mm) of walls or
cables must be tied to reinforcing bars. Sensor cables
pipes. The trowel is powered by a CH270 7 hp (5.2 kW)
are then plugged into the transmitter node for
Kohler gasoline engine. Two handle styles are offered—one
monitoring. After monitoring is complete, the transmitter
with fine blade pitch adjustment using a twist action and one
node may be recovered for reuse. LumiCon sensors are
with a rapid blade pitch control using a lever action. A
used to monitor mass concrete, rapid-curing concrete,
heavy-duty pick point allows the trowel to be placed on a
and hot- and cold-weather concrete placements.
jobsite. This trowel will easily fit through standard doorways.
––AOMS Technologies, www.aoms-tech.com
––Allen Engineering Corporation, www.alleneng.com

58 AUGUST 2019 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

 Product Showcase

Euclid Super Diamond Clear VOX

Super Diamond Clear VOX is a water-based,
nonyellowing, acrylic curing and sealing compound with
VOC content below 100 g/L (13.4 oz/gal.). This product
complies with ASTM C309 and ASTM C1315. It can be used
to cure freshly placed interior or exterior concrete, with a first
coat covering 200 to 300 ft2/gal. (4.9 to 7.4 m2/L). It can also
be used on existing concrete, giving the surface a glossy
appearance and a protective seal. Certificates of compliance
with California Department of Public Health Standard Method
v1.2 verify that the product is a low-emitting material and can
help earn LEED v4 EQ Credit: Low-Emitting Materials. The
compound is available in 1, 5, or 55 gal. (3.8, 18.9, or 208 L)
units.
––Euclid Chemical Company, www.euclidchemical.com

Kaufman Krystal ReFresh OTC

Krystal ReFresh OTC can be used to cure and seal new concrete, as well as to reseal
old concrete that has lost its luster. It provides a glossy wet look while remaining
breathable. It is engineered with proprietary defoaming agents to prevent bubbles and with
a solvent blend for easy application. A high-gloss, all-acrylic, nonyellowing resin with a
slow evaporation rate, Krystal ReFresh protects from deicing salts, oils, dirt, and grease
and meets EPA, LADCO, and OTC VOC content laws. It may be mixed with Kaufman’s
SureGrip to add skid resistance to concrete floors, patios, and swimming pool decks.
––Kaufman Products, Inc., www.kaufmanproducts.net

Global • Certificate programs and online webinars.

• Hundreds of on-demand courses
available 24/7 .

Online • Topics include concrete materials, design,

construction, and MORE.

Learning Resource
www.ACIUniversity.com

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 59

Industry
Focus
Minnich Manufacturing Expands Distribution Chuck Cardwell as the Managing Director for the firm’s
in Canada Structures Group, which encompasses structural engineering,
Minnich Manufacturing, a manufacturer of concrete dowel enclosure engineering, construction engineering, secure
pin drills, concrete vibrators, and vibrator monitoring systems, design, and parking consulting.
expanded its distribution in eastern Canada through the
authorized distributor Montreal Tractor Inc. and its sister TDOT Turns to PlanGrid to Boost Productivity
company HMA Equipment. Montreal Tractor Inc. has been a The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has
Minnich distributor since 2015, serving the provinces of begun requiring all prime contractors on its state infrastructure
Ontario and Québec. Going forward, Montreal Tractor and projects, such as the reconstruction of Interstate 440 (I-440) in
HMA Equipment will offer sales, service, and exchange of Nashville, TN, to use PlanGrid’s construction productivity
Minnich equipment within the provinces of Ontario, Québec, software. This adoption represents TDOT’s push toward
Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, broader technology use and away from paper-based processes.
and Prince Edward Island. Headquartered in Montreal, QC, PlanGrid allows any changes to drawings to be instantly
Montreal Tractor opened HMA Equipment in Toronto in 2013. pushed to every relevant team member across a project, and
all construction information is accessible through the
Colorado State University Expands software, which can be accessed on smart mobile devices and
Curriculum with Trimble with a web browser. Once construction has started, plans sync
Trimble awarded an in-kind gift to the Department of even if field workers are in an environment where there is no
Construction Management at Colorado State University connectivity and devices are offline. PlanGrid also has a
(CSU). This gift included Trimble Field Link and Rapid feature that assigns GPS coordinates to specific drawing
Positioning Systems, laser scanner, unmanned aircraft system, details, which allows field workers to know exactly what to
and surveying systems, and Global Navigation Satellite build and where. The digital trail of data available in PlanGrid
System (GNSS) receivers for the department’s labs. Also also allows general contractors to provide the required
gifted were a number of Trimble’s software packages, transparency to government officials while reducing
including the three-dimensional (3-D) modeling software miscommunication and the potential for rework.
SketchUp Pro and MEP software such as AutoBid SheetMetal.
Potential applications of these technologies include scanning Topcon Announces Advanced Concrete
historic and other buildings to ensure preservation and plan Application Workflows
future renovations; designing and 3-D printing architectural Topcon Positioning Group announced a workflow bundle
building models; surveying and layout; and improving designed to modernize concrete floor flatness and levelness
construction estimating and scheduling to reduce costs.  (FFL) applications. A new ClearEdge3D development and
sales partnership with Rithm, a software company focused on
Microdesk Celebrates 25 Years 3-D laser-scanning software, is advancing the Topcon
Microdesk, a global AECO consulting firm, is celebrating concrete application offering with a new hardware and
its milestone 25th anniversary this year. Over the last 25 years, software bundle option. Implementing Rithm on projects for
Microdesk has grown from a two-person New England wet or dry concrete scanning allows for FFL analysis directly
reseller—focused on design and GIS solutions from Autodesk, from scan data loaded into the Autodesk Navisworks software.
Softdesk, and ESRI—to a global BIM consulting firm Operators can find floor flatness and levelness mistakes in
addressing all aspects of design, construction, and operations near real-time from scan to finish. The data Rithm provides
with a mandate to assist the industry with meeting the allow project teams to easily visualize high and low areas with
challenges of globalization, urbanization, and sustainability. elevation and deviation heat maps and contour maps.
Microdesk now has 13 offices and 300 employees across the
United States and the United Kingdom. The company will be Midwestern Industries Expands Materials
celebrating its 25th anniversary throughout the year. Testing Lab
Midwestern Industries, Inc., of Massillon, OH, expanded
Walter P Moore Opens New Office in its full-scale screening test facility capabilities for customers.
Charlotte, NC Comprising over 10,000 ft2 (930 m2) of Midwestern’s
International engineering firm Walter P Moore opened its manufacturing headquarters, the Midwestern Materials
20th U.S. office in Charlotte, NC. The Charlotte office Testing Lab is a facility that allows end-users to gain
officially opened on May 6, 2019. The firm also appointed quantitative data in their screening processes by running

60 AUGUST 2019 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

 Industry Focus

real-time, full-scale materials tests for new applications, as •• Serena Smith, daughter of Brian Smith, Regional Counsel,
well as improving on existing ones. Michigan; and
Midwestern provides this testing at no charge other than •• Jessica Tardich, daughter of Michael Tardich, Cement
the cost of sending in a 55 gal. (66 L) drum of material to be Market Manager, North Central Cement Sales Group,
test screened or separated. After the material is tested, results Michigan.
are quickly provided about which machine performs best and
how efficiently it can run a material. Structural Group Becomes STRUCTURAL
A staff of Midwestern screening professionals works with TECHNOLOGIES
clients to make sure the desired piece of equipment will Structural Group, the corporate brand name representing
function as intended to satisfy screening goals. Feasibility STRUCTURAL TECHNOLOGIES, STRUCTURAL, and
tests are done on all types of major machines (round, PULLMAN, changed its name. The corporate brand
rectangular, and others) by running samples of aggregates and representing all three companies will now be STRUCTURAL
fine powders from 20 microns and up. Product batches and TECHNOLOGIES. This change reflects the company’s
tests on bulk-bag quantities are also run to see if screening progress in achieving its mission and vision of “providing
will meet the standards set forth by the end-user. technology-driven solutions that make structures stronger and
A brief overview of the Midwestern Materials Testing Lab last longer.” The STRUCTURAL TECHNOLOGIES
can be viewed on YouTube at http://youtu.be/hou_CtU8x-c. companies combine repair and maintenance services,
engineered products, and engineering support services.
LafargeHolcim Announces Scholarship With this change in branding, the company has also
Recipients enhanced its websites: www.structuraltechnologies.com,
LafargeHolcim announced the eight recipients of the 36th www.structural.net, and www.pullman-services.com.
Annual Gygi and von Wyss Foundation Scholarship. The
scholarship was originally established in 1983 to recognize CEMEX Supplies Largest-Ever Los Angeles
the accomplishments of the children of Holcim employees. Bridge
Since then, the scholarship program has been expanded to CEMEX USA is providing concrete and thousands of tons
include children of employees of all LafargeHolcim of aggregate for the largest bridge project in the history of
companies in the United States. The award honors the Los Angeles, CA: the replacement of the iconic Sixth Street
memories of Hans Gygi and Marc R. von Wyss, two former Viaduct Bridge. The original 3500 ft (1070 m) bridge, which
leaders of Holcim and its predecessor companies. has served as a backdrop in several feature films, was built in
Each winner will receive a financial scholarship worth 1932 as a transportation link across the Los Angeles River to
$6000 for the 2019-2020 academic year and will be eligible to connect Boyle Heights with the Arts District. Over the years,
continue receiving the scholarship for an additional 3 years the structure has deteriorated, leading to several repairs and
based on continuous academic performance. Since the now replacement.
foundation began 35 years ago, more than 100 young adults CEMEX is expected to supply 45,000 yd3 (34,400 m3) of
have received the Gygi and von Wyss Foundation ready mixed concrete for the project, including 6300 yd3
Scholarship. (4800 m3) of a specialized self-consolidating mixture that was
This year’s recipients include: developed to fit the bridge’s design specifications and
•• Catherine Gerst, daughter of Jocelyn Gerst, Vice President standards required by the California Department of
U.S. Marketing & Communications, Illinois; Transportation (Caltrans). CEMEX is also supplying fiber-
•• Margaret Hope, daughter of Randy Hope, ITSM reinforced concrete for the structure and bridge deck.
Operations Analyst, North American IT Services, The new viaduct will have 10 pairs of lit arches along with
Minnesota; stairway access and bike ramps.
•• Colton Jackson, son of Ronald Jackson, RMX Plant Batch
Operator, Texas; Arcosa Acquires ACG Materials
•• Annika Olsen, daughter of Lisa Olsen, Regional Counsel, Arcosa, Inc., a provider of infrastructure-related products
Michigan; and solutions, completed the acquisition of ACG Materials, a
•• Morgan Powell, daughter of Dustin Powell, Cement producer of specialty materials and aggregates. The purchase
Market Manager, Midwest Cement Sales Group, Iowa; price of approximately $315 million was funded with a
•• Bronson Sloan, son of Rodney Sloan, Cement Terminal combination of cash on hand and $180 million borrowed
Manager, Theodore Cement Terminal, Alabama; under Arcosa’s $400 million 5-year credit facility.

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 61

Calls for
Papers
Testing and Inspection of Offshore and Marine and available as electronic files on the ACI website and may
Structures be used in ACI educational and promotional materials.
Meeting: Technical session on “Testing and Inspection of Exceptional images may merit placement on the cover of
Offshore and Marine Structures” at The ACI Concrete Concrete International.
Convention and Exposition – Fall 2020, October 25-29, 2020, Solicited: Image and brief description of notable concrete
in Raleigh, NC; sponsored by ACI Committee 357, Offshore (including cast-in-place, precast, post-tensioned, masonry, and
and Marine Concrete Structures. tilt-up) in all types of uses—buildings, monuments, pavement,
Solicited: Offshore and marine structures present special silos, bridges, crypts, furniture, retaining walls, utility poles,
testing and inspection challenges due to their difficult tanks, sculpture, culverts, plazas, and whatever else has
accessibility and lack of visibility below water. This session caught your attention. Significance may be historical,
would highlight various conventional and emerging aesthetic, sustainable, functional, structural, construction-
techniques that can be used for offshore and marine structures. related, unusual use or application, or simply personal
Potential topics for the session include, but are not limited to, affection.
special challenges associated with the testing and inspection Requirements: 1) project name and location, including
of offshore and marine structures, testing and inspection postal code; 2) image (photograph, drawing, or sketch) that is
during construction, QA/QC of offshore and marine structures, not copyrighted; 3) brief description that establishes
testing and inspection of in-service offshore and marine significance and lists credits; and 4) submitter’s name, title,
structures, conventional testing and inspection techniques for organization, city, province or state, telephone, and e-mail
offshore and marine structures, and emerging testing and address. Submit all information in electronic format: image as
inspection techniques for offshore and marine structures. JPG or TIF file at least 1 MB (but no more than 4 MB); text in
Requirements: 1) paper title; 2) author/speaker name(s), e-mail or as MS Word document (120 words maximum). No
title, organization, and contact information; and 3) an abstract PDF files, please.
not exceeding 300 words. Deadline: Materials are due by November 1, 2019.
Deadlines: Abstracts are due by August 15, 2019; authors Send to: Michael J. Paul, Larsen & Landis, 11 W.
will be notified of the acceptance by October 15, 2019. Thompson St., Philadelphia, PA 19125, [email protected].
Send to: Mohammad S. Khan, High Performance
Technologies, Inc. (HPTech), email: [email protected]. Undergraduate Research on Concrete Materials,
Structural Design, or Construction
UHPC and Emerging Concrete Meeting: Technical session on “Undergraduate Research
Meeting: BEI International Symposium on UHPC and on Concrete Materials, Structural Design, or Construction”
Emerging Concrete (BEI‐UHPC), June 22-25, 2020, National during The ACI Concrete Convention and Exposition – Spring
University of Singapore, Singapore. 2020, March 29-April 2, 2020, Chicago/Rosemont, IL;
Solicited: The main theme of BEI‐UHPC is “Advances in cosponsored by ACI Committee S805, Collegiate Concrete
Concrete Engineering.” The technical program will comprise Council, and the ACI Student and Young Professional
plenary lectures, parallel sessions, and exhibitions Activities Committee.
concerning ultra‐high-performance concrete (UHPC) and Solicited: Undergraduate students are invited to submit
emerging concrete. an abstract describing their concrete-related research.
Requirements: Visit www.beibridge.org for more information. Research described in an abstract should be work
Deadline: Abstracts are due by October 31, 2019. conducted predominately by undergraduate students.
Contact: Conference Secretariat Yongcheng Ji, e-mail: Presentations are to be made by undergraduate students.
[email protected]. Graduate students who conducted research while an
undergraduate are also welcome to submit an abstract.
Notable Concrete in Greater Chicago
Document: Compendium of notable concrete in the
Chicago, IL, metropolitan area for e-publication at The ACI Calls for Papers: Submission Guidelines
Calls for papers should be submitted no later than 3 months prior to the
Concrete Convention and Exposition – Spring 2020, March
deadline for abstracts. Please send meeting information, papers/presentations
29-April 2, 2020, Rosemont, IL; compiled by ACI Committee being solicited, abstract requirements, and deadline, along with full contact
124, Concrete Aesthetics. The document also will be available information to: Keith A. Tosolt, Managing Editor, Concrete International,
38800 Country Club Drive, Farmington Hills, MI 48331; e-mail: keith.tosolt@
as an electronic file on the ACI website and may be excerpted
concrete.org. Visit www.callforpapers.concrete.org for more information.
in Concrete International. Images submitted may be stored

62 AUGUST 2019 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

 Calls for Papers

Presentations on concrete materials, structural design, Deadline: Abstracts are due by April 30, 2020.
construction, or other concrete-related issues are all Contact: Direct questions to Valentina Trinchese, Italy
welcome. A Special Publication is planned. Chapter – ACI Secretary, [email protected].
Requirements: Submit the following in a single PDF
document: 1) presentation title; 2) abstract of no more than Recent Advances in Concrete Technology and
one‐half page; 3) presenter’s first and last name, title if any, Sustainability Issues
affiliation, mailing address, phone, and e-mail; 4) each Meeting: Fifteenth International Conference on Recent
co‐author’s first and last name, title if any, affiliation, Advances in Concrete Technology and Sustainability Issues,
mailing address, phone, and e-mail; 5) research faculty November 3-5, 2021, Milan, Italy; organized by the Italy
advisor’s first and last name, title if any, affiliation, mailing Chapter – ACI and sponsored by ACI.
address, phone, and e-mail; 6) a statement by the research Solicited: Original papers are invited to be presented at the
faculty advisor confirming that the research was conducted conference and to be included in the refereed proceedings.
predominately by the undergraduate student(s); and 7) a Papers on current research will be accepted for presentation
statement by the research faculty advisor confirming that and inclusion in a volume of supplementary papers. Papers on
the presenter will be able to attend the convention in research that has just started can be presented as posters.
Rosemont, IL. Conference topics will include sustainability issues and
Deadline: Abstracts are due by November 31, 2019. carbon dioxide emissions; carbon dioxide emissions reduction
Send to: Bjorn Erik Vors, University of Saskatchewan, 57 in the manufacturing of portland cement; durability and
Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5A9, Canada; e-mail: corrosion; service-life prediction and life-cycle analysis;
[email protected]. recycled and artificial aggregates; porous concretes and
no-fines concretes; polymer and polymer-modified concretes;
Superplasticizers and Other Chemical innovative and alternative test methods for concrete;
Admixtures in Concrete alternative binders to portland cement; alkali-activated
Meeting: Thirteenth International Conference on materials and geopolymers; new concrete coating materials;
Superplasticizers and Other Chemical Admixtures in use of industrial/agriculture by-products for building
Concrete, November 1-3, 2021, Milan, Italy; organized by the materials; shrinkage-compensating concretes; shotcrete; new
Italy Chapter – ACI and sponsored by ACI. reinforcement for concrete; high-performance concretes;
Solicited: Original papers are invited to be presented at the high-density concretes; underwater concreting; concretes in
conference and to be included in the refereed proceedings. marine environment; and self-curing concretes. The
Papers on current research will be accepted for presentation conference proceedings will be published as an ACI Special
and inclusion in a volume of supplementary papers. Papers on Publication (SCOPUS indexed).
research that has just started can be presented as posters. Requirements: 1) author name(s), affiliations, and mailing
Conference topics will include chemistry of superplasticizers, address; 2) if more than one author, indicate who will be the
also known as high-range water-reducing admixtures corresponding author; and 3) abstract with a maximum length
(HRWRAs); HRWRA compatibility with cements, blended of 300 words, submitted to http://www.aciitaly.com/events/
cements, and aggregates; compatibility issues involving ractsi2021/.
HRWRAs and other chemical admixtures; development and Deadline: Abstracts are due by April 30, 2020.
applications of other chemical admixtures; viscosity Contact: Direct questions to Valentina Trinchese, Italy
modifying for new binders; corrosion inhibitors; shrinkage- Chapter – ACI Secretary, [email protected].
reducing admixtures; expansive admixtures; polymers in
concretes; chemical admixtures for ready mixed mortars and
precast concretes; testing methods and standard advancement;
chemical admixtures and sustainable development; and case
histories. The conference proceedings will be published as an
Advertise in Ci
ACI Special Publication (SCOPUS indexed). For more information, contact
Requirements: 1) author name(s), affiliations, and mailing
address; 2) if more than one author, indicate who will be the
Jeff Rhodes, VP Sales
corresponding author; and 3) abstract with a maximum length E-mail: [email protected]
of 300 words, submitted to http://www.aciitaly.com/events/
MCI USA: +1.410.584.8487
socac2021/.

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 63

On the
Move
ACI member Sulapha Peethamparan as a member on various ACI committees
was promoted from Associate Professor and is past Chair of ACI Committees 355,
to Professor of Civil & Environmental Anchorage to Concrete, and 533, Precast
Engineering at Clarkson University, Panels. He recently celebrated 40 years as
Potsdam, NY. Previously, Peethamparan an employee of Wiss, Janney, Elstner
was a postdoctoral scholar at Princeton Associates, Inc. (WJE), and as a part-time
University, Princeton, NJ, in the WJE employee he continues to co-teach a
Department of Civil and Environmental structural design course at Purdue
Peethamparan Engineering. Peethamparan’s research Meinheit University, West Lafayette, IN.
expertise is in the development,
characterization, performance evaluation, and modeling of The Structural Engineers Association
cement-based materials, with a primary focus on developing of Illinois (SEAOI) presented its SEAOI
sustainable infrastructural materials. She is an Associate Service Award to David A. Fanella,
Editor for the ASCE Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering FACI, Senior Director of Engineering at
and Chair of ACI Committee 123, Research and Current the Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute
Developments. She received her bachelor of technology (CRSI). This award is given to a
degree from Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, India; distinguished individual whose
her master of engineering from the National University of involvement in design, construction,
Singapore; her MS from the Indian Institute of Technology Fanella education, or business has made a
Madras, Chennai, India; and her PhD in civil engineering from significant contribution to the
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN. advancement and recognition of the role of structural
engineers. Fanella has 30 years of experience in the design of
Dene Cook, Division Technical Manager of Firth a wide variety of buildings and other structures. He has
Industries, became Chair of the Concrete NZ Board, replacing authored numerous technical publications and recently
Holcim New Zealand’s Glenda Harvey, who had been authored a textbook on reinforced concrete design for
Concrete NZ Chair since the association was launched in McGraw-Hill. He is a member of several ACI committees and
August 2017. A structural engineer, Cook has over 30 years of received the 2014 ACI Alfred E. Lindau Award. In addition to
experience in the building and construction industry, having ACI, he is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil
worked as a Consultant Engineer with the Cement & Concrete Engineers (ASCE) and the Structural Engineering Institute
Association of New Zealand (CCANZ) and more recently (SEI). He is a licensed structural and professional engineer in
Firth Industries and Fletcher Building. Illinois and is a past Board Member and President of SEAOI.

Joe Champion was promoted to Subsidiary President by Michelle Ryland, a licensed Architect
ECS Florida, LLC. He is responsible for the leadership, and Structural Engineer with Klein &
financial management, business development, and training for Hoffman, is the 2019 recipient of the
seven of the firm’s offices across Florida and Georgia. Prior to Outstanding Young Engineer Award from
this appointment, he was the Branch Manager of the the Structural Engineers Association of
Jacksonville, FL, and Brunswick, GA, offices. He received his Illinois (SEAOI). The award is presented
BS in civil engineering from the University of North Florida, to a practicing structural engineer aged 35
Jacksonville, FL. He is a licensed professional engineer in or younger who is recognized by
Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. Ryland colleagues for his or her outstanding
achievements in structural engineering.
Honors and Awards Ryland is an active member of SEAOI. She serves as Co-Chair
Donald F. Meinheit, FACI, was presented with the 41st of the SEAOI Young Engineers Committee and was recently
annual John F. Parmer Award. The award is presented jointly nominated to serve on the SEAOI Board of Directors. She is
by the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois (SEAOI) also a delegate representative to the National Council of
and the Structural Engineers Foundation and is given to a Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA). Ryland received
structural engineer in recognition of outstanding lifelong her BS in architectural studies and her MArch in architecture,
contributions in the field of structural engineering. As an structures option, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-
active member of ACI for over 50 years, Meinheit has served Champaign, Urbana, IL, in 2011. (photo courtesy of Klein & Hoffman)

64 AUGUST 2019 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

What’s
New from
TECHNICAL DOCUMENTS ACI UNIVERSITY ONLINE COURSES
ACI 318-19: Building Code Requirements for On-Demand Course: An Introduction to Low-
Structural Concrete and Commentary Density Cellular Concrete and Advanced
The “Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete” Engineered Foam Technology: Not Just a
(“Code”) provides minimum requirements for the materials, Product—A Solution
design, and detailing of structural concrete buildings and, Learning Objectives:
where applicable, nonbuilding structures. 1. Discuss the history, definition, and properties of cellular
concrete.
ACI 562-19: Code Requirements for 2. Review mixture design requirements and testing
Assessment, Repair, and Rehabilitation of procedures.
Concrete Structures and Commentary 3. Introduce emerging technology, and how traditional cellular
ACI 562-19, “Code Requirements for Assessment, Repair, concrete technology is advancing to meet challenging
and Rehabilitation of Existing Concrete Structures,” was project parameters.
developed to provide design professionals a code for the 4. Explore typical applications and highlight some case
assessment of the damage and deterioration, and the design of studies.
appropriate repair and rehabilitation strategies. Continuing Education Credit: 0.1 CEU (1.0 PDH)

Concrete Craftsman Series

CCS-0(16) Concrete Fundamentals
This book is intended for anyone who wants an introduction to concrete and
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foreman, a material supplier, or even a young engineer without field
experience. Craftsmen in the concrete field may find it particularly useful as
a guide for good practice.
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The decorative concrete industry is growing fast and the standards of
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by providing knowledge of the materials, equipment, and techniques
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www.concrete.org
www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 65
Sinopsis en español

Cambios claves en la edición 2019 del Reglamento de Colocaciones de concreto expuestas a la lluvia
Construcción ACI (ACI 318-19)
Kozikowski, R.L.; Tarr, S.M.; Rowswell, K.; y Suprenant,
Moehle, J.P., Concrete International, V. 41, No. 8, agosto de B.A., Concrete International, V. 41, No. 8, agosto de 2019,
2019, pág. 21-27 pág. 41-47

El Comité 318 del ACI ha completado el trabajo técnico El concreto puede ser expuesto a la lluvia durante varias
para los “Requisitos del Reglamento de Construcción para etapas de la colocación. El estar preparado para un evento
el Concreto Estructural (ACI 318-19) y el Comentario (ACI de lluvia permite que el riesgo potencial sea manejado
318R-19).” Para el presente ciclo del reglamento, el comité efectivamente. El artículo aborda las propiedades dañinas de
se centró en cambios técnicos para mejorar la seguridad, las tormentas de lluvia y los potenciales tipos de daño que
economía y sostenibilidad, mientras que introduce nuevas puedan ocurrir. También proporciona opciones de protección
tecnologías e ideas para avances en la industria del concreto. situacionales para manejar colocaciones expuestas a la lluvia,
El artículo resume algunos de los cambios claves para el así como métodos de reparación que puedan ser utilizados si
reglamento ACI 318-19. daño superficial ocurre a pesar de las acciones de protección.

Medición del módulo de elasticidad del concreto Soluciones de curado basadas en aplicaciones

Mante, D.M., Concrete International, V. 41, No. 8, agosto Concrete International, V. 41, No. 8, agosto de 2019,
de 2019, pág. 28-33 pág. 48-49

Ya que más diseñadores especifican valores mínimos La selección de un método de curado para el concreto
requeridos para el módulo de elasticidad (Ec) del concreto, la depende del tipo de producto y de las condiciones climáticas
medición directa del Ec a menudo se justifica para confirmar locales. Polarmatic Oy de Tampere, Finlandia, proporciona
el cumplimiento a un módulo elástico especificado por el unidades de energía térmica para varias aplicaciones de
diseñador o para validar la suposición del diseño. El propósito curado, incluyendo aire calido y húmedo; agua caliente
de este artículo es proporcionar información general sobre el circulante; y Turbosteam. Una unidad Polarmatic es utilizada
Ec, un resumen de los procedimientos de prueba de la norma por un productor de concreto prefabricado en Canadá para
ASTM C469/C469M y una guía para ayudar a los operadores calentar agregados, curar concreto, calentar agua de mezcla y
a evitar errores comunes asociados con este método de la calefacción de sus edificios.
prueba.
Dique seco flotante reparado en el mar
La competencia de concreto ecológico
Concrete International, V. 41, No. 8, agosto de 2019,
Azarijafari, H.; Buffenbarger, J.K.; y Monkman, S., pág. 51-53
Concrete International, V. 41, No. 8, agosto de 2019,
pág. 35-39 El Peleke Nui, el dique flotante de concreto más grande jamás
construido en el sudeste asiático, sirve actualmente a clientes
El concurso de concreto ecológico fue propuesto por el internacionales desde la base del propietario en Hawaii.
Comité 130 del ACI en el 2014 con el objetivo de promover Poco después de poner el dique seco en el mar, se descubrió
el diseño de la mezcla como un aspecto importante de que el casco de concreto tenía fugas. El propietario eligió
la sostenibilidad del concreto. Las reglas exigen que los la tecnología TechCrete® de Alchemco como la solución de
estudiantes diseñen dos mezclas con la misma proporción de reparación.
aglutinante de agua (w/b) pero con componentes diferentes:
escenario de caso base (BCS por sus siglas en inglés) y
escenario de caso alternativo (ACS por sus siglas en inglés).
Los equipos son evaluados en base a comparaciones de los
impactos ambientales de las mezclas de BCS y ACS.

66 AUGUST 2019 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

Meetings
AUGUST OCTOBER
6-9 - NCMA 2019 Midyear Meeting, Seattle, WA 3-5 - National Precast Concrete Association (NPCA) 54th
www.ncma.org/event/midyear-meeting/ Annual Convention, Seattle, WA
www.precast.org/meetings/annual-convention
26-27 - 10th New York City Bridge Conference, New
York City, NY 7-10 - IASS FORM and FORCE 2019, Barcelona, Spain
www.bridgeengineer.org/2019-conference http://congress.cimne.com/formandforce2019

26-30 - 73rd RILEM Annual Week & International 10-12 - Concrete New Zealand Conference, Dunedin, New
Conference on Innovative Materials for Sustainable Civil Zealand
Engineering (IMSCE), Nanjing, China www.theconcreteconference.co.nz
www.rilemweek2019.org
10-13 - ASCE Convention, Miami, FL
SEPTEMBER www.asceconvention.org

4-6 - 2019 International Association for Bridge and 15-18 - 44th Annual Conference on Deep Foundations,
Structural Engineering (IABSE) Congress, New York Chicago, IL
City, NY www.dfi.org/dfieventlp.asp?13356
www.iabse2019.com 16-18 - Hardscape North America, Louisville, KY
8-11 - Concrete 2019, Sydney, Australia www.hardscapena.com
www.concrete2019.com.au

16-17 - PROTECT 2019: 7th International Colloquium NOVEMBER

on Performance, Protection & Strengthening of Structures 4-6 - American Segmental Bridge Institute (ASBI) 31st
Under Extreme Loading & Events, Whistler, BC, Canada Annual Convention and Committee Meetings, Lake Buena
www.protect2019.com Vista, FL
www.asbi-assoc.org/index.cfm/events/31st-annual-convention
16-20 - 15th International Congress on the Chemistry of
Cement (ICCC 2019), Prague, Czech Republic
www.iccc2019.org
THE ACI CONCRETE CONVENTION AND
19-22 - ASCC Annual Conference, Chicago/Itasca, IL EXPOSITION: FUTURE DATES
https://ascconline.site-ym.com/event/ac2019
2019 — October 20-24, Duke Energy Convention
25-28 - PCI Committee Days and National Bridge Center and Hyatt Regency Cincinnati
Conference, Rosemont, IL Cincinnati, OH
www.pci.org/committeedays
2020 — March 29-April 2, Hyatt Regency O’Hare
26-28 - International fib Symposium on Conceptual Chicago/Rosemont, IL
Design of Structures, Madrid, Spain
www.conceptualdesign2019.com
2020 — October 25-29, Raleigh Convention
Center and Raleigh Marriott
Raleigh, NC

For additional information, contact:

ACI Industry Events Calendar: Event Services, ACI, 38800 Country Club Drive,
For more information and a listing of additional upcoming events, Farmington Hills, MI 48331
visit www.concrete.org/events/eventscalendar.aspx. To submit Telephone: +1.248.848.3795
meeting information, e-mail Rebecca Emanuelsen, Editor, Concrete
International, at [email protected].
www.concrete.org/events/conventions.aspx

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 67

Public
Discussion
ACI draft standards open for public discussion that are being processed through ACI’s ANSI-approved standardization
procedures can be found at www.concrete.org/discussion. These are not yet official ACI standards.

Open for
Document number Title discussion Discussion closes
Code Requirements for Environmental Engineering Concrete
350 6/17/2019 8/1/2019
Structures and Commentary

Proposed Standards
Code Requirements for Environmental Engineering Concrete Structures (ACI 350) and
Commentary
The ACI Technical Activities Committee (TAC) approved processing the subject document through ACI’s Standardization
Procedure in July 2018 as did the ACI Standards Board in June 2019.
Therefore, this draft document was open for public discussion from June 10, 2019, until July 25, 2019. The document
appears on the ACI website, www.concrete.org/discussion.
Pertinent discussion will be available on ACI’s website and announced in a future issue of Concrete International if received
no later than July 25, 2019. Comments should be e-mailed to [email protected].

Public Discussion and Closure

Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete (318-19) and Commentary
The ACI Technical Activities Committee (TAC) approved the draft standard subject to satisfactory committee response to
TAC comments in October 2018. The committee responded adequately to TAC’s comments and all balloting rules were adhered
to. The Standards Board granted approval to release the draft standard for public discussion and to process it as an ACI
standard. Public discussion was announced on December 21, 2018 and closed on February 4, 2019. The committee responded to
the public discussion. TAC reviewed the closure and approved it on April 25, 2019. The Standards Board approved publication
of the ACI standard on May 3, 2019.
The public discussion and the committee’s response to the discussion are available on ACI’s website, www.concrete.org/
discussion.

Building Code Requirements for Concrete Thin Shells (ACI 318.2-19) and Commentary
The ACI Technical Activities Committee (TAC) approved the draft standard subject to satisfactory committee response to
TAC comments in October 2018. The committee responded adequately to TAC’s comments and all balloting rules were adhered
to. The Standards Board granted approval to release the draft standard for public discussion and to process it as an ACI
standard. Public discussion was announced on December 21, 2018 and closed on February 4, 2019. No public comments were
received. The Standards Board approved publication of the ACI standard in May, 2019.

Qualification of Post-Installed Mechanical Anchors in Concrete (ACI 355.2) and Commentary

The ACI Technical Activities Committee (TAC) approved the draft standard subject to satisfactory committee response to
TAC comments in March 2018. The committee responded adequately to TAC’s comments and all balloting rules were adhered
to. The Standards Board granted approval to release the draft standard for public discussion and to process it as an ACI
standard. Public discussion was announced on August 15, 2017 and closed on September 29, 2017. The committee responded to
the public discussion. TAC reviewed the closure and approved it on March 21, 2019. The Standards Board approved publication
of the ACI standard on April 8, 2019.
The public discussion and the committee’s response to the discussion are available on ACI’s website, www.concrete.org/
discussion.

68 AUGUST 2019 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

 Public Discussion

Construction Specification for Type EM (Epoxy Multi-Layer) Polymer Overlay for Bridge and
Parking Garage Decks (ACI 548.8)
The ACI Technical Activities Committee (TAC) approved the draft standard subject to satisfactory committee response to
TAC comments in October 2016. The committee responded adequately to TAC’s comments and all balloting rules were adhered
to. The Standards Board granted approval to release the draft standard for public discussion and to process it as an ACI
standard. Public discussion was announced on December 7, 2018 and closed on January 21, 2019. The committee responded to
the public discussion. TAC reviewed the closure and approved it on March 21, 2019. The Standards Board approved publication
of the ACI standard on March 29, 2019.
The public discussion and the committee’s response to the discussion are available on ACI’s website, www.concrete.org/
discussion.

Code Requirements for Evaluation, Repair, and Rehabilitation of Concrete Buildings (ACI 562-19)
and Commentary
The ACI Technical Activities Committee (TAC) approved the draft standard subject to satisfactory committee response to
TAC comments in October 2018. The committee responded adequately to TAC’s comments and all balloting rules were adhered
to. The Standards Board granted approval to release the draft standard for public discussion and to process it as an ACI
standard. Public discussion was announced on December 7, 2018 and closed on January 21, 2019. The committee responded to
the public discussion. TAC reviewed the closure and approved it on April 23, 2019. The Standards Board approved publication
of the ACI standard on May 1, 2019.
The public discussion and the committee’s response to the discussion are available on ACI’s website, www.concrete.org/
discussion.

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REINFORCED POLYMERS
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www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 69

Advertiser
Index
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Visit the Product & Service Guide at www.concrete.org/

publications/concreteinternational/ciproductguide.aspx

70 AUGUST 2019 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

Concrete
Q&A
Designing Beams in Mat
Foundation
Q.
Section 18.13.3.3 of ACI 318-141 states: “Grade foundation. In instances where the webs, ribs, or grade beam
beams and beams that are part of a mat elements are designed to resist flexural stresses by column
foundation subjected to flexure from columns that moments, these elements are to be designed similarly to
are part of the seismic-force-resisting system shall be in beams in a moment frame.
accordance with 18.6.” Section 18.6 applies to “beams of
special moment frames that form part of the seismic-force- References
resisting system and are proportioned primarily to resist 1. ACI Committee 318, “Building Code Requirements for Structural
flexure and shear.” Because a mat foundation is a flexural Concrete (ACI 318-14) and Commentary (ACI 318R-14),” American
member, does this clause mean that a solid mat needs to be Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 2014, 519 pp.
detailed like a special moment frame? In other words, what 2. ACI Committee 318, “Building Code Requirements for Structural
are “beams that are part of a mat foundation”? Concrete (ACI 318-19) and Commentary (ACI 318R-19),” American
Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 2019, 623 pp.

A.
Section 18.13.3.3 in ACI 318-14 and Section 3. ACI Committee 336, “Suggested Analysis and Design Procedures
18.13.3.1 in ACI 318-192 refer to the webs in a for Combined Footings and Mats (ACI 336.2R-88) (Reapproved 2002),”
cellular mat or the ribs in a ribbed mat. Examples American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 1988, 20 pp.
of such foundation configurations are provided in Fig. 6.1 in
Chapter 6 of ACI 336.2R-88,3 shown here. Additional Thanks to Ian S. McFarlane, Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Seattle, WA,
examples would be grade beams designed integral with a mat for providing the answer to this question.

Mat configurations for various applications: (a) solid mat of reinforced concrete; (b) mat using cell construction; and (c) ribbed mat (based on
Fig. 6.1 in ACI 336.2R-883)

www.concreteinternational.com | Ci | AUGUST 2019 71

 Concrete Q&A

Designing Beams in Coupled

Shear Walls in SDC B or C
Q.
For coupled shear walls in Seismic Design References
Category (SDC) B or C, are the link beams to be 1. ACI Committee 318, “Building Code Requirements for Structural
designed as ordinary moment frame beams or Concrete (ACI 318-14) and Commentary (ACI 318R-14),” American
intermediate moment frame beams? Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 2014, 519 pp.
2. ACI Committee 318, “Building Code Requirements for Structural

A.
Per Commentary Section R18.3 in ACI 318-141 Concrete (ACI 318-19) and Commentary (ACI 318R-19),” American
and ACI 318-19,2 ordinary moment frames are Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 2019, 623 pp.
intended for use only in SDC B. If a coupled
shear wall is designed for SDC C, then all elements of the Thanks to Andrew W. Taylor, KPFF Consulting Engineers, Seattle, WA,
system should qualify for use in SDC C. Thus, the link beams for providing the answer to this question.
should be designed as intermediate moment frame beams.

Contraction Joint Spacing in

Concrete Walls
Q.
What is a recommended spacing for contraction Deviations from locations indicated in the construction
joints in concrete walls in buildings? documents should be approved by the licensed design
professional.

A.
Note that a contraction joint is an intentionally References
created plane of weakness in the wall made by 1. ACI Committee 224, “Joints in Concrete Construction (ACI
reducing the wall thickness, reinforcement, or 224.3R-95) (Reapproved 2013),” American Concrete Institute,
both, generally to locate cracks in places selected for purposes Farmington Hills, MI, 1995, 41 pp.
of appearance. According to Section 8.3 in ACI 224.3R,1 a 2. ACI Committee 318, “Building Code Requirements for Structural
recommended contraction joint spacing in concrete walls is Concrete (ACI 318-14) and Commentary (ACI 318R-14),” American
either the height of the wall for high walls (taller than 12 ft Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 2014, 519 pp.
[3.6 m]) or three times the height of the wall for short walls 3. ACI Committee 318, “Building Code Requirements for Structural
(less than 8 ft [2.4 m]). For walls without openings, a slightly Concrete (ACI 318-19) and Commentary (ACI 318R-19),” American
greater spacing can be used, but the spacing should not exceed Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 2019, 623 pp.
25 ft (7.6 m). In addition, contraction joints should be
positioned within 10 to 15 ft (3 to 4.5 m) of a wall corner.
According to Section 26.5.6 in ACI 318-142 and ACI Questions in this column were asked by users of ACI documents and have
318-19,3 locations and details of contraction joints (as well as been answered by ACI staff or by a member or members of ACI technical
construction and isolation joints) are to be included in the committees. The answers do not represent the official position of an ACI
committee. Comments should be sent to [email protected].
project construction documents if required by the design.

72 AUGUST 2019 | Ci | www.concreteinternational.com

 BUILD YOUR
Networking
Foundation
Fall 2019 | Cincinnati

The Concrete Convention

and Exposition

October 20-24, 2019

Duke Energy Convention Center & Hyatt Regency Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH
Networking Receptions
ACI Meeting Spot
Concrete Mixer
Peer-to-Peer Learning

View the networking events and register at aciconvention.org.