Webinar Archives

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Recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) is crushed concrete used to replace virgin aggregate in new concrete. With impending aggregate shortages and a push for more sustainable concrete, interest in using RCA is very high. There have been numerous projects using RCA, but what do we actually know about it? This presentation will review what RCA is, how and why it affects new concrete, and the wide range of effects using RCA can have. Recent research on using RCA at low replacement levels will be briefly shared.

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Concrete is the second most used material in the world, only exceeded by water. It is also one of our oldest construction materials starting thousands of years ago. It continues to evolve and allows us to make the tallest buildings, bridges, and roadways.

So how did our ancestors find out that if we heated rocks, we could make cement and then make concrete? How did we discover the multi-step process of making our modern concrete?

This presentation will take us through the journey of how cement and concrete developed. Along this journey, we will see how the discovery of fire, bricks, pottery, pyramids, and lighthouses played a major role in the development of concrete.

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Many issues related to construction can be alleviated by a fundamental understanding of the basics of concrete. This starts with knowledge of the standard components of a concrete mixture including cementitious materials, aggregates, water, and admixtures and their importance on the properties of fresh and hardened concrete. The combination of these materials in various proportions can produce mixtures suitable for a wide range of applications and placement methods. Once placed, the concrete must be properly cured to develop its intended properties. This presentation introduces the basics of concrete and describes its importance and application as a construction material.

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Forms, shores, and re-shores are a temporary structure that carries the weight and construction load of the permanent structure until it is strong enough to stand up for itself.  While serving this temporary duty, forms, shores, and re-shores impact construction safety, cost, productivity, and schedule, and influence appearance, deformations, tolerances, and cracking of the hardened reinforced or prestressed concrete. 

This presentation introduces Codes, standard specifications, OSHA, and ANSI documents that address responsibilities for forms and shores.  By an example of a multi-story building, we look at how shore and re-shore systems work, including how shoring & re-shoring plans must be synchronized with rate-of-strength-gain of the concrete, as influenced by mix-design and ambient temperature.  This complex topic demonstrates how schedule, concrete mix, weather, construction technology, lab and in-place testing all come together.

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The concrete industry has a goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.  In response to this goal, many industry organizations are tasked with getting their message related to decarbonization and sustainability to their customers, specifiers, and employees.  Transparency and recognition of goals and achievements are vital.  Kimberly will discuss a variety of methods and materials that should be used to effectively communicate progress.  Kimberly will help you identify key ways to communicate the steps your organization is taking, whether that be in the form of a new product or innovative process, that will help your organization reach your sustainability goals.

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Concrete is a durable, resilient material that can provide many benefits to efficient, sustainable structures in the long term. While concrete does have an upfront CO2 impact, the industry is working to reduce GHG emissions and increase the efficiency of its products. This presentation will discuss technical innovations to reduce the carbon footprint of concrete and examine current process improvements that are pushing the industry forward to a more sustainable future.

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Resilient design of buildings in the twenty-first century is imperative given increased intensity and frequency of extreme adverse climatic events.  Buildings must withstand environmental impacts to their exteriors while simultaneously protecting the occupants within and maintain operational functionality.

In this presentation we will discuss how to incorporate concrete construction systems as a sustainable building assembly option to meet the challenges of designing and building energy efficient and resilient structures that can withstand most, if not all natural disasters.

Architects, Engineers, General Contractors and Building Owners will gain a thorough understanding of concrete structural system benefits, including thermal envelope performance, design integration, construction processes, and renewable energy resources for consideration and implementation into overall building envelope design and construction.

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The tilt-up industry remains characterized as a budding or growing delivery method for new construction.  This dominant method of design and construction has a rich history of more than a century of influence and nearly fifty years of dramatic growth and unmatched solutions.  This presentation will detail the progress made and highlight the features of the industry that evidence why it is an ideal platform for specialists in design and construction, returning craftsmanship to the mindset of today’s contractor. The presenter will be James R. Baty II, F.ACI, F.TCA (Tilt Up Concrete Association).

No credits will be awarded for viewing recordings of the webinar. 

The webinar is being sponsored by the Iowa Ready Mixed Concrete Association, the Minnesota Concrete Council, the North Dakota Concrete Council, the South Dakota Ready Mix Association, and the Wisconsin Ready Mixed Concrete Association. 

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Like any industry, the construction sector is heavily influenced by technology. Even more so in recent years. While materials such as concrete might not conjure images of sci-fi films, lasers and androids, the industry itself has been immeasurably shaped by technological innovations, and this is set to continue. This presentation will discuss current and future technologies that will help automate processes, boost productivity, increases savings, and assist in reducing carbon emissions, all while improving communication and collaboration amongst all construction trading partners. New technologies like in truck concrete monitoring, sustainability trends, fleet tracking, inbound materials management, and other new technologies will be discussed.

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Concrete provides structures with strength, rigidity, and resilience from deformation. These characteristics, however, result in concrete structures lacking the flexibility to move in response to environmental or volume changes. Cracking is usually the first sign of distress in concrete. Cracking of concrete flatwork is natural, expected, and accepted. However, cracks may affect appearance, performance, and maintenance costs. This presentation will discuss the various types of concrete cracks and how to best minimize their occurrence.

Learning Objectives:
1.    Understand the different types of cracking in concrete.
2.    Understand what causes concrete to crack.
3.    Understand how to evaluate the difference between structural cracks and cosmetic cracks
4.    At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will know how to minimize concrete cracks.