Webinar Archives

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The webinar explores two concepts; First is the preventative measures and the services around firestop consulting, inspections, and what architects, contractors, project managers, and installers should keep in mind as they plan, construct, and maintain firestops in their facilities. Second is what happens when a fire does occur, how does it affect the concrete, and what assessments and testing can be completed onsite to determine repair or replacement options.

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A lot is known about Type I Construction (non-combustible) because it has been used for decades for multi-story construction.  Although Type IV Construction (heavy timber) is not new, it is just now beginning to be used with greater frequency in multi-story construction. This presentation will provide an overview of the building code as it relates to Type I and Type IV Construction. Case studies will be used to demonstrate relevant code sections that apply to Type I and Type IV buildings using the current Minnesota Building Code including:

    Chapter 5 – Area and Height limitations of Type I and Type IV
    Chapter 6 – Fire Rating requirements for Type I and Type IV
    Chapter 7 – Fire and Smoke requirements, shafts, sound assemblies  
    Chapter 9 – Fire and Life Safety requirements of Type I and Type IV
    Chapter 23 – Wood and heavy timber construction.  

In addition, materials and special inspections will be discussed for each type of building.

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What is mass concrete? ACI 207.1R defines mass concrete as any volume of concrete with dimensions large enough to require that measures be taken to cope with the generation of heat from hydration of the cement and attendant volume change to minimize cracking. But how does one predict whether mass concrete problems will occur and what steps should be taken? This presentation will discuss how to identify mass concrete, ACI 301 requirements pertaining to it, and good construction practices.

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The webinar introduces the concepts of Product Category Rules, Environmental Product Declarations and Life Cycle Assessment. Legislative and Industry developments are addressed to inform the audience of why these concepts will likely become a part of daily lives in the near future.

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This presentation provides an overview of extended joint slabs primarily used on industrial warehouse floors. An overview of the stresses that must be controlled in order to extend joints will be discussed. Two case studies of extended joints will be presented; one of which is the Twin Cities metro area.

Learning Objectives:
1.    Address the reasons why joints are extended.
2.    Explain how shrinkage and thermal stresses have an impact on joint spacing.
3.    Review the families of technology associated with extended joints.
4.    Define joint widening and how this can impact slab performance.

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Engineering ethics is a set of ethical standards for engineers to follow which can apply to most circumstances that arise on the job. These ethical standards are the engineers’ obligations towards the public, employers and the profession. The purpose of engineering ethics is to identify specific ethical issues that may arise in order to avoid a potential problem.

The presenter will be David Schultz, Professor of Political Science (Hamline University).

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 Oklahoma  Ready Mixed Concrete Association, the South Dakota Ready Mix Association, and the Wisconsin Ready Mixed Concrete Association. 

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WJE carried out independent studies related to the 2018 collapse of the FIU Pedestrian Bridge in Miami. Most significantly, WJE developed and tested full-sized specimens to evaluate the significance of the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB’s) finding that the construction joint between the northernmost diagonal and deck was left in an as-placed condition, rather than intentionally roughened as required by the project specifications. The webinar also describes WJE’s independent review of shear friction strength in accordance with the AASHTO Code.

The presentation describes the details of the experimental program that demonstrated that, had the construction joint been roughened as required by the project specifications, the collapse would not have occurred. Contrary to NTSB’s findings, the contractor’s failure to roughen the surface was the primary cause of the collapse.

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The webinar covers Minnesota's cement/concrete trends and where the market is headed in the next few years. We will examine economic growth scenarios that may unfold under differing assumptions regarding COVID-19. Where are the growth opportunities? Will there be structural changes to the construction market following the recession? The presenter is Dave Zwicke who is Sr. Director of Economic Analysis at the Portland Cement Association.

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There is a lot more to cold-weather concrete than just preventing freezing. This webinar will discuss the reasons to protect concrete in cold weather, the ACI definition of cold weather, methods to protect concrete from freezing, and other topics beneficial to contractors, designers, owners, and suppliers who design and build projects in cold weather.

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As computing power become faster and smaller it leads to advances in non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques for structural concrete condition assessment. We will explore some of the newest techniques in the market and discuss how they can be use on structures and construction projects. We will also review a practical approach to finding construction flaws such as honeycomb, void and cracking in new structures as well as scanning to map out corrosion damage in aging structures using many different Non-Destructive Testing techniques.