Webinar Archives

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Contractors want concrete to be as workable as possible to facilitate placement and consolidation without compromising performance in the hardened state. Concrete producers strive to consistently deliver expected performance attributes. Yet, hydration of Portland cement leads to a change in fresh concrete properties immediately after batching, most notably with respect to mix slump or workability. In air-entrained concrete mixtures, furthermore, modified slump can lead to changes in air content, typically a reduction, and potential rejection of the load. Invariably, rejected loads result in loss of revenue and reduced profits for concrete producers. This presentation will discuss workability retention and the various methods traditionally used to manage it. Additionally, an innovative, new admixture is introduced that provides workability retention without the adverse effects of current practices.

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With a growing interest in sustainability, the construction industry is looking for solutions to help reduce its carbon footprint. The Portland Cement Association’s newly released Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality lays out the cement and concrete industry’s commitment to a lower carbon future. With its proven performance, portland-limestone cement, or PLC, is ready to play a key role, yet many designers and specifiers don’t know about it. This program will explain what PLCs are, how to use them, and their effects on fresh and hardened concrete properties. Several examples of PLC projects in the U.S. over the past decade will show how others have used it successfully.

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Concrete is used in nearly every structure we build today, including buildings, bridges, homes and infrastructure. With greater emphasis placed on sustainability, design professionals are faced with the challenge of meeting traditional design criteria with evolving criteria that support green building and efforts to reduce impact on climate change. Performance-based specifications for concrete represent an important synergy with sustainability initiatives because they provide the opportunity to optimize mixtures for performance that can also reduce environmental impacts. Prescriptive specifications often adversely impact the environmental footprint of concrete structures. This presentation outlines how concrete performance can be improved while lowering environmental footprint by implementing performance-based specifications.

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With increasing discussion about the need to control global warming, engineers are starting to pay attention to how they can reduce the environmental impact of their work. This presentation will review what actions have been taken in recent years to reduce carbon footprint in concrete construction, as well as offer some thoughts on what actions can be taken today, and dream a little about the future.

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Green building is the concept of constructing buildings we need today without depleting resources for future generations. In the new world of sustainable building, information about the strength, durability, and indestructible nature of concrete as a resourceful building material is emerging. Amid the teardown-and-replace mentality still pervasive in the world today, concrete stands out defiantly. Try to replace concrete with an alternative building material, and you'll be hard pressed to find a substitute possessing the same thermal qualities, design flexibility, and permanence. This presentation will discuss where we are at as a green industry and the various ‘green” efforts that have been used in concrete production, such as substituting relatively high percentage of cement by fly ash (up to 100%), the use of other natural pozzolans, and development of concrete with recycled or waste materials. The presenter will also discuss where the industry might be headed in the future. Finally, problems in the realization of and potential barriers to green concrete construction are also discussed.

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Ultra High Performance Concrete (UPHC) describes a class of concrete material with a unique set of properties including: Strengths of 21,000 ksi plus, high ductility, low permeability and rapid strength gain. With these unique material properties, UHPC facilitates short development lengths, thin overlays and the potential for further development in optimized prestress girders for longer spans with less material. UHPC continues to play an important role in Accelerated Bridge Construction serving as the connecting material between precast elements allowing for small joints with short lap lengths while obtaining full connectivity between the elements. This presentation will introduce the audience to UHPC, the basic material properties, applications and lessons learned.

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This presentation will provide information about what is typically done when compressive strength results are less than the design strength. The presentation will cover: 1) The reasons for the low strength 2) How low strength is typically evaluated 3) What resolutions have they experienced

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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.

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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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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.