Projects

When faced with an important concrete placement such as a bridge deck over a major interstate, nothing is more critical than knowing that the concrete mix conforms to the project requirements. The time is 5:15 am and 4 trucks are already rolling onto the jobsite positioning themselves at 2 separate sites with concrete pump trucks on each side of the overpass. My position was to monitor the Concrete QC to assure a successful placement and thankfully SMARThatch™ was there to assist. What is SMARThatch™? A mixer drum mounted device capable of transmitting concrete mix parameters including water added, temperature, slump and most importantly air content. Knowing that you are delivering and placing thousands of pounds of concrete prior to field testing has always been a potential QC nightmare in the past, a show of confidence is what SMARThatch™ can provide when results display favorable values. As we witness technological advancements every day of our lives, SMARThatch™ is certainly the future of the concrete industry available today. Check out their website at: CiDRA Concrete Services Inc. | SMARThatch – Driving Concrete Performance. The concrete mix design used on the bridge deck was a low permeable concrete to offer increased durability and greater service life.

Marine concrete has its challenges to perform in a harsh environment for a lifespan of 75 years or better. Pier 32 required a complex concrete design to prevent corrosion of the steel reinforcing, low water/cement ratio for higher strengths and a shrinkage reducing admixture to reduce the surface cracking while improving the long-term durability of the structure. The use of the SMARThatch system on a number of the concrete delivery trucks contributed greatly to controlling the QC of such a difficult concrete design.

February 2^nd, I was as “apple pie” as millions of other Americans, glued to the television watching the 2020 Superbowl event. It was a truly Patriotic opening ceremony with the singing of the National Anthem and military flyover that reminded me of a typical workday in 2013 when I received a special phone call. Hello, hello I repeated as I adjusted to the slight time delay on what was without a doubt an overseas phone call. The gentleman on the phone identified himself as Romano Bergey from the Department of the Army, Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. You can imagine what thoughts were going through my head, Kandahar! Really! What can I do for you? The response from Romano was that his limited resources led to the call for my assistance to design a concrete mixture for airstrip repairs on one of the busiest military airfields in the middle east. With F-16’s and C-130’s flying in and out 24 hours a day we needed to meet these specific demands for a high early strength concrete without crippling the day to day operations. We proceeded to discuss what resources where available such as cements, admixtures and aggregates and we built on each other’s knowledge to determine the most effective concrete mixture for runway repairs. Although I never served in the military this story is a reminder how every day our citizens are willing help each other and remain united to defend our freedom, God Bless America.

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On December 18^th I was invited to speak to the Western Massachusetts Building Officials about the crumbling concrete crisis in Connecticut and bordering communities in Massachusetts. Accompanying me was Linda Tofolowsky, the first Connecticut resident coming forth with their home’s deteriorating foundation. Linda shared a small part of her collection of photos and homeowner stories depicting this terrible phenomenon. Those in attendance were eager to expand their knowledge of the harmful effects brought about by concrete produced with pyrrhotite laden aggregates. The source of the crumbling concrete was a small concrete producer located close to the Massachusetts border in the north-central part of Connecticut who frequently crossed the state line to supply concrete for various projects. The talk also covered many issues related directly to the failed foundations such as the emotional nightmares the homeowners are facing, the loss of tax revenue for the municipalities and falling real estate values in the affected communities. I also expressed the need for training a group of licensed Home Inspectors and Professional Engineers to examine the homes for potential problems and assist homeowners in further testing. Presently there is only a small number of homeowners in Massachusetts with failing concrete that have come forward with their concerns. Certainly, the knowledge of the mineral, repair procedures and formation of a compensation program that was established in Connecticut could be beneficial to our neighboring towns. Your comments are welcomed.

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