Association News

American Shotcrete Association releases new book

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich.—The American Shotcrete Association (ASA) announced the release of a new landmark book on shotcrete. The 424-page hard cover book, "Shotcrete—A Compilation of Papers," is a collection of the most important papers concerning shotcrete by Dudley R. "Rusty" Morgan, Ph.D., Peng., FACI, FCAE.

"I consider it a great honor to introduce this compilation of important works into the shotcrete field," said Chris Zynda, president of the American Shotcrete Association. "Rusty has over 40 years experience in materials engineering, specializing in concrete technology, and is recognized as an authority in shotcrete technology throughout the world."

Papers are grouped under the following headings:

• Shotcrete Research and Development: Morgan supervised many programs to further new shotcrete technology, including investigations of shrinkage and bond of shotcrete.
• Freeze-Thaw Durability of Shotcrete: Morgan participated in many of the durability studies conducted on shotcrete in North America.
• Fiber Reinforced Shotcrete: Morgan and his colleagues in Western Canada were pioneers in the development and use of fiber reinforced shotcrete. His ground breaking paper with Dallas Mowat comparing plain, mesh, and steel fiber reinforced shotcrete in 1984 led to the extensive use of fiber shotcrete for ground support throughout the world.
• Shotcrete for Ground and Underground Support: The five papers included here illustrate the growth and efficiency of this technology.
• Infrastructure Rehabilitation with Shotcrete: A medley of presentations demonstrates the various ways shotcrete can be used to restore the structural utility of our infrastructure; and finally a review of other applications for shotcrete.

Ordering information can be found at www.shotcrete.org/compilation.

NRMCA joins effort to increase fly ash use

Silver Spring, Md.—The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) has joined the Environmental Protection Agency’s Coal Combustion Products Partnership (C2P2) to co-sponsor an industry wide effort to increase the beneficial use of coal combustion products such as fly ash. The Federal Highway Administration, the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Energy, the American Coal Ash Association, the Electric Power Research Institute and the Utility Solid Waste Activities Group are other C2P2 co-sponsors.

NRMCA is working on the final draft of long-term sustainability goals for the concrete industry, which include strategies for reducing embodied energy and CO2 footprint and increasing recycled content, each of which can be accomplished by greater use of fly ash as a supplementary cementitious material in concrete. This goal aligns with the C2P2 goal of increasing the beneficial use of fly ash to 18 million tons annually by 2011. Working with the USEPA and other C2P2 partners, NRMCA plans to increase educational efforts about the benefits of using fly ash as a supplementary cementitious material.

For more information on NRMCA Sustainability Initiatives visit www.nrmca.org/sustainability/.

Post-Tensioning Institute’s 2009 Conference & Exhibition goes to Portland

Farmington Hills, Mich.—The Post-Tensioning Institute (PTI)—a non-profit organization for the advancement of post-tensioned concrete design and construction—has announced the content for their 2009 Conference & Exhibition.

The eighth annual conference is to be held May 3-5, 2009 at the Marriott Downtown Waterfront in Portland, Ore. Engineers, architects, building officials, inspectors, contractors, specifiers, students, researchers and others interested in post-tensioning are invited to attend this informative symposium. The two-day event will include technical sessions, panel discussions, committee meetings, educational seminars, product and software demonstrations, networking and social events, as well as a trade show with approximately 25 vendors. In addition, PTI will host its biannual Legends of Post-Tensioning Awards dinner and presentation honoring.

Sessions will cover a wide range of post-tensioning topics including building design, bridges, evaluation and repair, slab-on-ground foundations, construction and installation, and innovative technologies. Continuing education units (CEUs) will be awarded for the conference. Following is an outline of the scheduled technical sessions:

International Forum—Worldwide Use of Post-Tensioning: Learn about the creative uses of post-tensioning from around the world. Speakers from Europe, Asia, Australia South America and the Middle East are planned.

Sustainability & Post-Tensioning: Learn how post-tensioning can benefit green building and the environment. Session will include a panel discussion of sustainability considerations.

Post-Tensioning in Infrastructure: Find out about innovative uses of post-tensioning in bridges, pavements, storage tanks and energy projects.

Innovative Post-Tensioning Building & Parking Structure Design: Learn about ground-breaking post-tensioning applications, including seismic design and BIM.

Construction & Installation: Learn about the latest in certification and specification developments as well as inventive construction techniques. Session will conclude with a panel discussion of construction tolerances.

Repair & Rehabilitation: Find out about the latest repair and rehabilitation techniques.
Durability—Learn about corrosion protection and replacement of stay cables, and other post-tensioning durability considerations

In addition to the technical sessions, PTI is offering a design seminar—Analysis and Design of Post-Tensioned Buildings and Parking Structures—following the conference. The seminar is complimentary to registered conference attendees (a $275 value.)

The cost to attend the conference is $399 for PTI members and $449 for non-members. Those interested can register by contacting PTI or visiting PTI’s website at www.post-tensioning.org.