Other stories by Bernard Erlin

  • White Stains on the Panes

    The obvious and overwhelming evidence rendered a summary judgment against the aggregate supplier. But it wasn't over: A trial still ensued over a damage award.

  • Case of Slighted Evidence

    More than 100 inground outdoor swimming pools and integral spas—constructed using reinforced shotcrete shells faced with nominal 12.5-mm-thick (½-in.-thick) intimately bonded white mortar veneer—had cracked after a few years of use.

  • Three Faces of Concrete Litigation

    In the next few months, we would like to describe several examples where analytical data was used in forensic processes. Because our work involves problems, we invariably get involved in forensic situations. Our end is to provide analytical data—facts—upon which problem causes can be unraveled. We...

  • Corrosion of All Kinds

    Some metals usually get along fine in portland cement mortar and concrete. Some do not, for some it depends. Iron and steel are among the first kind.

  • The Passion of Cement Hydration II

    When we discussed hydration last month, it dealt mostly with calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH) or CH), which seemed like a good way to introduce the subject—after all, calcium hydroxide constitutes about 20% to 25% of the portland cement paste.

  • The Passion of Cement Hydration

    We all have passions—portland cement's passion is water. With water, it becomes another material that possesses a myriad of physical and chemical properties.

  • Ending the 2008 Year, Gratefully

    Over a span of almost four years, we have completed more than 40 column articles, and now find another year's end approaching.

  • Mortar and Stucco—Somewhat Companions

    They are concretes of a sort, masonry mortar and stucco, that is. They both contain portland cement and aggregates, but then they separate into distinct compositions and purposes.

  • The First of the Red Hot Mammas

    We thought of now discussing portland cement minerals beginning with tricalcium silicate, as well as dicalcium silicate and tricalcium aluminate.

  • About Misconceptions

    What if some things you hear about portland cement, supplementary cementitious materials, cement paste, entrapped and entrained air, aggregates—coarse and fine—mineral and chemical admixtures, durability, concrete longevity, and strength are not true or only partially true?