More stories about Testing

  • How to Moisture Test Concrete Floors

    Testing concrete slabs for excess moisture has become a common construction requirement, particularly where flooring or impermeable membranes are to be installed on top of the slab. But, while several standard moisture test methods are available, no single test reveals everything that should be...

  • Minimizing Risks When Lifting and Bracing

    Every site-cast tilt-up concrete construction project requires hard work and planning before the building can be erected. Watching the enormous concrete panels being lifted and set into place is an awe-inspiring event that occurs only with careful planning, hours of training and experience, and a...

  • Making and Curing Concrete Cylinders

    Pity the poor concrete test cylinder. All it does is lie around for 28 days then get crushed. During its brief life, it seems only fair that we treat it well. How often have you seen concrete test cylinders sitting in the sun or rolling around in the back of a pickup truck? Those poor abused...

  • Rickenbacker Airport, Columbus, Ohio

    2005 ACPA Excellence in Concrete Pavement Awards Winner: Reliever & General Aviation Airports

  • Testing Concrete

    It's hard to imagine the concrete industry without thinking about testing. Amid all this testing activity, a great deal of time and attention is justifiably focused on proper testing procedure. However, variations in operator technique, cleanliness of apparatus, temperature, and sampling method, to...

  • Let's Talk About Really Big Slab On Grade Placements...

    Watching concrete hit the ground at over a hundred yards per hour can be just plain exciting to a concrete guy. But after it's all over and the slab is sawed and cured, are we producing a better product?

  • Standardized tests for SCC

    We are thinking about proposing the use of self-consolidating concrete on an upcoming project, but one challenge we face is coming up with acceptance criteria everybody feels comfortable with. What’s going on with the development of standardized tests for SCC?

  • Calibration and certification

    Do you have to be certified to calibrate equipment used for air pressure in concrete?

  • Alteration of Samples

    Samples extracted from a concrete structure for laboratory study are typically being examined to determine what occurred while the concrete was in service. But sample removal can upset the “equilibrium” of the concrete before it arrives at the laboratory.

  • Hot Weather Can Be Hard

    Successful hot weather concreting requires careful planning and close coordination among all members of the construction team—design engineer, testing agency, concrete producer, and contractor. Advance preparation and ongoing interaction can simplify needed hot weather adjustments and result in...