A strict interpretation of the 90 minute time limit has lead to a number of truckloads of ready-mixed concrete being rejected. In an effort to identify ways to fix this, NJIT was just awarded a research proposal from the NJ Chapter of the American Concrete Institute. Lead by a team of engineers, the proposed research aims to “gain a better understanding of how elapsed time affects the quality of a concrete load.”In order to ensure that, a large number of concrete batches will be tested under different weather conditions and elapsed times. The results should be beneficial to concrete suppliers, engineers, and inspectors in the concrete industry.
The Principal Investigator is Dr. Mohamed Mahgoub, Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering Technology, and the Co-Principal Investigator is Dr. Nakul Ramanna, the Assistant to the Chair and Concrete Laboratory Manager in the John A. Reif Jr. Department of Civil Engineering.
The duration of the project will be one year starting in August 2015. With the commitment of NRMCA, Silvi Group, Sika Corp. and County Concrete. Silvi South Plainfield Manager, Eric Miller (CIM ’11); and Silvi Quality control Manager, David Jaramillo (CIM ’16); and County Concrete Quality Control Manager, Nicholas Denicoli (CIM ’13) will be part of this research effort.
New Jersey Institute of Technology ACI Student Chapter Advisor and Concrete Industry Management (CIM) Program Director, Dr. Mohamad Mahgoub thanks Mark Wierciszewski, NJACI Chapter President and Senior Engineer of Materials at NY & NJ Port Authority; Zach Rich, NJACI Chapter Vice President and the Director of Concrete Promotion/Sales at Silvi Group Companies.; Casimir Bognacki, NJACI Chapter Treasurer and the Chief Material Engineer of NY & NJ Port Authority; and Dianne Johnson, the NJACI Chapter Executive Director. Lastly, the NJIT ACI-Student Chapter thanks the NJACI Chapter for giving the students at NJIT this opportunity.
