With only a week to go before the 2019 World of Concrete, everyone is scrambling to set up their schedule for the show. I am, of course, looking forward most to the Concrete Polishing Luncheon on Tuesday and the Concrete Slabs Luncheon on Wednesday and I’ve had great conversations with the panelists at each luncheon over the past week.
For Polishing, we will explore the use of clarity meters to measure the surface appearance. “There’s no point in specifying the DOI value for a polished floor if you can’t measure it,” says Pat Harrison with SSI. He feels that this new measuring technology could completely change the concrete polishing industry in the same way that F-numbers changed concrete slabs. The other panelists are Chad Gill, Jennifer Faller, Jim Cuviello, and Darryl Case.
At the Quality in Concrete Slabs Luncheon, we’ll also be talking about specifications, but this time related to elevated concrete slabs. What makes sense in a spec? Are F-numbers reasonable? “The electricians and plumbers don’t like to drill cores anymore because of the silica dust requirements,” says Stevie Ray Lloyd with Lloyd Concrete Services, “so they use penetration sleeves that we have to place concrete around. That makes it impossible to run trowels and difficult to measure the flatness.” So, then, how can a contractor achieve an FF 35? Join Lloyd, Chris Tull, Walt Flood, and Matt Poppoff to explore this issue.
A new event that should be fun is the Concrete Start-Up Zone that will be in the North Hall, N153. Sponsored by the ACI Foundation’s Strategic Development Council, the Start-Up Zone will showcase emerging technologies and innovations. A key participant will be NASA’s 3-D Printed Habitat Challenge, where teams will compete to create sustainable housing solutions for Earth, the Moon, Mars and beyond. 3-D printing of concrete could be in your future!
