NRMCA e-news

A new water-repellant concrete impregnated with tiny superstrong fibers promises to leave roads and bridges free of major cracks for up to 120 years. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee civil engineers have developed a concrete mix that is durable and superhydrophobic. They call it Superhydrophobic Engineered Cementitious Composite (SECC). Preventing normally porous concrete from absorbing water means that liquid can't get inside, freeze and cause it to crack. The concrete's unusual characteristics, including being significantly more ductile than traditional concrete, means that cracks that do form do not propagate and cause failure.

A comprehensive collection of groups have formed the Concrete Council of Canada (CCC), a 14-member bloc that intends to educate the public about the concrete advantage. "Our mission is to communicate concrete’s social, environmental and economic value. We have a lot of success stories to tell, individually and as a group," said Robert Burak, chairman of the CCC and also president of the Canadian Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute. "It’s long overdue."

With headquarters in Ottawa, the CCC has 14 board members, who come from the pre-cast, pipe, pavement, ready-mix and cement industries.

WinSun Decoration Design Engineering based in Shanghai, China, has created a small village of 10 houses in less than a day. Each home measures about 2,100 square feet and costs less than $5,000. Although assembled by workers, the components of the home were fabricated using a 3D printer that is 490-feet long, 33-feet wide and 20-feet deep. The machine spews out layers of concrete, which includes tailings, recycled construction and industrial waste and glass fibers.

NRMCA’s Amanda Hult and Doug O’Neill will host a free one-hour Webinar on Tuesday, April 29, at noon Eastern time to discuss the Design Assistance Program (DAP) and the Jointing Plan Assistance Program (JPAP) for Parking Lots and Streets and Local Roads. This Webinar will detail the free services provided to the industry through the Design Assistance Program. Hult and O'Neill will discuss in detail the information provided in the deliverables as well as how to use this information as a part of a promotional effort. A testimonial by one of NRMCA's state affiliates will conclude the Webinar.

This Webinar is ideal for individuals and companies seeking to gain market share in concrete parking lots and streets and local roads. Designers and specifiers looking for information on how to submit for pavement design assistance are also invited to attend.

"I agree with your statements. Often pavements are over designed with steel and thicker concrete sections than are needed," stated a project manager from a design build firm who attended a recent presentation by NRMCA Vice President, National Resources, Amy Miller. Miller gave the presentation at the request of Andrew Lester, product development and promotions manager at NRMCA Producer member MMC Materials.

Miller presented to the design build firm regarding concrete pavement. The firm maintains ownership of properties it develops and leases, making it a strong candidate for consideration of long-term maintenance savings. The focus of the presentation was based on the reasons an owner/developer would always want to include a concrete specification, particularly for the standard duty pavement section, which is often overlooked. After Miller concluded, the firm asked for review of a project through NRMCA’s Design Assistance Program.

For more information, contact Amy Miller at amiller@nrmca.org.

NRMCA Producer member Tilcon-Connecticut's Technical Services Manager-Concrete Division Kevin Miller, who is also the current president of the Connecticut Ready Mixed Concrete Association, recently spoke with a local civil engineer who was seeking help with understanding concrete pavement design for a national firm’s large distribution center to be built in the state. This facility would be subjected to significant heavy truck traffic and point loads from forklifts and trailers which through the firm's experience has caused severe deterioration to asphalt and why it sought a better understanding of the proper design of concrete pavements. Miller then offered the resources of NRMCA and asked Senior Director, National Resources, Doug O’Neill to contact the firm.

"For an engineer in the Northeast to be so willing to listen, eager to learn and positive that concrete can be the solution to his concerns is really encouraging," said O’Neill.

The concrete team learned that the geo-technical engineer on the project had been involved in several large concrete pavement projects before, but did not have the confidence to offer recommendations that were in tune with current concrete design practices. The civil engineer wanted a more competitive design and reached out to Tilcon for suggestions. This project has been submitted to NRMCA’s Design Assistance Program and is currently under review by the design team. "The exciting story here is that engineers are recognizing the benefits of concrete pavements and are searching for answers. The more we are out there in front of them, the more solutions we can offer," O'Neill said.

For more information, contact Doug O’Neill at doneill@nrmca.org.

NRMCA Senior Director, National Resources, Phil Kresge recently met with the Arlington County, VA, Parks and Recreation Department to discuss pervious concrete. The audience consisted of landscape architects, engineers, planners and construction managers from the department. The presentation was facilitated by Hessam Nabavi, Virginia Ready-Mixed Concrete Association (VRMCA), as a result of certain county personnel having completed the VRMCA-sponsored NRMCA Pervious Concrete Contractor Certification course.

"With newly revised stormwater management requirements in Virginia, pervious concrete is seeing a significant increase in interest from developers and regulatory officials," Kresge said. VRMCA and NRMCA have been assisting the state Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in developing its stormwater management guidelines. DEQ has included pervious concrete as a stormwater Best Management Practice (BMP).

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx recently outlined his vision for tackling the infrastructure deficit through the adoption of best practices and the use of new technologies. As an example, he mentioned warm-mix asphalt (WMA) would "save us $3.6 billion by 2020," referring to the reduction of burner fuel used in asphalt production.

According to a recent Portland Cement Association report, for urban roads, concrete is less expensive than hot-mix and the most fuel saving warm-mix alternatives – on both initial and life-cycle costs – even while excluding the additional WMA costs. For an urban two-lane road in 2013, warm-mix asphalt paving costs were estimated at $852,238 per two-lane mile compared to $878,513 per two-lane mile for a hot-mix asphalt roadway – or a savings of roughly $26,000. Even with this improvement in asphalt paving process, a concrete road was cheaper – requiring only $769,269 per two-lane mile, or roughly $83,000 dollars cheaper than the lowest cost asphalt paving process. By 2020, these savings are expected to grow, with the warm-mix roadway saving roughly $32,000 per two-lane mile over hot-mix and the concrete roadway saving almost $186,000 over the strongest warm-mix case.

Warm-mix asphalt savings are inaccurate and do not take into account the additive costs associated with warm-mix technologies. Inclusion of the most conservative costs for chemical and organic additives drops the net savings to $2.7 billion. There are also durability concerns with WMA – excessive moisture in the mix can lead to a phenomenon called stripping, which causes structural failures in the pavement. Warm-mix production uses lower temperatures, increasing the risk for incomplete aggregate drying. Furthermore, the most utilized production method is water-based foaming. To counter this moisture susceptibility, anti-stripping agents may be required. Accounting for the most conservative anti-stripping agent costs, the overall savings fall ten-fold, to below $300 million.

Source: Portland Cement Association's Executive Report e-newsletter for April 21.

The preliminary estimate of ready mixed concrete produced in February 2014 is 17.4 million cubic yards, 2% higher than February 2013. The estimated production for the first two months of 2014 is 35 million cubic yards, 1.9% higher than that during the same period in 2013.

The RMC Research & Education Foundation’s 4th Annual Walk for Sustainability will take place on Thursday, May 15, in conjunction with NRMCA’s International Concrete Sustainability Conference. Please join us for a Walk to help raise awareness of the Foundation's large body of sustainable development-focused research reports and to raise additional funds to help the Foundation continue this important work. Participants can set up their own personal fundraising pages to track their support online. The Walk will begin at 6:30 a.m. (registration begins at 6:00 a.m. with pre-walk coffee) and will conclude leaving enough time for participants to freshen up and take advantage of the continental breakfast before the MIT Showcase begins at 9 a.m. Registration is only $25 per walker and is tax deductible as a donation to the Foundation. Please visit the Walk registration page for more information and to register. 

Sponsorships are also available for this event and are a great way for your company to demonstrate support for sustainability initiatives and the Foundation at the same time! Please click here to access the sponsorship form.

NRMCA has signed a contract to hold the 2014 NRMCA National Mixer Driver Championship at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, September 21. As with previous years, this year’s NRMCA National Mixer Driver Championship will be held during the 2014 NRMCA’s ConcreteWorks & Board of Directors’ Meeting, located this year at the JW Marriott Indianapolis, September 21-23.

The Safety Contest & Benchmarking Survey has for years been a safety performance and incentive/award program aimed to foster safe practices at ready mixed concrete plants across the nation. The Safety Contest & Benchmarking Survey is a per-plant contest open to all facilities operated by NRMCA member companies in good standing in 2013. Companies with more than one division are encouraged to distribute entry blanks to individuals responsible for keeping safety records at each plant location. 

Entries must be submitted via e-mail to NRMCA's Karen Bean at kbean@nrmca.org by Thursday, May 1. Click here for more information, download the 2014 Safety Contest & Benchmarking Survey entry form and staff contact.

Last week, NRMCA Vice President of Sustainability Tien Peng presented "LEEDv4: The Drive for Transparency" to the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC). The SEAONC mini-seminar allowed NRMCA the opportunity to update the engineering community on changes to the green building rating system as well as concrete industry sustainability initiatives.  The seminar also featured Stephen Bono, S.E., a structural engineer at Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, who presented the recent launch of the 2013 California Building Standards Code.

The new version of LEED takes a more integrated design approach, pushes for material disclosure and requires more technical rigor, each of which gives the structural engineer more influence on building projects. NRMCA has three initiatives to help members achieve the new product disclosure goals. NRMCA established its EPD Program Operator status in order to help concrete producers and suppliers meet new disclosure requirements cost effectively. NRMCA is also developing an industry‐wide EPD so that members can compare their environmental impacts to industry baselines. Another project will provide a methodology and guide for concrete producers to report material ingredients and chemical constituents of their products.

NRMCA encourages its members to participate in local professional groups, such as AIA, ASCE or USGBC local chapters, and offer topics and speakers for education programs.

For more information on NRMCA sustainability programs, go to nrmca.org/sustainability or contact Tien Peng at tpeng@nrmca.org or 206-913-8535.

Media articles on Congress, transportation infrastructure, regulation, taxes and other subjects, each of which relate to the ready mixed concrete industry, are updated each week by NRMCA's Government Affairs staff. To access the most recent compilation of articles for April 7 - 18, please click here.

Election coming up? Need to get information on who is running? Important Dates? How to Register? NRMCA Voice has updated voter resources for every state and district. View your statewide and local elected officials, get information on campaigns and even register to vote here at NRMCA voice’s Voter Resources Page

Did you know NRMCA voice has ALL of your elected officials at your fingertips? From the president and your senators, to the governor and members of your state legislature, down to city and county officials, NRMCA Voice has them all – AND you can contact them through our Web site.

NRMCA routinely updates the "Take Action" button with pre-scripted letters for you to send to your elected officials, but if you click on the Directory button you can compose letters about issues that are important to you and send them directly to those who represent you. Whether you would like to voice support for a bill moving through Congress or let your county commissioner know about a zoning issue, NRMCAvoice.com can help you connect. Check it out today. Current action alerts on NRMCAvoice.com include letters on multiple NLRB rules, WRDA reauthorization, and the Disaster Savings and Resilient Construction Act of 2013. Thank you for lending your voice to these important issues.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published its proposed Clean Water Act (CWA) Jurisdictional rulemaking aimed at expanding the types of waters covered by the CWA. NRMCA is concerned about how expansion of federal jurisdiction over marginal waters would place an undue burden on ready mixed concrete operations, aggregate operations and new construction starts. 

The rule has a 91-day comment period that ends on Monday, July 21. NRMCA will submit comments on the rule on behalf of the industry, and work with other industry partners and Congress to ensure the best possible outcome for the ready mix industry.

This is the year to come to DC! Federal transportation programs are facing a crisis. With MAP-21 set to expire September 30 and the Department of Transportation estimating that the Highway Trust Fund will run out of money as soon as July, there has never been a greater need for Congress to act. Join your industry allies in Washington, DC, from June 10-11, for the Transportation Construction Coalition's 2014 Legislative Fly-In and NRMCA’s RALLY for ROADS, the nation's largest transportation funding advocacy rally which begins at 8:30 a.m. on June 11.

Registration is also open for the TCC Fly-In. As in the past, a legislative briefing is scheduled to update you on the latest congressional events and educational briefing packets will be prepared for you to deliver to your congressional delegation. Buses will take you from the hotel to the U.S. Capitol for the rally on June 11.This year's meeting will be held at the Mayflower Renaissance Washington Hotel at 1127 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20036.

Thank you for your past support and we look forward to seeing you in June.

Click here to create your account and register for the TCC Fly-In. Register for the RALLY for ROADS now at www.RallyforRoads.org (registration is free). For more information, contact Kerri Leininger at kleininger@nrmca.org or 240-485-1159.

The second annual Cement & Concrete Day on the Hill is scheduled for next week from April 29 - 30. The primary advocacy Issues for this year’s Day on the Hill include a fully funded, multi- year Highway Bill Reauthorization, with reforms to maximize impact of each dollar spent, promoting a Federal Resilience Tax Credit and enactment of a new Federal Water Resources (WRDA) Bill.

The Educational Activities Committee invites ready mix producers to submit their most innovative training initiatives of 2013-2014. Companies must submit their entries no later than Wednesday, July 30. The Innovation in Training Award winner will be recognized at NRMCA's ConcreteWorks to be held this fall in Indianapolis. Additionally, the producer’s program will be featured in a best-practices article in NRMCA's quarterly magazine, Concrete InFocus. MTSU's Concrete Institute Management faculty will serve as judges.

The NRMCA April Internet Spotlight, good through Tuesday, May 6, is the Concrete In Practice (CIP) single set package. Order online today and receive 20% off. The regular member price is $30, Internet Special $24, plus shipping. Included in this set is the newest CIP topic and seven revised topics:

• (NEW) CIP 43 – Alkali Aggregate Reactions (AAR) discusses the causes for deleterious expansions due to alkali silica and alkali carbonate reactions in concrete, test methods, and methods of mitigating the problem – in the What? Why? And How? Format.

The following CIP topics have been revised to include more current information:

• (UPDATED) CIP 1 – Dusting Concrete Surfaces

• (UPDATED) CIP 2 – Scaling Concrete Surfaces

• (UPDATED) CIP 4 – Cracking Concrete Surfaces

• (UPDATED) CIP 5 – Plastic Shrinkage Cracking

• (UPDATED) CIP 6 – Joints in Concrete Slabs on Grade

• (UPDATED) CIP 26 – Jobsite Addition of Water

• (UPDATED) CIP 27 – Cold Weather Concreting

Click here to order. Click here to view and or order any of the topics in the CIP series.

Also, two new topics were also released in the Technology in Practice (TIP) series. The TIP series is intended for education of ready mixed concrete industry personnel while CIPs are typically directed toward users and customers of ready mixed concrete. The two new topics in the TIP series are:

• TIP 11 – Testing Concrete Cores

• TIP 12 – Slump Loss of Concrete 

Click here to view and or order any of the topics in the TIP series.

April 25, Webinar

Designing Concrete Parking Lots the Right Way!

Email: Amy Miller, 904-264-8850

 

April 29, Webinar

Industry Promotion & Technical Resources for SLR & Parking Lots

Email: Amanda Hult, 303-953-2382

 

May 6, Webinar

Soils 101

Email: Amanda Hult, 303-953-2382

 

May 8, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Team Building & Situation Analysis

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

May 12–15, Boston

International Concrete Sustainability Conference

E-mail: Lionel Lemay, 847-918-7101

 

May 19, Free Webinar

TRI Reporting: What A Ready Mixed Concrete Producer Should Know

Email: Karen Bean, 240-485-1168

 

May 21, Webinar

Personal Leadership and Coaching

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

May 22, Free Webinar

Drivers' Hours of Service in the RMC Industry Free Webinar

Email: Karen Bean, 240-485-1168

 

May 29, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Promotion for DOTs, Counties & Municipalities

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

June 3-5, Silver Spring, MD

Concrete Durability Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

June 5, Free Webinar

Overlays for Streets & Local Roads

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

June 10, Free Webinar

Roller Compacted Concrete for Streets & Local Roads

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

June 11-12, Online Course

Designing Pervious Concrete Pavement for Municipal & Commercial Applications

Email: Amanda Hult, 303-953-2382

 

June 13, Free Webinar

Winning Initial Streets & Roads Projects in Counties & Municipalities

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

June 17, Webinar

Concrete Pavement Jointing Plans

Email: Amanda Hult, 303-953-2382

 

June 18, Free Webinar

Backing Accident Prevention Program

Email: Karen Bean, 240-485-1168

 

June 19, Free Webinar

Utilizing MIT Research Results

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

June 23-26, Online Course

Concrete's Role in Sustainable Development

Email: Tien Peng, 206-913-8535

 

June 26, Free Webinar

SLR Concrete Construction & Repair Basics

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

July 7-10, Online Course

Building Green with Concrete

Email: Tien Peng, 206-913-8535

 

July 8, Webinar

Understanding Asphalt

Email: Brian Killingsworth, 830-438-2690

 

July 11, Webinar

Designing Concrete Parking Lots the Right Way!

Email: Amy Miller, 904-264-8850

 

July 15, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Elected Official Advocacy

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

July 29-30, Online Course

Designing Jointed Concrete Pavement for Streets and Parking Areas

Email: Amanda Hult, 303-953-2382

 

July 30, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Promotion & Advocacy Overview

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

August 4-7, Online Course

Life Cycle Assessment of Concrete Structures

Email: Tien Peng, 206-913-8535

 

August 12-15, Silver Spring, MD

Plant Manager Certification Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

August 14, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Team Building & Situation Analysis

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

August 19, Webinar

Controlling Moisture in Concrete Slabs

Email: Amanda Hult, 303-953-2382

 

August 20, Webinar

Recruiting & Hiring Top Performing Ready Mix Sales Reps

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

August 21, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Promotion for DOTs, Counties & Municipalities

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

September 10, Webinar

Re-Entrepreneuring: 7 Strategies for Rebuilding Your Business in the New Economy

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

September 12, Free Webinar

Winning Initial Streets & Roads Projects in Counties & Municipalities

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

September 12, Webinar

Designing Concrete Parking Lots the Right Way!

Email: Amy Miller, 904-264-8850

 

October 14, Free Webinar

Streets & Roads Elected Official Advocacy

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

November 7, Webinar

Designing Concrete Parking Lots the Right Way!

Email: Amy Miller, 904-264-8850

 

November 18-20, Silver Spring, MD

The Effective RMC Supervisor - Silver Spring, MD

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

November 19, Webinar

Sales Performance Assessments and Review for Ready Mix Sales Managers

Email: Shawnita Dickens, 888-84-NRMCA, x1154

 

December 3-5, Phoenix

Environmental Professional Certification Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152

 

December 9-12, Phoenix

Plant Manager Certification Course

Email: Jessica Walgenbach, 888-84-NRMCA, x1152