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Presented by: Tim Cost, Holcim  (BIO)
Time: 10:30 a.m. Eastern time │ 1.5 hours duration
Pricing: $50 (Members & Non-Members)

Webinar Description:

Simple temperature measurements of hydrating concrete, mortar, or paste mixtures (referred to as semi-adiabatic calorimetry or SAC) has become a powerful QC tool for ready-mixed concrete producers. Hydrating concrete materials generate heat, and the profile of the resulting thermal history can provide a useful indication of setting time, early hydration efficiency, and various other aspects of performance. Available equipment for SAC testing now includes convenient manufactured systems as well as generic temperature monitoring hardware and data loggers that can be adapted for the purpose. Testing involves the use of such equipment / systems to collect and record the changing temperatures of hydrating mixtures, usually for no more than 24 hours, then plotting the data in groups of "thermal profiles" for comparative analysis. This can be done in the field with job-sampled concrete, at the ready-mix plant with fresh or wet-sieved concrete, or in the lab with small paste or mortar batches that simulate proposed concrete proportions and field temperatures. Some of the key performance effects of different mixture variables can easily be explored in a small fraction of the time that would be required for lab concrete batches.

Specific SAC applications of interest to the ready-mixed concrete producer include evaluating the setting time influences of changes in admixtures, dosage rates, cementitious component proportions, and mixture temperatures; tracking materials variability in routine SAC testing for QC; comparing candidate materials or sources in typical mixture proportions; verifying seasonal adjustments to mixtures; and troubleshooting abnormal hydration behavior or "incompatibility" tendencies that cause certain concrete field problems.

This webinar will introduce the participants to SAC equipment, methods, and applications, and will cover the basics of how to plan and conduct an effective SAC testing program. Interpretation of SAC thermal profiles will be discussed and case history examples of SAC QC and troubleshooting applications will be presented.

Presenter Bio:

Tim Cost (PE, FACI) has over 33 years of professional experience relating to cementitious materials, concrete, and related applications. For 10 years prior to joining Holcim (then Holnam) in 1996, Mr. Cost represented the concrete industry in Mississippi, including the Portland Cement Association and the Mississippi Concrete Industries Association (MCIA), where he was Executive Director from 1990 through 1995. For the previous 10 years he was involved with research work relating to concrete structures at the US Army Corps of Engineers Waterways Experiment Station (now Engineer Research and Development Center).

His expertise includes concrete pavements, cementitious materials, concrete durability, cement-admixture interaction, soil stabilization, and other areas of cement and concrete technology.

Mr. Cost is a Fellow of the American Concrete Institute (ACI) and is active in various other professional organizations and industry trade associations nationally and in several states, including ASCE, NSPE, ASTM, and ACPA (American Concrete Pavement Association). He is a member of the ACPA Technical Committee and Streets and Local Roads Committee. He chairs ACI committee 330 for Concrete Parking Lots and Site Paving, and is an active member of committees 230 (Soil Cement), 325 (Concrete Pavements), 211 (Concrete Mixture Proportioning), 302 (Construction of Concrete Floors), and 360 (Design of Slabs on Ground). He is active on ASTM Committees C1 (Cement) and C9 (Concrete and Concrete Aggregates) and leads a Task Group of Subcommittee C01/09.48 (Performance of Cementitious Materials and Admixture Combinations). He is an instructor and examiner for ACI concrete technician and finisher certification programs and is past president of the ACI Mid-South Chapter. He has served as a seminar instructor for ACI International and the CONEXPO/CON-AGG trade show.

His education includes a B.S. and graduate studies in civil engineering from Mississippi State University. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Mississippi.

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