Doing Good for the Environment Means Doing Good for the Bottom Line

Much of the recognition for upgrading infrastructure in a sustainable and environmentally responsible fashion often goes to larger cities. However, the use of full-depth reclamation (FDR) with portland cement in the town of Hancock, N.H. — population 1,823 — demonstrates that even the smallest of towns can save time, money, and resources while minimizing environmental impact.

With an elevation change of almost 400 feet from the lowest point to highest point within the town’s road system, and harsh New England winters wreaking havoc on roadways, keeping these roads safe and in good repair while working within limited resources is a challenge.  Antrim Road, in particular, posed a problem. A 2,000-foot section of the road has seen three 100-year floods in a three-year time frame — 2005, 2006, and 2007. This road also has a serious groundwater problem, which has damaged the road base and complicated the rebuilding process.

Director of Public Works, Kurtis J. Grassett, evaluated many alternatives to rebuilding this road and selected FDR with cement because it was the most cost-effective and reliable approach. Rebuilding Antrim Road using FDR with cement saved the town about $100,000 in 2006.

Hancock taxpayers saw further financial and environmental benefits because the existing base and pavement materials, already paid for by the town in previous years, were recycled into the new stabilized base. This environmentally friendly process significantly reduced fuel consumption by reducing the need to ship in new materials. It also eliminated the need to dispose of the old pavement, saving precious landfill space.

In recognition of his efforts to promote sustainable development through the use of concrete- and cement-based products, Grassett was a recipient of the 2008 PCA Sustainable Leadership Awards.

(See below).

Board Approves New Strategic Direction,
Elects New Leadership

At its Fall Meeting in suburban Dallas last week, PCA’s Board of Directors elected new leadership, approved a three-year strategic plan for the Association, and expanded membership of the Executive Committee.

Among highlights and significant actions:

>The Board elected Enrique Escalante (GCC of America) as chair, and Aris Papadopoulos (Titan America) as vice chair of PCA. (See below.)

>The Board voted to maintain the current dues rate of 16.5 cents per short ton in the United States and 7.5 cents per metric ton in Canada.

>The makeup of the PCA Executive Committee was expanded from 8 to 11 members to better represent the membership.

>The Board adopted a new Strategic Plan that focuses PCA initiatives in three areas: business continuity, market development, and sustainable development.

>PCA Chief Economist Ed Sullivan presented his revised forecast for 2009 and beyond. (See below.)

>Aris Papadopoulos (Titan America) moderated a Town Hall Meeting on imaging and branding for the concrete industry. To anchor  that session, FD Dittus Communications presented an overview of initiatives by other industries, results of PCA’s preliminary message development and testing, and possible next steps.

Also meeting were the PCA Governement Affairs Council, the PCA Education Foundation, the Legal Counsels Committee, and the Boards of the CTLGroup and the Cement Association of Canada.

PCA’s combined spring Board and committee meetings are scheduled for April 27-29, 2009, at Chicago’s Marriott O’Hare.
Contact Jan Farnsworth

Board Elects Escalante Chair,
Papadopoulos Vice Chair

At its Fall Meeting last week, the PCA Board of Directors elected Enrique Escalante (left, GCC of America) as chair, and Aris Papadopoulos (below right, Titan America) as vice chair.

Escalante joined GCC in 1999 as president of the Mexico division.  From 2000 to the present, he has serviced as president of GCC's United States division. Prior to joining GCC, he had more than 20 years experience in management and sales positions in heavy industry and construction materials.

Escalante is a graduate of the Technologic Institute of Monterrey with an Engineering Degree. He also has an MBA from Cornell University.

Aris Papadopoulos has served as CEO of Titan America, the US subsidiary of Titan Cement Group, since 2000. Prior to that, he was CEO of Titan’s JV subsidiary, Roanoke Cement Co.

He joined Titan in 1992 and over the last 16 years helped build Titan America’s heavy building materials business in the Eastern US.

Papadopoulos earned Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Chemical Engineering from MIT and an MBA from Harvard.

Sustainable Development Leadership Award Winners Presented

Announced last month, several 2008 PCA Sustainable Leadership awards have been presented and more are scheduled for this month.

As a major tenet in its ongoing commitment to green building and excellence in leadership, the PCA Sustainable Leadership Awards recognize local leaders in eight cities who have enacted policies or completed projects that promote sustainable development through the use of concrete- and cement-based products.

Kent Sunderland, vice chairman of Ash Grove Cement Company, was on hand to honor Mayor Peggy J. Dunn and Joe Johnson, City of Leawood, Kan., with their award for the use of pervious concrete at a city council meeting on Oct. 6.  Tim McConnell, PCA pavement engineer, presented an award to Kurt Grassett on Oct. 23. (See Project of the Week above).

Additional awards scheduled for presentation include Brad Reed of the City of Lubbock, Texas on Nov.6; Dennis C. Kilfoil of the Marion County Housing Authority in Salem, Ore., on Nov. 13; and the department of Streets Services, City of Dallas at the Dallas City Council meeting on Nov. 18.
More at www.cement.org/newsroom

PCA Revises Cement Forecast Downward

A weak economy and tight credit conditions will translate into significant weakness for the construction industry through 2010, leading PCA to again downgrade its cement consumption forecast.

At his presentation at the PCA Board Meeting last week, chief economist Ed Sullivan announced that PCA now expects 2008 cement consumption to decline 12.8 percent, followed by an 11.9 percent and 2.1 percent declines in 2009 and 2010, respectively. 

Sullivan predicts additional declines in the residential sector in 2009, with starts activity not seeing a meaningful recovery until the second half of 2010.  Nonresidential construction is expected to decline 23 percent in 2009 and 12 percent in 2010.  Severe job losses will also lead to lost state government revenue and a weaker public construction sector.
More in the PCA newsroom

TX Active Named in Time Magazine’s Top 50 Inventions of 2008

TX Active, a self-cleaning, pollution-reducing photocatalytic cement produced by Essroc Italcementi Group, was part of TIME magazine’s recent list of the top 50 inventions of 2008.

Earning the 37th spot, TX Active was praised for its ability to" speed up the natural process that breaks down smog into its component parts” to reduce nitric oxides and provide cleaner buildings.

TX Active has been in use in Europe for more than a decade on landmark architecture including Rome’s Dives in Misericordia Church and Air France headquarters at Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris.  It was recently used for two gleaming white concrete sculptures on the new Interstate 35 West Bridge spanning the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis.
View all 50 inventions

Southeast Cement Association
Hosts RCC Paving Seminar

PCA and the Southeast Cement Association will present Roller-Compacted Concrete Pavement: Design and Construction seminar on Thursday, November 13, at the Hilton Atlanta Airport, Atlanta, Ga.

The one-day technical course is geared for designers, contractors, developers, construction managers, and other professionals involved in roller-compacted concrete (RCC) paving applications.

Cost is $150.

Visit www.rccpavement.info
Download registration materials

Concrete Floors and Moisture, 2nd edition:  Unwanted moisture in concrete floors causes millions of dollars in damage to buildings annually in the United States. Problems from excessive moisture include deterioration and debonding of floor coverings, trip-and-fall hazards, microbial growth leading to reduced indoor air quality, staining and deterioration of building finishes. This publication discusses sources of moisture, drying of concrete, methods of measuring moisture, construction practices, specifications, and responsibilities for successful floor projects. The second edition incorporates a brief discussion of terrazzo issues, additional references on drying times of lightweight concrete, an extended discussion of issues with ASTM F1869 moisture emission testing, and updates to the sources of supplies and standards (EB119;  $50, less discoumt).
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The Development of a Rapid Test for Determining the Transport Properties of Concrete:  Electrical resistivity techniques are used to give an indication of the relative permeability of concrete. ASTM C 1202, more commonly known as the rapid chloride permeability test (RCPT), is widely specified as a quality control method in concrete construction. However, this test is time consuming and highly dependent on the chemistry of the pore solution. This test program studied the relationships between the RCP test and instantaneous resistivity measurements and the relationship between resistivity, or its inverse conductivity, and the rate of diffusion of chlorides into concrete. Theoretically, conductivity and diffusion are linked by what is known as a formation factor in which, among other things, the resistivity of the pore solution must be known. The feasibility of two methods to obtain the pore solution conductivity was examined. This thesis was developed as part of the educational requirements of the University of New Brunswick under a fellowship grant from the PCA Education Foundation (SN2821; no charge; PDF only).
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The Effect of Aggregate Type on the Freeze-Thaw Durability of Pervious Concrete:  This paper describes a series of tests designed to determine the specific role coarse aggregate has on the freeze-thaw durability of pervious concrete using the ASTM C666A procedure.  Seventeen different coarse aggregate samples were obtained from locations across the United States and Canada. The range of durable aggregate gradations clearly defined a gradation specification and suggestions are made for optimizing the gradation with a small portion of sand. The impact of aggregate angularity on mixture proportions and ultimate yield is also discussed. This work was supported by the PCA Education Foundation Fellowship given to Iowa State University (SN3063; no charge; PDF only).
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2008 State Forecasts—Combination Offer:  This publication contains a four-year forecast of portland cement consumption for each state by sector, including residential, nonresidential, and public markets, as well as 14 sub-sectors.  Included in this subscription is the Fall State Forecast to be released later this year, which contains four-year projections of key economic and demographic concepts that pertain to state-level construction activity (ER382; $7,000, no discount).
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U.S. and Canadian Labor-Energy Survey: A proprietary annual survey detailing the U.S. and Canadian cement industry’s labor and energy usage.  The report focuses on energy consumption by fuel type (including waste fuels) and contains aggregated historical labor and energy-efficiency trends summarized by type of process, size of kiln, and age of plant.  Individual plant detail is not presented (ER384; $300, no discount; PDF free to members).
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Effect of Depth on the Shear Strength of Concrete Beams without Shear Reinforcement—Experimental Study:  The beams in this test program had no shear reinforcement and were designed such that the effective depth was varied while values for other traditionally-considered parameters shown to influence the shear strength (such as the compressive strength of concrete, longitudinal reinforcement ratio, shear span-to-depth ratio, and maximum aggregate size) were held constant. The values selected for the parameters held constant were chosen in an attempt to minimize the concrete shear strength. The shear strength was found to be influenced significantly by flexural and flexure-shear cracks interfering with the contribution to the shear strength from the arch mechanism of shear transfer. Based on the results of the tests conducted in this study, it is postulated that in the shallower 12 in. specimens the arch mechanism, consisting of an initial compression field fanning from the point load towards the support, formed without the interference of flexural and flexure-shear cracks.  (SN2921; no charge; PDF only).
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Assessment of Confinement Models for Reinforced Concrete Columns Subjected to Seismic Loading:  The aim of this research project was to investigate the performance of the current ACI 318 confining steel requirements and compare them to other codes and proposed models to determine their suitability for a performance-based design equation for implementation in Chapter 21 of ACI 318. For both the rectangular and circular column evaluations, the ACI model was determined to be the least desirable of all models investigated.  Based on the evaluation techniques developed, specific models were selected as recommended alternatives to the current ACI requirements. The recommended models minimize the potential of a column experiencing lateral strength degradation before reaching the prescribed lateral drift limit. This thesis was developed as part of the educational requirements of the University of British Columbia under a fellowship grant from the PCA Education Foundation (SN3085; no charge; PDF only).
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Material Usage and Condition of Existing Bridges in the U.S.:  This report summarizes data on the market share of the four major bridge construction materials used in the U.S. (reinforced concrete, prestressed concrete, structural steel, and timber).  Data are extracted from the National Bridge Inventory as of December 2006.  Tables and figures present information on both the number and deck area of existing bridges.  To focus on current trends, data are also presented for bridges built during 1990-2006.  The market share and performance (structural deficiency) of bridge materials are given by year of construction.  This report updates data published in a similar document in December 2004 (SR342; no charge; PDF only)
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Interlocking Concrete Pavement Distress Manual:  This useful, well-illustrated new guide offers tools for condition assessment of interlocking concrete pavement. It describes various concrete block pavement defects such as faulting, heave, and horizontal creep, and their relative impact on durability and condition of the pavement. A newly-developed software model allows the calculation of a pavement condition index (PCI), based on the distress type, extent and severity levels (LT318; $24, no discount)
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Life-Cycle Cost Management of Interlocking Concrete Block Pavements: Methodology Report:  There is widespread agreement that life-cycle costs (LCC) must include not only initial construction and materials costs but also the costs of maintenance. The present report, compiled by Applied Research Associates, Inc., presents useful guidelines and a spreadsheet model to develop realistic LCC cost procedures for concrete block pavements. In addition, it contains pavement design, maintenance and rehabilitation procedures to document the LCC of interlocking concrete block pavements as compared with flexible and rigid pavements. Published by ICPI (LT319; $24, no discount).
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Second Quarter 2008 Survey of Portland Cement Consumption by User Group:  PCA Market Research conducted a survey of portland cement consumption by user group. Sixteen markets were examined. Cement company respondents provided the portland cement tonnage for the following markets: Brick & Block, Fiber Cement Siding, Concrete Pipe, Concrete Railroad Tie, Concrete Roof Tile, Oil & Gas Well Drilling, Packaged Concrete Products, Precast, RCC-Paving, RCC-Water Resources, Ready-Mixed Concrete, SC-Paving, SC-Water Resources, Streets & Highways Contractors, Waste Solidification & Stabilization, and All Other Manufacturers and Contractors. Information on cement kiln dust (CKD) for soil-cement paving and waste solidification and stabilization also was collected. This report includes data from surveys conducted over the past six years. Survey forms were sent to all member and non-member companies in North America. All totals include both U.S. and Canadian data (MR120; $1000, no discount; PDF free to PCA members).
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Guide to Cement-Modified Soil (CMS):  A comprehensive guide to cement-modified soil.  This process treats a substandard soil/aggregate material with a relatively small proportion of portland cement, amending its undesirable properties to produce material suitable for use in subgrade or foundation construction. This document describes in detail the applications, benefits, design, construction, testing, and performance of CMS.  A recommended construction specification for CMS is included.  (EB242; $10, less discount)
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Prescriptive Method for Connecting Structural Insulated Panel Roofs to Concrete Wall Systems:  This publication provides prescriptive requirements to facilitate the use of SIP roofs on concrete wall systems (such as poured concrete, concrete masonry, and insulated concrete form walls) for the construction of one- and two-family dwellings, townhouses, and other attached single-family residences and accessory structures. These provisions include definitions, span tables, material requirements, and other related information to enable home builders, design professionals, and building code officials to more easily design and review plans for concrete homes with SIP roofs.  The provisions in this document were developed by applying accepted engineering practices, standard test procedures and practical construction techniques and comply with the loading requirements of the most recent U.S. model building codes at the time of publication. Included are prescriptive provisions for the roof connections for typical concrete homes with SIP roof systems reflect industry best practice and are designed to reduce the need for engineering for most applications (SN3089; no charge; PDF only)
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