TRB 2019: Nanotechnology boosts performance of cementitious grouts

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Precast concrete products were on the agenda of the 99th annual Transportation Research Board meeting in January in Washington, D.C. Over 12,000 delegates heard presentations in 800-plus sessions addressing multimodal transportation policy and construction practice, including materials and design involving precast/prestressed products. Concrete Products was there and we present this report on new research in precast structures and methods. We will look at TRB 2019 research in cast-in-place concrete later this year. The 100th meeting of TRB will take place January 12-16, 2020. For more information, visit www.trb.org.

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Precast/prestressed pavement, deck panels drive research at TRB

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The annual Transportation Research Board meeting in January is one of the highlights of the pavement and bridge research community. This year’s event drew over 13,000 transportation engineers and specialists from the United States and other countries to Washington, D.C. Delegates could audit 5,000-plus presentations in over 800 sessions addressing topics in transportation construction, including projects based on precast/prestressed concrete structures and methods. Concrete Products was there and this month presents a report on new research findings in precast/prestressed research at TRB 2018. We looked at ready-mixed and cast-in-place concrete previously, see March 2018, pages 54-57. For more information, visit www.trb.org.

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TRB: Albedo change study quantifies role in climate change; PCC overlays perform

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The 97th annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board in January drew 13,000-plus transportation engineers and specialists from across the country, and around the world to Washington, D.C. More than 5,000 presentations in over 800 sessions addressed topics in multimodal transportation, including materials and design involving ready mixed concrete and precast/prestressed products. Concrete Products was there and this month presents a report on new research findings in cast-in-place concrete. We’ll look at precast/prestressed related research from TRB 2018 in an upcoming issue. For more information, visit www.trb.org.

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ABCs of TRB: Accelerated Bridge Construction ideal for precast/prestressed

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Technical papers involving accelerated bridge construction and precast/prestressed concrete products were among the 5,000-plus presentations in more than 800 sessions at the 96th annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board. More than 13,000 transportation engineers and specialists from across the country—and around the world—journeyed to Washington, D.C., earlier this year for TRB 2017, and Concrete Products was among them.

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Scientists link ‘programmable’ cement particles to improved concrete performance

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From Rice University, Houston … Bringing order to disorder is key to making stronger and greener cement and concrete. In National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Energy-backed research, Rice University scientists have decoded the kinetic properties of cement and developed a way to “program” the microscopic, semicrystalline particles within. The process turns particles from disordered clumps into regimented cubes, or spheres that combine to make the material less porous and more durable.

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Precast ‘crushable’ concrete equal to security applications

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“Crushable” concrete for better protection against terrorists … improved designs for precast rockfall barriers … corrosion of precast concrete barrier connections … lightweight, high-performance, self-consolidating concrete for bulb-T beams. They’re all part of new research presented earlier this year during the 94th annual Transportation Research Board annual meeting, which drew 12,000-plus design, engineering and allied professionals to Washington, D.C.

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SUBSTITUTE NEARLY HALF RCA FOR STONE IN PCC PAVEMENTS

Replacement of recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) for natural coarse aggregate by up to 45 percent by volume had no significant effects on any of the concrete properties studied, indicating high-quality RCA can be used as a replacement for a portion of the coarse natural aggregates in new portland cement concrete pavements. That’s what Haifang Wen, Ph.D., P.E., Washington State University; David I. McLean, Ph.D., P.E., Colorado State University; and, Kim Willoughby, Washington State DOT, report in their 2015 TRB paper, Evaluation of Recycled Concrete as Aggregates in New Concrete Pavements.

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