Handling Concrete Specifications, Low Strength Problems and Mixture Submittals

Purpose and Background
Dealing with concrete specification, troubleshooting low strength problems and ensuring proper mixture submittals can be expensive and time consuming.  This one-day course will get into code and specification requirements (ACI 318, 301, ASTM C94) governing ready mixed concrete including the new ACI Building Code 318-14.  It will suggest specification revisions for all around benefits in performance and cost which is based on a specification guideline document.  The guideline document is the result of review of numerous concrete specifications (Section 03300) belonging to large owners and has been reviewed and supported by the NRMCA Research Engineering and Standards Committee.

Troubleshooting low strength problems is perhaps the primary reason for back charges for a concrete company.  This could be almost entirely avoided by knowledgeable concrete technical personnel.  The course will cover the analysis of strength test results to identify causes for low strength problems including technician competence and provide guidance to track compliance with specification requirements.  Non-destructive testing techniques like the Rebound Hammer, core testing, evaluating core test results for acceptance and assignmnet of responsibility will be discussed.
TEXT / HANDOUTS - RETAIL VALUE $350+

• Print out of the presentations
• Guide to Improving Concrete Specifications
• NRMCA / ASCC Pre-Construction Checklist
• Flowchart of ACI Mixture submittal process
• Research to Support P2P (Prescriptive to Performance specifications)
• Computer program for analyzing concrete test results
• NRMCA Publications:
• - No. 133 - In-Place Concrete Strength Evaluation A Recommended Practice
• - No. 179 - Variables that Influence Measured Concrete Compressive Strength
• - No. 185 - Understanding Concrete Core Testing 
• Related Specification in Practice topics and P2P Presentation
• Selected Publications by Mr. Luke Snell
• Code and Standards Requirements for Acceptance Testing Presentation with notes and checklist

INSTRUCTORS
Luke M. Snell, is a Concrete Consultant Concrete and an Emeritus Professor of Constructin from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.  He has done extensive consulting work on construction and concrete problems throughout the U.S. and internationally.  He has also written over 400 articles on concrete, constructin materials, and constructin education.  He has been instrumental in starting concrete certificatin probrams in China, India, Taiwan, Mongolia and Saudi Arabia.  He is the past chair of several ACI committees including the ACI 120 History of Concrete, The Educatinal Activities Committee and the Chapter Activities Committee.  Snell is an ACI Fellow and has received numerous awards and was named one of the Ten Most Influential People of the Year in the Concrete Industry by Concrete Constructin and Concrete Producer magazines (2007), Constructin Laureate of Mongolia (2007), the Henry L. Kennedy Award from ACI (2008), a Honorary Doctorate from Aria University of Sciences and Sustainability (2011) and the ACI Certificatin Award (2015).  He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Missouri and Illinois.

Karthik Obla, Ph.D., P.E., FACI is Vice President, Technical Services at NRMCA.  With over 25 years of experience in concrete technology, he is responsible for NRMCA's concrete producer quality initiatives as well as various educational and technical programs.  He supports NRMCA's P2P initiative and directs the activities of the NRMCA Research Laboratory.  A fellow of ACI and a winner of ACI's Yound Professional Achievement Award and ASTM Award of Appreciation from the Sustainability and Concrete Committees, Dr. Obla is an active member of various ACI, ASTM, and TRB technical committees.  He has served as chair form ASTM 09.49 - Pervious Concrete, and ACI 232 - Fly Ash and Natural Pozzolans.  He has publised a book on concrete quality and a chapter in a book on concrete sustainability and has over 80 technical articles and reports.  He holds a B. Tech in civil engineering from IIT (BHU) Varanasi, India and a M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.  He is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Maryland and has served as vicr-president and president for the ACI San Antonio Chapter.