Resilient engineering for climate change
Resilient engineering is design of infrastructure to withstand and recover from such major hazard events as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. It goes beyond design for life safety. It also […]
Insights
What is a pooled sample?
The engineers’ code of ethics requires us to “hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public“. Here’s one way public health officials use statistics to do just that. […]
New product innovation Q & A
Q: I’M INTERESTED IN DEVELOPING A NEW CEMENTITIOUS PRODUCT BUT NEED HELP FIGURING OUT A FORMULATION TO MEET THE SPECIFICATIONS. IS THIS SOMETHING BETON HAS EXPERIENCE WITH? A: The products […]
Death by PowerPoint
One of the most memorable presentations I ever attended was at once both a highly engaging talk about archeometry and a parody of bad presentations. (In case you didn’t know, […]
ASTM C1866 Promotes sustainability
A new standard, ASTM C1866, specifies ground glass for use in concrete. It’s part of a trend to promote sustainability by making use of marginal and recycled materials in concrete. […]
When concrete cures at elevated temperatures
Elevated temperatures affect the mixing, placement, and finishing of fresh concrete. In our blogs about mass concrete and hot-weather concreting, we’ve alluded to what happens when concrete cures at elevated […]
Hot-weather concreting
As the weather warms up, it’s good to review best practices for hot-weather concreting. You can incorporate these ideas as needed into your project specifications. The American Concrete Institute defines […]
Alternative cements Q & A
Q: I’m a designer who’s concerned about carbon emissions. Are alternative cements more environmentally-friendly than portland cement? A: It depends. The best way to find out if an alternative cement […]
Poems for the Sons of Martha
This is the time of year for graduations. Unfortunately, there won’t be the usual ceremonies and other gatherings to mark the occasion this year. Instead, we offer some classic poems–and […]
Public health, safety, and welfare
For the 2019-2020 school year, the ABET criteria for student outcomes include “an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, […]