Now that things are opening up again, I’m looking forward to traveling. One thing that interests me is local architecture, especially traditional architecture. Sometimes we can be rather snobbish about […]
Throughout my career, our industry has been pursuing performance specifications for concrete. That is, we want specifications for what the concrete must do, not what it must be. The sticking […]
Concrete in certain environments is subject to sulfate attack. These include seawater, some industrial environments, sanitary sewers, and sulfate-bearing soils and groundwater. The latter commonly occur in the western United […]
Part of professional engineering practice is objective communication. In fact, it’s so important that the Engineers’ Code of Ethics calls it out specifically. How do we achieve objectivity in technical […]
Throughout the United States, many interstate highways carry the name “Eisenhower” to honor the president who promoted the concept. But Eisenhower’s interstate highway system is showing its age. President Biden […]
In the Middle Ages, alchemists sought in vain to turn base metals into gold. Now all that remains of alchemy is some laboratory equipment. But imaginative urban planning offers a […]
ASTM C1556 and NT Build 492 both measure the ease with which chloride ions migrate into concrete. Both test methods estimate the diffusion coefficient, a measure of the rate at […]
Following last month’s power outage in Texas, state legislators conducted hearings to sort out what happened and why. There was plenty of finger-pointing and little enlightenment. Power company executives laid […]
Beton Consulting Engineers celebrated its 9th anniversary in February by expanding its office space and testing lab to accommodate the company’s growing services and staff. The company started with Kevin […]
CALGreen requires the reuse, recycling, or salvage of at least 65% of the waste from construction and demolition. A previous blog discussed how to reuse water from concrete production. Another […]