Beton welcomes senior lab and field technician
We’re pleased to welcome Brad Ahrens as a senior lab and field technician. Ahrens has over 20 years’ experience in concrete lab and field testing, quality control, and inspection. Brad […]
Insights
Helpful Hints for Concrete Canoe Mix Design from 2018 Minnesota team
The American Society of Civil Engineers has hosted the National Concrete Canoe Competition since 1988. The University of Minnesota Twin Cities has participated in the event for over 30 years. […]
Beton to Assist in Cleanup of Manhattan Project and Cold War Nuclear Wastes
The Hanford Nuclear Reservation was established in Washington State in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project and the Cold War to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons. The Manhattan Project was […]
Not All Cements are Created Equal
“We can be using the same kind of technology, the same kind of techniques, but when we use it, we get something different.” Shigeru Miyamoto Have you ever experienced a […]
Volumetric and Hardened Air Contents the Same
Air entrained concrete, a modern marvel, is still the biggest headache in concrete production. A recent discussion we have been a part of involved the relationship between the pressure meter […]
Internal curing with lightweight aggregate gaining traction
Lightweight fine aggregate for internal curing is not a new technology, but it has been slow to gain traction in everyday use. Based on the number of times I’ve heard […]
Petrographic examination of historic stone-veneer mortar
As a petrographer, I have had the opportunity to examine many historic mortars and historic concretes from around the United States. They silently tell stories about natural elements and sometimes, […]
Beton Wins Residential Concrete Pavement Award
A 4-inch thick residential concrete street? We must be talking about a sidewalk, right? Actually, four inches is possible when the street base is properly designed and consolidated. And Beton recently […]
Rating the suitability of local aggregates
You don’t usually think of gravel or aggregates as a resource until you’re trying to make concrete. In many parts of the country, good-quality aggregates for concrete are in short […]
Air entrained concrete requires a light trowel touch
Q: How does hard-troweled air-entrainment impact strong concrete? A: It’s pretty well known in the concrete industry that hard-troweled surfaces and air-entrained concrete don’t mix. If you need to entrain air, as in […]