Why We Focus on Education
We have all heard the old adage; “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.” Unfortunately most of us have not only heard that expression but we have experienced it first hand far too often. With the theme of this issue of Concrete Facts being education, it only seemed appropriate to share with you a few ideas about dealing with the subject.
Like me, you probably receive a daily barrage of mailings that offer you incredible opportunities to attend seminars and lectures professing to make you a better leader or a better professional and all the while making you a larger profit. All you have to do is devote a lot of time that you don’t have and a huge fee that you don’t want to spend and you can get “filled up” with generic and usually trite information that is interesting but usually very difficult to employ once you get “back to the ranch”. Don’t get me wrong, I am sure that this approach can be beneficial at times and may help some, but isn’t your real goal to have people in your office and in the fi eld know the most about what they are doing allowing them to do their job better than anyone else?
As foundation contractors, I believe one of our most common areas of weakness is filling the educational gap between the design and construction teams. It has always proven to be a logistical challenge to spend the necessary time and money to properly educate the fi eld crews. Every foundation contractor has crews who can form, place, and finish concrete. I wonder how many of these contractors could say that all of their laborers have a formal and effective working knowledge of concrete basics, admixtures, reinforcement, consolidation, mix designs, etc. So, what are ways you can resolve this?
In our area, we have contracted the services of a concrete consulting firm to provide these types of educational services for our company. We feel that educating our personnel is an area where we can develop a competitive edge in our market. After all, if we cannot find creative ways to separate ourselves from our competition, then the only way our customers can evaluate us is by our price.
It’s not easy for a foundation contractor to find and retain suitable educators. Fortunately, the CFA has always offered these types of educational opportunities. Over the years your association has sponsored or developed construction and management seminars in many forms. This has been a huge help to the overall membership. CFA Staff has noted in recent years, however, a slow but steady decline in the interest and participation with these programs. I would like to encourage each member to do an assessment of your individual company and determine how much you would benefit from increasing the education of your employees. By tapping into the knowledge, resources, and experience the CFA has to offer, there is no reason why your people can’t be doing their job better than anyone else while your company begins to stand above your competition.
Brad Schrock, CFA President, Custom Concrete Company Inc. bschrock@customconcrete.comContractor Certification
A year ago in this article I discussed the merits, advantages, and shortfalls of a CFA-sponsored contractor certification program. The bottom line is that certification is coming whether we like it or not. Several government and code organizations require that contractors, or individuals within the company, are certified to perform their specialty. More will do so in the future.
If certification is inevitable, which would you rather have? A government entity that knows little or nothing about your industry telling you what you should know and what requirements you must meet; or, an industry-generated program that is specific to your fi eld. Hopefully you will agree with the latter point of view. The CFA board did and established a committee to develop such a program. The CFA certification program will be a company versus individual certification. The program will require that some individuals within the company have knowledge in the fi eld, but that the company itself will be scrutinized in several areas.
Several key components to the CFA developed company certification program have been identified. First, is a basic level of knowledge about concrete, safety, and the process of constructing foundations. This will be accomplished with a multiple choice examination. The study materials will consist of ACI and CFA guides and publications as well as Chapter 4 of the International Residential Code. A preparatory seminar will be offered at selected venues such as the CFA regional and summer meetings.
Continuing education will be required after companies have qualified. Opportunities for continuing ed will be broader and will include selected seminars from the World of Concrete, local HBA’s and other venues. CFA events will also qualify but not everyone can make the events so other opportunities and events will be pre-qualified. Information regarding educational events not developed by the CFA must be submitted for approval. At this time, the committee is contemplating 12 hours of continuing education per year.
Company safety programs will also be evaluated. Safety materials, frequency of meetings, accident rates, and a host of other questions and submittals will be used to determine adequacy of the programs. If the company operates pumps, boom trucks, and other equipment where safety training is offered, the company must demonstrate that they are qualified and trained to operate the equipment.
Another section of the program will deal with the financial strength of the company. We are not looking at company books but we do want to make certain that companies are solvent before granting certification. Also of concern are histories of liens, lawsuits, and other legal actions; current status of payroll and other taxes. Having liens, etc. will not necessarily disqualify a company from certification but a history of problems or issues which are not being addressed, will be considered.
Insurance is another area that will be evaluated. Many builders and code bodies already have minimum requirements for liability and other insurances so this should not be a problem for established companies. Minimum amounts and types of coverage are still be debated by the committee.
Questions that touch on company ethics, community and industry involvement and other non-construction issues are also being considered.
For such a program to be successful, all elements of partisanship must be removed. An appeals board will be established whereby companies that are denied certification can appeal their case.
The program will be voluntary – if your jurisdiction does not require company or contractor certification, you do not need to submit to the process. The CFA, however, will be promoting the concept to builders and others who use the services our contractors provide. On the other hand, it might give you a vehicle whereby you can separate yourself from the competition.
The program is still in its developmental stage. If you have input, or would like to participate, give the CFA or Dan Bromley, the committee chair, a call. I can be reached at 319-895-6940 or esauter@cfawalls.org. Dan’s phone is 816-795-0073 and his email is DanB@ABI-Corp.com.
Ed Sauter, Executive Director, CFA esauter@cfawalls.orgCertainTeed Corporation Now Offering V-Buck(R) Vinyl Blocking System
(Valley Forge, Pennsylvania) – To offer our foundations customers an increasingly broader range of products, CertainTeed Corporation now offers the V-Buck(R) vinyl blocking system, a product manufactured by Vinyl Technologies Inc., (VTI) that helps building professionals simplify the process of creating window cut-outs in poured concrete basement walls.
The V-Buck vinyl blocking system consists of vinyl window blockouts that create window space when foundation walls are poured in both insulated concrete form (ICF) and conventional poured concrete wall construction. Perfect for installing any windows, V-Buck is easy to assemble, installs quickly, helps job sites look cleaner and is available at an installed price equal to wood. V-Buck vinyl is also resistant to corrosion, enabling it to look great many years down the road.
“We are pleased to be working with VTI in a capacity that is sure to benefit both of our companies,” says Steve Gross, Marketing Director, CertainTeed Pipe & Plastics. “The V-Buck vinyl blocking system is an innovative product that goes hand-in-hand with our Form-A-Drain(R) Foundation Drainage System and ThermaEZE(TM) Foundation Insulation System. We look forward to giving building professionals the opportunity to meet many of their foundation construction needs all in one spot.”
This venture provides VTI with additional representation for its products, while reinforcing CertainTeed’s commitment to providing a broader foundations product selection for builders. V-Buck complements the existing CertainTeed(R) foundations product line which consists of Form-A-Drain, which is used to form concrete footings, drain foundations, and vent radon, and the ThermaEZE Foundation Insulation System.
Through innovation and creative product design, CertainTeed has helped shape the building products industry for more than 100 years. Founded in 1904 as General Roofing Company, the firm made its slogan “Quality Made Certain, Satisfaction Guaranteed,” which quickly inspired the name CertainTeed. Today, CertainTeed is North America’s leading brand of exterior and interior building products, including roofi ng, siding, windows, fence, decking, railing, millwork, foundations, pipe, insulation, walls, ceilings and access covers. Headquartered in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, CertainTeed and its affiliates have approximately 9,000 employees and 70 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and Canada. In 2006 the group had consolidated sales approaching $4 billion. www.certainteed.com.
PCA Residential Director Honored in “Ten Most Infl uential People in the Concrete Industry” List
SKOKIE, Ill.–Concrete Construction magazine honored Michael H. Weber, PCA’s director of residential construction, as one of 2006’s “Ten Most Influential People in the Concrete Industry.” Weber was lauded for his efforts in marketing and promoting cement-based building systems and products for the residential construction industry.
Instrumental in the creation of National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) Concrete Home Building Council and its current president, Weber’s efforts to promote the use of residential concrete building systems has led to every New American Home since 2004 having a significant concrete aspect. The ‘New American Home’ is NAHB’s official show home and is toured each year during the International Builders’ Show.
Concrete Construction also highlighted the increased market share of concrete homes as solid evidence of Weber’s positive influence. In 2005 concrete homes accounted for 17.9 percent of all new single-family detached homes, up from 12.5 percent in 2000.
In addition to his leadership of the Concrete Home Building Council, Weber serves on several other industry committees including the Steering Committee for the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH), the National Council of the Housing Industry (NCHI), and as voting member for the American Concrete Institute (ACI) Residential 332 Committee and Insulating Concrete Form 560 Committee.
Before joining PCA in 2000, Weber was vice president of operations with Johnson Poured Walls in Mattawan, Mich. He also served as director of training and product promotion with Consumers Concrete Corp., in Kalamazoo, Mich., the largest ready mixed concrete and block producer in the state. Weber worked at Consumers Concrete for 13 years after leaving his family’s ready mixed concrete and aggregate business in Ohio. He is a graduate of the University of Toledo with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and is currently working on his master’s degree.
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Based in Skokie, Ill., the Portland Cement Association, PCA, represents cement companies in the United States and Canada. It conducts market development, engineering, research, education, and public affairs programs.
Dennis Purinton — Contractor of the Year
The Concrete Foundation Association (CFA) recently presented its 2007 Contractor of the Year Award to Dennis Purinton. Purinton, founder of Purinton Builders, Inc. in East Granby, Conn. has been a member of CFA for nearly a decade. He was selected for this award for his enthusiasm and commitment to advancing the concrete foundations industry and the CFA.
According to Ed Sauter, executive director of CFA, Purinton’s dedication to the Association and commitment to sharing ideas with other members made him an obvious choice for the CFA Contractor of the Year.
“Dennis is always willing to go the extra mile,” said Sauter. “He frequently attends industry events and interacts with local partners to further the information available to members on mix production and performance. He exemplifies what it means to be a CFA member.”
The annual award recognizes the contributions of a poured wall contractor to the industry. This year’s award was presented at the CFA Winter Meeting held on Jan. 23 in Las Vegas in conjunction with the World of Concrete.
Founded in 1979, Purinton Builders, Inc. is a full-service company supplying complete site and foundation services to Connecticut and southern Massachusetts. The firm specializes in difficult site conditions and custom foundations. Originally entering the construction industry as a general contractor, Purinton’s firm had trouble getting foundations put in when they needed them, so he branched off and started a foundation company. He then added site work and waterproofing to his services.
Purinton credits the CFA with introducing him to technologies and products, including aluminum forms. This switch allowed them to produce a better quality foundation, which increased Purinton Builder’s customer base. Additionally, by attending a CFA seminar on footing layout, his firm opted to purchase a robotic Geodimeter to layout foundations not only more accurately, but with one less person.
Understanding the importance of industry trends, Purinton Builders is planning to begin building concrete energy efficient homes and has become active in the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program.
Purinton believes that his firm’s active participation in the CFA is a main reason for their success. “The CFA has allowed us to keep abreast of new technology and new programs in the ever changing construction industry,” said Purinton. “Through the CFA, I have discovered a wealth of information and products that have helped my business to grow and allowed our firm to stand out as unique in the Northeast.”
WINNERS!
Whether custom or production – today’s homes are designed with many turns and offsets appearing more like an amalgamation of forms rather than the neat little boxes designed decades ago. Today’s consumers are demanding more than ever in their new home constructions, and housing plans have become increasingly more complex and detailed. The Concrete Foundations Association (CFA) – a North American network dedicated to improving the residential concrete industry by building better businesses and improving codes and standards – 2007 Basement of the Year competition salutes some of this year’s most challenging home projects and their cast-in-place concrete foundations.
This year’s competition is the largest in CFA history with 13 entries from across the country and marks the first year multiple categories were made available for submission. Contractors cast votes for Basement of the Year in the CFA booth at the 2007 World of Concrete trade show in Las Vegas, as well as online. The formal award presentation will be made at the Awards Banquet Luncheon during the CFA’s Annual Summer Convention Aug. 8-11 at the Stoweflake Resort in Stowe, Vt.
Votes were cast by fellow concrete contractors based on their rating of how difficult the projects were to estimate and construct as well as the potential to make money. Project submissions included information such as material quantities, difficult features, technology used, and the problems that were overcome. This year contractors also displayed some of the most intriguing photography the competition has seen to date.
According to Ed Sauter, executive director of CFA, the Basement of the Year competition enables foundation contractors to display the wide range of projects that are being completed today. “The technological advancements that have been made in the poured wall industry allow contractors to complete complex projects more efficiently, which helps ensure homeowners’ dreams are realized,” said Sauter. “Each year, the projects submitted to this competition get more complicated and demonstrate the diversity afforded through poured wall foundations.”
Pritt Residence
Category: Single Family>5,000 sq. ft.
The structure achieving the highest ranking and selected most visually intimidating by more than 50 percent of voters, is a 50,000-squarefoot, two-story basement near the ocean in Corona Del Mar, Calif. This project was submitted by Ekedal Masonry and Concrete, Inc. of Newport Beach, Calif., the foundation contractor on the project. Caissons had to be used in rock because of geological conditions and lengthy shoring specifications. The cast-in-place walls had many angles with very intricate tops. A tunnel that led from the house to the ocean spawned additional challenges, which created a great deal of coordination. In addition to the tunnel, the house features several unique elements that required Ekedal Masonry and Concrete to create chases out of concrete for the waterslide, pool and many block-outs. This home, currently the most expensive home on the market in the United States, is listed $75 million and has a more than 4,000-square-foot mechanical room as well as a bowling alley below the pool.
Because of the significant exposure and total size of the job, precision was essential. Products for the job were being fabricated elsewhere and materials came from all over the world so there was no room for error. A full-time CAD operator was on-site everyday and actually printed out radiuses on paper that were glued down to plywood for templates. Ekedal’s plan detailer spent two months on shop drawings for this job. The Pritt Residence used 3,879 yards of concrete and 215 tons of steel in the walls. The job spanned 780 lineal feet with wall heights ranging from 4 feet to 45 feet tall. Wall thicknesses ranged from 8 inches to 36 inches.
“Even though projects like this are common to our company, we had to be aware that this home is surrounded by $20 million homes and was very high profile,” said Ryan Ekedal, Vice President of Ekedal Masonry and Concrete. “We had to take extra precautions on everything from monitoring ground vibrations and shoring walls to overall liability concerns. We knew that because this job was receiving major exposure we were under the microscope and everyone had to give an added 100 percent to the work and concentration they were already applying to the project.”
286 Foxcliff North
Category: Single Family>5,000 sq.ft.
The project receiving the second highest vote total this year is Lot 286 Foxcliff North in Martinsville, Ind. Custom Concrete in Westfi eld, Ind constructed this 15,500-square-foot basement. With wall heights ranging from 3’ to 15 feet, the project features a total of 20 angled corners. The footings were 3’ and 2 feet wide by 12 inches in depth with 2 rows of #6 continuous rebar. Located on a challenging site, the project was on the top of a steep hill with limited access. The large atrium was fi lled with gravel by conveyor trucks that had to maneuver around the site as best as possible. This took 2,000 tons of gravel. Back piers were a challenge to reach and the concrete pump contractors assisted with extra hoses and manpower to complete the pour. Varying wall heights presented a unique challenge and crews had to take extra caution to ensure that the correct forms were on site at the appropriate times. Lot 286 Foxcliff North foundation was 953 linear feet and includes 270 cubic yards of concrete for the walls, 100 cubic yards of concrete for footings that contain 2,000 linear feet of rebar. The job included a reinforced safe room, along with a aquatic center within the basement area.
“This was one of the most challenging jobs our fi rm has tackled,” said Brian Kincaid, Field Representative Manager at Custom Concrete. “The different size and heights of the walls, complexity of the footings and job access made this a very unique project.” Our on site Cad people were a huge asset for this project.
Prescott Residence
Category: Single Family>5,000 sq.ft.
The third place finisher, the Prescott Residence in West Bend, Wis., was submitted by the foundation contractor Coello & Associates, Inc. of Waukesha, Wis. The foundation wall for the 16,000-square-foot home was 10 feet high and included two faces of steel rebar on the entire foundation. With more than 9,000 lineal feet of steel rebar in the wall and multiple brick ledge heights, a great amount of time and effort was required prior to pouring the wall. One of the greatest challenges in forming the wall was a double ellipse on the rear of the house. Squaring up this portion of the foundation was extremely complex because of its odd shape, 10-foot height, and the location of two ellipses back-to-back.
Poor soil conditions at the site made the footing design extremely complex. The footings were 18-inches thick and ranged from 20 to 42 inches wide. The entire foundation sat on almost 700 yards of slurry mix, which required Coello & Associates to drill each pin into the ground to hold the forms correctly. The reinforcement in the footings included rebar in both directions and L-shaped steel bars. Part of the foundation was also poured on pilings.
“Extensive coordination and accurate scheduling were crucial to the success of this project,” said Nick Coello, Quality Control Manager of Coello & Associates. “Due to the large size of the home, detailed planning was required both internally and with our concrete supplier before the project began. The concrete was specially designed to ensure it would consolidate properly with all of the rebar.”
Briar Creek Golf Club
Category: Commercial/Multi-Family
A 10,600-square-foot basement for the Briar Creek Golf Club in Johns Island, S.C. was constructed by Sunburst Builders, LLC of Charleston, S.C., the project has a double matted #6 rebar encased in #4 stirrups, every 24 feet on center. The walls were 16 inches wide with two octagon-shaped decks and arches between columns. The golf club is in a storm surge zone and footings had to be 4 feet deep, which was below the water table. Because of the footing depth and rain, the project was constantly de-watered. Aluminum forms, wood forms and Styrofoam shapes were used to achieve the 24-inch by 16-inch columns. An arch was located between every column. The Briar Creek Golf Club foundation has 348 total linear feet and includes 188 cubic yards of concrete for the walls, 252 cubic yards of concrete for footings that contain 12,820 pounds of steel, with another 8,460 pounds of steel in the walls. This project detailed impressive above-grade forming for a colonnade structural perimeter.
“We were happy to be part of a team that is committed to structural integrity with the awareness of seismic conditions, hurricanes and storm surges,” said Bill Nelson, president of Sunburst Builders. “Crest Industries recognized our abilities to handle the project and the architect, Mark Finlay, presented us with a challenge that resulted in an award winning project.”
Koepke Residence
Category: Single Family 2,000-5,000 sq.ft.
Finally, another project submitted by Coello & Associates, Inc. was a basement for a 4,500-squarefoot home in Dundee, Wis. This home was featured on the television show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Unlike most homes featured on the program, the Koepke residence had a full 8-foot high basement. The foundation needed to be constructed in 12 hours or less, which made the time constraints the most challenging aspect of the project. The standard 8-inch by 20-inch footings were poured with a concrete mix design that allowed Coello & Associates to begin setting the wall forms just shortly after the footings were poured. An engineer was selected to help determine what admixtures would create a concrete mix that would set quickly and reach 3,000 psi after just four hours and 8,000 psi at 28 days. The project required craftsmen to work through the night, so crews were divided into three groups with staggered arrival times. Coello & Associates was able to complete the job in a mere 10.5 hours and donated all labor and equipment for the Koepke family home.
“It took a great deal of careful planning and hard work, but it was definitely worth it,” said general manager, Michael Coello. It was a truly amazing experience for all of us at Coello & Associates.”
Foundation Contractor Certification
Can you believe that the World of Concrete has come and gone again? What an outstanding event this year’s proved to be. Attendance was higher than expected (labeled a record actually) and the quality of exhibitors certainly did not disappoint me. The same held true for the CFA as we hosted our Annual Meeting at the Nine Fine Irishmen Restaurant in the New York New York Hotel. Once again, the quality of the interaction among attendees was tremendous even though the nearly four hundred there created very tight elbow to elbow conditions. In a time when our industry is struggling with a downturn it was refreshing to see such energy and excitement to continue doing what we do best…sharing.
I would like to share with you a subject that has been discussed at great length during recent committee and board meetings…Foundation Contractor Certification. This topic has been on the agenda with the Board of Directors for over a year. We now have an initial outline for the process compiled by the committee assigned to oversee this project and I am beginning to see some strong benefits for our members. A couple of these are pointed out in the current outline’s program overview statement; “By selecting a company that meets and adheres to the guidelines established for the program, the builder or owner will have greater assurance that the foundation for their structure has been constructed to meet their needs” and “The program will also provide a vehicle whereby a contractor can distinguish himself from his competition.” During our latest Board meeting in Las Vegas we decided to proceed forward with a pilot or test version of this certification. This means that a few selected contractors will go through the “mock” process of becoming a CFA certified contractor on behalf of the entire Association. They will be required to submit information in regards to corporate issues such as safety, field & equipment training, insurance, construction/quality control requirements, project management, and company management. This process will be detailed but will ultimately test the viability of the program and assure a successful process for each of you in the future.
Why are we going about the business of creating a certified contractor? In a few pockets around the country we have seen where foundation contractors are being asked about certification and others that are already required to be certified. At this point in time that pressure is not the driving force behind this concept, but rather the desire to stay ahead of the curve. If indeed at some point in the future a uniform certification is to be required of foundation contractors doesn’t it make sense that we, the true foundation experts, would manage that process?
This is a substantial undertaking and there is much yet to be done. Obvious areas that need addressed include administration, maintenance, uniformity, and there are legal concerns as well. Let me reiterate that this program is in its infancy, however with proper branding, promotion, and marketing, this program has the potential to further establish the CFA as the leading force in the industry with regard to quality and professionalism. At this point in time there are as many questions as there are answers; therefore any input, suggestions, or ideas would be greatly welcomed.
Go Colts—Super Bowl XLI Champs!
Brad Schrock, CFA President, Custom Concrete Company Inc. bschrock@customconcrete.comEvents, Events, and More Events
Another World of Concrete is history – and what an event it was! There was record attendance (over 90,000), a record number of exhibitors (over 1,700), and a record amount of exhibit space (over 900,000 square feet). In spite of a slow housing market, people flocked to Las Vegas. CFA members also supported the event. The housing industry is slow but that provides an excellent opportunity to get out of the office and see what’s new.
Attendance was fantastic again at the CFA Winter meeting, one of our two annual premier networking events, but we were better prepared for the crowd. Our count was 375 and the number of companies sponsoring this year’s event was again a record. Please make sure you acknowledge the contributions of these great CFA supporters — they are listed on page 5 of this issue.
This event continues to evolve from past experiences where we’ve heard you say give us plenty of food, ample drink, and a fun place to visit with our peers. Many of you have already expressed that we may have found just that in the Nine Fine Irishmen restaurant. While a hotel venue may gives us more space, the costs for food and drink are usually at least 50% higher. We’ll continue to look for optimum settings for this incredible get-together, but don’t be surprised if we return to our Irish friends.
Speaking of premier network events, it is time to start planning your trip for this summer’s Annual Convention (it is more than simply a meeting). The venue is the Stoweflake Resort located in the quaint New England village of Stowe, Vermont. Stowe is about 30 minutes east of Burlington, Vermont (closest city with commercial air service) and about 3 hours from Albany, New York and Hartford, Connecticut. Boston is a similar distance, but city traffic or falling precast concrete panels from the “Big Dig” project might slow you down.
The area offers something for everyone. Stowe has specialty shops for those so inclined and plenty of restaurants, including an award winning on-site restaurant, Winfield’s Bistro and adjacent Wine Cellar. Alpine slides, biking, canoeing or kayaking, carriage rides, a covered bridge tour, horseback riding, and gondola rides are just a few of the fun, family activities in the area. Of course no trip to Vermont would be complete without a tour of the Ben and Jerry ice cream factory. It’s located just off the interstate on your way to Stowe. I personally checked it out and feel it is CFA worthy. The friendly concierge in the hotel lobby will help you arrange your free time.
Read more about the meeting on pages 10 and 11 of this issue in “CFA Convention Update.” I look forward to seeing you this summer in Stowe.
Ed Sauter, Executive Director, CFA esauter@cfawalls.orgPortland Cement — The Glue in Concrete
Concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world. It forms at least part of nearly everything we build – foundations, roads, dams, bridges, high-rise structures, sidewalks, and homes. It is comprised of some the most readily available materials on the earth – gravel, sand, water and a special type of cement. What is this special product that makes concrete possible? Its name is Portland cement. Portland cements are a combination of a variety of ingredients, primarily limestone, shale, and clay, and they are classified as hydraulic cements. Hydraulic cements set and harden by reacting chemically with water. This reaction, called hydration, creates a solid, stone-like mass. When combined with aggregates, such as sand and gravel, the Portland cement/water mixture acts like a paste to bind the entire composition together in the product we call concrete. The United States is the third largest producer of Portland Cement in the world, behind China and India. There are 39 companies in the U.S. operating 118 cement plants in 38 states. The total value of U.S. annual production of cement is around $9 billion.
Hydration, the chemical reaction that causes concrete to harden, begins as soon as the cement in the concrete comes in contact with water. The cement particles exhibit a crystalline type growth that envelopes the aggregates and other cement particles. As this growth continues, the mixture hardens and strength develops (evidenced by a lack of workability). Hydration continues as long as there is space available for the crystals to develop and there is sufficient moisture and temperature. The chemical reaction produces heat as the process progresses. This “heat of hydration” helps the concrete cure when placed in colder temperatures. Most of the strength development and hydration takes place in the first 30 days but it continues at a slower rate over a much longer period. Concrete in laboratory conditions has continued to gain strength for over 50 years.
So what is the history of Portland cement? The Assyrians and Babylonians were among the first “constructors” to use cement-like materials. They used clay as the bonding substance or cement to bond together masonry units. The Egyptians came closer to modern-day cement when they used lime and gypsum to form a cement-type product. John Smeaton made the first modern concrete (cement and aggregates mixed together) by adding pebbles as a coarse aggregate and mixing powered brick into cement. Portland cement as we know it today is attributed to a British stone mason named Joseph Aspdin who was searching for a manufactured counterpart to natural or Roman cement – a crude formulation of lime and volcanic ash used as early as 27 BC. This quest led to his discovery and a patent for Portland cement in 1824.
The product was a finely ground powder that hardened when mixed with water. He named it Portland cement because it resembled a stone quarried on the Isle of Portland, just off the British Coast.
The raw materials that comprise Portland cement are natural occurring minerals that are typically mined, where possible, in close proximity to the manufacturing facility. They include combinations of limestone, shells or chalk, and shale, clay, sand or iron ore. The raw materials, typically mined as stone or rock, go through a series of size reductions with rock crushers until they are approximately 3/4” in size. The raw materials are combined at the manufacturing facility using either a wet or dry mixing process. The dry process involves grinding the materials to a fine powder while the wet process involves adding water to the ingredients to create a slurry. The mixed product is then fed into a sloping, rotating, drum kiln where the raw materials are heated to between 2600 and 3000 degrees F. The intense heat actually causes a series of chemical reactions in the ingredients. The product coming out the bottom of the kiln is called a clinker. The cooled clinker is combined with gypsum to slow the curing process and ground to a fine gray powder of around 75 microns in cross section. It is now Portland cement.
Modern Portland cement contains other materials as well. They include calcium oxide, silica, alumina, and iron oxide. During the manufacturing process the composition is frequently monitored to make certain the ingredients are present in the proper proportions.
While there are several types of Portland cement the wall contractor typically only deals with two of them. Each type has a specific formulation and specific properties. Type I is the basic gray product that we use on a day-to-day basis. Type III is referred to as High Early strength cement and is useful in cold weather to hasten the initial set or when it is critical to apply significant loads to the wall early in the curing cycle. The primary difference from Type I is that Type III is ground into finer particles. Other types of cement are designed for low heat production, sulfate resistance, or a combination of properties. Another type of cement that you may encounter is called blended hydraulic cement. Blended cements combine other cementitious materials to reduce the amount of Portland cement. Blending materials include ground, granulated blast furnace slag, a byproduct of the steel manufacturing process; or pozzolans. Fly ash, a byproduct of electric power production in coal-fired plants, is the most common pozzolan. These products reduce the cost of the cement, make it more environmentally friendly (by using waste materials) and modify the properties of the basic Portland Cement. The use of blended cements in concrete reduces mixing water and bleeding, improves finishibality and workability, enhances sulfate resistance, inhibits the alkaliaggregate reaction, and lessens heat evolution during hydration, thus moderating the chances for thermal cracking on cooling.
Most of the concrete used in today’s modern commercial structures are reinforced concrete. Reinforced concrete includes imbedded metal (usually steel) in the structure and is called reinforced concrete or ferroconcrete. It combines the tensile strength of metal and the compression strength of less expensive concrete to withstand heavy loads. It was invented in 1849 by Joseph Monier who received a patent on the product in 1867. Joseph Monier was a gardener who made pots and tubs of concrete reinforced with a metal mesh.
Manufacturing Portland cement requires a tremendous amount of energy which is one of the reasons concrete has come under fire by some environmentalists. When the positive aspects of concrete construction are evaluated, such as the use of locally available materials; the ability to recycle the product when its useful life has expired; low maintenance; thermal storage capacity; and, you factor in the life span of a concrete structure, it fares as well, if not better, than many other common building materials.
For more information on Portland cement, visit the Portland Cement Association web site at www.cement.org/manufacture or www.cement.org/basics/images/flashtour.html.
Ed Sauter, Executive Director, CFA esauter@cfawalls.org2007… Stay Focused!
While preparing to write this issue’s message from the president, I took a few moments to reflect on the year that was 2006. As usual the CFA provided a host of opportunities for members to participate and find benefit in the dollars they contribute. I also had the opportunity to expand the companies that I have been introduced to with many new members attending these events.
The year began with a record breaking meeting in January in conjunction with the World of Concrete, and who can forget that ridiculous basement constructed by Balmer Brothers which won the basement of the year award! April came and the Spring Regional Meeting held in Indianapolis was another banner event. Not surprisingly, those who attended raved about that fine Indiana hospitality! Before long it was July and the annual Summer Meeting; this event was all about our associate sponsors. They turned out in record numbers and brought unprecedented opportunities for the contractor attendees to demo equipment and see their products in action. As the year continued, the effects of the national home building economy was no doubt on the minds of many of our members and began changing some of the patterns of interaction in the CFA. The fall meeting held in Hartford, Connecticut was not as well attended as previous events even though the educational and seminar material was up to the usual high standard. Those that did attend found many ideas about leveraging their opportunities in the softening markets.
As we move into the calendar year of 2007, it may be more important than ever for our industry and association to stay focused on the issues that affect affordability and bringing value added benefits to our products and services. We must remain aware of the fact that our consumers are measuring value more carefully than ever before. Many of us have already been asked to take a hard look at our operations and evaluate processes and procedures. There is no doubt that each of us could benefit from a self analysis and an internal assessment of our strengths and weaknesses to expose areas that need attention. As contractors, we should take the time to measure and evaluate our production quality, cost control procedures, estimating processes, and all areas of customer service. This is a great time to not only streamline our individual businesses but also to discover ways to actually improve the products and services that we provide. What better place to start this process than through the networking of the CFA and the many opportunities we are creating here.
I believe that foundation contractors are a hearty group, and I am confident that we will successfully navigate our way through the current market conditions and come out on the other side healthier, leaner, and better prepared than ever before to serve our customers with what they want most.
Brad Schrock, CFA President, Custom Concrete Company Inc. bschrock@customconcrete.com
