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RESEARCH ON CONCRETE

PROBLEMS OF RESEARCH IN CONCRETE AND CEMENT ARE CRITICALLY CONSIDERED BECAUSE OF THE PROFIT SQUEEZE EXISTING IN THE INDUSTRY. A PROGRAM OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IS ADVOCATED, CARRIED OUT IN WIDELY SEPARATED PLACES, BY PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS, FOR CONTRIBUTING ULTIMATELY TO A UNIFIED UNDERSTANDING OF CONCRETE. THE FUTURE OF THE CONCRETE INDUSTRY DEPENDS TO A LARGE DEGREE ON THE SUCCESS OF MATERIALS SCIENTISTS USE IN FILLING THE GAPS IN KNOWLEDG RELATING TO THE FUNDAMENTAL NATURE, CONSTITUTION, MICROSTRUCTURE, FABRIC, AND EVOLUTION OF THE SYSTEM KNOWN AS CONCRETE. EVERY MAJOR CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT OF THE U. S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS CONTAINS A VALUE-ENGINEERING INCENTIVE CLAUSE THAT INVITES THE CONTRACTOR TO COME TO THE CONTRACTING OFFICER WITH PROPOSALS BY WHICH CHANGES WILL BE MADE IN THE SPECIFICATIONS TO INCREASE THE CONTRACTOR'S PROFIT AND DECREASE THE CONTRACT PRICE. IT IS POINTED OUT THAT CONCRETE CAN BE AND HAS BEEN PRODUCED SO THAT IT HAS A UNIT WEIGHT, HARDENED, OF AS LOW AS 10 LB/CU FT OR AS HIGH AS 300 LB/CU FT, SO THAT IT HAS NO MEASUREABLE PERMEABILITY TO WATER UNDER A WATER PRESSURE OF SEVERAL HUNDRED PSI OR SO THAT WATER FLOWS THROUGH IT AS THROUGH LOOSE SAND, SO THAT IT HAS AN ULTIMATE COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH OF LESS THAN 50 PSI OR AS MUCH AS 25,000 PSI, AND WITH COMPARABLE EXTREME RANGES OF NUMEROUS OTHER PROPERTIES. NO WAY IS NOW KNOWN BY WHICH SOME OF THESE EXTREMES CAN BE ATTAINED SIMULTANEOUSLY IN THE SAME CONCRETE. FOR EXAMPLE, NO WAY IS KNOWN TO HAVE VERY LIGHTWEIGHT CONCRETE ALSO BE OF VERY HIGH STRENGTH. RESEARCHERS SHOULD BE LEARNING WHAT HAPPENS WHEN CEMENT AND WATER ARE MIXED, WHY CEMENT PASTE HARDENS, WHY CEMENT PASTE CHANGES VOLUME ON DRYING, WHAT HAPPENS AT THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN CEMENT PASTE AND AGGREGATE, HOW WATER MOVES A CONCRETE, AND HOW CAN CEMENT BE MADE MORE ECONOMICALLY. RESEARCH NEEDS TO DEVELOP MORE ACCURATE PROCEDURES OF ANALYSIS OF HARDENED CONCRETE TO ESTABLISH THE ORIGINAL PROPORTIONING OF CEMENT AND WATER. THERE IS NEED FOR RELIABLE DETERMINATION OF ORIGINAL WATER-CEMENT RATIO. HOWEVER, IT IS EMPHASIZED THAT RESEARCHERS SHOULD AVOID THE TENDENCY TO BELIEVE THAT MERELY USING A NEW PIECE OF GEAR OR EQUIPMENT WILL SOLVE PROBLEMS. IT IS POINTED OUT THAT IN THE DECADE FROM 1956-65, THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS REALIZED SAVINGS IN COST OF CIVIL WORKS CONSTRUCTION AS RESULT OF RESEARCH, OF MORE THAN FIVE TIMES THE COST OF THAT RESEARCH. CONCRETE RESEARCH HAS AN INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT ROLE TO PLAY IN PROVIDING THE KNOWLEDGE THAT WILL PERMIT SOCIETY TO PROVIDE PAVEMENTS AND OTHER CONCRETE STRUCTURES FOR PEOPLE AND TO REDUCE POLUTION.

  • Corporate Authors:

    University of Maryland, College Park

    Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics
    College Park, MD  United States  20742
  • Authors:
    • Mather, B
  • Publication Date: 1969

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Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00213683
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Report/Paper Numbers: Lecture No. 7
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Aug 3 2000 12:00AM