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This Week's Featured Presentation

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Scaling Up 3D Concrete Printing – Testing, Modeling, and Applications (ACI Fall 2024, Philadelphia, PA) This presentation explores the composite behavior of ultra high performance concrete (UHPC) printed in conjunction with conventional concrete, and evaluates the flexural response and cracking behavior of the composite system. Digital image correlation to determine crack propagations and a composite model for stress-strain relations are proposed. The talk demonstrates the synergy that can be obtained in developing cost-effective, high-performance cementitious composites using 3D printing.


Upcoming Presentation

May 12 - 18

Decarbonizing Concrete by Using Biochar as Lightweight Aggregate (LWA)
Presented by: Mahdi Mirabrishami, Pennsylvania State University

Presentation details

How Lightweight Aggregate & Concrete Can Reduce Global Warming Potential and Increase Sustainability of Concrete (ACI Fall 2024, Philadelphia, PA) Incorporating biochar, as a material with a high amount of sequestered CO2, in cementitious mixtures could be a promising approach to address the global concern of reducing the carbon footprint of concrete structures. This presentation will evaluate the application of biochar as LWA with internal curing capabilities in cement-based mixtures. This assessment will be done in terms of how compressive strength, autogenous shrinkage, and internal relative humidity (IRH) are affected in the presence of two types of biochar from different manufacturers. The above-mentioned effects will be studied at 2 different particle size distributions for both types of biochar to see how a better advantage of using biochar as LWA in concrete could be taken while reducing concrete's carbon footprint.

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Complete List of Online Presentations

2024 Online Presentations

2024 ACI Spring Convention, New Orleans, LA

123 Forum - Should 3D Printing be Codified?

This year's ACI Committee 123 Forum aims to answer the question: Should 3D Printing be Codified? Given the broad and exponential recent interest in 3D printing of cementitious materials for residential and commercial structures, we bring in a panel of five industry and academic experts to present and discuss this topic. The session will consist of brief topical presentations from the expert panelists and after, over an hour of time will be dedicated to panelist and audience discussion and Q&A.

13th International Workshop Session: Status of the ACI 318-25 Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete

The session will begin with a general overview of the status of the current 2019 edition of the ACI 318 Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete. This will be followed by a review of the code update activities that the ACI 318 Code committee has been working on for the past five years. The final revisions to the Code will be completed in late 2024, and the revised provisions will become official upon publication of ACI 318-25 in early 2025. Although several rounds of review and revisions remain to be completed, including a 45-day public comment period in the spring of 2024, at this time it is possible to discuss general trends that might be expected in the revised ACI 318-25 Code provisions. This session will be presented by the current chair of the ACI 318 committee, and a question-and-answer period will follow the presentation.

A Look at Low-Carbon Cement and Concrete in the Construction Industry

This session is sponsored by NEU: an ACI Center of Excellence for Carbon Neutral Concrete. The session will provide information on existing and new materials and technologies that have shown strong potential to play a significant role in CO2 emissions reductions in the concrete industry and considerations for the wise use of materials and design aspects towards reducing CO2 emissions in concrete construction. This session will be geared toward all stakeholders, researchers, and students in the concrete industry.

    • Update on NEU by Dean Frank, NEU - An ACI Center of Excellence For Carbon Neutrality

Advanced Analysis of FRP Reinforced Concrete Structures

This session is one of 14 sessions that form the 16th Fiber Reinforced Polymer Reinforced Concrete Structures (FRPRCS-16) Symposium. It is co-sponsored by ACI Committee 440 and the International Institute for FRP in Construction (IIFC) for the purpose of advancing the understanding and application of FRP composites in civil infrastructure to serve the engineering profession and society. FRPRCS was first held in conjunction with the ACI 1993 Spring convention in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Since 1993, FRPRCS has evolved into a prestigious and reputable international conference that has been held 15 times including 5 times in conjunction with ACI: British Columbia, Canada (1993); Baltimore (1999); Kansas City (2005); Tampa (2011); and Anaheim (2017).

Advances in FRP Applications in Masonry Structures

This session is one of 14 sessions that form the 16th Fiber Reinforced Polymer Reinforced Concrete Structures (FRPRCS-16) Symposium. It is co-sponsored by ACI Committee 440 and the International Institute for FRP in Construction (IIFC) for the purpose of advancing the understanding and application of FRP composites in civil infrastructure to serve the engineering profession and society. FRPRCS was first held in conjunction with the ACI 1993 Spring convention in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Since 1993, FRPRCS has evolved into a prestigious and reputable international conference that has been held 15 times including 5 times in conjunction with ACI: British Columbia, Canada (1993); Baltimore (1999); Kansas City (2005); Tampa (2011); and Anaheim (2017).

Application of Nanoparticles in 3D Printed Concrete

Nanoparticles (such as nanosilica, nanoclay, etc.) are used as viscosity modifying agents (VMA) or thixotropic agents to alter rheological properties of 3D printed concrete (3DPC). Nanoparticles can also act as seeds for CSH nucleation to accelerate cement hydration. As a result, nanoparticle-modified 3DPC can possess not only appropriate extrudability and flowability but also proper segregation resistance, shape retention, and buildability for consistent and quality printing. Nanoparticles are also used to densify microstructure and improve the interlayer bond of 3DPC, thus increasing strength and enhancing durability of the 3DPC products. The objectives of this technical session are to (i) summarize recent progress on the use of nanoparticles in 3DPC, (ii) better understand the potential roles of nanoparticles in enhancing the properties of 3DPC, and (iii) discuss perspectives and challenges with the use of nanoparticles in 3DPC.

Behavior and Design of Prestressed Concrete Structures

This session is one of 14 sessions that form the 16th Fiber Reinforced Polymer Reinforced Concrete Structures (FRPRCS-16) Symposium. It is co-sponsored by ACI Committee 440 and the International Institute for FRP in Construction (IIFC) for the purpose of advancing the understanding and application of FRP composites in civil infrastructure to serve the engineering profession and society. FRPRCS was first held in conjunction with the ACI 1993 Spring convention in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Since 1993, FRPRCS has evolved into a prestigious and reputable international conference that has been held 15 times including 5 times in conjunction with ACI: British Columbia, Canada (1993); Baltimore (1999); Kansas City (2005); Tampa (2011); and Anaheim (2017).

Best Practices for Incorporating Research into Concrete Education

The objective of this session is to present best practices for incorporating research into concrete education. The scope of the session is not limited to higher education and the audience will benefit from hearing how research and concrete related topics can also be incorporated into K-12 curricula. The main learning objective is to take home creative ways to establish meaningful research opportunities for students in the field of concrete materials and structures. The session should be attended by students, educators, designers, builders, and code/specification authorities.

Challenges in ML/AI for the Concrete Industry

This session will focus on machine learning/artificial intelligence challenges that are specific to the concrete industry. Attendees are concrete data scientists, educators, students as well as contractors and producers. These challenges include, for example, the wide variety of materials/features and the quality and quantity of data. It will also discuss possibilities of public curated databases.

Comprehensive Essential Ingredients for Robust Data- and Machine Learning-Driven Innovations and Analyses of RC Structures

This session will cover recently emerging data- and machine learning (ML)-driven innovations of reinforced concrete (RC) structures. The use of data and ML for RC structure is not monolithic. This new approach can be applied to diverse length scales from the entire infrastructure, to individual structural elements, to millimeter crack-scale, and even to micro/nano-scale fundamental physics. Data play as a critical foundation and the prediction accuracies are subject to considerable uncertainty. Therefore, data quality issues and uncertainty quantifications of the data- and ML-driven approaches to RC structures must be addressed along with the predictions. This theme of the proposed session is aligned with the mission of ACI-ASCE 447 committee to benefit broad practicing engineers and researchers in the era of data, ML, and computing.

Durability of FRP Systems

This session is one of 14 sessions that form the 16th Fiber Reinforced Polymer Reinforced Concrete Structures (FRPRCS-16) Symposium. It is co-sponsored by ACI Committee 440 and the International Institute for FRP in Construction (IIFC) for the purpose of advancing the understanding and application of FRP composites in civil infrastructure to serve the engineering profession and society. FRPRCS was first held in conjunction with the ACI 1993 Spring convention in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Since 1993, FRPRCS has evolved into a prestigious and reputable international conference that has been held 15 times including 5 times in conjunction with ACI: British Columbia, Canada (1993); Baltimore (1999); Kansas City (2005); Tampa (2011); and Anaheim (2017).

Early Age Creep, Shrinkage, and Cracking

The session will focus on the recent developments in the understanding of creep and shrinkage behavior at early ages. Of particular interest will be new concrete types and additives, such as UHPC, 3-D printing, expansive additives, new cements (portland, blended, alternative), SCMs, and admixture technology. Topics of interest include test methods and measurements, material influences, material models, applications, and mitigation. Attendees should include researchers, designers, consultants, contractors, students, educators, and contractors. The mitigation of cracking at early age is a topic with broad interest.

Effects of Extreme Events on FRP Reinforced/Strengthened Structures

This session is one of 14 sessions that form the 16th Fiber Reinforced Polymer Reinforced Concrete Structures (FRPRCS-16) Symposium. It is co-sponsored by ACI Committee 440 and the International Institute for FRP in Construction (IIFC) for the purpose of advancing the understanding and application of FRP composites in civil infrastructure to serve the engineering profession and society. FRPRCS was first held in conjunction with the ACI 1993 Spring convention in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Since 1993, FRPRCS has evolved into a prestigious and reputable international conference that has been held 15 times including 5 times in conjunction with ACI: British Columbia, Canada (1993); Baltimore (1999); Kansas City (2005); Tampa (2011); and Anaheim (2017).

Emerging FRP Systems and Successful Project Applications

This session is one of 14 sessions that form the 16th Fiber Reinforced Polymer Reinforced Concrete Structures (FRPRCS-16) Symposium. It is co-sponsored by ACI Committee 440 and the International Institute for FRP in Construction (IIFC) for the purpose of advancing the understanding and application of FRP composites in civil infrastructure to serve the engineering profession and society. FRPRCS was first held in conjunction with the ACI 1993 Spring convention in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Since 1993, FRPRCS has evolved into a prestigious and reputable international conference that has been held 15 times including 5 times in conjunction with ACI: British Columbia, Canada (1993); Baltimore (1999); Kansas City (2005); Tampa (2011); and Anaheim (2017). This session will focus on the latest emerging FRP systems for concrete structures and successful project applications.

Fiber Orientation in Ultra High-Performance Concrete: Quantification, Characterization, and Implications for Design and Performance, Part 1 of 2

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) has been extensively researched and implemented in various infrastructure applications for its superior structural and durability performance. Despite their successful structural level demonstrations, fiber dispersion and orientation remain a concern in the UHPC structure design and applications. The challenge of the fiber orientation in UHPC is due to the fact that it is sensitive to the casting method, size and geometry of element, rebar arrangement, and rheological properties of UHPC mix. The purpose of the session is to present the current efforts on quantifying and characterizing the fiber orientation in real UHPC structures, understanding how casting procedures affect the fiber orientation, and demonstrating impact of fiber orientation on UHPC structure design and performance.

Fiber Orientation in Ultra High-Performance Concrete: Quantification, Characterization, and Implications for Design and Performance, Part 2 of 2

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) has been extensively researched and implemented in various infrastructure applications for its superior structural and durability performance. Despite their successful structural level demonstrations, fiber dispersion and orientation remain a concern in the UHPC structure design and applications. The challenge of the fiber orientation in UHPC is due to the fact that it is sensitive to the casting method, size and geometry of element, rebar arrangement, and rheological properties of UHPC mix. The purpose of the session is to present the current efforts on quantifying and characterizing the fiber orientation in real UHPC structures, understanding how casting procedures affect the fiber orientation, and demonstrating impact of fiber orientation on UHPC structure design and performance.

Fiber Reinforced Concrete and Ultra High Performance Concrete for Durable Structures - Case Studies

Fiber reinforcement is the most effective way of improving the resistance of concrete to cracking, but little is known of the benefits of fiber reinforcement on long term durability. The purpose of this session is to bring together experts from around the world to discuss case studies where fiber reinforcement enhanced long term durability, to learn from real life situations and to lay the foundation for Life Cycle Engineering Analysis with fiber reinforced concrete. Presentation topics will be related to the benefits of using fibers to enhance long term performance of concrete with and without conventional reinforcement. Case studies where fiber reinforced concrete (FRC), or ultra high-performance concrete (UHPC) were used for durable structures covering a broad range of applications around the world will be presented. Contractors, material suppliers, engineers, architects, researchers, and scientists will benefit from this session.

From the Lab to the Field – Experiences with Portland Limestone Cement

This session will review lessons learned from cement manufacturing, concrete producers, and concrete contractors and finishers. This session will discuss the field observations and growing pains being discovered. In addition to real-world observations, several scientific factors will be discussed. While not all answers are known, progress is being made and challenges tackled!

FRP Bond and Anchorage in Concrete Structures, Part 1

This session is one of 14 sessions that form the 16th Fiber Reinforced Polymer Reinforced Concrete Structures (FRPRCS-16) Symposium. It is co-sponsored by ACI Committee 440 and the International Institute for FRP in Construction (IIFC) for the purpose of advancing the understanding and application of FRP composites in civil infrastructure to serve the engineering profession and society. FRPRCS was first held in conjunction with the ACI 1993 Spring convention in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Since 1993, FRPRCS has evolved into a prestigious and reputable international conference that has been held 15 times including 5 times in conjunction with ACI: British Columbia, Canada (1993); Baltimore (1999); Kansas City (2005); Tampa (2011); and Anaheim (2017).

FRP Bond and Anchorage in Concrete Structures, Part 2

This session is one of 14 sessions that form the 16th Fiber Reinforced Polymer Reinforced Concrete Structures (FRPRCS-16) Symposium. It is co-sponsored by ACI Committee 440 and the International Institute for FRP in Construction (IIFC) for the purpose of advancing the understanding and application of FRP composites in civil infrastructure to serve the engineering profession and society. FRPRCS was first held in conjunction with the ACI 1993 Spring convention in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Since 1993, FRPRCS has evolved into a prestigious and reputable international conference that has been held 15 times including 5 times in conjunction with ACI: British Columbia, Canada (1993); Baltimore (1999); Kansas City (2005); Tampa (2011); and Anaheim (2017).

FRP Design Codes and Guidelines

This session is one of 14 sessions that form the 16th Fiber Reinforced Polymer Reinforced Concrete Structures (FRPRCS-16) Symposium. It is co-sponsored by ACI Committee 440 and the International Institute for FRP in Construction (IIFC) for the purpose of advancing the understanding and application of FRP composites in civil infrastructure to serve the engineering profession and society. FRPRCS was first held in conjunction with the ACI 1993 Spring convention in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Since 1993, FRPRCS has evolved into a prestigious and reputable international conference that has been held 15 times including 5 times in conjunction with ACI: British Columbia, Canada (1993); Baltimore (1999); Kansas City (2005); Tampa (2011); and Anaheim (2017).

FRP Materials Properties, Tests and Standards

This session is one of 14 sessions that form the 16th Fiber Reinforced Polymer Reinforced Concrete Structures (FRPRCS-16) Symposium. It is co-sponsored by ACI Committee 440 and the International Institute for FRP in Construction (IIFC) for the purpose of advancing the understanding and application of FRP composites in civil infrastructure to serve the engineering profession and society. FRPRCS was first held in conjunction with the ACI 1993 Spring convention in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Since 1993, FRPRCS has evolved into a prestigious and reputable international conference that has been held 15 times including 5 times in conjunction with ACI: British Columbia, Canada (1993); Baltimore (1999); Kansas City (2005); Tampa (2011); and Anaheim (2017).

FRP Reinforced Concrete Structures

This session is one of 14 sessions that form the 16th Fiber Reinforced Polymer Reinforced Concrete Structures (FRPRCS-16) Symposium. It is co-sponsored by ACI Committee 440 and the International Institute for FRP in Construction (IIFC) for the purpose of advancing the understanding and application of FRP composites in civil infrastructure to serve the engineering profession and society. FRPRCS was first held in conjunction with the ACI 1993 Spring convention in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Since 1993, FRPRCS has evolved into a prestigious and reputable international conference that has been held 15 times including 5 times in conjunction with ACI: British Columbia, Canada (1993); Baltimore (1999); Kansas City (2005); Tampa (2011); and Anaheim (2017). This session will showcase strength, bond, and deformation behavior of modern GFRP and BFRP rebars, and will evaluate design provisions for FRP reinforced concrete from Codes in the US and Europe.

FRP Use in Column Applications

This session is one of 14 sessions that form the 16th Fiber Reinforced Polymer Reinforced Concrete Structures (FRPRCS-16) Symposium. It is co-sponsored by ACI Committee 440 and the International Institute for FRP in Construction (IIFC) for the purpose of advancing the understanding and application of FRP composites in civil infrastructure to serve the engineering profession and society. FRPRCS was first held in conjunction with the ACI 1993 Spring convention in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Since 1993, FRPRCS has evolved into a prestigious and reputable international conference that has been held 15 times including 5 times in conjunction with ACI: British Columbia, Canada (1993); Baltimore (1999); Kansas City (2005); Tampa (2011); and Anaheim (2017).

Honoring Michael M. Sprinkel - A Career of Concrete Preservation

Michael Sprinkel, an ACI Fellow, passed away in December 2022. Michael was a pioneer and industry leader in the maintenance, repair, and rehabilitation of highway bridges. He foresaw the critical need for maintaining the existing public bridges in the late 1970’s, when the primary interest was building new structures. His leadership is projected through his work as a member and chairman of several American Concrete Institute (ACI) committees and as a member of its Technical Advisory Committee. His leadership work was recognized by ACI in conferring the Robert E. Philleo Award in 2012 and the Charles S. Whitney Medal in 2021. He also chaired concrete and polymer committees at TRB. Michael received the TRB's K.B. Woods Award for Best Paper in Design and Construction of Transportation Facilities in 1988.

Honoring the Legacy of Ken C Hover

Session will honor the ongoing legacy of Ken Hover. His knowledge transfer and teaching techniques have impacted most, if not all, ACI members in some way. Speakers will present current technical topics related to Ken's vast construction and academic background. Session is ideal for current and former students, colleagues, and fans of Ken's entertaining teaching style.

Hot Topic Session: Portland Limestone Cement (1L Cement) - Reducing C02 Emissions

This session will provide an overview of Portland Limestone Cement pros, cons, and successful applications.

International Session

The session will feature presentations of variety of structures including high-rise buildings as well as megaprojects such as an 8 mile long concrete canal redevelopment project. The presenters will cover in detail new trends and challenges of designing high-performing structures in order to achieve longer service life cycles. The session will focus on utlizing a combination of technolgoies in order to balance cost, environmental impact, speed and performance of structures

Open Topic Session

This session will focus on machine learning/artificial intelligence challenges that are specific to the concrete industry. Attendees are concrete data scientists, educators, students as well as contractors and producers. These challenges include, for example, the wide variety of materials/features and the quality and quantity of data. It will also discuss possibilities of public curated databases.

Natural Carbonation of Concrete as a Means to Achieve Carbon Neutrality

Carbonation, also known as carbon uptake, has been considered an essential part of carbon neutrality roadmaps at the regional and global scales. In this session, concrete stakeholders (including but not limited to materials producers, concrete manufacturers, structural engineers, governments, and contractors) will be educated and informed about the measurement and analytical methods for estimating the carbon uptake in cement-based products. Basic content and progress toward developing assessment tools and guidelines will be demonstrated. Speakers will provide their insight and experience about the challenges and opportunities for including carbon uptake as a part of sustainability evaluations concerning the durability and uncertainty in the intensity and extent of carbon uptake. Participants will also be informed about the role played by different concrete stakeholders in the evaluation and implementation of carbon uptake estimation for different cement end-use applications.

Research in Progress

This session will feature presentations of original, unpublished results from ongoing research projects and leading-edge concrete technology and research throughout the world.

Structural Performance of Additively Constructed Concrete

The objective of this session is to offer speakers an open forum for presentation of recent technical information relevant to structural performance of Additively Constructed Concrete (3D Printed Concrete). This could lead to synthesis of tests currently being performed to evaluate structural performance. This is open to academicians, engineers and contractors.

Sustainability and Workability: The First Hour Affects the Next Century

There is tremendous effort that is spent in the design of a sustainable concrete mix design from material selection (including novel carbon-neutral materials) to proportioning. On paper, the CO2 savings can be considerable. However in practice, a major hurdle for any concrete is ability for the material to be properly placed and consolidated. This session will focus on bringing awareness to the impact workability can have on sustainability, and also to highlight practices that can ensure paper CO2 savings can be translated to actual CO2 savings.

Sustainable Building Solutions with UHPC – Case Studies

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) continues to attract more researchers, engineers, architects, students and experts across disciplines due to its fascinating material properties.

Although it is known that UHPC has excellent mechanical and durability properties, its effect on the sustainability of structures using UHPC technology in part or fully is often not quantifiable, yet. The development of mixture designs with lower carbon footprint is an exciting direction to further affect the sustainability impact of the material on our structures. In addition, the UHPC material properties offers to construct and maintain in a much more environmentally friendly way. The quantification is challenging and might remain challenging in the upcoming years. Research emphasizing life cycle analysis is under way to close part of the knowledge cap.

Undergraduate Research Session

The objective of this session is to provide a greater opportunity for undergraduate students to present their research at a national meeting. This session will focus on research conducted predominately by undergraduate students. It is expected that this session will draw a new group of students to ACI and the convention. It will also allow students to hear presentations of a slightly less technical nature that are more in keeping with their current level of knowledge regarding concrete.

Who is Responsible When Sustainable Concrete Does Not Meet Performance Expectations

As the concrete construction industry responds to the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), low-carbon specifications for concrete construction are becoming increasingly prevalent. With this paradigm shift come new specifications, means and methods, documentation requirements, and changes in expectations and associated responsibilities. Professionals from several segments of the concrete construction industry will present the challenges encountered and successful examples for this new era of concrete construction.


2024 ACI Fall Convention, Philadelphia, PA

ACI 123 Forum: Electrical Characterization Methods – Legit or Just “Shock Value”

This year's ACI Committee 123 Forum aims to answer the question: Electrical Characterization Methods – Legit or Just “Shock Value?” Given the broad interest in electrical characterization of cementitious materials, we bring in a panel of 5 industry and academic experts to present and discuss this topic. The session will consist of brief topical presentations from the expert panelists and after, over an hour of time will be dedicated to panelist and audience discussion and Q&A.

ACI 132 – Responsibility in Concrete Rehabilitation Construction Guide (ACI PRC-132.2) Technical Session – Panel Discussion

The new Guide for Responsibility in Concrete Rehabilitation, developed by Committee 132, covers the responsibility of key team members in a rehabilitation program, many of which vary significantly from those occurring in new construction. Clear program definition and delineation of program goals, performance expectations, and service life and maintenance cycles, are essential. The standard of care for the licensed design professional is often expanded in rehabilitation programs, beginning with condition assessments. Concealed and changed field conditions are a fundamental part of rehabilitation. The program will benefit facility owners, design professionals, contractors and material suppliers who undertake rehabilitation programs. Session attendees will learn about key owner defined project criteria, challenges faced by the LDP in performing suitable condition assessments, critical design and contract document scope definition to address inevitable concealed and changed conditions, delegated design facets and clear delineation of responsibility between the LDP and Specialty Engineer, and other key facets to consider in planning and implementing a successful rehabilitation program.

Destiny of Concrete - Rules and Regulations

Why This Matters: Incorporating EPDs into our engineering practice not only helps us to meet regulatory and certification requirements but also positions us as leaders in sustainable construction. Our choices today will have a lasting impact on the environment and future generations. So, let’s dive into the world of EPDs and explore how we can use this powerful tool to build a more sustainable future with ready mixed concrete.

Early-Age Hydration of Low Carbon Cements

To fulfill the decarbonization roadmap established for the concrete industry, the average substitution levels of clinker by SCMs need to increase from about 25% currently to above 50%. This poses practical challenges in terms of early-age strength development and flowability properties of fresh concrete. This session will cover aspects of the early age reactivity, rheology, hydration and development of strength. It is aimed for professionals and scientists working with different types of low-carbon cements. At the end of the sessions, the attendees will be able to identify strategies to tackle the outstanding challenges related to early age performance of these systems.

Hot Topic Session: Here Come EPDs - Are You Prepared?

This session will cover the following topics:

- What EPDs Are: Understanding the basics of Environmental Product Declarations (EPD’s).
- The Importance of EPDs: Why they matter in the context of concrete production.
- Components of an EPD: Breaking down the key elements and what information they provide.
- GWP Targets: Setting and understanding Global Warming Potential targets for your projects.
- Practical Applications: How to effectively use EPDs in specifying ready mixed concrete.
- Industry Standards and Benchmarks: Aligning your practices with current standards and benchmarks.

Why This Matters: Incorporating EPDs into our engineering practice not only helps us to meet regulatory and certification requirements but also positions us as leaders in sustainable construction. Our choices today will have a lasting impact on the environment and future generations. So, let’s dive into the world of EPDs and explore how we can use this powerful tool to build a more sustainable future with ready mixed concrete.

How Lightweight Aggregate & Concrete Can Reduce Global Warming Potential and Increase Sustainability of Concrete

The need to construct concrete structures using sustainable materials and practices requires engineers, architects, contractors and owners to understand the sustainability aspects of structural lightweight concrete. This session will educate the audience on the latest information regarding the global warming potential of structures using lightweight concrete, including the material properties of lightweight aggregates and concrete and procedures for documenting GWP for projects. Case histories as well as new research will be included, covering GWP and service life predictions.

The session is relevant to ACI’s mission because it provides information on new technologies pertaining to documenting the sustainability of lightweight concrete and how to correctly apply existing technologies to analyze the GWP of a project.

How Young Professionals Learn Constructability in the Real World

The objective of this session is to discuss ways in which new graduates entering the industry apply critical thinking and learn constructability through their formal education, work supervisors, mentors and others as they try to navigate their way into successful careers. All members of the construction industry – current and future – should attend this session, where speakers in various stages of their careers will present their experiences and participate in a panel discussion addressing the training of young professionals and how they are taught constructability. Outcomes include an understanding of the role of constructability in education, and the importance of mentoring young professionals.

Impact of Aggregates' Usage and Gradation

To highlight the impact of aggregates on the carbon footprint of concrete and to propose better ways to use aggregates towards low global warming potential and suitable long-term performance of concrete. This session presents techniques and frameworks for better proportioning concrete mixtures towards NetZero while maintaining performance in the fresh and hardened states.

Impact of Buy Clean and Low-Carbon Policies on the Sustainability of Concrete

ACI Center of Excellence for Carbon Neutral Concrete Concrete stakeholders, including materials producers, concrete manufacturers, structural engineers, governments, and contractors, are at the forefront of the construction industry's sustainability transformation. This session will shed light on the convergence of two pivotal policy initiatives, "Buy Clean" and "Low-Carbon"; and their profound implications for the sustainability of concrete. These policies emphasize the use of low-carbon construction materials, such as concrete, in public projects. A critical facet of this effort is the quantification of carbon emissions associated with building materials, encouraging the adoption of low-carbon alternatives to reduce construction-related greenhouse gas emissions. This session will explore the current status and potential improvements in the implemented and ongoing low-carbon policies around low-carbon cement-based products. By attending this session, participants will gain valuable insights into the evolving landscape of sustainable concrete production and its crucial role in combatting climate change. Real-world case studies and best practices will be explored, empowering attendees to make informed decisions in alignment with their sustainability goals.

Mechanical Performance of 3D-Printed and Architected Cement-Based Materials

The objective of the session is to bring together experts in hardened properties of 3D-printed concrete to present state-of-the-art research findings and to discuss critical aspects of mechanical performance including the presence of the interface, isotropic properties, and damage and fracture response. Design of solid and cellular materials have widely been explored in 3D-printing with concrete. This session will bring together the recent advances in design of materials architectures and how it can be leveraged to enhance mechanical performance and properties.

Mineral Carbonation Processes and Products

The session is sponsored by RILEM. RILEM MCP : Accelerated Mineral Carbonation for the production of construction materials This technical session covers the topic of accelerated carbonation of construction materials. The latest research and scientific progress on the mineral carbonation processes will be presented. The researchers, scientists and engineers working on the accelerated CO2 curing can attend the session.

Open Topic Session

The purpose of this session is to offer authors/speakers an open forum for presentation of recent technical information that does not fit into other sessions scheduled for this convention. Any aspect of structural analysis or design, concrete materials science, or construction, manufacturing, use, and maintenance and health monitoring of concrete structures and products can be presented.

PRO Strategic Plan and Initiatives Update

This session, sponsored by PRO: An ACI Center of Excellence for Advancing Productivity, will focus on PRO’s six initiatives to improve concrete construction productivity. Speakers from many facets of the concrete design and construction community will present the direction of PRO and industry changing materials developed and in development.

Research in Progress

This session will feature presentations of original, unpublished results from ongoing research projects and leading-edge concrete technology and research throughout the world.

Scaling Up 3D Concrete Printing – Testing, Modeling, and Applications

This technical session is co-organized by ACI 564, ACI 236, and RILEM to disseminate information on scaling up of concrete 3D printing, with an emphasis on knowledge gained by the international community (in Europe, Asia etc. where concrete 3D printing is becoming more ubiquitous). These sessions are intended to: (i) disseminate the most recent information on scaling up of concrete 3D printing for different structural applications, and (ii) outline the challenges faced in printing real-world elements related to materials, printing system, architectural and design, structural testing, code compliance etc., and methodologies adopted to overcome those challenges. These sessions will incorporate international speakers who are at the cutting edge of research and development in concrete 3D printing, as well as practitioners who have implemented such structures in real world. The session is intended for professionals, students, and practicing engineers/architects.

Serviceability and Performance Evaluation of Concrete Structures: Analysis, Design, and Construction

The special sessions will focus on advances in the serviceability of concrete structures. Of interest are presentations concerning a wide variety of technical aspects from laboratory experiments to field applications. Specific subjects include the prediction of deflections in reinforced and prestressed concrete members, cracking problems and mitigation methodologies, state-of-the-art evaluation techniques, strategies to achieve the concept of serviceability-based design and construction, and practical approaches that can assist engineering professionals in retaining serviceability requirements.

Strategies and Best Practices for the Review and Checking of Finite Element Models of Concrete Structures to Calibrate, Validate and Verify (C&V&V) the Reliability of Results

The objective of this session is to review best practices in checking, reviewing, calibrating, and verifying the results of a finite element model for concrete structures. This session will focus on proper interpretation of the FE analysis results and presentation of those results in terms commonly used by the engineering community. Attendees will learn techniques used to build their confidence in finite element models. The session is intended to provide an overview of some of the current strategies in the practice for sanity checks and reliability reviews used in structural assessment of concrete structures and foundations from conceptual engineering mechanics, benchmark studies, experiments, and theoretical values.

Sustainable Shells Now and in the Future

This session will help people understand how shells are currently being designed and used. They will also get an introduction to the recently released PRC-334.1 document. This session will be for anyone who wants to learn about the exciting new ways shells are being designed and used to produce sustainable structures.

2023 Online Presentations

2023 ACI Spring Convention, San Francisco, CA

2022 Slag Cement in Sustainable Construction Awards

The Slag Cement in Sustainable Construction Awards will honor 18 construction projects from across the United States for their outstanding use of slag cement in sustainable concrete. The session will overview each winning project from the categories of Architectural, Durability, Infrastructure, High Performance, Innovative Applications, and Lower Carbon Concrete.

ACI/JCI – 6th Joint Seminar - Advancing the Design of Concrete Structures - Component Design Advancements

Concrete structure design is constantly evolving to incorporate new materials and analysis methods to produce structures that are both more robust and more efficient. The 6th ACI/JCI Joint Seminar will explore the advancement of design through sessions that focus on design of concrete components, advancements in concrete materials, design for seismic performance, and development of sustainable solutions. The ACI / JCI Joint Seminar is the sixth joint seminar co-sponsored by the American Concrete Institute and Japanese Concrete Institute. The seminars are intended to bring together researchers and practitioners from both organizations to share knowledge with the broader ACI/JCI communities and develop future collaborations.

ACI's Role in Bridge Code Development

During this session, presenters will speak about development of AASHTO and state seismic bridge codes, seismic bridge research, and how ACI committees may contribute as a resource. By starting this conversation, it is the goal that a tighter integration may develop between the work of ACI 341 and bridge design codes around the world. Attendees will learn the roles of NCHRP, TRB, and AASHTO committees in the development of seismic bridge standards. Attendees will learn how ACI committees can contribute to the process and foster connections between ACI and the various bridge code entities. Attendees will utilize the outcomes of the session to help guide the discussion during break out groups in the 341 main committee meeting.

Advances in Calcium Sulfoaluminate Cement Technologies

This session will provide state of the art discussion on calcium sulfoaluminate cement (CSA), a sustainable alternative to portland cement. Recent advancements CSA use will be presented, with discussions around hydration and property development, admixtures, durability, and macroscale performance. The session targets researchers working to advance understanding of CSA and industry practitioners interested in utilizing CSA technologies.

Advances in Sustainable and Bio-Inspired Cementitious Materials for 3D Printing Applications

This session creates a forum for researchers and practitioners interested in the opportunities enabled by 3D printing to create a sustainable future of the built environment through the implementation of sustainable materials and the infusion of bio-inspired designs. The session blends contributions on latest research developments, current research trajectories, and practical applications.

Always Advancing Requires Code Advocacy by You!

Learn how you can participate in advocacy and outreach to help ACI achieve its mission and safeguard the public. It does not suffice to have ACI committees develop standards and related programs and services without a clear path for advocacy. Standards and relevant programs must be integrated into general building codes, standards, rules, and regulations. There is no mechanism for this to occur without active engagement by ACI members and staff. Adopting agencies, authorities and ministries need to be made aware of the ACI products, educated about the benefits to their respective constituents, and provided enabling language and support materials. For standards and products intended to safeguard the public, it is an obligation of our professional society to ensure, to the extent possible, all benefit from the valuable minimum requirements developed by ACI technical committees. There's a role for all ACI members, you don't need to be a code expert or consultant - there is support from staff and through collaboration.

Best Practices for Incorporating Sustainability in Concrete Education

The objective of this session is to present best practices for incorporating sustainability in concrete education. The scope of the session is not limited to higher education and the audience will benefit from hearing how sustainability is being incorporated into university education, ACI educational ventures, concrete industry education, and other government-related educational initiatives. The main learning outcome is to take home creative ways to enhance teaching and learning with tangible action items in the area of sustainability in concrete education. The session should be attended by students, educators, designers, builders, and code/specification authorities.

Design and Mixture Optimization Efforts Toward Enhancement of Concrete Pavement Sustainability

Pavement design features such as joint spacing, base types, and pavement mixture design are typically set by practice and policy. However, this design strategy often results in over-designed concrete pavements or poor performance. The session's learning outcomes will be how pavement design features and materials can be optimized to reduce initial costs and CO2 emissions, as well as life cycle costs and lifetime CO2 emissions. The session would benefit the industry, departments of transportation, and academia.

Evaluation and Use of Harvested Fly Ash and Ground Bottom Ash as SCM in Concrete

As the supply of conventional supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) continues to fall behind concrete industry’s demand, new sources must be identified and evaluated to allow production of high-quality and durable concrete. This session reports on the latest research related to the use of harvested fly ash (HFA) and ground bottom ash (GBA) as concrete SCMs. The presentations will include studies on the chemical and physical characteristics of these ashes, their pozzolanic reactivity, and their performance in concrete in terms of their impact on fresh, mechanical, and durability properties of concrete mixtures. The audience will become familiar with this potentially valuable new SCM source.

Honoring Bruce Suprenant Concrete Construction Contributions

The objective of this session is to recognize the outstanding contributions of Bruce Suprenant to the advancement of knowledge of concrete materials, design and construction. This session will bring a variety of well-recognized concrete experts and industry practitioners to highlight some of the most important technical contributions of Dr. Suprenant to the concrete construction industry.

Hot Topic Session: How the Concrete Industry is Rising to Meet the Climate Challenge

The State of California and its local agencies are pushing boundaries to meet bold climate goals. Learn how the cement and concrete industry and proactively engaging with stakeholders and dealing with present challenges every day.

Innovations in Concrete Technology

To support ACI's expanding focus on technology and innovation, the CIC collaborates with the concrete community to further innovative solutions for industry-wide challenges, by effectively identifying new technology and helping to nurture and support emerging and mature technologies. The Council also works closely with ACI's Director of Concrete Technology to create a formal connection between Council work and ACI. The council is compromised of a diverse set of industry representatives - material suppliers, architecture & engineering firms, contractors, academic, owner and regulatory. CIC's objective is to identify technologies and innovations that are aligned with ACI and industry strategies and help implement their use when appropriate.

Innovative Use of Chemical Admixtures for Sustainable Concrete

This session will present uses of chemical admixtures in unique applications that will enable the use of marginal materials as well as additional supplementary cementitious materials to create concrete mixtures with improved sustainability.

International Session

The session will feature presentations of leading structures across the globe including the second tallest building in world Merdeka 118. The presenters will showcase thought leadership in design, materials and construction technology to enable the fast construction of durable and sustainable structures. The session will cover in detail new trends and challenges of designing high-performing structures in order to achieve longer service life cycles.

Long-Term Monitoring: Lessons Learned and Case Studies

The objective of this session is to present and discuss case studies related to long-term monitoring especially in field settings. The focus is how to translate SHM data into useful information that can be used by engineers and owners to: (1) understand the current condition of the monitored structure, (2) prediction of remaining service life and damage prognosis, and (3) maintenance scheduling and prioritization, if applicable. The session will be of interest to engineers, researchers, and infrastructure owners and operators.

Nanotechnology for Concrete with Low Carbon Footprint

Nanotechnology has the potential to enable efficient decarbonization pathways in nullifying the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in concrete industry. This session provides a unique opportunity for engineers, scientists, and industry leaders to learn and experience recent research advances on the design of carbon sequestration-efficient engineered concrete materials and technologies targeting zero or negative net CO2 emissions in civil infrastructure.

Novel Developments in the Use of Advanced Fiber Reinforced Concretes

Recent years have brought many advancements in the novel use of fiber reinforced concretes including uses of:

  • “Smart” concretes made with “sensing” FRCs or fibers with time-changing properties
  • Use of various types of nano fibers such as carbon tubes, bio-nanofibers, etc. in conventional as well as UHPC concretes
  • 3D printing applications using FRCs
  • Extruded FRCs
  • Lower CO2 footprint concretes made with FRCs
  • CO2 neutral steel fibers
The objective of the session is to bring together leading experts in this field, showcase the state-of-the-art and provide a platform for discussion on future directions and opportunities for implementation of these advanced technologies in concrete infrastructure.

Open Topic Session

The purpose of this session is to offer authors/speakers an open forum for presentation of recent technical information that does not fit into other sessions scheduled for this convention. Any aspect of structural analysis or design, concrete materials science, or construction, manufacturing, use, and maintenance and health monitoring of concrete structures and products can be presented.

Predicting Field Condition and Deterioration of Concrete Bridges

The objective is to discuss the latest methods available for predicting the field condition and deterioration of concrete bridge elements and systems. Accurate predictions of bridge condition are important because predictions can guide maintenance decisions, planning and asset management for bridge owners. The session will be of interest to researchers and practitioners in structural or material engineering as well as bridge owners.

Punching Shear of Concrete Slabs: Insights from New Materials, Tests, and Analysis Methods

The design, analysis, and performance of structural concrete slabs under punching shear loading conditions are topics that have been studied extensively over many decades and are well-documented in the literature. However, the majority of the work reported in these areas has generally related to conventional concrete slabs subjected to highly-idealized loading conditions.

Structural engineers need to find new, innovative ways and methods to design new structures but also to strengthen the existing ones to be safe, resilient, and sustainable. These challenges can be addressed through the use of integrated systems and high performance and smart materials. We live in a new era of improved computational capabilities, advances in high-performance computing, numerical and experimental methods, and data-driven techniques, which give us for the first-time broader access to larger and better data sets and analysis tools. These new insights can be seen as essential to examine further the structural behavior of concrete slabs under punching shear and to implement and analyze new materials and loading conditions.

Research in Progress

This session will feature presentations of original, unpublished results from ongoing research projects and leading-edge concrete technology and research throughout the world.

Resilience, Failure Mitigation, and Preservation of Concrete Bridges and Structures

The special session will focus on advances in the resilience, failure mitigation, and preservation of concrete bridges and structures. Of interest are presentations concerning a wide variety of technical aspects from laboratory experiments to field applications, involving the evaluation, design, and construction of load-bearing members and systems. The session will benefit those who lead the design and construction of bridges and structures toward resilient and sustainable built environments.

Sustainability of Concrete Structures: An Italian Perspective

The session will provide an overview of the research currently going on in Italy on the topic of sustainability of concrete materials and structure, ranging from the use of alternative binders and recycled materials to structural repairs and interventions, non-metallic reinforcement, life cycle assessment of UHPC structures in aggressive scenario and of composite timber-concrete structures.

Undergraduate Research Session

The objective of this session is to provide a greater opportunity for undergraduate students to present their research at a national meeting. This session will focus on research conducted predominately by undergraduate students. It is expected that this session will draw a new group of students to ACI and the convention. It will also allow students to hear presentations of a slightly less technical nature that are more in keeping with their current level of knowledge regarding concrete.

Use of Data Science for Advancing Concrete Technology: Opportunities and Challenges

The field of concrete science and technology has recently experienced a surge of interest in using data science techniques (such as machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI) and big data analysis) for the discovery, development and understanding of cementitious materials and processes. This session will focus on the application of data science techniques, including property prediction, materials characterization, materials simulation, and process analysis. More importantly, this session will discuss the imminent challenges and opportunities that will guide an effort to foster the development of a robust, data-informed concrete science ecosystem. The outcome of this session will be an understanding of the recent data science advances and the feasibility of their wider adoption in the concrete industry.


2023 ACI Fall Convention, Boston, MA

123 Forum: AI Applications in Concrete: Present and Future

Artifical intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionize the concrete business. Join us as professionals from the domains of research, industry, and technology examine current uses of AI in practical technologies and offer their predictions for the future. The speakers will outline the innovative ways AI is optimizing concrete mix design, speeding manufacturing processes, enhancing structural performance, and enabling efficient concrete industry asset management. Participants will learn more about predictive modeling, structural health monitoring, data-driven decision-making, and integrating AI technologies into current processes. Participate in a panel discussion that is interactive so that you may ask questions, provide suggestions, and add to the conversation on the use of AI in practical applications. Consider possible future developments such as automated quality control, intelligent infrastructure, and data-driven design optimization.

A Progress on the Application of Nanotechnology in Concrete

Nano particles designed for concrete have been successfully used in laboratory and field applications over the last 20 years to enhance both the strength and durability of concrete. The following session will focus on a progress update on the application of nano-based additives and admixtures in concrete.

ACI 133 Field Reconnaissance and Observations from the February 6, 2023, Earthquake in Southern Turkey

A sequence of earthquakes hit several regions in Turkey with magnitudes (Mw) of 7.8 and 7.5 on February 6, 2023. The magnitude 7.8 was the biggest earthquake since the 1939 Erzincan earthquake of the same magnitude, and second-strongest recorded after the 1668 North Anatolia Earthquake. The most devastating earthquake in the history of Turkey in terms of structural and geotechnical damage and fatalities caused, this presentation will share the investigation and preliminary analysis aftermath of this major seismic event by the ACI 133 Committee members serving on the reconnaissance team and discuss the subsequent research as well as code advancement efforts ACI is committed to as Always Advancing.

Additive Construction by Concrete Extrusion: An Update on the Emerging Technology Report

The objective of the session is to present the content of the report Additive Construction by Concrete Extrusion: An Emerging Technology Report. Those who should attend are industry professionals, academics, government, and standard representatives as well as students. The topics covered are the terminology, 3D printing processing platform, material development, quality control testing, reinforcements and anchorage, case study, and emerging questions.

Addressing Challenges in Quality of Field Acceptance Concrete Testing

Field Concrete Testing follows ASTM Standards with most projects requiring ACI Certification by the testing technicians. Test results that result in low strength not meeting specifications are challenged by both producers and Testing agencies with little validation the testing requirements. The Concrete Testing Adherence Collaboration (CTAC) is a tool that allows project teams to confirm testing performance daily, where ACI only validates performance once every five years.

Anchorage of Flexural Externally Bonded FRP Strengthening Systems

The objective is to familiarize ACI community with composite anchors for externally bonded fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) strengthening systems. The session will specifically focus on anchors used to enhance the performance of flexurally strengthened concrete members, attracting primarily the practitioner, researchers, and producers from the concrete repair community.

Challenges Associated with the Assessment of Historic Concrete Structures

This session will discuss challenges associated with the assessment of historic concrete structures prior to repair. The session will cover additional considerations by designers during the assessment due to the unique challenges of historic or architecturally significant structures. Attendees should include students, designers, and contractors.

Comparison of Corrosion Service Life Models

These sessions are useful to design engineers, owners, concrete producers, and students that are involved or want to know more about modeling the service life of concrete exposed to chlorides. The differences between deterministic and probabilistic approaches will be addressed.

Concrete Bridge Resilience: Design, Construction, Evaluation and Retrofit

Concrete bridges may encounter various extreme events during the service lives. Such events are increasing in intensity and frequency. The sessions will include recent developments to improve bridge resiliency through design, construction, evaluation and retrofit. Both natural and man-made events, and those included/not included in AASHTO LRFD Specifications, will be considered. Bridge designers, construction companies, federal/state/local government entities, educators and students should attend the sessions.

Concrete Design 201

You learned the basics of concrete design in your introductory course in college. Now take home some additional design skills you probably did not see there. Audience is senior undergraduates, graduate students, young professionals, practitioners looking for continuing education.

Concrete with Recycled Materials

The earth’s natural resources are being consumed at a very high rate for many years. The potential depletion of resources, CO2 emissions and high energy consumption rates in the process of production, increase the necessity of recycling. All sectors of the society are responsible for these concerns, especially the construction industry.

As a major construction material, concrete is increasingly judged by its environmental impacts and reusing the readily available concrete is becoming very important. Considering that much of the US infrastructures and urban buildings now require renovation and replacement, the concrete left behind can be a valuable source of aggregate for new concrete. Such concrete is usually called Recycled Aggregate Concrete. Through cost analyses, it is shown that using recycling concrete as aggregate for new concrete production can be a cost-effective method for construction.

Design of Concrete Structures for Blast Effects

The purpose of the session is to present the details of various chapters of the current ACI 370 primary document titled "Design of Structures for Blast". This document is currently being revised and various chapter leads will be presenting the updated version of the chapters. This session will be useful for any engineer interested in blast design, researchers, students, and government officials working on blast-related projects.

Developments in BIM/VDC

Overview of latest developments in Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Virtual Design & Construction (VDC).

Early-Age Verification of DEF Potential

High concrete curing temperatures above 158°F can in some cases result in a condition called delayed ettringite formation (DEF) that can cause severe cracking and concrete deterioration. Occasionally a concrete member will exceed this temperature during curing, causing concern about the potential for DEF in the member.

Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards - Project Winner Presentation

First and second place winners of the Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards program will give a presentation on their winning project.

Innovations in Concrete Construction Productivity

There are 3 participants that are key to improving the productivity of concrete construction. The design team, the contractor and the ready-mix producer. Working together these 3 parties can significantly impact concrete construction productivity. In this session we will hear from all 3 viewpoints on how innovation in each of their fields has not only impacted their individual productivity but their partners in construction as well. We will have presentations from a ready-mix company, a concrete contractor and a design professional and will then have an open question and answer panel session with all 3. There has been more innovation in designing, producing a constructing with concrete in the last 5 to 8 years than in the previous 25.

Integration of Experiments & Modeling

This session is aimed at integrating experiments and modeling to better understand concrete from material and structural aspects. Students, faculty, and professionals will attend to further their knowledge on both experiments and modeling.

Innovative Applications of UHPC in Columns

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) is a material with impressive mechanical and durability properties which can allow for more resilient, durable, and sustainable structures. One promising application of UHPC is in columns, where its high compressive capacity can allow for more efficient and compact designs. The high energy absorption capacity of UHPC also makes it ideal for seismic and extreme load applications. UHPC also shows great potential as retrofit material which can be used to strengthen and rehabilitate existing building and bridge columns.

The objective of this session is to present the latest innovative applications in UHPC columns in new and existing structures. The session will invite international speakers to share their latest research and practical applications of UHPC in columns.

International Session: Bridging the Gaps: One Concrete World - Multiples Standards

Join us for an engaging session aimed at addressing the challenges associated with varying Concrete Testing Requirements and Standard Practices across the globe. In today's interconnected world, it has become imperative for the construction industry to adapt to the expectations of international firms, who often seek adherence to their own testing procedures and construction processes. However, navigating these differences is far from straightforward. In this session, esteemed experts will share their experiences of encountering these differences while working in Europe, Latin America, and the USA.

Measuring, Monitoring and Modeling Concrete’s Electrical and Thermal Properties, Part 1

This session will highlight recent research and methods to characterize, control and optimize the electrical and thermal properties of concrete; multiscale analysis evaluation and tailoring of conductivity and energy storage or dissipation of the interfaces and interfacial transition zone (ITZ) and link with bulk properties; and simulation and/or prediction of impedance profiles.

Measuring, Monitoring and Modeling Concrete’s Electrical and Thermal Properties, Part 2

This session will highlight recent research and methods to characterize, control and optimize the electrical and thermal properties of concrete; multiscale analysis evaluation and tailoring of conductivity and energy storage or dissipation of the interfaces and interfacial transition zone (ITZ) and link with bulk properties; and simulation and/or prediction of impedance profiles.

Making the Most of our Data: ACI 135: Machine Learning-Informed Construction and Design

Machine Learning-Informed Construction and Design is a new ACI committee started in Spring 2023. This session will provide an overview of the mission and objectives of the committee which include educating how machine learning methods can help improve how we analyze, visualize, and utilize data that is produced in our industry. In addition, several presentations will highlight the different applications and methods that currently exist in the concrete industry and how they can be applied to practical situations.

NEU Session on Low Carbon Cement and Concrete

This session is sponsored by NEU: an ACI Center of Excellence for Carbon Neutral Concrete and will be geared toward all stakeholders, researchers, and students in the concrete industry. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about new materials and technologies to reduce carbon emissions in cement and concrete industry, NEU technology validation/verification program status, ACI code advocacy efforts, and status of codes and standards on the use of low carbon cement and concrete low carbon cement and concrete materials.

New Trends and Technologies in Characterizing, Controlling, and Predicting the Workability of 3D Printed Concrete

3D printing has exploded onto the scene of concrete construction technologies, bringing with it a renewed appreciation for workability in all its aspects. This session will cover advances and challenges in characterizing, controlling, and predicting the workability of 3D-printed concrete, from case studies to research applications. This session is suitable for people new to 3D printing, as well as those experienced with 3D printing.

Open Topic Session

The purpose of this session is to offer authors/speakers an open forum for presentation of recent technical information that does not fit into other sessions scheduled for this convention. Any aspect of structural analysis or design, concrete materials science, or construction, manufacturing, use, and maintenance and health monitoring of concrete structures and products can be presented.

Paper Awards Presentation Session - Published in 2022

Awarded authors of papers published in 2022 will present winning papers. Awarded categories include: the ACI Concrete International Award, the ACI Symposium Volumes Award, the Mete A. Sozen Award for Excellence in Structural Research, the Wason Medal for Materials Research and the Wason Medal for Most Meritorious.

Performance-Based Earthquake Engineering of Bridges in the CEUS

This session will illustrate the benefits of deploying performance-based earthquake engineering of bridges in the central and eastern US. This will include an overview of PBEE code provisions, methods of analysis and design for PBEE of bridges, case studies of bridges designed with PBEE, and challenges for implementation.

Quantification, Damage Mitigation, and Preservation of Concrete Bridges and Structures under Natural and Man-Made Hazards

The special session will focus on advances in the quantification, damage mitigation, and preservation of concrete bridges and structures. Of interest are presentations concerning a wide variety of technical aspects from laboratory experiments to field applications. Specific subjects include quantification methodologies, state-of-the-art evaluation techniques in both destructive and non-destructive approaches, mitigation strategies, and practical rehabilitation methods under assorted natural and man-made hazards such as earthquake, tsunami, hurricane, blast, and fire. Case studies are considered appropriate. The session will bring to light recent research findings and best practices and will provide an opportunity to discuss present challenges and technical demands. The session will benefit those who lead the design and construction of bridges and structures toward resilient and sustainable built environments.

Recent Developments in Test Methods and Risk Management for Aggregate Reactions

Deleterious reactions involving concrete aggregate is one of the most critical durabilIty issues facing the industry. Research and development of test methods and guidance documents regarding alkali aggregate reactions (ASR/ACR) and sulfides (pyrrhotite & pyrite) in concrete aggregate are continually advancing. Often times education regarding guidance documents, test methods and specifications are not up to date and in agreement with each other. Additionally, the topics are complicated and guidance documents often difficult to follow. We intend for these sessions to update industry professionals at all levels from aggregate and concrete producers to design engineers and owner representatives on new test methods that have been approved by AASHTO but not in ASTM or ACI documents, provide explanation on how to navigate existing guidance considering these newer test methods, and provide update on research regarding pyrrhotite in concrete aggregates.

Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Concrete Construction with Silica Fume

These two sessions will explain how silica fume lends to heightened sustainable and resilient construction. License design professionals, contractors, producers, and students will learn how silica fume lends to the overall lowered embodied carbon in structures. Topics will include extending service life through enhanced durability with silica fume, reducing member size in design when using silica fume concrete, increasing particle packing in concrete mixtures (SCC and HPC), and reducing water and cementitious material content when using silica fume in concrete pumping. In addition, case studies will exemplify the lowered embodied carbon and sustainable and resilient benefits to construction projects.

Research in Progress

This session will feature presentations of original, unpublished results from ongoing research projects and leading-edge concrete technology and research throughout the world.

Who is Responsible When Concrete Cracks

Most professionals in the concrete industry understand that concrete will crack and expects concrete to crack; however, there seem that there is always a dispute about cracks in concrete. So, when cracking becomes a problem, who is responsible for the cracks. Some of these disputes have resulted in significant repair cost or the cost of removal of concrete structures. This program discusses the responsibilities of the design engineer, general contractor, concrete contractor, concrete producer, and others in determining which member(s) of the Project Team is responsible for resolution. This session should be attended by anyone who has ever been involved in a dispute pertaining to cracks in concrete.

2022 Online Presentations

2022 ACI Spring Convention, Orlando, FL

123 Forum - NDT and SHM: Are They the Same?

Structural health monitoring (SHM) and nondestructive testing (NDT) are frequently employed to assess or track the condition of concrete structures. While SHM and NDT are frequently discussed in the same context, and the terms have even been used interchangeably, they refer to different techniques and have their own distinct objectives. However, confusion persists within the industry about what constitutes NDT and what constitutes SHM; in some instances, certain techniques are categorized as both SHM and NDT. Additionally, terms like nondestructive evaluation (NDE), nondestructive inspection (NDI), and structural monitoring, among others, are also used. ACI Committees 228 (Nondestructive Testing of Concrete) and 444 (Structural Health Monitoring) are working to formalize the distinction between SHM and NDT and define terms used in these fields. Ultimately, this will lead to a better understanding and increased adoption of SHM and NDT within the concrete industry.

The primary goal of this forum is to alleviate confusion within the industry about the distinction between SHM and NDT. The forum will define SHM and NDT, explain the relationship between them, and give examples of how they are applied within the concrete industry. The forum will introduce the development of SHM and NDT, discuss the current state of the art, their inter-relations, and provide a vision for future directions in both areas.

ACI/JCI - 5th Joint Seminar - Advancing the Design of Concrete Structures - Virtual Session - Sustainable Design Solutions

Concrete structure design is constantly evolving to incorporate new materials and analysis methods to produce structures that are both more robust and more efficient. The 5th ACI / JCI Joint Seminar, to be held at the ACI Convention in Spring 2023, will explore the advancement of design through sessions that focus on design of concrete components, advancements in concrete materials, design for seismic performance, and development of sustainable solutions. The ACI / JCI Joint Seminar is the fifth joint seminar co-sponsored by the American Concrete Institute and Japanese Concrete Institute. The seminars are intended to bring together researchers and practitioners from both organizations to share knowledge with the broader ACI / JCI communities and develop future collaborations.

The session will focus on new developments in sustainable concrete construction. The presentations will focus on development of methods to evaluate sustainability, measures to increase the sustainability of concrete construction and development of codes for sustainability.

Advancements of Engineering Tilt-Up Panels

This session is designed to begin expressing the advancements in the industry for engineering tilt-up panels for projects requiring seismic performance; insulation; and excessive threshold loading. Sessions will offer the latest in risks for misinterpreting the application of the slenderness wall method and how panels behave under various loading conditions.

Application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to SHM

The objective of this session is to bring together state of the art data-driven methods applied in structural health monitoring and present how they can assist practitioners, researchers, and infrastructure managers in assessing the performance and condition of structures.

Applications of Structural Plain Concrete

Since the original structural plain concrete code language (ACI 318-14 Chapter 14) was developed in the late 1960's the concrete industry has seen significant developments in materials and analysis methods. The session will focus on examples of the use of such approaches in structural ground supported slabs, walls and foundation elements.

Architects’ Day Lunch

Nathan Hamilton first joined Allied Works in 1997 as a member of the Wieden+Kennedy project team, and returned in 2008 to take on the role of Project Architect for Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, California. Since that time he has been instrumental in the development, detailing and supervision of major civic, cultural and hospitality projects in the US and internationally. A native of Klamath Falls and graduate of the University of Oregon, Nathan's depth of experience with diverse building types and material systems, and his experience integrating enduring design principles has given him the ability to incorporate innovative concepts and strategies into all facets of complex and extremely sensitive building projects from concepts through construction.

Architects’ Day Session—Advancements in Design and Construction with GFRP (Glass-Fiber Reinforced Polymer) Rebar

This session is geared towards the design professional and the concrete contractor and will focus on field applications for cost effective solutions using high-modulus GFRP reinforcement.

Behavior, Design, Analysis and Construction of Nonconventional/Atypical Reinforced Concrete (RC) Columns/Piers

ACI 441 and 341 Committees will be co-sponsoring a session on nonconventional reinforced concrete columns/piers during the ACI Spring Convention 2022. This session aims to provide a platform to understand the behavior, design, and construction challenges on nonconventional/atypical columns. Challenges from design to constructions related to such columns/piers will be discussed and innovative solutions will be debated for their improved performance. Columns/piers that do not fall within the scope of conventional reinforced concrete columns/piers are referred to here as nonconventional/atypical columns/piers. Such structural elements cover a wide range as they can be observed in the present construction practices and various research labs. The increase in demand for taller buildings, longer span and irregular bridges, longer service life, and shorter construction time impose new challenges on engineers to devise/implement new materials, structural shapes, reinforcement arrangements, and types to meet these demands. Columns being the main structural elements are the most vulnerable in structures. Hence, the objective is to present the latest in analysis and design.

Best Practices and Lessons Learned for Virtually Teaching Concrete Materials and Reinforced Concrete

This session will feature presentations related to covering topics in Concrete Materials and Reinforced Concrete at the undergraduate level using virtual formats as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The session will include presentations focused on both lecture and lab components of each course for various topics specifically noting what worked, what didn't, and what was learned that could be used moving forward. The session will also include a presentation by the Walter P. Moore Award Winner.

Concrete Airfield Pavement Research, Sustainability and Construction

The objective of this technical session is to provide information regarding research, construction, sustainability, and resilience of airfield concrete pavements.

Constructability and Tolerance Considerations

Today’s designer and contractor have to be more sophisticated understanding how tolerances can affect constructability and concrete quality control. Productivity is affected with the constructability of concrete systems. Proper measurement, analysis and application of tolerances can enhance the constructability and concrete productivity. An overly conservative design approach generates an expensive solution.

Deleterious Oxidation Reaction of Iron Sulfides in Concrete Aggregate

The topic of the iron sulfide mineral pyrrhotite causing damage to concrete foundations has made headlines the past few years in the Northeast U.S. after an area in CT experienced severe degradation affecting thousands of homes. This came after a similar instance in the Trois Rivieres area of Quebec years earlier. This session will focus on educating aggregate, concrete producers, and specifiers about the potentially deleterious reaction of pyrrhotite oxidation in concrete. Most importantly, this session will provide an update to ongoing research of the complex topic that will guide an effort to establish guidelines. The outcome of this session will be an understanding of what the reaction is and the complexity of developing standards to avoid it.

Developments, Applications, and Case Studies in UHPC for Bridges and Structures

The session will emphasize advances in ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) for bridges and structures. Presentations will encompass a variety of technical aspects from laboratory evaluation to field demonstration, including custom-formulated UHPC mixtures, field-cast connections and precast applications, rehabilitation for existing members, and combinations with non-conventional reinforcement. The session will bring to light recent research findings and provide an opportunity to discuss present challenges and technical demands. Critical information will be provided to those who lead the design and construction of bridges and structures, including practicing engineers, government officials, and academics.

Hot Topic

These presentations will highlight the perspectives of engineers, design code committee members and building code officials with regards to the current building inspection, rehabilitation and certification requirements and the proposed code concerns and changes that are currently being discussed in order to maintain a proactive mindset to avert future structural collapses.

International Session – Special Buildings in Shape and Construction Method

In this session, we will discuss iconic buildings that are unique in their design and/or construction techniques. The design and construction of buildings is challenging; designing and constructing buildings with special designs adds even more challenges. We will talk about those challenges and how the project team overcame them. The discussion will include the project structure and the framework within which the development was accomplished. The session will include different levels of design, materials, and construction.

Lessons Learned from Round-Robin Test on Concrete Rheometers

This session is co-sponsored by RILEM TC266: Measuring Rheological Properties of Concrete in May 2018 (Béthune, France), a subgroup of “RILEM TC266: Measuring rheological properties of concrete” has conducted the third International Round-Robin Test (RRT) on comparing nine concrete rheometers. The RRT was primary focused on workability, flow curves, thixotropy and interface rheology. The goal of the proposed session is to inform academics, contractors, concrete producers, and materials suppliers on the outcomes of this testing campaign.

Meta-Concrete: Achieving Multi-Functionality Through Nanotechnology

Targeted audience:
- Academic researchers and industry concrete contractors.
- Students, faculty, general contractors, concrete contractors, construction program managers.

Nano Coatings – A New Defense Paradigm for Ultimate Concrete Performance

Nano-based coatings have revolutionized the ability to control the durability of concrete structures. Presentations will focus on the use of nanocoatings in the laboratory and operational environments. The following session will discuss nano-based coatings for concrete that focus on increasing the strength and durability of concrete to physical and chemical attack as well as value-added properties such as photocatalytic response. The full session will emphasize cement composite and concrete in laboratory and field applications. Pros and cons will be discussed to facilitate a realistic view for new solutions to ongoing issues. Attendees would be academic researchers, government agencies, contractors, engineers, construction managers, and concrete additive/admixtures manufacturers and distributors.

Open Topic Session

The purpose of this session is to offer authors/speakers an open forum for presentation of recent technical information that does not fit into other sessions scheduled for this convention.

Properties and Performance of Hardened 3D-Printed Cement-Based Materials

Speakers from Germany, China, Italy, and India are part of the speaker list, and have agreed to present. 3D printing technology is growing at an unprecedented speed. A variety of objects, including houses, bridges, and structural and architectural components, have been printed with various cement-based materials. However, studies on the properties of hardened 3D-printed concrete are still limited. In the commonly used extrusion-based 3D printing process, the layer-by-layer deposition procedure has made the properties of 3D-printed concrete intrinsically different from those of traditional mold-cast concrete. For instance, 3D-printed concrete components may have cellular structures resulting from element configurations and infills, defects caused by filament discontinuity and non-uniformity, and anisotropic behavior depending upon printing and/or loading directions. Thus, special considerations for evaluation and characterization of the properties and performance of hardened 3D-printed cement-based materials are necessary. Recently, some progress has been made to address the related issues through examinations and evaluations of mechanical properties (e.g., compressive, tensile, and interlayer bond strengths), microstructures (bulk filaments and interlayers), and early age volume stability of 3D-printed cement-based materials. This session has participants from the international networks of networks (AccelNet) consortium 3DConcrete.

Research in Progress

This session will feature presentations of original, unpublished results from ongoing research projects and leading-edge concrete technology and research throughout the world.

Slag Cement Session

The Slag Cement Project of the Year Awards program will honor 13 construction projects from across the United States for their outstanding use of slag cement in sustainable concrete. The session will overview each winning project from the categories of Architectural, Durability, Infrastructure, High Performance, Innovative Applications, and Lower Carbon Concrete.

Technical Session to Honor Fred Goodwin: ACI 364 TechNotes

The Tech Notes produced by ACI Committee 364 cover important aspects of concrete rehabilitation programs, ranging from the initial stages of evaluation, to designing and implementing durable repairs that achieve a long service life.

UHPC – Student Experiences

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) provides mechanical and durability properties which lay the foundation to shape our infrastructure towards being more resilient, longer lasting and more sustainable. The interest in this material in research and the success of it in practical applications would not have been achieved without the dedicated work of our students in the laboratory or in the field. Over the last decades students have not only achieved great success in their endeavors but have also been struggled with failures and setbacks. These sessions encourage all students to share all of it. We want to hear about their success and pride in their results as well as their setbacks, mistakes and frustrations which came with it, their perseverance to keep working with this material, their fun activities and thus, all of their UHPC experiences they like to share. This session will invite national and international research groups, material suppliers and contractors to listen and engage in the UHPC experiences current students or former students like to share.

Undergraduate Research Session

The objective of this session is to provide a greater opportunity for undergraduate students to present their research at a national meeting. This session will focus on research conducted predominately by undergraduate students. It is expected that this session will draw a new group of students to ACI and the convention. It will also allow students to hear presentations of a slightly less technical nature that are more in keeping with their current level of knowledge regarding concrete.

Workability of Pavement Concrete for Successful Construction

This session will introduce practitioners to the role of workability for successful pavement construction, measures to ensure appropriate workability in the field, modern test methods for pavement workability, and pavement concrete proportioning approaches. The session will also present case studies of the impact of workability on pavement construction from the contractors’ perspective.


2022 ACI Fall Convention, Dallas, TX

100 Year Anniversary of the Slump Cone

The slump cone has been used for the past 100 years to assess the consistency and workability of fresh concrete. The objective of this session is to reflect on the slump test and provide perspective on how it and other tools can be used to assess fresh concrete properties today as well as in the future. Academic and industry researchers, practitioners and students should attend this session to gain a historical perspective on the slump cone.

123 Forum: Do Building Codes and Standards Support Sustainable Development?

Several key concrete industry organizations have committed to achieving carbon neutrality in the coming decades. ACI established its Center of Excellence for Carbon Neutral Concrete in early 2022. The Portland Cement Association (PCA) released its Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality in late 2021. Advancement and adoption of emerging technologies like direct carbon capture are a step in the right direction, but achieving this lofty goal will also require changes to design codes, standards and specifications. How to implement these changes is a matter of ongoing debate. Codes and standards will also need to change to accommodate nontraditional materials like alternative cements, supplementary cementitious materials, nonmetallic reinforcement, and other emerging technologies that can reduce the carbon footprint of the concrete but are not always compatible with current specifications. This forum will address the strengths and weaknesses of current design codes, standards, and specifications with respect to industry goals for carbon neutraility, and identify opportunities to improve these critical documents to better support the industry's ongoing effort to decarbonize concrete.

A panel of industry experts will discuss the topic from varying perspectives. The session will begin with short presentations by each panelist and conclude with an interactive panel discussion with the audience.

Architects' Day Session

The objective of this session is to identify what tools the Licensed Design Professional can employ to efficiently design a more constructible project.

Characterizing and Controlling Interfaces in Concrete

This session will highlight recent research on nanoscale and microscale interaction mechanisms at the interfaces between the cementitious hydration products and nanomaterials; methods to characterize, control and strengthen these interactions; quantitative analysis of the interfaces and nanoscale texture of interfacial transition zone; and the link between atomic interactions, interfaces, and bulk concrete properties.

Concrete with Recycled Materials

The earth's natural resources are being consumed at a very high rate for many years. The potential depletion of resources, CO2 emissions and high energy consumption rates in the process of production, increase the necessity of recycling. All sectors of the society are responsible for these concerns, especially the construction industry. As a major construction material. concrete is increasingly judged by its environmental impacts and reusing the readily available concrete is becoming very important. Considering that much of the US infrastructures and urban buildings now require renovation and replacement, the concrete left behind can be a valuable source of aggregate for new concrete. Such concrete is usually called Recycled Aggregate Concrete. Through cost analyses, it is shown that using recycling concrete as aggregate for new concrete production can be a cost-effective method for construction.

Current Practices for Advanced Analysis Techniques of Concrete

This session provides general information on various analytical techniques used to characterize concrete material properties. The purpose of this session is to provide an overview of available methods and offer guidelines to both, the researchers and practitioners, as to how they can be utilized. For each technique presented, practical information such as best use, sample type, test procedures, results analysis, and limitations will be discussed.

Emerging Methods for Surface Damage Monitoring and Imaging

The objective of these sessions is to present and discuss different methods for detection and monitoring of surface damage in concrete elements. The focus is how to use SHM techniques to obtain useful information regarding formation and progression of surface damage. These sessions will be of interest to engineers, researchers, and infrastructure owners and operators.

Evaluation and Analysis of Bridges with Non-Traditional Materials

Given the increased use of non-traditional materials in the construction and repair of bridges and bridge elements, there is an increased need to develop reliable destructive and non-destructive evaluation methods and techniques to assess their in-service performance. Examples of non-traditional materials include, but are not limited to, fiber-reinforced polymer reinforcement, and ultra-high performance concrete materials. This session will bring to light industry experience in the evaluation techniques and discuss the challenges associated with the assessment of non-traditional materials and current field results. The session will aim to share field experiences and critical information to those involved in the design, evaluation, and inspection of bridges.

Excellence Awards - Project Presentation

Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards - Project Winner Presentations. First and second place winners of the Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards program will give a presentation on their winning project.

Hot Topic Session - When Carbon Reduction and Constructability Clash: Who is Responsible for the Fallout?

Panelist representing the major segments of our industry, the licensed design professional, concrete contractor, and concrete producer, will present and discuss examples of constructability challenges, successes, and issues of responsibilities when building with "lower carbon" concrete.

Innovations in Bridge Deck Design and Materials

Bridge decks in the USA are designed according to the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications using various refined and approximate methods. The traditional strip method as well as the empirical method have been applied to reinforced concrete decks. However, with the development of new and innovative construction materials, including nonmetallic rebars and tendons, FRP composites, fiber reinforced concrete, full depth precast decks, as well as other types of materials, there is a need to develop or adjust design philosophies and approaches to capture the enhanced performance of the recent innovations in construction materials for bridge decks.

Innovations in Concrete Technology

To support ACI’s expanding focus on technology and innovation, the CIC collaborates with the concrete community to further innovative solutions for industry-wide challenges, by effectively identifying new technology and helping to nurture and support emerging and mature technologies. The Council also works closely with ACI’s Director of Concrete Technology to create a formal connection between Council work and ACI. The council is comprised of a diverse set of industry representatives - material suppliers, architecture & engineering firms, contractors, academic, owner and regulatory.

The objective is to identify technologies and innovations that are aligned with ACI and industry strategies and help implement their use when appropriate.

International Session - Always Advancing Technology

In this session, we will discuss iconic buildings that are unique in their design and/or construction techniques. The design and construction of buildings is challenging; designing and constructing buildings with special designs adds even more challenges. We will talk about those challenges and how the project team overcame them. The discussion will include the project structure and the framework within which the development was accomplished. The session will include different levels of design, materials, and construction.

Loading Protocols for Seismic Performance Evaluation of Structural Components

The evolution of the seismic design provisions in response to the lessons learned from previous earthquake events has led to the development of new design methodologies such as performance-based design (PBD). A key component of PBD is to lay out the engineering demand parameters identifying the initiation of different damage states (e.g., yielding, spalling, bar fracture, etc.). In this regard, reliable knowledge of structural members’ strength and deformation capacities is required, and it is often obtained through quasi-static cyclic testing programs. The selecting of an appropriate loading protocol is crucial in these programs to achieve.

New AASHTO Performance-Based Seismic Design Guidelines

The objective of the session is to provide an overview of the newly adopted AASHTO Performance-Based Seismic Design guidelines for bridges. Bridge designers should attend this session, and learning outcomes include: the relationship of these guidelines with other AASHTO specifications, why they were created, examples of application, and potential knowledge gaps that ACI members may be able to help fill. This session is jointly sponsored by the Transportation Research Board Standing Committee on Seismic Design and Performance of Bridges.

Open Topic Session

The Open Topic Session is a forum for presenting recent technical information that could not be scheduled into other convention sessions.

Paper Awards Presentation Session - Published in 2021

Awarded authors of papers published in 2021 will present winning papers. Awarded categories include: the ACI Concrete International Award, the Mete A. Sozen Award for Excellence in Structural Research, and the Wason Medal for Most Meritorious Paper.

Research in Progress

This session will feature presentations of original, unpublished results from ongoing research projects and leading-edge concrete technology and research throughout the world.

Shrinkage and Creep of SCC: How Unique and Important are They?

Mechanical properties and cracking resistance are important in concrete structural design, and they affect the long-term performance of structural component. For example, additional strain caused by shrinkage would increase stress; however, higher creep may lead to relaxation and can reduce stress. Higher deformations can lead to higher stresses that could influence deflection, camber, and prestress loss in prestressed concrete elements and affect cracking potential in cast-in-place applications. Comparing with conventional vibrated concrete (CVC), self-consolidating concrete (SCC) generally requires increased amounts of cementitious and fine materials, or a larger volume of paste, and increased dosages of admixtures to achieve high workability and stability. SCC also has smaller maximum size of aggregate and reduced amount of coarse aggregate. These features could affect the strength, shrinkage, and creep behavior of SCC. This session will summarize recent work on the creep and shrinkage behavior of SCC as well as their effects on the mechanical properties and performance in precast and cast-in-place applications.

Synergy of Nanoparticles with Supplementary Cementitious Materials in Concrete

Recently, many researchers have revealed that addition of nanoparticles can provide synergy to improve physical and chemical properties of concrete materials. Nanoparticles can act like fillers to refine pore structure and immobilize water movement in cement paste. They can function like seeds for CSH nucleation to accelerate cement hydration, thus compensating the delayed hydration and strength development caused by commonly used supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) like fly ash in concrete. Many nanoparticles can also interact with SCMs to produce stable and/or cementing reaction products, thus further enhancing concrete strength and durability. The objectives of this technical session are to summarize the recent progress on the use of nanoparticles in cement-based materials containing SCMs, to have a better understanding of the synergic effects of nanoparticles and SCMs, and to recognize challenges in the use of nanoparticles in cement-based materials.

The A to Zs of Supplementary Cementitious Material Reactivity

Fly ash and slag supplies are running out. In order to ensure sustainable and durable concrete, we must use novel supplementary cementitious materials in concrete. Arguably the most important property of supplementary cementitious materials that governs their use is their reactivity. This session covers all aspects of supplementary cementitious materials reactivity - from fundamental modeling studies, to reactivity test methods, to links between reactivity and durability, to thoughts on changes in specifications. The session is aimed at students, researchers, and the industry, who will learn fundamental and applied science and engineering of supplementary cementitious materials reactivity.

UHPC – New Insights

Over the last decades novelties have been shared in material design, mixing technology, material characterization and application, structural performance and design. While more innovations and novelties have been shared and exciting application examples are being presented, more knowledge gaps, research needs and questions have been raised. This session will invite national and international research groups, material suppliers and contractors to share new insights in UHPC technology, structural design and applications.

2021 Online Presentations

2021 ACI Spring Convention, Virtual Sessions

123 Forum: Can Alkali-activated Materials Compete with Portland Cement?

Alkali-activated concrete (AAC) is a class of clinkerless binders made by activating aluminosilicates (e.g., fly ash or slag) with alkaline solutions. Alkali-activation is not a recent innovation—its first mention in scientific literature dates back to more than a hundred years ago. Over the past two decades however, researchers have focused intently on advancing AAC as an alternative to portland cement concrete. Despite widespread academic interest, the concrete industry has yet to adopt AAC into practice. Some experts question the sustainability of AAC; some challenge its long-term durability; others claim the materials and technology do not scale. This forum will discuss the practice-readiness of AAC, highlighting its perceived benefits and the obstacles that hinder its potential widespread acceptance.

Adjusting Workability for Successful 3-D Concrete Printing, Part 1 of 2

These sessions will be co-sponsored by RILEM Technical Committee 276-Digital fabrication with Cement-based Materials. Additionally, they will include presentations by U.S and international teams involved in 3DConcrete, an NSF AccelNet Program to enhance global network-to-network collaborations on concrete 3D printing. These sessions will highlight the importance of controlling fresh-state properties for the successful execution of 3D concrete printing (3DCP). 3DCP is a new method of casting that can introduce a number of advantages but there are also significant challenges, especially in controlling the viscoelastic properties of the concrete in the fresh state. Academic and industry researchers and practitioners interested in 3DCP should attend this session. Attendees will learn: i) the current state-of-the-art of 3DCP; ii) how rheology directly impacts printing performance; iii) strategies to effectively control workability for 3DCP; and iv) key challenges in bringing 3DCP to practice.

Adjusting Workability for Successful 3-D Concrete Printing, Part 2 of 2

These sessions will be co-sponsored by RILEM Technical Committee 276-Digital fabrication with Cement-based Materials. Additionally, they will include presentations by U.S and international teams involved in 3DConcrete, an NSF AccelNet Program to enhance global network-to-network collaborations on concrete 3D printing. These sessions will highlight the importance of controlling fresh-state properties for the successful execution of 3D concrete printing (3DCP). 3DCP is a new method of casting that can introduce a number of advantages but there are also significant challenges, especially in controlling the viscoelastic properties of the concrete in the fresh state. Academic and industry researchers and practitioners interested in 3DCP should attend this session. Attendees will learn: i) the current state-of-the-art of 3DCP; ii) how rheology directly impacts printing performance; iii) strategies to effectively control workability for 3DCP; and iv) key challenges in bringing 3DCP to practice.

Architects' Day Lunch and Learn

The Nubian Vault's mudbrick process has advantages for economic and educational growth in the building industry for local communities. As the revival of the Nubian Vault construct has taken hold in Sub-Saharan Africa, the rainy season continues to halt progress in Africa's more tropical regions. With assistance from Dwell Earth, a company founded by two brothers in Texas, and the measured use of concrete, the Nubian Vault's failures have the potential for success in the tropics. My presentation will look at the history of the Nubian Vault from ancient Egypt to Hassan Fathy's twentieth-century revival and the recent work of the French /Burkinabé NGO La Voûte Nubienne. Lastly, I will show the failed experiments and the subsequent potential for success.

Architects' Day Session: Achieving Excellence in Concrete Construction – Following The REACH from Concept to Completion

This session will provide insight into the design and construction process of The REACH project (winner of the 2020 ACI Excellence Award) with a behind the scenes virtual “tour” of the project and insight into specifying concrete mix designs.

Architects' Day Session: Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Learn how the architects, structural engineer, and formwork designers worked together to achieve the overall vision of The REACH.

Best Practices and Lessons Learned for Teaching Concrete Materials and Reinforced Concrete

This session features presentations associated with 11 collaborative papers written by groups of faculties who use some of the most innovative approaches to teach topics in concrete materials and reinforced concrete design at the undergraduate level. The session will include presentations related to general pedagogy, along with teaching hydration of cement, fresh and hardened properties of concrete, durability, additive manufacturing, nondestructive testing, detailing, the equivalent rectangular stress block, failure types of reinforced concrete beams, nonrectangular beams, and analysis and design for shear. The session will also include a presentation by the Walter P. Moore Award Winner.

The Concrete Industry in the Era of Artificial Intelligence

The synopsis of this session is to educate researchers, practitioners, students, and officials on the merit of using AI in the concrete industry. Special attention will be paid to better the performance of concrete materials at ambient and elevated temperatures and showcase the substantial potential of using AI to improve design of concrete structures under traditional and fire conditions. Introduce AI and automation to the concrete industry.

Concrete Pavement Design and Construction Special Session Honoring Dr. Shiraz Tayabji

This session honors the many contributions made by Dr. Shiraz Tayabji to the American Concrete Institute and to the concrete pavement community as a whole. Dr. Tayabji is a long-time member of ACI, a Fellow, and a former chair of ACI 325, Concrete Pavements. To highlight the range of technical areas that Dr. Tayabji has contributed to throughout his distinguished career, this session includes presentations by prominent concrete pavement researchers and practitioners on important concrete materials, design, rehabilitation, and performance topics. The information presented in this session will be of interest to concrete materials engineers, pavement designers, and construction personnel.

Constructability and Shotcrete Construction in the Windy City

Constructability analysis of the structural systems is a key step in optimizing time, quality, and economic considerations of a project. Shotcrete construction practices and techniques are used to an advantage on multi story projects. This session looks to case studies, best practices, and material sciences for strategies to best achieve a building structure that meets the demanding requirements of the industry.

Exploiting SSI Effects in Structural Design of Bridges

Soil structure interaction (SSI) effects are studied through instrumented bridges in the field and extensive dynamic analyses. Studies show that foundation compliance owing to SSI attenuates seismic demands in monolithic bridge piers but may accentuate seating demands for bearing supports in bridges that are not continuous with the piers. This session aims to assess the design implications of SSI in controlling the pier/bearing demands as a retrofit measure in existing bridges, as well as to establish a framework for its explicit consideration in new seismic design of bridges, particularly in seismic events of large intensity.

Fusion of Visual and Nondestructive Techniques for Bridge Evaluation

The session will discuss the use of multiple nondestructive testing (NDT) methods for assessing the conditions of aging concrete bridges and how data fusion can be used to combine and “image” both visible surface conditions and unseen internal conditions. Thus it is anticipated that speakers will cover the use of a wide range of NDT methods for bridge decks, superstructure and substructure condition assessment and their fusion with one or more additional methods including: computer-based photographic mapping of cracking/spalling damage; infrared thermography; ground penetrating radar; acoustic/impact echo/surface waves scanning of decks; and, corrosion activity mapping with half-cell potential, resistivity and polarization methods.

How to Get Modern Concrete Pumped to the Right Floor

High rise construction, specifically in Chicago, is continuing to push the limits of what is possible with concrete. Buildings are going up higher and developers are requesting more livable square footage, requiring concrete with very strict requirements and specifications. This results in a chain of preparation once a building is announced from the mix design development and raw material sourcing, to the testing of the mix design meeting specification, to the contractor who will do the placement and construction. Individuals in each stage of the process must work together to ensure a successful project. Collaboration and information exchange between designers, architects, contractors, producers, and testing labs needs to be streamlined and improved to ensure that the structural properties of the material can be matched with constructability. Testing labs should be more involved with the design and certification of mix designs to ensure that the specification is being adhered to, while contractors need to take the concrete and place it in the building. As such, it needs to be pumpable and workable once it comes out of the pump 60+ stories in the air, which adds an additional constraint placed upon all who are involved. Designers require more specific properties of materials, which results in substantial challenges in finding the appropriate materials and mix designs.

Is SCC Consolidation-Free?

Mixtures designated as self-consolidating concrete (SCC) may need a certain amount of consolidation to eliminate surface blemishes, to flow through congested areas, and to meet slump flow loss during construction. Care must be exercised in consolidating highly flowable mixtures such as semi SCC and SCC because they can lose stability. This session will address the consolidation needs of semi SCC and SCC and the effects of type and duration of vibration on the stability of these mixtures. There will be case studies and lessons learned. Researchers, engineers, contractors, and practitioners will benefit from the experience of the presenters.

The Future of Coal Combustion Products in Concrete, Part 1 of 2

Fly ash has been the most widely used SCM in concrete for decades. For this reason, significant changes in its production and quality during the last 10 years, have driven a growing interest in harvesting fly ash from impoundments or landfills for use in concrete. Processed coal bottom ash and other CCPs that are currently not used in concrete have also been identified as an emerging supplementary cementitious materials that can help meet the demand for materials that can impart fly ash-like benefits to concrete. This session will provide the opportunity to learn about the characteristics and performance of new and emerging coal combustion products for use in concrete. Students, academics, concrete producers, contractors, specifiers and material suppliers will benefit from the information presented in this session.

The Future of Coal Combustion Products in Concrete, Part 2 of 2

Fly ash has been the most widely used SCM in concrete for decades. For this reason, significant changes in its production and quality during the last 10 years, have driven a growing interest in harvesting fly ash from impoundments or landfills for use in concrete. Processed coal bottom ash and other CCPs that are currently not used in concrete have also been identified as an emerging supplementary cementitious materials that can help meet the demand for materials that can impart fly ash-like benefits to concrete. This session will provide the opportunity to learn about the characteristics and performance of new and emerging coal combustion products for use in concrete. Students, academics, concrete producers, contractors, specifiers and material suppliers will benefit from the information presented in this session.

Integration of Innovative Techniques and Approaches for Optimum Concrete Structure Rehabilitation

This session intends to present case studies or projects where innovative techniques were used to assess the condition of concrete structures and plan rehabilitation strategies. The techniques include nondestructive testing, corrosion measurements, modeling, and monitoring. The session is meant for engineers and practitioners.

Legal Issues in Concrete Construction - Lessons Learned

This session will bring together four individuals with extensive experience in litigation related to concrete construction. The speakers will share their experiences as lawyers, expert witnesses, and engineers through case studies and will share their experience-based recommendations.

Microbially Induced Corrosion of Concrete

Corrosion of concrete in sewer infrastructures is a worldwide concern. Although the mechanism of this corrosion was discovered in the middle of last century, it was not a universal concern until the late 1990s. Since then, research has confirmed that the cause of this corrosion is a biogenic acid attack. Solutions for mitigation and testing processes for assurance have been developed. This session is for anyone interested in knowing exactly what causes sewer corrosion and what methods of mitigation are available.

Performance of Slag Cement with Portland-limestone Cement in Concrete

Early-age performance of slag cement with Type IL cement has been found to be equal to or better than with Portland cement from the same source. The alumina in the slag cement can react with more of the finely divided limestone to form additional carboaluminate hydrates that then results in reduced porosity and increased early-age strength. There is also reduced permeability, as indicated by ASTM C1202 test results. While some early published papers indicated a potential concern for an increased risk of low-temperature thaumasite sulfate attack, our extensive long-term tests on concretes have shown that Type IL cement- slag cement combinations are as resistant to sulfate attack as Type I cement-slag cement combinations and more resistant than equivalent w/cm concretes made with Type V cements to both the ettringite and thaumasite forms of degradation. This course will include discussion on these two topics and will also look at some recent projects with these materials. Speakers will walk through different reaction rates such as resistivity and diffusion with portland limestone cements, strength results and modeling.

Research in Progress

The synopsis of this session is to educate researchers, practitioners, students, and officials on the merit of This session will feature presentations of original, unpublished results from ongoing research projects and leading-edge concrete technology and research throughout the world.

Rethinking Reinforcement for 3-D Printed Cementitious Composites

The fabrication of novel reinforced concrete structures using digital technologies requires the definition of suitable strategies for reinforcement implementation. Reinforcement integration must be compatible with either the shape or the specific printing technique adopted for each structural element production. This session aims to provide the latest updates on opportunities and techniques using “reinforced concrete” for engineers, architects, and researchers actively involved in or simply interested in three-dimensional (3-D) printing with cementitious composites. These techniques have been developed to further expand the outreach of digitally fabricated concrete materials and structures.

Smart Concrete, New Functionalities, and Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology has the potential to revolutionize the properties of concrete. Conversation in this session is designed to explore the impact of nanomodification on creating concretes with new functionalities, such as sensing and damage detection, self healing, energy harvesting, deicing applications, and so on. This session provides a unique opportunity for engineers, scientists, and industry leaders to learn and experience new concepts and novel research areas on the use of nanotechnology in cementitious materials and concrete.

UHPC – Innovations in Practical Applications

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) is seen as one of the most influential material innovations in the construction industry in the twenty-first century. Many research groups in academia or industry worldwide have developed UHPC mixtures, investigated their material properties and their structural behavior and thus have contributed to the increased interest in this type of material. While design guidelines are being drafted or have already been published the application of UHPC has been surpassed the stage of pilot projects in some areas. It seems that UHPC finds more and more ways into the construction industry beyond the “killer application” which was sought in the early days. This session will invite national and international research groups, material suppliers and contractors to share their knowledge in innovations in practical applications.

Unlocking Workability Issues of UHPC

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) is attracting increasing interests worldwide due to its superior mechanical properties and excellent durability. However, the difficulties in handling of UHPC has been increasingly recognized as a major problem during construction because of a significant workability reduction due to very low water-binder ratio (w/b) and very high dosages of fine powders (for example, silica fume) and admixtures (for example, water-reducing admixtures) used. It is well understood that mixing methods and procedures have more substantial effects on workability of UHPC than on those of conventional concrete. Ultra high performance could not be achieved if required workability of UHPC is not met. The main objective of this technical session is to uphold a platform to discuss the issues, challenges, and recent advances in characterizing, controlling, and improving workability of UHPC. It is also to promote broader dialogue and greater interactions between UHPC researchers and users.

Using ACI 318 PLUS as a Teaching Tool

This session will provide background on the creation of the new ACI 318 PLUS subscription along with guidance on how educators can navigate some of its key features and leverage it as a tool to improve students’ understanding of reinforced concrete design. Discussion will be included to allow for brainstorming ideas on how this platform could better enhance teaching ACI CODE-318-19. Speakers include Michael L. Tholen, Ph.D., P.E and Trey Hamilton Ph.D., professor emeritus at the University of Florida.


2021 ACI Fall Convention, Virtual Sessions

Adapting and Reuse of Concrete Structures

This session focuses on the preservation and adaptive reuse as alternatives to the replacement of built structures in the pursuit of sustainable built environment

Advancing Concrete Durability, A Special Session Honoring Michael Thomas

This session will honor Michael Thomas, PhD, PEng, FACI, FICT, for his extensive contributions to advancing cement and concrete research, and his service to the concrete industry. Various industry leaders will discuss the impacts of the research conducted by Dr. Thomas and his students in the areas of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), alkali-silica reaction (ASR) mechanisms, mitigation, and testing; sulfate resistance; chloride-induced corrosion; and other areas of concrete durability.

Applications of Alternative Cements

This session will provide state of the art discussion on the use of alternatives to Portland cement, with a focus on processes for upscaling the use of alternative cements (ACMs) and understanding beneficial applications in which ACMs can be used in lieu of Portland cement to create more durable, sustainable, and resilient concrete. The session targets both researchers working to advance understanding of ACMs and industry users (suppliers, producers, owners) interested in applying ACM technology to their work.

Architects' Day Lunch

Buildings alone account for 40% of the global greenhouse gas emissions. Two thirds of that total impact is from operational emissions while the remainder is from embodied emissions. Embodied emissions include all the emissions required to produce everything that goes into our buildings – the structure, enclosure and all the materials inside. Between now and 2050, half of the new construction emissions between now and then will be from embodied carbon. Therefore, the industry has begun to take action and groups like AIA 2030, Architecture 2030, SE2050, and USGBC have shifted their focus to include embodied carbon. In order to address this issue, we need to take steps to quantify and then reduce our impact. We can do this using a process called Whole Building Lifecycle Assessment (WBLCA). More and more project teams are using WBLCA as a design tool and are discussing decarbonizations strategies. As such, design professionals are actively and looking for low carbon material alternatives. Since cement is such a ubiquitous and carbon-intensive material, it is definitely at the center of these discussions. It’s important that the concrete industry be aware of what is being discussed in the market and how this will affect our industry in the future as this trend grows. This presentation will also look at examples of how this translates to the design documents, the specifications and ultimately the concrete mix designs.

Architects' Day Session

Our over-arching theme is “The Evolution of Concrete” where we will discuss sustainability, labor trends, and admixture/reinforcement, design and how they overlap and impact each other.

Calcined Natural Pozzolans, Including Calcined Clays

This session will address both fundamentals of pozzolan activation through calcination, considering relatively pure and impure natural sources, and practical use of these materials in concrete construction. The intended audience includes engineers, contractors, researchers, and students interested in alternative sources of pozzolans. It will cover the fundamentals of pozzolan calcination, including effects of composition and processing, on structure and performance. The session will also address practical use of calcined pozzolans at an industrial scale.

Carbon Neutral - How Do We Get There?

Activities to achieve carbon neutrality in concrete construction are currently pervasive throughout the concrete industry. Industry associations and companies, along with various organizations outside our industry, are focusing their efforts and dedicating resources to achieve carbon neutrality in construction. A wide array of technologies are being deployed by the cement and concrete industry while other technologies are under development. This session will provide an overview of the carbon neutrality issue and will highlight strategies and technologies being implemented or being developed to achieve carbon neutrality.

Computer Simulations and Analytical Methods for Concrete 3-D Printing

Concrete 3-D printing has quickly become a hotbed of research and case studies for the field; yet the related computational models and analytical methods for simulating such techniques are still in their infancy. This session is targeted toward engineering mechanists, computational scientists, and those interested in the simulation of early age concrete behavior. Presentations will focus on state of the art 3-D printing modeling techniques, including analytical methods, as well discrete element, lattice discrete element, and finite element models.

Concrete Through the Ages

This session is intended to introduce individuals to the historical aspects of concrete and concrete construction practices. Attendees will gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the development of the concrete industry.

Concrete With Recycled Materials

Concrete is the world’s most widely used construction material. Yet, the production of portland cement, an essential constituent of concrete, leads to greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. The production of 1 ton of portland cement clinker releases approximately one ton of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. Environmental considerations have been a major thrust for the sustainable development of the cement and concrete industries. A sustainable concrete structure is designed and built to have a positive environmental footprint during its entire life cycle. Concrete is increasingly being considered as a sustainable material owing to its low inherent energy requirements and little associated waste. Not only is it made from some of the most plentiful resources on Earth, it can also be made with numerous recycled materials and by-products and is itself entirely recyclable. Emerging breakthroughs in concrete technology have allowed producing ultra-high-performance concrete requiring less raw materials, along with structures that are much more durable to reduce maintenance, repair, and reconstruction.

Design and Construction for LNG and other RLG Containment Structures

ACI 376-11/376M-11 Code Requirements for Design and Construction of Concrete Structures for the Containment of Refrigerated Liquefied Gases and Commentary was adopted by ACI in November 2011 and published in August 2013. The committee had been formed in 2003 at the request of the national Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) Technical Committee 59A on liquefied natural gas (LNG) for the purpose developing a code document that could referenced by NFPA 59A for design and construction of concrete containment structures. The scope of the Code includes not just LNG, but all refrigerated liquefied gases (RLG) where concrete is used for storage and containment. Upon completion of the first edition the committee began the work of addressing the future action items from the first edition, and other changes brought before the committee.

Durability, Service Life, and Long-Term Integrity of Concrete Materials, Bridges, and Structures

Durability is one of the most important requirements for sustainable infrastructure. Federal, state, and local agencies expend significant effort to maintain the quality and condition of aging civil structures, especially those in aggressive service environments. Among many factors, durability influences the service life and integrity of concrete materials and structures. Extensive research has been conducted to understand the deterioration mechanisms of concrete in an effort to extend the longevity of concrete members. In this session, presentations of both experimental and analytical investigations are of interest, which may include the durability of concrete structures reinforced with steel or fiber-reinforced polymer bars, modeling of service life for concrete under aggressive environments, and the structural integrity and resilience of rehabilitated members. The session emphasizes recent research findings and provides an opportunity to discuss present challenges and technical issues. Critical information is given to those who lead tomorrow’s structural design and construction with an emphasis on durability, service life, and integrity, including practicing engineers, government officials, and academics.

Graphene-Based Admixtures in Concrete

Graphene and its derivatives present a relatively new family of nanomaterials featuring unique quasi-2D layered structure. The thickness of single-layered graphene nanosheets is approximately 1 nm, while the median size of the lateral dimension is about 4 µm depending on the specific preparation method. Similar to carbon nanotubes and carbon nanofibers, graphene can be employed to endow cementitious materials with smart functionalities (e.g., by monitoring their stress-strain behavior). Recent laboratory studies have increasingly demonstrated that the oxygen-containing functional groups on the surfaces of graphene oxide (GO) and reduced GO make them a new type of multifunctional admixtures for cementitious materials. This session will bring to light to new frontiers and recent research findings and provide an opportunity to discuss the present challenges and technical issues. The session aims to engage a diverse group of distinguished speakers and serve to inspire researchers and practitioners who are interested in the use of graphene-based admixtures in paste, grout, mortar, and concrete.

Live Load Distribution on Concrete Bridges: Design, Evaluation, Construction, Innovation

The session will focus on live load distribution issues for concrete bridge decks and supporting girders. In addition to discussing the AASHTO methodology, other available codes/specification provisions will be reviewed. Potential topics related to live load distribution include, but are not limited to, simplification of the AASHTO methodology, traffic non-parallel to girders, construction stage issues, partial composite deck-girder systems, long-span girders, slab-span structures, and bridges with missing as-built plans.

Major Opportunities for Concrete Structures to Support Large Wind Turbines

To introduce the ACI community to concepts and opportunities to provide support structures (towers and foundations) for wind turbines. This would include tall towers for onshore wind, as well as gravity-based and floating concrete foundations for offshore wind turbines. The use of concrete support structures provides many advantages over steel solutions. For onshore wind support structures, these includes addressing transportation and erection challenges and lower costs. In addition to these, for offshore wind turbines the advantages include much longer design lives, local fabrication capacity, and overcoming the impact on sensitive marine habitats such as the North Atlantic Right Whale.

Open Topic Session

The Open Topic Session is a forum for presenting recent technical information that could not be scheduled into other convention sessions.

Paper Awards-Published in 2020

Awarded authors of papers published in 2020 will present winning papers. Awarded categories include: the ACI Concrete International Award, the ACI Symposium Volumes Award, the Mete A. Sozen Award for Excellence in Structural Research, the Wason Medal for Materials Research, and the Wason Medal for Most Meritorious Paper.

Recent Advances in the Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Columns: A Session Honoring the Memory of Dr. Asad Esmaeily

Dr. Asad Esmaeily was a Professor of Structural Engineering at Kansas State University between 2002 and 2018. He was an active member of ASCE-ACI joint committee 441 on Reinforced Concrete Columns for almost 18 years. He was a major contributor to the recently published document ACI 441.1R-18. His area of research was in reinforced concrete columns and health monitoring of structures. He passed away in June 2018 at an age of 59 after a short battle with cancer. His colleagues, students and fellow committee members want to pay a small tribute to him by organizing this session in his memory. ASCE-ACI joint committee 441 is sponsoring the session. The session addresses recent advances in the behavior and modeling of reinforced concrete columns subjected to different loading conditions with the presence of innovative materials. The audience of this session are anticipated to be practitioners and researchers in the area of behavior, analysis, and design of reinforced concrete columns.

Research in Progress

This session will feature presentations of original, unpublished results from ongoing research projects and leading-edge concrete technology and research throughout the world.

Seismic Repair/Retrofit/Strengthening of Bridges at the Element or System Level

Major seismic events around the world along with the aging and deterioration of infrastructures keep increasing the need for repair/strengthening and rehabilitation of existing bridges. Seismic repairing and strengthening are an area that has seen major developments due to the availability of robust numerical simulation frameworks, large experimental facilities, structural health monitoring techniques, development of advanced materials and construction techniques, and sophisticated performance-based seismic design and assessment methodologies. Despite the progress, there are many challenges yet to be addressed. With the increase in transportation demand and more stringent seismic performance requirements, bridge retrofit, and repair is an important task for engineers and researchers. Bridge retrofits usually involve functional upgrades (such as deck widening) and seismic upgrades (such as strengthening seismic load path). The effects of the two upgrades are usually coupled and need to be analyzed. Therefore, more sophisticated analysis and customized solution is needed. While providing structural upgrade solutions to seismic issues, engineers also need to reduce the interruption to the traffic as much as possible. Development and implementation of innovative retrofit and repair methods are expected to upgrade deficient bridges to current standards and minimize traffic interruption. The main objective of this session is to present results from recent research studies (experimental/numerical/analytical) and practical examples of existing bridge retrofit and repair. This session will provide a forum for practicing engineers and researchers to share and discuss the various issues related to design and construction issues of seismic repair/retrofit/strengthening of bridges at the element and system level.


Shrinkage-Compensating Concrete Design and Research in Memory of Edward K. Rice

The objective of this session is to introduce the latest design and research of using shrinkage compensating concrete for various structural concrete, including bridge decks, and in structural repair materials to help avoid drying shrinkage cracking. Different types of shrinkage compensating concrete will be discussed and how it is produced in design mixes and how it effects early strength properties in comparison to normal Portland cement design mixes.


UHPC – Hot Topics

In the last decade ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) has significantly attracted the interest of researchers and practitioners due to its material performance and its potential for innovative practical applications. It has become one of the most influential materials in the construction industry in the twenty-first century. After years of innovations in material, structural and architectural design what are the current UHPC hot topics? This session will invite national and international research groups, material suppliers and contractors to share their knowledge of hot topics of UHPC.


2020 Online Presentations

2020 ACI Spring Convention, Virtual Sessions

Bond and Development in New Types of Concrete and Reinforcement

Continuous developments in concrete technology and reinforcement materials have been made in recent years to improve the structural performance, durability and sustainability of reinforced concrete. The use of alternative types of concrete and/or reinforcement may affect the bond characteristics of reinforcing bars and, consequently, their development and lap-splice requirements. This session will present recent advances in the characterization of bond and development in new types of concrete and reinforcement, which may include (but are not limited to) ultra-high-performance concrete, fiber-reinforced concrete, self-compacting concrete, high-strength steel, corrosion-resistant reinforcement, and shape-memory alloy bars.

IBC-Compliant Concrete Construction & Laser Scans and Drones in Concrete Floor Construction

This presentation is on the use of laser scans and drones. It will describe a method of laser scanning a concrete surface to characterize the waviness of that surface and provide feedback to owners and concrete finishers. The comparative analysis of the various methods of measuring waviness in concrete slabs reveals that the 2-Dimensional (2D) Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT) provides results that strongly correlate with those of the Waviness Index method (the current state of the art), but has numerous advantages over it and other existing methods. The next step in this study is to use this method in conjunction with augmented reality (AR) devices to enable the visualization of undulations corresponding to various characteristic periods on site. AR technology would provide visual information (3D laser scan data + ideal flat concrete surface) on surface waviness for comparison, which would enable timely decision making, and ultimately reduce project delays and extra costs associated with demolition and reconstruction.

Open Topic Session, Part 1 of 2

The Open Topic Session is a forum for presenting recent technical information.

Open Topic Session, Part 2 of 2

The Open Topic Session is a forum for presenting recent technical information.

Rethinking Reinforcement for 3-D Printed Cementitious Composites

The fabrication of novel reinforced concrete structures using digital technologies necessarily requires the definition of suitable strategies for reinforcement implementation. Reinforcement integration has to be compatible with either the specific printing technique adopted for the structural element production or with its shape. This Session aims to provide to engineers, architects and researchers actively involved or simply interested in 3-D printing with cementitious composites the latest updates on opportunities and techniques using “reinforced concrete” that have been developed so far in order to further expand the outreach of digitally fabricated concrete materials and structures.

Textile Reinforced Cement Composites ‐ New Applications and Repair Materials

Textile Reinforced Concrete (TRC) materials have been addressed several times at the ACI conventions in the past 14 years. This area has been led by several RILEM Committees, fib, and ACI Committee 549. The first TRC committee was formed in July 2002, the RILEM TC 201-TRC (Textile Reinforced Concrete). The work of this committee was followed by Technical Committee 232-TDT addressing Test methods and design of textile reinforced concrete, developing recommendations of test methods and design of the composites. ACI has had a very strong presence in the international development of these materials. Various research groups have developed a wealth of recent information pertaining the methodologies, properties, and areas of applications for fabric reinforced cement-based materials. The theoretical framework will address aspects of multi-scale modeling, analytical tools to predict and design components for tensile, flexural, and shear loading of TRC composite systems. these sessions would be of interest to researchers, structural engineers and concrete repair professionals.


2020 ACI Fall Convention, Virtual Sessions

Architects’ Day Session: Panel Discussion on Constructability

To demonstrate how effective teams overcome constructability challenges by utilizing the knowledge of the contractor, engineer, architect and owner.

Architects’ Day Session: Shotcreting Architectural Concrete

To raise awareness about the technique of shotcreting vertical concrete elements with an architectural finish.

Benchmarking of Codes, Specifications, and Models for Service Life

The session is intended to present advances in service life modeling specially with respect to benchmarking of the available design codes to determine what service life can be anticipated when the structures are designed in accordance with the current prescriptive and/or deemed-to-satisfy requirements of the various countries’ design codes and standards specifically for the chloride exposure. This may include service life modeling based on both accelerated laboratory testing and/or assessment of the existing structures. Further, benchmarking the currently available models on the chloride penetration into the concrete using real case studies is also a main objective of this session.

Concrete with Recycled Materials

Concrete is the world’s most widely used construction material. Yet, the production of portland cement, an essential constituent of concrete, leads to greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. The production of 1 ton of portland cement clinker releases approximately one ton of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. Environmental considerations have been a major thrust for the sustainable development of the cement and concrete industries. A sustainable concrete structure is designed and built to have a positive environmental footprint during its entire life cycle. Concrete is increasingly being considered as a sustainable material owing to its low inherent energy requirements and little associated waste. Not only is it made from some of the most plentiful resources on Earth, it can also be made with numerous recycled materials and by-products and is itself entirely recyclable. Emerging breakthroughs in concrete technology have allowed producing ultra-high-performance concrete requiring less raw materials, along with structures that are much more durable to reduce maintenance, repair, and reconstruction

Design of Structural Concrete Slabs for Safety Against Punching and Excessive Deflection

The symposium is on design of concrete slabs to sustain satisfactory serviceability over a long-life span. The goal is to guide on the design of relatively thin slabs needing no repair over a service life exceeding 100 years. Papers addressing vulnerability of slabs to excessive deflection or punching are invited.

Effects of Internal Curing Using Pre-Wetted Lightweight Aggregates on Durability and Service Life of Reinforced Concrete Structures

There has been much discussion in ACI, and the concrete community in general, on the benefits of Internal Curing of concrete using pre-wetted lightweight aggregates. Internal curing can also be accomplished using other materials such as super absorbent polymers (SAP). This session, which is sponsored by committee 213, presents new research results on specific effects of internal curing, including: resistance to freezing and thawing; effects on self-consolidating concrete; results of electrical resistivity measurements; transport properties and pore water potential development; and corrosion-based service life prediction of reinforced concrete structures. These new papers are relevant to many aspects of concrete construction, including infrastructure projects. In order for the implementation of internal curing to continue to accelerate, the answers this session provides need to be widely disseminated. This is a direct reflection of the mission of Committee 213: “Develop and report information on mineral lightweight aggregates and structural lightweight concrete made with such aggregates.” The speakers for this session have all been directly involved in the research being reported.

Examples for the Design of Reinforced and Prestressed Concrete Members Under Torsion

This session will contain presentations about the design of reinforced and prestressed concrete elements for torsion. The focus is on practical design examples according to different concrete bridge and building codes. In addition to the design examples, presentations dealing with the current state-of-the-art on torsion in structural concrete, as well as recent advances in the analysis and design of concrete elements failing in torsion will be added.

The objectives of this session are to provide practicing engineers with the tools necessary to better understand and design concrete elements for torsion. Usually, the attention that is paid to torsion in engineering education is limited to simplified textbook examples. The examples in this session will show applications in bridges and buildings, where the torsion design is combined with the design for flexure and shear. Additionally, the examples will give insight in the different outcomes when using different bridge and building codes. Finally, the theoretical presentations will give practicing engineers a deeper understanding and background on torsion in structural concrete.

How Resiliency Impacts Concrete Design

With climate change, it's becoming increasingly challenging to anticipate every type and frequency of disruptive threats. Therefore, concrete structures need to be designed with resiliency in mind in order to respond, absorb, and adapt to a variety of disruptive event in order to maintain functionality during and after the event. During this session, we will explore topics related to designing resilient concrete structures. We will discuss potential threats, and the critical factors of resilient infrastructure. We will look at current resilience-based performance standards and resources. This session contains valuable information for designers, manufacturers, educators and specifiers.

Industry Experience on Unusual Reinforcing Steel Corrosion

Awareness of atypical corrosion mechanisms and potentially corrosive environments can be useful for durable design and developing durability standards. It is known that corrosion of reinforcing steel can occur from excessive chlorides or carbonation. However, corrosion may also occur from less commonly known phenomena or unanticipated exposure (including building interiors). Conversely, some concrete may outlive expected service-life

Issues and Potential Solutions for Achieving Uniform Dispersion of Nanoparticles in Cementitious Composites and Concrete for the Laboratory and Field

Nano particles designed for cement composites and concrete have been successfully used in laboratory and field applications over the last 20 years to enhance both the strength and durability of concrete. The following session will identify the dispersion of nano-based additives and admixtures for commercial concrete that focus on increase the strength and durability of concrete to physical and chemical attack. This session will emphasize concrete laboratory and field applications have been at the forefront of construction for the last decade. Pros and cons will be discussed in the to facilitate a realistic view for new solutions to ongoing issues.

Open Topic Session

The Open Topic Session is a forum for presenting recent technical information that could not be scheduled into other convention sessions.

Recent Advances in Understanding Mechanisms of Mass Transport in Concrete

Durability of concrete is directly related to the ability of concrete to impede the transport of water and aggressive species such as chlorides. Transport can occur under different mechanisms and often more than one mechanism is involved. Accurate modeling and measurements of transport requires understanding of the mechanisms involved. This session aims to provide the recent advances in measuring and modeling mass transport in concrete with implications on service life prediction of reinforced concrete structure subjected to a variety of degradation mechanisms.

Recent Research into the Design, Analysis and Testing of FRP Reinforced Columns

The session theme is the performance and design of FRP reinforced columns. In this session, the latest research addressing experimental and analytical research findings on the FRP-RC columns. A large part of the body of knowledge of FRP reinforced structures addresses the performance of beams and slabs. A comparatively limited number of studies investigated columns. The dissemination of research into the performance of FRP-RC columns is necessary to help advance design codes and, consequently, wider adoption of FRP bars in construction.

Research in Progress, Part 1 of 2

This session will feature presentations of original, unpublished results from ongoing research projects and leading-edge concrete technology and research throughout the world.

Research in Progress, Part 2 of 2

This session will feature presentations of original, unpublished results from ongoing research projects and leading-edge concrete technology and research throughout the world.

SDC Innovations in Concrete: Sustainability, Constructability, and “Cost-ability” – The New Three-legged Stool?

The word “sustainability” leads one immediately towards factors such as carbon emissions and renewable energy. But the true aim of sustainability, represented by the “three-legged stool”, is to find the balance between environmental impacts, economic costs, and the social benefits of any action taken. As we work to lessen the environmental impact associated with concrete construction, we often lose sight of the balance sustainability truly seeks. The goal of being “green” is often in direct conflict with either constructability, cost, or both. If sustainability is becoming more environmentally centric, is it necessary to start thinking of constructability and cost as being the other two legs of a new “three-legged stool”? How, as an industry, do we meet our goals of being good stewards of the environment while being mindful that a green design is of little social value if it cannot be constructed at a reasonable cost? In this session the speakers will discuss the design and construction challenges of being “green” while also trying to meet the necessary goals of constructability and “cost-ability”.

Sessions Honoring Calvin McCall

These are special sessions honoring a long time Carolinas Chapter member (and ACI Honorary member), Calvin McCall. The focus of the sessions includes specifications, workable concrete mixtures, and constructability.

So You Think You Can Print? Challenges to 3-D Printing from Design to Permitting

3-D printing has garnered a lot of excitement in the concrete community due to its potential benefits for the concrete construction (cost reduction, construction time reduction, and design freedom). However, it's not as easy as it looks. This session will provide an overview of 3-D printing and discuss the common challenges and advice on how to avoid them.

State-of-the-Art Evaluation of Signature Concrete Bridges

The session objective is to present state-of-the-art and emerging methodologies for the strength or serviceability evaluation of signature concrete bridges. Bridge designers, inspectors, owners, leading industry experts, students, and academicians should attend the session. The potential list of topics includes, but is not limited to: load testing at or beyond service, use of load testing for load rating or maintenance, advanced numerical or computational analysis, structural versus element rating, determination of structure specific reliability indices, use of continuous monitoring for detecting anomalies, novel inspection techniques.

Technologies to Reduce Shrinkage and Cracking

This session will review the use of current technologies available to reduce shrinkage in concrete, including mineral and chemical admixtures and various alternative approaches in concrete mixture designs. Cracking due to restrained shrinkage is one of the primary contributors to cracking, particularly in concrete flatwork, which potentially reduces the service life and increases the required long-term maintenance of concrete structures. Mitigation of different shrinkage mechanisms in concrete can be accomplished through combinations of shrinkage reduction technologies. A review of how these technologies affect concrete properties and shrinkage behavior will be presented. Completed research and full-scale field observations will examine the effectiveness of an array of shrinkage reduction technologies.

The Intersection of Bond, Development Length, and Anchorage

The provisions for anchorage in ACI 318 (Ch. 17) have found increasing use for questions involving reinforcement anchorage, although an explicit formulation of splitting resistance is lacking. Conversely, the provisions for bar development, which focus primarily on concepts of bond and splitting, do not directly consider breakout failure modes that may be decisive, particularly in closely spaced bar groups. The use of, e.g., headed bars in groups terminating in sections with small edge distance, and the extensive use of reinforcing as anchorage in nuclear construction have raised questions about the adequacy of current provisions to provide adequate safety margins for all cases.

This session will focus on recent work to understand the behavior of reinforcing bars used for anchorage with respect to failure modes and predictive models, including cast-in reinforcing, post-installed reinforcing, high-strength reinforcing, straight bars, bars with mechanical anchorage (headed bars), and hooked bars. Behavior in normal weight, HPC, fiber-reinforced, and other concrete variants is included. The committee is asking for contributions that reflect both experimental, analytical, and code development work in this area.

Use of Slag Cement in Concrete Construction

This session will provide industry insight from SCA representatives on how slag cement is being used to create more durable, sustainable, and resilient concrete.

Why Nanofibers in Concrete?

This session intends to introduce to the concrete industry a new development on using nanofibers for several applications in concrete. Researchers the possible use of nanofibers to enhance cement hydration, add new functionalities (e.g., sensing and energy harvesting) and improve mechanical properties of concrete using nanofibers. Research has also shown the ability of new types of nanofibers to facilitate 3D-printing of concrete. Through this distinguished group of diverse speakers, this session will introduce to concrete researchers, engineers, suppliers, and contractors, how nanofibers are opening new frontiers in concrete technology.

2019 Online Presentations

2019 ACI Spring Convention, Quebec City, Canada

Advanced Analysis and Testing Methods for Concrete Bridge Evaluation and Design

The session objective is to present state-of-the-art and emerging technologies for the strength evaluation and design of concrete bridges using advanced computational analysis and load testing methods. The following topics are considered: advanced nonlinear modeling and nonlinear finite element analysis (NLFEA), structural versus element rating, determination of structure specific reliability indexes, load testing beyond the service level, load testing to failure, and use of continuous monitoring for detecting anomalies.

Challenges and Opportunities for Scaling Additively Manufactured Concrete from Lab to the Field

This is the second session, as a continuation from the session was presented in Las Vegas in Fall 2018. Interest in additive manufacturing (AM) or three-dimensional (3-D) printing is growing tremendously among different ACI committees. The session for Las Vegas was “Materials Science Aspects in Additive Manufacturing of Cementitious Binders” and dealt with fundamental materials science and processing of such systems. The session for Québec City presents challenges and opportunities for scaling of AM of concrete. The session will provide novel information to researchers, engineers, concrete producers, robotic system designers, and contractors to take AM from the lab to the field.

Effects of Extreme Events on Reinforced Concrete Columns

The main objective of this session is to present results from recent research studies (experimental/numerical/analytical) and field examples. This session will provide a forum for practicing engineers and researchers to share and discuss various issues related to design and construction issues of RC columns under extreme events. This session aims to provide a platform to demonstrate the performance of reinforced concrete columns for buildings or bridges during extreme events such as earthquake, tsunami, vehicular impact, corrosion, high temperature differential, freezing-and-thawing cycles, and ice load impact. Challenges from inspection to design and constructions will be discussed and possible solutions to improve their performance will be debated.

Fiber-Reinforced Self-Consolidating Concrete: From Development to Use

The results of 12 multi-axial compression tests performed on cylinders made of self-consolidating concrete, plain (SCC) and reinforced with steel fibers (FR-SCC), are presented in this paper. In the experimental campaign, four “reference” confining pressures (0, 1, 3 and 10 MPa) were applied on the lateral surface of the specimens. After the first stage of loading, when a hydraulic stress was applied to the cylinders, and progressively increased up to the value of a pre-established confining pressure, a longitudinal compressive load was used to generate crushing of concrete. During this failure, the post-peak behavior of SCC and FR-SCC can be defined by a non-dimensional function that relates the inelastic displacement and the relative stress during softening. Such a function also reveals the ductility of SCC, which increases with the confinement stress and with the fiber volume fraction. By adding 0.9% in volume of steel fibers, FR-SCC can show practically the same ductility measured in unreinforced SCC with 1 MPa of confining pressure. Thus, the presence of an adequate amount of fibers in SCC columns is sufficient to create a sort of distributed confinement.

Hot Topic Session: Durability of Concrete: Aggregate Matters and Alternative Test Methods

Deleterious chemical reactions of aggregates in concrete are among the various mechanisms that can conduct to regular or recurring repairs or eventually the replacement of the affected elements/structures. Assessing concrete degradations in structures starts with a reliable diagnosis process performed by a concrete professional. Alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR) or any other aggregate degradation mechanism is a gradual process and determining the current condition and the potential for further damage is rather complex. Testing methods for accurate condition assessment and determination of reaction stage are limited and a deep understanding of the reactions involved and of their impact on the mechanical properties of the affected concrete are crucial in this process. Testing methods for prognosis are generally performed under accelerated laboratory conditions and their correlation with field exposure is often not very accurate. Relatively “new” reactions in concrete such as internal sulfate attack associated with sulfide-bearing aggregates need better understanding and also methods to detect reliably and accurately reactive aggregates. Therefrom, relatively new/upgraded test methods (petrographic and mechanical) for diagnosis of current level of damage due to AAR or other aggregate reactions are presented in this session. Results on the correlation between field exposed concrete blocks and laboratory results for the prevention of AAR are also presented accompanied by new information on the challenges of evaluating the deleterious potential of sulfide-bearing aggregates.

Innovative Techniques for Monitoring and Evaluating Concrete Bridges and Bridge Elements

This session examines the latest techniques and technologies for both monitoring and evaluating concrete bridges and bridge elements. This includes both superstructure elements such as bridge decks, barriers, and main spanning girder elements as well as substructure elements including bridge pier bents, piers, and foundations. The session for Québec City deals with innovative techniques for monitoring and evaluating concrete bridges and bridge elements. The session will provide novel information to researchers, engineers, educators, students, and contractors.

Measurement and Control of Workability in Concrete In-Transit Mixers

During delivery of ready mixed concrete, the slump may change depending on a host of variables. However, the slump is typically known only at the batch plant or job site. This session explains the concepts used for the measurement of several properties (such as workability and volume) of fresh concrete directly in the drum of the concrete truck. Also, the adjustment of slump while in transit is discussed, incorporating experiences of concrete producers that have adopted this new technology. Lastly, researchers will present studies on the economical and practical aspects of slump measurement.

Phase Change Materials in Concrete

Phase change materials (PCMs) have been widely incorporated in building envelops to regulate the indoor temperature. Recent studies have shown that PCMs have other potentials in civil engineering applications, including thermal cracking mitigation in mass concrete, freezing-and-thawing damage control, snow melting, and thermal fatigue retardation. This session will address the efficiency of various stabilization forms of PCMs, the effects of PCMs on concrete properties, and modeling methods. Researchers and engineers considering PCMs as a manner to control temperature change-related problems of concrete should attend. Learn the strategies and details of using PCMs to manage temperature change in concrete.

UHPC and UHPFRC: Innovations in Combining High Tensile Strength and High Ductility

In comparison to conventional concrete, high-performance concrete (HPC) and ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) are characterized by higher compressive strength and enhanced durability due to their optimized cementitious matrix design. The addition of fiber reinforcement and tailoring the bond properties between matrix and fibers allow for enhanced tensile strength and tensile ductility leading to the concept of ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC). Enhanced material properties under tensile loading provide opportunities for innovative and novel structural designs. This session will invite national and international research groups as well as contractors and designers to share their innovations in material tensile strength and tensile ductility of HPC and UHPC, also known as high-performance fiber-reinforced cementitious composites (HPFRCC) or ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPRC).

Visual Condition Survey of Concrete and Case Studies

This session is on state-of-the-art guidelines to conducting a visual condition survey of concrete in service. Attendees will learn of the visual condition survey process, distress features of concrete, as well as in which context they manifest: construction-related defects and distress due to improper placement, finishing, and curing practices; design- and service-related distress due to loading, moisture, and temperature conditions; and durability-related distress due to various mechanisms. Presentations of case studies complemented with nondestructive testing (NDT) techniques are also planned.


2019 ACI Fall Convention, Cincinnati, OH

Assessment of Concrete Prior to Rehabilitation

The session will include presentations of case studies that focus on the assessment of concrete structures. The presentations are intended to provide insight into the practical use of the new ACI “364.1R Guide for Assessment of Concrete Structures before Rehabilitation”; and how to use with other new ACI documents that relate to repair of concrete.

Concrete Constructability: River of Knowledge

The design of a concrete pavement system for a low traffic volume extends beyond the process of pavement thickness selection; it entails an understanding of the processes and the factors that affect pavement performance. It also encompasses appropriate slab jointing and construction practices that are consistent with local climatic and soil conditions. This session will be for designers, specifiers, and owners of pavement assets. Attendees will learn about the revised ACI report 325.12R, other methods available to design concrete streets, how construction specifications and materials requirements for local roads may differ from highway roads, and maintenance and rehabilitation requirements for low volume roads.

Design and Construction of Concrete Streets and Local Roads

The session will present new research, specification changes, and knowledge gained thru experience as it applies to constructing in concrete, and educate members of our industry so they can utilize knowledge to produce a better concrete product.

Fire and Flood Design, Performance, Mitigation, and Strengthening for Concrete Bridges

Recent years have shown the potential vulnerability of concrete bridges to fire and flood hazards. Bridge fires can be caused by crashed or overturned vehicles, arson, accidents or wildfire, while flooding can be due to coastal storm surge or inland riverine and flash events. While provisions for fire and flood safety are requirement for building design, essentially no such requirements exist for concrete bridges. The proposed session will include presentations on topics related to design, performance, mitigation, and strengthening of concrete bridges for such hazards. Academic, industry and agency representatives should attend this session.

Hot Topic Session: Do We Have a Sustainable and Scalable Material to Address Carbon Steel Corrosion Once for All?

The major challenge to the durability of reinforced concrete structures exposed to chlorides is the corrosion of the carbon steel reinforcement. The current-state-of practice utilizes different strategies to address this problem such as: use of admixtures or supplemental binders in the concrete mixture and increase of cover or surface protection by membranes. Additionally, carbon steel may be coated with epoxy or replaced by more corrosion resistant alloys. The purpose of this hot topic session is to show practitioners, researchers, and students the availability of composite reinforcement that, rather than delaying the corrosion problem, totally resolves it with a material system (i.e., glass fiber reinforced polymer) that is validated, included in standards (i.e., design and materials specs) and readily available.

International Workshop Session: Changes in ACI 318-19

The 2016 Kaikoura earthquake in New Zealand resulted in shaking in excess of design level demands for buildings with periods of 1 to 2 seconds at some locations in Wellington. This period range correlated to concrete moment frame buildings of 5 to 15 stories, many of which had been built in Wellington since the early 1980s, and often with precast concrete floor units. Varying degrees of beam hinging and residual beam elongation were observed. Cases of significant beam elongation and associated support beam rotation resulted in damage to precast floor unit supports—in one case leading to loss of support for double-tee units. The deformation demands also resulted in damage to floor diaphragms, especially those with hollow-core floor units. Cracking in floor diaphragms was commonly concentrated in the corners of the buildings. Transverse cracking of hollow-core floor units was identified as a particular concern. Following the earthquake, a guideline was developed for the seismic assessment of existing buildings with precast floors. This presentation will discuss damage from the Kaikoura Earthquake and the implementation of seismic assessment guidelines for buildings with precast floors in New Zealand.

International Workshop Session: Concrete Construction in the Middle East

Construction in the Middle East has many unique challenges. Many areas have extreme high temperatures, low humidity, constant winds, and sulfates in the soils. Areas near the Gulf and Red Seas have corrosion issues from the sea water. This area has had a building boom and is home to some of the tallest buildings in the world. These presentations will discuss how the challenges on construction in the Middle East have been met and how the ACI 318 Code provides the guidance for successful design and construction.

International Workshop Session: Design of Super-Tall Reinforced Concrete Structures

Concrete has become the structural engineers’ material of choice for high-rise construction around the world. The majority of tall buildings constructed today feature either primary structural systems utilizing all reinforced concrete or a composite system utilizing a combination of reinforced concrete and structural steel. Of the current twenty tallest competed buildings in the world, 19 utilize composite or reinforced concrete structural systems; and the only structural steel system on the top 20 list has a completion date prior to 1975. An even better indicator is that of the 20 tallest buildings completed in 2018, all utilized composite or reinforced concrete systems (data as per the Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, www.ctbuh.org). Reinforced concrete construction has an inherent advantage for tall building design, in that it provides a substantial amount of stiffness, and mass and damping for the structural; three factors that are critical in controlling building motions and accelerations. This session demonstrates the use of reinforced concrete as it pushes to new heights across the globe.

Novel Techniques and Advances in Load Testing Concrete Structures

The presentations will introduce new techniques in load testing of concrete structures. Such techniques include load testing structures where shear is the expected covering limit state, and where nondestructive testing or monitoring supplements load test results.

Prestressed Concrete with Conventional and Nonconventional Materials

Professor Hiroshi Mutsuyoshi of Japan Prestressed Concrete Institute is co-moderating a special session focused on the recent advancement of prestressed concrete for bridges and structures using conventional and nonconventional materials. Presentations and technical papers will include the conceptual development of innovative prestressed concrete, laboratory experiments, numerical modeling, and case studies. State-of-the-art prestressing techniques and nonconventional materials such as fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites to address the sustainable performance of concrete members will also be considered. The session will benefit practicing engineers, government officials, and academics.

UHPC – Innovations and Changes in Structural Design

Ultra-high-Performance concrete (UHPC) is one of the most promising material innovations in the construction industry in the 21st century. Innovations in material design led to enhanced material properties allowing for innovative and novel structural designs using UHPC. This includes structural elements and structures fully or partially made out of UHPC. National and international research groups and contractors and will share innovations and changes in structural design and performance of UHPC elements. The session has been chosen for the ACI convention in Cincinnati, OH to spread “A River of Knowledge” of advanced structural design utilizing UHPC. Sharing academic knowledge and practical experiences about innovative structural designs using UHPC will facilitate the acceptance and application of the material in U.S. construction.

2018 Online Presentations

2018 ACI Spring Convention, Salt Lake City, UT

Concrete Modulus of Elasticity—How High is High

The requirements for achieving sufficient modulus of elasticity (MOE) of concrete is increasing not only for high-rise structures, but also for concrete precast/prestressed components and repair application. However, achieving high modulus of elasticity, while maintaining good workability, pumpability, and consolidation of concrete is of challenge for concrete producers and contractors. Key factors affecting MOE include mixture design, rheological properties, and construction practices also influence in-place MOE and its homogeneity. Testing of MOE of high-performance concrete also requires special attentions to achieve reliable data. The session will be beneficial for engineers, specifiers, concrete producers, contractors, and academic communities.

Contractors’ Day Session: Concrete Construction

The presentation will address construction, forming, mixture design, transportation, and engineering challenges faced in extreme conditions.

Controlling Fresh Properties of SCC for Adequate Placement (238)

Self-consolidating concrete (SCC) is known to be more sensitive to changes in constituent elements, mixture design, and mixing procedure, which can have significant consequences on placement. Especially controlling the water content, including the moisture content of the sand, is a challenge, limiting the practical implementation of SCC. This session will reveal different strategies to control the variation in fresh properties, making the session suitable to material producers, contractors, engineers, owners, and academics. This session, participants will be informed on: variations in concrete constituents, mixture design, mixing, transportation, and placement procedures influencing fresh SCC properties; which countermeasures can be taken to control these variations; the importance of an adequate quality control system for the successful implementation of SCC; and future perspectives in actively controlling fresh SCC properties.

Fiber-Reinforced Concrete—From Fresh Properties to Structural Design: New Tools, Guides, and Reports

During the past 3 years, ACI Committee 544 has developed five new documents addressing the testing and fresh concrete properties, mechanical properties, back calculation of tensile properties, structural design with fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC), design of elevated slabs with FRC, and design of precast tunnel lining with FRC. These published reports (ACI 544.6R, 544.7R, 544.8R, 544.9R, and 544.3R) are currently available for the engineering community and offer a completely fresh way to use, design, and implement FRC in a variety of applications. The purpose of this course is to dedicate a presentation to each document addressing its content, how the specific topics of documents interact with each other, as well ways to implement and incorporate the knowledge in these documents in the design and specification. The speakers are the members of the committee who were the primary authors of the documents.

FRP Design Methodology and Applications for Blast and Impact-Resistant Structures

ACI Committee 370 and ACI Subcommittee 440-F are jointly developing the standard “Blast Design Guidelines for Externally Bonded FRP Applications” to provide guidance for designing concrete and masonry wall panels with an application of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) that are subject to blast loading. The opening presentations in this two-part session will provide an overview of the proposed standard, while covering some basic blast design practices and introducing the underlying single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) analysis methodology. Subsequent presentations will discuss alternate slab analysis approaches, as well as FRPs used as column reinforcement, catching systems, and anchors within a blast- and/or impact resistant design. Focused talks on FRP detailing and FRP manufacturers’ insights will also be presented.

New Innovations in Chemical Admixtures

Chemical admixtures is one of the fastest growing and innovative areas of concrete construction currently. This session will highlight new admixture technology and how these new admixtures bring value to concrete by improving plastic and hardened properties, providing improved economy, and changing the limits on how concrete can be used as a constructible material. Attendees will be provided with knowledge about chemical admixtures and how and where to use them effectively.

Quality Management: The Common Thread of Good Practice

The importance of quality and quality standards include reference to ISO 9001. Beyond the technical aspects, the practice of quality management is about people, relationships, and processes that can have a huge impact on results. Where does one find this type of content, and who will be so bold as to start this discussion? These topics are discussed in many committee meetings where of the most passionate debates revolve around them and how industry stakeholders work together. The concrete industry will benefit from a healthy discussion in a public forum on QMS implementation. The hosting of various speakers, topics, and perspectives will help to engage subject matter experts, highlight practices, and impact other committee documents.

Rating Methods for Defining Performance of Existing Concrete Bridges

The main objective of this session is to provide an overview of methodologies for rating existing concrete bridge components including bridge deck, superstructure, and substructure, using both LRFR and LFR approaches. Presentations will include case studies of load rating concrete bridges with various structural configurations such as typical prestressed I-girders, reinforced and prestressed multi-cell box girder bridges, segmental concrete bridges, bridges with large horizontal curvatures and complex geometry (for example, concrete arch and rigid frame bridges), and bridges with insufficient plans or details. Presentations will also emphasize relevant refined analysis methods that extend beyond traditional AASHTO rating methods such as finite element modeling, grillage modeling and diagnostic load testing. This session will be of interest to bridge owners, operators, design engineers, and researchers.

Repair of Concrete Session in Memory of Tony Murray

This session is a concrete repair session to honor the contributions of Tony Murray (who passed in 2016) to ACI and the concrete repair community. Tony was Chair of ACI Committees 503, 546, and 563, and a member of CLC, TAC, 364, 503, 546, 562, 563, and TRRC. He was a Fellow of ACI and speaker over many years at ACI concrete repair seminars. He was also an engineer, materials expert, and owned a structural concrete repair construction company. The session will include speakers from the concrete repair and materials community and the topics that reflect Tony’s wide range of knowledge in concrete repair and materials.

Seismic Repair and Retrofit of Concrete Bridges

Bridges are essential components of transportation systems. The failure and damage of bridges not only affects its immediate users, but also brings serious aftermath to earthquake events. With the increase in transportation demand and more stringent seismic performance requirements, bridge retrofit and repair is an important task for engineers and researchers. Bridge retrofits usually involve functional upgrades (such as deck widening) and seismic upgrades (such as strengthening seismic load path). The effects of the two upgrades are usually coupled and need to be analyzed. Many of the existing bridges do not meet the requirements in current design codes and thus cannot be analyzed using standard methods. Therefore, more sophisticated analysis and customized solution are needed. While providing structural upgrade solutions to seismic issues, engineers also need to reduce the interruption to the traffic as much as possible. Development and implementation of innovative retrofit and repair methods are expected to upgrade deficient bridges to current standards and minimize traffic interruption. The main objective of this session is to present results from recent research studies (experimental/numerical/analytical) and practical examples of existing bridge retrofit and repair. This session will provide a forum for practicing engineers and researchers to share and discuss the various issues related to design and construction issues of existing bridges.

Settlement Cracking from Theory to Practice

Settlement of concrete is a phenomenon that takes place during the early hours after concrete is cast. This can be a problem in structures having top bars where the settlement of the fresh concrete around the reinforcement can cause cracking and/or a weak plane right above the reinforcement. This session includes presentations providing explanations from research studies and actual projects on the topic of concrete settlement, tests methods developed to measure this phenomenon, and techniques available to reduce it.

The Role of Cracking on Corrosion of Reinforced Concrete

Cracking is often considered detrimental to the corrosion resistance of reinforced concrete structures, but the magnitude of this effect is less clear. Crack size, location, and depth all may affect the impact of cracking on corrosion, and there is debate as to whether small cracks are detrimental to corrosion resistance. Presentations will highlight recent research into the effect of cracking on corrosion resistance of concrete and the effectiveness of crack mitigation/repair. This session will be of interest to contractors, engineers, and owners who wish to learn how cracking can impact the service life of structures they design, build, and use.


2018 ACI Fall Convention, Las Vegas, NV

Blast Resistance of Precast Concrete

This session will provide ACI members an overview of research performed through private and industry funding over the last decade. Presentations will highlight full-scale, high-explosive and shock tube test programs, analysis methodologies, and design response limits. This session is appropriate for researchers, practitioners, and students.

Constructability: From Definition to Industry Practice

This session presents constructability review perspectives from the different parties: design professionals, construction managers, concrete contractors, and ready mix producers. All industry professionals should attend to learn how each party views their responsibility for a constructability review and how that interacts with the other parties’ constructability review.

History of Concrete

This session, includes presentations of historical aspects of concrete and concrete construction practice. Attendees will gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the development of the concrete industry.

Hot Topic Session: Busting 90 Minutes

The ASTM C94 90-minute time limitation has been around for over 80 years and committee members are now discussing its removal! The committee is now reviewing current science and modern design techniques for concrete mixtures by considering the time limit to be determined by the specifier and/or ready mix producer. This session will explain why this proposed change is being debated and give examples of scenarios showing expanded time limits of 2 or more hours. We’ll show how the pot-life of concrete can be extended without harm and why the typical 90-minute limit has become an antiquated standard. Examples of successful projects will illustrate the capabilities possible where longer time limits have been implemented.

Hot Topic Session: Can Codes and Standards Improve the Performance and Longevity of Existing Concrete Structures?

Over the past 30 years, concrete repair professionals have recognized a need to improve the performance of concrete repair practice. Various references indicate that approximately 50% of concrete repairs fail within a period of 10 years. The premature failure of concrete repairs creates a series of problems, including:

    • Safety risks associated with potential falling debris hazards
    • Risks associated with unsafe structures
    • Costs in the billions of dollars associated with the repair and re-repair of concrete structures

The concrete industry has developed several new standards and codes specifically to improve the design side of concrete repair practice. These include ACI 562, Concrete Repair Code; ACI 563, Concrete Repair Specifications; and ACI 437.2, Standard for Load Testing of Existing Concrete Structures. While the ACI 562 code is gaining acceptance at the state level, it has not been adopted into the International Existing Building Code, largely because of resistance from some anti-code design professionals. The hot topic session will aim to explore five viewpoints on how to improve concrete repair practice from the perspective of design professionals, contractors, and academics.


Materials Science Aspects Related to Digital Manufacturing (3-D Printing) of Cementitious Materials

The field of digital manufacturing (3-D printing) of concrete is rapidly evolving. An understanding of material properties and processing related parameters, and how they influence the properties of three-dimensional (3-D) printed structural components, is essential to ensure further advances in this nascent field. The proposed sessions will provide new information on selection of binder materials and combinations for successful 3-D printing; rheological characterization of cementitious materials as applied to digital manufacturing; the role of interfaces in the plastic and hardened stages; and microstructural architectures achievable by digital manufacturing to enable novel, multi-functional cementitious composites with special properties. This session will be valuable for researchers and students, and industrial entities interested in digital manufacturing and material processing.

Seismic Rehabilitation—From Analysis to Practical Application

This session will present the latest advances in seismic rehabilitation of existing concrete buildings that have come out of recent research projects and experiences from recent earthquakes around the world. The session will present results of evaluation studies applied to existing structures using current ASCE 41, ACI 369.1R-17, or other local seismic evaluation and retrofit standards. Attendees will also be presented with information on recent research results of laboratory experiments of retrofitted structural components. An overview of ongoing activities within ACI 369 to update the ACI 369.117 standard will also be presented.

Specifications for Repair of Concrete in Buildings

In developing 563, topics emerged for which the industry does not have consensus, or for scope that is currently under study and is not ready for standardization. A round table discussion of repair trends and new work needed in the future will be convened by the incoming chair of 563, with input from the session speakers.

Sustainable and Low-Cementitious-Materials-Content Self-Consolidating Concrete

The use of self-consolidating concrete (SCC) can contribute to increased productivity, an improved working environment, and improved concrete mechanical behavior and durability. However, use of SCC is still generally low, mainly due to the high cost associated with the high cement content and admixtures. The effective reduction of cement and cementitious materials contents in SCC mixtures will reduce cost and also minimize environmental impact. Among other benefits of reduced cement content leading to reduced paste content is reduced concrete shrinkage and thereby reduced risk for crack formation. This section includes presentations on the benefits, design, and performance of SCC with low cementitious materials content.

The Role of Materials in Sustainable Concrete Construction

ACI 130’s Sustainability of Concrete Materials book will have been approved and published by the time of the Las Vegas convention. Therefore, this session will introduce the ACI community to this new publication.

2017 Online Presentations

2017 ACI Spring Convention, Detroit, MI

Beneficiation of Fly Ash for Use in Concrete Mixtures

Fly ash has become a strategic material for solving concrete durability challenges and making concrete construction more resilient and sustainable. Fly ash quality can be improved through various processing techniques. To meet market demand for quality and quantity, beneficiation is an increasing necessity. In addition, reclaiming fly ash from disposal in landfills and ponds is becoming more common and often requires beneficiation. This session will present the most widely used technologies in the market today. This session will be of great value to specifiers, engineering consultants, contractors, and material suppliers.

Bond in Concrete

This series of sessions, co-organized by fib, serves as an interim to the Bond in Concrete conference series, held in Europe every 10 years. Various presentations will highlight the following information: 1) important changes required to development and lap splice provisions for reinforcement; 2) new works and developments as related to the modelling of bond between reinforcing steel and concrete; and 3) the results of recent experimental studies relating to lap splicing of straight bars.

Case Studies of Performance-Based Specifications

Various experts will share their experience in implementing performance-based specifications in projects. Projects will cover a broad range of applications. The focus will be on lessons learned and how someone can implement a successful performance-based specification.

Durability of Concrete Members Incorporated with Conventional and Advanced Materials

The presentations in this session will emphasize the durability of concrete bridges and buildings subjected to aggressive environmental or physical distress. Presentations will encompass a variety of technical aspects, such as the residual behavior of concrete members, performance of concrete structures reinforced or strengthened with fiber-reinforced polymer composites, and damage detection and assessment techniques. Both experimental and analytical investigations are of interest. The session brings to light recent research findings and provides an opportunity to discuss present challenges and technical demands. Critical information is given to those who lead tomorrow’s structural design and construction, including practicing engineers, government officials, and academics.

Fire Resistance and Resiliency-Threats to Use of Concrete and Masonry Construction

Non-combustibility, fire resistance, and resiliency have always been inherent properties of concrete and masonry construction. Because of these properties, concrete and masonry construction were preferred building materials in many applications, including multi-family housing and high-rise construction. Recent trends, both in the United States and internationally, have put these applications at risk to various types of light frame and mass timber construction. Throughout the world, there has been a push for larger and higher light frame construction, and with that, significant risks related to the vulnerability of these structures to fires. It is expected the upcoming code development cycle for the International Building Code (IBC) will see continued efforts to provide more applications for light frame and mass timber construction, into applications where concrete and masonry construction have been used. With this IBC development cycle starting in early 2018, this session is important and timely to review current code provisions, anticipate threats, review the situation internationally, and provide avenues for the concrete and masonry industry to combat these threats.

High-Strength (HS) Steel Reinforcement-Emerging Trends

Learn about emerging trends in the metallurgy of high-strength (HS) steel reinforcement, design considerations, current research focusing on ductile and non-ductile behavior of concrete structures reinforced with HS, and proposed ACI Subcommittee.

Shotcrete: New 506 Guide and Recent Developments

The main objective of the session is to publicize and present the recently published new ACI 506 “Guide to Shotcrete” (published in July 2016) and demonstrate how it is now in sync with our specification document (ACI 502.6-13). The attendees’ outcome is a better knowledge of the recent (and most importantly shotcrete-related) ACI documents (Guide + Spec) and how to navigate them, as well as state-of-the-art news on technical shotcrete developments. Following this main theme for the session, the attendees will also learn of the detailed differences between shotcrete and concrete (both technically and contractually) and receive clear directive on selecting the dry or the wet process for a given job. Moreover, two selected technical presentations will bring forward the most recent development and research on the effect of bond quality on reinforcement development length and on the control of rheology to further improve inplace strength and durability.

The Role of Time and Temperature in Hot Weather Concreting

Contractors, Specifiers, Concrete Producers and Concrete Testing Agencies will be able to better understand the impact of time, temperature and drum revolutions on the performance of ready-mix concrete during production and placement of concrete during hot weather.

UHPC—Innovations for Broad Application

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) is seen as an influential material innovation in the construction industry in the twenty first century. Many research groups overseas as well as in the United States have studied the material and structural behavior in the last two decades. One of the most critical challenges is finding innovative approaches in material design, quality control, and structural performance to strengthen the broad application of this material. UHPC is a preferable construction material of the twenty-first century due to its excellent strength, durability, ductility, and energy dissipation capacity. The session will invite national and international research groups, material suppliers, and contractors to share their knowledge in innovations for broad application. This session fits naturally into the theme “Driving Concrete Technology.”


2017 ACI Fall Convention, Anaheim, CA

Concrete and Digital Fabrication: Perspectives, Challenges and Developments

This session, co-organized with RILEM (Technical Committee DFC: Digital fabrication with cement-based materials and RILEM 266-MRP – Measuring Rheological Properties of Cement-Based Materials) seeks to present the latest developments on the topic of 3-D printing of concrete. This new frontier in building materials technology investigates methods and materials that will allow concrete to be made rapidly, at a lower cost, in unique designs and without formwork. This revolutionary idea exists at an intersection between concrete materials science and advanced processing technologies.

FRP Symposium

This international symposium attracts interest from researchers, practitioners, and manufacturers involved in the use of fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs) as reinforcement for concrete structures. This includes the use of FRP reinforcement in new construction and FRP for strengthening and rehabilitation of existing structures.

Hot Topic Session: Damaging Effects of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, and Recent Mexican Earthquakes

This session will describe preliminary reconnaissance of damage due to recent earthquakes and hurricanes. It will also discuss ways to improve resiliency of man-made structures to minimize devastating effects of natural hazards and to provide guidance for community planning.

How to Design and Construct Concrete and Masonry to Comply with New Energy Codes

This session will address and clarify the requirements of the new energy conserving building codes and explain a clear path to compliance using the ACI 122R-14 guide as a reference. Descriptions of methods of optimizing energy performance integrating structural design and design for energy efficiency. This course will explain why energy code compliance and optimization of energy performance are key aspects of sustainable concrete and masonry building construction.

Influence of Early-Age properties on Crack Development and Long-term Durability – Bridge Decks

The causes for concrete pavement cracking and how they are related to the development of early-age properties and their effect on long-term durability will be explored during this session. This includes:

    • The effect of mixture design (including materials used and proportion of materials) on early-age properties and bridge deck and/or concrete pavement cracking
    • The influence of construction practices on early-age properties and bridge deck and/or concrete pavement cracking
    • The impact of specifications on early-age properties and bridge deck and/or concrete pavement cracking
    • The relation between bridge deck and/or concrete pavement cracking caused by early-age properties development and the reduction of long-term durability
    • Early-age measurement techniques that can evaluate early-age properties that are most related to bridge deck and/or concrete pavement cracking
    • Quality assurance practices to prevent cracking
    • Case studies

 

Making Connections – The Future of Our Infrastructure

This session will highlight a diverse range of infrastructure project types on the U.S. West Coast and the innovative uses of precast concrete, cast-in-place concrete, and grout to solve complex engineering issues. Various applications of concrete pavements will also be discussed from both the client and designer perspective to understand the current serviceability challenges and advancements geared toward producing longer-lasting concrete pavements.

Performance-Based Design

This session aims to provide the current knowledge in performance-based design of bridges. Bridges are a critical component of our infrastructure system and failure of bridges is a safety issue. More progress has been made in performance-based design in seismic analysis of buildings than that of bridges. AASHTO seismic requirements are based on the level of ductility of structural members, importance of the structure, level of deformation, and soil conditions. On the other hand, performance-based design is based on having bridge performance achieve defined performance criteria such as strength, ductility, or deformation. The session contains presentations of experimental and/or analytical research focusing on the performance-based design of bridges and bridge components.

Performance-Based Seismic Design of RC Buildings: State of Practice

This session presents the state of practice for the performance-based seismic design (PBSD) of reinforced concrete buildings. The use of PBSD for new construction is expanding, as evidenced by the design guidelines that are available and the stock of completed building projects. These presentations bring together the implementation of PBSD through state-of-the art project examples, the current design guidelines employed, and research that supports PBSD.

SoCal Modernism – Preserving Concrete Modernist Structures

These presentations will highlight the modernist structures in Southern California as well as throughout the country, including the unique technical challenges associated with preservation, repair, and restoration of these structures. Attendees with an interest and expertise in historic structures will leave with a better understanding of the architectural and construction history of these structures, their inherent challenges, and an overview of successful repair approaches.

Troubleshooting Concrete Pavements

Concrete pavements are an important pavement type for a range of applications—from lightly loaded streets to heavily loaded roadways and airfield facilities. It is becoming an established practice in the United States to require that concrete pavements provide low maintenance service lives of 40 or more years irrespective of the application. Long-life concrete pavements have been attainable for a long time (as evidenced by the fact that a number of very old pavements remain in service); and recent advances in design, construction, and concrete materials technology give us the knowledge and technology needed to consistently achieve what we already know to be attainable. To achieve long life, pavements must not exhibit premature failures and must have a reduced potential for cracking, faulting, spalling, and materials related distress. However, even though it is not a widespread occurrence, concrete pavements do once in a while exhibit premature or early-age failures, reducing the service life of the facility at a cost to the owners and facility users as well as creating a potential for litigation between the different parties involved in the affected projects. The proposed two-part technical sessions will include presentations by nationally recognized concrete materials, pavement design, and pavement construction experts on concrete pavement premature failures case studies and best practices to minimize or eliminate premature failures in concrete pavements. The session is targeted at concrete pavement, materials, and construction engineering professionals who are involved in various aspects of concrete pavement design, construction, testing and evaluation, and rehabilitation. These professionals include state and municipal engineers, consulting engineers, contractors, concrete materials suppliers, and academia.

Ward R. Malisch Concrete Construction Symposium

This session brings together important and influential information with respect to concrete construction in honoring Ward R. Malisch, Honorary Member of ACI. Contractors and engineers interested in the application of ACI documents to construction projects and in evaluating construction information with respect to constructability. Part 1 includes furthering knowledge of interesting common construction activities including: estimating effects of humidity, temperature an wind on curing slabs by estimating evaporation rates using ‘sophisticated’ the Menzel/NRMCA Nomograph approach; learning methods to accept concrete delivery times of 90 minutes or more in certain applications; understanding best location of vapor retarders below slabs-on-ground to minimize moisture penetration negatively affecting moisture sensitive floor coverings; real effect of placing water that is 20 F colder than concrete curing water on freshly placed slabs-on-ground; identify successful applications for using self-consolidating concrete in high strength concrete applications and use of hydration stabilizing admixtures to deliver and pump concrete in congested urban high rise building projects that far exceeds normal projects.