Title: Overview of the National Plan to Elevate Concrete Technology in Taiwan

Author(s): T. D. Lin and Sam Chou

Publication: Symposium Paper

Volume: 159

Issue:

Appears on pages(s): 79-94

Keywords: aggregates; concretes; concrete technology; fly ash; high-performance concretes; ready-mixed concrete; slags; General

DOI: 10.14359/1594

Date: 2/1/1996

Abstract:
Taiwan, with a population of over 21 million and situated within only 36,000 sq km of land, has achieved miraculous economic growth in the last 20 years. This economic achievement has transformed the national image from one of underdeveloped work force to that of a global economic power. The mass volume of concrete construction which has occurred during the transition period has resulted in the near exhaustion of natural resources such as limestone, river gravel, and river sand. Diminishing supplies of limestone for the manufacture of cement and aggregate for making concrete have resulted in serious shortages over the last four years. In response to the crisis, the Architecture and Building Research Institute (ABRI) of the Ministry of Interior initiated a research program in 1991 to investigate all concrete-related industries in the private sector. A team of six professors and ten graduate students from five prominent universities were asked to examine these problems and to draft a national strategy to resolve the crisis at hand. The program was completed in June, 1992 and the final report is being used to guide the process of bolstering the domestic concrete industry. This aper presents an overview of current problems existing in the concrete related industries, methods used in investigations, and suggested topics for current and future research. The proposed research programs were subsequently divided into three term stages with the objective of avoiding possible delays with the on-going Six-Year National Construction Plan and laying down a sound foundation for the development of high performance concrete (HPC) technologies in Taiwan. With the support from governmental agencies, high performance concrete has been successfully used in the construction of a few major highway bridges and an 85- story high-rise building that is currently under construction in Kao-Hsiung, the second largest city in Taiwan.