Photo: “2020 Virtual Better Concrete Conference” welcome by Peter Taylor, Director–CP Tech Center, Michelle Wilson, Director of Concrete Knowledge-Portland Cement Association (PCA), and Jerod Gross, Senior Engineer-Snyder & Associates and outgoing President-Iowa Chapter, American Concrete Institute (ACI)
In 2020, almost no one is traveling quite like they used to, with COVID having forced a pivot from traditional modes of transportation to myriad forms of virtual communication. However, the National Concrete Pavement Technology Center (CP Tech Center) tech transfer and research are continuing locally, nationally, and internationally.
WEBINARS:
Locally, the CP Tech Center has helped transition this year’s Iowa Better Concrete Conference into a series of 4 webinars.
REGISTER NOW for last December 2020 Webinar:
Wednesday | December 16 | 12:00 – 1:30
“A Scale of Two Cities”
—Dan Goldsworth and Mark Stinocher, Project Bluejay
—Jordan Stokes and Nick Aldrich, Krause Gateway Center
This presentation will highlight the use of concrete on two of Ryan Companies’ most unique projects, Krause Gateway Center in Des Moines and Project Bluejay in Bondurant. Each project was complex in its own way–Krause required extensive collaboration with the design team to achieve high end finishes while Project Bluejay’s scale and accelerated schedule presented our team with many new challenges. The team will talk about CP Tech‘s approach to these two very different projects including innovations, successes and lessons learned.
To REGISTER for the remaining webinar, and for more information, please go to: https://cptechcenter.org/events/virtual-better-concrete-conference-webinars/
PAST DECEMBER WEBINAR:
Wednesday | December 2 | 12:00 – 1:30
“The Future of Fly Ash: Dystopia or Hysteria?”
—Larry Sutter, Professor of Materials Science & Engineering, Michigan Tech University
With coal-fired power plants closing, fly ash supplies are becoming challenged in some markets. This talk will discuss trends in fly ash supply and quality, and will discuss other materials that can be used in place of fly ash in concrete.
FALL 2020 CP TECH TRAVELS:
Presented by the CP Tech Center, the Iowa Concrete Pavement Lunch & Learn, sponsored by a joint effort of the Iowa Concrete Paving Association (ICPA) and the Iowa DOT, went virtual in addressing the topic of “Durable Concrete in a Low-Ash World”. Each of Iowa’s 6 districts held one of these virtual forums this fall, and the winter series is currently being planned. For more information, please contact:
Jerod Gross, Senior Engineer-Snyder & Associates and outgoing President-Iowa Chapter, American Concrete Institute (ACI)
E-mail: jgross@snyder-associates.com
Nationally, the CP Tech Center‘s Concrete Pavement Technology Tuesday webinars are continuing to attract 500+ attendees per session!
The mission of the CP Tech Center (see below), addresses not only tech transfer, but also research on many of the open questions facing the concrete pavement and bridge communities. Peter Taylor, Director-CP Tech Center, and Yifeng Ling, Postdoctoral Research Associate-CP Tech Center, have also shared with the American Concrete Institute (ACI) Committee 309 (Consolidation of Concrete) the work they have been doing on fundamental vibration characterization.
SEPTEMBER:
—September 22
Tom Van Dam, Principal–NCE, and Jim Mack, Director, Infrastructure Market Development-CEMEX, examined “Resiliency/Resilient Pavement Systems“. This webinar covered how resilience relates to pavements and described how owners and contractors recover from disasters and the important role road design plays in recovery. Other aspects covered the need for resilient pavements; defining resilience; and improving pavement resilience.
—September 23
Gordon Smith, Associate Director-CP Tech Center, shared his presentation “Working Together to Advance Concrete Pavement Technology” at the PaveWise Concrete Conference of the Florida Concrete Products Association. Only if concrete professionals know the breadth of CP Tech Center resources available can they take full advantage of them!!
He covered:
• The CP Tech Center mission and objectives
• Current projects
• Numerous resources for agencies, industry, and academia
—September 30
Gordon Smith presented the history, basic components, and unique features of unbonded concrete overlays in a Transportation Research Board (TRB) Webinar on “Introducing an Improved Design Procedure for Unbonded Concrete Overlays“.
OCTOBER:
—October 7 & 8
Gordon Smith joined the virtual National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) Concrete Works Conference
—October 12
Gordon Smith provided “A CP Tech Center Activity and PEM Update” to the NRMCA Research-Education-Standards (RES) Committee. He has led 3 region-specific discussions with Performance-Engineered Mixtures (PEM) State Highway and Industry Pooled Fund Study representatives from the central, northeastern, and southeastern regions of the United States.
—October 19
Gordon Smith joined Jerod Gross, Snyder & Associates, in organizing and leading the virtual 2020 American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA) Promoters’ Concrete Overlay Summit.
—October 20
Eric Ferrebee, Director of Technical Services-American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA), and Steve Waalkes, Michigan Concrete Association, focused on “Concrete Roundabout Design and Construction”.
NOVEMBER:
—November 4 & 5
Gordon Smith, joined the virtual fall conference of Iowa’s chapter–American Public Works Association (APWA).
—November 7
Peter Taylor discussed the value of concrete pavements for the Philippines’ PHILCONSTRUCT VX Technoforum. His international online presentation is titled “How can we build the best concrete roads in Asia?”.
—November 11
Peter Taylor presented on “Innovations in the Construction of Concrete Pavements” (“Innovaciones en la Construcción de Pavimentos de Hormigón”) as part of the Pre-Congress of the 18ᵗʰ Argentine Congress of Roads and Traffic.
—November 17
Jeremy Gregory, Executive Director-CSHub, Research Scientist, and Civil and Environmental Engineering-Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Leif Wathne, Executive Vice-President-American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA), gave presentations on “Life-Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) and Pavement Design“.
COVID has landed all of us in uncharted territory, but the CP Tech Center MISSION remains:
Helping street and road agencies find answers to their concrete pavement-related questions, identifying critical concrete pavement research needs and discovering sustainable solutions, and helping agencies, industries, and businesses incorporate advanced, sustainable solutions and new technologies into their day-to-day practices.