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Book Review (LT205)
Concrete Technology
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Book Review LT205
Significance of Tests and Properties of Concrete
and Concrete-Making Materials (STP 169D)
 It
is hard to imagine something more mundane than concrete standards,
yet they impact potentially every person in the cement and concrete
industry. Whether a material’s property meets a certain specification
quite literally determines whether that material makes it into the
marketplace. ASTM’s new Significance
of Tests and Properties of Concrete and Concrete-Making Materials
will become the definitive reference for that information. This
645 page resource is truly a landmark work that traces its origins
back to the 1935 edition of Report on Significance of Tests
of Concrete and Concrete Aggregates sponsored by ASTM Committee
C9.
The current volume is the 4th edition of what ASTM designates as
Special Technical Publication 169D (formerly 169C). In addition
to many completely revised and updated chapters, this new edition
boasts two new chapters: the modeling of cement and concrete properties
and self-consolidating concrete. The chapter on Virtual Testing
of Cement and Concrete is foundational to understanding the importance
of materials characterization while the chapter on Self-Consolidating
Concrete recognizes the rapid advances in this cutting edge technology.
Other changes from the previous edition include a different order
of the chapters within the section on concrete aggregates, some
minor changes to chapter titles, the inclusion of the previous chapter
on pore systems into the chapter on density, and the separate treatment
of pozzolans, covered in the supplementary cementitious materials
chapter, and ground granulated blast furnace slag.
The book is divided into a half dozen sections: general information,
freshly mixed concrete, hardened concrete, concrete aggregates,
other concrete-making materials, and specialized concretes. Each
chapter provides a preface detailing the history from the previous
editions followed by brief introductory material. These prefaces
trace the development of the standard, while the bulk of each chapter
focuses on what the standard is, how it was developed and why it’s
important.
The authors are a veritable “who’s who” of the
concrete industry and include dozens of familiar names from industry,
academia, and private practice. What makes the book invaluable,
however, are the detailed and comprehensive discussions on the significance
of the tests and properties described.
In a very real sense, the specifications are the “letter
of the law.” But for the professional that needs to know the
“how and why” behind the development, this is the place
to turn. Ever wonder how much strength a test cylinder will lose
from rolling and bumping around in the back of a pickup truck or
from being dropped from waist level? (p. 83) How about the effect
of bearing strips on test cylinders used for splitting tensile strength?
(p. 135) Which DOT performed the original research for strength
determination using maturity? (p. 152) How much heat contribution
should I expect from each of the four major cement compounds? (p.
232) This is the type of information that can help avoid headaches
and avert disasters. This peer-reviewed work is a must have for
the cement and concrete professional producing, using, or testing
materials in conformance with ASTM specifications.
Read more or order
the book.
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