Sustainability and Productivity Initiatives in Concrete Construction

I recently attended the Mid-Year Meetings of the American Concrete Pavement Association, where the main topic of discussion revolved around sustainable practices for concrete construction that can also increase productivity on construction sites. Through Minnich's involvement in advanced pavement technology, we are discovering that these advancements are not being implemented in commercial construction practices. However, we are starting to see a crossover in commercial applications as pavements improve through the use of applied science and data for machine learning (ML).

One area of research that has gained attention is the relationship between vibration energy and the resistance of concrete (known as "slump"). The focus is on finding ways to create more durable commercial structures that require less repair work on their surfaces. Researchers have discovered that by using a vibrator that adapts its speed according to the load of the concrete can prevent damages caused by inappropriate vibrator speeds.

By aligning the concrete load curve with the behavior curve of concrete resistance (slump), and by incorporating more practical applications of vibration, we can promote more sustainable practices in concrete construction.