Bruce Suprenant, P.E.

Suprenantbruce1206 10364169

Bruce A. Suprenant, PhD, PE, FACI, is a concrete consultant and technical direcator at the American Society of Concrete Contractors. Reach him at [email protected].

Cold Concrete: Plan, Pour, Protect & Place

Concrete Contractor Premium Content

Discover the steps of the concrete process and how it is handled in cold weather — allowing you to detail your project in a cold weather plan. You’ll learn more about the four Ps of cold weather concreting: plan, pour, protect, and placement.

Submitting a concrete placement plan and having it approved by the engineer of record provides a written record of your intentions, which can settle a lot of arguments before they start.

Rebar Accessories & Equipment

The Contractor’s Welded Wire Reinforcement (WWR) Dilemma

American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC)

There needs to be an alternative to removal and replacement for WWR.

The Contractor’s Welded Wire Reinforcement WWR Dilemma

Approach Form Camber Specifications with Caution

American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC)

Cast-in-place reinforced concrete structural members deflect under load. Whatever the cause of the problem, engineers have sometimes tried to control deflection effects by requiring cambered form soffits.

Ideally, a cambered cast-in-place slab deflects just enough to take out the camber and result in a uniform-thickness slab with the surface at the design elevation. That rarely happens.

Concrete Equipment & Products

A Tolerance Compatibility Success

American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC)

ASCC, ACI and AISC anchor bolt placement tolerances are now identical.

Challenging the System image ASCC 14 Anchor Bolt Location 58e3ab694fae0

Concrete Slump Should Not Be Specified

American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC)

The concrete producer and contractor should determine slump requirements.

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Business Services

MOE Specifications on a Project Near You!

American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC)

Seek to understand before committing to modulus of elasticity requirements.

Challenging the System Figure 1 588901b32cc84

Having Tolerance Compatibility Problems?

American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC)

ACI 117.1R-14 can help.

challenging the system 1 582a62e5c657c

Business Services

Contractors Make Recommendations Based on Experience

American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC)

Contractors citing previous experience should make their recommendations with the understanding the final decision will be made by the designer and owner.

Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One…Anecdotes Masquerading as Data

American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC)

Decorative Concrete

Why Polishing Suspended Concrete Slabs is More Likely to Disappoint Customers

American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC)

Polished-concrete specifications are based on experience with slabs-on-grade, so contractors must help project owners understand how results will likely vary when polishing suspended slabs

When slabs on ground are polished, non-uniform exposure of aggregate is a result of high spots cause by slab curling. Deflection of many suspended slabs exceeds the upward movement at curled slabs, so polishing may result in even larger areas that exhibit such non-uniform aggregate exposure.

Whatever Happened to Engineering Judgment?

American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC)

When a test result falls outside of the specified limits or other specification requirements aren’t met, engineers typically have three options for dealing with such noncompliance issues.

Understanding ACI 117 Tolerance Language

American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC)

“I have a beam and a column, what ACI 117 tolerances apply where?” To make it easier to discuss, we developed a graphical approach using an elevation and plan view of a beam and column similar to what callers see on the construction drawings.

In this view, beams, girders and slabs (floors) are the horizontal structural members, while columns and walls are the vertical members.

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