Improving Concrete Quality discusses concrete quality measurement as well as the tangible and intangible benefits due to improved quality. Interestingly, while there are many books on concrete technology, finding one that focuses strictly on the subject of improving concrete quality is difficult.
This new NRMCA publication will benefit ready-mix executives in a number of key ways, including how to improve performance, reduce time and costs, and lower the environmental footprint of concrete while also resulting in an overall improvement in the quality of concrete construction. Based on quality surveys and award submissions, it has been observed that the industry does not commonly track quantifiable quality indicators and, as a result, the return on quality investments is not well understood.
The book suggests steps to measure and reduce variability due to concrete ingredient materials, manufacturing and testing, thereby improving concrete quality. Improving Concrete Quality delves into basic statistics and how to use test data to improve quality. Doing a test and collecting data by itself is of little value unless data analysis and necessary corrective action are taken.
Other key topics include how to identify non-standard testing and initial curing, identify abnormal material variation, how to control mixing water variation, improve batching accuracy, how to ensure ingredient material quality and elements of a quality management system, how to do a quality audit and which tests a concrete producer should do.
Concrete producers will come away with readily implementable steps to reduce variability and attain a more consistent product, thereby seeing performance benefits and cost savings. Suggestions are provided on how architects and engineers can ensure good quality concrete through their specifications. Improving Concrete Quality will also help testing labs measure and improve testing quality and assist cementitious and admixture suppliers to better understand how their material variability affects concrete performance and how to reduce it.
The book can be pre-ordered at http://my.nrmca.org/scriptcontent/BeWeb/Orders/ProductDetail.cfm?pc=2PE005 at a special introductory price.