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The Lighter Side of Concrete

In 1971, the One Shell Plaza pierced the Texas skyline, breaking the city record for the tallest building. This 52-storey building broke another record as the world’s tallest building made of lightweight concrete. Prove you concrete better with the SmartRock® Prove-It Kit. See how SmartRock can work for…

Potholes—An Expensive and Recurring Problem for Cities

Potholes are a huge problem all over North America, but nowhere are the detrimental effects more evident than in Canada’s capital, Ottawa. According to CTV News, the city experienced over 40 freeze-thaw cycles during the 2018-2019 winter, which created tens of thousands of potholes that need to be…

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Testing Concrete Quality and Durability in Seconds with Surf™

As the demand for new concrete structures continues to increase, contractors need better and more efficient ways to test concrete quality and durability. For this purpose, several techniques have been developed and studied. One of those is Rapid Chloride Permeability Test (RCPT), which measures the concrete’s ability to…

Q&A: Norman Lauzon Explains how Concrete Maturity Sensors are Changing the Jobsite

Norman Lauzon is the Senior Project Manager at Ledcor, a successful and diversified construction company that partners with projects across North America. Norman has more than seventeen years of experience in the construction industry and has managed the development of hospitals, airports, light rail transit, and a variety…

The Importance of Concrete Temperature Gradients

Minimizing the risk of cracking is critical for maintaining structural integrity and increasing the service life of a concrete structure. This is an important consideration in all construction projects. Furthermore, it is especially critical in those that require the use of mass concrete, such as bridges, buildings, structural…

Field-Cured vs. Standard-Cured Cylinders: How They Affect Concrete Performance

How do Curing Methods Affect Concrete Field Performance?ASTM C31 is the standard that defines two different concrete curing conditions, standard curing and field curing. This standard dictates the procedures for making and curing test cylinders. At the same time, it can become a problem when an engineer or…

5 AI Solutions Disrupting the Construction Industry in 2020

Artificial intelligence (AI) is widely used to solve problems in industries like finance and healthcare, however, the construction industry has generally had a slower rate for adopting such new technologies. This prompted Giatec to launch Roxi™, the world’s first AI program for concrete testing. While Roxi can revolutionize the concrete…

Relationship Between Concrete Curing, Concrete Temperature, and Concrete Strength

Although concrete curing, concrete temperature, and concrete strength are three different things with three different meanings, they are not independent of one another. There is a close-knit relationship between these aspects of concrete curing and each facet plays a significant role in the overall strength and integrity of…

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What Is the Concrete Maturity Method ASTM C1074?: Frequently Asked Questions

The concrete maturity method ASTM C1074 is a non-destructive approach that allows the estimation of the strength of in-place concrete. The method uses the temperature history of the concrete during the curing phases to estimate strength development. Prove you concrete better with the SmartRock® Prove-It Kit. See how…

Maturity vs. Pull-Out: Which Concrete Testing Method Should You Choose?

When it comes to testing compressive concrete strength, there are several methods to choose from. Field-cured cylinder testing is the most common method utilized for monitoring concrete strength on construction sites. For the most part, it has remained unchanged since its introduction in the early 19th century. However,…

Using Maturity to Increase Allowable Concrete Temperature Gradients

With the evolution of the construction industry, we are building structures bigger than ever before. These massive structures are mostly made of concrete and often represent a challenge for many reasons. One of the main problems encountered is the concrete temperature difference between the core and the surface…

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The Best Concrete Sensor in 2020

A Review of Top Wired and Wireless Temperature and Strength Concrete Sensors Prove you concrete better with the SmartRock® Prove-It Kit. See how SmartRock can work for you. Download Now Concrete Construction PlanningIn a construction project, concrete is often on the critical path. Most of the jobsite activities…

Practical Installation Locations of Wireless Concrete Maturity Sensors

The traditional way to determine whether a concrete element is strong enough for critical construction operation is to monitor concrete strength using field cured cylinders. Once the specimens have reached the desired strength, usually 75% of the mix design strength, the project can then move forward and it…

Avoiding the Uncertainties of Concrete Cylinder Testing with the Maturity Method

Concrete is a material that has been used for over a millennia. Concrete is the most used construction material in the whole world! More than that, behind water, it’s the most used material, all categories combined! Worldwide, approximately 10 billion tons of concrete are produced per year. Obviously,…

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