Why Use Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures?

The fully revised 14^th edition of Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures could have been titled Everything You Want to Know About Concrete.

Architects, engineers, property owners, facility managers, builders, concrete contractors, and concrete producers can all gain from this book.

Architects and engineers analyze the concrete requirements of the structure they are designing: size and shape of building elements, strength required, frost resistance, resistance to chemicals or other elements, and desired design life. After this analysis, they can work with the concrete producer to specify an effective concrete mix. Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures will help design professionals understand the right questions to ask and what to specify for.

Too often, standard specifications are used for concrete construction and the tough questions arise when it is too late: contracts have been signed, construction is underway, or the job is completed.

Property owners and facility managers can benefit by taking an active role in the concrete used on their projects. For instance, a parking lot designed and constructed to weather freeze/thaw cycles, with proper expansion and control joints, and poured the strength and thickness to support higher than the expected loads will save the property owner and facility managers tens of thousands of dollars over the parking lots life.

Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures, in the parking lot example, contributes to the effective decision making of the property owner and facility manager. What can be done about plastic shrinkage? See page 64. What can permeability-reducing admixtures contribute to the life expectancy of the concrete? See page 116. Why is specifying grading limits and nominal aggregate size relevant? See page 82. What are the types of joints in concrete? See page 12.

When things go wrong with concrete is when the experts come out of the woodwork. The designer should have done this; the contractor didn't do that. The time for expertise and discussion is prior to the contract being signed. Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures can help you accomplish this.

Perhaps the greatest beneficiary for ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures are builders, concrete contractors, and concrete providers, In a world of fast-track construction and poorly written specifications, a concrete professional can point out in writing additional items needed to be considered that the specification neglects.

This serves three purposes: It protects the concrete professional from the finger-pointing sure to occur as a poorly designed project goes south; it identifies the concrete professional as proactive, the type of contractor or supplier the best owners and builders are on the lookout for; it provides the concrete professional with the knowledge to build the highest quality project, which the vast majority of concrete professionals are interested in doing.

Construction is a paradox: We all want a quality, long lasting structure that does what it is designed to do. But we want it fast, at the lowest price, and we don't want to think too hard about it. For those who want to get it right – Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures is a worthy addition to their construction tool kit.