SCP Meeting, June 24, 2014, Toronto

Please join us for our SCP meeting in Toronto during the ASTM meeting.  The meeting will be held at the Sheraton Centre Hotel - Kent Room (second floor) on Tuesday at 6:30. 

We will have a presentation by Jacki Atienza of BASF Construction Chemicals on a new concrete admixture being produced by BASF that would be used as an alternative to air entraining admixtures for the production of freeze/thaw durable concrete.  The liquid admixture uses millions of tough but flexible polymeric microspheres. The microsphere voids provide internal cushioning during freeze-thaw cycles for greater durability.  The recommended dosage rate of the microspheres is 1% by volume to provide the equivalent freeze/thaw durability of typical air-entrained concrete.  Due to this low volume, the concrete can be up to 30% stronger relative to typical air entrained concrete.  Laboratory testing including ASTM C666 freeze/thaw testing and full-scale field trials have been performed.  Pilot road projects are being planned in Minnesota, Virginia and Ohio to seek the approval of standards boards.

Jacki is a concrete petrographer at BASF and has been involved with the testing of this new admixture.  She will discuss the use and implications of this new admixture from a petrographer’s perspective.