Title:
Role of Mixture Overdesign in the Sustainability of Concrete: Current State and Future Perspective (Open Source)
Author(s):
Julie K. Buffenbarger, James M. Casilio, Hessam AzariJafari, and Stephen S. Szoke
Publication:
Materials Journal
Volume:
120
Issue:
1
Appears on pages(s):
89-100
Keywords:
building code; carbon footprint; concrete overdesign; life cycle assessment
DOI:
10.14359/51737334
Date:
1/1/2023
Abstract:
The overdesign of concrete mixtures and substandard concrete
acceptance testing practices significantly impact the concrete
industry’s role in sustainable construction. This study evaluates the impact of overdesign on the sustainability of concrete and embodied carbon emissions at the national and project scales. In addition, this paper reviews quality results from a concrete producer survey; established industry standards and their role in acceptance testing in the building codes; the reliance on proper acceptance testing by the licensed design professional, building code official, and the project owner; and the carbon footprints that result from overdesign
of concrete mixtures. In 2020, a field survey conducted on over
100 projects documented Pennsylvania’s quality of field testing. Of those surveyed, only 15% of the projects met the testing criteria within the ASTM and building code requirements. As a result, the total overdesign-induced cement consumption is as large as 6.7% of the estimated cement used in the United States.
Related References:
Abrams, D. A., 1919, “Design of Concrete Mixtures,” Bulletin No. 1, Structural Materials Research Laboratory, Lewis Institute, Chicago, IL, 20 pp.
ACI Committee 130, 2019, “Report on the Role of Materials in Sustainable Concrete Construction (ACI 130-19),” American Concrete Insitute, Farmington Hills, MI, 34 pp.
ACI Committee 132, 2014, “Guide for Responsibility in Concrete Construction (ACI 132-14),” American Concrete Insitute, Farmington Hills, MI, 11 pp.
ACI Committee 211, 2022, “Selecting Proportions for Normal-Density and High-Density Concrete – Guide (ACI 211.1-22),” American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 38 pp.
ACI Committee 214, 2011, “Guide to Evaluation of Strength Test Results of Concrete (ACI 214-11) (Reapproved 2019),” American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 16 pp.
ACI Committee 232, 2012, “Use of Raw or Processed Natural Pozzolans in Concrete-Report (ACI 232.1-12),” American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 29 pp.
ACI Committee 242, 2022, “Alkali-Activated Cements – Report (ACI 242-22),” American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 20 pp.
ACI Committee 301, 2020, “Specifications for Concrete Construction (ACI 301-20),” American Concrete Insitute, Farmington Hills, MI, 69 pp.
ACI Committee 318, 2019, “Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete (ACI 318-19) and Commentary (ACI 318R-19) (Reapproved 2022),” American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 623 pp.
ACI Committee 329, 2014, “Performance-Based Requirements for Concrete-Report (ACI 329-14),” American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 46 pp.
ACI Committee 555, 2001, “Removal and Reuse of Hardened Concrete (ACI PRC-555-01),” American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 26 pp.
ACI Committee 613, 1945, “Recommended Practice for the Design of Concrete Mixes (613-44),” ACI Journal Proceedings, V. 41, No. 6, June, pp. 651-672.
Brownbridge, D., 2019, “Understanding the True Cost of Concrete,” Construction Business Owner, July 8, 2019, https://www.constructionbusinessowner.com/fleet/understanding-true-cost-concrete. (last accessed Jan. 12, 2023)
Caldarone, M. A.; Taylor, P. C.; Detwiler, R. J.; and Bhidé, S. B., 2005, Guide Specification for High-Performance Concrete for Bridges (EB233), first edition, Portland Cement Association, Skokie, IL, 64 pp.
Fuller, W., and Thompson, S., 1907, “The Laws of Proportioning Concrete,” Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, V. 59, No. 2, pp. 67-143. doi: 10.1061/TACEAT.0001979
GCCA, 2021, “Concrete Future: The GCCA 2050 Cement and Concrete Industry Roadmap for Net Zero Concrete,” Global Cement and Concrete Association, London, UK, 48 pp.
Jin, R.; Chen, Q.; and Soboyejo, A., 2015, “Survey of the Current Status of Sustainable Concrete Production in the U.S,” Resources, Conservation and Recycling, V. 105, pp. 148-159. doi: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2015.10.011
Jin, R.; Chen, Q.; and Soboyejo, A., 2021, “A Statistical Approach to Predicting Fresh State Properties of Sustainable Concrete,” EPiC Series in Built Environment, V. 2, pp. 28-36. doi: 10.29007/1h88
Kosmatka, S. H., and Wilson, M. L., 2011, Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures (EB001), 15th edition, Portland Cement Association, Skokie, IL, 460 pp.
Kulkarni, V., 2011, “Why Performance‐Based Specifications for Concrete?” Seminar on Performance-Based Specifications for Concrete, https://www.sefindia.org/forum/files/paper_vrk_why_performance_specs_delhi_seminar_write_up_701.pdf. (last accessed Jan. 12, 2023)
Kute, S. Y., and Kale, R. S., 2013, “Five-Layer Fuzzy Inference System to Design a Concrete Mixture, Based on ACI Method,” ACI Materials Journal, V. 110, No. 6, Nov.-Dec., pp. 629-639.
Lin, C. J., and Wu, N. J., 2021, “An ANN Model for Predicting the Compressive Strength of Concrete,” Applied Sciences (Basel), V. 11, No. 9, p. 3798. doi: 10.3390/app11093798
Meininger, R. C., 1982, “Historical Perspective on Proportioning Concrete,” Concrete International, V. 4, No. 8, Aug., pp. 39-42.
Miller, S. A.; Horvath, A.; and Monteiro, P. J. M., 2018, “Impacts of Booming Concrete Production on Water Resources Worldwide,” Nature Sustainability, V. 1, No. 1, pp. 69-76. doi: 10.1038/s41893-017-0009-5
NRMCA, 2010, “Sustainability Initiatives,” National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Alexandria, VA, 22 pp.
NRMCA, 2021, “Summary of 2020 NRMCA Quality Benchmarking Survey,” Concrete Infocus, Spring, pp. 21-23.
NRMCA, 2022, “Quality Control Guide for Ready Mixed Concrete Producers,” National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Alexandria, VA, 40 pp.
Obla, K. H., 2015, Improving the Quality of Concrete, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 214 pp.
Obla, K. H., and Lobo, C. L., 2015, “Prescriptive Specifications: A Reality Check,” Concrete International, V. 37, No. 8, Aug., pp. 29-31.
Obla, K. H.; Lobo, C. L.; and Lemay, L., 2013, “Sustainable Concrete: The Role of Performance-Based Specifications,” NRMCA Sustainability Conference, San Francisco, CA, May 6-8.
Ozyildirim, C., 2011, “Virginia’s End-Result Specifications,” Concrete International, V. 33, No. 3, Mar., pp. 41-45.
PCA, 2021, “Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality,” Portland Cement Association, Skokie, IL, https://www.cement.org/docs/default-source/roadmap/pca-roadmap-to-carbon-neutrality_10_10_21_final.pdf. (last accessed Jan. 2, 2023)
Richardson, D. N., 1991, “Review of Variables that Influence Measured Concrete Compressive Strength,” Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, ASCE, V. 3, No. 2, May, p. 95. doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)0899-1561(1991)3:2(95)
Scrivener, K.; John, V. M.; and Gartner, E., 2018, “Eco-Efficient Cements: Potential Economically Viable Solutions for a Low-CO2 Cement-Based Materials Industry,” Cement and Concrete Research, V. 114, pp. 2-26. doi: 10.1016/j.cemconres.2018.03.015
Talbot, A. N., and Richart, F. E., 1923, “The Strength of Concrete: Its Relation to the Cement, Aggregates and Water,” Bulletin No. 137, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 118 pp.
Talib, F., and Rahman, Z., 2015, “Identification and Prioritization of Barriers to Total Quality Management Implementation in Service Industry: An Analytic Hierarchy Process Approach,” Total Quality Management Journal, V. 27, No. 5, pp. 591-615. doi: 10.1108/TQM-11-2013-0122
Taylor, P.; Yurdakul, E.; Wang, X.; and Wang, X., 2015, “Concrete Pavement Mixture Design and Analysis (MDA): An Innovative Approach to Proportioning Concrete Mixtures,” Technical Report, National Concrete Pavement Technology Center, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 40 pp.