Measurement Science Roadmap for Workability of Cementitious Materials

Goal:

Identify/prioritize the measurement science needs for assessment and optimization of placement and consolidation of fresh cementitious materials. The workshop will solicit input from the construction industry and various public sector agencies (e.g., FHWA, state DOTs, DOE).

The outcome of the workshop will be a 5-year roadmap outlining the R&D, measurement science, and services needs of both private and public sectors to improve mixing, placement, consolidation, and finishability of cementitious materials. This roadmap will also provide a framework for the development of new standards and codes for workability measurements of cement-based materials. NIST will use this roadmap to help guide its program and to help ensure that measurement science keeps pace with technological innovation in the field of construction materials.

Background: Cement-based materials are the most abundant manufactured materials in the world. However, durable and sustainable concrete cannot be achieved without proper placement. Therefore, there is a strong need for the better characterization of the fresh properties of cement-based materials. With improved measurement science, cementitious materials, such as concrete, oil well, tendons grout, could be placed and consolidated more reliably with predictable properties and reduced cost. Further, the recent demand for more sustainable and green materials has led to an increase in the use of blended cements by addition of waste stream materials such as fly ash, silica fume, and blast furnace slag. The incorporation of these industrial by-products has complicated the prediction of fresh properties of cement-based materials. Measurement science challenges for assessment of fresh concrete properties includes:

• Needs for new measurement techniques for finishability, placement and mixing (mix design purposes, Q/C, …);
• Introduction of reference materials for better calibration of rheometers of cement-cased materials;
• Need for modeling tools for better prediction of flow in a given structural component, and for optimization of mixture design;
• Evaluation and assessment of current measurement techniques of the rheology of cementitous materials (grout and concrete) and their limitations;
• Performance standards, measurement methods, and predictive tools;
• Technical guidelines and tests methods that form the basis for standards/codes/best practices.

The one-day workshop will be divided between keynote talks and breakout discussion sessions. The keynote speakers will be Prof. Kamal Khayat, University of Sherbrooke, and Dr. Ara Jeknavorian, W.R. Grace. At the workshop, you will be asked to provide input on the following topics as they relate to the measurement science need for assessment and optimization of fresh properties of cement-based materials:

• New by-products (e.g. SCM): Influence on fresh properties of new by-products materials (e.g. supplementary cementitious materials or recycle aggregates),
• Field Test methods: Development of innovative, and field-oriented, test methods to assess the rheological measurements of concrete: mixing, pumping/vibrated concrete/non-vibrate concrete (SCC);
• Test Methods and grouts: Development of better test methods for assessment of the fresh properties of grouts for special applications, including grouts for post-tensioning tendons, mining, and oil-well applications;
• Test methods and repair materials: Development of better test methods for assessment of the fresh properties of repair materials, including those for nuclear and infrastructure applications.

As a key stakeholder and expert, your participation is critical to ensure that the roadmap 2016 is comprehensive and reflects the diverse needs of the stakeholders involved with flow properties of cement-based materials.

8:00 AM	Registration
8:30 AM	Introduction by Dr. Jonathan Martin
8:50 AM	Logistics and Introduction to workshop goals by Chiara  Ferraris
9:15 AM	Keynote Speaker: Prof. Kamal Khayat, University of  Sherbrooke,  “Relationship  between rheology and performance of cement based materials” (tentative title)
10:15 AM	Break
10:30 AM	Keynote Speaker: Dr. Ara Jeknavorian, W.R. Grace, "If I only had a Rheometer: Limitations of the Slump Test to Adequately Qualify Concrete Workability." (tentative title)
11:30 AM	Lunch
12:30 PM	Breakout Session #1
2:00 PM	Breakout Session #2
3:30 PM	Break   -  preparation of summary of breakout session (Facilitators)
4:00 PM	Plenary closing
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM	Lab tours
7:00 PM	Dinner (local TBA)