Chapter Meetings

EPDACI chapter meetings are generally held in September, November, January, March and May.  Meetings are being planned for the tentative dates in the Spring.  Meeting information will be posted to this page when available.

January Dinner Meeting

The Concrete Quality Control Challenge:

Twins Separated at Birth.

... and ...

Annual Chapter Business Meeting

Guset Speaker:

Ken Hover, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, and Current President of the American Concrete Institute

Program

Concrete cylinders and the concrete in the actual structure are like twins separated at birth.  They both have the same parents, they share the same DNA, and if they were both exposed to the same environments and life experiences, they would grow up to be similar in many ways—sometimes even identical in appearance and behavior.  But the concrete cylinders and the concrete structure were separated at birth.  In fact, they were separated at the end of the truck chute.  One was made in layers and placed by hand with a scoop while the other was squeezed, compressed, decompressed, dropped, and splattered into one or many layers.  One was mercilessly beaten and smacked with a steel rod, while the other was shaken with a vibrator (or not).  The rod treatment did not change the air content much, but the vibrator knocked the socks out of the air.  One twin was left more or less alone, all by itself in a cold or hot cruel world for a day or so before it was rewarded by being sent off to a spa where it was pampered and kept warm and moist until its day of reckoning (but the trip to the spa may have been pretty bumpy).  The other twin was at least surrounded initially by more if its own kind (minimizing the effect of ambient conditions), but then it was left for the rest of its adolescence in a more or less uncontrolled environment.  Finally they meet, in the form of cylinder strength vs. core strength, and air content at the chute vs. air content in place.  Is it any wonder that the “twins” are now very different from each other?  Our after-dinner discussion will explore any applications that this story might have on specifying and interpreting standard concrete tests.



Presenter

 Ken came to Cornell with the assistance of a grant from the Exxon Foundation, and was among the first winners of an ACI Scholarship.  His research focuses on freeze-thaw durability, mixture proportions and ingredients, behavior of fresh concrete, and the impact of construction operations and construction environment on concrete quality.

Ken is a registered professional engineer in Ohio and New York, and lectures nationally and internationally on concrete materials and construction.  He holds many awards as an outstanding educator and researcher.  Ken has authored or co-authored over 300 technical reports and publications, and presented over 700 technical papers, seminars, and short courses on cement and concrete technology.

Directions

From the Northeast:  
Take the New Jersey Turnpike South to Pennsylvania Turnpike Exit 6. Go West to Exit 326 (Valley Forge).  After the toll plaza, take third right, Exit 328 (Route 202 North – King of Prussia).  The hotel is one mile on the right.

From the South
:  Take 95 North to Route 476 North (Exit 7). Take 76 West (Schuylkill Expressway) following signs for Valley Forge to Exit 328 (Route 202 North - King of Prussia). The hotel is one mile on the right.

From the East
:  Take the Atlantic City Expressway to Route 42 to the Walt Whitman Bridge. Follow 76 (Schuylkill Expressway West) to Exit 328. Follow the exit signs to Route 202 North - King of Prussia. The hotel is one mile on the right.

From the West:  
Take the Pennsylvania Turnpike to Exit 326 (Valley Forge). After the toll plaza, take the third right, Exit 328 (Route 202 North - King of Prussia). The hotel is one mile on the right.

From Philadelphia International Airport:  
Take 95 South to Route 476 North (Exit 7). Take 76 West (Schuylkill Expressway) following signs for Valley Forge to Exit 328 (Route 202 North - King of Prussia). The hotel is one mile on the right.