'Loosely involved' is a perfect way of describing my involvement, as well. My contact called to see if I've had any dealings with this spec. I read the ASTM standard and found a great youtube video detailing it and emailed a couple of engineers. At this point, I'm just putting out feelers to see...
Thanks for the response, Darth!
Right now the job is in the development stage. The contractor has reached out to my testing firm for advice to see if there is an alternate test method to C666 to suggest to the owner on account of possible reluctance on the part of the concrete and precast...
I am involved with a project that is requiring freeze/thaw testing of the proposed concrete mix design (ASTM C666). This test standard requires an extensive amount of time (14 days just to cure beforehand!). Are there any other tests that could be suggested to run in place of C666 or some other...
Fineness modulus, at least in relation to concrete, affects the amount of water used in batching and the workability of the mix. A low FM (fine sand) typically is easier to finish, but requires more cement and water to account for increased particle surface area. A high FM mix (coarse sand) will...
I've worked with it as a slab base and as foundation backfill on a number of projects. I'm not sure about the alkali impact, but in structural terms, I've never had an issue with it. It compacts well in both wet and dry states. The common issue I see is low compaction tests with a nuclear gauge...
Judging from the designs, it is mechanically anchored. Good to know about the cleanliness. I always try to put together a 'which battles to pick' assessment before these types of projects. Thanks!
I am reviewing an installation plan for a number of drilled shafts. These are dry-cased, end-bearing shafts anchored in bedrock. The procedure states that once the bedrock is reached, the shaft needs to be cleaned out before the rock socket is drilled. Is this done just to verify top of rock or...
I've worked on projects where there is not only a compaction specification (95%), but also a moisture specification. This is typically +/- 2% of the optimum moisture. It is very helpful when placing siltier material, which can sometimes give you passing compaction results, but is pumping...
Sand cone verification is a great thought. A couple of years back I worked on a power plant project that actually required a sand cone test for every 10 nuclear gauge tests to make sure everything was properly correlated. It's a good plan that should provide plenty of backup.
I have not used the SDG, but I've been working with Transtech's PQIs on asphalt projects for a number of years now, and found them to be pretty accurate and very reliable, especially if you correlate the gauge with a core sample. I believe the soils gauge works on the same principle as the...
