CIRA Concrete Code 1920

[jmendler]

Does anyone here have a clue to what CIRCA is and were I can find a copy of it. To the best of my knowledge it is a Concrete Code, but no one seems to of heard about it.

Thanks

 

[JAE]

I believe that the word "circa" means "approximately" or "around"....in other words, if you see the term

circa 1920.....it means around the year 1920.

 

[jmendler]

After futher clarification with the client I believe you are correct in saying that they are looking for information on concrete design standards from the 20's. However in my research of things I can only go as far as the 50's. Any help please??

 

[jheidt2543]

Contact the American Concrete Institute (ACI) or the Portland Cement Association (PCA), both should have some historical information for US codes.

 

[jmendler]

All ready tried they only go as far as 56. I've got a guy sending information from CRSI which is suppose to have information on evaluation of reinforcing bars in old reinforced concrete structures.

 

[Ingenuity]

jmendler,

I have the CRSI text your refer to (it is okay for the $10 purchase cost) but there is also a FREE Engineering Data Report #48 available in PDF format at CRSI (

http://www.crsi.org/PDF/edr_48.pdf

) . It covers similar stuff but no diagrams and plan drawings of the rebar/details of yesteryear.

You may have some fun with a 1920's building expecially if it was a flat slab. In the early 1900's there was great engineering debate about 2-way slabs without beams...C.A.P Tunner had a "mushroom reinforcement system" and there were other systems too like Kahn bars etc. But many were designed for much less than STATICS, like only 35% of statics yet they all withstood load testing.

Even upto ACI 318-1963 (not too long ago), it enabled you to design flat slabs for 80% of statics.