Introduction To The Field:

[Conductor1]

Hello Friends,

I am absolutely GREEN to this field of Concrete Lab Technician.I am doing all that I can to learn it. Will any of you help me with pointers to learn the field?

I will greatly appreciate it.

 

[Ron]

Conductor1...WOW! Not something one can learn in a forum without specific questions and answers.
We will be glad to answer any specific questions you have and hopefully point you in the right direction for further study.

A few questions....

1. Where are you located?
2. What codes must your testing meet? (ASTM, Eurocode, British Standards, DIN standards, etc.)
3. Are you seeking certification?
4. What engineering interaction is available in your company?

I have been an instructor in American Concrete Institute Level 1 and Level 2 Certification courses and will be glad to offer my observations and comments.

Ask away!

 

[Conductor1]

Ron,

I live in Florida, I am studying the ASTM Standards thats pertinent to my certification exam and there is no one available to help me within the company. Let me tell you what I'm doing to improve my knowledge of the field.

1. I am reading two standards per day (c-617, c-1231, c-39, c-78). I have studying for a solid month.
2. I have been studying c-125, for teminology.
3. I have been studying other standards at work, before conducting a test.(c-109,c-1064,c-157)

It is alot of information to obtain, in a short amount of time. I haven't been on the job a year yet.

Conductor1

 

[Ron]

Conductor1....
I sincerely applaud your diligence and will offer any advice I can give to you. Way to go.

The fact that you have no one in your company who can help you bothers me. If you are doing testing and working for a testing laboratory or a CEI firm, there MUST be someone there who can help you. If not, they are an irresponsible company and you need to look elsewhere!!

I am in Florida also and have over 35 years of experience in dealing with the issues you are likely to encounter. Please feel free to ask anything you think you need to know.

Are you studying for the ACI Level 1 Technician Certification?

Let me know what area of Florida and the type of firm for which you work.

 

[Conductor1]

Ron,

I live in Jacksonville and I work for a producer. That is all I'm saying on that note, because my Superior might be a member, I don't know.

Yes, I am studying for the ACI Concrete Strength Testing Technician Certification. The ASTM Standards listed to study is C-617,C-1231,C-39,& C-78.

Is there certain sections of the standards that I need to concentrate on more than others, because this is a plethora amount of information to retain.

Conductor1

 

[Ron]

Conductor1...You will need to know most if not all of the referenced standards. Your test will not cover each of them completely; however, you do need to know them quite well for your practice. As a producer, your results may come under question more often than you think. Every time there's a concrete failure in the field, your company will be looked at closely. Most often concrete failures are not the producer's issue; however, you often have to prove that so your results and procedures will be scrutinized.

There is a local chapter of the American Concrete Institute in Jacksonville. They meet monthly. You might want to attend a few meetings and meet a few of the people in the concrete industry in your area. The technical response and networking will be worthwhile. All of the major producers as well as many of the design engineers and testing laboratories in the area are involved.

 

[Conductor1]

Ron,
I have good news. Someone from my company is teaching me how to conduct sulfur capping.Out of the blue, they just came and told me we are going to train on capping cylinders. He told me that we have all the apparatus for training,let me help you.

Wow!!! I was totally surprised, because not anyone ever help me do anything. They laugh and joke because I make mistakes, but do not help me to understand where I went wrong. This is great. I told them thank you and that I appreciate for helping me.

Conductor1

 

[Ron]

Congrats! If you have any questions along the way, feel free to ask. Be glad to help.

Also, watch the temperature of the sulphur capping compound. If it flames up, it's nasty stuff.

 

[bb29510]

you tube is your friend, I been doing concrete testing for 32 years, spend a lot of time on highway dept pages on the net. also find some old concrete testing book, when i mean old, like 1930. army corp good place, also military books on concrete testing like seabees. They are all written in a simpler form that makes the principal easy to understand without big words.

ICC Master Special Inspector, Structural Masonry, Reinforced Concrete, Soils, Structural Bolted Joints, Structural Welding, AWS CWI D1.1