The Case for Performance-Based Concrete Specs
Did you know that some common concrete specifications that exist today are byproducts of testing procedures from the 1940’s?
Adopting performance-based concrete specifications is one of the most impactful strategies that a structural engineer may employ today to significantly reduce embodied carbon from buildings and infrastructure. Dr. Michael Thomas, a world-renowned expert on concrete durability, dispels the decades-old concrete myths that still influence construction today, and makes the case for structural engineers to utilize performance-based concrete specs.
In this webinar, Dr. Thomas will:
- Dispel concrete myths that cement governs strength and strength governs durability;
- Provide strategies to replace or adjust prescriptive concrete specs such as minimum cement content, maximum supplementary cementitious materials content and maximum water/cementitious materials ratio; and
- Make the case for adopting low carbon concrete strategies today.
About the Speaker
Michael Thomas is a Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of New Brunswick, Canada, and a registered Professional Engineer in the province of New Brunswick. He has been working in the field of cement and concrete research since 1983. Dr. Thomas’ main research interests are concrete durability and the use of industrial by-products including pozzolans and slag. He has authored more than 200 technical papers and reports on these subjects, including the book “Supplementary Cementing Materials in Concrete.” Dr. Thomas provides consulting services in the area of concrete materials, durability and rehabilitation, and expert testimony for litigation.