NOVEMBER 2008 MEETING
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.(1.0 PDH)

Because of Hurricane Ike, we have changed the venue for the remainder of the year:

Hess Club
5430 Westheimer
Houston, Texas 77056
713-627-2283

Your reservations are appreciated. Please click here to make your reservation online. Or, contact:Vicky Bonds at Geotech Engineering and Testing, Tel. 713-699-4000 at least 24 hours before the meeting.

Continuing Education Certificates will be provided at the end of the technical meeting for attendees that are current members and who have made reservations.

TECHNICAL PROGRAM

Causes and Cures of Cracking in Concrete

Speaker: Dr. David W. Fowler, Ph.D., P.E., with University of Texas, Austin, Austin TX, Tel. 512-232-2575

Dr. Fowler received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Architectural Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, and his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder.  He has been at The University of Texas at Austin since 1964. Dr. Fowler teaches courses in concrete repair, concrete materials, and forensic engineering. He is also the Director of the International Center for Aggregates Research and has lectured for over twenty-five years at the World of Concrete on concrete repair. His concrete-related research for over thirty years includes: repair of concrete pavements and bridge decks including spalls, punchouts, cracks and delamination; bonded concrete overlays, polymer concretes for repair, and effect of aggregates on performance of concrete.  In addition to being a licensed professional engineer in Texas, Dr. Fowler is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of ACI and ASCE. He is past president of the International Congress on Polymers in Concrete and past chair of ACI 548 Polymers in Concrete and TRB Committee A3C14, Polymer Concretes, Adhesives, and Sealers, has served on ACI Committee 546 Repair and ACI 224 Cracking and was named to "People In Concrete Repair" by Concrete Repair Digest for efforts to improve the concrete repair industry.

PRESENTATION SUMMARY

Dr. Fowler will present a summary of causes in cracking in fresh and hardened concrete that includes shrinkage, thermal change, freezing and thawing, chemical reaction, loading, construction errors, and design details, giving examples of each. He will also present on the reading of cracks as a method of determining cause. The question of when should cracks be repaired will be discussed. The most effective methods of repairing cracks including crack injection, routing and sealing and gravity filling, will be discussed and compared.

Those benefiting from this presentation include forensic engineers and consultants, inspectors, structural and geotechnical engineers, architects, concrete suppliers, general and foundation contractors, attorneys, building owners, and others interested in learning more about the causes and cures of cracking of concrete in foundations, pavements, walls and other structures.

MEETING AGENDA