May Tucson Chapter Lunch Meeting

High Performance Concrete Floors with Extended Joint Spacing

 By: Amir Bonakdar, Ph.D., P.E. 

Presentation Abstract

This presentation will cover topics that affect the shrinkage, cracking, and curling of concrete floors. Shrinkage of a typical concrete mix limits the joint spacing to very conservative numbers. Concrete mix design and aggregate gradation can be modified to lower the shrinkage numbers. Furthermore, shrinkage reducing admixtures and shrinkage compensation can be used to reach even lower shrinkage values that allows for extending the joint spacing in concrete floors while minimizing the cracks. Eliminating certain portion of control joints means less maintenance which is desired to all owners. Such concrete floors are reinforced with macrofibers (steel or synthetic) for an improved crack control. Fibers can provide different levels of crack control and tensile/flexural capacity for a concrete section, depending on the type, dosage and performance. Standard tests are used for characterizing the performance of low shrinkage concrete and fiber-reinforced concrete and the test parameters are used for design and specification. ACI guidelines are reviewed in this presentation for high performance concrete floor construction.

Biography Sketch of Dr. Amir Bonakdar

Dr. Bonakdar is the business development manager for Euclid Chemical in the West. He has a Master’s degree in structural engineering from the University of Tehran and a PhD from Arizona State University (ASU). After graduation, Dr. Bonakdar served as an engineering instructor and researcher at the university; working on implementing state-of-the-art research on fiber-reinforced concrete and concrete durability in practical applications. In June 2013, he joined Euclid Chemical in Cleveland, OH to provide engineering and technical support for the use of concrete fibers. He joined Euclid’s business development / specification group in 2017 and is currently residing in Orange County, CA. Dr. Bonakdar is a registered professional engineer (PE) in the State of Arizona and an active member of ACI, PCI, ASTM, ASCE and SEA. He is a subcommittee chair for ACI-544 and is leading a new ACI design guide on fiber-reinforced concrete.

Please register by Monday May 15, 2017

Menu: 

Mesquite Grilled Tri-Tip with Scalloped Potatoes, Garden Salad and Rolls.  Served with Sodas, Water or Tea.  Chocolate Covered Strawberries for Desert.

Should you have any special dietary needs, please contact Ali Nessaee at Alvandengineers@gmail.com   to coordinate.