Fourth Edition of a Resource Book for Practicing Engineers

Dr James Aldred, Chair of the CIES Industry Advisory Committee, Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Technical Director - AECOM, is co-author of the revised and updated Fourth Edition of the classic resource book aimed at practicing engineers: “Concrete Mix Design, Quality Control and Specification”

The transformation in concrete technology predicted in the 3rd edition of Concrete Mix Design, Quality Control and Specification has arrived, making obsolete many currently published codes and official guidance. In response to these changes, Dr James Aldred and co-authors, Ken Day and Barry Hudson present the thoroughly revised and updated Fourth Edition of this classic resource.

There has been a tendency to over-regulate concrete mixes which stifles innovation and effective quality control, often reducing performance. The book discusses the troubling trend towards adding performance requirements to existing prescriptive specifications. Many specifications now require additional criteria added in an attempt to improve durability or other properties.

The book addresses head-on the matter of prescription vs performance specification and especially the specification of non-strength related performance such as durability. It also discusses the issues associated with sustainability and the impact of new concrete materials such as ready mixed geopolymer, magnesium oxide and calcium carbonate.

Key Features of the book:

• The selected topics will help engineers in their decision making processes: what to do, how and when to optimize available materials to improve the concrete in their structures.
• The book includes a complete discussion on concrete specifications. It will help designers to provide realistic, practical specifications in order to build safe, economical and sustainable concrete structures.
• The book provides practical advice to producers and users on how to control the quality which will improve safety, economy and sustainability of concrete.