Watch as concrete cores are extracted and tested to ASTM standards. We ensure proper moisture conditioning, capping, and observe break results to verify aggregate bond and overall structural integrity for the building. #ConcreteTesting #Construction #CivilEngineering #QualityControl #ASTM

Encountering a low cylinder brake on a concrete project? This short covers what to do and how to troubleshoot this common issue. Get your project back on track. #ConcreteTips #Construction #Troubleshooting #ProjectManagement

The field crew needs to know about critical items like cure box locations and temperature control, even if they weren't in the pre-pour meeting. Communication needs to flow down the chain to ensure smooth operations. #ConstructionTips #ProjectManagement #FieldOperations #Communication

Want a representative concrete sample? Skip the first rocks and the last watery drips. Always sample from the middle third of the truck for the best mix design. #concretestips #ConcreteSampling #ConstructionTips #QualityControl #CivilEngineering

ACI advises on assessing structural integrity. Is the current strength sufficient for project needs? A critical evaluation for construction and engineering projects. #ACI #Construction #Engineering #StructuralIntegrity

Properly rotted and consolidated cylinders need a lid to retain moisture. Avoid common mistakes for optimal preservation. #CylinderCare #PreservationTips #Mechanics #Restoration

When concrete doesn't set right, detectives dig deep. First, check the batch weights and tickets. If the ready-mix company says everything's fine, the mystery continues. Who pays for the failure? #ConcreteFailures #Construction #Investigation #QualityControl

Ensure your concrete is sound! Learn why sampling from the middle third of the truck is crucial for accurate results and how improper cylinder handling can compromise your tests. Protect your project's integrity. #ConcreteTesting #ConstructionTips #QualityControl #CivilEngineering #BuildingScience

PRESENTED BY: CONCRETE LOGIC ACADEMY Practical education and ongoing development for concrete professionals at every stage of their career. Join here: https://www.concretelogicacademy.com/ EPISODE SUMMARY You get the 28-day report. It’s low. Now what? In this episode, Seth sits down with Josh Agee, Concrete Quality Assurance Manager at F.A. Wilhelm Construction,…

PRESENTED BY: CONCRETE LOGIC ACADEMY Practical education and ongoing development for concrete professionals at every stage of their career. Join here: https://www.concretelogicacademy.com/ EPISODE SUMMARY You get the 28-day report. It’s low. Now what? In this episode, Seth sits down with Josh Agee, Concrete Quality Assurance Manager at F.A. Wilhelm Construction,…

Ready-mix producers didn’t wake up one day and choose change. They were told it was coming. Jeff Slagle explains why cement manufacturers were brought directly onto the Virginia Ready Mix board, how producers got early visibility into what was coming next, and how regulatory pressure quietly reshaped cement choices in…

High-range water reducers changed what concrete can do, but data centers changed why we do it. Jeff Slagle explains how thermal concrete emerged, why fine aggregates and pea gravel mixes are showing up everywhere, and how encasement requirements for modern infrastructure quietly reshaped mix design. This wasn’t a lab innovation.…

In the mid-90s, mix designs weren’t about compressive strength. They were about “five-bag” and “six-bag” mixes dictated by prescriptive specs. Jeff Slagle explains how the industry slowly moved away from cement-heavy recipes toward strength-based thinking, especially as producers shifted from residential to commercial work. Simple ingredients. Big mindset change.

Ready-mix producers don’t have a concrete problem. They have a driver problem. Jeff Slagle explains why autonomous concrete trucks aren’t a gimmick, they’re a response to a shrinking labor pool. When you can’t find, hire, or keep drivers, technology steps in. The question isn’t if this happens. It’s how fast.

In the ’70s and ’80s, high-range water reducers barely worked. In the early days of polycarboxylates, you had a short window and zero forgiveness. Today? You can let concrete sit, come back an hour later, add water, and it snaps right back. Jeff Slagle walks through how admixture chemistry quietly…

Prescriptive specs sound safe, but they often miss the point. Jeff Slagle explains why performance-based specs put responsibility where it belongs: on the people who design, batch, and guarantee the mix. If you want concrete to perform, stop dictating ratios and start defining outcomes.

PRESENTED BY: CONCRETE LOGIC ACADEMY Practical education and ongoing development for concrete professionals at every stage of their career. Join here: https://www.concretelogicacademy.com/ EPISODE SUMMARY Thirty years ago, concrete mix designs were simpler, more prescriptive, and easier to predict. Today, they’re optimized, blended, engineered, and heavily influenced by admixtures, SCMs, and…

PRESENTED BY: CONCRETE LOGIC ACADEMY Practical education and ongoing development for concrete professionals at every stage of their career. Join here: https://www.concretelogicacademy.com/ EPISODE SUMMARY Thirty years ago, concrete mix designs were simpler, more prescriptive, and easier to predict. Today, they’re optimized, blended, engineered, and heavily influenced by admixtures, SCMs, and…

Certain crack patterns aren’t random and they aren’t isolated. Once you start seeing them repeat across job sites, it’s no longer coincidence—it’s a systemic problem that needs expert attention.

Some concrete problems don’t announce themselves right away. The early cracking most people ignore is often the first sign that something much bigger is coming—and it’s only a matter of time.

The accelerated mortar bar test gets a lot of pushback, especially in academic circles. But it remains one of the fastest ways to expose ASR potential before it shows up in the field.

Everything can look perfect when the forms come off. Then you come back days later and the concrete tells a very different story—especially in restrained elements like elevator shafts.

ASR often gets dismissed as surface cracking, but that’s the dangerous mistake. By the time you can see it, the damage is already happening deep inside the concrete—and it’s accelerating fast.

PRESENTED BY: CONCRETE LOGIC ACADEMY Practical education and ongoing development for concrete professionals at every stage of their career. Join here: https://www.concretelogicacademy.com/ EPISODE SUMMARY Concrete cracks are often brushed off as shrinkage, restraint, or “just part of concrete.” That mindset gets structures in trouble. In this episode of the Concrete…