EllisDon’s construction sciences department has garnered attention by collaborating with research teams during SCC Under Pressure, a study on the effects of formwork pressure when using self-consolidating concrete (SCC).
Over the past number of years, various models have been developed to help predict maximum formwork pressure when using SCC, and tested throughout Europe, the U.S. and Canada.
SCC Under Pressure, a continuation of this research spearheaded by EllisDon’s construction sciences team, was held in Toronto from August 25 to 28. It centered on establishing a connection between these models and real-time measured pressure, with the ultimate goal of revising the American Construction Institute’s current design codes and standards.
During the event, three research groups – including members of EllisDon’s construction sciences department; John Gardner, retired professor from the University of Ottawa; David Lange, professor from the University of Illinois; Kamal Khayat, professor from the Missouri University of Science and Technology; and Ahmed Omran, researcher from the University of Sherbrooke – compared their predictor models against measured pressures by placing different SCC mixtures into eight columns at various casting rates.
EllisDon’s construction sciences department, along with director Lloyd Keller, will present their findings at this year’s Construct Canada, a large-scale exposition that connects the influential buyers and decision-makers of design, construction, and real estate industries to the latest in products, technologies, best practices and applications. EllisDon’s results will be compared to past experimental data to help reduce the negative associations of using SCC.
“Restrictive codes and standards have led to over-conservative formwork designs and an increase in formwork costs,” said Robert Quattrociocchi, EllisDon’s building sciences manager. “This has caused the industry to shy away from this beneficial technology, but our goal remains to prove that not all SCC placements produce full hydro-static pressure.”
EllisDon has used SCC on many complex builds, from Toronto’s Bay-Adelaide Centre, to Calgary’s Eighth Avenue Place, to London’s Richard Ivey School of Business. Benefits of using SCC include enhanced placeability, reduced noise pollution and a superior finish.
