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Research Results In New Concrete For Bridges
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| Title | Research Results In New Concrete For Bridges |
| Transcript | South Dakota Tech News 501 E. Saint Joseph Street • Rapid City, SD 57701-3995 Phone: (605) 394-6082/2554 • Fax: (605) 394-6177 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 8, 2004 Contact: Steve Buchholz, Public Information Manager, 394-6082 In the Aggregate: Concrete Advances Two new types of concrete developed by a South Dakota Tech researcher will pave the way for the construction of better bridges in Rapid City and Sioux Falls. The new concrete is expected to be stronger, more durable and more resistant to cracking than concrete currently used in bridge construction, according to Tech's Dr. Venkataswamy Ramakrishnan. Ramakrishnan — "Dr. Rama" to those on campus — is a distinguished professor emeritus in Tech's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Concrete is made from a mixture crushed stone or gravel, sand, cement and water. Chemicals are added to make the concrete durable and more workable. The proportion of the sizes of the stone and sand, called gradation, has a major influence on the quality of concrete produced. In South Dakota, all bridge decks have been constructed using a standard concrete specified by the state Department of Transportation. Since 2002, Ramakrishnan has used $102, 000 in research funding from the South Dakota Department of Transportation and United States Department of Transportation to investigate different gradations that would result in better concrete. After two years of laboratory work, Ramakrishnan developed the two new concrete mixes. Both new types of concrete use less cement, which according to Ramakrishnan, "improves the overall durability and other desirable properties of concrete" One of the new types of concrete will be used in the three major bridges that will be part of the Southeast Connector in Rapid City. One of the bridges, located close to Interstate 90, was completed last month. The second type provided deck material for two Sioux Falls bridges on Interstate 29. "This optimized concrete will considerably increase the service life of the bridges and save millions of dollars in repair and maintenance costs, " Ramakrishnan said. During the six to nine months after construction, Ramakrishnan and Dr. Anil Patnaik, assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, will thoroughly investigate and document any cracking in the new bridges. They will compare the data to bridges constructed with standard concrete. #30# |
| Creator | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. University Relations; |
| Subject | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology; |
| Local Subject | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
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| Digital Publisher | South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. Devereaux Library
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| Contributors | Buchholz, Steve; |
| Date | 2004-09-08 |
| Type | Text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Language | eng |
| Relation | Is part of Office of University Relations SDSM&T News Collection |
| Rights | The work from which this copy was made did not include a formal copyright notice. This work may be protected by U. S. copyright law (Title 17, United States Code), which governs reproduction, distribution, public display, and other uses of protected works. Uses may be allowed with permission from the copyright holder, if the copyright on the work has expired, or if the use is fair use or within another legal exemption. The user of this work is responsible for compliance with the law. |
| Submitting Institution | Devereaux Library. South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. |
| Date Digital | 2009 |
| CONTENTdm number | 6559 |
| CONTENTdm file name | 7522.pdf |
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