The area where floor beams and link beams frame into boundary elements of shearwalls can become very congested. If the walls are sized without proper consideration of the potential conflicts, it can become very difficult to fit all the bars in the allotted space and very difficult to properly consolidate the concrete. Suggestions for easing the congestion in these critical areas are presented.

Micro-reinforced concrete incorporates multiple layers of three-dimensional fine steel mesh encased in a dense, high-strength mortar. Due to the material’s unique combination of properties, it’s already found acceptance in Europe for applications requiring resistance to blast, ballistic, impact, seismic, and other extreme loads. The unique properties of micro-reinforced concrete, which is now available in North America, and some of its current applications are discussed.

Deterioration of concrete structures in aggressive marine environments requires hundreds of millions of dollars in repair every year. To solve this problem, durability-based design methods must be created to find the most economical solution that provides the desired service life of the structure. A key step in these design methods is the accurate estimation of chloride diffusion into concrete. The DuraPGulf computer program described in this article employs field data in a semi-empirical durability design model to provide realistic predictions of corrosion initiation.