Cement and Concrete Technology
RTI International provides technologies and solutions to advance practices in cement and concrete applications. Our ongoing collaborative programs with both commercial and government partners focus on all aspects of cement and concrete engineering and management, including long-term performance, performance evaluation and prediction, life-cycle cost analysis, and the environmental and sustainability aspects and implications of concrete and cement materials. Our capabilities enable evaluation, specification, mixture design, and optimization for both traditional and innovative materials.
Overview
Portland cement-based concrete is the most commonly used building material; however, its use as a high-performance material in reinforced structures such as bridges and in demanding underground environments requires sophisticated engineering. The complex chemistry of modern Portland cement is incompletely understood, which can limit the utility and predictability of the material in critical applications, but offers opportunities for formulation to add control. Additional opportunities for process and material improvement are being driven by environmental concerns, as production of cement is one of the largest industrial sources of CO2 emissions.
We provide a suite of capabilities to address these unmet needs in the infrastructure field, developing cementitious materials for improved performance, better durability, and reduced environmental impact. With active research programs in both commercial and government sectors, we are enhancing concrete and cement engineering materials and practices in domains including demanding underground environments and the reduction of energy consumption and CO2 emissions of cement production.
Expertise
RTI engineers and scientists have established expertise in conducting basic and applied research in materials science relevant to cementitious materials. Working closely with clients, we offer expertise in synthesis, characterization, and modeling to design new materials or improve the performance of existing materials that has enabled major R&D programs for commercial and government clients. Our team has more than 40 years of specific experience in cement and concrete R&D, including 30 years from commercial product development in cement additives and concrete admixtures.
RTI laboratories offer state-of-the-art capabilities for cement, concrete, and materials analysis on our main campus, including a cement laboratory dedicated solely to the formulation and screening of unique cementitious materials. Additionally, we have available a wide range of instrumentation that focuses on key research areas relevant to cement and concrete technology, with capabilities including:
- Materials characterization
- Advanced electron and optical microscopy
- Formulation chemistry
- Rheology of cementitious materials
- Testing of cement slurries in high-temperature/high-pressure conditions
- Calorimetry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry