The ACI Foundation’s Concrete Innovation Council (CIC) gathered once again with participants and presenters to discuss technology and innovation at the 2023 Technology Forum. The successful event took place August 29-31, 2023, at the Benson Portland A Hilton Curio Collection Hotel in Portland, Ore. The Technology Forum is an innovation-focused educational and also a networking event for concrete professionals.
The Technology Forum provided attendees the opportunity to connect with representatives from material suppliers, architecture & engineering firms, contractors, academics, top-level executives, and regulatory agencies.
“This year’s Technology Forum in Portland was especially successful, in part due to growing attendance, but also in how diverse members of the concrete community engaged to discuss issues in our industry” stated, Ann Masek, Executive Director, ACI Foundation. “For instance, concrete strength is a critical parameter in determining the cost, quality, and durability of the concrete and greatly affects the construction schedule. The debate on the opportunities and challenges of introducing new technologies that directly measure concrete strength in situ offered interesting commentary from several perspectives on how to solve this industry challenge.”
Forum Structure
The 2023 Technology Forum included fifteen presentations that highlighted new technologies, advances in research, and new test standards. NEU – An ACI Center of Excellence for Carbon Neutral Concrete sponsored the group lunch, Severalcarbon-neutral topics followed.
The event concluded with a debate that discussed new technologies for determining concrete strength and also how such methodologies can find a path to be used in acceptance criteria for concrete, including accommodating in-place measurements evaluated using machine learning algorithms. Participants discussed a few currently available new technologies for in-place strength testing. The panelists debated on how the industry could develop both more rapid and reliable acceptance criteria based on those methods.
To learn more about the Technology Forum or to receive the latest information for the 2024 Technology Forum scheduled for May 14 – May 16, 2024, in Santa Fe, N.M. visit www.acifoundation.org.
About The ACI Foundation
The ACI Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports a wide range of research and educational initiatives. The research and initiatives contribute to keeping the concrete industry at the forefront of technological advances in material composition, design, and construction. We engage with industry partners, invest in students and research, share knowledge, and provide programs to encourage innovation and new technology. The American Concrete Institute established the ACI Foundation in 1989 to promote progress, innovation, and also collaboration in the industry.
