Concrete Alkalinity: Use ASTM F3010 to Protect Adhesives and High Performance Coatings
This course is no longer active. AEC Daily will not report completion information for this course.
The high pH levels (alkalinity) inherent in healthy concrete slabs can pose a serious threat to the long-term performance of adhesives and construction coatings specified in floor, deck, and roof assembly projects. This course discusses how to manage risk by crafting tight, nonambiguous performance specifications based on ASTM F3010 to control both concrete moisture vapor and concrete alkalinity. This will help ensure that the proper above-slab barrier products are selected, bid, and installed and that the project delivers long-term performance.
Upon completion of this course, the Learner should be able to:
- Define alkalinity levels of “healthy concrete slabs” (expressed as pH values) and determine the upper pH limits for the adhesives and/or performance coatings specified in the design/construction project from technical data sheets and manufacturer warranties.
- Recognize the implications of concrete alkalinity levels exceeding the pH tolerances of adhesives and concrete coatings on the owner’s goals of long-term product durability and performance.
- Evaluate how the ambiguity contained in many proprietary specifications concerning the proper preparation of concrete slabs to address pH sensitivity of adhesives and coatings leads to last-minute (post-bid) product selection and application protocols that may jeopardize a building owner’s long-term interests.
- Assess a performance specification based on ASTM F3010 to insure that concrete slabs are prepared to receive pH sensitive adhesives and performance coatings according to industry standards.
Approximately 1 hour, 15 minutes. Delivered online, at your own pace.
Presented by Penny Czarra on behalf of AC•TECH | Allied Construction Technologies, Inc.. View the Privacy Policy .
Presenter Information
Name: Penny Czarra
Title: President & Director, AC•TECH | Allied Construction Technologies, Inc.
Background: Throughout her 40 year career (much of it concerning the built environment), Penny Czarra has been following the same problem-solving “routine” of (1) finding out why things are not working to full potential, (2) discovering how these processes can be tweaked or re-designed to better satisfy customer/user objectives, and then (3) getting the word out as broadly as possible so customers/users can choose the solutions that are most appropriate for their own circumstances. As President of AC•TECH, Penny has been concentrating on how to more effectively coordinate available Industry Standards governing the preparation of concrete slabs so that these difficult and widely varying substrates can be made more receptive to floor coverings, coatings, and roofing assemblies and thereby deliver the long (green) lifecycle (durability) the building owner expects and pays for.
