A proposed new ASTM International standard, WK12964, Specification for Blended Supplementary Cementitious Materials, will enable producers, especially those with limited silos, to take advantage of the benefits of blending materials. WK12964 is being developed by Subcommittee C09.24 on Supplementary Cementitious Materials, part of ASTM International Committee C09 on Concrete and Concrete Aggregates.

“Blending to optimize performance will ultimately encourage the use of supplementary cementitious materials in concrete and therefore support the growth and acceptance of sustainable building practices,” says Gregory Daderko, chair of the task group working on WK12964 and product manager, Lafarge. When supplementary cementitious materials are blended, a synergistic effect can be created that results in a strong, durable concrete. However, because there has been no standard that allows the blending of materials, the use of blending technologies has been limited to large producers who have multiple silos. Supplementary cementitious materials that can be blended include slag, natural pozzolans and fly ash, and silica fume.
 
According to Daderko, WK12964 will have two primary applications. First, the standard will allow concrete producers that are silo-constrained to have the same performance capabilities for blending that producers with multiple silos have. Also, the proposed standard will allow a material supplier to create a product that can be optimized for performance. The most likely users of the proposed standard will be silo-constrained concrete producers and supplementary cementitious material suppliers that have access to multiple products and have the desire to produce a blended product to meet customer needs.
 
Daderko says that the WK12964 task group invites any interested parties to join. “We are always looking for knowledgeable, hardworking individuals willing to participate, with the objective of meeting industry needs and making our standards better,” says Daderko. For further technical information, contact Gregory Daderko at Lafarge, Herndon, Va. (phone: 703/480-3763; greg.daderko@lafarge-na.com). Committee C09 meets June 24-27, 2007, at the June Committee Week in Norfolk, Va. For membership or meeting information, contact James Olshefsky, manager, Technical Committee Operations, ASTM International (phone: 610/832-9714; jolshefs@astm.org).

Release #7551