GENERAL OVERVIEW
Committee C09 on Concrete and Concrete Aggregates was formed in 1914. C09 meets twice each year, in June and December, with approximately 150 members attending four days of technical meetings. The Committee, with a membership of about 1000, currently has jurisdiction over more than 160 standards published in the Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Volume 04.02. C09 has 29 technical subcommittees that maintain these standards. Information on this subcommittee structure and C09’s portfolio of approved standards and Work Items under development is available from the List of Subcommittees, Standards, and Work Items. These standards, together with the standards developed by ASTM Committee C01 on Cement and committees of the American Concrete Institute (ACI), are essential to the construction of civil infrastructure.
ACTIVITIES, PRODUCTS, AND SERVICES
There has been a long-standing agreement of cooperation between ASTM International and ACI in the preparation of standards. This agreement, which has been in effect since 1936, provides that, in general, standards concerned with matters of engineering design or construction shall be the responsibility of ACI. ASTM has responsibility for the development of test methods for concrete and concrete products, and for the constituent materials of concrete as well as certain related materials such as those used in curing.
ASTM Committee C09 has structured its 36 subcommittees into four groups: concrete materials, concrete systems, concrete testing, and administration. Each group is set up with a chair to guide, coordinate, and advise the subcommittees in each group about their respective endeavors.
C09 has an abundance of ongoing standards activities. Some recent development activities include the work on self-consolidating concrete by Subcommittee C09.47 on Self-Consolidating Concrete and investigations by Subcommittee C09.48 on Performance of Cementitious Materials and Admixture Combinations about interactions and evaluating changes in early-age properties of cementitious mixtures that use various combinations of hydraulic cements, supplementary cementitious materials, other finely divided materials, water, and chemical admixtures.
ASTM Committee C09 conducts a symposium at almost every meeting. ASTM symposia provide an opportunity for members and others to present their research findings and exchange information. Often the discussion identifies critical areas facing today’s emerging technologies and forms the technical basis for the development of new and revised ASTM International standards.
The Committee is responsible for numerous well-known publications such as STP 169D, Significance of Tests and Properties of Concrete and Concrete-Making Materials. For a list of all C09 publications, click here.
Committee C09, jointly with Committee C01, oversees the activities of the Cement and Concrete Reference Laboratory (CCRL), which operates programs that promote the quality of testing in construction materials laboratories. These are the inspection and proficiency sample programs that provide laboratories with a mechanism for determining the quality of their testing of hydraulic cement, portland cement concrete and aggregates, steel reinforcing bars, pozzolans, and masonry materials using ASTM standards.
The Proficiency Sample Programs (PSP) were developed as a means for a laboratory to monitor the quality of its testing between CCRL on-site assessments. The information that CCRL provides gives some indication of a laboratory’s overall proficiency for given tests.
The Laboratory Inspection Program provides a laboratory with a comprehensive account of how its procedures, practices, equipment, and facilities compare with ASTM standards requirements. The CCRL laboratory inspector checks critical equipment dimensions and operating characteristics, watches a technician demonstrate test procedures, and reviews the quality system when covered by appropriate ASTM standards. The goal is to provide a consistent and fair evaluation so that the laboratory and its clients may have confidence that testing is of high quality and that ASTM standards are being used correctly.
PARTICIPATING AS A MEMBER ON THE COMMITTEE
ASTM International opens its doors to all technical experts with an interest in the standardization process. As a member of ASTM Committee C09, you will be exposed to the robust resources and member benefits included below that have helped make ASTM a worldwide standards development leader for more than a century:
- Network with industry professionals worldwide
- Receive one free volume of the Annual Book of ASTM Standards (in print or CD)
- Use Internet-based Standards Development Forums and E-Balloting
- Receive discounts on all ASTM publications
- Keep up to date through a free subscription to ASTM’s monthly magazine - Standardization News
- Benefit from reduced fees for attendance at ASTM symposia and technical workshops
- And more
Members can participate from anywhere because of ASTM’s customized web-based systems. The best way to contribute as a member is to (1) participate in task group activities that are of interest (both virtually and in person), and (2) vote on ballots and provide feedback and recommendations. To participate in standards activities, start by identifying Work Items of interest by reviewing the List of Subcommittees, Standards, and Work Items on the C09 home page. Contact task group leaders for those areas of interest by reviewing the Work Item summary pages and securing contact information available through the on-line roster in the member area. To make the most of your voting and participation overall, be sure to stipulate which specific subcommittees you wish to participate in when you join so that you will receive notices of ballots that open within these groups.
ASTM Committee C09 regularly holds new member orientation meetings at each of its biannual meetings. The new member orientation provides new members with an overview of the Committee and creates an opportunity to meet some C09 officers. More information on the ASTM process is available at the ASTM website under Member and Officer Training.
To continue to promote standards objectives for this fast-paced industry, C09 uses ASTM’s interactive media. This approach includes our web-based Interactive Forums, a document review and development system always available for capturing comments and maturing documents. Additionally, the Committee conducts virtual meetings in conjunction with conference calls to accelerate document development and increase participation of its global membership in a real-time format.
STAKEHOLDERS
Participation by a diverse group of international stakeholders in C09 helps to create consensus standards that advance the entire industry and speed the market adoption of new technologies. These groups are divided into producer, general interest, and user classifications.
Producer committee members are those who are employed by companies or organizations that (1) produce a constituent material, including a cementitious material, used in the manufacture of one or more products under the jurisdiction of the Committee, or (2) manufacture test equipment used in any of the standards under the jurisdiction of the Committee.
Academics, laboratories, and consultants make up the general interest classification, and users may include contractors, state Departments of Transportation, and other government agencies.
RELATIONSHIP WITH INDUSTRY, GOVERNMENT, AND REGULATION
Committee C09 continues to make significant changes to its specifications and test methods to encompass new materials and to improve the capabilities of concrete as a basic construction material. The standards developed and maintained by Committee C09 contribute to industry by providing recognized safety and reliability measurements, protecting against liability through their use in contracts, providing a means of quality control, contributing to the proficiency of laboratories, and providing a basis for training and certification of qualified personnel.
The quality and testing of materials used in concrete construction are covered by reference to the appropriate ASTM standard specifications in the American Concrete Institute’s 318-05: Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete and Commentary. The code portion of this document covers the proper design and construction of buildings using structural concrete. When ACI 318 is adopted by government entities (including cities and states, etc.), it becomes the legal framework for building construction.
Other building codes reference ASTM standards because these documents are always updated with the latest technical, business, and safety information. There are several different building codes in the United States, however, the International Code Council (ICC) is the primary code body. Codes are written directions and enforcement guidelines, for construction; they cite standards to clarify specific requirements.
Committee C09 standards are also used as the basis for regulation in many countries around the world. Through the use of the Internet, Committee C09 is committed to creating opportunities for participation in the standardization process around the world.
LIAISON
Key Organizations
American Concrete Institute (ACI) www.aci-int.org: ACI International is a nonprofit technical and educational society, incorporated in the State of Michigan, that is dedicated to improving the design, construction, manufacture, and maintenance of concrete structures. ACI’s nearly 18,000 members include structural designers, architects, civil engineers, educators, contractors, concrete craftsmen and technicians, representatives of materials suppliers, students, testing laboratories, and manufacturers from around the globe. ACI technical committees, which are composed of volunteer personnel, develop ACI recommendations in their respective fields of assignment. Their work, subject to review and approval by the Technical Activities Committee and the Standards Board, forms the basis for ACI standards. ACI and ASTM Committee C09 share several members who are active in both organizations.
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) www.aashto.org: AASHTO’s mission is to act as an advocate for multimodal and intermodal transportation, serving member departments, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and Congress. AASHTO serves these customers by providing leadership, technical services, information, and advice as well as by contributing to national policy on transportation issues. AASHTO also sponsors forums to facilitate communication among all transportation-related interests.
The AASHTO Standing Committee on Highways develops all major engineering standards, guides, and policies for the highway program and either as a unit or through its subcommittees, investigates, studies, and reports on all engineering activities and developments, including all phases of road and bridge design, construction, maintenance, traffic requirements, roadside development, aesthetics, tests and investigations of materials, protection of the environment; makes recommendations regarding needed research; promotes and encourages technology transfer by member states and related research agencies, and is responsible for providing the full range of highway engineering publications for the association.
Membership on the Standing Committee on Highways is limited to the chief highway-engineering officers of member departments, and the committee is composed of five such persons per region of the association, who are appointed by the AASHTO president with the concurrence of the Executive Committee.
AASHTO publishes a compilation of approximately 400 standards, including some ASTM concrete standards and some AASHTO concrete standards.
Other Organizations
Portland Cement Association (PCA) www.portcement.org: Founded in 1916, the PCA represents cement companies in the United States and Canada. PCA conducts market development, engineering, research, education, and public affairs programs.
National Stone Association (NSA) www.aggregates.org: NSA represents the interests of the aggregate (crushed stone, sand and gravel) and mining industry. NSA members, composed of both large and small firms nationwide, address legislative and regulatory issues that impact the industry.
National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) www.nrmca.org: Founded in 1930, NRMCA has represented producers of ready mixed concrete and those companies that provide materials and support to the industry. NRMCA provides its members with education, training, product promotion assistance, information on research and technology, and representation before Congress and regulatory bodies.
American Shotcrete Association (ASA) www.shotcrete.org: ASA is a nonprofit organization of contractors, manufacturers, engineers, owners, and others. ASA’s purpose is to educate the construction community about the benefits of using shotcrete and to encourage and promote the use of shotcrete by providing useful and accurate information to the concrete specifying and purchasing communities.
Other International Efforts
C09 was represented at two construction-related events in Colombia, South America, in September 2004 and 2006, which provided an opportunity to make presentations about ASTM and C09 to a large audience of representatives from many Latin American countries. These trips to Colombia were extremely successful in establishing relationships through which technical information could be shared and served as a catalyst to begin to involve new international members in the ASTM process. A joint task group of Committees C09 and C01 continues to explore new opportunities for Latin American participation.
In late 2005, a pilot program was begun to translate ASTM International standards cited in ACI 318, Structural Concrete. Participants volunteered from different Latin American countries including: Peru, Columbia, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Venezuela, Argentina, Chile and Costa Rica. The work is ongoing and is expected to be completed by the end of 2007.
ASTM International Committee C09 also maintains an important role of coordinating with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The secretariat of ISO Technical Committee (TC) 71 on Concrete, reinforced concrete and pre-stressed concrete is held by the U.S. and managed by the American Concrete Institute (ACI). TC 71/Subcommittee (SC) 1 and TC 71/SC 3 are administered by ASTM under C09.92. The technical committee usually meets annually, attended on average by one or two self-funded delegates.
LINKS AND INFORMATION
The following websites have been identified by Committee C09 to contain information of interest.
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO): www.aashto.org
American Concrete Institute (ACI): www.aci-int.org
American Shotcrete Association (ASA): www.shotcrete.org
Cement and Concrete Reference Laboratory (CCRL): www.ccrl.us
Institute
of
Concrete Technology
: www.ictech.org
National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA): www.nrmca.org
National Stone Association (NSA): www.aggregates.org
Portland Cement Association (PCA): www.portcement.org
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