Global Notebook

Chemical Science and Permeability Resources

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has updated two important resources for people in industry, academia, or government. CSTL… at a glance gives a brief overview of NIST’s Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory and provides contact names and phone numbers for each division. The brochure discusses specific projects, including the new mitochondrial DNA Standard Reference Material from CSTL’s Biotechnology Division; the NIST WebBook, a quick source of chemical data; and research to characterize self-assembled monolayers. Contact: Laboratory Office (301/975-3143; fax: 301/975-3845; cstl@nist.gov).

The NIST Standard Reference Database on Reinforcement
Permeability Values is now available on the World Wide Web at srdata.nist.gov/permeability. Once sold only on diskette, the database is now available for free. This database currently serves as a repository for permeability measurements, containing more than 100 data points measured at NIST for different woven, random, stitched, and unidirectional glass fabrics. Fiber volume percentages run from about 10 percent to over 55 percent.

NACE International Conference

NACE International, The Corrosion Society, will address the pipeline
operator qualification issue as well as technical underground corrosion solutions at CORROSION/2000, the organization’s 55th Annual Conference and Exhibition in Orlando, Fla., March 26-31. CORROSION/2000 will feature a variety of technical symposia that have approximately 10 to 45 technical papers presented by experts in the field of corrosion technology. NACE Group Committee T-10, on Underground Corrosion Control will sponsor more than 10 technical committee meetings to promote the exchange of ideas and technical information in an informal setting. These meetings will focus on topics such as measurement techniques, coating conductance, deepwater anodes, and gas distribution. Contact: NACE International, Membership Services Department, PO Box 218340, Houston, Texas 77218-8340 (281/228-6223; fax: 281/228-6239; e-mail: msd@mail.nace.org); Web site: www.nace.org.

Rating the Last Century

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has named the Top 10 Civil Engineering Achievements of the 20th Century to remind people of the tremendous impact engineering has had on our everyday lives.

• Airport Design and Development
  
• Dams
  
• Interstate Highway System
  
• Long-Span Bridges
  
• Rail Transportation
  
• Sanitary Landfills/Solid Waste Disposal
  
• Skyscrapers
  
• Wastewater Disposal
  
• Water Supply and Distribution
  
• Water Transportation (Canals and Ports)
  

Cement and Concrete in RILEM

RILEM (the International Union of Testing and Research Laboratories for Materials and Structures) has established four new technical committees related to cement and concrete technology:

• Advanced Testing of Cement-Based Materials
  During Setting and Hardening;
  
• Industrial Floors for Withstanding Harsh Environmental Attacks, Including Repair and Maintenance;
  
• Non-Destructive Evaluation of Concrete Structures; and
  
• Predicting the Frost Resistance of HPC Structures Exposed to Numerous Freezing and Thawing Cycles.
  

Contact: James H. Pielert at 301/975-6704.

PCI on the Move

The Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) has moved its headquarters to 209 W. Jackson Blvd., Ste. 500, Chicago, IL 60606 (312/786-0300; fax: 312/786-0353).

Happy Anniversary, IHS Engineering

IHS Group’s Engineering Division, Englewood, Colo., celebrated its 40th anniversary last fall. The division began in 1959 as a provider of catalog databases on microfilm and today is a worldwide publisher of Internet-accessible engineering, technical and regulatory information solutions. At its inception, IHS Engineering introduced an innovation to the aerospace engineering market: Vendor Specs Microfilm File. This transfer of paper vendor catalogs to space-saving microfilm began a paradigm shift in information distribution. Of course, that database is still available today—now in electronic format. IHS has been a republisher of ASTM standards in both film and electronic media since 1971.

U.K. Paint Research Association e-Publishes Paint Industry Newsletter

“News of the Month” is a feature available on the United Kingdom’s Paint Research Association’s Web page at www.pra.org.uk. In addition, the bulletin is sent by e-mail to subscribers free of charge. Monthly items includes news of general coatings industry activities, news about PRA, highlights of PRA journal articles, and a listing of conferences and exhibitions. //