High Performance Construction Materials and Systems - An Essential Program for America and Its Infrastructure (Hardcover)

This report, ""High Performance Construction Materials and Systems: An Essential Program for America and Its Infrastructure - Technical Report"" (Report No. 93-5011), outlines a program for a concerted effort to return the United States to the forefront of construction materials technology. The main two materials addressed in this report, the first of a series, are high performance concrete and steel. These two technologies are examined in parallel, first addressing the need for a unified, national program, then detailing a proposed national program plan, and a concomitant technical plan, management plan, and budget summary. The need for these programs is surveyed, in terms of the importance of these technologies, recent advances in materials science, potential benefits from the technology, and a vision of the future. The report then defines the goals of the nationally coordinated program. The technical plan describes mechanisms for improving technology transfer, as well as proposed research and development on high performance concrete and steel. The management plan discusses the requirements for a coordinated effort, including the establishment of several coordinating bodies made up of representatives from industry, government, and academia. Finally, the report presents a proposed budget and time schedule for converting the plan into reality. The report also contains three appendices: Appendix A - Technology Transfer, Appendix B - High-Performance Concrete; and Appendix - High-Performance Steel. Appendix - Technology Transfer depicts a number of methods for collecting and disseminating technical knowledge to the design and construction industry, as well as means for accelerating the acceptance of new technology. Appendix B provides a detailed examination of the state-of-the-art of materials and techniques relative to high-performance concrete. Appendix C provides a similar examination of the state-of-the-art of materials and techniques relative to high-performance steel.