Using the New ACI 301

ACI 301-96, “Specifications for Structural Concrete,” is broader in scope and offers
greater technical content and flexibility than its predecessor

BY TIMOTHY L. MOORE

he American Concrete In- fication Institute (CSI) format. enced in its entirety. Referencing in-

T stitute has recently com-

pleted a major revision of
its long-standing flagship
concrete specification, ACI 301,
“Specifications for Structural Con-
Rather than chapters, ACI 301-96
contains nine sections, eight of
which are organized into the CSI 3-
Part Format (General, Products, Ex-
ecution); the first section, General
dividual sections or subsections can
result in problems or misinterpreta-
tions, because many sections and
subsections refer to others in the
document and should not stand
crete for Buildings,” last revised in Requirements, does not conform to alone. Users of the old ACI 301
1989. Users can apply ACI 301-96 the 3-Part Format. Following are should update any reference to indi-
to any project by citing it in the the nine technical sections that vidual sections. They should also
project specifications. The new ti- comprise the specification: note that the section and subsection
tle of ACI 301, “Specifications for Section 1—General Requirements numbers have been completely re-
St ru c t u ral Co n c re t e,” is the most Section 2—Fo rm w o rk and Form vised and reorganized in ACI 301-96.
obvious change: The reference to Accessories
buildings has been dropped to Section 3—Reinforcement and Re- Using Checklists Effectively
make the specification applicable inforcement Supports In addition to the technical spec-
to a wider range of projects. This ification, ACI 301-96 contains three
change also signals that ACI 301-96 checklists: the first details manda-
is much more comprehensive than tory requirements; the second, op-
its predecessor. MUCH MORE COMPREHENSIVE tional requirements; and the third,
The re o rg a n i zed ACI 301 covers THAN ITS PREDECESSOR, submittals. These lists can be used
all aspects of structural concrete ACI 301-96 COVERS ALL by the specifier to tailor the specifi-
m a t e ri a l s, proportioning, mixing, ASPECTS OF STRUCTURAL cation to the project.
d e l i ve ry, placement, form w o rk , By incorporating the various op-
curing, and strength evaluation. Its CONCRETE MATERIALS, tions built into ACI 301-96, it can be
extensive technical changes reflect PROPORTIONING, MIXING, used to specify both relatively sim-
new developments in concrete ma- DELIVERY, PLACEMENT, ple projects and large, complex
terials and construction technology FORMWORK, CURING, projects. The options used depend
over the last 15 years. It also in- on project scope, choice and avail-
cludes explanatory material and AND STRENGTH EVALUATION. ability of materials, size and
documentation requirements to method of concrete placements,
help the user understand the spec- weather and concrete exposure
ification and clearly define each Section 4—Concrete Mixtures conditions, and many other vari-
party’s responsibilities. Section 5—Handling, Placing, and ables. If the user does not have the
Constructing time, re s o u rc e s, or inclination to
Changes in Organization Section 6—Architectural Concrete exercise the optional requirements,
The old ACI 301 contained 18 Section 7—Lightweight Concrete ACI 301-96 contains conservative
chapters, each organized in a gen- Section 8—Mass Concrete default values that reflect good
eral specification format in accor- Section 9—Prestressed Concrete practice and protect the user.
dance with the Construction Speci- ACI 301-96 is intended to be refer- The Mandatory Re q u i re m e n t s
Checklist contains eight items the an air-content for more moderate concrete are delineated for air
user must specify for every project, conditions, such as mild exposure. content, slump, and temperature.
such as type and grade of reinforc- The ORC for 4.2.2.4 explains where Concrete not meeting these re-
ing steel and compressive strength each of the exposure conditions is quirements is subject to rejection.
of concrete for various portions of applicable. • Provisions for superplasticized
the work. Though the number of Another example of using the concrete have been added, such
items in the list has been increased ORC can be found in ACI 301-96 as requiring a slump of 2 to
from two to eight to reflect in- subsections 5.3.4.3.b and c. These 4 inches before addition of
creased scope and technical con- items require use of the straight- superplasticizer and a maximum
tent, Committee 301 has kept the edge method to measure floor tol- slump of 8 inches after addition.
requirements very simple so the list erances for residential and nonres- • Concrete slump is now stan-
is easy for the specifier to use. idential floors smaller than 10,000 dardized at 4 inches, to be mea-
Any of the 98 items on the Op- square feet and use of the ASTM E sured at the point of delivery, ex-
tional Requirements Checklist 1155 F-number system for nonres- cept for plain mass concrete and
(ORC) can be incorporated by the idential floors exceeding 10,000 superplasticized concrete.
user to meet the needs of specific square feet, unless otherwise spec- Slump tolerance is ±1 inch as
p ro j e c t s. This checklist has been ified. The ORC for 5.3.4.3.b and c given in ACI 117-90. The old ACI
greatly expanded, since the old ACI explains the basis for these require- 301 tolerance permitted one
301 contained only 57 options, ments and where the user could batch in any five consecutive
called “supplemental require- possibly deviate from them. It also batches to have a slump 1 inch
ments.” To further aid the user, the refers to other publications for fur- above the maximum indicated.
ORC includes much more explana- ther guidance. This was confusing and difficult
tory material as well as references Users of ACI 301-96 should re- to use practically in the field.
to other publications for more view the ORC even for small pro- • A i r- e n t rained concrete is now
comprehensive guidance. jects, since conditions for each pro- the default requirement, elimi-
If the user chooses not to use the ject are different. Also, an initial nating the confusion caused by
ORC, ACI 301-96 contains reason- review and subsequent modifica- the previous requirement, which
ably conservative default values tion of the specification can help allowed the contractor to inter-
that provide adequate technical re- clarify the project to bidders and pret exposure conditions and
quirements in lieu of the options. contractors as the job progresses. determine where destructive ex-
For example, ACI 301-96 subsection A new feature of ACI 301, the posures requiring air entrain-
4.2.2.4 states: “Unless otherwise Submittals Checklist is intended to ment existed.
specified, concrete shall be air-en- assist the specifier, contractor, and • The maximum allowable tem-
trained. Unless otherwise specified, bidders by clearly delineating sub- perature of concrete as delivered
air content at the point of delivery mittal requirements to all parties. is specified as 90°F, except for
shall conform to the requirements The user does not need to take any mass concrete. A temperature
of Table 4.2.2.4 for severe exposure.” action; instead, the checklist has limit higher than 90°F may be
The phrases “unless otherwise been organized to reduce the like- specified in accordance with the
specified” or “where required” are lihood of missing submittal items, ORC if concrete delivered at the
included to alert specifiers that the particularly approvals. Mo re over, higher temperature has been
default requirements can be modi- the contractor can organize in ad- used successfully in given cli-
fied using the ORC. vance all the submittals re q u i re d , mates or situations.
If the user chooses not to modify eliminating the need to wait for ap- Durability:
subsection 4.2.2.4, it will be re- provals and possibly delay the pro- • Criteria have been added for de-
quired by default to use air-en- ject. Howe ve r, some submittal re- termining potential durability
trained concrete in accordance quirements may not apply to a deficiencies. The criteria are
with Table 4.2.2.4 requirements for project, such as those pertaining to based on concrete strength, ma-
s e ve re exposure, which mandate architectural concrete for a project t e ri a l s, air content, curing, tem-
the highest air content of all the that does not use architectural con- p e ra t u re protection, and envi-
table’s exposure conditions. How- c re t e. And use of an ORC might ronmental protection. If
e ve r, the ORC for 4.2.2.4 tells ACI eliminate a submittal that would deficiencies exist, actions such
301 users to specify if concrete is have otherwise been required. as obtaining samples, perform-
not required to be air- e n t ra i n e d . ing lab tests, and repairing or re-
For a project such as an interior Highlights of Technical Changes placing concrete are prescribed.
floor, for example, air-entrainment Following are highlights of the ma- • Re q u i rements for coated re i n-
is usually not needed. jor technical changes in ACI 301-96. forcement, wire, and re i n f o rc e-
The user can also choose to re- Fresh concrete properties: ment supports have been ex-
quire air-entrained concrete, but at • New field-acceptance criteria for panded, including prov i s i o n s
 for repair of damaged coated • Testing agencies must conform spading, forking, or rodding is not
reinforcement. to ASTM C 1077, “Standard Prac- allowed. Included is a table for ac-
• Concrete cover re q u i re m e n t s tice for Laboratories Testing ceptable vibrator sizes based on
have been revised and expand- Concrete and Concrete Aggre- applications, such as stiff mass
ed. Required cover varies with gates for Use in Co n s t ru c t i o n concrete or plastic flowing con-
the function of the stru c t u ra l and Criteria for Laboratory Eval- crete in thin members.
member (slabs and joists, beams uation,” for concrete and con- • Keyways in construction joints
and columns, walls, and footings crete materials, and to ASTM E are no longer mandatory unless
and base slabs) and with the ex- 329, “Standard Practice for Use in specifically required.
posure conditions (including dry the Evaluation of Testing and In- • Provisions have been added to
conditions and exposure to spection Agencies as Used in emphasize needs for project co-
sewage, earth, water, or weath- Co n s t ru c t i o n ,” for re i n f o rc i n g ordination, submittals, product
er). The cover requirements are steel. representatives on-site, and pre-
also affected by whether sur- • Time of concrete discharge re- construction conferences for ar-
faces are formed or unformed quired by ASTM C 94, “Standard chitectural concrete.
and whether members are Specification for Re a d y- Mi x e d • Provisions have been added in
placed on concrete work mats. Co n c re t e,” may be exceeded if the ORC to permit removal
• Requirements have been added the specified air content, slump, of structural formwork at an ear-
for maximum allowable water- and temperature re q u i re m e n t s lier age than that required to
soluble chloride content for var- are verified and met. reach the specified compressive
ious types of concrete members • Provisions have been added for '
strength, fc . Provisions are added
and exposure conditions, in- the use of ASTM E 1155, “Stan- in the specification for submittal
cluding prestressed members, dard Test Method for Determin- requirements to request a lower
members exposed to chlorides, ing Floor Flatness and Levelness form-removal strength.
and dry or protected members. Using the F-Number System,” to
• Water-cement ratio required for measure floor tolerances. Use of A Continuing Effort
various exposure conditions has the straightedge method is still ACI 301-96 is the culmination of
been eliminated and is now cov- allowed for some floors, as de- many years of continued effort by
ered in the ORC. The specifier— fined in the specification. The the members of Committee 301,
not the supplier or contractor— ORC has been greatly expanded who represent a broad spectrum of
must determine the applicable in this area to guide the specifier. industry experience. The specifica-
exposure condition. Mass concrete: tion is a vast improvement over the
Mix proportioning: • The definition of mass concrete previous one in scope, technical
• Water-cement ratio is now wa- has been expanded in the ORC, content, and flexibility. As the
ter-cementitious materials ratio. so specifiers can more correctly concrete industry changes, ACI 301
Limits are placed on the maxi- define mass concrete in project must also change. Committee
mum percent of pozzolanic ma- documents. 301 continues to review and modi-
terial, such as fly ash or slag. • When early strength gain is more fy the specification as technology
• Provisions for high-strength important than minimizing heat changes and more information be-
concrete from 5000 to 15,000 psi buildup, accelerating admix- comes available. Suggestions and
have been added to the table for tures can now be used in mass comments are most welcome, as
required average strength for concrete where approved in ac- the committee strives to continu-
proportioning when suitable ex- cordance with the ORC. ally improve ACI 301.
perience data are not available. • Mass concrete slump provisions
• Field verification of mix designs, are included for both plain and Timothy L. Moore is senior
along with appropriate adjust- re i n f o rced concre t e. Re q u i re d c i v i l / s t ructural engineer with San
ments, is now required. slump is 3 inches maximum for Diego Gas & Electric and a Fellow
Tolerances and testing: plain mass concrete and 4 inch- of ACI. He was chairman of ACI
• Reference is made to ACI 117-90, es maximum for re i n f o rc e d Committee 301 during the develop-
“Specifications for To l e ra n c e s mass concrete. ment and completion of ACI 301-96.
for Concrete Construction and • Minimum curing time for mass
Ma t e ri a l s,” for all tolerances for c o n c rete is reduced from 14 to
form construction, re i n f o rc e- s e ven days, unless otherw i s e
ment fabrication and place- specified in accordance with
ment, concrete cover, concrete the ORC.
slump, and concrete finishes. Miscellaneous changes: PUBLICATION #C960340
The ACI 117 tolerances are not • Consolidation must now be by Copyright © 1996, The Aberdeen Group
repeated within ACI 301-96. mechanical vibration. Manual All rights reserved