By Mel Marshall, Mel C. Marshall Industrial Consultants Reinforced concrete pipe is widely known for its long history, with evidence of the first concrete pipe sanitary sewer in America dating back to 1842 in Mohawk, N.Y. Since then, concrete wastewater pipelines have grown increasingly more complex in their design, manufacture, installation, and inspection. As the […]
By Margarita Takou, Ph.D., P.E., ACPA Technical Resource Manager At the ACPA, we talk a lot about the benefits of precast reinforced concrete pipe (RCP), but did you know the association’s membership also produces precast reinforced concrete box culverts? Like RCP, box culverts offer the benefits of precast concrete construction such as superior durability strength, […]
By Gean Na, P.E., Director, American Concrete Pipe Association – California October is national Fire Prevention Month to raise awareness about fire safety in communities across the country. As we think about ways to ensure homes and families are protected from fire, we think about many precautions inside the home. Are smoke alarms functioning and […]
By Josh Beakley, P.E., ACPA Vice President of Engineering Concrete pipe and concrete pipe joints are among the most durable, resilient infrastructure materials on the planet. While reinforced concrete pipe offers proven performance, the ACPA occasionally encounters misinformation about its products’ longevity and durability. Here, we address three misconceptions surrounding concrete pipe performance — joint […]
By Josh Beakley, P.E., ACPA Vice President of Engineering It’s not unusual to have a buried drainage pipe with minimal cover. This cover may be soil, flexible asphalt pavement, or rigid concrete pavement. At the American Concrete Pipe Association (ACPA), we often hear the question: “What’s the minimum allowable depth of cover for a buried […]
Understanding Product Emissions and Concrete Pipe In this three-part series, the ACPA takes a look at the environmental factors surrounding concrete pipe, its production, and its usage. Concrete, the most widely used building material in the world, is ripe with misperceptions about its environmental impact. Each of these blogs will help you better understand concrete […]
Environmental Considerations and Carbon Footprint of Drainage Pipe In this four part series, the ACPA takes a look at the environmental factors surrounding concrete pipe, its production, and its usage. As the most widely used building material around the world, there is a lot of mis-understanding of the impact of concrete and its products on […]
Think reinforced concrete pipe means a boring, gray construction? Not if you incorporate some creativity! Many cities and municipalities are getting outside the box and using inventive designs to increase the culvert’s functionality or visual appeal. Here are four ways concrete pipe and box culverts enhance the local community with inspired, purposeful designs. Complement the […]
By Heather Christensen with contributions from members of the Infrastructure Committee Concrete Pipe: A Stable, but Innovative Product Concrete pipe has been around for more than 150 years. But today’s concrete pipe bears little resemblance to its predecessors. Through many micro-enhancements, numbering in the thousands, it has evolved into a modern product. Here are a […]
By Josh Beakley, P.E., ACPA Vice President of Engineering Designing a buried pipe? Be sure to avoid these common—and potentially costly—mistakes The design of buried pipe encompasses many of the basic civil engineering concepts we learned in college: hydraulics, soils engineering, and structural engineering. Yet I’m willing to bet most of us didn’t take […]
It’s no secret that concrete pipe is one of the most reliable products to resist flotation. In heavy rainfall or catastrophic flooding situations, concrete’s density keeps pipes in place against upward, buoyant forces. While flexible pipes are used in infrastructure projects as sewers, culverts and drains, these lower density products require much deeper cover and […]
This International Women’s Day, the American Concrete Pipe Association celebrates the women who help make the concrete pipe industry as strong as the products we produce. Their contributions are significant. Their presence and technical skills diversify and improve our industry so we can continue to provide a vital service and range of products for America’s […]
On any construction project, time delays can lead to lost dollars. To avoid such problems, municipalities are finding innovative applications for precast, reinforced concrete pipe and box culverts. Reinforced concrete pipe and box culverts offer speedy installation and immediate structural capacity and space. Precast concrete box structures allow the manufacturer to respond quickly to any […]
Proper installation of storm drain pipelines is a concern facing city engineers and inspectors across the United States. Whether pipes are rigid or flexible, a faulty installation can cost contractors as well as taxpayers time and expense. That’s why the American Concrete Pipe Association is partnering with cities, offering free pipe installation seminars for contractors […]
Each year, the American Concrete Pipe Association celebrates Concrete Pipe Week to recognize the vital role reinforced concrete pipe plays in strong, durable and disaster-proof infrastructure. Concrete Pipe Week 2019, held August 18 to 24, proved to be a great success as the industry came together to raise awareness of concrete pipe’s importance to communities. […]
As the voice of the reinforced concrete pipe industry, the American Concrete Pipe Association is actively involved in a number of organizations and associations relating to the design and specification of concrete pipe. For many years, we’ve participated in the activities of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), working alongside our […]
In recent years, proponents of so-called “open competition” legislation have tried to convince Congress to add preferential language into highway legislation. This language forces states to spend precious resources justifying the use of concrete pipe materials. A sweetheart deal for the plastic industry, open competition legislation puts an unwanted burden on local officials – and […]
Precast, rigid concrete pipe (RCP) is the ideal choice for durable pipe system installations. In every region across the country, engineers, transportation departments and contractors know they can trust concrete pipe as the most resilient choice to last for over 100 years. At the American Concrete Pipe Association, we’re often asked about concrete pipe’s benefits. And […]
As the 116th United States Congress gets underway, here’s a look at a top issue on the minds of many in the concrete pipe industry — infrastructure and highway spending. Legislators in the 116th Congress are concluding their first months in session, and attitudes surrounding infrastructure spending are markedly different in the House than in the […]
In November 2018, flames from the Camp Fire, named for its place of origin on Camp Creek Road, raged for 17 days, taking 85 lives and destroying property, memories, wildlife and infrastructure in its path. Burning 240 square miles, the Camp Fire was the deadliest fire in the United States in 100 years. It was […]
Walt Catlett, P.E., South Central Region Engineer, American Concrete Pipe Association At its 2019 Pipe School in January, the American Concrete Pipe Association (ACPA) introduced an education track geared specifically to transportation professionals. The new Transportation Track joins ACPA’s existing Pipe School programs for Sales and Technical Marketing, Quality, Production, and Plant Management and offers a […]
Randy Wahlen, PE, Marketing Engineer for Oldcastle Infrastructure One question those of us in the concrete pipe industry often hear is, “Why is minor cracking in concrete pipe ok?” The American Concrete Pipe Association, AASHTO and other national standards recommend that minor cracking up to 0.10” doesn’t pose a structural issue for concrete pipe. But […]
Russell Tripp, President American Concrete Pipe Association As we round out 2018 and look to identify trends for 2019, one constant is the strength of the reinforced concrete pipe market. While federal funding is flat, many states are successfully passing increased gas taxes and/or user fees. Furthermore, there are substantial rumors that federal funding on […]
Jason Allen, P.E., Director Mountain States Concrete Pipe Association Offering education and PDHs, free lunch, and opportunities for networking and sales, the Mountain States Concrete Pipe Association’s Plant Tours are a win-win for all involved. A survey of their success offers solid business strategies for promoting concrete pipe – as well as nearly any other business. The […]