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 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 […]
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 […]
On June 13, Forterra hosted 25 representatives of the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) at its Marshalltown production facility. Staffs of the Materials, Construction, and Bridges & Structures offices represented IDOT. The Tour covered production of dry cast structures, dry cast pipe, dry cast boxes, and wet cast structures, along with material testing and quality […]