ACI 329R-14 Report on Performance-Based Requirements for Concrete

ACI 329R-14 Report on Performance-Based Requirements for Concrete. 1.1.2 Prescription to performance initiative (P2P)—In 2002, the Research, Engineering and Standards Committee (RES) of the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) embarked on an initiative called P2P— “Prescrip- tion to Performance”—to introduce performance specifca- tions as alternatives to traditional prescriptive specifcations (Bickley et al. 2006a; Hover et al. 2008). There was concern that prescriptive specifcations can hinder concrete producers from providing mixtures that optimize available materials while meeting the owner’s needs. Similarly, overly prescrip- tive requirements may stife the concrete contractor’s capa- bility to use innovative methods that support sustainability principles (1.5) and produce an acceptable product. The P2P steering committee commissioned a project to review state-of-the-art industry practices internationally on performance specifcations (Phase I) and to explore alter- natives to existing prescriptive specifcations for concrete (Phase II). Background information in this report relies heavily on the frst P2P publication (Bickley et al. 2006a). The second report, which is referred to as the P2P Phase II Report, is a guide on writing performance-based require- ments as alternatives to the prescriptive requirements in current ACI reference specifcations (Hover et al. 2008). The Phase II report is described in greater detail in Chapter 6. The P2P project team observed that while there was an almost universal interest in performance, primarily for durability and sustainability, there were few performance specifcations. A majority of the reviewed international standards defned exposure conditions for each country, prescribing limits for concrete mixtures that, on the basis of past research or experience, would result in the desired durability. 1.4—Comparison of performance-based and prescriptive requirements A project that uses performance-based requirements may include some or all of the following elements: a) A qualifcation and certifcation system that audits for conformance to a quality control management system, quali- fcation of personnel, and requirements for concrete produc- tion facilities. The RMC Research & Education Foundation has developed guidelines for concrete producers on devel- oping such a quality management system (Twitty 2008). b) Provisions in the specifcations that clearly defne the end-result performance requirements. c) A requirement that the construction team develops the optimized concrete mixture and plans the necessary feld operations to ensure that the owner’s expectations are met. d) A submittal format that does not include a detailed list of mixture proportions, but rather includes a listing of the materials used, test results, and certifcation that the mixture includes acceptable materials...