American Concrete Institute Reorganizes ACI 318 Code on Structural Concrete

DETROIT, MI, April 17, 2014 (Press-News.org) In today's building and construction environment, materials codes play a crucial role in structural design, cost estimations, building inspection, insurance investigations, the education of engineers, architects and related professionals, and in actual construction.

To better serve its constituent users, the American Concrete Institute (ACI) is finalizing the reorganization of ACI 318-14, Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete. As one of the most essential and valuable codes with respect to the use of reinforced concrete in modern construction, ACI 318 is used daily in a wide range of settings. These include designing of concrete structures, repairing and strengthening of buildings, writing of project specifications, to resolution of field problems, inspection and quality assurance of construction, evaluation of existing buildings and in education. Users include engineers, designers, building officials, contractors, professors, and students. Today, more than 20 nations incorporate all or some of ACI 318 into their national building code requirements.

The current edition of ACI 318 was published in 2011, with ACI 318-11 serving as the most recent and updated publication. The organization of the current code was developed in the 1960s and published in 1971, based on the fundamental behavior of cast-in-place reinforced concrete. Provisions were added over time to reflect research knowledge and experience in the field.

The reorganized ACI 318-14 will improve the logic and flow of material presented, include chapters or sections on specific topics, address gaps and reduce redundancies, and create an improved platform to introduce new topics. Furthermore, the new Code will be adaptable to multiple contemporary publication platforms (including tablets and mobile devices) that are convenient to navigate, search and read. This will enhance the ACI 318's usability and value in helping users conform to established code and building principles.

"ACI is proud and excited that the reorganized ACI 318-14 will be published later this year," said Randall W. Poston, Ph.D., P.E., S.E., Chair, ACI Committee 318. "This first major reorganization of ACI 318 in more than 40 years and represents nearly a decade of work and will be organized so that engineers have increased confidence they have satisfied all necessary code requirements."

The new edition of ACI 318 will be available for use during December 2014. To learn more or sign up to receive email updates, please visit http://www.concrete.org/ACI318.

Always Advancing.

Founded in 1904 and headquartered in Farmington Hills, MI, the American Concrete Institute (ACI) is advancing concrete knowledge by conducting seminars, managing various certification programs, publishing technical documents, and offering scholarships to students in the field. With 99 chapters, 65 student chapters, and nearly 20,000 members spanning over 120 countries, the American Concrete Institute has always retained the same basic mission -- provide knowledge and information for the best use of concrete. For more information, please visit http://www.concrete.org