The Post | September 2024 Issue

Note from PTI

Hello everyone,

September marks the beginning of the very busy final four months of the year, where a multitude of concrete industry associations hold important conferences and events. PTI staff and committee members are diligently preparing for our next important event, PTI Committee Days, which will be held October 1-4 in Cancun, Mexico. From a staff perspective, I’ve always found the effort leading up to an event like this, just as action packed as the time spent at the event itself. We are looking forward to having everyone get together again, and if you still haven’t registered to attend, please do so at your earliest opportunity using this link.

Another thing to keep your eyes open for is this year’s second issue of the PTI Journal, which will be arriving in your mailbox here in September. It aligns with our new cadence of publishing the Journal just before Convention and just before Committee Days. Lastly, we hope you find the information in this month’s newsletter interesting and useful, as we continue to gain momentum providing this content on a regular basis.

Sincerely,

Tim Christle

Executive Vice President, PTI

Institute News

New PTI Staff Member:

We're excited to welcome Tram Hickey as a part-time Executive Assistant, starting September 9. Tram brings extensive experience, having worked as an Administrative Assistant with our Executive Vice President Tim Christle at a national consulting engineering firm. She holds a BA in Marketing from the University of Texas at Arlington. In her new role, Tram will support our Technical, Education, Certification, and Promotion programs. Her diverse background, including career experience as a Registered Dental Hygienist and a black belt in taekwondo, along with her global perspective from traveling with her husband in his ongoing service to our country, a U.S. Navy Commander, makes her a valuable addition to the PTI family. Please join us in welcoming Tram!

Education & Promotion Highlights:

Stay informed about the events attended or scheduled for attendance by PTI’s Executive Vice President, Tim Christle, as he advances PTI’s initiatives and advocates for post-tensioning.

• September – Tim will be at PCI Committee Days in Nashville, TN.
• October – Tim will be attending PTI Committee Days in Cancun, Mexico, and then the PTI DC-35 Prestressed Rock & Soil Anchor Committee meeting in Denver, CO at the Deep Foundations Institute Annual Conference.

PTI Academy Highlight:

Discover more about our upcoming webinars and on-demand courses by visiting the PTI Academy page.

Education & Events Corner

Upcoming Webinar:

Buildings Webinar Series: Episode 3 of the Buildings Webinar series will be available soon! Join our panel of experts as they dive into the numerous sustainability benefits offered by post-tensioned concrete buildings. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to catch up on all previous episodes. Episode 4 will be on the topic of Durability and Resilience. Make sure to keep an eye out in the next few weeks.

PTI Academy: Our next webinar will take place on October 9 from 1:00-2:00 PM EST. Bob Sward with Structural Technologies will be speaking about post-tensioned bridges and bonded PT durability improvements. Register here. If you missed the September webinar on the new PTI Technical Notes 23 and 24 about A722 Alternative PT Bar Considerations or would like to re-watch it, you can find it and all past webinars available on-demand through our website.

Upcoming Events:

The deadline to book your hotel for the 2024 PTI Committee Days in Cancun, Mexico, from October 1 to 4, 2024, is Monday, September 16. The event kicks off on Tuesday with an optional excursion to the ancient Mayan city of Chichén Itzá. Committee meetings are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, followed by the President’s Reception on Thursday evening. The event wraps up with the Board of Directors meeting on Friday. Secure your stay now by booking through this link.

Publication Highlight:

PTI DC10.3-20: Design, Construction, and Maintenance of Post-Tensioned Concrete Courts. This publication presents design and construction recommendations for post-tensioned concrete courts and is intended for designers, contractors, inspectors, and building officials.

You can purchase this document from the PTI Store.

Member Tool Box

Certification Verification Tool

Did you know you can easily locate post-tensioning certified personnel directly on the PTI website? Whether you're searching by last name, location, or certification identification number, our free tool helps you find PT-certified professionals in your area or verify the certification status and expiration date of yourself or someone else. This is an entirely free feature of the PTI website. Try it out today and ensure you're working with the best.

Click Here to Learn More About the PTI Project Awards.

Testimonial Corner

Ready to Share Your Company Testimonial? Email marketing@post-tensioning.org today.

Technical Leadership

Did you know that PTI has an email box dedicated to technical inquiries? If you have technical questions related to an on-the-job situation or questions about PT procedures or documents, please email Technical.Inquiries@post-tensioning.org and one of PTI’s engineers will be happy to answer your technical question.

Here is a recent technical inquiry we received and its answer:

Question:

A homebuilder waited to stress the tendons in my residential slab-on-ground foundation until after the framing and roofing were complete. The total elapsed time from concrete placement to stressing the tendons was approximately 7 weeks. Is this an appropriate timeline for stressing tendons in a residential PT slab-on-ground foundation?

Response:

Tendon stressing should not take place until the concrete has attained the proper strength required for stressing, but it should be done as soon as possible after this strength has been reached. It is recommended that tendons are stressed no sooner than 3 days, or more than 10 days, after concrete placement with the following exceptions:

1. Tendons may be stressed sooner than 3 days after concrete placement if test cylinders have verified that the minimum compressive strength required for the anchorage system furnished by the PT supplier has been reached.
2. Tendons may be stressed more than 10 days after concrete placement if test cylinders indicate that the minimum compressive strength required for the anchorage system furnished by the PT supplier has not been reached.
3. If cracks, voids, honeycombing, or any other abnormalities are found at or near tendon anchorages, then tendons should not be stressed until concrete repairs are complete.

Refer to PTI M10.6 Specification for Unbonded Single Strand Tendons Used for Slab on Ground Construction and PTI DC 10.2 Construction and Maintenance Manual for PT Slab-on-Ground Foundations for additional information and guidance on PT slab-on-ground construction.