Latest News
North / South America
AASHTO raises the bar to 100 KSI strength concrete reinforcing steel for bridge construction
Jul, 31 2012
Nation’s Infrastructure to Benefit from MMFX2 Rebar’s High Strength and Corrosion Resistance
(Austin, Texas) -- The American Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials (AASHTO) increased the design strength for
concrete reinforcing steels to 100 ksi for bridges and other structures,
enabling highway engineers to start designing with higher-strength,
corrosion-resistant, MMFX2 rebar (AASHTO MP18 / ASTM A1035 Grade 100
[690 MPa]).
This engineering advancement will reduce the costs of replacing our
nation’s aging infrastructure and result in better-built bridges and
roadways by utilizing less steel, relieving costly rebar congestion
issues, and providing a cost-effective, corrosion-resistant, rebar
solution.
On July 12, 2012, AASHTO, through the Subcommittee on Bridges and
Structures, updated the Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) Bridge
Specifications to permit public bridges and structures to be designed
using high-strength reinforcing steels up to 100 ksi yield. The LRFD
Bridge Specification is the standard used by state Departments of
Transportation (DOTs) to set local bridge design codes.
AASHTO, made up of the chief transportation officers from the 50 states,
the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, is an international leader in
setting technical standards for highway systems. AASHTO’s approval of
the higher-strength steel standard was based on the finding and
recommendations of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program
(NCHRP) Report 679 released in 2011. The report states, “…using steel
with this higher capacity could provide various benefits to the concrete
construction industry by reducing member cross sections and
reinforcement quantities, leading to savings in material, shipping, and
placement costs. Reducing reinforcement quantities also would reduce
congestion problems leading to better quality of construction.” The
NCHRP report provided AASHTO decision-makers with the necessary
background and engineering basis, in the form of experimental and
analytical studies, and recommended the application of high-strength
rebar, specifically AASHTO MP 18 / ASTM A1035.
This change by AASHTO expands the opportunities for the nation’s DOTs to
harness the higher-strength of MMFX2 rebar to design and build
structures with 20% to 50% less steel and up to 60% lower labor costs.
MMFX2 rebar, sold in North America by MMFX Steel Corporation of America
and its distribution partners, had previously been limited in designs up
to 75 ksi for bridge structures.
In addition to high strength, MMFX2 rebar offers superior corrosion
resistance as previously recognized by AASHTO MP18. Use of uncoated,
corrosion-resistant, MMFX2 steel results in longer-lasting bridges and
other structures without the problems and special handling requirements
associated with coated rebar.
As the only 100 ksi strength rebar with enhanced corrosion resistance,
MMFX2 meets this new AASHTO standard. Not only can bridges be
constructed more efficiently because of the higher strength, the
structures will last over 100 years due to MMFX2 rebar’s superior
corrosion resistance. The most significant benefit will be for taxpayers
through lower upfront construction and lifetime repair costs for
infrastructure, and less disruption to traffic flow.
About MMFX Technologies Corporation
MMFX Technologies Corporation, headquartered in Irvine, California, is a
material science company focused on commercializing its patented micro-
and nanotechnologies that enable the manipulation of steel
microstructure to derive optimum product properties. The Company has
successfully commercialized its groundbreaking science through the
marketing and sale of its high-demand MMFX2 branded products, uncoated
concrete reinforcing steels that provide superior strength and corrosion
resistance. MMFX2 is marketed and sold through its two operating
subsidiaries, as well as Portland, Oregon-based licensee, Cascade Steel
Rolling Mills.
About MMFX Steel Corporation of America
An operating subsidiary of MMFX Technologies Corporation, MMFX Steel
Corporation of America, also based in Irvine, California, markets and
sells MMFX2 branded concrete reinforcing steel products throughout North
America. Applications include bridges and highway systems, high-rise
buildings and numerous commercial/industrial applications. Independent
scientific tests have shown MMFX2 rebar to be five times more
corrosion-resistant than and up to two times as strong as conventional
steel.
About MMFX Steel DMCC
MMFX Steel DMCC (“MMFX DMCC”), a Dubai Multi-Commodity Center
corporation, is the Middle East subsidiary of MMFX Technologies
Corporation. Utilizing its parent company’s proprietary and patented
nanotechnology, MMFX DMCC markets and sells the uncoated
corrosion-resistant, high-strength concrete reinforcing steel (“rebar”),
MMFX2, throughout the Middle East and North Africa (“MENA”) region.
MMFX2 rebar is sold under the specifications ASTM A1035 Grades 690 and
830.
Source:
Hanley Wood LLC, the premier media, event, information and strategic marketing services company serving the construction industry and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced today a strategic partnership whereby Hanley Wood has acquired the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo. More
SMC to spend $750M for 3 cement plants. More