As our members work to keep Michigan’s essential road and bridge infrastructure projects moving forward, ensuring employee health and safety is vital. The following best practices are provided as a resource. Consult your company’s legal, safety, insurance, labor and HR teams to determine the appropriate practice for your operations.
February 28, 2020
Blessed be the ties that bind. Therein is the key difference between concrete and asphalt: The binder.
Concrete and asphalt are both made with a mixture of aggregate. Concrete is bonded with a mixture of water and portland cement that creates a chemical reaction and hardens. Asphalt is bound with a black, sticky petroleum-based substance. This substance is behind terms like “blacktop” or “tarmac.”
Because of the key differences between the two products, concrete and asphalt contractors will offer different services to match the installation requirements.
February 26, 2020
One of the most durable and most flexible building materials, concrete has many applications. From countertops to flooring to burial vaults, bridge piers, highways and entire buildings, concrete is everywhere in our daily lives.
February 24, 2020
Many factors go into the choice between concrete and asphalt for your driveway or parking lot project. Concrete, when correctly installed and maintained, is a long-term solution that can increase the overall value of your property. While it may be more costly up front, it can last twice as long as an asphalt surface with significantly less maintenance and deterioration.
October 1, 2019
If you are interested in volunteering as either an instructor (assist students on lab practice days)
or supplemental examiner (assist with grading students on exam day), please take a moment to
review the information summarized below. As a thank you for helping us this year, the MCA
will be offering a Under Armour Travel Bag to all examiners and instructors. So that we can
order the correct number of backpacks, please click the button below, fill out the form & email it to lclegg@miconcrete.net by Friday, November 15th.
January 28, 2019
Scaling, as defined by the American Concrete Institute (ACI) Committee 116, is the “local flaking or peeling away of the near-surface portion of hardened concrete or mortar.” Sometimes called mortar flaking when it occurs just over the aggregates near the surface, it is primarily a physical action created by hydraulic pressures from repeated freeze-thaw cycles within the concrete. The expansive forces caused by the formation of ice are exacerbated with deicing chemicals, which increase both the saturation of the concrete and the number of freeze-thaw cycles. The distress mechanisms of scaling are complex on both a microscopic and macroscopic level.
January 12, 2018
MCA is pleased to offer a Concrete Paving Inspection course to train both inspectors and contractors in the construction of concrete pavements. The course will cover the important tasks and dutties of both the construction personnel and those observing the work.
January 12, 2018
MCA conducts an annual "Excellence in Concrete" awards program which honors outstanding concrete projects that were constructed in the previous year. The award plaques are presented at the annual workshop and conference, which is typically held in February.
