March 2002

BFRL Monthly Highlights

March 2002

April 2002

May 2002

June 2002

July 2002

PAST Highlights

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NIST Reaffirms Commitment to Cement Industry

NIST portland cement Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) have underpinned product quality for the cement industry for nearly 50 years. The cement SRM 1880 series has proven to be essential to laboratories which certify concrete products for performance and which evaluate mechanisms for concrete corrosion and failure. The CSTL Analytical Chemistry Division and Standard Reference Materials Program have recently completed re-certification of the entire suite of ten cement SRMs in the 1880 series in collaboration with the Construction Technology Laboratories, Inc., a subsidiary of the Portland Cement Association, and the U.S. Geological Survey.

The replacement series of cement SRMs reflects newer cement types now being used; ordinary and blended portland cement products from around the world were selected, including blends with limestone, slag, and fly ash, low Fe white cement, and two calcium aluminate cements. These materials are certified for more components that cover a wider range of elemental composition than any prior series. Four of the certificates of analysis of the new SRMs carry a table of results from the Cement and Concrete Reference Laboratory Proficiency Sample Program housed at NIST, which summarizes proficiency test results from over 200 laboratories.

A key development of the project was a new matrix-independent X-ray fluorescence method created by John Sieber, in which calibration standards are prepared from primary reference materials using borate fusion. Major, minor, and trace constituents can be determined without corrections for matrix effects, which typically lead to high relative uncertainties in the final results. This new high performance method consistently yields expanded relative uncertainty estimates below 1 percent. In addition to cement, the versatile method has already been applied to zeolite compounds, low alloy steel, and aerospace alloys.

CONTACT: John Sieber, 301-975-3920
Bruce MacDonald, 301-975-2017

Brazilian Building Construction Delegation

On Feb. 12, 2002, the Global Standards and Information Program (GSIP) in the TS Office of Standards Services hosted a delegation of five Brazilian building construction officials for a multifaceted exchange related to construction standards, regulations, and certification. The program was part of an orientation visit organized by the U.S. Commercial Service in Brazil and funded by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.

Representatives from the American National Standards Institute, the International Code Council, the International Building Code Officials, and the National Evaluation Service participated in the meetings. NIST participants included Jonathan Martin, Acting Chief of the BFRL Building Materials Division; George Kelly, Chief of the BFRL Building Environmental Division; members of their staffs; Carmina Londono, GSIP Chief; and Ileana Martinez of GSIP. The group was accompanied by Avi Braganca, the NIST Regional Standards Officer stationed in Brazil, and Marina Konno of the U.S. Commercial Service in Sao Paulo.

CONTACT: Ileana Martinez, 301-975-2766

 

 

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