What is the cost?
ASA informational Presentations are free to the host organization with five or more Architects, Engineers, or Specifiers in attendance. Webinars connecting multiple locations could also be arranged.
What is the value to your organization?
The shotcrete process offers numerous quality, efficiency, and sustainability advantages, but proper knowledge of the process is critical to the creation of a quality specification and for the success of any specifier/owner employing the process. Maintaining a high level of quality for concrete placed via the shotcrete method is ASA’s primary concern and we have found this type of onsite presentation to be an excellent tool for all involved. Typically these are 60-minute presentations, including Q&A, but can be tailored to accommodate your needs. ASA is a registered AIA/CES Provider.
ASA currently offers two presentation options:
Introduction to Shotcrete
- Advantages and benefits using the shotcrete process in a wide variety of applications
- Dry-mix and wet-mix processes
- Specifications, material considerations, placement techniques, and performance guidelines
- Structural considerations for shotcrete placement
- Pre-construction, jobsite conditions, curing methods
Shotcrete for Underground Applications
- Follows ACI 506.5R, “Guide for Specifying Underground Shotcrete”
- Highlights typical underground applications
- Covers materials, anchorage, reinforcement, and performance requirements
- Addresses batching/mixing, transport, placing equipment, preparation, curing, and protection
- Discusses QA/QC, submittals, preconstruction tests, and construction acceptance
- Includes repair and rehabilitation, safety, measurement, and payment
How do I arrange for an ASA informational presentation?
Contact ASA staff at [email protected] or (248) 983-1702 to arrange for an onsite informational presentation tailored for your group’s needs.
Request a Seminar at your University
Introduction to Shotcrete — University Seminar
This 1-hour “Introduction to Shotcrete” seminar is provided free of charge to universities. The seminar is presented by one of our industry professionals with extensive shotcrete experience and gives students and faculty an overview of the shotcrete process from a concrete material, structural, architectural, and construction perspective. The on-site presentation allows speaker interaction with the students and faculty in Q&A during the presentation. Shotcrete placement’s flexibility and economy is driving increased usage in a wide variety of concrete applications including structural walls, seismic and other code-required upgrades, foundations, architectural concrete, liquid-containing structures, material storage domes, underground mining, subways, concrete repair and restoration, pools, skateparks, and soil stabilization. Civil and Structural Engineering, Materials, Construction Management, and Architecture students would benefit from this seminar.
Please call or e-mail ASA staff at 248.963.0210 or [email protected] with your:
- available/proposed date(s);
- anticipated class size; and
- any specialty areas of concern you would like addressed, such as underground, structural, repair and rehabilitation, materials, architectural, and so on.
ASA/Laval University Scholarship
Recognizing the contributions of Laval University to further the research and development of materials and equipment pertinent to advancing shotcrete technology, the American Shotcrete Association (ASA) offers an annual scholarship to one (1) Laval University graduate student leading a project on shotcrete. This graduate student must be enrolled in Laval University (M.Sc. or Ph.D. level) at the time of receiving the scholarship and be working under the supervision or co-supervision of Professor Marc Jolin.
Eligibility
- The student must be enrolled at Laval University;
- He/she must be conducting an M.Sc. or Ph.D. level project at the time of receiving the scholarship (which is usually in January);
- He/she must be working under the supervision or co-supervision of Professor Marc Jolin;
- He/she must be working on shotcrete in his/her research project;
- He/she should have not received the award in the past for the same project; and
- He/she must submit a proposal document.
Evaluation Criteria
- (25 pts) Relevance of the project’s objectives with regards to the needs of the shotcrete industry.
- (25 pts) Clear presentation of the project’s scientific objectives.
- (20 pts) Quality, originality, and scope of the research project.
- (10 pts) Integration of sustainability elements in the project.
- (20 pts) Quality of the student’s resume.
Proposal Document
The proposal document (in English) must be two (2) pages maximum (letter format, single space, 12 pt font) including photos, graphics, references, etc. It must be accompanied by a complete resume (max. 2 pages).
Calendar
Deadline to submit a proposal is November 15 of each year.
Scholarship
$3000 USD to the student to be used for his/her tuition and/or educational expenses at Laval University.
Announcement and publication of awardee and an article on his/her research in ASA’s quarterly trade publication, Shotcrete magazine; the ASA website; and other social media channels including Facebook, ASA’s eNewsletter, “What’s in the Mix,” press releases, etc.
Past Scholarship Recipients
Click on a title below to expand.
Antoine Gagnon
Antoine Gagnon is a PhD Student in the Department of Civil and Water Engineering at Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada. The focus of his graduate research is in developing tools for the design and testing of fiber-reinforced shotcrete (FRS) for ground support. Gagnon has worked on shotcrete research projects with different companies in the industry. He also serves on technical committees of the American Concrete Institute. He received his bachelor’s degree and his master’s degree in civil engineering from Université Laval.
Émile Blouin-Dallaire
Émile Blouin-Dallaire, Jr. Ing., holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Laval University, Quebec City, QC, Canada, where he is currently completing his master’s degree in the same field of study. His ongoing research project aims to optimize curing techniques and their impacts on shotcrete shrinkage and cracking. This project is part of the effort to reduce the cracking potential of shotcrete repairs and to improve their durability. He is working on one of several projects of the Collaborative Research and Development grant supported by King Shotcrete Solutions and the Canadian Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.
Thomas Jacob-Vaillancourt
Father of two Thomas Jacob-Vaillancourt received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Laval University, where he now pursues his master’s degree. The goal of his ongoing research is to optimize curing and protection methods for shotcrete. The study will provide a better understanding of the curing impact on hydration and overall durability of dry-mix and wet-mix shotcrete. He is working on one of the projects of the Collaborative Research and Development grant supported by King Shotcrete Solutions and NSERC at Laval University.
Antoine Gagnon
Antoine Gagnon received his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering at Laval University where he continues to work towards his master’s degree in the same. The focus of his graduate research is in developing shotcrete mix designs with added environmental/sustainable value. Towards that end, he is exploring the reduction of waste associated with shotcrete rebound and inclusion of industrial waste and recycled materials to minimize the use of new resources, all with an eye towards conventional and environmental costs as well as sustainable performance.
Simon Bérubé
Simon Bérubé earned his civil engineering bachelor’s degree from Université Laval, where he is continuing on to earn his Master’s Degree in the same field. He is interested in the field of shotcrete repairs and is currently researching spray distribution and the rebound of materials.
Pasquale Basso Trujillo
Pasquale Basso Trujillo received his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and Administration from Universidad Panamericana. He is now pursuing a Master’s in Civil Engineering at Université Laval. He is researching the development length of reinforcing steel in shotcrete structures, and hopes to continue his research through a doctorate.
Isabelle Fily-Pare
Isabelle Fily-Pare graduated with a B.Eng from the University of Sherbrooke in 2012 and is currently pursuing a MS in civil engineering from Laval University. Her area of interest is in concrete materials, researching the potential of recycled glass powder in shotcrete mix design.
Lisa Marie Montgomery
Lisa Marie Montgomery graduated from the University of Maryland with a BS in physical sciences with a concentration in civil engineering and BA in criminology and criminal justice, 2011. She is currently working towards an M.Arch from Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD. Coming from a heritage in the construction industry, she recognizes the potential for new and unconventional designs available through shotcrete application.
Natalie Boyer
Natalie Boyer graduated from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign with a BS in Architectural Studies. She is currently pursuing a Masters of Architecture degree with an emphasis in structural systems from the same institution. Boyer sees the role shotcrete plays in structural systems and restorations, another area of interest, as significant and advantageous.
Sebastien Girard
Sebastien Girard received a BEng from the Universite Laval in Civil Engineering. He is currently pursuing a Masters in Civil Engineering from Laval as well. Concurrent to his studies, he works as a Forensics Engineer Assistant evaluating defects in concrete structure. This work has spurred his graduate studies in material performance.
Jessica L. Benaglio
Jessica L. Benaglio received a B.S.E. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in Civil & Environmental Engineering in 2011. She is currently pursuing a M.S.E. in Structural Civil Engineering from the same institution. During this time, she interned with the Michigan Department of Transportation, performing duties as a highway bridge inspector; surveyor of bridges, roads, entrance/exit ramps and vegetation; designed traffic flow for intersections with MicroStation and obtained her Concrete Field Technician Certification. Her ultimate goal is to design energy sustainable buildings for which she sees the use of Shotcrete as a fitting application.
Patrick O. Power
Patrick O. Power received his B.Eng. Civil Engineering from Laval University, Quebec City, ON (Canada) in 2011 and is currently pursuing his M.Sc. Civil Engineering from the same university. His research at Laval is on the durability of North American shotcrete mixes encompassing mixes from coast to coast. The study aims to provide a wide array of information on mixes ranging from standard coastal Gunite to ternary binder shotcrete. Power plans to pursue a career in concrete repair and sees that additional research in shotcrete would increase the options available to extend the service-life of infrastructure repairs.
Rodrigo Valbuena Tovar
Tovar received his BS in civil engineering from the National University of Colombia in 2001 and received a degree as a Specialist in Project Management in 2006 from Pontifcia Bolivariana University in Colombia. Tovar is currently working toward earning his MS in civil engineering from the University of Texas in San Antonio. In Colombia, Tovar participated in several concrete research projects on new construction materials and techniques and has received honorable mention for his thesis, “The Use of MiniRound abouts for Control of the Trafficof Intersections in Bogotá.” Tovar plans to receive his master’s degree and pursue the benefitsof the shotcrete process as a civil engineer.
Jean-Michel Royer
Royer received his BS in civil engineering from Laval University in 2009 and is currently working toward earning his MS in civil engineering from the same university. Royer worked as a Research Assistant for 2 years on concrete and shotcrete at Laval University, was a member of the Steel Bridge Competition Team with the American Society of Concrete Engineers (ASCE), and was a winning member of the Laval University canoe team. Currently, Royer is a Teaching Assistant for a concrete structure course at Laval University and plans to keep teaching during his professional career.
Benjamin Turner
Benjamin Turner received his Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) and is currently working toward earning a Master of Science in civil engineering at the same university. While at Cal Poly, Turner has worked as an intern at AIS Construction. His work there involved the design, bidding, and construction of multiple soil nail walls, as well as tunnel projects that involved the use of shotcrete. Currently, he is working on a design for the expansion of a tunnel roof using shotcrete and rockbolts in the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) underground command center. Turner plans to focus his career on this fascinating and growing micro-industry.
Nicolas Ginouse
Nicolas Ginouse received his degree in mechanical and industrial engineering from Arts et Métiers Paristech in Paris, France, and he is currently pursuing an MS in civil engineering from Laval University, Quebec, QC, Canada. Ginouse is beginning his graduate studies on the shotcrete team at Laval University where the main objective of his project is to model the mixture flow at the outlet of the nozzle to predict particle velocity, speed distribution of the stream, and the effects on rebound.
Nathan Hicks
Nathan Hicks received his BS in Architectural Engineering in June 2008 from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo and is currently working towards obtaining is MS in Architecture with a specialization in Structural Engineering from Cal Poly SLO.
Hicks spent the past few summers and winters in San Diego working as an intern at the Levig Design Group, Inc. engineering and designing custom homes, garages, and retaining walls. Hicks hopes to use his knowledge of seismic rehab and shotcrete in the upcoming academic year as he continues his graduate research project on when renovation is an acceptable alternative to demolition. Specifically Hick’s hopes to look at possible rehab schemes for the concrete multi-purpose facilities that dominated the Major League Baseball landscape in the 1960s and ‘70s.
Louis-Samuel Bolduc
Louis-Samuel Bolduc received his BS in Civil Engineering in May 2007 from Laval University and is currently working towards obtaining his MS in Civil Engineering from Laval University with an anticipated graduation date of May 2009.
Bolduc entered the construction industry when he was 19 years old working in the construction department of a hardware store. Since then he has been an intern for an important steel manufacturer in Montreal, Canada to develop a composite concrete/steel floor system, he has worked as a research assistant for the shotcrete team at Laval University, and he has been involved in many projects related to rheology, admixture development, and shotcrete durability.
During the pursuit of his graduate studies at Laval University his main objective is to study the effect of shooting parameters and mixture characteristics on transport properties of shotcrete. At this time, Bolduc’s graduate courses are finished but he is completing the experimental part of his project and has started writing his thesis. For the future, he hopes to pursue studies to the PhD level.