US 11,946,211 B1Granted

Portland cement concrete slab-on-ground fabrication method for performance satisfaction and reduced carbon emission

AssigneeAxiom Carbon Index, LLC

InventorsPeter J. Van Bergen, S. Allen Face, III

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Abstract

A ground site for a building is prepared for construction of a portland cement concrete slab-on-grade (PCC SoG). Using a computerized weather application, weather conditions for a geographic locale that includes the ground site are monitored to identify a window-of-time during which the weather application indicates there is a less than 50% chance of precipitation at the geographic locale. The surface of the ground site is proof rolled during the window-of-time. Using concrete emplacement equipment during the window-of-time and only after the ground site passes proof rolling, wet concrete is emplaced on the ground site to a nominal thickness that does not exceed 7 inches and that is at least one inch less than a PCC SoG design for the ground site having a design thickness based on design guidelines set forth by the American Concrete Institute. Emplacing must be completed with at least 4 hours remaining in the window-of-time.

Claims34

Dependent claims

A method, comprising:

providing a ground site having a surface;
preparing the ground site for construction of a portland cement concrete slab-on-ground (PCC SoG) of a building;
monitoring, using a computerized weather application operable on an electronic device, weather conditions for a geographic locale that includes the ground site to identify a window-of-time during which the weather application indicates there is a less than 50% chance of precipitation at the geographic locale;
proof rolling the surface of the ground site during the window-of-time wherein the ground site is assigned a passing grade or a failing grade, wherein the step of preparing the ground site includes identifying locations of columns for the building at the surface of the ground site wherein bays of the building are identified between sets of the locations, and wherein the step of proof rolling is carried out for each of the bays;
emplacing, using concrete emplacement equipment during the window-of-time and only after the passing grade is assigned, wet concrete on the surface of the ground site to a nominal thickness that does not exceed 7 inches and that is at least one inch less than a PCC SoG design for the ground site having a design thickness based on design guidelines set forth by the American Concrete Institute;
and
completing the step of emplacing with at least 4 hours remaining in the window-of-time.

4 more elements

A method, comprising:

providing a ground site having a surface;
identifying, using a geotechnical engineering report on the ground site, suspect locations beneath the surface of the ground site, each of the suspect locations having at least one sub-surface condition selected from the group consisting of the presence of organic matter, the presence of gas-filled voids, the presence of liquid-filled voids, and the presence of shrink-swell soil;
preparing the ground site for construction of a portland cement concrete slab-on-ground (PCC SoG) of a building;
monitoring, using a computerized weather application operable on an electronic device, weather conditions for a geographic locale that includes the ground site to identify a window-of-time during which the weather application indicates there is a less than 50% chance of precipitation at the geographic locale;
proof rolling the surface of the ground site during the window-of-time to include proof rolling the surface of the ground site over each of the suspect locations multiple times, wherein the ground site is assigned a passing grade or a failing grade after the step of proof rolling;
generating, using a video recording device, an archival video record of the surface of the ground site as the step of proof rolling is being performed, wherein the archival video record includes time data and location data for each portion of the surface of the ground site;
emplacing, using concrete emplacement equipment during the window-of-time and only after the passing grade is assigned, wet concrete on the surface of the ground site to a nominal thickness that does not exceed 7 inches and that is at least one inch less than a PCC SoG design for the ground site having a design thickness based on design guidelines set forth by the American Concrete Institute;
and
completing the step of emplacing with at least 4 hours remaining in the window-of-time, wherein a constructed PCC SoG is generated by the steps of emplacing and completing and wherein the archival video record comprises a portion of a guarantee of performance associated with the constructed PCC SoG.

6 more elements

A method, comprising:

providing a ground site having a surface;
preparing the ground site for construction of a portland cement concrete slab-on-ground (PCC SoG) of a building;
monitoring, using a computerized weather application operable on an electronic device, weather conditions for a geographic locale that includes the ground site to identify a window-of-time during which the weather application indicates there is a less than 50% chance of precipitation at the geographic locale;
proof rolling the surface of the ground site during the window-of-time wherein the ground site is assigned a passing grade or a failing grade after the step of proof rolling;
generating, using a video recording device, an archival video record of the surface of the ground site as the step of proof rolling is being performed, wherein the archival video record includes time data and location data for each portion of the surface of the ground site;
emplacing, using concrete emplacement equipment during the window-of-time and only after the passing grade is assigned, wet concrete on the surface of the ground site to a nominal thickness that does not exceed 7 inches and that is at least one inch less than a PCC SoG design for the ground site having a design thickness based on design guidelines set forth by the American Concrete Institute;
completing the step of emplacing with at least 4 hours remaining in the window-of-time wherein a constructed PCC SoG covers the surface of the ground site;
determining a first value indicative of carbon emission associated with the constructed PCC SoG;
determining a second value indicative of carbon emission associated with the PCC SoG design for the ground site based on the design guidelines set forth by the American Concrete Institute, wherein the design thickness of the PCC SoG design is determined using a thickness design method set forth in the American Concrete Institute's Publication No. 360R-10, and wherein the thickness design method uses a factor of safety of at least 1.4;
and
determining a difference between the first value and the second value, wherein the difference is indicative of a commercially-exchangeable carbon credit associated with the constructed PCC SoG, and wherein the archival video record comprises a portion of a guarantee of performance associated with the constructed PCC SoG.

8 more elements

A method, comprising:

providing a ground site having a surface;
preparing the ground site for construction of a portland cement concrete slab-on-ground (PCC SoG) of a building;
monitoring, using a computerized weather application operable on an electronic device, weather conditions for a geographic locale that includes the ground site to identify a window-of-time during which the weather application indicates there is a less than 50% chance of precipitation at the geographic locale;
proof rolling the surface of the ground site during the window-of-time wherein the ground site is assigned a passing grade or a failing grade after the step of proof rolling;
emplacing, using concrete emplacement equipment during the window-of-time and only after the passing grade is assigned, wet concrete on the surface of the ground site to a nominal thickness that does not exceed 7 inches and that is at least one inch less than a PCC SoG design for the ground site having a design thickness based on design guidelines set forth by the American Concrete Institute;
completing the step of emplacing with at least 4 hours remaining in the window-of-time wherein a constructed PCC SoG covers the surface of the ground site;
determining a first value indicative of carbon emission associated with the constructed PCC SoG;
determining a second value indicative of carbon emission associated with the PCC SoG design for the ground site based on the design guidelines set forth by the American Concrete Institute, wherein the design thickness of the PCC SoG design is determined using a thickness design method set forth in the American Concrete Institute's Publication No. 360R-10, and wherein the thickness design method uses a factor of safety of at least 1.4;
determining a difference between the first value and the second value, wherein the difference is indicative of a commercially-exchangeable carbon credit associated with the constructed PCC SoG;
storing the commercially-exchangeable carbon credit associated with the constructed PCC SoG at a database;
and
advertising at least a portion of the commercially-exchangeable carbon credit stored at the database via an internet-accessible website after the building has been completed.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.