IMS Seminar held on 15th September 2020

The seminar was Chaired and introduced by Graham Sargeant, the Research Manager for H+H Celcon Ltd, who was responsible for organising the event. He welcomed the participants to the seminar and explained how the seminar would proceed and how questions were to be submitted using the controls on Zoom.

The first speaker was Neil Beningfield a well know Consultant and mortar expert. He described a range of admixture types but noted that the plastic properties of mortar were not very well addressed by test methods. There was confusion between consistence and plasticity. Strength testing was well covered but durability was not.

The second speaker was Christopher Hogg the BASF area sales manager for South East England. Chris explained the basis of admixture development and the importance of BS EN 934-3 to this work.

Richard White, Lucideon’s Principal Consultant for materials, noted that there was no clear definition for durability and described the background to the freeze-thaw test for clay brickwork. Special Publication 150 gave test results. Tests continued at the long term exposure site at Doveholes, Buxton.

Peter Primmer, Concrete Services Manager at Forterra Building Products, explained some of the intricate aspects of energy use and carbon dioxide emissions. He then explained the options for determining the thermal conductivity of masonry units using BS EN 1745.

The final speaker was Scott McAndrew, the Research and development manager for ITW. He explained the testing of ancillary products such as restraint straps, wall ties and joist hangers. A good example shown was that development of joist hangers capable of functioning during construction without superimposed masonry above the strap.

The meeting was closed by the President, John Roberts, who thanked the speakers for the work done in developing their presentation to suit the constraints of the online delivery. He also thanked Lucideon for hosting the event and facilitating the technical aspects and the IMS administrative team. Finally, and most importantly, he thanked the audience for their participation and hoped that they had enjoyed the event and would provide feedback and suggestions for future seminars.