The contractor for this job had well over a thousand yards of patching to bid. The City of Clive gave the contractor two options; use a standard M-4 mix which is priced higher due to the increased cement content, or use the cheaper C-4WR-C20 mix. The only catch was that if they chose the C mix, they had to do maturity testing as per Iowa D.O.T. specs. The contractor had no previous experience with the maturity method so they leaned on us for assistance.
The quality control manager established a curve based on the mix they were pouring. All of our plants have a maturity curve for this particular mix already established however the contractor was going to be pouring at a higher water/cement ratio thus requiring a new curve. Once the curve was established the contractor’s responsibility is to place probes in the patch and take frequent temperature recordings. To take these recordings a special handheld thermometer is needed. Our staff at Norwalk Ready Mix helped lead the contractor to the right place for purchasing all the required equipment, as well as went onsite to aide in education on the correct procedures to use in order to meet the standards required by the City of Clive. That personal touch was just what the contractor needed to fulfill his obligation and save some money in the process.
