Fred Aguayo has worked with the Construction Materials Research Group at UT Austin since he was an undergraduate student.
Fred Aguayo, a Ph.D. candidate in materials engineering, and Professor Kevin Folliard have been awarded the Portland Cement Association (PCA) Education Foundation JP Gleason Fellowship for 2013.
The support provided by the Education Foundation is used to identify and attract outstanding candidates in the field of engineering and the physical sciences and provide them with the necessary support to complete their studies. Additionally, this support is intended to provide them an opportunity for productive work in the cement and concrete industries.
This prestigious fellowship will help support their research related to the development of a new laboratory test method for evaluating the sulfate resistance of concrete. Sulfate attack is one of the most damaging forms of concrete deterioration and has plagued concrete structures worldwide. Despite the importance of this durability issue, there are no standardized test methods that accurately and efficiently evaluate the sulfate resistance of a given concrete mixture.
It is hoped that Aguayo and Folliard's work will lead to a standardized test method that can ultimately be adopted by ASTM, AASHTO, and other stakeholders involved in the design and construction of concrete structures in the U.S. and beyond.
