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Introducing AMRL in Focus By Maria Knake, Program Manager
for Training and Technical Services |
| Welcome to the inaugural edition
of AMRL in Focus- a new publication designed to communicate
important AMRL programmatic changes and updates to the
construction materials industry. The goal of the newsletter is
to promote quality in materials testing by providing
information and updates on the services we provide. We look
forward to exploring many fun and interesting topics with our
readers in upcoming editions of AMRL in Focus. Currently, we
plan on publishing the newsletter twice a year, in April and
October. Please feel free to forward this newsletter to your
coworkers and business associates. If you are not interested
in receiving future editions of AMRL in Focus, please click on
the Unsubscribe link at the top of the page. You can always
view current and past issues of AMRL in Focus on the
Newsletter Archive page on our website. For additional
information on a specific program, please refer to the Contact
Us section on the right-hand side of this page. As always, the
most accurate and up-to-date information regarding our
programs can be found on our website at www.amrl.net. Enjoy! |
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Sprayed Fire-Resistive Materials (SFRMs) Added to AMRL
Scope By Matt Hutchison,
Assistant Program Supervisor (LAP) |
| AMRL is constantly evaluating new
test methods for addition to our scope of available
construction materials tests. We recently added Sprayed
Fire-Resistive Material (SFRM) testing to the Laboratory
Assessment Program (LAP) and the AASHTO Accreditation Program
(AAP). Read more  | |
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Metrology Musings |  | I think about metrology a lot. We
all do, whether we realize it or not. Metrology is defined as
"the field of knowledge concerned with measurement." Who
doesn't think about and use measurements on a daily, sometimes
hourly, basis? What time is it? How hot or cold is it outside?
How much do I weigh today? Read more |
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Quality Corner: What is Quality, Anyway? By Tracy Barnhart, Quality
and Information Manager |
| J.M. Juran, affectionately known as the Father of Quality,
probably said it best - quality is fitness for use. Quality is
defined in many other ways, such as conformance to
requirements, a measure of excellence, and meeting customer
expectations. No matter how you slice it, quality is always
defined by the customer. Read more
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Standardizing Timers and Stopwatches By Maria Knake, Program Manager
for Training and Technical Services |  | Whether monitoring strain rates,
determining flow speeds, or establishing drying intervals,
timing is an important part of laboratory testing. There is a
need to ensure that measurements taken with timing devices are
meaningful and accurate. Timing is such a critical component
of laboratory testing that AASHTO R18 requires that
stopwatches and timers used for testing are standardized at
least every six months for some test procedures. Read more |
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Getting Rid of Mercury By Maria Knake, Program Manager
for Training and Technical Services |
| These are exciting times in the world of thermometry.
Due to the efforts of the Interstate Mercury Education and
Reduction Clearing House (IMERC), the way that we take
temperature measurements is almost certainly going to change.
The initiative has prompted states across the U.S. to reduce
the use of mercury and products containing mercury. Read more
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