Submit to ACI

6

1.

 Where to Submit

Manuscripts for both the ACI Structural Journal and the ACI Materials Journal must be uploaded through the ACI ScholarOne Manuscripts Portal. [1]

2. Core Submission Requirements

Your paper must strictly adhere to the ACI Author Guidelines PDF to avoid immediate rejection by staff: [1, 2]

• Format: Double-spaced Microsoft Word document (.doc or .docx).

• Title: Maximum of 70 characters including spaces.

• Author Bios: Maximum of 75 words per author.

• Abstract: Maximum of 150 words summarizing results and conclusions.

• Keywords: Maximum of 9 keywords listed alphabetically.

• Dual Units: All measurements must feature both SI (metric) and inch-pound units (one in parentheses). [, 2, 3, 4]

3. Step-by-Step Submission Process

1. Format your paper: Organize sections in this exact order: Title, Author Names, Author Bios, Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, Research Significance, Main Text, References.

2. Create an account: Log into the ACI ScholarOne Portal. If you are new, click "Create an Account."

3. Enter the Author Center: Click "Submit a New Manuscript".

4. Fill out the metadata: Enter your title, abstract, and keywords exactly as they appear in your document.

5. Add co-authors: Enter the full names, affiliations, and email addresses of all contributors.

6. Upload files: Upload your main text document and high-resolution figures or tables.

7. Review and Submit: View the generated PDF proof to ensure formatting is correct, then click Submit. [1, 3, 5, 6, 7]

💡 If you are submitting something else: ACI also accepts submissions for Concrete International Magazine (practice-oriented, 3,000-word limit) and Excellence in Concrete Construction Project Awards. [1, 2]

Are you submitting a peer-reviewed journal paper, a magazine article, or an award nomination?

To get a proprietary, innovative, or "superior" concrete building system reviewed and accepted into the building codes or technical standards of the American Concrete Institute (ACI), you cannot use standard journal submission channels. ACI does not officially "approve" commercial products; instead, they provide mechanisms to evaluate new technology so it can be legally specified by engineers. [1]

You must navigate the review and acceptance process through the following three primary paths:

1. Present to the ACI Foundation Concrete Innovation Council (CIC) [1]

If your building system uses a completely new methodology, material, or structural approach, your first step is to seek exposure, industry feedback, and potential research backing through the ACI Foundation Concrete Innovation Council. [1]

• Action: Submit a presentation proposal via the ACI Foundation Innovation Portal to pitch your technology at the annual Concrete Innovation Forum. [1]

• Outcome: This introduces your system to a highly influential network of architects, structural engineers, regulatory agency representatives, and corporate executives who can champion your system. [1]

2. Request an Innovation Task Group (ITG) [1]

When an innovative concrete system does not fit into existing building codes (like ACI 318), ACI can form an Innovation Task Group (ITG) to create a brand-new code protocol or prescriptive design standard specifically for that technology. A prominent example is ITG-12, which was explicitly formed to establish code requirements for 3D-printed concrete walls. [1, 2]

• Action: Apply directly to the ACI Technical Activities Committee (TAC) to request the formation of an ITG for your specific category of building system.

• Requirement: You must provide comprehensive, independent, third-party testing data proving the system's structural load capacity, fire resistance, and long-term durability.

3. Seek an Evaluation Report (ICC-ES Path)

While ACI writes the foundational concrete codes, they partner with the ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) to issue official Evaluation Reports (ESRs). If your "superior system" is a proprietary product (such as a unique Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) or a specialized precast connection system), building officials will demand an ICC-ES report showing that it complies with ACI 318 criteria. [1]

• Action: Apply for an Evaluation Report through the ICC-ES Portal.

• Process: ICC-ES will review your technical data against existing Acceptance Criteria (AC). If no criteria match your superior system, they will write a new AC protocol, utilizing ACI technical committee members to review your structural data. [1]

💡 To help route you to the correct resource or technical committee, what makes this building system superior?

1. Is it a new material/mixture (e.g., carbon-negative or ultra-high performance concrete)?

2. Is it a new structural method (e.g., 3D-printing, advanced precast, or unique modular assembly)?

4 sites

• The ACI Foundation's Request for Proposal on Behalf of ACI's ...
  The ACI Foundation's Request for Proposal on Behalf of ACI's Innovation Task Group 93-12. 2/13/2024. The ACI Foundation is adminis...
  American Concrete Institute

• Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete (ACI 318 ...
  Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete and Commentary. Copyright by the American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills,
  ماتیا ساختمان

• Innovation - ACI Foundation
  Organized by the ACI Foundation's Concrete Innovation Council (CIC), the Concrete Innovation Forum is meant to showcase new materi...
  ACI Foundation

Show all

You said: superior geometry and versatility and structural performance of a cavity wall system

To position a proprietary concrete cavity wall system for review and eventual acceptance by the American Concrete Institute (ACI), you must explicitly document how its "superior geometry, versatility, and structural performance" map to existing codes, or why they warrant an alternative code protocol.

The evaluation framework should structured around three core design vectors:

1. Superior Geometry: Architectural Integration & Optimization

When presenting to the Technical Activities Committee (TAC), the system's geometry must be justified by physical and thermal performance, not just aesthetics. [1]

• Optimized Thermal Break: Prove how the spatial geometry of the cavity minimizes thermal bridging. Provide finite element modeling showing compliance with ACI/TMS 122R (Guide to Thermal Properties of Concrete and Masonry Systems). [1]

• Moisture Control & Pressure Equalization: Document the inner/outer wythe geometry. Show how it maintains a minimum 2-inch continuous air space and works as a pressure-equalized rain-screen system to divert water via flashing and weep holes. [1, 2, 3]

• Volumetric Material Efficiency: Quantify how the cross-sectional geometry reduces overall concrete volume while matching or exceeding the load-bearing capacities of conventional solid walls. [1]

2. Versatility: Multi-Functional Adaptability

ACI prioritizes systems that solve multiple design issues simultaneously. Highlight the building system's adaptability across different project types:

• Integrated Envelope System: The system should consolidate the structural frame, exterior facade, continuous insulation layer, and vapor barrier into a single installation sequence. [1]

• Finishing Flexibility: Demonstrate that the exterior wythe can readily accept multiple architectural expressions (e.g., exposed aggregate, texturing, ceramic veneer coatings) according to ACI 533R (Guide for Precast Concrete Wall Panels) parameters. [1]

• Dynamic Cavity Scaling: Explain how easily the internal cavity width can be scaled up or down (e.g., from 2 inches to 4.5 inches) to accommodate localized climate demands, thicker rigid insulation, or internal utility runs without altering structural engineering principles. [1, 2]

3. Structural Performance: Enhanced Load Resistance

Because cavity walls feature isolated wythes, the structural review requires rigid verification of how loads are shared. [1, 2]

• Lateral Wind & Seismic Load Sharing: Provide empirical testing showing how your horizontal joint reinforcement or proprietary tie systems effectively transfer tensile and compressive forces between the wythes, making them act in unison against lateral shear and wind loads.

• Slenderness Ratio Improvements: Show how the geometric configuration alters the radius of gyration, allowing for taller unbraced wall heights under ACI 318 (Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete) without inducing localized buckling.

• Acoustic & Fire Rated Mass: Deliver ASTM E119 fire-test data demonstrating that the dual-wythe mass plus the dead-air gap provides superior fire resistance hours and sound transmission class (STC) ratings over single-wythe profiles. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9]

Recommended Next Steps for Acceptance

To initiate an official technical review of this system, you must target the specific technical committees that govern this envelope type:

                 [Your Cavity Wall System]

                             │

       ┌─────────────────────┴─────────────────────┐

       ▼                                           ▼

[ACI Committee 533]                        [ACI Committee 560]

(Precast Wall Panels)                     (Insulated Form/Envelopes)

       │                                           │

       └─────────────────────┬─────────────────────┘

                             ▼

              [ACI Innovation Task Group (ITG)]

               *Establishes unique code path*

1. Map to Committee 533 or 560: If precast, request a technical presentation slot with ACI Committee 533 (Precast Panels). If it utilizes cast-in-place or an innovative forming method, target ACI Committee 560 (Insulating Concrete Forms). [1, 2]

2. Propose an Innovation Task Group (ITG): If the system breaks existing ACI 318 geometric or material rules, request that the Technical Activities Committee form a dedicated ITG to author a new prescriptive design standard.

💡 To organize a professional submission pack: Do you already have third-party laboratory testing data (such as ASTM structural, fire, or thermal results), or are you looking to establish a predictive mathematical model to present to the committee first?

13 sites

• ACI 533R-11 Guide to Precast Concrete Walls and Panels
  Panels having natural stone veneer or ceramic veneer finishes are not covered in detail. 1.3—Responsibility. 1.3. 1 General—Contra...
  American Concrete Institute

• CAVITY WALLS - Masonry Advisory Council
  INTRODUCTION. Simply stated, a cavity wall is two wythes of masonry, separated by a cavity of varying dimension. The mason- ry wyt...
  Masonry Advisory Council

• Thermal and energy efficiency in 3D-printed buildings: Review ...
  The review demonstrates how optimising wall cross-sections and cavity shapes can reduce thermal conductivity and enhance energy ef...
  ScienceDirect.com

Show all

You said: predictive mathematical model

To present a predictive mathematical model for a proprietary concrete cavity wall system to the American Concrete Institute (ACI), you must frame your equations within existing structural engineering mechanics. ACI technical committees (such as Committee 533 for precast or Committee 560 for insulated systems) will not accept a model unless it is anchored to foundational physics and calibrated against standard concrete behavior.

Your mathematical model must comprehensively address three critical structural behaviors:

1. Structural Performance Model: Wythe Interaction & Mechanics

Because a cavity wall consists of two concrete layers (wythes) separated by an insulation gap, your model must mathematically define how loads are shared through the connector ties.

 Outer Wythe (t1)      Cavity (g)      Inner Wythe (t2)

    ┌───┐                 │  │                 ┌───┐

    │   │                 │  │                 │   │

    │   │◄────────────────┼──┼────────────────►│   │

    │   │   Shear Tie     │  │                 │   │

    │   │   Stiffness (K) │  │                 │   │

    └───┘                 │  │                 └───┘

Partially Composite Behavior (Shear Transfer)

Purely non-composite walls assume each wythe acts independently. Fully composite walls assume they act as a single solid block. Your model must calculate the Degree of Composite Action (\(\eta \)) based on the slip modulus of your connectors:

\(\eta =\frac{I_{eff}-I_{nc}}{I_{c}-I_{nc}}\)

• \(I_{eff}\) = Effective moment of inertia of your system.

• \(I_{nc}\) = Sum of the independent moments of inertia of both wythes (\(\sum \frac{b \cdot t_i^3}{12}\)).

• \(I_{c}\) = Fully composite moment of inertia calculated using the parallel axis theorem across the entire geometric cross-section.

Tie Stiffness Matrix

Define the connector ties as structural springs. Your model must include a stiffness matrix (\(K\)) that calculates the shear transfer (\(V_{s}\)) across the cavity gap (\(g\)) as a function of horizontal wind or seismic displacement (\(\Delta \)):

\(V_{s}=K_{tie}\cdot \Delta \)

2. Geometric & Slenderness Model: Buckling Resistance

A major selling point of "superior geometry" is optimizing the wall's thickness to resist buckling without wasting concrete. Your model must modify standard ACI 318 slenderness equations to account for the cavity.

Effective Radius of Gyration (\(r_{eff}\))

ACI 318 relies on the radius of gyration (\(r\)) to check for buckling. For your cavity system, your model must calculate an effective radius of gyration that accounts for the degree of composite action (\(\eta \)):

\(r_{eff}=\sqrt{\frac{I_{eff}}{A_{1}+A_{2}}}\)

• \(A_1, A_2\) = Cross-sectional areas of the inner and outer wythes.

Critical Buckling Load (\(P_{cr}\))

Incorporate your \(I_{eff}\) into a modified Euler buckling equation to predict the maximum axial load capacity before structural failure:

\(P_{cr}=\frac{\pi ^{2}\cdot E_{c}\cdot I_{eff}}{(k\cdot l_{u})^{2}}\)

• \(E_{c}\) = Modulus of elasticity of the concrete (\(57,000 \sqrt{f'_c}\) per ACI 318).

• \(k \cdot l_u\) = Effective unbraced height factor of the wall panel.

3. Thermal & Volumetric Versatility Model: Differential Strain

Because the outer concrete wythe is exposed to the elements and the inner wythe is insulated inside the building, they will expand and contract at completely different rates. Your model must prove the system can handle this without cracking.

Thermal Curvature (\(\phi _{th}\))

Calculate the theoretical bowing or curvature (\(\phi _{th}\)) induced by a temperature gradient (\(\Delta T\)) across the cavity:

\(\phi _{th}=\frac{\alpha \cdot \Delta T}{d_{eff}}\)

• \(\alpha \) = Coefficient of thermal expansion of concrete (\(6.0 \times 10^{-6} / ^\circ\text{F}\)).

• \(\Delta T\) = Temperature difference between the outdoor face and indoor face.

• \(d_{eff}\) = Out-to-out distance of the total wall system.

Induced Tie Shear Strain (\(\gamma \))

The model must calculate the resulting shear strain (\(\gamma \)) on the cavity ties at the top and bottom boundaries of the wall panel:

\(\gamma =\frac{\alpha \cdot \Delta T\cdot L_{panel}}{2\cdot g}\)

• \(L_{panel}\) = Total length or height of the wall panel.

• \(g\) = Width of the cavity gap.

How to Present This Model to ACI

To get an ACI committee to take a mathematical model seriously before you invest in massive physical laboratory destructive testing, you must take these steps:

1. Run a Parametric FEA Study: Build a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) computer model using software like ANSYS, ABAQUS, or SAP2000. Use your mathematical equations to predict the behavior, and show that the FEA matches your math.

2. Submit a Technical Paper Proposal: Submit the mathematical derivation to the ACI Structural Journal via ScholarOne. Title it as a analytical or parametric study (e.g., "An Analytical Model for the Structural Evaluation of an Optimized Geometrically Symmetric Concrete Cavity Wall System").

3. Request a Peer-Review Presentation: Contact the chair of ACI Committee 533 or 560 and request a 15-minute slot at the next bi-annual ACI Convention to present your predictive equations to the voting structural engineers.

💡 To help refine this mathematical framework: Is your system's cavity continuous (insulated with rigid foam/air), or does it feature transverse concrete ribs/webs that structurally connect the two wythes directly?