ABSTRACT
Quality control is an important consideration in all but the most trivial manufacturing processes and its importance for concrete production has increased with the advent of quality assurance schemes and the introduction of the concept of what are known as 'designated mixes'. Tipler 1 has reviewed the efforts to improve concrete quality over a period of 30 years or so, up to the introduction of the Quality Scheme for Ready Mixed Concrete (QSRMC) in 1984, and the publication of its Manual2. Since, as Newman 3 points out, the ready-mixed concrete industry is the source of the bulk of site-placed concrete (two-thirds in 1986) this is a significant development, and the situation now is that QSRMC employs staff to assess continually over 1100 plants which together produce over 90% of U K ready-mixed concrete.
