THE WINNER'S CIRCLE

Indianapolis Chapter CSI Newsletter

February 2017

"Architecture... is then among the most important arts: and it is desirable to introduce taste into an art which shows so much"

Deep Thoughts

- Thomas Jefferson

Please let us know if you have any ideas for future newsletters.

Your Humble Narrator,

Mike Halstead
Indianapolis CSI Newsletter Co-Editor

Mild Mannered Reporter,

Ryan Muzzillo
Indianapolis CSI Newsletter Co-Editor

The Insider

March 16 our program is a tour of Poynter Sheet Metal and a presentation by Greenheck Fire Dampers. We also have a big social event this Saturday, March 18 - and yes, Saturday nights' all right for fighting - because it's Hockey night! And who doesn't love a good hockey fight. Besides - we are also fighting against breast cancer - so wear your pink! We have almost 100 attendees for Indy Fuel hockey as they take on the evil Kalamazoo Wings for "Pink in the Rink" night against Breast Cancer. As you know hockey fans the Fuel are the affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks - the hottest team in the NHL right now - rookies playing better, Crawford and Darling holding down the net, Toews-Kane-Hossa picking up steam at the right time. We need Darling back from his minor injury and hopefully Anisimov isn't too banged up. We have Oduya back on D, the prodigal son, he got a goal last night against the Montreal Canadians; I wish we could get Byfuglien back too. That would be two heavy hitters and we need some more tough guys. Back in first place where the Blackhawks belong - Gaiser says we are gonna win da cup!

April 20 our program is legal advice from one of our own chapter members Chris Drewry of DSV Law. How about this advice - don't break the law. On May 11 another Indy chapter member Lora Manning will be hosting our joint program with IRCA. May 18-20 is the Great Lakes Region Conference in Akron, Ohio, close enough to the Pro Football Hall of Fame that we should all make the trip and bow at the feet of the immortals. June 15 is our annual Awards Banquet at the Columbia Club - Pete Baker and Terri Truit always put on a great event. Hey Pete - what are we going to do about our Hoosiers? Sad. Very sad. March Madness just isn't the same without IU in the tourney. And then they wouldn't even take a home game for the NIT? Doesn't matter - they lost to Georgia Tech last night.

July 19 we have a tour of the new Roche facility on the northeast side of Indy. September 13-16 is Construct 2017 in Providence, Rhode Island, home of the world's greatest hitmen. And then September 28 is the 43rd Annual CSI Indianapolis Trade Show at the JW Marriott. So far 67 booths have been sold - only 26 left. Hurry Hurry Hurry!

I hope you all voted for Captain Jack Morgan for CSI Region Institute Director. I know I did - and I voted early and often. I wish I had a chance to vote for the Oscars or at least help them get organized - this year they screwed up the ann

ouncement of Picture of the Year for Moonlight. Mike "Mad Max" Well should have won best supporting actor for his role as the Night Rider - a fuel injected suicide machine. Lead actor could have also gone to Glean Baines for his ro

le as the Toe Cutter.

I hear there are new co-treasurers for the chapter - Randy Vogt and Ken Schmidt. Thanks for taking one for the team guys! Maybe this will bud into a new bromance. And a special thanks to Andrew Huehls for pinchitting and coming back to the Board of Directors temporarily. Big hitter Andrew - like the Dahli Lama.

Anne Meyer is still sassy! Anne just celebrated her 80th birthday - if you recall she was married to one of our former members Early Meyer - a great dude. Earl has been gone 15 years now - how is that possible? I miss that guy.

- Your Humble Narrator

Upcoming Events

Programs Committee

2016-2017 Standing Reservation List

Monday, August 8, 2016 at 9:00 AM EDT -to- Friday, June 30, 2017 at 1:00 PM EDT

Riverwalk Banquet Center

2017 Indianapolis Chapter CSI GOLF Outing!

Friday, February 24, 2017 at 1:00 PM EST -to- Friday, June 2, 2017 at 1:00 PM EDT

It's time to "GRIP 'EM & RIP 'EM"! The golf course is calling your name. Hire your caddy, get out your mojo, & join us for a fun-filled event! Prizes awarded, lunch included, raffle tickets available, optional dinner following, & fun for all. Let's hit 'em looonggggg! SPONSORS: If you want to sponsor but not play, select the SPONSORS under FEES.

Eagle Creek Golf Club - Sycamore Course

Indianapolis Chapter CSI Education Seminar: Poynter Sheet Metal Factory Tour

Thursday, March 16, 2017 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT

This will be a tour of the Poynter facility. The tour will take a look at the process of fabricating ventilation and exhaust systems, architectural wraps and cladding, custom fabrication, vent and fume hoods, tanks and pressure vessels. The tour takes place from 3-5pm. The evening program on fire dampers will take place at the Willows on Westfield.

Poynter Sheet Metal

Indianapolis Chapter CSI March Meeting: Fire Dampers

Thursday, March 16, 2017 from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM EDT

This presentation will discuss life safety dampers, what are they and how they are classified. This discussion will also cover the proper installation and anchoring of fire dampers, as well as any accessories.

Willows on Westfield

Hockey Game and Breast Cancer Fundraiser, with CSI Indy

Saturday, March 18, 2017 from 6:45 PM to 10:00 PM EDT

Come join us as the Indianapolis Chapter of CSI root on the Indy Fuel as they take on the Kalamazoo Wings for "Pink in the Rink" night against breast cancer. A portion of the total proceeds go directly to Susan G. Komen Central Indiana to fund breast cancer research and breast health services to women in our community.

Indiana Farmers Coliseum

YouTube Channel

Visual Education

The Indianapolis Chapter CSI has entered into a new phase of the digital communication era, and now has a dedicated YouTube Channel for the benefit of our membership.

Certification Quiz
Jack Morgan - Quizmaster

1. Contract Documents include all of the following except::

a. Solicitation

b. General Conditions

c. Specifications

d. Drawings

2. True or False: The preferred language of sentence structure in specifications is indictive.

a. True

b. False

3. Specifications are defined as having all of the following except:

a. Quality

b. Quantity

c. Reference Standards

d. Work Results

4. True or False: OmniClass is defined as "A multi-table framework for organizing information used by the architectural, engineering, and the construction industry".

a. True.

b. False

5. Which of the following is the proper location of END OF SECTION at the end of a Section in a Specification?

a. Left Justified

b. Right Justified

c. Center Justified

d. Choice of user

Table Tops

Kent Hughes

Indianapolis Chapter CSI

The Indianapolis Chapter of CSI is accepting reservations for Table Tops for upcoming Chapter meetings. The list of programs for upcoming Chapter meetings is published in this newsletter, the web site, or contact Program chairman Jeremy Hoffman - jhoffman@crewtech.com , if you would like to target a particular meeting, be sure to make your reservation early. We do have a limit of four spaces available for Table Tops in a standard meeting room and 10 if we have a double room.

Table Tops are an opportunity to promote your company, products, or services to all attendees of our regular chapter meeting during the social hour. There is a maximum of 20 minutes for Table Top presentation at a regular Chapter meeting. You have the floor for maximum of five minutes after dinner before the speaker to communicate to the entire group if there are four presenters. If there is a greater demand, the 20 minutes will be divided by the number of presenters and rounded down to the nearest 30 seconds.

The Table Top presentations are FREE, one time, to new members, and cost current Indianapolis Chapter members only $75. Non-members get the same opportunity for $125. A 30 by 60 table with a cover and skit will be included. All proceeds go to support the Chapter. Payment is due at the time of setup.

Another opportunity for a Table Top is during an Education Seminar. The cost is if you combine it with the Chapter meeting and Education Seminar the cost would be $100 for current members and $150 for non-members.

If you would like to schedule a Table Top for a future meeting or seminar, contact:

Kent A. Hughes RA CDT - American Structurepoint

khughes@structurepoint.com - 317.690.5820

Be sure to put 'Table Top Request in the subject line

Spock as a specifier

Sheldon Wolfe, RA, FCSI, CCS, CCCA, CSC

In our never-ending search for truth in specifications, we often lose sight of reality. We're inundated with advertising, product data, test reports, and white papers; where once specifiers complained about a lack of information, we now struggle to keep up with what we receive. We can't know what we don't know, and we have no time to evaluate what we have seen. As if that weren't bad enough, we often find that what we thought we knew isn't true.

As an example, consider building insulation. The way it works and its value have been understood since antiquity, and until recently we have felt comfortable with evaluating, specifying, and detailing various types of insulation. And then, several years ago, everything began to unravel.

Several years ago, the accepted nominal R-value of polyisocyanurate insulation was reduced. Until then, manufacturers conditioned insulation for six months prior to testing and those properties were published, even though it was known that the R-value continued to decline after six months. Architects typically assumed the published values to be constant and gave no more thought to the issue.

When plotted, the insulating value of foam insulations is seen to follow an asymptotic curve, always decreasing, but at a rate that also decreases. The result is a curve that always decreases toward a limit, but never reaches it. The term LTTR (long-term thermal resistance) became part of our vocabulary, a method to calculate a nominal R-value closer that more closely represents the properties of insulation. The reason for the reduction is the off-gassing of the blowing agents, which slows down as the concentration in the cells decreases.

I recall the discussion surrounding the introduction of LTTR. Maybe my memory is faulty, but as I recall it was focused on polyisocyanurate insulation. As it happens, extruded polystyrene also loses R-value. More important is the definition of LTTR, "the time-weighted average of thermal resistance over 15 years." In other words, it does not show the R-value of insulation that remains in place longer than 15 years. What does that mean for buildings designed for a service life of 50 or 100 years? How will the operating costs change? The nature of the curve, which has been shown to be reasonably accurate, means there won't be much change, but it's a question worth asking.

The reported performance of insulation is in itself suspect. In Info-502: Temperature Dependence of R-values in Polyisocyanurate Roof Insulation, Building Science Corporation shows the results of testing 15 samples of polyisocyanurate insulation. The range of R-values is about 1.5 points at 25 degrees mean temperature, a 30 percent difference. Yet all manufacturers, with one exception, claim the same, ASTM-standard R-value for their products. The exception is a company that reports a 50-year R-value for its XPS. As you might expect, it's not the usual 5.0 we all use, but 4.2. Doesn't it make sense to calculate energy use and mechanical system performance based on the lower value?

One of the problems with all testing is confidence in the results. ASTM and other standards-producing bodies often refer to two aspects of measuring this confidence - repeatability and reproducibility. In theory, a given test method would always produce the same results for the same material. In practice, that rarely occurs due to a number of influences. Because humans are involved, results can vary even when tests are performed by equipment. There may be slight differences in the type of equipment used, and even when equipment is regularly recalibrated, it may not give the same readings.

Briefly, repeatability is a measure of consistency of a test when performed by the same person in the same laboratory using the same equipment, within a short period of time. In contrast, reproducibility measures the differences caused when a test is performed by different people in different locations using the same equipment. I looked at several ASTMs and found both repeatability and reproducibility reported as 95%, which means that the accuracy of test results will be consistent.

The point of all this is that we seem to be caught in a Spock syndrome, citing performance values to unsupportable accuracy. If, for example, you specify an R-value of 5.0, that is the number you expect after rounding. In practice, of course, you would accept a higher R-value regardless of rounding, but the minimum would be 4.95. But when test results show a variation of 30 percent, and manufacturers simply claim a nominal value stated in a standard, what are you really specifying, and what are you getting? Sprayed products present even more problems. I wasn't completely comfortable with material that went on at 60 mils; I cringe when I see product data that claims only 6 mils is required.

I understand the problems involved in manufacturing, application, testing, and so on, and we need some way to compare materials, but I question the validity of Spock-like precision.

� 2016, Sheldon Wolfe, RA, FCSI, CCS, CCCA, CSC

Agree? Disagree? Leave your comments at http://swspecificthoughts.blogspot.com/

Chapter Photos
Capturing Memories

notebook

Board of Directors' Minutes

Online Archive

Minutes of the Indianapolis Chapter CSI Board of Directors can be read here. Please contact the president with any comments or questions.

Vent

An editorial section for members to "let it out" about the Construction Industry, the Chapter, CSI National, etc. Members can email the Co-Editors anonymously with comments for publish by clicking on the image to the right.