The Spanish Institute of Cement and its Applications (IECA) founded in 1985, is a private Institute of technical character dedicated to the study, advising, spreading of cement, concrete, and its derivates knowledge and technologies.

The main IECA objectives are:

• The scientific and technical research in the field of cement and its applications.

• Training of specialists in the manufacturing and use of cement.

• Exchange and spreading of information, experiences, and progress in the field of cement and its technology.

• Advising and technical assistance to the cement user in relation with the applications of the same.

• Development of new cement applications.

• Promote the quality development in the field of cement manufacturing and application through the development of the UNE regulations and of the quality N Mark of AENOR for cements.

• The rationalization and normalization of the products.

• In general, all those objectives that contribute in efficient manner to satisfy the principles that inspire its quality policy.

For the development of these missions, the IECA is organized in two departments with direct dependency on the General Management:

• Industrial and Environmental Quality.

• Technical.

Besides its headquarters in Madrid, the IECA counts with seven regional delegations that cover the whole Spanish territory, for each of which there is a Zone Director.

Within the IECA different activities, the following can be heightened:

• Highways

The IECA has impelled, from its beginning, the road techniques related with the use of cement:

- Concrete pavements.

- Cement treated layers: soil-cement, grave-cement, roller compacted concrete.

- Foundation slabs with cement recycling.

- Esplanade stabilizing.

- Cobble pavements.

- Decorative pavements.

 

Continuous reinforced concrete pavement

These activities have focused themselves on the celebration of different Journeys and other technical events (as the 1st International Symposium on Esplanade Stabilizing and Foundation slabs with Cement Recycling, held in Salamanca in 2001), the publishing of specialized publications, and in particular, the direct advising to the construction administrations and companies during the writing of the projects, execution of the works, and preservation of the same.

Pavement with cement recycling

• Presses

Because of its particularities, Spain counts with a considerable number of big presses (more than 1200) of which 75% are for concrete.

The roller compacted concrete has demonstrated to be one of the most efficient techniques for the construction of these big works. The IECA has celebrated numerous Courses, Journeys, and Symposiums related to this topic. Within these, it is to note the organization, every four years, of the Roller Compacted Concrete Presses International Symposium, in collaboration with the Spanish and Chinese National Committees of Big Presses. The last two have been held, respectively, in Madrid in 2003 and in China in 2007.

• Construction

The pre-manufacturing and the concrete structures are two of the main activity fields of the IECA in these moments.

The Spanish Permanent Commission of Concrete is advised in terms of regulations, and the cement sector is represented in important topics as the Construction Technical Code or the Concrete White Book.

• Cement Quality Control

The IECA is accredited by the Spanish National Accreditation Entity ENAC for the activities of inspection in the area of "Cements". The inspections performed by the IECA will cover facilities of:

- Cement factories

- Expedition points

- Distribution centers

The inspection activity also includes cement sampling and performing tests on the samples through subcontracted laboratories.

Since the beginning of product certification in Spain, the IECA has impelled cement certification in concordance to the norms in the regulatory environment as well as in the volunteer quality marks. This labor was recognized by AENOR (Asociación Española de Certificación y Normalización) – Spanish Certification and Normalization Association-, allocating to it the task of Technical Secretary of the Cement Certification Committee of AENOR, activity that it has been performing since 1988.

As a complementary activity, it has to be mentioned the performing of different inter-laboratory tests, in which a great number of them have collaborated, with the aim of evaluating the variability of the results obtained with homogeneous cement samples in different tests directed to prove the adequacy of the valid regulation.

Likewise, it intensively collaborates since its creation, in the AENOR certification committees' works of other construction products such as concrete, pre-manufactured cement products, and brickwork mortar.

In 2001 the IECA was named, by the Ministry of Science and Technology, certification organism authorized for the evaluation of conformity with the technical specifications of the cements that figure in the harmonized European norms EN.

• Environmental quality and sustainability

The IECA performs diverse activities related with the follow-up of CO2 emissions in the cement plants, and participates in various work groups about energy efficiency, sustainability, and regulated substances, among others.

• Normalization

The IECA performs an intense activity within the normalization field, in Spain and in Europe, through the direct participation in different committees as:

- Technical Committee of Normalization CTN-80 "Cements and Limes" of AENOR.

- Technical Committee CEN/TC 51 "Cements and Limes" of CEN (European Committee of Normalization).

- Technical Committee CEN/TC 227 "Materials for Pavements" of CEN.

In 2006 Dr. Juan Carlos López Agüí, General Director of IECA was named President of CEN for a period of 3 years.

In the same manner the IECA collaborates with the works developed by other construction products' normalization committees, as concrete, cement pre-manufactured materials, arids, and brickwork products.

It is important to highlight the participation of the IECA in the writing of pavement design norms and specifications of the same, as for the Spanish highway network as for the ones depending on the different autonomous administrations. The latter, altogether, are in charge of more than 90% of the Spanish roads. On the other hand, it intervenes in the concrete and building regulations.

• Publications

The IECA has published a great number of works regarding diverse topics related with cement and its various uses. Some of the topics tackled in the publications are:

- Great concrete works in Spain.

- Use of auto-compacting concrete.

- Foundation slabs with cement treated layers.

- Terrazzo pavements.

- Pavement color and texture and concrete faces.

- Concrete pavements for low traffic intensity roads.

- Spanish and European regulations for cement.

- Concrete informatics' records.

- Industrial Pavements.

- Foundation slabs recycled in situ with cement.

- Compacted concrete presses.

- Concrete slender columns' stability.

On the other hand, the IECA is responsible for different sections of the "Cemento-hormigón" monthly magazine, official organism for the Spanish cement manufacturers.

• Research

The IECA has directed and/or participated in numerous research projects on topics such as porous concrete, auto-compacting concrete, concrete durability in agricultural works, fire resistance of concrete structures, or the optimization of concrete pavements' superficial characteristics (the latter financed by the European Community and jointly developed with other entities and companies from Germany, Holland, and Spain).

In the same manner, the IECA has various collaboration agreements signed with different Spanish universities for the celebration of joint activities, mainly of training and research.

• Relations with national and international Associations

The IECA participates in numerous technical committees of different national and international associations, as Cembureau (European Cement Association), Eupave (European Concrete Pavement Association), PIARC (World Road Association) and FICEM-APCAC.

Within the Spanish entities, it can be mentioned the participation in the Spanish concrete technological platform, which is conformed by the IECA and Oficemen (Spanish Cement Manufacturers Grouping), jointly with the Cement Pre-manufacture materials and Derivates National Association (ANDECE), the Prepared Concrete Manufacturers National Association (ANEFHOP), the Concrete Additives Manufacturers National Association (ANFAH), and the Arids Federation (FdA).

• Relations with other FICEM-APCAC countries

The IECA maintains some very close relations with other Cement Institutes and Associations of the FICEM-APCAC different countries, as well as a very direct implication with its activities.

It is coordinated through the Road Committee, which has among its main activities, the organization of the Pavement Rehabilitation with Cement International Seminar (Guatemala 2007) and the publishing of the book with the Memories of the foresaid event. On the other hand, the IECA technicians have taught courses and given conferences in 13 countries of the Federation.