600: Restrained Joint Report
After two exploratory sessions at recent NAPF conferences, a third
was held in conjunction with the 2001 AWWA Conference in Washington,
DC. Those in attendance included members of the NAPF, a broad cross
section of restrained joint producers and other interested parties.
After considerable discussions it was determined that the necessary
support from the various producers did not exist.
Generally, producers felt that any such standard must be based on an
absolute performance definition, without graduation or differing
categories of performance or product types. As such, a new industry
standard would therefore be based on the lowest common denominator.
Framed in such a manner, it was concluded that it was not in the
collective best interests of the more sophisticated design producers to
legitimize the more primitive and limited design concepts through
inclusion in any standard.
The conclusion was that the industry will be better served through
market experience and competition for this subject matter. Although
we're disappointed in the result, it sometimes happens that a point is
reached at which the expediency of having a standard becomes
undesirable.
Ted Muntz
NAPF Standards Council
