Ashland City-based precast concrete manufacturer Jarrett Concrete Products forged an eco-friendly barrier wall for Nashville's inaugural Music City Grand Prix.
Led by alumni Travis Jarrett, the family-owned company has been developing its own concrete products for more than three generations, since 1995.
The eco-friendly concrete mix was tested by 15 Middle Tennessee State University students in Professor Heather Brown’s Concrete Industry Management senior lab class through a partnership between the university and race organizers. An agreement was signed last fall.
"It was awesome and cool helping out with this national race, especially working with students I had been in school with the past four years,” Autumn Gates said.
Gates, a recent MTSU graduate, participated in researching and testing eco-friendly concrete mixes for the race's barrier wall and pit lane.
Irving Materials Inc. produced and delivered concrete for the pit lane.
Students were “asked to take a look at the mix design and weigh out all of the materials," Gates said, adding they had “to mix through a period of time (two minutes), let it rest and then mix it for three minutes".
Professor Brown monitored installation and hardened testing to ensure the concrete would withstand race conditions, officials said.
And, in November, MTSU alumnus and Big Machine Music City Grand Prix CEO Matt Crews joined students in the lab while they reenacted the tests.
Concrete beams and 4-x-8-inch cylinders were created as part of the testing.
The university's partnership with the nationally-watched racing giant requires future guidance on barrier construction and suppliers and vendors.
“We are working to create environmentally conscious concrete mixes while not sacrificing durability and strength for the race barriers and pit lane,” Brown said, adding that eco-friendly mixes may reduce energy and landfill impacts.
“This partnership will create advanced learning experiences for students and expand our manufacturing relationships,” she said. "Experiential learning is what MTSU works hard to bring to their students, and it wouldn’t be possible without Music City Grand Prix’s commitment to local institutions as well as STEM education and the trades.”
A minimum of two internships will be offered to qualified and approved undergraduate students annually by the grand prix.
Katie Nixon can be reached at knixon@gannett.com or (615) 517-1285.