Test Methods

Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures – Chapter 18

Overview
 Classes and Frequency of Testing
 Testing Aggregates
 Testing Freshly Mixed Concrete
 Testing Hardened Concrete
Classes of Tests
 Mixture characteristics
 Properties of concrete
 Material compliance
 Material suitability
 Mixture design and proportioning
 Quality control
Frequency of Testing
 Random testing vs. set schedule testing
 Process control test frequency diminishes with
uniformity
 Air content tests – as often as needed
 Fresh concrete tests:
 First batch each day
 Strength:
 Once per day
 No less than once per 115 m3 (150 yd3)
 No less than once per 500 m2 (5000 ft2)
Testing Aggregates - Sampling
Organic Impurities
 ASTM C40 (AASHTO T 21)
 Sample in sodium hydroxide for 1 day
 Color compared to standards
 Dark color indicates need for further testing
 Low quantities of coal give dark color
 Suitable if less than 1% total fine aggregate
 Suitable if strength of cubes is 95%
comparable
Objectionable Fine Material
 Clay and silt affect durability, water
requirements, and shrinkage
 Material passing 75 μm (No. 200) sieve limited:
 3% for abrasion resistance
 5% in fine aggregate, 1% in coarse aggregate
 Grading
 Sieve analysis – ASTM C136 (AASHTO T 27)
 Determine compliance
 Select suitable material
 Detect variations
 Requirements listed in ASTM C33 (AASHTO M 6/M 80)
Moisture Content
Sampling Freshly Mixed Concrete
 ASTM C172 (AASHTO T 141)
 At least 28 L (1 ft3)
 Composite sample obtained within 15 min
 Obtained from middle of batch discharge
 Protect from heat, evaporation,
contamination
Consistency
Temperature
Density and Yield
 Air
Content
Air Content
Air Content
Air Void Analysis
Strength Specimens
Strength Specimens
Strength
Specimens
Time of Setting
Accelerated Compression Tests
 ASTM C684
 Warm water curing
 Boiling water curing for 3.5 hours
 Autogenous insulated curing
 High temperature and high pressure for 5
hours
Chloride Content
 Total chloride content estimate: sum of chloride
contents of individual components
 Not for compliance determination
 ASTM C1542 – water extractable chloride
content
Cement & Water Content
 Withdrawn standards – Kelly-Vail Method
 ASTM C1078 – cement content
 ASTM C1079 – water content
 W/C ratio estimate – experimental microwave
absorption
 Other methods:
 Chemical determination
 Separation by settling/decanting
 Nuclear methods
 Electrical methods
SCM Content
Bleeding
Strength of Hardened Concrete
Strength of Hardened Concrete
Capping of Strength Specimens
 ASTM C617 – bonded caps
 Sulfur caps – up to 6 mm (1/4 in.) thick
 ASTM C1231 – unbonded caps
 Neoprene caps in steel retainer
 Requires extra quality checks in ASTM C39
test
Strength of Hardened Concrete
Strength of Hardened Concrete
Evaluation of Test Results
 Conditions of satisfaction:
 Average of 3 equal or exceed c
 No individual test is 3.5 MPa (500 psi)
below c
 Unsatisfactory results verified with cores
 3 cores per unsatisfactory section
 Average should be at least 85% c
 No single core less than c
 Unsatisfactory cores verified by load tests
Air Content
Chloride Content
 ASTM C1218
 Water-soluble chloride content
 ASTM C1152
 Acid-soluble chloride content
 ASTM C1524
 Water-extractable chloride content
 Uncrushed aggregates
 ACI 222.1 – water-extractable chloride
Petrographic Analysis
 ASTM C856
 Potential analysis: paste, aggregate, fly ash,
air content, durability aspects, and others
 Failure analysis
 Supplemented by chemical analysis, XRD,
SEM, DTA, and other analytical tests
 ASR gel detection
 ASTM C856 Annex
 Los Alamos method
Volume and Length Change
 ASTM C157 – drying shrinkage, chemical shrinkage,
other causes
 ASTM C827 – early volume change
 ASTM C1698 – autogenous strain
 ASTM C512 – creep
 ASTM C496 – static modulus of elasticity and Poisson’s
ratio
 ASTM C215 – dynamic modulus of elasticity and
Poisson’s ratio
 ASTM C1581 – early age combined shrinkage: drying,
autogenous, heat of hydration, stress relaxation
 ASTM E1155 – curling and warping
Resistance to Freezing and Thawing
Sulfate Resistance
 ASTM C1012
 Sulfate resistance of cementitious materials
 ASTM C1580, ASTM D516, USBR method
 Sulfate ion content of soil and water
Alkali-Silica Reactivity
 Testing aggregates:
 ASTM C227, C289, C295, C1260, C1293
 Testing SCMs:
 ASTM C227, C441, C1567, C1293
 Testing lithium admixtures:
 ASTM C1293, CAS A23.2-28A, CRD-C 662
 Testing sequence – AASHTO PP65
 ASTM C295 then ASTM C1293
 Evaluation of existing – ASTM C856
Moisture Testing
Moisture Testing
Carbonation and pH Testing
Permeability and Diffusion
Rebound Hammer
Probe Penetration
Pullout Tests
Pullout Tests
Pull-Off Tests
Stress Wave and Vibration Tests
 ASTM C597 – Pulse velocity in concrete
 Measures travel time between transducers
 Decreasing velocity is a sign of distress
 ASTM C215 – Fundamental resonant frequencies
 Used to determine dynamic modulus of elasticity
and Poisson’s ratio
 ASTM D4580 – Chain drag
 Used to detect delaminations
 ASTM C1383 – Impact-echo method
 Measures thickness of plate-like elements
Ground Penetrating Radar
 ASTM D4748
 Measures thickness of upper layer of multi-
layer pavement
 ASTM D6087
 Used to evaluate presence of delaminations
Infrared Thermography
 ASTM D4788
 Delamination survey of bridge decks
 Evaluation of FRP repairs
 Based on two principles:
 Surfaces emit radiation based on temp.
 Near-surface gaps will affect heat flow
Summary
 Classes and Frequency of Testing
 Testing Aggregates
 Testing Freshly Mixed Concrete
 Testing Hardened Concrete
Questions