Capillary Transport in RCC: Water-to-Cement Ratio, Strength, and Freeze-Thaw Resistance
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 23, Issue 8
Abstract
Water transport plays a critical role in the freeze-thaw (F-T) response of concrete. This work aims at appreciating various water transport parameters in roller-compacted concrete (RCC) for different pavement applications and correlating these with its F-T performance. The test variables include cement content (100 to ), water-to-cement ratio (w/c) (0.27–1.27), surface finish, and age of concrete. Measurements of concrete mixtures include sorptivity (), desorptivity (), surface inflow velocity (), compressive strength, and F-T resistance. Indexes, including inflow velocity, are used to evaluate transport properties of different mixtures. Interaction diagrams are developed to characterize the relationships among sorptivity, desorptivity, w/c, compressive strength, and F-T durability. The results indicate that sorptivity of RCC is comparable to that of conventional concrete and that desorption behavior is linearly related to sorptivity. Surface finish has a definite impact on sorptivity, but its effect on desorptivity is negligible. Curing age refines concrete pore structure, increasing resistance to water ingress. These results provide a better understanding of transport properties of RCC and its influence on F-T resistance.
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Acknowledgments
Financial support was received from the Portland Cement Association (PCA) and the National Concrete Pavement Technology (CPTech) center. We thank Dr. Peter Taylor (Associate Director, CPTech Center) for reviewing this paper and for the discussions. We would also like to acknowledge Mr. Robert Steffes for all his help with laboratory work. Holcim sponsored the cement, and the water reducer was sponsored by BASF.
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 23 • Issue 8 • August 2011
Pages: 1181 - 1191
Copyright
© 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 4, 2010
Accepted: Jan 26, 2011
Published online: Jul 15, 2011
Published in print: Aug 1, 2011
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