Use of the Falling-Head Method to Assess Permeability of Freshly Mixed Cementitious-Based Materials
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 25, Issue 5
Abstract
The falling-head method determined using a permeameter cell is commonly used to study permeability () of soils and facility of fluids to travel through a solid skeleton. A research program was undertaken to evaluate the suitability of such test for assessing permeability of freshly mixed mortars and concrete. Validation of values with respect to bleeding and surface settlement responses and correlations with permeability calculated using empirical soil models are established. The falling-head method was found appropriate to assess the effect of mixture composition (i.e., binder content, water-to-cement ratio, and chemical/mineral admixtures) on permeability variations. Concrete incorporating coarse aggregates exhibited greater permeability levels than those determined on mortars. Despite the differences in chemical nature between soil and mortar, the actual values determined by testing were found to be well correlated to those calculated by using several previously reported empirical soil models.
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Acknowledgments
The authors wish to acknowledge the financial support of the National Council for Scientific Research (CNRS), Lebanon.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 25 • Issue 5 • May 2013
Pages: 580 - 588
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 3, 2011
Accepted: Jun 28, 2012
Published online: Aug 25, 2012
Published in print: May 1, 2013
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