Effect of Paste-to-Voids Volume Ratio on the Performance of Concrete Mixtures
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 25, Issue 12
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate the minimum paste volume required with an appropriate water-to-cementitious ratio () to achieve required workability, strength, and durability requirements of concrete mixtures for pavements. In this experimental program, 64 concrete mixtures with varying , cementitious content, and binder type were prepared and tested. The fine aggregate-to-total aggregate ratio was held constant for all the mixtures. Fresh and hardened concrete properties of the mixtures were determined at various ages. Test results have shown that approximately 1.5 times more paste by volume is required than voids between the aggregates to achieve a minimum performance in concrete for pavements. For a given , strength is independent of cementitious content after a critical value is provided. When is constant, increasing paste content increased chloride penetrability and air permeability.
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Acknowledgments
This study was funded by the Federal Highway Administration Cooperative Agreement (DTFH61-06-H-00011) with the National Concrete Pavement Technology Center (CP Tech Center) at Iowa State University. The authors would like to thank Dr. David Oakey for his guidance, suggestions, and contributions to this paper. The opinions, findings, and conclusions presented here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the research sponsors.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 25 • Issue 12 • December 2013
Pages: 1840 - 1851
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 24, 2012
Accepted: Nov 5, 2012
Published online: Nov 7, 2012
Discussion open until: Apr 7, 2013
Published in print: Dec 1, 2013
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