Miniature Concrete Prism Test: Rapid Test Method for Evaluating Alkali-Silica Reactivity of Aggregates
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 27, Issue 7
Abstract
Existing test methods to assess alkali-silica reactivity of aggregates such as the accelerated mortar bar test (AMBT) has been shown to be less than satisfactory due to excessive false-positive and false-negative test results. While the concrete prism test (CPT) test is considered to be a more reliable alternative, the unusually long test duration (1 or 2 years, depending on the purpose) renders it unsuitable for routine evaluation of materials. This paper presents a new test method—the miniature concrete prism test (MCPT) that addresses the shortcomings of both the AMBT and the CPT test methods. The aggregates studied in this project were selected based on their established field performance. Results from this investigation indicate that the MCPT test method can reliably identify aggregate reactivity within a short duration of 56 days for the majority of aggregates, whereas it may take up to 84 days for some slowly reactive aggregates.
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Acknowledgments
The authors wish to express their sincere gratitude and appreciation to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for funding this research through Solicitation No. DTFH61-08-R-00010. Also, thanks are extended to aggregate producers and the Lehigh Cement Company for providing the materials to conduct this research.
References
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 27 • Issue 7 • July 2015
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 21, 2013
Accepted: Aug 20, 2014
Published online: Sep 22, 2014
Discussion open until: Feb 22, 2015
Published in print: Jul 1, 2015
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