High-Early-Strength, High-Resistivity Concrete for Direct-Current Light Rail
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 29, Issue 4
Abstract
Stray current from direct-current light rail systems can corrode underground metal pipes, potentially causing significant damage to utility lines. To address this problem, Seattle Public Utilities has adopted two preventative measures: use of a dielectric rubber boot and a high-resistivity concrete rail bed. In this work, a constructible, high-resistivity concrete mix was developed using supplementary cementitious materials. The concrete is highly workable, can be placed year-round, and has a high early strength to minimize road closures. In addition, the resistivity is 100 times greater than standard concrete. Based on these data, concrete mixes using Type III portland cement with ternary combinations of silica fume, slag, and Class F fly ash were evaluated. Fresh-state properties, including slump, air content, and density, were determined. Samples were subjected to curing conditions similar to the Seattle area. The compressive strength and resistivity of the mixes were monitored over time. In addition, the effect of temperature on the setting behavior was evaluated. The results indicate that a constructible, highly resistive concrete mix design can be achieved.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The authors extend sincere thanks and appreciation to Shaunie Cochran, Ly Pham, and Seattle Public Utilities for their generous support and assistance throughout this work. Thank you also to Tampson Omps from Glacier Northwest and Rob Shogren from Lafarge North America for supplying research materials as well as useful input regarding current industry practices.
References
ASTM. (2003). “Standard test method for slump of hydraulic concrete.” ASTM C143-03, West Conshohocken, PA.
ASTM. (2008). “Standard specification for concrete aggregates.” ASTM C33, West Conshohocken, PA.
ASTM. (2009a). “Standard specification for air-entraining admixtures for concrete.” ASTM C260, West Conshohocken, PA.
ASTM. (2009b). “Standard specification for chemical admixtures for concrete.” ASTM C494, West Conshohocken, PA.
ASTM. (2009c). “Standard specification for coal fly ash and raw or calcined natural pozzolan for use in concrete.” ASTM C618, West Conshohocken, PA.
ASTM. (2009d). “Standard specification for portland cement.” ASTM C150, West Conshohocken, PA.
ASTM. (2009e). “Standard specification for silica fume used in cementitious materials.” ASTM C1240, West Conshohocken, PA.
ASTM. (2009f). “Standard test method for density (unit weight), yield, and air content (gravimetric) of concrete.” ASTM C138, West Conshohocken, PA.
Bellomio, S., Fanoni, M., Johnson, D., and Swanson, J. (2009). “High early strength, high resistivity concrete.” Seattle Univ., Seattle.
Broomfield, J. (2003). Corrosion of steel in concrete: Understanding, investigation and repair, Taylor & Francis, London.
Broomfield, J., and Millard, S. (2002). “Current practice sheet no. 128: Measuring concrete resistivity to assess corrosion rates.” Concrete (London), 36(2), 37–39.
Burke, D., et al. (2007a). “Estimating long-term concrete electrical resistivity.” NACE Int., 46(9), 36–42.
Burke, D., et al. (2007b). “Estimating long-term concrete electrical resistivity.” Mater. Perform., 46(9)36–42.
Chaker, V. (1981). “STP741: Simplified method for the electrical soil resistivity measurement.” ASTM, West Conshohocken, PA.
Chen, C. T., Chang, J. J., and Yeih, W. C. (2014). “The effects of specimen parameters on the resistivity of concrete.” Constr. Build. Mater., 71(1), 35–43.
Florida Department of Transportation. (2004). “Florida method of test for concrete resistivity as an electrical indicator of its permeability: FM 5-578.” Tallahassee, FL.
Kadri, E., and Duval, R. (2009). “Hydration heat kinetics of concrete with silica fume.” Constr. Build. Mater., 23(11), 3388–3392.
Kessler, R. J., Powers, R. G., and Paredes, M. A. (2005). “Resistivity measurements of water saturated concrete as an indicator of permeability.” NACE International, Houston.
Malvar, L. J., Cline, G. D., Burke, D. F., Rollings, R., Sherman, T. W., and Greene, J. L. (2002). “Alkali-silica reaction mitigation: State of the art and recommendations.” ACI Mater. J., 99(5), 480–489.
Mehta, P. K. (2009). “Global concrete industry sustainability: Tools for moving forward to cut carbon emissions.” Concr. Int., 31(2), 45–48.
Mindess, S., Young, J. F., and Darwin, D. (2003). Concrete, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Morris, W., Moreno, E. I., and Sagüés, A. A. (1996). “Practical evaluation of resistivity of concrete in test cylinders using a Wenner array probe.” Cem. Concr. Res., 26(12), 1779–1787.
Smith, K. M., Schokker, A. J., and Tikalsky, P. J. (2004). “Performance of supplementary cementitious materials in concrete resistivity and corrosion monitoring evaluations.” ACI Mater. J., 101(5), 385–390.
Spragg, R., Villani, C., Snyder, K., Bentz, D., and Bullard, W. J. (2013). “Factors that influence electrical resistivity measurements in cementitious systems.” Transp. Res. Rec., 2342, 90–98.
Spragg, R., Villani, C., and Weiss, J. (2016). “Electrical properties of cementitious systems: Formation factor determination and the influence of conditioning procedures.” Adv. Civ. Eng. Mater., 5(1), 124–148.
Tinnea, R., et al. (2009). “Testing of high-resistivity concrete.” NACE Int. Conf., NACE International, Houston.
Whiting, D., Nagi, M., and Okamoto, P. A. (1994). “Early strength gain of rapid highway repairs.” Concr. Int., 16(8), 28–35.
Zelić, J., Rušić, D., Veža, D., and Krstulović, R. (2000). “Role of silica fume in the kinetics and mechanisms during the early stage of cement hydration.” Cem. Concr. Res., 30(10), 1655–1662.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
©2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 16, 2015
Accepted: Sep 7, 2016
Published online: Nov 7, 2016
Published in print: Apr 1, 2017
Discussion open until: Apr 7, 2017
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.