Development of In Situ Water Absorption Method: Laboratory Study and Field Validation
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 29, Issue 10
Abstract
Concrete porosity and its interconnection are crucial aspects that influence durability. Taking into account that moisture is required for many concrete deterioration processes, water absorption is a measure that can essentially evaluate concrete quality and its resistance. Standardized laboratory methods exist to measure water absorption. It is also potentially possible to perform simple and rapid nondestructive water absorption tests on placed concrete; however, it is impossible to provide standard conditions for in situ measurements. Because water absorption is strongly affected by temperature as well as relative humidity (RH), on-site water absorption measurements require cautious interpretation. This study addresses the issue by investigating water absorption in different thermal and moisture conditions. Concrete water absorption tests were performed using a commercial test device over a range of RH and temperature levels. It was observed that water absorption increases significantly with decreasing moisture content and increasing environmental temperature. Surface RH was found as an accurate and practical indicator of concrete moisture content. Most notably, outdoor exposure measurements confirmed that using a temperature correction, field results correlated very well to laboratory predictions making the test reliable for quality control purposes.
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Acknowledgments
The authors wish to acknowledge funding by Centre de recherche sur les infrastructures en béton (CRIB) as well as the cooperation of Ville de Montreal and LVM, Inc. (part of Dessau).
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 29 • Issue 10 • October 2017
Copyright
©2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 9, 2016
Accepted: Apr 17, 2017
Published online: Jul 14, 2017
Published in print: Oct 1, 2017
Discussion open until: Dec 14, 2017
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