Evaluation of Elastic Anisotropic Relations for Plain Concrete Using Ultrasound and Impact Acoustic Tests
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 33, Issue 2
Abstract
Concrete is considered an isotropic material for structural analysis and design purposes. However, during concrete placement and compaction, segregation and bleeding may occur. A water film is deposited around larger aggregate particles, especially on the bottom surface. This effect was already identified in the literature as a cause of anisotropy in compression strength, but there is no evidence of anisotropy of concrete in terms of elastic constants. In this paper, impact acoustics and ultrasound measurements were used to measure dynamic elastic properties in prismatic specimens (). The specimens were produced with two directions of concrete placement and compaction: longitudinal and transversal. Three concrete batches were produced with high, medium, and low percentages of cement. Five identical specimens were produced for each combination of concrete mix and direction of concrete placement. A pattern of anisotropy was identified for all specimens through natural frequencies of the specimens and measured ultrasonic wave velocities. Although this effect is small, it could be clearly identified by impact acoustics and ultrasonic tests.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the Laboratory of Structures at the São Carlos School of Engineering, where the experimental work was performed. This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brasil (CAPES)—Finance Code 001 and by the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) (Finance Codes No. 302479/2017-1, 309494/2017-6, and 140882/2019-7).
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 33 • Issue 2 • February 2021
Copyright
© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 6, 2020
Accepted: Jul 20, 2020
Published online: Nov 23, 2020
Published in print: Feb 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Apr 23, 2021
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