Abstract
In-situ hardened properties of underwater concrete (UWC) are affected by washout loss and water infiltration occurring during the casting and post-casting stages. This paper evaluates the suitability of the falling-head method determined using a permeameter cell to assess water infiltration or, permeability (k), in freshly mixed UWC. Correlations between k and washout loss determined using the CRD C61 test method are established. The paper also seeks to quantify the coupled effect of washout loss and water infiltration on the drop in UWC compressive strength. Test results showed that Darcy’s law is valid to evaluate water permeability in UWC. The k and washout loss values are found to be well correlated within each other. UWC mixtures subjected to washout or water infiltration exhibited lower compressive strengths, as compared to reference concrete sampled in dry conditions. The drop in UWC strength was attributed to a combination of factors including washout loss of cementitious phase together with relative increases in aggregate concentration and specified water-to-cement ratio.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Hughes BP (1961) Development of an apparatus to determine the resistance to separation of fresh concrete. Civil Eng Public Rev 56(658):633–634
Sonebi M, Khayat KH (1999) Effect of water velocity on the performance of underwater self-consolidating concrete. ACI Mater J 96(5):519–528
Khayat KH (1998) Viscosity-enhancing admixtures for cement-based materials: an overview. Cem Concr Compos 20:171–188
Assaad JJ, Issa CA (2013) Effect of washout loss on bond behavior of steel embedded in underwater concrete. ACI Struct J (in press)
Assaad JJ, Issa CA (2012) Bond strength of epoxy-coated bars in underwater concrete. Constr Build Mater 12:667–674
Perry SH, Holmyard JM (1992) Scaling of underwater concrete repair materials. Technical report OTH 89-298, vol 62. Health and Safety Executive, Liverpool
Moon HY, Shin KJ (2006) Evaluation on steel bar corrosion embedded in antiwashout underwater concrete containing mineral admixtures. Cem Concr Res 36:521–529
McLeish A (1994) Underwater concreting and repairing. In: McLeish A (ed) ISBN 470234032, p 155. Edward Arnold, London
Assaad JJ, Daou Y, Salman H (2011) Correlating washout to strength loss of underwater concrete, construction materials. In: Proceedings of the institution of civil engineers, vol 164 (CM3). ICE, London, pp 153–162
CRD C61-89A (1989) Test method for determining the resistance of freshly-mixed concrete to washing out in water. In: Handbook for concrete. US Army Experiment Station, Mississippi, pp 1–3
Das BM (2011) Principles of geotechnical engineering, 7th edn. Cengage Learning, Toebben Drive Independence, p 651
Boynton SS, Daniel DE (1985) Hydraulic conductivity tests on compacted clay. J Geotech Eng 111(4):465–478
ASTM D2434 (2006) Standard test method for permeability of granular soils (constant head). ASTM, Philadelphia
ASTM D5084 (2010) Standard test methods for measurement of hydraulic conductivity of saturated porous materials using a flexible wall permeameter. ASTM, Philadelphia
Schwartzentruber A, Catherine C (2000) Method of the concrete equivalent mortar (CEM): a new tool to design concrete containing admixture. Mater Struct 33:475–482
Assaad JJ, Harb J, Chakar E (2009) Relationships between key astm test methods determined on concrete and concrete-equivalent-mortar mixtures. ASTM Int J 6(3):14
Assaad JJ, Daou Y, Harb J (2011) Use of CEM approach to develop and optimize high-performance underwater concrete. J Mater Civ Eng ASCE 23(7):1094–1102
Assaad JJ, Harb J (2013) Use of the falling-head method to assess permeability of freshly mixed cementitious-based materials. J Mater Civ Eng (in press)
Picandet V, Rangeard D, Perrot A, Lecompte T (2011) Permeability measurement of fresh cement paste. Cem Concr Res 41(3):330–338
Sonebi M, Bartos PJM, Khayat KH (1999) Assessment of washout resistance of underwater concrete: a comparison between CRD C61 and new MC-1 tests. Mater Struct 32:273–281
Garcia A, Castro-Fresno D, Polanco JA (2008) Evolution of penetration resistance in fresh concrete. Cem Concr Res 38:649–659
Assaad JJ, Daou Y, Khayat KH (2009) Simulation of water pressure on washout of underwater concrete repair. ACI Mater J 106(6):529–536
Acknowledgments
The authors wish to acknowledge the financial support of the National Council for Scientific Research (CNRS), Lebanon and the University Research Council of the Lebanese American University (LAU), Byblos, Lebanon.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Assaad, J.J., Issa, C.A. Mechanisms of strength loss in underwater concrete. Mater Struct 46, 1613–1629 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-012-0004-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-012-0004-2