Why should we care about serviceability and durability?
There are generally three aspects to the performance of a structure. The first is structural. The structure needs to resist the gravitational, wind, and other loads to which it will […]
There are generally three aspects to the performance of a structure. The first is structural. The structure needs to resist the gravitational, wind, and other loads to which it will […]
We’ve discussed concrete durability in quite a few blog posts, but we’ve only alluded indirectly to concrete service life prediction. Hossam Alalaily, a Beton lead concrete engineer based in Ontario, […]
ASTM C1778, “Standard Guide for Reducing the Risk of Deleterious Alkali-Aggregate Reaction in Concrete,” can help you decide how best to mitigate expansions due to reactive aggregates. It covers both […]
When finishing air-entrained concrete, less is more. Hard-troweled surfaces and air-entrained concrete don’t mix. If you need to entrain air—that is, if the concrete will experience cycles of freezing and […]
Throughout my career, our industry has been pursuing performance specifications for concrete. That is, we want specifications for what the concrete must do, not what it must be. The sticking […]
Concrete in certain environments is subject to sulfate attack. These include seawater, some industrial environments, sanitary sewers, and sulfate-bearing soils and groundwater. The latter commonly occur in the western United […]
ASTM C1556 and NT Build 492 both measure the ease with which chloride ions migrate into concrete. Both test methods estimate the diffusion coefficient, a measure of the rate at […]
We’ve previously discussed a new standard that promotes sustainability through the use of ground recycled glass in concrete. Now let’s get some background on ASTM C1866.* Most glass falls into […]
“Classic” alkali-silica reaction is a reaction between alkalis in cement and reactive silicate minerals in susceptible aggregates. The reaction creates a gel that absorbs water and expands, resulting in the […]
In our blogs about mass concrete and hot-weather concreting, we’ve alluded to what happens when concrete cures at elevated temperatures. Now let’s take a look at the materials science behind […]