Ultrasonic Testing to Capture the Early Age Setting Behaviors of Ultra-High Performance Concrete

Recent advances in concrete materials have led to a new generation of cementitious materials, namely ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC). This concrete possesses advanced properties in terms of compressive behavior, durability, and tensile load carrying capacity. UHPC attains these behaviors via an optimized gradation of cementitious materials, chemical admixtures, and steel fiber reinforcement. Advanced cementitous materials of this type tend to exhibit above average total shrinkage values as well as higher than average shrinkage rates during initial cure. These shrinkage behaviors can be problematic during initial curing in cases where the fabricated concrete member is geometrically restrained. Previous studies have demonstrated that the speed of sound in concrete is related to the concrete's modulus of elasticity. This study focuses on using ultrasonic methods to capture the properties of sound waves transmitted through the UHPC during the first 48 hours after casting. The goal of the study is to develop a non-destructive evaluation technique that can be used by a precaster to determine the release time for restraining formwork.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Sponsor Organizations:

  Federal Highway Administration

  Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center
  6300 Georgetown Pike
  McLean, VA  United States  22101
• Project Managers:

  Graybeal, Benjamin

• Performing Organizations:

  Fuchs Consulting

  ,    

  Federal Highway Administration

  Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center
  6300 Georgetown Pike
  McLean, VA  United States  22101
• Principal Investigators:

  Fuchs, Paul

  Graybeal, Benjamin

• Start Date: 20070000
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 20080000
• Source Data: RiP Project 15267

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: High performance concrete; Nondestructive tests; Reinforcement (Engineering); Research projects; Shrinkage; Steel fibers; Ultra high performance concrete; Ultrasonics
• Uncontrolled Terms: Early age (Concrete)
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Construction; Highways; Research; I30: Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01462774
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Federal Highway Administration
• Files: RiP, USDOT
• Created Date: Jan 3 2013 2:10PM