The new rapid chloride permeability test, in which chloride ions are driven into concrete samples electrically over a 6-hr period, is becoming widely used and has been accepted as an American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) standard, T277. This paper summarizes the results of an extensive series of laboratory tests with the new method. Results of an interlaboratory test program provide single-operator and multilaboratory coefficients of variation suitable for use in a precision statement in the standard versions of the method. Several possible revisions to the AASHTO standard procedure are examined, but further study is necessary before any can be accepted. Test results on specimens with diameters other than the standard 3.75 in. (95 mm) called for in T277 are found to be easily adjusted to allow comparisons with standard size specimens. Several fundamental properties of concrete, namely, water-cement ratio, coarse aggregate type and gradation, and air content, are shown to affect chloride permeability.

The permeability of hardened cement paste is reviewed with particular reference to the influence of pore structure. Permeability is usually modelled by applying D'Arcy's Law, although permeability measurements and pore size distribution determinations reveal the strong influence of large capillary pores (macropores) on flow through cement paste. The macropores form a continuous flow path within the paste. The effects of curing temperature, drying, and admixtures on permeability can be understood in terms of their influence on macropores. Paste containing fly ash shows anomalous behavior, which apparently arises from internal damage occurring during pore structure measurements. It appears that the presence of fly ash promotes the formation of a discontinuous macropore system that inhibits flow.

This paper summarizes the results of permeability studies that have been undertaken since 1979. The research used a test procedure developed during the NCHRP Project 12-19A, "Concrete Sealers for Protection of Bridge Structures", which was reprinted in 1981 as NCHRP Report No. 244. This test method utilizes 10 cm concrete cubes, and chloride ion penetration is determined at 4 depths after 21 days exposure to 15 percent NaCl solution. The test results show that lowering of water-cement ratio in portland cement concrete or presence of superplasticizers, polymer admixtures, and silica fumes are able to significantly reduce concrete permeability.

Water, chloride-ion, and air permeability of two series of silica fume and non-silica fume concretes having water-cementitious ratios of 0.4 and 0.5 were studied as well as that of a 0.24 water-cementitious ratio silica fume concrete. Silica fume dosage varied from 5 to 20 percent by weight of cement. The water permeability of concrete samples having water-cementitious ratios lower than 0.5 is so low that they can be considered impervious whether they contain silica fume or not. The chloride-ion impermeability provided by silica fume rivals that of latex for water-cementitious ratios of 0.4 to 0.5 and polymer-impregnated concrete with a 0.24 w/c ratio. The two drying methods used in this research yielded a positive correlation between silica fume dosage and air permeability. Equal variations were observed for values of up to 10 percent, whereas at twenty percent, the increase was markedly sharper. The characterization of concrete permeability is not as simple as it appears. Sample preparation and fluid type can significantly affect the interpretation of the effect of an admixture such as silica fume.

The effects of two pozzolanic admixtures, fly ash and silica fume, and a ground-granulated blast furnace slag on the chloride ion intrusion of concretes prepared with low water-to-cementitious material ratios (0.35 to 0.45) were investigated. Results of the rapid permeability test (AASHTO T 277) showed that the resistance of concrete to the penetration of chloride ions increases significantly as the water-to-cementitious material ratio is decreased for the same proportions of solid ingredients. Most concretes with pozzolans or slag exhibited higher resistance to chloride ion penetration than the control concretes containing portland cement as the cementitious material. Results of the 90-day ponding test (similar to AASHTO T 259), which was conducted with 0.40 w/c concretes only, indicated minimal chloride content at depths below 3/4 in. (19 mm) for all the test concretes. Strength values for all concretes made with the pozzolans and slag at 90 days were in excess of 5000 psi (34.5 MPa), which is satisfactory.