Title: Accelerated Method for the Evaluation of ASR Risks in Actual Concrete Compositions

Author(s): A. Criaud, C. Defosse, and V. Andrei

Publication: Symposium Paper

Volume: 145

Issue:

Appears on pages(s): 687-712

Keywords: accelerated tests; alkali-aggregate reactions; concretes; curing; expansion; mix proportioning; prisms; tests; Materials Research

DOI: 10.14359/4409

Date: 5/1/1994

Abstract:
A test method was developed to predict the risks of ASR expansion for actual field concrete compositions. Concrete prisms (7 x 7 x 28 cm) were cast, demolded, and measured for their initial length. They were then immersed in an alkaline solution at 150 C for 3 weeks in individual stainless steel containers and their lengths were monitored weekly. The concentration of the solution was adapted to match as closely as possible the composition of the interstitial pore solution by summing up the contribution of the binder constituents to the effective sodium and potassium contents, respectively. Despite this fact, the alkali balance before and after treatment of the prisms shows that the concrete is enriched in Na 2O and/or K 2O during the cure. The expansions reached at 150 C after 3 weeks were compared to those obtained at 100 percent relative humidity in air at 38 and 60 C after 12 and 4 months, respectively. Good correlations were obtained for the 67 different concrete mixes tested. Consequently, an expansion value of 0.11 percent was proposed as a provisional limit, which is rather conservative. Reaction products were studied by SEM, optical microscopy, and electron microprobe as gels, and semi-organized and crystallized compounds, and were shown to be present in cracks and pores as well as within the paste. The composition of the products formed at 150 C seems to be restricted to a narrower range of Ca, Si, Na, and K concentrations than what has been reported at lower temperatures.