Title:
Do Current Laboratory Test Methods Accurately Predict Alkali-Silica Reactivity?
Author(s):
Jason H. Ideker, Anthony F. Bentivegna, Kevin J. Folliard, and Maria C. G. Juenger
Publication:
Materials Journal
Volume:
109
Issue:
4
Appears on pages(s):
395-402
Keywords:
accelerated testing; aggregate; alkali-silica reaction; expansion; low-alkali cement; outdoor exposure; reactive aggregate.
DOI:
10.14359/51683914
Date:
7/1/2012
Abstract:
Traditional laboratory methods for identifying alkali-silica reactive aggregates (ASTM C1260 and C1293) sometimes produce inaccurate and conflicting results. To benchmark these tests and ultimately develop a more realistic test method(s), an outdoor exposure site was constructed to simulate field performance of concrete incorporating reactive aggregates. It was found that the performance of the aggregates in the laboratory and field environments varied considerably. ASTM C1260 was a good indicator of reactivity for some aggregates. In many cases, however, the results from ASTM C1260 disagreed with those from ASTM C1293 and the outdoor simulated field tests. In general, reactivity diagnosed by ASTM C1293 was found to correlate well with reactivity in field exposure. However, when ASTM C1293 was modified to evaluate lower alkali loadings, the test was unable to predict expansion in outdoor specimens.