Technical Questions

ACI Committees, Membership, and Staff have answered common questions on a variety of concrete related topics.



Is storing the specimens on the structure always a satisfactory procedure for estimating in-place strength?

Q. Is storing the specimens on the structure always a satisfactory procedure for estimating in-place strength?

 

A. No. The curing of concrete in a large mass is likely to be much better than in small test specimens and the results of such tests of field-cured specimens may be misleading. Even with the greatest care in storing and protecting the specimens in contact with the mass of concrete they are intended to represent, the uncertainty is considerable—particularly in cold-weather work where the procedure is most commonly used. Temperature- matched curing methods where the temperature of the specimen follows that of the structure are available and provide satisfactory results. ACI 363 recommends this method in high-strength structures. It has also been used in mass concrete applications.

 

References: SP-1(02); ACI 363.2R-11

Topics in Concrete: Curing; Testing of Concrete

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