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Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology
Coordinating, Developing, and Delivering Highway Transportation Innovations
| REPORT |
| This report is an archived publication and may contain dated technical, contact, and link information |
 |
| Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-13-085 Date: October 2013 |
Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-13-085 Date: October 2013 |
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Accurate, reliable, and timely laboratory assessment of concrete mixtures - aggregates combined with cementitious materials - is a critical component in ensuring the durability of concrete infrastructure from the adverse effects of the alkali-silica reaction (ASR). Currently, the "Concrete Prism Test" (American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) C1293) is the most reliable standard test method for assessing the suitability of materials and materials combinations for resistance to damage by ASR. However, the main drawback of this method is the 1- to 2-year duration required for the test. This research study evaluates a new nonlinear acoustic technique for characterization of ASR damage in standard concrete prism specimens. Nonlinear impact resonance acoustic spectroscopy offers fast and reliable measurement of the material nonlinearity. Microstructural changes that occur as a result of ASR cause an increase in the measured nonlinearity, which can be used as a measure of the amount of ASR-induced damage. This study evaluates 10 concrete mix designs with varying ASR reactivity. Both standard expansion tests and nonlinearity measurements are performed on the specimens. This report presents the results of those tests to illustrate the utility of this new method as a complementary technique for damage assessment of laboratory concrete prisms specimens. This report is intended for those who assess aggregate reactivity by ASTM C1293 or ASTM C1260.
Jorge E. Pagán-Ortiz
Director, Office of Infrastructure
Research and Development
Notice
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Technical Report Documentation Page
| 1. Report No.
FHWA-HRT-13-085 |
2. Government Accession No. | 3 Recipient's Catalog No. | ||
| 4. Title and Subtitle
Accelerated Determination of ASR Susceptibility During |
5. Report Date October 2013 |
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| 6. Performing Organization Code | ||||
| 7. Author(s)
Krzysztof J. Lesnicki, Jin-Yeon Kim, Kimberly E. Kurtis, and Laurence J. Jacobs |
8. Performing Organization Report No. |
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9. Performing Organization Name and Address Georgia Institute of Technology |
10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) |
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11. Contract or Grant No. DTFH61-08-R-00010 |
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| 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address
Office of Infrastructure Research & Development |
13. Type of Report and Period Covered
Interim Report |
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14. Sponsoring Agency Code
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15. Supplementary Notes The Contracting Officer's Representatives are Y.P. Virmani, HRDI-60, and Fred Faridazar, HRDI-20. We are grateful to FHWA's ASR Technical Working Group for its valuable comments in addition to providing suggestions throughout the performance period. |
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| 16. Abstract
Accurate, reliable, and timely laboratory assessment of concrete mixtures—aggregates combined with cementitious materials—is a critical component in ensuring the durability of concrete infrastructure from the adverse effects of the alkali-silica reaction (ASR). Currently, the “Concrete Prism Test” (ASTM C1293) is the most reliable standard test method for assessing the suitability of materials and materials combinations for resistance to damage by ASR. However, the main drawback of this method is the 1- to 2-year duration required for the test. This research study evaluates a new nonlinear acoustic technique for characterization of ASR damage in standard concrete prism specimens. Nonlinear impact resonance acoustic spectroscopy offers a fast and reliable measurement of the material nonlinearity. Microstructural changes that occur as a result of ASR cause an increase in the measured nonlinearity, which can be used as a measure of the amount of ASR-induced damage. This study evaluates 10 concrete mix designs with varying ASR reactivity. Both standard expansion tests and nonlinearity measurements are performed on the specimens. This report presents the results of those tests to illustrate the utility of the new method as a complementary technique for damage assessment of laboratory concrete prisms specimens. |
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| 17. Key Words
Nonlinear Acoustics, Vibration, Concrete, Alkali Silica Reaction, ASR |
18. Distribution Statement
No restrictions. This document is available to the public through the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22161. |
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19. Security Classification Unclassified |
20. Security Classification Unclassified |
21. No. of Pages 76 |
22. Price | |
| Form DOT F 1700.7 | Reproduction of completed page authorized |
SI* (Modern Metric) Conversion Factors
| Abbreviations | |
| AMBT | Accelerated Mortar Bar Test |
| ASR | Alkali-Silica Reaction |
| ASTM | Refers to ASTM International (formerly American Society for Testing and Materials) standards |
| CPT | Concrete Prism Test |
| FA | Fly Ash |
| FFT | Fast Fourier Transform |
| GDOT | Georgia Department of Transportation |
| HR | Moderately to Highly Reactive aggregates according to their ASR behavior |
| HWY | Highway |
| I-XX | I represents interstate, numbers following denote specific interstate |
| kSA | kiloSamples |
| MR | Potentially (or May be) Reactive aggregates according to their ASR behavior |
| NDE | bNondestructive Evaluation |
| NDT | Nondestructive Testing |
| NEWS | Nonlinear Elastic Wave Spectroscopy |
| NIRAS | Nonlinear Impact Resonance Acoustic Spectroscopy |
| Nm | Nanometer |
| NR | Non-Reactive aggregates according to their ASR behavior |
| NRUS | Nonlinear Resonance Ultrasound Spectroscopy |
| NWMS | Nonlinear Wave Modulation Spectroscopy |
| SCM | Supplementary Cementing Materials |
| SD | Standard Deviation |
| SNR | Signal-to-Noise Ratio |
| UV | Ultraviolet |
| UV-C light | Ultraviolet Radiation at 0.00001 inches (254 nanometers) |
| Symbols | |
| σ | Stress |
| Ε0 | Linear Elastic Modulus |
| β | Coefficient of Quadratic Anharmonicity |
| δ | Coefficient of Cubic Anharmonicity |
| ε | Strain |
| α | Measure of the Material Hysteresis |
| Δε | Strain Amplitude |
 |
Strain Rate |
| f0 | Linear Resonance Frequency |
| f | Resonance Frequency at Increased Excitation Amplitude |
| C1 | Coefficient Proportional to Material Hysteresis |
| A | Signal Amplitude |
| η | Scaled Hysteresis Parameter |
| ξ0 | Linear Damping Rate |
| ξ | Damping Rate at Increased Excitation Amplitude |
| c3 | Coefficient Proportional to Material Hysteresis |
| Ω | Nonlinear Damping Parameter |
| ηc | Cumulative Nonlinearity |
| t | Time, Thickness |
| L | Specimen Thickness in Direction of Wave Propagation |
| ν | Wave Speed |
| t0 | Time of Arrival at Receiving Transducer |
| Ε | Young's Modulus of Elasticity |
| m | Mass |
| b | Width |
| L | Length |
| t | Thickness |
| ff | Fundamental Resonant Frequency of Bar in Flexure |
| Τ1 | Correction Factor for Fundamental Flexural Mode |
| μ | Poisson's Ratio |
