Effect of curing conditions on surface resistivity in high performace concrete

The testing presently in practice for assessing the resistance of concrete to penetration of chloride ions is ASTM C1202 or Rapid Chloride permeability test (RCPT) titled “Standard Test Method for Electrical Indication of Concrete's Ability to Resist Chloride Ion Penetration”. This test is considered to be prolonged, laborious, and of relatively high variability, due to certain parameters such as the test being user sensitive. As an alternative to the RCPT, the Surface Resistivity (SR) Test as presented in AASHTO TP 95-11 titled “Surface Resistivity Indication of Concrete’s Ability to Resist Chloride Ion Penetration” was investigated by correlating the results of the two tests. SRT is considered to be cost and time effective, as well as of relatively lower variability. Curing standards have been criticized in the industry due to their focus on strength properties, leaving out the effect of curing on durability properties of concrete. The research reported herein is focused on determining a correlation between RCP and SR test measurements and investigate the effect of different curing methods including accelerated curing on the correlation in High Performance Concrete (HPC). This research also investigates the effect of specific cementitious materials and chemical admixtures of surface resistivity and rapid chloride permeability results in three different curing methods. The HPC samples tested and included in this study were collected from various NJDOT and NJTA field locations in New Jersey and some cylinders were reproduced in the laboratory based on field High Performance Concrete mixture design.M.S.Includes bibliographical referencesby Samer Rabi