ACCELERATED STRENGTH TESTS FOR QUALITY CONTROL OF CONCRETE PAVEMENTS. PROCEEDINGS, 4TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CONCRETE PAVEMENT DESIGN AND REHABILITATION, PURDUE UNIVERSITY, APRIL 18-20, 1989

This paper presents the results of a laboratory based effort to evaluate potential methods of obtaining flexural strength for pavement quality control within 24 hr by accelerated test methods. Current Corps of Engineers pavement design procedures are based on and specify 28- and 90-day flexural strengths for roads and airfields, respectively. Quality control of pavement strengths use correlated 7- and 14-day flexural strengths to identify strength problems as early as possible, but compliance with specifications still depends on the 28- and 90-day strengths. These lengthy test times are not adequate to identify pavement strength problems, particularly with today's rapid construction techniques. A literature review indicates that accelerated test methods employing elevated curing temperatures are available for evaluating compressive strength (ASTM C 684), but comparable procedures for the more sensitive flexural strength have not been published or accepted. Some success has been achieved in predicting long-term flexural strength by the use of the boiling method (ASTM C 684, Procedure B). More recent work indicates that a warm water curing method (ASTM C 684, Procedure A) is safer, may be more reliable, and causes less deleterious effects to the specimen. Therefore it was pursued in this study. To determine the most effective one day measure of concrete quality, accelerated (24 hr in an elevated temperature water bath) and 14-day flexural, splitting tensile, and compressive strengths were compared to 28- and 90-day flexural strengths. Three concrete mixtures were prepared by varying water cement ratios to provide a wide strength range. Ten batches of each mixture were cast into beams and cylinders for testing. A total of 1,061 specimens were fabricated and tested. Based upon the coefficient of determination (R sq) for regression equations, the warm water method provides reliability (R sq equals 0.894 to 0.945) equal to if not greater than the 14-day tests (R sq equals 0.785 to 0.920) in predicting 28- and 90-day flexural strength.

• Corporate Authors:

  Purdue University

  School of Civil Engineering, 550 Stadium Mall Drive
  West Lafeyette, IN  United States  47907

  Federal Highway Administration

  Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center, 6300 Georgetown Pike
  McLean, VA  United States  22101
• Authors:
  • Armstrong, J P
• Publication Date: 1989-4

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 519-530
• Serial:
  • Publication of: Purdue University
  • Publisher: Purdue University

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accelerated tests; Admixtures; Compressive strength; Concrete pavements; Flexural strength; Forecasting; Laboratory tests; Pavement design; Quality control; Reliability; Tensile strength; Water cement ratio
• Old TRIS Terms: Test results; Warm water curing method
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Pavements; I22: Design of Pavements, Railways and Guideways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00486362
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA-RD-89-208, 3C1B1144
• Contract Numbers: DTFH61-87-C-00140
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Aug 31 1989 12:00AM