Diagnostics of air permeability of concrete in abutments of the viaduct in Płock

Abstract

The durability of reinforced concrete engineering structures is related to the resistance of the reinforcement cover to the penetration of aggressive liquid and gaseous media. According to Eurocode recommendations, the cover thickness should be adapted to the aggressiveness of the environment. Attempts are being made to use measurements of air perme- ability of concrete to assess the concrete integrity in the cover layer in order to detect possible imperfections in workmanship. The paper presents the results of air permeability test using the Torrent method carried out on the abutments of the road viaduct built in Plock. The abutments were made of air-entrained concrete of strength class C35/45, designed for exposure classes XC4, XD3, XF2. The air permeability test was carried out in accordance with Swiss standard SIA 262/1 to verify the quality of concrete in the structure. Air permeability measurements were also made on moulded control specimens for comparison. The usefulness of the method allowing for non-destructive verification of the cover layer uniformity in reinforced concrete structures was demonstrated.