Jul 02, 2019

ASTM International’s concrete and concrete aggregates committee (C09) has developed a test method aimed at improving and standardizing the way that resistance of concrete to electrical current flow helps assess its durability. 

According to ASTM International member R. Douglas Hooton, saturated specimens of hardened concrete are tested to see how well they resist electrical currents. Concrete’s ability to resist aggressive fluids, and its resistance to electric currents, depend on its pore size and porosity, two factors that help determine its durability. (Exposure to water, salt water, and other fluids breaks down concrete or embedded steel reinforcement over time.)

The test method (C1876-19) aims to assess a concrete’s ability to resist penetration of fluids, helping determine concrete structure durability. 

“Various forms of this test method are already used in the United States and globally, but differences in sample conditioning and testing details cause different results,” says Hooton, a professor in the Department of Civil and MineralEngineering at the University of Toronto. “Therefore, having this standard will help users obtain reproducible results.”

He adds that the committee welcomes participation as they will next be addressing potential changes to allow for alternate versions to verification procedures as well as further development of an appendix (for calculating a formation factor). 

Become a member of ASTM. The next meeting of the ASTM International committee on concrete and concrete aggregates is Dec. 8-11 at the Marriott Marquis Houston in Texas, USA.

Learn more in a video on ASTM International standards for concrete.