An experimental study was performed to evaluate the bond strength between two concrete layers, for different techniques for increasing the roughness of the substrate surface. In a total of 25 slant shear specimens and 25 pull-off specimens the substrate surface was prepared by wire-brushing; sand-blasting; chipping with a light jackhammer; or were left as-cast against steel formwork. Three months later, the new concrete was added. Pull-off tests were performed to evaluate the bond strength in tension. Slant shear tests were conducted to quantify the bond strength in shear. Analysis of results indicated that: the highest value of bond strength was achieved with sand-blasting; pull-off tests are adequate to estimate the bond strength in situ; and pre-wetting the substrate surface does not seem to influence the bond strength.

An experimental study was performed to evaluate the bond strength between two concrete layers of different ages, considering different mixtures of added concrete, with different strengths. The specimens first had the roughness of the substrate surface increased by sand blasting. Later, the new concrete was added. Afterwards, slant shear tests were performed to quantify the bond strength in shear. These tests indicated that increasing the compressive strength of the added concrete relative to the compressive strength of the substrate concrete improves the bond strength and changes the rupture mode from adhesive to monolithic. A finite element analysis showed that, increasing the difference between the compressive strengths of the added concrete and the substrate concrete, higher values of normal stress are present in the interface, for the same level of shear stress. The study presented in this paper reveals that the added concrete, normally with higher compressive strength than the substrate concrete, may possibly have an influence on concrete-to-concrete bond strength. Therefore, design of shear at the interface between concrete cast at different ages, according to Eurocode 2, could be improved, since here only the lowest strength concrete is considered.

No abstract

No abstract