Study on concrete through its hardened state properties

Abstract

The composition characteristics of concrete, such as water/cement ratio, cement consumption and compressive strength directly affect its handling performance and durability. Thus, the technical standards related to concrete structures recommend technical specification concerning different environmental aggressiveness classes. Therefore, this study followed an experimental method aiming to evaluate the relationship between the characteristics of four different concrete mixes produced in accordance to the specifications of the standards EN 1992-1 and EN 206 for quality of hardened state concrete and its behavior during accelerated tests of carbonation and salt spray. Analyzes of compressive strength, void index, total and capillary water absorption, specific gravity, electrical resistivity and ultrasonic wave propagation velocity were executed. For the statistical treatment, a Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was performed, which provided a simplified analysis of the durable potential of reinforced concrete structures by its characteristics. Results lead to two major groups of behavior, and statistical significant differences in deterioration tests between mixes 1 and 4 for the salt spray test and between mix 4 and the others for the carbonation test.