A suggested screening test for ASR in cement-bound composites containing glass aggregate based on autoclaving

摘要

The alkali-silica reaction (ASR) in concrete and its effects were studied in great detail within the last half century. Although the phenomenon itself is not fully understood, its potentially severe consequences require extensive testing of mix recipes before service. A reliable yet rapid test to determine the reactivity of a specific mix is a necessity.At Columbia University, research has been conducted to use post-consumer waste glass as concrete aggregate. One of the objectives was to develop mixes of relatively low reactivity containing glass, pozzolanic materials and various admixtures. With this large number of variables, the detection of unfavorable components prior to excessive long-term testing is essential. The work led to the development of a reliable and extremely rapid ASR test based on autoclave treatment, suitable for both, traditional concrete mixtures and multi-component systems. Test results can be obtained within only three days. Using relative comparison, the proposed autoclave test provides a valuable screening device to reduce the number of possible compositions during mix design.