Date of Award:

8-2021

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Committee Chair(s)

Andrew Sorensen

Committee

Andrew Sorensen

Committee

James Bay

Committee

Austin Ball

Abstract

With more and more people using roadways the need for fast and efficient repair work is becoming increasingly important. Lane closures impede traffic flow and result in congestion. To further limit the amount of time lane closures are needed for repair work, calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) cement concrete has become an increasing popular construction material for its ability to reach adequate strength requirements within four hours. Because of this accelerated repair time, advanced testing methods are needed to verify that the replaced concrete does indeed meet or exceed the minimum compressive strength requirements.

The maturity method is one test used to determine if the replaced concrete has met the minimum compressive strength requirements. However, limited research has been done on the effectiveness of the maturity method on rapid-setting CSA concretes. The current work provides a description of an experiment conducted on three different CSA concrete mixtures at four different ambient temperatures. Maturity index curves are generated based on three different types of reference concrete cylinders. Estimated compressive strength of replica concrete pavement repair slabs are compared based on each curve generated by the reference cylinders.

The maturity curves generated for each mixture are then evaluated at each ambient temperature to identify limitations of the maturity method. It is concluded that later age (after seven days) maturity index values inaccurately predict the strength of the concrete mixture. It was also determined that special precautions should be in place if CSA concretes are placed at temperatures below 40 °F. Additionally, the total volume of the CSA concrete placed plays a large role in the maturity rate of the CSA.

Checksum

57a82c8f1345f267eefabb563edc29fe

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