Ultrasonic in-situ monitoring of setting process of high-performance concrete

The present standard test for the setting times of concrete is the penetration resistance test specified by ASTM C403. This test, while good for standard concrete mixtures, may not be appropriate for high-performance concrete (HPC) because of the high viscosity of the mortar. To address this issue, the ultrasonic pulse velocities (UPV) were measured using an ultrasonic monitoring system during the first 24 h of age for mortar and concrete specimens having various water-to-cementitious materials (w/cm) ratios and with and without fly ash (FA). Various characteristics observed from the measured UPV agreed with the previous theory of cement hydration, which describes the mixture as viscous suspension transforming into saturated porous solid phase. It was also found that the development of UPV in concretes, particularly without FA, was faster than that of mortars with the same w/cm. The values of concrete UPV corresponding to the initial and final setting (ASTM C403) did not show a trend consistent with those of mortar UPV. Two alternative criteria were applied to determine the setting characteristics from the UPV evolution curves. They were found to better represent the microstructural changes than the penetration method, as suggested by the consistent trend with decreasing w/cm among various mortars and concretes. Thus, the potential use of these alternative methods is suggested by specifying, at each w/cm, general target UPVs that are valid for both mortar and concrete with or without FA. It was concluded that the methods and monitoring device used in this research were useful for the in-situ monitoring of the setting of concrete, particularly in HPC.