Alkali-Silica Reaction in Concrete Pavements

Abstract

A significant number of German concrete motorway pavements have shown damage only a few years after construction. The alkali-silica-reaction (ASR) is often one of the reasons for this damage. German guidelines and regulations focus on the optimisation of the concrete composition to avoid damage due to ASR. Moreover, diverse research projects have dealt with the development and optimisation of ASR performance test methods with and without external alkali supply. However, the influence of other parameters on the occurrence and intensity of a damaging ASR had not yet been taken into account. Such parameters include, e.g., insufficient curing and the modifications of concrete’s porosity due to the use of slip form pavers. Likewise, the increased traf-fic loading had not yet been considered. The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) assesses these parameters and processes in a number of projects. These projects aim primarily to increase the durability of the concrete pavements, in particular by improving preventive measures that may be taken before or after the construction of concrete pavements. This paper gives a short overview of BAM’s projects concerning ASR in concrete pavements. Furthermore, results regarding the influence of the cyclic traffic loading on ASR are presented.