Development of an accelerated abrasion test apparatus with a standardized testing procedure

Abstract

Depending on the nature of the working environment, the abrasive wear of concrete floor slabs can range from scratching or scuffing to impact and local crushing. To assess abrasion resistance it is, therefore, necessary to have a versatile apparatus. This investigation describes the development of a basic apparatus with three modes of action and a standardized testing procedure, for assessing the abrasion resistance of concrete slabs in the industrial environment. It consisted of a rotating plate carrying a total load of 65 kg so that it was sufficiently portable for both laboratory and site testing. Three different types of abrasion head—(a) revolving pads, (b) rolling wheels, (c) dressing wheels—could be fixed to the plate so that the effects of different modes of wear could be assessed. The abrasion resistance is expressed in terms of the depth of the groove produced by 15 min of abrasion. A laboratory programme was undertaken to assess the apparatus and test method. The factors examined included the methods of assessing the abrasive wear, the duration of the test, the minimum number of tests to reliably assess the abrasion resistance, the relative performance of the three types of test head and the mechanism(s) by which each head abraded the concrete surface. Consequently a standardized procedure was developed which was found to be sensitive to variations in surface conditions. This has the additional advantages of simulating service conditions and of being repeatable, easy to follow and with the cost and time of testing not being excessive.