Effect of preconditioning temperature on the water absorption of concrete

Abstract

The interest in predicting the service life of reinforced concrete structures has stimulated the development of studies on the setting of durability parameters. This indicators of durability must be easily obtained and provide reliable results about the durability of the material. This article aims to determine the effect of the preconditioning temperature on the water absorption of concrete by capillarity and by immersion. Cylinder specimens of concrete were made using Brazilian cement with 27% of pozzolanic addition and four water-cement ratios (0.42, 0.48, 0.54 and 0.60). Three drying temperatures (50, 70 and 105 °C) were established. In addition, compressive strength and electrical resistivity properties were evaluated after water absorption by immersion tests. The results show that the drying temperature impacts significantly on water absorption, compressive strength and electrical resistivity. Moreover, the intensity of this effect varies according to the water-cement ratio. The water absorption by immersion presents a good correlation with compressive strength and electrical resistivity.