In situ measurement of the intrinsic permeability of concrete

Abstract

In this paper test methods that could be used on in situ concrete are used to obtain values for the permeability of concrete. The permeability is of interest because it significantly affects the ability of the concrete to prevent corrosion of embedded reinforcement. The important feature of the tests in this paper is that they yield values for permeability that are expressed in fundamental units and therefore have a better foundation in materials science than tests which only yield comparative data. The two in situ tests used are a new vacuum–air test using drilled holes 1 and a surface absorption test. Results from these tests are compared with direct measurements of permeability obtained in a high pressure through flow cell. The results show strong correlations but some differences in absolute values are noted.