Mechanisms of strength loss in underwater concrete

Abstract

In-situ hardened properties of underwater concrete (UWC) are affected by washout loss and water infiltration occurring during the casting and post-casting stages. This paper evaluates the suitability of the falling-head method determined using a permeameter cell to assess water infiltration or, permeability (k), in freshly mixed UWC. Correlations between k and washout loss determined using the CRD C61 test method are established. The paper also seeks to quantify the coupled effect of washout loss and water infiltration on the drop in UWC compressive strength. Test results showed that Darcy’s law is valid to evaluate water permeability in UWC. The k and washout loss values are found to be well correlated within each other. UWC mixtures subjected to washout or water infiltration exhibited lower compressive strengths, as compared to reference concrete sampled in dry conditions. The drop in UWC strength was attributed to a combination of factors including washout loss of cementitious phase together with relative increases in aggregate concentration and specified water-to-cement ratio.