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European Journal of Scientific Research ISSN 1450-216X Vol.37 No.3 (2009), pp.445-456 EuroJournals Publishing, Inc. 2009 http://www.eurojournals.com/ejsr.

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An Experimental Comparative Survey on the Interpretation of Concrete Core Strength Results


I. M. Nikbin Department of Civil Engineering Islamic Azad University of Rasht, Iran M. Eslami Department of Civil Engineering Islamic Azad University of Rasht, Iran S. M. Rezvani. D Department of Civil Engineering Noushirvani University of Technology Babol, Iran E-mail: s.m.rezvani.d@gmail.com Tel: +98-911-1540554; Fax: +98-151-2291903 Abstract Estimates of concrete strength are often made from compression tests on cores which have diameter considerably less than the recommended 100 mm. This paper examines the results of tests applied on the 75 and 50 mm diameter cores. A total number of 300 cores were tested. The effects of both specimen sizes and strength levels for different length-to-diameter (l/d) ratios of 2, 1.6, 1.4 and 1 on the compressive strength of smaller diameter cores were analyzed. The test results obtained from core specimen were compared with those of standard specimens. The test results showed that the core size had negligible effect on the strength of the cores. The age of the concrete was found to be an effective factor in the interpretation of the core strength results. Test results also revealed that the l/d ratio of the specimen is more effective for small diameter cores. The coefficient of variation of strength values was noticed to be somewhat higher for 50 mm diameter cores.

Keywords: Compressive strength, Concrete cores, Diameter of cores, L/D ratio

1. Introduction
The strength of concrete is a direct requisite of all concrete structures that need to resist applied forces of whatever nature. Furthermore, the strength of concrete is a good index of most of the other properties of practical significance. For the general quality control of concrete, standard test specimens are taken during the construction. These specimens, which give the potential strength of concrete, are prepared, cured and tested according to relevant standard specifications. On the other hand, determination of the actual strength of concrete in a structure is not easy because it is dependent on the history of curing and the adequacy of compaction of concrete. Therefore, one question that designers frequently ask is whether or not the standard test specimens can represent in situ strength of concrete. The answer to this question becomes even more important when the strengths of standard test specimens are found to be lower than the specified value.

An Experimental Comparative Survey on the Interpretation of Concrete Core Strength Results

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In this case, either the strength of concrete in the actual structure is low or the specimens are not actually representative of the concrete in the structure. The problem is generally solved by drilling and testing core specimens from the suspected structural member. Furthermore, it may not be possible to find and test standard test specimens at a later age and it may be necessary to assess the current strength of a structure to determine whether the strength and durability of the structure are adequate for its future use when the concrete is doubted or the structure is intended to be used for higher stress conditions. For these special situations, the core test is the most useful and reliable way to assess the properties of the concrete in the structure [1]. The need for compressive testing of cores to yield an estimate of the strength of suspect concrete is well established, and recommendations for such tests are contained in BS 1881: Part 4:1970[2]. Also, the Concrete Society Technical Report No. 11 of 1976 [3] provides considerably more detailed evidence and recommendations for both testing and interpretation of results. Both the above documents are based on cores of 150 or 100 diameters. However, it is frequently found to be totally impracticable to obtain cores of this diameter with the required minimum l/d of 1.0. This may be due either to limitations of member dimensions or to critical reinforcement locations, and is especially relevant to pre- stressed concrete construction [4]. The choice of smaller diameters is motivated by the need to reduce costs and minimize damage to the structure, and by the possibility of drilling out the simples more easily by means of smaller tools [5]. For these reasons, the Concrete Society has allowed the use of 50 and 75 mm diameter cores by publishing an addendum to its 1976 report [6]. Consequently, cores of a considerably smaller diameter are often used despite very limited evidence of their reliability. It was, therefore, considered worthwhile to undertake a testing program with small diameter cores to investigate the influence of a number of common variables. In order to determine the actual concrete strength in the structures, the core test results should be carefully interpreted since there are a number of factors affecting the core strength.

2. Factors Affecting the Strength of Cores


The core strengths, when converted to the strength of cylinders of standard size or to cube strengths, represent, at best, the strength of in situ concrete. Although this seems to be a perfectly straightforward way of assessing concrete quality, there are a number of problems in interpreting the strength values obtained. The diameter, the length-to-diameter (l/d) ratio, the moisture condition at the time of testing, the age of the core Specimens, strength level of the concrete and the disturbance of the specimen caused by drilling operation are the most important factors influencing the strength of cores. Moreover, the differences between placing and compacting methods as well as curing regimes applied at the site and on standard specimens make it more difficult to convert the strength of cores to that of standard specimens [1]. Research by Neville and many other investigators suggest that measured concrete strength generally increases as the size of the test specimen decreases, and that results tend to be more variable with small specimen [7]. The most common criticism of small diameter cores is that they are unreliable There are conflicting reports on the effect of core diameter on core strength; some investigators found no effect, while others stating the strength of small cores to be much less than that of larger cores The principal factors, which may cause differences in behavior between small and large cores, are the size of the specimen, cutting damage and the relationship between the maximum aggregate size and the diameter of the core Small cores are also more susceptible to damages during drilling, handling, and storing The potential influence of drilling damage upon measured strength will be greater with small cores since the ratio of cut surface area to volume increases as the core diameter decreases. Relative size of aggregate with respect to core Diameter is more critical for small diameter cores. When the aggregate particles are large in relation to the size of the core, the effects of any aggregate loosened by cutting will be increased. Furthermore, the homogeneity of the material in the test specimen is effectively reduced in comparison with a larger specimen, and this may influence the internal failure characteristics [8].

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For a given diameter of core, it is well known that the measured compressive strength will vary with length, due to the influence of the shape of the test specimen on the stress distributions whilst under test. For cores having l/d lower than 2.0, strength increases with decrease in l/d. therefore in order to obtain the corrected strength which is on parity with the standard l/d conditions, the higher strength of cores of lower l/d ratios must be corrected by factors developed for each ratio[9]. Kesler has shown that concrete strength is a further factor which may influence the behavior of a core, and it is possible that this also may affect the relative behavior of small and large cores. The complexity of these problems contributed to the decision to confine the investigation to a single small core size [8]. In this experimental investigation, the effects of age of concrete, as well as l/d ratio of the core upon the strength of small diameter cores were studied. The correlations between core strengths and standard cube strength were also established for the small cores.

3. Details of Test Programme


A total of two mixes was used in the investigation, covering arrange of measured cube strengths between 25 and 45 Mpa, and these are listed in Table 1.
Table 1:
Mixture Mix C2 Mix C3

Mix Properties
Cement 250 350 Water 155 195 Coarse aggregate 1110 979 Fine aggregate 836 836

The standard and core test where conducted on these concrete mixtures. Portland cements were generally used, and course aggregate were 20 mm maximum size irregular gravels. In all cases, 15001500300 mm unreinforced slabs were casts and cured in the laboratory condition, together with at least four 100 mm control cubes. 50 and 75 mm diameter cores were cut from the slabs by using a diamond- tipped core-cutter and trimmed to give over- all l/d ratios between 1.0 and 2.0. The l/d ratios of capped core specimens were 2.0, 1.6, 1.4 and 1.0. The compressive values of the standard specimens and cores were determined at the age of 7 and 42 days. Total of cores were cut in a vertical direction as defined in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Drilling Orientation in Relation to Slab Specimen

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The compressive strength of the standard specimens and the cores was determined by a fully automatic press and the rate of application of loads for all specimens was 0.25 Mpa/s. The compressive strength test results are the average at least six specimens. A total of 35 standard and 300 core specimens were tested in this investigation.

4. Analysis and Discussion of Experimental Results


In the present study, the cores with two different diameters and four different l/d ratios were tested and the effects of specimen and concrete age as well as l/d ratios of core on concrete core strengths were examined. The strengths of cores were compared to those of standard cube specimens. The compressive strength developments of cube specimens are listed in Table 2.
Table 2:
Mixture Mix C2 Mix C3

Compressive Strength of Standard Cubes


7 days(Mpa) 19 25 42 days(Mpa) 26 45

Figs. 23 illustrate the strengths of 75 and 50 mm diameter cores with l/d ratio changing from 1.0 to 2.0 obtained from 7 and 42-day aged concrete, respectively.
Figure 2: Strength of 50 and 75 mm Diameter Cores with Different L/D Ratios (7- Day age)

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Figure 3: Strength of 50 and 75 mm Diameter Cores with Different L/D Ratios (42- Day age)

As it was expected, the compressive strength of cores increased when l/d ratio of the core specimen decreased. This may be caused by both end effect and the reduction in the volume of the specimen. The effect was more pronounced for 50 mm diameter cores as reported by Tuncan [8]. Bartlett and MacGregor stated that the effect of l/d ratio was more significant for 50 mm diameter cores than 100 mm diameter ones [10]. Fig. 4 depicts the strength of 75 and 50 mm diameter cores for different l/d ratios mixes of C2 and C3 at 42 days. It seems that the effect of l/d ratio is more apparent for 50 mm diameter cores in mix of C2 (i.e. lower level strength) as obtained by Mourdak and Kesler[8]. Generally, the strengths of cores with l/d ratio of 1.0, 1.4, 1.6 and 2.0 were compared to those of standard cube specimens, respectively. Figs. 5 - 8 present the relative strengths of 75 and 50 mm diameter cores, respectively. According to most of the standards, the cores should not be drilled earlier than 7 days since they may be considerably damaged by drilling operation. It was found that the relative core strengths were not significantly affected by the age of the concrete. The effect of concrete age was more apparent for mix C2.

An Experimental Comparative Survey on the Interpretation of Concrete Core Strength Results


Figure 4: Development of Core Strength vs. Length-to-Diameter Ratio

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Figure 5: Relative Strength Core for l/d=1.0 in Mix C2 and C3

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Figure 6: Relative Strength Core for l/d=1.4 in Mix C2 and C3

Figure 7: Relative Strength Core for l/d=1.6 in Mix C2 and C3

An Experimental Comparative Survey on the Interpretation of Concrete Core Strength Results


Figure 8: Relative Strength Core for l/d=2.0 in Mix C2 and C3

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These figures also show the strength of cubes is generally higher than that of cores drilled of the same concrete mix. Furthermore, the ratio tends to increase with the increase in strength of specimen as reported by Somsak [11]. The reason why the core specimens are likely to generate lower results is that during the coring process, the drilling operations weaken the bonds between the aggregate and the surrounding hardened cement paste. Also in high strength concrete, the bonds between cement paste and aggregate are higher and more cohesive. This results in more resistance during the coring operation and greater shearing between the coring bit and the concrete surface. This would cause greater damage to higher strength concrete as compared to low strength concrete. Hence, the cube to core strength ratio would drop. The strengths of cores are generally compared to those of cubes when checking for compliance. The comparisons of cores at any age against cubes at 42 days are resented in Figs. 9 and 10, respectively.
Figure 9: Comparisons of 50 mm Cores at any Age against Cube at 42 Days

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Figure 10: Comparisons of 75 mm Cores at any Age against Cube at 42 Days

Test results revealed that the relative strength of core at any age with respect to strength of standard specimen at 42 days increased as concrete became older. The effect was more pronounced for 50 mm diameter cores drilled from concrete having lower strength (MIX C2). For example, the relative strengths of 50 mm diameter cores with l/d ratio of 2.0 at 7 and 42 days with respect to strengths of cubes at 42 days were found to be 48% and 80%, respectively (MIX C2). As it was mentioned before, the most common criticism on small diameter cores is that they are unreliable. Fig. 11-14 indicates coefficient of variation (COV) values of core strengths irrespective to age of concrete. It seems that the effect of l/d ratio on the COV values cannot be generalized and the COV values of strengths of 50 mm diameter cores are higher than those of 75 mm diameter ones. The same figure also reveals that somewhat higher COV values can be observed for the strengths of cores drilled as concrete became older.
Figure 11: Average Coefficient of Variation of Strength of 75, 50 mm Cores (Mix C2-7Days)

An Experimental Comparative Survey on the Interpretation of Concrete Core Strength Results


Figure 12: Average Coefficient of Variation of Strength of 75, 50 mm Cores (Mix C3-7Days)

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Figure 13: Average Coefficient of Variation of Strength of 75, 50 mm Cores (Mix C2-42Days)

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Figure 14: Average Coefficient of Variation of Strength of 75, 50 mm Cores (Mix C3-42Days)

In this study for each mix the average values of measured core strength, were compared for each different value of l/d and expressed in terms of a core with l/d = 2.0. Based on the results obtained for l/d ratios an over-at least-squares regression was performed. The numerical formula is given in Eq. (1) k = 0.23 ln( ) + 0.84 (1) Where k is the correction factor of core strength for a core with l/d = . Also the results of this analysis are illustrated in Fig 15.
Figure 15: L/D Ratio Influence for Small Cores

5. Summery and Conclusion Remarks


For small cores of 50 and 75 mm diameters, the following conclusion may be drawn: 1 The compressive strength of cores increased with the decrease in l/d ratio of the core. 2 The effect of l/d ratio was more pronounced for 50 mm diameter cores.

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The effect of age on relative core strength was found to be not significantly affected. The strength of cubes is generally higher than that of cores drilled of the same concrete mix. The ratio of core strength vs. cube strength tends to increase with the increase in strength of specimen. 6 The relative strength of core at any age with respect to strength of standard specimen at 42 days increased as concrete became older. This effect was more pronounced for 50 mm diameter cores drilled from concrete having lower strength (MIX C2). 7 the effect of l/d ratio on the COV values cannot be generalized and the COV values of strengths of 50 mm diameter cores are higher than those of 75 mm diameter ones. 8 Somewhat higher COV values can be observed for the strengths of cores drilled as concrete became older.

References
[1] Arioz, O., Tuncan, M., Ramyar, K. and Tuncan, A. [2006]. A Comparative Study on the Interpretation of Concrete Core Strength Results. Magazine of Concrete Research, Vol. 58, No. 2, March 2006, pp. 117-122. BRITISH STANDARDS INSTITUTION. [1970]. Methods of Testing Concrete for Strength. London.pp.25.BS 1881: Part 4: CONCRETE SOCIETY. THE. [1976], Concrete Core Testing for Strength. London, pp.44. Technical Report No.11 Bungey, J.H., [1979]. Determining Concrete Strength by Using Small-Diameter Cores. Magazine of Concrete Research, Vol. 31, No. 107, June 1979, pp. 91-98. Indelicato, F., [1997]. Estimate of Concrete Cube Strength by Means of Different Diameter Cores: A Statistical Approach. Material and Structures, Vol. 30, pp. 131-138. CSTR 11, [1976]. Concrete core testing for strength. Technical Report No.11, The Concrete Society, London, 44. J.H NEVILLE, A. M., [1956]. The Influence of Size of Concrete Test Cubes on Mean Strength and Standard Deviation. Magazine of Concrete Research, Vol. 8, No. 23, August 1956, pp. 101-110. Tuncan, M., Arioz, O., Ramyar, K., Karasu, B. [2006]. Assessing Concrete Strength by Means of Small Diameter Cores. Journal of Construction and Building Materials. 2006. Yip, W. K. and Tamt, C. T. [1988], Concrete Strength Evaluation Through the Use of Small Diameter Cores, Magazine of Concrete Research, Vol. 40, No. 143, June 1988, pp. 99-105. Bartlett FM, MacGregor JG. [1994], Effect of core diameter on concrete core strengths. ACI Mater J 1994; 91(5):46070. Prof. Swaddiwudhipong Somsak. [1990], Study on estimated in-situ cube strength from cores and cube strength, UROP Report, Faculty of Engineering Department of Civil Engineering. 1990.

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