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The National Academies

NCHRP IDEA 20-30/IDEA 105 [Completed (IDEA)]

Evaluation of New Methods to Measure Water-To-Cement Ratio of Fresh Concrete
[ NCHRP 20-30 (NCHRP-IDEA) ]

  Project Data
Staff Responsibility: Dr. Inam Jawed

The negative impact of high ratios of water-to-cementitious materials (wcm) on concrete strength and durability is widely recognized. Even so, the uninhibited addition of temper water at the job site is a widespread practice within the concrete construction industry.Whereas the ability to accurately and precisely measure wcm of fresh concrete has been elusive, highway agencies have experienced considerable difficulty controlling the quality of placed concrete, particularly as it relates to the total amount of water in the mix.
 
This research project involved the evaluation of several novel solutions to this problem. Successful implementation of the most promising solutions will enable highway agencies to easily and adequately protect against low-strength and low-durability concrete, helping state highway agencies save millions of dollars in unnecessary and/or premature repairs and rehabilitation costs caused by low-quality concrete. The goal of the final device will be to achieve three key objectives: laboratory-quality precision, portability, and ease of use, making it suitable for everyday use by contractors, state highway testing personnel, and testing laboratories.

The final report for this IDEA project can be found at:
https://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/archive/studies/idea/finalreports/highway/NCHRP105Final_Report.pdf

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