New ASTM International standard to characterise concrete drying

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Updated 2014-10-27

Understanding the drying behaviour of a given concrete mixture is critical to any construction project. ASTM International has introduced a new standard, ASTM C1792, Test Method for Measurement of Mass Loss Versus Time for One-Dimensional Drying of Saturated Concretes, which will help ready-mix concrete producers and engineers to characterise how hardened concrete mixtures dry.

“The drying information provided by C1792 can be used to directly assess the drying rates of a given concrete mixture,” says ASTM member Dale Bentz, chemical engineer for the Materials and Structural Systems Division in the Engineering Laboratory at the National Institute for Standards and Technology. “This information could be valuable for industrial flooring applications, for example, where a quick drying is often desirable.”

In many applications, concrete is exposed to wetting and drying conditions in such a way that the concrete is partially saturated. The ASTM C1792 test will provide information on the mass loss versus time (drying) behaviour of an initially saturated concrete specimen exposed to one-dimensional drying in a controlled temperature and relative humidity environment.

In addition to ready-mix producers, testing laboratories and concrete consultants will find ASTM C1792 helpful.

Subcommittee C09.66 on Concrete’s Resistance to Fluid Penetration, part of ASTM Committee C09 on Concrete and Concrete Aggregates, developed ASTM C1792. All interested parties are invited to join in the standards developing activities of C09.66.

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