Porosity estimation of aged mortar using a micromechanical model

• DOI: 10.1016/j.ultras.2006.05.195
• Publication Date: 2006-06-11T13:31:49Z
• Authors: M.G. Hernández; J.J. Anaya; T. Sanchez; I. Segura
• Keywords: Ammonium nitrate; Characterization; Saturation (graph theory); Degradation

Degradation of concrete structures located in high humidity atmospheres or under flowing water is a very important problem. In this study, a method for ultrasonic non-destructive characterization in aged mortar is presented. The proposed method makes a prediction of the behaviour of aged mortar accomplished with a three phase micromechanical model using ultrasonic measurements. Aging mortar was accelerated by immersing the probes in ammonium nitrate solution. Both destructive and non-destructive characterization of mortar was performed. Destructive tests of porosity were performed using a vacuum saturation method and non-destructive characterization was carried out using ultrasonic velocities. Aging experiments show that mortar degradation not only involves a porosity increase, but also microstructural changes in the cement matrix. Experimental results show that the estimated porosity using the proposed non-destructive methodology had a comparable performance to classical destructive techniques.