Standardization News

A new test method will help ensure the quality of roller-compacted concrete (RCC) by measuring its density and air content. ASTM International’s committee on concrete and concrete aggregates (C09) created the standard, which is needed to proportion and optimizemixtures in labs and in the field and to verify specification compliance.

“There is currently no ASTM standard for determining air content of RCC. The air-content value is needed to proportion mixtures by the absolute volume method and, if applicable, to adjust air content to within the specified range,” says ASTM International member Dennis Clute of the U. S. Department of Agriculture’sNational Resources Conservation Service.

The test method includes measurement of mix density that is helpful with troubleshooting problems with the mix or method of compaction used to install RCC.

Clute states that this standard will be useful for labs that design and proportion RCC mixtures and for quality control and quality assurance inspectors. The standard will soon be published as C1849/C1849M, Test Method for Density and Air Content (Pressure Method) of Freshly Mixed Roller-Compacted Concrete.