An attempt to validate the ultra-accelerated microbar and the concrete performance test with the degree of AAR-induced damage observed in concrete structures

There is little knowledge about the relation between AAR-induced damage observed in structures and the expansion potential obtained with accelerated tests. In this study, aggregates used in structures damaged by AAR were tested with the microbar test (MBT/AFNOR XP 18-594) and the concrete performance test (CPT/AFNOR P18-454). After the tests, the samples were examined using optical and scanning electron microscopy. Based on the results, the significance of the microbar test has to be examined very critically. The agreement of measured expansion, reacted rock types and the composition of the reaction products between the on-site concrete and the reproduced concrete subjected to the CPT clearly indicates that the reaction mechanisms in the structure and in the concrete performance test are comparable. As such, the concrete performance test seems to be an appropriate tool to test the potential reactivity of specific concrete mixtures.