Comparison of ASTM saturation techniques for measuring the permeable porosity of concrete

The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy of the ASTM saturation techniques for measuring the permeable porosity of concrete. The permeable porosity of two ordinary concretes has been determined by three ASTM saturation techniques, namely cold-water saturation (CWS), boiling-water saturation (BWS) and vacuum saturation (VAS). The concretes were prepared with the water-cement ratios of 0.50 and 0.60, and tested at ages of 7 and 28 days. Based on the test results of permeable porosity, the efficiency of the saturation techniques has been compared. In addition, the compressive strength of concretes was determined to justify the results of permeable porosity. The slump test was also performed to observe the workability. The overall experimental results reveal that vacuum saturation technique is more efficient than cold-water or boiling-water saturation and therefore this technique should be recommended for measuring the permeable porosity of concrete.