Effects of uneven moisture distribution on the strength of and wave velocity in concrete

Earlier findings showed that the effects of moisture (liquid or free water) in hardened concrete on its behavior, especially the lesser known effects ofuneven moisture distribution, can (a) be significant, and (b) vary from property to property. This distribution, for instance whether or not the surface layer is drier than the overall average moisture content, can be characterized by the difference between the velocity of the longitudinal wave (pulse velocity) measured in the standard through-thickness manner, and the velocity of the longitudinal wave propagating on the concrete surface. The summary of earlier findings on the effects of moisture distribution is followed by a recent investigation on pulse velocity in the special case, occurring frequently in practice, when the distribution is uneven because the liquid is concentrated in cracks in the concrete.