Determining Water Content of Fresh Concrete by Microwave Reflection or Transmission Measurement

Report No: 88-R3

Published in 1987

About the report:

In search of a rapid and accurate method for determining the water content of fresh concrete mixes, the microwave reflection and transmission properties of fresh concrete mixes were studied to determine the extent of correlation between each of these properties and water content. This report describes the procedures that were devised to measure these properties and the results that were obtained. The results indicated that the microwave reflectivity and transmission of fresh concrete mixes are both sufficiently correlated to water content. Since these properties can be measured very rapidly without any pretreatment of the fresh concrete samples, microwave reflectivity or transmission measurement has the potential to be a rapid, nondestructive, and reasonably accurate quality-assurance method for measuring the water content of fresh concrete mixes, especially for a large capacity ready-mix plant. Although it is slightly more elaborate than reflectivity measurement, it is believed that transmission measurement may yield a more precise and accurate method.

Documents

88-R3

_{Disclaimer Statement:The contents of this report reflect the views of the author(s), who is responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the Virginia Department of Transportation, the Commonwealth Transportation Board, or the Federal Highway Administration. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. Any inclusion of manufacturer names, trade names, or trademarks is for identification purposes only and is not to be considered an endorsement.}

Authors

G. G. Clemeña

Last updated: December 29, 2023