Sarah De Carufel, Author at Giatec Scientific Inc.

Field-Cured vs. Standard-Cured Cylinders

Sarah De Carufel June 2, 2021

How Curing Methods Affect High-Strength ConcreteASTM C31 is the standard that defines two different concrete curing conditions, standard curing and field curing. It is the standard that dictates the procedures for making and curing test cylinders and can become a problem when an engineer or purchaser argues that field-cured test cylinders must be the basis of acceptance for a project. Get Your First SmartRock Concrete Sensor for FREE Free Demo Kit ASTM C31 section 10.1 defines standard curing as a condition that “involves subjecting the specimens to standard temperature and humidity conditions.” According to ASTM C511, these test specimens are generally stored in curing tanks or rooms at 23.0 ± 2°C and at a relative humidity (RH) greater than 95%. The results from standard-cured concrete break tests are primarily used for quality control and concrete acceptance.ASTM C31 section 10.2 defines…

What Is the Half-Cell Potential Test?

Sarah De Carufel May 27, 2020

Corrosion is a natural process that occurs when a structure is exposed to elements like CO2 or chloride, which can penetrate the concrete all the way to the steel reinforcement. This can have serious durability and safety consequences, which is why it is important to monitor corrosion using an accurate and trusted method. Get Your First SmartRock Concrete Sensor for FREE Free Demo Kit The half-cell potential test is the only corrosion monitoring technique standardized in ASTM C876 – 15: Standard Test Method for Corrosion Potentials of Uncoated Reinforcing Steel in Concrete. It is used to determine the probability of corrosion within the rebar in reinforced concrete structures. This blog dives into the specifics of concrete corrosion, the half-cell potential technique for testing concrete corrosion, and the ways in which the data from the half-cell potential test can be interpreted.The…

Practical Installation Locations of Wireless Concrete Maturity Sensors

Sarah De Carufel April 27, 2020

The traditional way to determine whether a concrete element is strong enough for critical construction operation is to monitor concrete strength using field cured cylinders. Once the specimens have reached the desired strength, usually 75% of the mix design strength, the project can then move forward and it becomes safe to remove forms, post tension, open roads to traffic, etc. Get Your First SmartRock Concrete Sensor for FREE Free Demo Kit When field cured cylinders are used, samples are made at a given interval during the pour and the specimens are all cured in a specific location and tested at a specified age. One cylinder break result is meant to represent the entire pour and provide the decision maker with the required information to move forward and proceed with critical operations. However, this method doesn’t necessarily accurately represent the in-place…

Faster Tilt-Up With Concrete Maturity Monitoring

Sarah De Carufel March 25, 2020

In the construction industry, innovations that reduce costs and speed up project completion are highly sought after—so it’s no wonder that we’re seeing a resurgence in the popularity of tilt-up construction. According to Tilt Wall Ontario Inc, over 10,000 buildings are constructed using the tilt-up method each year. Get Your First SmartRock Concrete Sensor for FREE Free Demo Kit Invented in the early 1900s, tilt-up is a construction method in which large concrete elements are cast onsite and lifted into place by high-capacity mobile cranes. It has long been considered a viable approach for all kinds of everyday buildings and has recently gained a foothold within the architectural community as an innovative method to create interesting aesthetic form.Why Choose Tilt-Up?From design to well-beyond completion, the whole tilt-up process optimizes efficiency and offers many advantages. Apart from its architectural versatility and…

Reduce Delays on High Rise Construction Projects

Sarah De Carufel December 20, 2019

High rise buildings are a huge undertaking—no pun intended. In terms of scale, personnel, timelines, costs, scheduling, planning, and logistics—high rise construction projects are significant investments. Get Your First SmartRock Concrete Sensor for FREE Free Demo Kit Each day on a jobsite including your crew, fuel, equipment, etc. can cost between ten and fifteen thousand dollars on average. Therefore, it’s absolutely crucial that you have a plan in place that limits setbacks and inefficiencies. If you’re reading this, you probably know that any construction project can encounter unexpected roadblocks—especially large scale projects like high rise buildings. According to McKinsey Global Institute “Large projects typically take 20% longer to finish than scheduled and are up to 80% over budget.” It’s beyond frustrating for project managers and contractors when jobs run behind schedule because it eats into profits and impacts your company’s…

Never Have a Low Break Again

Sarah De Carufel July 9, 2019

Never Have a Low Break AgainOne of the most frustrating setbacks that occurs on jobsites is low concrete breaks. It seems like they always happen at the worst time, when your schedule is already delayed and you are trying to move your project along as fast as possible. When testing your concrete for early-age strength, if the lab comes back to you with a psi/MPa that is lower than what is expected from your mix, you have very limited options moving forward, all of which require more time and money. Get Your First SmartRock Concrete Sensor for FREE Free Demo Kit Request Pricing The Official Definition of a Low Concrete Cylinder BreakUnder ACI and CSA Standards, a break is considered to be of low compressive strength when an individual strength test (average of two cylinders) is more than 500 psi…

Calibrating Your Concrete Maturity Sensors in 5 Easy Steps

Sarah De Carufel July 9, 2019

If you’re reading this article, you’re probably getting ready to use wireless concrete maturity sensors, like SmartRock®, on your jobsite to monitor the strength of your in-situ slab. Get Your First SmartRock Concrete Sensor for FREE Free Demo Kit Here’s a little refresher on the concrete maturity method.The maturity method (ASTM C1074) is a non-destructive testing approach that allows you to estimate the early-age and compressive strength of in-place concrete in real-time. The technique is based on the principle that concrete strength is directly related to its hydration temperature history. Though this methodology has been used since the 1970s, it has only recently been gaining popularity on job sites with wireless concrete maturity sensors.The goal of these sensors is to measure the temperature of your slab in real-time and correlate this data to the concretes’ strength. Wireless sensors are placed…

Understanding Relative Humidity in Concrete

Sarah De Carufel April 6, 2019

During the construction of a concrete building, an essential step in the application of flooring is the importance of monitoring the relative humidity (RH), moisture levels, and the moisture evaporation rate of your slab. If your concrete contains excess moisture and high RH levels this can lead to disastrous flooring failures, resulting in costly repairs and liabilities. But what exactly is the difference between relative humidity and moisture and why should you care? Get Your First SmartRock Concrete Sensor for FREE Free Demo Kit Relative Humidity vs. MoistureRelative humidity (RH) is often mistaken for moisture; however, these terms measure two different characteristics of concrete. Moisture content represents the amount of water in liquid form, while humidity levels represent the amount of water in vapor form.Simply put, relative humidity represents the amount of water vapor that is present in the air…

Importance of Initial Curing Conditions of Test Cylinders

Sarah De Carufel November 9, 2018

Why Curing Conditions for Test Cylinders is ImportantAcceptance testing for specified concrete strength is, and always has been, a necessary step in the construction industry. Nowadays, this process includes making cylinders or beams on site and bringing them to the lab for strength testing, followed by a step procedure which is outlined in ASTM C31/C31M. This standard outlines the test procedure for two types of cylinders (or beams); standard-cured and field-cured. Get Your First SmartRock Concrete Sensor for FREE Free Demo Kit Both tests shouldn’t be confused with one another; the standard-cure provides acceptance for the concrete that was delivered, and the field-cured are used for estimation of the real-time strength of form removal, shoring, and road openings. In both cases, the steps to follow are similar; the specimen must be molded, cured on site, and transported to the lab. The…

Use Maturity to Determine the Allowable Variation in Temperature

Sarah De Carufel December 7, 2017

Determining the Allowable Variation in Concrete Temperature with the Maturity Method Measuring the temperature differential in mass concrete elements is essential. Because of the mass effect, the concrete core can have a really high temperature while the surface, which is greatly affected by environmental conditions, tends to be cooler. If the difference in temperature between the core and the surface is too large, it can cause internal thermal stress. If the tensile strength of the concrete is not high enough to withstand the thermal stress it can create significant cracking. Get Your First SmartRock Concrete Sensor for FREE Free Demo Kit The ACI 207- Mass Concrete guideline states that the difference in temperature between the center of the element and the surface must remain smaller than 20ºC (35 ºF) during curing. In the majority of cases this approach is very…

Sarah De Carufel

Field-Cured vs. Standard-Cured Cylinders

What Is the Half-Cell Potential Test?

Practical Installation Locations of Wireless Concrete Maturity Sensors

Faster Tilt-Up With Concrete Maturity Monitoring

Reduce Delays on High Rise Construction Projects

Never Have a Low Break Again

Calibrating Your Concrete Maturity Sensors in 5 Easy Steps

Understanding Relative Humidity in Concrete

Importance of Initial Curing Conditions of Test Cylinders

Use Maturity to Determine the Allowable Variation in Temperature

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