TY - JOUR
T1 - Verification of the presence of superabsorbent polymers (SAP) in fresh concrete: results of an interlaboratory study of RILEM TC 260‐RSC
AU - Wyrzykowski, Mateusz
AU - Schroefl, Christof
AU - Toropovs, Nikolajs
AU - Lura, Pietro
AU - Snoeck, Didier
AU - Ribeiro, António Bettencourt
AU - De Maeijer, Patricia Kara
AU - Moon, Juhyuk
AU - Assmann, Alexander
AU - Igarashi, Shin-ichi
AU - Klemm, Agnieszka
AU - Almeida, Fernando C. R.
AU - Boshoff, Billy
AU - Erk, Kendra A.
AU - Falikman, Vyatcheslav
AU - Borba Agostinho, Livia
AU - Mechtcherine, Viktor
PY - 2024/5
Y1 - 2024/5
N2 - New methods are proposed for the verification of the presence of superabsorbent polymers (SAP) in freshly mixed concrete and estimation of SAP quantity. The methods are in general based on flushing concrete with excess water. They allow separating the light, water-sorbed hydrogel particles from the mineral components in the fresh concrete and making these particles available for further tests. Two types of tests are proposed: Test 1 serves for a visual verification of the presence of SAP (qualitative test), while Test 2 enables quantifying the mass of the collected SAP as a proxy of their concentration in concrete (quantitative test). Different procedures are proposed for these two test methods and their performance is evaluated. The testing procedures were scrutinized in an interlaboratory study carried out by 14 participants from 12 countries. All participating groups detected the presence of SAP in the mix using the qualitative procedures (Test 1). Based on this outcome, we suggest that this method should be applied in the field. In contrast, while most participants obtained reasonably reliable results with the quantification procedure of Test 2, some participants reported large errors. Therefore, the quantification method needs to be further refined, starting from the experience gained in this interlaboratory study.
AB - New methods are proposed for the verification of the presence of superabsorbent polymers (SAP) in freshly mixed concrete and estimation of SAP quantity. The methods are in general based on flushing concrete with excess water. They allow separating the light, water-sorbed hydrogel particles from the mineral components in the fresh concrete and making these particles available for further tests. Two types of tests are proposed: Test 1 serves for a visual verification of the presence of SAP (qualitative test), while Test 2 enables quantifying the mass of the collected SAP as a proxy of their concentration in concrete (quantitative test). Different procedures are proposed for these two test methods and their performance is evaluated. The testing procedures were scrutinized in an interlaboratory study carried out by 14 participants from 12 countries. All participating groups detected the presence of SAP in the mix using the qualitative procedures (Test 1). Based on this outcome, we suggest that this method should be applied in the field. In contrast, while most participants obtained reasonably reliable results with the quantification procedure of Test 2, some participants reported large errors. Therefore, the quantification method needs to be further refined, starting from the experience gained in this interlaboratory study.
KW - Fresh concrete
KW - Concrete admixture
KW - Superabsorbent polymers
KW - Characterization
KW - Testing
U2 - 10.1617/s11527-024-02334-w
DO - 10.1617/s11527-024-02334-w
M3 - Article
SN - 1359-5997
VL - 57
JO - Materials and Structures
JF - Materials and Structures
IS - 4
M1 - 69
ER -
