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LABORATORY ASSESSMENT OF THE PERMEABILITY AND DIFFUSION CHARACTERISTICS OF FLORIDA CONCRETES - PHASE I - METHODS DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING
Citation:
Snoddy, R. LABORATORY ASSESSMENT OF THE PERMEABILITY AND DIFFUSION CHARACTERISTICS OF FLORIDA CONCRETES - PHASE I - METHODS DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/R-94/053 (NTIS 94-162781), 1994.
Impact/Purpose:
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Description:
The report gives results of Phase I of a laboratory assessment of the permeability and diffusion characteristics of Florida concretes. (NOTE: The ability of concrete to permit air flow under pressure (permeability) and the passage of radon gas without any pressure difference (diffusivity) has not been well determined. To establish a standard concrete mix and its maximum radon-resistant placement, these parameters needed to be quantified and their relationship to concrete's physical properties evaluated.) The concrete testing consisted of separate permeability and diffusivity measurements and a set of preliminary measurements to determine the size, weight, and porosity of each sample. Ten concrete samples were tested. Cylinders represented one of the four general types of concretes manufactured in Florida. Permeability was measured with a device developed for this project using custom software. The diffusion coefficient was determined with a system developed by and purchased from Rogers and Associates Engineering Corporation. Two of the samples had permeabilities 100 times greater than the other samples due to defects in the concrete. All of the correlations of the various physical parameters were investigated, but there was insufficient data to confidently determine any correlations. The most significant fault was the lack of unbiased, representative concrete samples.