Pervious

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the compressive strength and porosity of
concrete samples using ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) measurements and then establish
relationships between the studied properties and the UPV. The samples were prepared with
different water/cement ratios (w/c) and cured for 28 days at indoor environmental conditions.
This work was raised taking into account that porosity is an important factor that influences
the material, allowing aggressive agents to enter the concrete matrix affecting its
compressive strength, and in general decreasing the projected lifetime of the structure.
Previous studies have proved that porosity strongly depends on the water/cement ratio (w/c)
used for the mixture. One method to evaluate structures without affecting them is
ultrasounds. Through this technique, mechanical resistance can be estimated both in situ and
in laboratory. The ultrasonic technique that is widely used is the ultrasonic pulse velocity
(UPV). In this paper the compressive strength, the porosity, and the ultrasonic pulse velocity
were measured in concrete test tubes manufactured with Portland cement type I, using
water/cement ratios of 0.45, 0.50, 0.55, and 0.60. The experiments were carried out at 7, 14
y 28 curing days.