VIEWPOINT
Field Applications of In-Situ
Tensile Pull-Off Tests By Bruce A. Collins
T he International Concrete Repair Institute
(ICRI) has recently published Technical
Guideline No. 03739, “Guide to Using In-Situ
Having more data on field applications of this
test will enable a stronger review by the committee
responsible for the guideline. To this end, Restruction
Tensile Pull-Off Tests to Evaluate Bond of Concrete Corporation, a longtime member of ICRI that
Surface Materials.” Like most ICRI documents, this understands the importance of the tensile bond test
one went through numerous iterations prior to and has used it successfully in several concrete
consensus ICRI approval. These iterations were repair projects, has collected the following data.
mainly due to the large number of variables that
affect concrete-to-concrete bond strength and
our ability to control and measure these variables. Concrete Repair of Wastewater
The industry currently does not have a means for Plant Chlorine Contact Basin
predicting bond strength. We have been relegated A 109 x 20 ft (33 x 6 m) reinforced concrete
to measuring the tensile strength of the concrete chlorine contact basin with 9 ft (3 m) high concrete
substrate prior to application and curing of the repair baffle wall was deteriorating due to freezing-and-
material. Subsequent bond tests are compared with thawing cycles. The baffle walls were spaced at
the substrate strength. The guideline identifies 7.33 ft (2.23 m) intervals and staggered left to right
important testing variables and conditions. down the north-south length of the basin. The
The Army Corps of Engineers has also published baffle walls were used to impede the water flow,
information of bond strength equipment and mixing the water and interjected chlorine. Due to
methods in REMR Bulletin REMR-CS-61, “An fluctuating water depths, the baffle and basin walls
Evaluation of Equipment and Procedures for Tensile were deteriorated over approximately 67% of their
Bond Testing of Concrete Repairs.” The ICRI surface. A total quantity of 445 ft3 (12.6 m3) of
guideline, some ACI standards, and the REMR concrete removal and replacement was bid. The
Bulletin are all good sources of information about basin floor was not affected. Repair specifications
this test procedure. And while the ICRI document and drawings were produced by an independent
represents the best consensus among our members, engineering firm and included the use of tensile
the industry is still gathering data about how bond strength testing. Three mock-up repair
to measure bond strength and how to interpret locations were prepared in August 2002. Concrete
this data. ICRI understands that our published removal to a depth of 1.5 in. (3.8 cm) was completed
guidelines may need to evolve as the repair industry using a 15 lb chipping hammer. Surface preparation
learns and grows (this is why we have a standard by dry sandblasting and 3000 psi (20.7 MPa) water
policy for review and potential revision of our wash was also completed. Tensile pull-off testing
published documents). was completed on the prepared concrete substrate. A
Table 1: Repair mock-up tensile bond tests for concrete contact basin
Location Prepared substrate Prepared surface failure Repaired surface Repaired surface
Date no. pull-off value mode bond strength failure mode
404 psi 50% at disk/epoxy 291 psi
8/19/02 1 ICRI Mode 2
(2.78 MPa) 50% at epoxy/concrete (2.01 MPa)
155 psi 197 psi 85% ICRI Mode 2
8/19/02 2 100% concrete substrate
(1.07 MPa) (1.36 MPa) 15% ICRI Mode 6
163 psi 137 psi
8/19/02 3 100% at epoxy/concrete 100% ICRI Mode 6
(1.12 MPa) (0.94 MPa)
16 Concrete Repair Bulletin july/august 2004
prepackaged dry-mix shotcrete material was applied accepted and finalized the emerging pattern of
using a Ridley C-9 shotcrete gun. The shotcrete was project bond strength. Test Locations 7, 8, and 9 bond
air cured for 7 calendar days. The same testing strengths were not only below specifications but
company, using the same equipment, took three also below their partner prepared concrete substrate
tensile bond tests directly next to the substrate tests. tensile value. Each bond strength, however, was
The specification required a tensile bond value of described at 100% in the prepared concrete substrate.
250 psi (1.72 MPa). The results are shown in Table 1. (ICRI Failure Mode 6). The bond strength values for
The average bond strength of the trials was each test were at or above the project average. All tests
208 psi (1.43 MPa). The mock-up test results were were accepted and the project was deemed a success.
accepted for several reasons. One bond value was
measured at 291 psi (2.01 MPa), which is greater
than the specified value. The second bond value of Folded Roof Plate
197 psi (1.36 MPa) was below specifications but Concrete Repair
was higher than the tensile capacity of the prepared A warehouse building with a reinforced concrete,
surface and predominantly failed in the repair folded roof plate was burned in an industrial fire.
material (85% Mode 2). The third bond test measured The fire affected 7140 ft2 (660 m2) of the 48,640 ft2
at 137 psi (0.94 MPa) and was below the prepared (4518 m2) roof. The roof plate slab was measured
surface tensile value of 163 psi (1.12 MPa). The as 3.5 in. (8.9 cm) thick. No original construction
failure, however, was 100% located in the prepared drawings were found. Pachometer readings and
surface concrete (ICRI Failure Mode 6). While some minor concrete excavations were used to
a matter of concern, this test was also accepted find and map the roof reinforcing steel. It was
due to the failure mode. The project was allowed determined that the reinforcing steel bond to the
to continue without changing the specification concrete had been affected by the fire. The project
value. The project team, however, determined that structural engineer needed to reestablish this bond
additional tests taken in the full production repair to restore the structural integrity. Hydrodemolition
areas would be required. The results for these of 1.5 in. (3.8 cm) of concrete followed by wet-mix
additional tests are shown in Table 2. shotcrete repair material was proposed. Mock-ups
Test Location 4, measured at 196 psi (1.35 MPa) of the proposed repair system, including tensile
bond strength, was below specification but signifi- bond strength testing, were required prior to
cantly above the concrete substrate tensile strength acceptance. Six tensile pull values of unburned roof
of 111 psi (0.76 MPa). The failure mode, described concrete were taken in two separate locations. The
by the testing agency, indicates that this was an results are shown in Table 3.
excellent test of bond strength. Photographs were The average tensile strength of the unburned
not taken to document these results. Test Location 5 concrete is 180 psi (1.24 MPa) if the 78 psi (0.54 MPa)
had a similar outcome to Test Location 4. Test test is removed from the sample. Two surface
Location 5 failed 100% within the concrete substrate preparation areas were selected and a 20,000 psi
(ICRI Failure Mode 6). Both test Locations 4 and 5 (138 MPa) low volume hydrodemolition wand was
were accepted. Test Location 6 bond strength used to remove 1.5 in. of burned concrete. One
was measured at 211 psi (1.45 MPa), only slightly tensile strength pull test of the prepared concrete
above the 206 psi (1.42 MPa) prepared surface substrate was taken in each hydrodemolition test
tensile strength. Test Location 6 bond strength was area. The results are shown in Table 4.
Table 2: Full production tensile bond tests for concrete contact basin
Location Prepared substrate Prepared surface Repaired surface Repaired surface
Date no. pull-off value failure mode bond strength failure mode
111 psi 70% at epoxy/concrete 196 psi
10/1/02 4 60% ICRI Mode 6
(0.76 MPa) 30% at concrete substrate (1.35 MPa)
135 psi 95% at epoxy/concrete 173 psi
10/1/02 5 100% ICRI Mode 6
(0.93 MPa) 5% at concrete substrate (1.19 MPa)
206 psi 95% at epoxy/concrete 211 psi 90% ICRI Mode 6
10/1/02 6
(1.42 MPa) 5% at concrete substrate (1.45 MPa) 10% ICRI Mode 3
217 psi 184 psi
10/10/02 7 100% concrete substrate 100% ICRI Mode 6
(1.50 MPa) (1.27 MPa)
232 psi 75% epoxy/concrete 171 psi
10/10/02 8 100% ICRI Mode 6
(1.60 MPa) 25% concrete substrate (1.18 MPa)
249 psi 60% epoxy/concrete 244 psi
10/10/02 9 100% ICRI Mode 6
(1.72 MPa) 40% concrete substrate (1.68 MPa)
July/August 2004 Concrete Repair Bulletin 17
The results indicate that the hydrodemolition the information provided and draw your own
surface preparation did not lower (microfracture) conclusions, as if these projects were your own. It
the tensile strength of the concrete substrate. is the intention of the ICRI committee that produced
Shotcrete was applied to the mock-up locations and Technical Guideline No. 03739, “Guide to Using
allowed to cure for 7 calendar days. Longer cure times In-Situ Tensile Pull-Off Tests to Evaluate Bond of
were contemplated. Due to owner requirements, Concrete Surface Materials,” that project teams and
however, 7 days were used for the testing. Nine individuals draw conclusions based upon their
total bond strength tests were taken, three tests in project data, using the guide.
each of three mock-up locations. The results are Currently, the industry does not have a standard
shown in Table 5. method to predict values for direct tensile strength
The average bond strength is 234.6 psi (1.62 MPa). of concrete. I believe our industry will evolve until
The bond strength was accepted and full-scale repairs a value can be predicted. The guideline recommends
were completed. use of prepared concrete substrate tests prior to bond
tests. I would also like to recommend, where
Conclusions possible, tensile testing of the original concrete
I will not try to provide conclusions the project prior to concrete removal or surface preparation.
teams deduced from these individual projects. This may allow you to determine the effect on
Instead, I choose to allow you, the reader, to study bond the removal tool creates. Additionally, some
projects require higher bond strengths. For instance,
should the bond strength of the folded roof plate
Table 3: Tensile pull-off values of unburned original concrete slab be higher than repairs made to walls of the
contact basin? Chapter 3 of the ICRI guideline
Tensile failure strength discusses equipment and material requirements.
Location Test no. of unburned concrete Some commercially available testers cannot
1 1 185 psi (1.28 MPa) measure vertical repairs. Some projects may not
1 2 263 psi (1.81 MPa) allow for core drilling to the recommended depths.
1 3 148 psi (1.02 MPa) What effect does this have on measured bond
strength? The REMR Bulletin tested and reported
Average 199 psi (1.37 MPa) on this condition, and the ICRI guideline addresses
2 1 78 psi (0.54 MPa) some of these concerns as well. To facilitate a
2 2 171 psi (1.18 MPa) meaningful review of this guideline, ICRI asks
2 3 132 psi (0.91 MPa) you to implement Technical Guideline No. 03739,
record, and send the results of your field trials to
Average 127 psi (0.88 MPa)
Kelly Page at the ICRI Headquarters. She will then
pass them on to the Evaluation Committee for
discussion and use in review. The industry will
Table 4: Tensile pull-off value of hydrodemolition prepared burned benefit from this sharing of data.
concrete area
Test no. Tensile strength of prepared concrete substrate
1 212 psi (1.46 MPa) This Viewpoint article has been selected by the editors as an
2 172 psi (1.19 MPa) offering to the interest of our readers. However, the opinions
given are not necessarily those of the International Concrete
Average 192 psi (1.32 MPa) Repair Institute or of the editors of this magazine. Reader
comment is invited.
Table 5: Tensile pull-off values for repaired mock-up locations
Location Test no. Bond strength Failure Bruce A. Collins, a Fellow of ICRI,
1 1 239 psi (1.65 MPa) ICRI Mode 2 is Vice President of Business
1 2 363 psi (2.50 MPa) ICRI Mode 2 Development at Restruction
Corporation, Sedalia, Colorado.
1 3 115 psi (0.79 MPa) ICRI Mode 6
Collins has been active in ICRI
2 1 237 psi (1.63 MPa) ICRI Mode 2 for many years. He has served
2 2 130 psi (0.90 MPa) ICRI Mode 3 on the Board of Directors and
2 3 364 psi (2.51 MPa) ICRI Mode 2 is currently a member of the
Technical Activities Committee. Collins is also
3 1 197 psi (1.36 MPa) ICRI Mode 2
a member of ACI and a speaker for their
3 2 Not reported ICRI Mode 2 Concrete Repair Basics and Concrete Repair
3 3 236 psi (1.63 MPa) ICRI Mode 6 Workshop Seminars.
18 Concrete Repair Bulletin july/august 2004
