Alkali-Silica Reactivity (ASR) Testing (ASTM C1260 / ASTM C1567)
ASTM C1260: Standard Test Method for Potential Alkali Reactivity of Aggregates
(Mortar-Bar Method)
ASTM C1567: Standard Test Method for Determining the Potential Alkali-Silica Reactivity of
Combinations of Cementitious Materials and Aggregate (Accelerated Mortar-Bar Method)
What is Alkali Silica Reactivity (ASR) testing of aggregates? What are the concerns about ASR on durability
An accelerated mortar bar test method used to detect the potential and serviceability?
deleterious alkali reactivity of an aggregate source. The expansive gel formed due to ASR will increase in volume when
exposed to moisture and cause extensive random map cracking within
How do you evaluate an aggregate’s potential for the concrete matrix, thereby shortening the service life of the structure
deleterious expansion? or element. The resulting cracking can also accelerate other concrete
For both ASTM C1260 and ASTM C1567, the aggregate source is deterioration processes such as freeze-thaw damage and corrosion of
processed to a prescribed gradation. Straight portland cement is used in embedded reinforcement due to chloride ingress.
ASTM C1260 whereas a combination of portland cement and the SCM
under evaluation make up the cementitious materials package in ASTM Where should I be concerned about ASR?
C1567. Specially prepared mortar beam specimens are placed in a high With the depletion of good aggregate sources, more and more states
alkaline solution bath at a temperature of 80 °C (176 °F) for a period of are reporting incidences of ASR and it has become a growing concern
14 days. The length is measured over time and the potential reactivity throughout North America.
is determined based on the level of expansion. In ASTM C1260, the
aggregate is considered potentially innocuous if, at 16 days after casting, How is this standard used in the industry?
the length change is less than 0.10 percent and potentially reactive if Specifications requiring data submittals and mitigating solutions to
the length change is greater than 0.20 percent. If the length change is deal with ASR are increasing so concrete producers need to better
between 0.10 and 0.20 percent, supplementary information including understand the potential reactivity of their aggregates. In most cases,
petrographic examination will be required to determine if the expansion it is not cost effective to bring in an alternate aggregate to address an
is due to ASR. By contrast, in ASTM C1567, combinations of portland ASR issue. However, lithium-based admixtures and supplementary
cement and SCM and aggregate that expand less than 0.10 percent at 16 cementitious materials, such as Class F fly ash, slag cement, and
days after casting are likely to have a low risk of deleterious expansion metakaolin, can be used, either singularly or synergistically, to cost-
when used in concrete under field conditions. However, expansions effectively mitigate ASR. To determine the dosage of lithium-based
greater than 0.10 percent are indicative of potentially deleterious admixture needed to mitigate ASR for a given aggregate, the high
expansion. Irrespective of which method is used and time permitting, alkaline soak solution used in the ASTM C1260 or ASTM C1567 test
the potential for deleterious expansion should be confirmed using ASTM has to be buffered with a calculated amount of lithium ions to prevent
C1293, “Standard Test Method for Determination of Length Change of leaching of the admixture from the mortar bar.
Concrete Due to Alkali Silica Reaction.”
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