Static Modulus of Elasticity of High-Strength Concrete from Pulse Velocity Tests

Abstract

Abstract During the past few years there has been a growing interest in predicting and controlling the compressive strength and the elastic properties of concrete. In the case of high-strength concrete, the measurement of the static modulus of elasticity requires special specimen preparation and is fairly time consuming. Since the measurement of the pulse velocity is very easy and a correlation exists between static modulus of elasticity and the stiffness constant from the pulse velocity test, it is proposed to use the latter for predicting the static modulus of elasticity of high-strength concretes with very different elastic properties. The stiffness development can easily be monitored in a fast and inexpensive way, but it is not recommended to use the pulse velocity test to predict the concrete strength. The expression Ed = 1.5 Ec - 5.9 GPa provides a good correlation between the dynamic elastic modulus, Ed, and its static counterpart, Ec.