Air permeability of cover concrete quality of precast box culverts affected by casting direction

Abstract

Casting direction is an external factor that can influence the properties, including air permeability of concrete structures. In the current study, the effect of this factor on the air permeability of precast box culverts was investigated. The Torrent air permeability test was used to measure coefficient of air permeability kT for two box culvert specimens produced using ordinary Portland cement, water-to-binder ratio of 0.485, different casting directions (vertical and horizontal) at the age of 3 months. The obtained results show the different cover concrete qualities between the surfaces of the horizontal casting specimen, whereas the shortcomings during casting process were detected of the vertical casting specimen.