Concrete
Q&A
Whats Rough Enough?
Q.
What methods of concrete removal can be used
to achieve the 1/4 in. (6 mm) amplitude of
roughened concrete as specified in Section 11.6.9
of ACI 318-11?1
A.
Section 11.6.9 of ACI 318-11 states: when
concrete is placed against previously hardened
concrete, the interface for shear transfer shall be
clean and free of laitance. If is assumed equal to 1.0,
interface shall be roughened to a full amplitude of
approximately 1/4 in. Commentary Section R17.5.3.3 of
ACI 318-11 indicates that the requirement of 1/4 in.
amplitude for intentional roughness is based on tests
discussed in References 2 to 4. Additional tests and analysis
of the ACI 318 requirements are provided in Reference 5.
This research demonstrated that roughening of the hardened
concrete surface prior to the placement of a new concrete
provides the same shear transfer across the interface as a
shear transfer across a crack in monolithic concrete. Because
the roughness of a cracked surface is caused by the crack
propagating around the pieces of large aggregate lying in
the shear plane,5 it follows that a removal method should
be capable of exposing the coarse aggregate.
ICRI Technical Guideline No. 310.2-19976 identifies nine
concrete surface profiles (CSPs), from nearly flat (CSP 1) to
very rough (CSP 9). Only CSPs 6 through 9 are recognized by
ACI RAP-67 as equivalents of a roughened concrete surface
with an amplitude of about 1/4 in. (6 mm). Per the ICRI
guideline, these CSPs can be achieved using several different
1/4 in. (6 mm)
Roughness per
ACI RAP-6
Abrasive (sand) blasting
Steel shotblasting
Scarifying
Needle scaling
High/ultra high-pressure water jetting
Scabbling
Flame blasting
Milling rotomilling
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Concrete Surface Profile per
ICRI Technical Guideline No. 310.2-1997
Fig. 1: Several concrete surface preparation methods are
capable of producing a 1/4 in. (6 mm) roughness
64 june 2012 Concrete international
concrete removal and surface preparation methods (Fig. 1).
ICRI Technical Guideline No. 310.2-1997 provides
detailed information on specific methods and their
classification in regards to CSP. While it cautions that the
texture of the obtained profile will vary with concrete
strength, the size and type of aggregate, and finish of the
concrete surface, the guideline can be supplemented by
molded replicas of the CSPs to provide visual standards for
specification and verification.
References
1. ACI Committee 318, Building Code Requirements for Structural
Concrete (ACI 318-11) and Commentary, American Concrete Institute,
Farmington Hills, MI, 2011, 503 pp.
2. Kaar, P.H.; Kriz, L.B.; and Hognestad, E., Precast-Prestressed
Concrete Bridges: (1) Pilot Tests of Continuous Girders, Journal,
PCA Research and Development Laboratories, V. 2, No. 2, May 1960,
pp. 21-37.
3. Saemann, J.C., and Washa, G.W., Horizontal Shear Connec-
tions between Precast Beams and Cast-in-Place Slabs, ACI JOURNAL
Proceedings V. 61, No. 11, Nov. 1964, pp. 1383-1409. Also see discussion,
ACI JOURNAL, June 1965.
4. Hanson, N.W., Precast-Prestressed Concrete Bridges: Horizontal
Shear Connections, Journal, PCA Research and Development
Laboratories, V. 2, No. 2, May 1960, pp. 38-58.
5. Mattock, A.H., Shear Transfer under Monotonic Loading across
an Interface between Concretes Cast at Different Times, University of
Washington Report SM 76-3, 1976.
6. International Concrete Repair Institute, Selecting and Specify-
ing Concrete Surface Preparation for Sealers, Coatings, and Polymer
Overlays, Technical Guideline No. 310.2-1997 (formerly 03732), 1997,
41 pp.
7. ACI Committee E706, Field Guide to Concrete Repair Application
Procedures: Vertical and Overhead Spall Repair by Hand Application
(ACI RAP-6) (Reapproved 2010), American Concrete Institute,
Farmington Hills, MI, 2005, 8 pp.
Questions in this column were asked by users of ACI documents
and have been answered by ACI staff or by a member or members
of ACI technical committees. The answers do not represent the
official position of an ACI committee. Only a published committee
document represents the formal consensus of the committee and
the Institute.
We invite comment on any of the questions and answers published
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