Measuring air permeability allows for non-destructive identification of a parameter that is connected to the porosity of near-surface concrete. Porosity has a general impact on the durability properties of reinforced concrete, as the existing pores allow for mass transfer from the environment into the concrete through various transport mechanisms.
The method is entirely destruction-free and allows for measurements on multiple points within a reasonable period of time. The “KT” parameter that is determined with this measuring method indicates the gas permeability of the concrete. A manageable unit (10-16 m²) is used for assessing the properties of concrete. The well-known impact of moisture in concrete on the measurement results can be reduced to a certain extent, if moisture is high, by taking the measured values of the concrete’s electrical conductivity into account, which also depends on the moisture levels.
The commercially available Torrent device (by Proceq SA) is used for these measurements.
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