Magazine of Concrete Research, 1991, 43, No. 157, Dec.

, 233-241

The water permeability of concrete and its

relationship with strength
P.B. Bamforth,

BSC, PhD, MICE

TAYWOOD
ENGINEERINGLTD

As part of a much broader programme to evaluate the

performance of concretes for use in reinforced and prestressed containments f o r liquid gases, seventeen concrete mixes,ranging in strength from 16 to 100 Njmm,
were subjected to screening tests bymeasurement of the
water permeabilitycoefficient. Specimens werestored in
sealed conditionsat 20C and tests were also carried out
to determine the compressiveand
tensile splitting
strengths. The relationships between permeability and
strength are discussed, as well as the influence of concreting materials, mix proportions and curing.

Selection of concrete mix parameters

Concretes for studyin the screening test programme
were selected not solely on the basis of proven or
expected good
performance
at cryogenic temperatures. Other propertieswhich have been shown to
influence constructionandsubsequentperformance
undernormalenvironmentalconditions
were also
considered.
Strength grade

It has been demonstrated that concretes with low

waterlcementratios (w/c) are lesslikely to be disrupted by ice formation during cooldown. Also, low
Introduction
w/c concretes have been shown to exhibit low perThere are two essential requirements for the premeability, particularly at values of w/c below about
vention of leakage from a concrete containment struc- 0.4.3 Six mixes, designated Sl-S6, were designed to
ture: low permeability concrete, and the avoidance of
encompassa wide rangeofw/cratios,and
hence
construction defects. This Paper is concerned primarstrength grades (see Table l). These include typical
ily with the inherent permeability of the concrete, but
structural concretes with values of w/c in the range
the selection process forcandidate mixes included
0.4-0.55, as well as mixes with very high (0.84) and
consideration of construction aspects such as placevery low (0.32) w/c ratios. The latter was achieved
ability and minimizing the risk of cracking. The tests
by the use of a superplasticizer to reduce the water
reported here comprised part of a much larger prodemand.
gramme to identify concretes which would be suitable
Air entrainment
for use in reinforced and pre-stressed concrete tanks
forthestorageof
liquefied naturalgas at a temThe use of air entraining agents (AEA) is common
perature of - 165C. Measurements of the water perin concretes which are to be exposed to freeze-thaw
meability coefficient, the compressive strength andthe
conditions. AEAs have also been shown to provide
tensile splitting strength at 20 were used to screen
resistance to degradation under conditions extreme
of
seventeen candidate mixes. As part of this screening
thermal cycling to cryogenic temperature^.^ Three
process the compressive strength and tensile splitting
dosage levels of a proprietary AEA were used: X+,
strength tests were also carried out both at cryogenic
standard and x 2, for mixes designated AE1 to AE3,
temperature ( - 165C) and after thermal cycling. The
respectively.
results of these low-temperature tests are reported in
Aggregate type
detail elsewhere. This Paper is concerned only with
properties measured at 20C.
During cooling to very low temperatures, disruption
233

Bamforth
Table l . Concrete mix proportions for the 17 candidate mixes
-10 mm
20 mm
PFA
Nominal
Mix
OPC:
aggregate:
or
aggregate:
no.
strength
kg/m
kg/mi
GGBS*:
kg/m
grade
kg/m3
S1
S2
S3
S4
S5
S6

35
10
50
50
85
85

355
215
420
370
455
475

AEI
AE2
AE3

35
35
35

405
440
500

AI
A2
A3
A4

35
35
35
35

365
400
410
480

Cl
c2
c3
c4

35
35
35
35

280
355
I IO
1 30

I20*

so*

2557
3007

Sand:
kg/m

Water:

AEA
or SP

Air
content:
Yo

Slump:
mm

wlc

I .o
1.3
I .2

SPI
SP I
SPI

0.9
0.9

60
60
75
90
I00
90

0.5 1
0.85
0.43
0.45
0.36
0.32

1.7
3.5
1.2

70
70
85

0.46
0.39
0.32

760
795
770
770
800
805

300
315
305
305
355
355

740
815
685
750
620
625

185
180

770
790
755

305
310
300

670
600
530

185
170
160

2 AEA

820:
8451

375:
3851
6955
6955

655
560
560
505

200
185
220
205

I AEA
I AEA
1 AEA

0.5
2.4
6.0
9.4

80
75
75
85

0.55
0.46
0.54
0.43

290
290
300
295

700
605
735
580

185
185

0.9

1 AEA

I .o

180

I75

I AEA

0.9
4.8

85
85
95
85

0.46
0.37
0.49
0.4 1

730
730
760
765

I80
165
165
I 55

+ AEA
1 AEA

1.5

*PFA
tGGBS
$Crushed Dolerite
fiLytag,sintered PFA, 12mm

may occur, not only due to the formation of ice but

(c) reduced rate of heat evolution during hydration,
also due to thedifferential thermal contraction of the
reducing the temperaturerise and hence the risk of
aggregate and cement paste. Studies of strength loss
thermal cracking at early age
resulting from exposureto elevated temperatures have
It has also been reported that concretes containing
identified that the extent towhich damage occurs is a
either
PFA or GGBS have a potential for lower perfunction of the difference in the modulus of elasticity
meability
than equivalentgrades of OPC concrete
and the thermalexpansion coefficient of the aggregate
under
conditions
of continued moistcuring.
and cement paste.5In general, aggregates have much
a
Mixes
containing
either PFAor GGBS partially to
lower thermal
expansion
coefficient than
cement
replace
OPC
have
therefore
been investigated. The
paste, and a much higher modulus of elasticity.
two
PFA
mixes
have
been
designated
C1 and C2, the
Threeaggregateshave
been tested: agravel,a
two
GGBS
mixes,
C3
and
C4.
crushed dolerite and a lightweight aggregate (sintered
PFA); these provide a rangevalues
of of both modulus
and thermal expansion coefficient.6The two crushed
Concrete mix details
dolerite mixes have been designated AI and A2 and
Based on the above criteria, a total of 17 no. conthe twolightweightmixes
A3and A4. The gravel
crete
mixeswere selected. Twocontrol mixeswere
mixes are S1 and AE2, described above.
designed to achieve a grade 35N concrete, using OPC
and gravel aggregate, one containing a standard dose
Cement type
of air-entraining agent. Detailsof the 17 no. mixes are
The use of pulverized fuel ash (PFA) and ground
given
in Table 1 .
granulatedblastfurnaceslag(GGBS)
is becoming
increasingly common in large civil engineering struct u r e ~In
. ~addition to providing economies
in materials
costs, a number of construction benefits havealso
been reported, including
( a ) improved placing characteristics, i.e. better flow,
improved pumpability, easier compaction
( h ) delayed settingtime, minimizing the occurrence of
cold joints in large pours7

234

Manufacture of test specimens

Each mix comprised 14 no. 100mmcubesfor
strengthmeasurement and 2 no. cylindrical specimens, l00mm in diameter and 50mm thick, for the
measurement of water permeability. Batching, mixing
andcasting of the specimenswere carried out in
generalaccordance
with BS 1881. However, the
method of curing was modified, with specimens being
Mugazine of Concrete Research, 1991, 43, No. 157

Water permeability of concrete

sealed in heavy-duty plastic bags immediately after

beingstrippedfromtheirmouldsatanageof
24
hours, and stored 2OoC
at until testing. This methodof
sealed curing simulatesthe in situ moisture condition
in which the only water available for curing is that
which is introduced at the mixing stage, this being the
condition that exists in the bulk of a thick structural
member.

temperaturesandthat
this would invalidate comparisonsbetween tensile splittingstrengthoverthe
range of test temperatures. Stainless steel rods were
therefore chosen, as their hardness and
stiffness would
be similar at ambient and cryogenic temperature. It
was recognized, however, that this may influence the
absolute values of
tensile splitting strength. Thetensile
strength was calculated using the equation

2P
Measurement of compressive and tensile splitting
. L = na2
strength
wheref; is the tensile stress (N/mm), P is the maxiTwo cubeswere tested in compression for each mix
mum load applied (N), and a is the side of cube (mm).
at an age of 28 days. As far as possible, cubes were
tested according to BS 188I , although changes to the
Measurement of water permeability
standard testing procedure were required to enable
The water permeability of concrete
discs at ambient
direct comparisonwithlow-temperaturespecimens
which were placedin special stainless steel rigs prior to temperature, was determined at an ageof 28 days
using the rig shown in Fig. 2. The l00mm dia. test
testing, as shown in Fig. 1.
specimens were prepared by placing them in tapered
Tensile strengths were measured by splitting 2 no.
cylindrical brass moulds,1 10 mm maximum diameter,
concrete cubes. Restraining rigswere used, as also
shown in Fig. 1. The test differed from a conventional and filling the 5 mm annular space with epoxyresin to
splitting test in that the spacers at the top and bottom form a tapered resin sleeve. After the resin had cured
for 24 hours, the specimens were removed from the
of the cube, through which line
the loads were applied,
mouldsand placed in thepermeability test rig. A
were stainless steel rods. At ambient temperature
soft
rubber 0-ring was used to form a watertight seal. A
timber spacers are normally used, hence the load is
water
pressure equivalent to lOOm head was applied
spread over a small area. There
was concern, however,
over
the
bottom surface of the specimen.
that a soft spacer would change its properties at low
When full penetration of water was observed on the
top surface, a reading was taken to calculate the rate
of flow through the specimen. This was achieved by
connecting a 4mm diameter glass tube to the top of
the rig and measuring the movement of the meniscus
over a period of I O minutes. A second reading was
taken 24 hours after the application of pressure. For
high-permeability concretes the measurement period
was l minute. For the very low permeability concrete
complete penetration was not always achieved within
24 hours, and in such cases the specimens were maind
V
tained under pressure for a period of 7 days. If complete penetration had still not occurred the specimens
were then removed from their rigs and split to expose
the penetration front. A permeability coefficient was
Restraining rig with
then calculated from the average penetration depth.
spring washers
The equations used to calculate the coefficient of permeability were as follows
1

---Test specimen
(100 mm cube)

By $ow:
Kd

Spacer block

---

Insulated box

By penetration:

K, =
.-I

-platens
Loading machine

Fig. I . Testing arrangement f o r the measurement of

compressive and tensile splitting strengths
Magazine of Concrete Research, 199 1, 43, No. 157

Qx
Ah

= -

d2 V
2ht

__

where K is the coefficient of permeability (m/s), Q is

the volume flow rate (m3/s), A is the cross-sectional
area (m), x is the specimen thickness in the direction
of flow (m), h is the head of water (m), d is the depth
235

Bamforth

Fig. 2. Test cell for the measurement of the water permeability coejicient.

of penetration (m), V is the volume of voids filled

by water in thepenetratedzone,(determined
by
measuring weight gain), and t is the time to penetrate
to depth d(s).

(or by observation of penetration depth at a laterage

if complete penetrationwas not achieved), are given in
Table 2.
Compressive and tensile strength

Averagevalues are summarized in Table 3. The

relationship between tensile and compressive strength
Individual values of compressive cube strength, ten- is shown in Fig. 3. The results indicate that the tensile
sile splittingstrength and coefficient of water perstrength isgenerally3-5%
of the compressive cube
meability, obtained 24 hours after the startof the test
strength. When testing in accordance with BS 1881,
the tensile strength would normally be expected to be
5-7% of the cube strength.12 It isbelieved that the
Tensile strength: %
of compressive strength
lower ratio is due to the application of load via the
rigid stainless steel rods which will have concentrated
the stress and reduced the load required to cause a
splitting failure.

Test results and discussion

Compressive strength: Nimm'

Fig. 3. The relationship between compressive strength and

tensile splitting strength

236

Water permeability
The average results aresummarized in Table 3
together with strengthdata.
In general the permeability coefficients fell within the range 1.5 x lo-''1.5 x lo-'' m/s, these values being at the high end of
the range of values normally expected for structural
concrete." Notable exceptions to this were mixes S2,
S5, S6, A3 and A4. Mix S2 was a low-grade high wlc
ratio mixwith
a significantly higherpermeability
coefficient. Mixes S5 and S6 were high-grade low wlc
ratio concretes with significantly lower permeability
coefficients. Mixes A3 and A4 were lightweight concretes with strengths in the range 40-50 MPa, exhibiting very low permeabilities. The reasons for this are
Mugazine of Concrere Reseurch, 1991. 43, No. 157

Water permeabilityof concrete

Table 2. Individual results from strength and water permeability tests

SI
S2
S3
S4

S5
S6

AE 1
AE2
AE3

AI
A2
A3
A4

c1
c2
c3
c4

Strength

Mix

Flow measurements

Compressive:
N/mm2

Tensile splitting:
N/mmz

Rise in 4 mm
dia. pipe: mm

Time: S

Flow rate at 24 h:
10-'Om'/s

52.0
51.0
16.5
16.5
59.5
63.0
57.2
63.9
97.0
97.0
102.0
98.5

1.48
1.1 1
1.os
1.08
2.93
1.91
2.78
2.62
3.98
2.70
3.94
3.82

83
66

600
600
60
90
600
600
600
600

17.38
13.82
314.10
188.50
1.68
2.53
6.28
1.68

7 days
7 days
7 days
7 days

46.5
43.6
54.0
46.0
41.5
48.0

2.13
1.39
1.91
1.72
1.91
1.91

18
19
23
35
20
17

483
48.5
55.7
56.2
46.5
51.3
41.8
40.0

2.42
2.1 1
2.10
2.78
2.3 1
2.16
2.13
2.07

75
106
40
42

42.9
42.6
53.0
57.0
35.8
33.9
36.3
37.8

1.85
1.39
I .59
1.91
l.70
1.30
1.17
1.11

I50
135
8
11
30
8
~

600
600
900
600

2.31
2.53
3.07
4.67
1 .54
2.27

600
600
600
600

15.71
22.23
8.37
8.80

10.00
14.17
5.33
5.60
0.048
0.034
0.0 10
0.014

8 days, 5 h

8 days, 5 h

__

7 days
90 days

24
24
28
17
60
145
60
75

600
600
600
600
600
600
600
600

5.03
5.03
5.87
336
1237
30.37
12.57
15.71

( a ) the high cement content and low free w/c ratio

required to achieve concrete of structural quality
with lightweight aggregate
( b ) absorption of mix water into the aggregate causing a further reduction in w/c ratio
(c) internal curing provided by water absorbed into
theaggregate
particles, resulting in agreater
degree of hydration, and hence a less permeable
cement paste phase
( d ) a possible reaction between the sintered PFA
aggregate and the cement, resulting in chemical
bonding between the aggregate and cement paste,
and a consequent reduction
of potential leak paths
at aggregate-cement paste boundaries
( e ) the spherical shape and low modulus of elasticity
of theaggregate minimizing theoccurrenceof
microcracking.

11.06
8.80
180.73
108.62
1.01
1.61
3.54
1.03
0.048
0.040
0.027
0.02 1

3.77
3.98
4.82
7.34
2.78
336

600

not immediately obvious but itis believed that the low

permeability was the result of a combination
of factors
including

Magazine of Concrete Research, 1991,'43, No. 157

600

Permeability
coefficient: lo-'' m/s

3.08
3.20
3.73
2.23
8.00
20. I O
8.00
10.00

The relative contribution of each of the above factors

has not been established, this being outside the scope
of the study. However, this is clearly an area where
further research would be beneficial.
Permeability versus WIC ratio
It has been identified in previous research that the
w/c ratio has a significant influence on permeabilit~.~
The reductionin water permeability with reducing w/c
ratio was reported as long ago as 1926 by G1an~ille.l~
These data, with results from seven other sources
showing similar trends, have been reviewed
by
Lawrence,14and are presented in Reference 11.
Therelationship between permeability coefficient
and w/c is plotted in Fig. 4. For the dense aggregate
concretes which arenon-air-entrainedandcontain
OPC, a single relationship clearly exists. The effect of
airentrainmentcanalso
be seen. While the airentrained concretes were, in all cases, less permeable
than the control mixes with no air entrainment, it is

237

Bamforth
Table 3. Average values of compressive strength, tensile
splitting strength and water permeability
Mix

Tensile
Permeability
Compressive
strength: N/mm2 strength: N/mm2 coefficient: lo-m/s

51.5
16.5
61.3
60.6
97.0
100.3

1.30
1.06
2.42
2.70
3.34
3.88

9.87
140.1 l
1.28
1.91
0.044
0.024

AEI
AE2
AE3

45.1
50.0
44.8

1.76
1.82
1.91

2.41
3.79
1.87

A1
A2
A3
A4

48.5

2.27
2.44
2.24
2.10

11.90
5.46
0.040
0.012

S1
S2
S3
S4
S5
S6

56-0

48.9
40.9

clear that the reduction was due not to the air itself,
but primarily due tothe reduced w/c ratioachieved in
the air-entrained mixes at a constant level of workability. The results indicate that at a given w/c ratio,
air entrainmentmay cause an increase in permeability.
Similar findings have been reported by Murata,Is the
effect of air entrainment being to increase the water
permeability in concretes with w/c ratiosless than 0.6.

At higher w/c ratios Murata found that air entrainment reduced permeability. The use of both PFA and
GGBS also resulted in a small increase in permeability
at a given w/c ratio.
The lightweight concretes deviated significantly
from thegeneral relationship, having much lower permeability coefficients than could be attributed simply
to the w/c ratio. Possible reasons for this have been
discussed above.
The rangeof results reviewed byLawrence is shown
in Fig. 4. While the data from different sources
resulted in different relationships between w/cand
permeability, the trend in behaviour was consistent.
TheAuthors results represent anupperbound
on
permeability coefficient, the majority of published
data yielding much low permeability values at a
specific value of w/c ratio.
Permeability versus strength
In practice concretes are specified by strength. The
relationship between water permeability and compressive strength is illustrated in Fig. 5. Again a
relationship clezrly exists, with the permeability
reducing logarithmically as the strength increases.
Increasing the air content
(while adjusting the mix
proportions to maintain strength) tends to
result in
reduced permeability. Theuse of PFA andGGBS had
no significant influence on permeability at 28 days
when designed to achieve equal strength with OPC
concrete.
Again, the most significant deviation from the
general relationship occurred with lightweight mixes
A3 and A4, which achieved considerably lower permeability in relation to their strength.

10

10

j4

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

Waterkernem ratlo

Fig. 4 . The relationship between the water cement ratio and

the coeficient of water permeability; open symbols
represent air-entrained concrete, and the shaded area shows
the range of results reviewed by LawwnceI4

238

10

40
80
Compressive strength:Nlrnrn

1 20

Fig. S . The relationship between compressive strength and

the coefirient of water permeability; open symbols
represent air-entrained concrete, and the straight line shows
the best jit forcontrol mixes Sl-S6
Magazine of Concrete Research, 1991, 43, No. 157

Water permeability of concrete

The relationship between permeability and tensile

splitting strength is illustrated in Fig. 6 . Once again
there is a log-linear relationship,withpermeability
reducing as the splitting strength
increases. This is not
surprising in view of the proportionality between tensile and compressive strength.
There is currently much debate about factorsinfluencing durability, and in particular about the way in
which durability can be specified in codes of practice.
If it can be assumed that the water permeability of
concrete is a good indicator of durability, then the
results obtained, takenin isolation, would suggest that
specification by strengthgrade
is anappropriate
means of specifying for durability.

Comparison with published results

The
relationship
between
water
permeability
andstrength is supported by the results ofother
researchers who havelimited the degree of curing.
For
example, as part of a comprehensive examination of
thefactors affecting water permeability, GlanvilleI3
carried out a few tests on concretes which were aircured. As partof another programme, the Author has
measured strength and permeability on cores cut from
larger blocks16which had been exposed at 24 hours to
ambient conditions, but protected from rainfall and
direct sunlight. The cores were tested at an age of 28
days, and results were obtained for a range of concretes including mixes containing PFA, GGBS and

microsilica. Thomas et a l l 7 and Dhir et al.'' have also

investigated the effect of curing on permeability and
strengthand includedspecimensexposedafter
24
hours. Kasai et al.19measured the influence of curing
on air permeability. In Fig. 7 thepermeabilityhas
been presented as theintrinsic permeability in units of
m2 to enable the dataof Kasai to be included. Values
of water permeability coefficient have been calculated
from measured values of air permeability using the
conversion described in Reference 10. While there is
some scatter of the results shown in Fig. 7, it will be
seen that theproposed relationship broadly represents
all the data.
EfSect of curing
While it was beyondthescope
of theAuthor's
programmeto investigate the effect of curing, an
analysis has been carried out based on the identified
published results. In Fig. 8, results from References
13, 16, 17 and 19 are presented for concretessubjected
to extended periodsof curing. Two points are immediately obvious.
(a) The relationship between compressive strength

and water permeability derived for sealed cured

concrete approximates to an upper bound, and
broadly applies to thoseconcretes whichwere
water-cured for one day or less.
(b) For concretes which
were
water-cured
for
periodslongerthanoneday
the relationship
between compressivestrengthandwater
permeability changes, with therate of change in permeability
with
respect to
strength
becoming
greater as the curing period increase^.^^^^^^^','^
The results of Dhir et al.'' are presented in a similar
manner in Fig. 9. While the magnitude of the change

E 10-1'

SW\

A3
l

\;S"

6A4

10-'8'

10.1~

Tensile splittmg strength: N/mrn'

Fig. 6. The relationship between tensile splitting strength

and the coeficient of water permeability; the straight line
shows the best f i t for control mixes SI-S6
Magazine of Concrete Research, 1991, 43, No. 157

10

30
40
Compressive strength: N/mm2

20

50

Fig. 7 . The relationship between compressive strength and

intrinsic permeability for concretes subject to one-day water
curing or less; the straight line represents the best j t for
A
sealed cured mixes S I 3 6 (Fig. 5 ) : Glan~ille.'~
Bamforth et al.," 0 Kasaiet
0 Thomas et al.,"
Dhir et al.''

239

Bamforth
10-15~

curing
water
water
water

Compressive strength: N/mmz

Fig. 8. The relationship between compressive strength and

intrinsic permeability for concretes water cured for up to 28
days; the straight line is the bestjit for sealed cured mixes
S1-S6 (Fig. 5 ) and the curves are suggested relationships:
W Gl~nville~ for
28 days water curing; a, 0 , 0 Thomas et
al.7 for 28, 7 and 3 days curing, respectively; 0 and 0
Kasai et d l 6 for 7 and 3 days curing, respectively; A
Bamforth et al. for 3 days curing

in the strength-permeabilityrelationship
resulting
from prolonged curing is much less than suggested by
the results of G l a n ~ i l l e ,Bamforth
~
et a1.,I6 Thomas et
al. and Kasai et al., a similar trend is indicated. As
suggested by Dhir et a1.,I8the difference in absolute
values is most likely to be attributable to the different
test methods employed, and it is beyond the scope of
this Paper to investigate such factors in detail. Nevertheless, the various sourcesall support the hypotheses
of changing
a
relationship
between compressive
strength and permeability as the period of curing is
increased.
To the authors knowledge thereasonfor
the
change in the strength-permeability relationship has
not been investigated experimentally, but itis believed
that the different curves reflect different changes in
pore structure. Strengthis generally determined by the
total porosity, while permeability is also related to the
pore continuity. The relatively small change in permeability with respect to strength when the period of
water curing is less than one day, is believed to reflect
a change in total porosity, but little change in pore
continuity. With longer periods of curing the continuity of the pore system is believedto become increas240

20

40

60
Compressive strength: N/mm2

80

Fig. 9 . The relationship between compressive strength and

intrinsic permeability

ingly broken, having a greater effect on permeability

than strength.
Hence, a series of strength-permeability relationships exist for concretes which have been cured for
different periods. The implications of this are that the
permeability of concrete cannot be derived from a
measurement of strength, unless the curinghistory has
been very well-defined. For example, concrete with a
compressive strength of40 MPa may have a coefficient
of water permeability as low as 1Op2rn2 ( l o p m/s) if
water-cured for 28 days, increasing by three orders of
magnitude, to about 10- l 7 m2 (10- m/s) if the curing
period is reduced to one day orless. The use of in situ
strength measurement alone is unlikely, therefore, to
provide a sufficiently accurate method forassessing in
situ permeability and the inferred durability of the
concrete.

Conclusions
A series of tests has been carried out tomeasure the
coefficient of water permeability for sealed cured concretes with values of compressive strength in the range
of 16-100N/mm2. The results have been compared
with published data and the following conclusions
have been drawn.
For concretes which have been water-cured for one
day or less there is a semi-logarithmic relationship
Magazine of Concrete Research, 1991, 43, NO.157

Water permeability of concrete

between water permeability and compressive (or tensile strength). With the exception
of lightweight aggregate, the mix constituents did not have a significant
influence on the permeability-strength relationship.
For a given strength, substantially lower values of
water permeability can be achieved using lightweight
concrete. This is believed to be due to the combined
effects of the initially lower w/c ratio, being further
reduced by the aggregate absorption, improved
aggregate-cement paste bond, and a lower level of
microcracking due to the shape and stiffness of the
lightweight aggregate particles.
Comparing the Authors
results with publisheddata
indicates that as the period
of water curingis increased
the rate ofchangeofpermeabilitywith
respect to
strength also increases.
These findings suggest that the coefficient of water
permeability, and hencethedurability
of concrete,
cannot be inferred from a measurement of strength
without a detailed knowledge of the curing history.
The use of in situ strength measurement is unlikely,
therefore, toprovidea
reliable meansforderiving
durability without an independent recording
of the
period of water curing.

5. BLUNDELL
R. et al. Thermal stresses in oil storage vesselsthe properties of concrete for
use in design. Construction
Industry Research and Information Association, Technical
note no 9, London, 1976.
6. BROWNE R.D. and BURROWS
R. E. 0. An example of the
utilisation of complex multiphase behaviour in engineering
design. Proceedings of the Civil Engineering Materials Confer-

l.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

Acknowledgements
The Author wishes to thank the Directors of Taywood Engineering Ltd for permission to publish this
Paper. The financial support from theCommission of
theEuropeanCommunityandtheDepartment
of
Energy is also gratefully acknowledged. The work
formed part of an external PhD thesis undertaken in
association withAston University, andthanksare
also extended to Dr Roger Kettle for his sustained
support and guidance.

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Discussion contributions onthis paper should reach the Editor by 30

June 1992.

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