ASTM C684-99(2003)

Standard Test Method for Making, Accelerated Curing, and Testing Concrete Compression Test Specimens (Withdrawn 2012)

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
The accelerated curing procedures provide, at the earliest practical time, an indication of the potential strength of a specific concrete mixture. These procedures also provide information on the variability of the production process for use in quality control.
The accelerated early strength obtained from any of the procedures in this test method can be used to evaluate concrete strengths in the same way conventional 28-day strengths have been used in the past, with suitable changes in the expected strength values. Since the practice of using strength values obtained from standard-cured cylinders at 28 days is long established and widespread, the results of accelerated strength tests are often used to estimate the later-age strength under standard curing. Such estimates should be limited to concretes using the same materials and mixture proportions as those used for establishing the correlation. Appendix X2 provides a procedure to estimate the 90 % confidence interval of the average later-age strength based on accelerated strength test results.
Correlation between accelerated strength and strength achieved at some later age by using conventional curing methods depends upon the materials comprising the concrete, the mixture proportions, and the specific accelerated test procedure.
The user shall choose which procedure to use on the basis of experience and local conditions. These procedures, in general, will be practical when a field laboratory is available to house the curing containers and the testing equipment to measure compressive strength within the specified time limits.
SCOPE
1.1 This test method covers four procedures for making, curing, and testing specimens of concrete stored under conditions intended to accelerate the development of strength. The four procedures are: Procedure A-Warm Water Method, Procedure B-Boiling Water Method, Procedure C-Autogenous Curing Method, and Procedure D-High Temperature and Pressure Method.
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. The values given in parentheses are provided for information purposes only.
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. See Section 9 and Note 9 and 14 for specific warnings and precautions.
WITHDRAWN RATIONALE
This test method covers four procedures for making, curing, and testing specimens of concrete stored under conditions intended to accelerate the development of strength. The four procedures are: Procedure AWarm Water Method, Procedure BBoiling Water Method, Procedure CAutogenous Curing Method, and Procedure DHigh Temperature and Pressure Method.
Formerly under the jurisdiction of Committee C09 on Concrete and Concrete Aggregates, this test method was withdrawn in April 2012 in accordance with section 10.5.3.1 of the Regulations Governing ASTM Technical Committees, which requires that standards shall be updated by the end of the eighth year since the last approval date.

General Information

• Status: Withdrawn
• Publication Date: 09-Nov-1999
• Withdrawal Date: 17-Apr-2012
• ICS: 91.100.30 - Concrete and concrete products
• Technical Committee: C09 - Concrete and Concrete Aggregates
• Drafting Committee: C09.61 - Testing for Strength

Relations

• Replaces: ASTM C684-99 - Standard Test Method for Making, Accelerated Curing, and Testing Concrete Compression Test Specimens
• Effective Date: 10-Nov-1999

Standards Content (Sample)

NOTICE: This standard has either been superseded and replaced by a new version or withdrawn.
Contact ASTM International (www.astm.org) for the latest information
Designation: C684 – 99 (Reapproved 2003)
Standard Test Method for
Making, Accelerated Curing, and Testing Concrete
Compression Test Specimens
This standard is issued under the fixed designation C684; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision.Anumber in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.A
superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
1. Scope C192/C192M Practice for Making and Curing Concrete
Test Specimens in the Laboratory
1.1 This test method covers four procedures for making,
C470/C470M Specification for Molds for Forming Con-
curing, and testing specimens of concrete stored under condi-
crete Test Cylinders Vertically
tions intended to accelerate the development of strength. The
C617 Practice for Capping Cylindrical Concrete Specimens
four procedures are: Procedure A—Warm Water Method,
C1231/C1231M Practice for Use of Unbonded Caps in
Procedure B—Boiling Water Method, Procedure
Determination of Compressive Strength of Hardened Con-
C—Autogenous Curing Method, and Procedure D—High
crete Cylinders
Temperature and Pressure Method.
D3665 Practice for Random Sampling of Construction Ma-
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as
terials
standard. The values given in parentheses are provided for
E105 Practice for Probability Sampling of Materials
information purposes only.
E122 Practice for Calculating Sample Size to Estimate,
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the
With Specified Precision, the Average for a Characteristic
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the
of a Lot or Process
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-
E141 Practice for Acceptance of Evidence Based on the
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-
Results of Probability Sampling
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use. See Section 9 and
Note 9 and Note 14 for specific warnings and precautions.
3. Terminology
2. Referenced Documents 3.1 There are no terms in this standard that require new or
other than dictionary definitions.
2.1 ASTM Standards:
C31/C31M Practice for Making and Curing Concrete Test
4. Summary of Test Method
Specimens in the Field
4.1 Concrete specimens are exposed to accelerated curing
C39/C39M Test Method for Compressive Strength of Cy-
conditions that permit the specimens to develop a significant
lindrical Concrete Specimens
portion of their ultimate strength within a time period ranging
C172 Practice for Sampling Freshly Mixed Concrete
from 5 to 49 h, depending upon the procedure that is used.
C177 Test Method for Steady-State Heat Flux Measure-
Procedures A and B utilize storage of specimens in heated
ments and Thermal Transmission Properties by Means of
water at elevated curing temperatures without moisture loss.
the Guarded-Hot-Plate Apparatus
The primary function of the moderately heated water used in
Procedure A is to serve as insulation to conserve the heat
This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee C09 on generated by hydration. The temperature level employed in
Concrete and ConcreteAggregates and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee
Procedure B provides thermal acceleration. Procedure C in-
C09.61 on Testing for Strength.
volves storage of specimens in insulated curing containers in
Current edition approved Dec. 1, 2003. Published February 2000. Originally
whichtheelevatedcuringtemperatureisobtainedfromheatof
approved in 1971. Last previous edition approved in 1999 as C684–99. DOI:
10.1520/C0684-99R03.
hydration of the cement. The sealed containers also prevent
For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or
moisture loss. Procedure D involves simultaneous application
contact ASTM Customer Service at [e-mail]. For Annual Book of ASTM
of elevated temperature and pressure to the concrete using
Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on
the ASTM website. special containers. Sampling and testing procedures are the
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.
C684 – 99 (2003)
same as for normally cured specimens (see Practice C172 and 7. Apparatus
Test Method C39/C39M, respectively).
7.1 Equipment and small tools for fabricating specimens,
4.2 Important characteristics of these procedures are shown
measuringslump,anddeterminingaircontentshallconformto
in Table 1.
Practice C31/C31M.
7.2 Molds:
5. Significance and Use
7.2.1 Cylinder molds for test specimens used in Procedures
A, B, and C shall conform to Specification C470/C470M.
5.1 The accelerated curing procedures provide, at the earli-
Paper molds are excluded. When specimens are to be tested
est practical time, an indication of the potential strength of a
without capping, use only reusable molds with machined end
specific concrete mixture. These procedures also provide
platesthatcanbesecurelyconnectedtobothtopandbottomof
informationonthevariabilityoftheproductionprocessforuse
themold.Theendplatesshallproducespecimenswithbearing
in quality control.
surfaces that are plane within 0.05 mm (0.002 in.) and whose
5.2 The accelerated early strength obtained from any of the
ends do not depart from perpendicularity to the axis of the
proceduresinthistestmethodcanbeusedtoevaluateconcrete
cylinder by more than 0.5° (approximately equivalent to 10
strengths in the same way conventional 28-day strengths have
mm/m ( ⁄8 in. in 12 in.). When assembled, the mold assembly
been used in the past, with suitable changes in the expected
is sufficiently tight to permit the filled mold to be turned from
strength values. Since the practice of using strength values
the vertical filling position to a horizontal curing position
obtained from standard-cured cylinders at 28 days is long
without loss of mortar or damage to the test specimen.
established and widespread, the results of accelerated strength
7.2.2 Cylinder molds for Procedure D shall conform to the
tests are often used to estimate the later-age strength under
following:
standard curing. Such estimates should be limited to concretes
7.2.2.1 Made of stainless steel,
usingthesamematerialsandmixtureproportionsasthoseused
7.2.2.2 Equipped with removable top and bottom metal
Appendix X2 provides a
for establishing the correlation.
plugs and O-ring seals,
procedure to estimate the 90% confidence interval of the
7.2.2.3 Equipped with a heating element capable of raising
average later-age strength based on accelerated strength test
theconcretetemperaturewithinthemoldto150 63°C(300 6
results.
5°F) within 30 6 5 min, and are capable of maintaining this
5.3 Correlation between accelerated strength and strength
temperaturethroughoutthetimerequiredbythetestprocedure,
achieved at some later age by using conventional curing
7.2.2.4 Equipped with devices to measure the temperature
methods depends upon the materials comprising the concrete,
within each mold to ascertain that the temperature of the
the mixture proportions, and the specific accelerated test
concrete satisfies the temperature requirements stated herein,
procedure.
and
5.4 The user shall choose which procedure to use on the
7.2.2.5 Equipped with a companion loading component
basis of experience and local conditions. These procedures, in
capable of maintaining a pressure of 10.3 MPa 6 0.2 MPa
general,willbepracticalwhenafieldlaboratoryisavailableto
(1500 6 25 psi) on the concrete during the curing period.
house the curing containers and the testing equipment to
7.3 Curing Apparatus:
measure compressive strength within the specified time limits.
7.3.1 Accelerated Curing Tank for Procedures A and B:
7.3.1.1 The tank is of any configuration suitable for the
6. Interferences
number of cylinders to be tested.Arrange the cylinders in any
6.1 When wet sieving of the concrete sample is required
configurationthatprovidesaclearanceofatleast50mm(2in.)
priortomoldingthetestspecimensduetomaximumaggregate between the side of each cylinder and the side of the tank, and
size limitations (such as Procedure D, which is limited to 25 at least 100 mm (4 in.) between adjacent cylinders. Maintain
mm maximum), consider the effect of wet sieving on the air the water level at least 100 mm (4 in.) above the tops of the
content and strength of the test specimens. cylinders.
TABLE 1 Characteristics of Accelerated Curing Procedures
Accelerated Curing Age Accelerated Duration of
Source of Strength Age at
Procedure Molds Temperature Curing Accelerated
Acceleration Testing
°C (°F) Begins Curing
A. Warm Water reusable or single-use heat of hydration 35 (95) immediately after 23.5 h 6 30 min 24 h 6 15 min
casting
B. Boiling Water reusable or single-use boiling water boiling 23 h 6 30 min after 3.5 h 6 5min 28.5h 6 15 min
casting
C. Autogenous single-use heat of hydration initial concrete immediately after 48 h 6 15 min 49 h 6 15 min
temperature casting
augmented by
heat of hydration
A
D. High-Temperature reusable external heat and 150 (300) immediately after 5h 6 5 min 5.25 h 6 5min
and Pressure pressure casting
A
Add 30 min if capping with sulfur compound is used.
C684 – 99 (2003)
NOTE 1—Provisionforanoverflowpipeisaconvenienceincontrolling
9. Hazards
the maximum depth of water.Anumber of different tanks have been used
9.1 Observe OSHA requirements and standard laboratory
successfully. Guidelines are given in Appendix X1.
and field safety precautions when sampling, molding, curing,
7.3.1.2 Equip the tank with environmental control ele-
and testing concrete.
ment(s) capable of: (1) providing the specified water tempera-
9.2 Observe the additional safety measures indicated when
ture, (2) maintaining the water temperature within 63°C
using Procedure B to prevent scalding or other burns resulting
(65°F) of the specified value at any point in the water, and (3)
from the use of boiling water as a curing medium.
limitingthetemperaturedrop,afterimmersionofspecimens,to
9.3 Observe the additional safety measures indicated when
less than 3°C (5°F) and returning to the specified water
using Procedure D to prevent injury due to the high tempera-
temperaturewithin15min.Thermometersorothertemperature
ture and pressure used for curing.
recording devices are required, independent of the thermostat,
to check the temperature of the water.
10. Sampling
NOTE 2—Depending upon the design features of the tank, insulation or
10.1 Determine the number of tests required from the
mechanical agitation, or both, might be necessary to meet the specified
concretelot(s)orprocess.Usearandomorsystematicplanthat
temperature requirements. Electrical immersion heaters controlled by a
providesthenumberoftestsneededtocharacterizethestrength
thermostat are one suitable form of heating elements. For a particular
procedure, the size of the heating element required will depend upon the of the concrete used in the construction.
size of the tank and the number of specimens to be cured at one time.
10.2 If the lot(s) or process is stratified into sublots, locate
the samples using a stratified random procedure. If circum-
7.3.1.3 The plate supporting the specimens is perforated to
stances dictate a non-stratified approach, use a random proce-
permit circulation of the water.
dure.
7.3.1.4 A close fitting lid to reduce evaporation is required
for Procedure B but is optional for Procedure A.
NOTE 4—A stratified random sampling procedure can be implemented
7.3.2 Curing Container for Procedure C:
by dividing each lot of concrete into a number of equal-sized sublots, and
7.3.2.1 Thecontainerconsistsofthermalinsulationmeeting randomly selecting a sample from each sublot. The number of sublots
equalsthenumberofsamplesthatwerescheduledtobetakenfromthelot.
heat retention requirements of 12.2.1 and closely surrounding
Forexample,ifthejobrequirementscalledforeach500m ofconcreteto
the concrete specimen.
be treated as a lot and that five samples be obtained from each lot to
7.3.2.2 The container is capable of being opened to permit
determine compressive strength, divide the lot into five equal-sized
insertion and withdrawal of the specimen and has an outer
sublots of 100 m each. Randomly obtain one sample from each sublot.
casingandinnerlinertoprotecttheinsulationfrommechanical
Test results from the five samples obtained in this manner provide
damage.
unbiased estimates of the compressive strength of the 500 m lot. This is
7.3.2.3 The container has a maximum-minimum recording themostpracticalapproachtoensurethatthesamplesobtainedincludethe
entire range of concrete in the production process. If unequal size sublots
thermometerwhichisnotinsulatedfromtheconcretespecimen
occurduetotheconstructionprocess,weightingofthetestresultsmaybe
(see Note 10).
appropriate to maintain the fairness and defensibility of the sampling
7.3.2.4 The container has a lid or other means to provide
procedure.
secure closure during the specified curing period. The lid
NOTE 5—Practice D3665 contains a table of random numbers, includ-
includes a heat seal that satisfies the requirements of 12.2.2.
ing instructions for use. Practices E105, E122, and E141 contain addi-
7.3.2.5 Thecontaineriscapableofholdingeitheroneortwo
tional information concerning sampling practices.
specimens.
10.3 Sample the freshly mixed concrete in accordance with
NOTE 3—ExamplesofsuitablecontainersareincludedinAppendixX1.
Practice C172. Record in the job records the location at which
Any configuration is acceptable provided it meets the performance
the sampled batch is used in the structure.
requirements of 12.2.
7.3.3 Curing Apparatus for Procedure D:
11. Preparation of Apparatus
7.3.3.1 Thecuringapparatusconsistsofaloadingsystemto
11.1 Methods A and B:
apply the specified pressure to the concrete specimens and
11.1.1 Activate the environmental control elements at least
special molds to maintain the concrete specimens at the
1hpriortothestartofascheduledtesttoallowthetemperature
specified temperature during the curing period. The curing
of the water and equipment to stabilize.
apparatus can be of any configuration suitable for the number
11.2 Method C:
ofcylindricalspecimenstobetested.AppendixX1describesa
11.2.1 Conduct the proving tests specified in Section 12
successful apparatus designed for curing three specimens.
prior to scheduling tests.
7.4 Capping Apparatus:
11.3 Method D:
7.4.1 If capping of the test specimens is required, use the
11.3.1 Clean and check the molds and end plugs before
apparatus specified in Practice C617 or Practice C1231/
starting a test. Standardize the loading system in accordance
C1231M.
with Section 12 prior to scheduling tests.
8. Mate
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