Water-permeability measurement of high performance concrete using a high-pressure triaxial cell

Water permeability of concrete is used to indicate its durability. Accurate and reproducible measurement of water permeability is difficult and becomes more difficult as the quality of concrete increases. When high-performance concrete (HPC) is tested, these concerns become more pronounced. HPC is used widely to improve the durability and performance of structures but there are few test procedures able to evaluate its permeability-related properties. In this study the water permeabilities of concretes including HPC were measured using a highpressure triaxial cell with a sensitive and automated measurement capability. Special analysis procedures were developed to obtain useful data from the extremely low volume of water being measured. This method was able to measure a wide range of permeability values from 10^-12 m/s to 10^-16 m/s, with reproducible measurements on replicates.