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Guide2101R2016 Wipf
Guide2101R2016 Wipf
1R 2016
ICRI Technical Guideline No. used to verify the effectiveness of the injection
TECHNICAL 210.1R 2016, Guide for process. This document is not intended to be a
GUIDELINES Verifying Field Performance
of Epoxy Injection of Con-
Prepared by the International Concrete Repair Institute January 2016
guide for the selection of materials or methods of
performing the work.
cr e t e C r ack s" h a s b e e n
recently revised and updated. Generally, the performance of epoxy injection is
The guideline, originally pro- measured according to whether the epoxy adhesive
duced in 1998, provides a has adequately filled the crack and has cured in
detailed description of various place. In many instances, a significant quantity of
methods for verif ying the injection work may take place before the quality
quality and effectiveness of assurance testing is initiated. This document
materials, equipment and pro- includes process-control methods to assess if sat-
Guideline No. 210.1R2016
cedures. The guidelines pri-
Copyright 2016 International Concrete Repair Institute isfactory injection work is being performed during
mary purpose is to provide the project.
Guide for Verifying Field Performance of contractors, inspectors, and
Epoxy Injection of Concrete Cracks
design professionals method- The guideline establishes five different quality
ology and criteria for field assurance/quality control methods:
quality control and quality
assurance verification of the epoxy injection pro- Visual observations of the injection process;
cess. Materials laboratory testing;
Materials field testing;
Various sections of the guideline have been revised Removal and evaluation of cores; and
to provide new or updated information reflecting Nondestructive testing (NDT) methods.
current recommended industry standard practice
and state-of-the-art technology. Visual Observations: The section on visual
observations of the injection process discusses
The use of epoxy injection to repair cracks in con- "port-to-port flow," the verification of epoxy resin
crete has been a standard practice for many years. flowing out of the next adjacent port (Fig. 1). How-
However, because the results cannot be verified ever, simply achieving port-to-port flow does not
easily by direct observation, the process and the guarantee that the crack is completely filled. The
effectiveness has been somewhat of a mystery. A guideline provides a methodology for injecting
great deal of contractor expertise is required in cracks that are sloping or vertical, allowing gravity
making judgments on different variables during to help the material completely fill the crack. Most
the injection process. As such, epoxy injection has importantly, the document defines the critical
been referred to as "more of an art than a science," concept of epoxy injection, that the cracks should
meaning that contractor expertise is critical, and be filled until refusal," the point at which the crack
scientific evaluation of the effectiveness is difficult. will not accept additional epoxy material when
This guideline provides information on injection injected under pressure.
equipment, workmanship methodology, and var-
ious nondestructive testing methods that can be
Materials Field Testing: Field testing provides The gel time test (ASTM C88/C881M3) is the sim-
critical information to verify that materials and plest of the field tests and confirms that the injected
equipment are performing properly, and is useful resin will harden (Fig. 4). At the beginning of the
in identifying deficiencies or equipment malfunc- project, a small sample of epoxy resin is hand-
tions before completion of substantial amounts of mixed, establishing a control sample for gel time
the work. and color, which can be used as a comparison for
additional samples obtained during the work. Resin the length of the crack. Cores are visually evalu-
samples should be obtained at least daily from the ated to determine penetration of the epoxy resin.
end of the injection nozzle to compare with the Although 100% penetration is desired, generally,
control sample. penetration is considered adequate if 90% of the
crack is filled with epoxy adhesive, as viewed from
Two field tests can be performed to verify that the the exposed length of the crack on the sides of the
injection equipment is operating properly: the ratio core.4
and pressure tests. The ratio test is performed by
dispensing a small amount of each component of Since many epoxies are naturally fluorescent under
the resin into a separate container, such that the ultraviolent illumination, it can be helpful to
volume or weight of each component can be verified examine the core using a "black light" ultraviolet
to ensure that proper ratio proportioning is occur- light source to highlight the injection resin and
ring. The pressure test is used to verify that the verify penetration. The new guideline provides
injection pumps are capable of maintaining ade- photographs of this process (Fig. 5).
quate and equal pressure on each component,
without internal leakage of the equipment. Each Cores may also be evaluated in the laboratory or
of these tests can be performed in a short time and in the field by testing the bond line between the
are recommended at the beginning of each shift as epoxy and the concrete within the core. The split-
a minimum. ting tension laboratory test (ASTM C4965) quan-
titatively establishes splitting tension strengths.
Removal and Evaluation of Cores: Since the end The simple field test of manually applying a sharp
result of epoxy injection is hidden within the con- blow with a hammer to the side of the core can
crete, coring to verify success of the injection qualitatively evaluate incomplete filling, poor bond
process is critical. Cores are obtained by wet or or improper mixing.
dry core drilling using diamond tipped bits along
REFERENCES
1. ASTM D695, Standard Test Method for Com-
pressive Properties of Rigid Plastics, ASTM
International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2015,
8 pp.