Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Concrete Advice 68
Concrete Advice 68
Concrete Advice 68
68
To assess the in-situ compressive strength of the concrete in situations where a) there is
little or no information available about the concrete used or b) there is doubt about
recently supplied concrete, the taking of cores tends to be the main course of action in the
UK. Unless the testing is carried out correctly, in the correct place, in sufficient numbers
and with the agreement of all parties concerned, it becomes less assured and there is
less confidence that the strengths obtained are a true reflection of either the characteristic
in-situ compressive strength or strength class. It is recommended that this Concrete
Advice is read in conjunction with the relevant Standards.
[3]
application with BS EN 1990 and BS EN
1 Introduction [4]
1992-1-1 . BS EN 13791 is aligned with
[5]
the requirements BS EN 206 .
This guidance considers the assessment
of in-situ concrete compressive strength Assessment of compressive strength
using the revised and recently published class of concrete in case of doubt –
[1]
BS EN 13791:2019 Assessment of Clause 9
compressive strength in structures and For use where there is doubt over the
precast concrete components based compressive strength of recently supplied
primarily on core compressive strength concrete resulting from identity testing or
data. If required, Rebound number and problems suspected in the execution of the
Ultra-sonic Pulse Velocity can be used works.
when correlated with core or test
specimens. The procedures referenced in Whilst the physical process of taking cores
[1]
BS EN 13791 are given in BS EN 12504 and determining of the in-situ compressive
[2]
Testing concrete in structures Parts 1, 2, strength is the same as Clause 8
and 4. The guidance below relates mainly procedures, the number of samples
to cores but also notes the use of indirect required is dependent on the assessment
testing. type and the volume of concrete involved.
Also the two assessments use different
[1]
BS EN 13791 covers two situations for design principles and analysis and should
the assessment of in-situ compressive be treated separately as there will be
strength: significantly different outcomes depending
on the method used.
Estimation of compressive strength for
structural assessment of an existing
structure – Clause 8
2 Publications
For use where there is none or very little
information about the concrete used in the
structure or where the supplier has Previously, the procedures for taking and
declared a non-conformity and cannot testing cores and assessing the in-situ
provide data to support an acceptable compressive strength of concrete has
[6]
estimated characteristic in-situ been based on BS 1881-120: 1983 , BS
[7]
compressive strength. The estimation of 6089: 1981 and Concrete Society
[8]
characteristic in-situ compressive strength Technical Report TR 11 (1987) . These
[1]
is the primary focus of BS EN 13791 for have all been withdrawn.
--`,,````,`,```,`,,,```,`,``,``,-`-`,,`,,`,`,,`---
Copyright CS
Provided by IHS Markit under license with Concrete Society - Uncontrolled Copy Licensee=Ove Arup and Partners/5969159008, User=Tai, Andrew
No reproduction or networking permitted without license from IHS Markit Not for Resale, 05/16/2022 19:30:48 MDT
Page 2 of 9 CONCRETE ADVICE NO. 68
More recently the assessment has been based on As soon as the cored sample has been extracted it
[9]
BS EN 13791:2007 complimented by the UK needs to be enclosed in a sealed container to
[10]
guidance document BS 6089:2010 together with prevent any exchange of moisture between the
(11)
BS EN 12504-1:2009 . All three documents have specimen and the environment until it is prepared
been extensively reviewed to ensure the and tested. This is to ensure the concrete remains
procedures and test methods used provide a sound in the same state as it exists in the structure.
and reliable method for assessing in-situ
compressive strength. This work resulted in the The specimen tested should not contain;
[1]
publication of a totally revised BS EN 13791:2019 1. concrete from within 30mm of any surface.
with a National Forward and a National Annex 2. concrete from within the top 50mm or 20%
which coexists with the revised BS EN 12504- (whichever is greater) of the lift in sections
[2]
1:2019 test method for taking and testing of core where height or depth of the element is not more
samples including its own National Annex. than 1.5m.
3. concrete from the top 300mm of the lift where
[10]
Previous versions, together with BS 6089: 2010 , the height or depth is 1.5m or more.
the main contents of which have included in the
[1]
revised BS EN 13791 , have been withdrawn. It is It is assumed that point 1 refers to a formed surface
anticipated that a new guidance document PD and 2 and 3 to unformed surfaces. It may be
[12]
CEN/TR 17086 will be published later in 2020. difficult to remove 30 or 50mm from the specimen
in the case of thin sections e.g. composite decks.
The other test methods associated with in-situ
compressive strength assessment i.e. BS EN End preparation by grinding is considered to be the
12504-2: Non-destructive testing. Determination of reference method but other methods are detailed in
[2]
rebound number and BS EN 12504-4: the standard.
(2)
Determination of ultrasonic pulse velocity , are [13]
currently under review but significant changes to Density by immersion, BS EN 12390-7 , and the
the procedures are not anticipated. measurement of excessive voidage should be
determined and recorded as it gives an indication of
the compaction of the concrete.
3 Cylinder/cube & core relationship The water used in the extraction of the core, density
measurement and end preparation is not
considered to impart a material change of overall
There is no unique relationship between the core
moisture condition of the specimen.
strength and the strength of either cylinder or cube
test specimens from the same concrete. The
There is no adjustment to the compressive
relationship is a function of many individual and
strength recorded for the moisture condition or
connected variables.
direction of drilling of the specimen.
The in-situ compressive strength, as measured by a
Depending on the type of assessment being carried
core, will in most cases be lower than the
out the specimen needs to be within specific size
compressive strength obtained from standard cast
limits after preparation. These are:
cylinder/cube specimens taken from the same
concrete. In-situ compressive strengths obtained
For a 1:1 specimen the length to diameter ratio is to
are a function of both the concrete supplied and the
be within 0.90:1 and 1.10:1;
workmanship employed in its placing, compaction
and curing.
For a 2:1 specimen the length to diameter ratio is to
be within 1.95:1 and 2.05:1.
--`,,````,`,```,`,,,```,`,``,``,-`-`,,`,,`,`,,`---
Copyright CS
Provided by IHS Markit under license with Concrete Society - Uncontrolled Copy Licensee=Ove Arup and Partners/5969159008, User=Tai, Andrew
No reproduction or networking permitted without license from IHS Markit Not for Resale, 05/16/2022 19:30:48 MDT
Page 3 of 9 CONCRETE ADVICE NO. 68
Estimation of characteristic in-situ compressive The data should also be checked for statistical
strength is based on a 2:1 core, as cylinder strength outliers from the specimens as tested i.e. before the
is used in structural design. core length factor (CLF) is applied, if appropriate.
A 1:1 core can be converted to an equivalent 2:1 The Grubb test cited in the Standard is one method
core by applying the core length factor (CLF) of to determine if a high or low test result is an outlier.
0.82 (0.91 in the case of lightweight concrete). A minimum of 4 test results is required to carry out
this check. It is firstly applied to the result which
Cores having a diameter of 50mm should have a deviates most from the mean of all the results.
1:1 ratio and because these size cores have a
higher variability than larger cores, 3 times the Highest value considered an outlier if:
number is required to achieve a test result at a
single test location. (fc, is, highest – fc, m(n)is) / s >Gp Eq. 1
Reinforcement should be avoided if at all possible. Lowest value considered an outlier if:
If this is not possible any reinforcement must be
predominantly horizontal and not more than 2% of (fc, m(n)is – fc, is, lowest) / s >Gp Eq. 2
the volume of the specimen. In the case of 2:1
specimens there is an additional requirement that Critical values (Gp) are from BS EN 13791 Table 5.
reinforcement must be contained within 30mm of
the ends of the specimen tested. If these It can be applied twice but if there are more than 2
requirements are not achievable the specimen is to outliers it may indicate that the region may contain
be rejected. two or more concrete’s of different compressive
strength. The exclusion or inclusion of the identified
There is no adjustment to the compressive outliers is a matter of engineering judgement.
strength recorded if the reinforcement in the
specimen is within the above limits. A set of indirect test results may also contain
outliers, which may indicate a need for further
Whilst there is an accepted relationship between investigation at this test location e.g. a core test.
excess voidage and strength reduction, it is not
used to adjust the core compressive strength.
--`,,````,`,```,`,,,```,`,``,``,-`-`,,`,,`,`,,`---
Structural assessment of an existing structure
However, high voidage and/or low density values – Clause 8
may indicate problems during the execution of the The number of test results required depends on the
works which have adversely affected the volume of concrete under consideration (undefined)
compressive strength obtained. and the type(s) of element(s) involved. As it is an
unknown structure, it is possible that columns and
The determination of the Rebound number at a floor slabs could have different specified
particular location is the median (whole number) of compressive strengths and should be therefore be
at least 9 readings. This is calibrated against treated as different test regions. This is matter of
concrete of known strength or is used on its own for engineering judgement but sufficient numbers
comparative testing in case of doubt. For UPV the should be taken to ensure there is confidence in the
value is the reading taken at a location based on compressive strength(s) obtained and is
the path length and pulse time; there is no universal representative of the region tested.
correlation between UPV and strength. This has to
be obtained for the specific concrete used. For an The estimation of characteristic in-situ compressive
unknown concrete the estimation of characteristic strength is based on a minimum of 8 valid results
in-situ compressive strength on the basis of pulse but to allow for possible outliers at least 10 core
velocity alone is not considered to be reliable. samples should be taken from a single test region.
Copyright CS
Provided by IHS Markit under license with Concrete Society - Uncontrolled Copy Licensee=Ove Arup and Partners/5969159008, User=Tai, Andrew
No reproduction or networking permitted without license from IHS Markit Not for Resale, 05/16/2022 19:30:48 MDT
Page 4 of 9 CONCRETE ADVICE NO. 68
Table 1 – Criteria for assessment based on core test data – fc,1.1core (after BS EN 13791 Table 8)
Number of Mean of 1:1 core test
3 Minimum number Lowest 1:1 core test
approximate 30m results for the test
of valid test results result[a]
volumes in test region region
1[b] 3
2 4 ≥ 0.85 (fck,spec,cube + 1)
3 6
≥ 0.85 (fck,spec,cube - M
4 8
5 10 ≥ 0.85 (fck,spec,cube + 2)
6 12
[a]
where M = 4MPa for compressive strength class C20/25 or higher.
For C16/20, C12/15 and C8/10 the margin M is reduced to 3, 2, and 1 respectively.
[b]
provided it is treated as a single volume.
--`,,````,`,```,`,,,```,`,``,``,-`-`,,`,,`,`,,`---
Copyright CS
Provided by IHS Markit under license with Concrete Society - Uncontrolled Copy Licensee=Ove Arup and Partners/5969159008, User=Tai, Andrew
No reproduction or networking permitted without license from IHS Markit Not for Resale, 05/16/2022 19:30:48 MDT
Page 5 of 9 CONCRETE ADVICE NO. 68
--`,,````,`,```,`,,,```,`,``,``,-`-`,,`,,`,`,,`---
Copyright CS
Provided by IHS Markit under license with Concrete Society - Uncontrolled Copy Licensee=Ove Arup and Partners/5969159008, User=Tai, Andrew
No reproduction or networking permitted without license from IHS Markit Not for Resale, 05/16/2022 19:30:48 MDT
Page 6 of 9 CONCRETE ADVICE NO. 68
Before converting the strengths to fc,is the data is Characteristic in-situ compressive strength
checked for outliers (Table 3) using the strengths (cylinder) for the test region fck,is is the lower
from the 1:1 specimens (fc,1:1core) as tested. calculated value i.e. 35.2MPa.
Copyright CS
Provided by IHS Markit under license with Concrete Society - Uncontrolled Copy Licensee=Ove Arup and Partners/5969159008, User=Tai, Andrew
No reproduction or networking permitted without license from IHS Markit Not for Resale, 05/16/2022 19:30:48 MDT
Page 7 of 9 CONCRETE ADVICE NO. 68
Table 6 – Check for outliers • Minimum number of valid core test results
Check for outliers - fc,1:1 core required (Table 1) ……………… 10
st • Specified strength class ………. C50/60
1
• Test region - volume in doubt .… 130m³
Mean value 37.6
• Number of 30m³ volumes ……… between 4 & 5
Standard deviation 4.87
Lowest 31.1 Table 8: Strength of cores taken from a test
Highest 46.2 region where doubt exists about the strength of
Difference to mean, low 6.5 the concrete conforming to the specified
Difference to mean, high 8.6 strength class
Check high result as greater 1:1 shape limit fc,1:1 core
1.758 Core l/d
difference – Eq [1] 0.90 – 1.10 MPa
n results 9 1 0.92 ok 55.8
Gp (from BS EN 13791 Table 5 2 0.99 ok 45.3
2.387
for n results)
3 1.02 ok 69.5
Check if high result is < or > Gp No outlier
4 1.05 ok 44.5
No outliers found. 5 1.00 ok 43.9
6 0.99 ok 48.2
The calculation for checking conformity with 7 0.98 ok 49.3
specified strength class is given in Table 7.
8 1.00 ok 43.7
9 1.03 ok 50.1
Table 7 – Calculation for checking conformity 10 1.06 ok 52.1
with specified strength class
11 1.01 ok 47.6
Calculation for conformity
12 1.00 ok 49.0
C32/40 strength class
13 0.98 ok 53.2
Volume in test region under investigation - 80m³
i.e. 2 to 3 volumes of 30m³ 14 1.00 ok 50.0
Mean based
37.6 No adjustment to core strength due to shape.
on 1:1 cores
Lowest based
31.1 The data is checked for outliers using the strengths
on 1:1 cores
from the 1:1 specimens (fc,1:1 core) as tested.
fck,spec,cube 40
M (from BS EN Table 9 – Check for outliers
13791 Table 8, Check for outliers fc,1:1 core
4
strength class > st nd
C20/25) 1 2
From Table 1 mean ≥ 0.85 x 37.6 ≥ 34.8 Mean value 50.2 48.7
for C32/40 (fck,spec,cube + 1) pass Standard deviation 6.61 3.71
lowest ≥ 0.85 x 31.1 ≥ 30.6 Lowest 43.7 43.7
(fck,spec,cube - M) pass
Highest 69.5 55.8
Conformity of compressive strength class C32/40 Difference to mean, low 6.5 5.0
can be confirmed for the test region assessed. Difference to mean, high 19.3 7.1
Check high result as
2.926 1.923
greater difference – Eq [1]
8 Example 3: Assessment of the in-situ n results 14 13
compressive of concrete in case of doubt Gp (from BS EN 13791
– Clause 9 2.755 2.699
Table 5 for n results)
Check if high result Outlier
No outlier
Table 8 shows a set of core compressive strength is < or > Gp core 3
results with length diameter ratio 1:1.
One possible outlier has been found. This would
• Supplier’s production control sample size based need to be considered before excluding the result
on 100mm cubes. from the data set. In this case the result from core 3
• No reinforcement present in samples. has been removed.
--`,,````,`,```,`,,,```,`,``,``,-`-`,,`,,`,`,,`---
Copyright CS
Provided by IHS Markit under license with Concrete Society - Uncontrolled Copy Licensee=Ove Arup and Partners/5969159008, User=Tai, Andrew
No reproduction or networking permitted without license from IHS Markit Not for Resale, 05/16/2022 19:30:48 MDT
Page 8 of 9 CONCRETE ADVICE NO. 68
Conformity of compressive strength class C50/60 cannot be confirmed for the test region under investigation
Conformity of compressive strength class C45/55 can be confirmed for the test region under investigation.
--`,,````,`,```,`,,,```,`,``,``,-`-`,,`,,`,`,,`---
Copyright CS
Provided by IHS Markit under license with Concrete Society - Uncontrolled Copy Licensee=Ove Arup and Partners/5969159008, User=Tai, Andrew
No reproduction or networking permitted without license from IHS Markit Not for Resale, 05/16/2022 19:30:48 MDT
Page 9 of 9 CONCRETE ADVICE NO. 68
References
1. BSI. BS EN 13791: 2019, Assessment of compressive strength in structures and precast concrete
component, BSI, London
2. BSI. BS EN 12504. Testing concrete in structures. BSI, London
Part 1 Cored specimens - taking, examining and testing in compression (2019)
Part 2 Non-destructive testing. Determination of rebound number (2012).
Part 4 Determination of ultrasonic pulse velocity (2004).
3. BSI, BS EN 1990:2002, Eurocode – Basis of structural design, BSI, London
4. BSI. BS EN 1992-1-1:2004, Eurocode 2. Design of concrete structures – Part 1-1: General rules
and rules for buildings, BSI, London
5. BSI.BS EN 206:2013+A1:2016. Concrete. Specification, performance, production and conformity,
BSI, London
6. BSI. BS 1881-120. Testing concrete. Method for determination of the compressive strength of
concrete cores, BSI, London, 1983
7. BSI. BS 6089:1981 Guide to assessment of concrete strength in existing structures, BSI, London
8. THE CONCRETE SOCIETY. Concrete core testing for strength, Technical Report 11, The Concrete
--`,,````,`,```,`,,,```,`,``,``,-`-`,,`,,`,`,,`---
Society, Camberley, 1987
9. BSI. BS EN 13791:2007, Assessment of compressive strength in structures and precast concrete
component, BSI, London
10. BSI. BS 6089:2010, Assessment of in-situ compressive strength in structures and precast concrete
components – complementary guidance to BS EN 13791, BSI, London
11. BSI. BS EN 12504-1:2009 Testing concrete in structures. Part 1 Cored specimens - taking,
examining and testing in compression BSI, London
12. BSI, PD CEN/TR 17086:2020 Further guidance on the application of EN 13791:2019 and
background to the provisions, BSI, London (under preparation)
13. BSI. BS EN 12390-7: 2019. Testing hardened concrete. Density of hardened concrete, BSI, London
14. The Concrete Society. Identity testing for strength in accordance with BS EN 206 & BS 8500-1,
Concrete Advice 30, The Concrete Society, Camberley, 2016
Further reading
BSI. BS 8500-1: 2015 + A1: 2016, Concrete – Complementary British Standard to BS EN 206, BSI, London
Impartial advice can be sought from The Concrete Society. Members are entitled Contacts
to substantial discounts on services and products including site visits and
investigations, dependent on status. For publications and information, The The Concrete Society 01276 607140
Concrete Society Bookshop holds a wide range of books and pamphlets along Bookshop 07004 607777
with an extensive library stock. We provide many services such as literature www.concrete.org.uk
searches and notification of new references to our extensive catalogue www.concretebookshop.com
CONCRETE Advice Sheets are produced and published by The Concrete Society. The information and advice
contained in the Advice Sheets is based on the experience and knowledge of the Concrete Society’s
Technical Staff. Although The Society does its best to ensure that any advice, recommendation or information
it gives is accurate, no liability or responsibility of any kind (including liability for negligence), howsoever and
from whatsoever cause arising is accepted in this respect by The Concrete Society, its servants or agents.
Readers should also note that all Concrete Society publications are subject to revision from time to time and
should therefore ensure that they are in possession of the latest version
Copyright CS
Provided by IHS Markit under license with Concrete Society - Uncontrolled Copy Licensee=Ove Arup and Partners/5969159008, User=Tai, Andrew
No reproduction or networking permitted without license from IHS Markit Not for Resale, 05/16/2022 19:30:48 MDT