ASTM C1778-16
Standard Guide for Reducing the Risk of Deleterious Alkali-Aggregate Reaction in Concrete

Standard No.

ASTM C1778-16

Release Date

2016

Published By

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)

Status

Be replaced

Replace By

ASTM C1778-19

Latest

ASTM C1778-23

Scope

5.1 This guide provides recommendations for identifying the potential for deleterious AAR and selecting appropriate preventive measures, based on a prescriptive-based or performance approach, to minimize the risk of deleterious reaction. In regions where occurrences of AAR are rare or the aggregate sources in use have a satisfactory field performance record verified by following the guidance in this standard, it is reasonable to continue to rely on the previous field history without subjecting the aggregates to laboratory tests for AAR. In regions where AAR problems have occurred or the reactivity of aggregates is known to vary from source to source, it may be necessary to follow a testing program to determine potential reactivity and evaluate preventive measures. In this guide, the level of prevention required is a function of the reactivity of the aggregate, the nature of the exposure conditions (especially availability of moisture), the criticality of the structure, and the availability of alkali in the concrete.

5.2 Risk Evaluation—To use this guide effectively, it is necessary to define the level of risk that is acceptable, as this will determine the type and complexity of testing (Note 1). The risk of deleterious expansion occurring as a result of a failure to detect deleteriously reactive aggregates can be reduced by routine testing using petrography, or laboratory expansion tests, or both.

Note 1: The level of risk of alkali-silica reaction will depend upon the nature of the project (criticality of the structure and anticipated exposure). The determination of the level of risk is the responsibility of the individual in charge of the design, commonly a representative of the owner, and for structures designed in accordance with ACI 318, the level of acceptable risk would be determined by the licensed design professional.

5.3 For conventional structures, preventive measures determined by either performance testing or the prescriptive approach described in this guide can be expected to generally reduce the risk of expansion as a result of ASR to an acceptable level. For certain critical structures, such as those exposed to continuous moisture (for example, hydraulic dams or power plants), in which ASR-related expansion cannot be tolerated, more conservative mitigation measures may be warranted.

5.4 There are no proven measures for effectively preventing damaging expansion with alkali carbonate reactive rocks in concrete and such materials need to be avoided.

5.5 If an aggregate is identified as potentially deleteriously reactive as a result of ASR, and the structure size, class, and exposure condition requires preventive measures, the aggregate may be accepted for use together with appropriate preventive measures following the prescriptive or performance methods outlined in this guide.

1.1 This guide provides guidance on how to address the potential for deleterious alkali aggregate reaction (AAR) in concrete construction. This guide addresses the process of identifying both potentially alkali-silica reactive (ASR) and alkali-carbonate reactive (ACR) aggregates through standardized ......

ASTM C1778-16 Referenced Document

• ASTM C1105 Standard Test Method for Length Change of Concrete Due to Alkali-Carbonate Rock Reaction
• ASTM C1157 Standard Performance Specification for Hydraulic Cement
• ASTM C1240 Standard Specification for Silica Fume Used in Cementitious Mixtures
• ASTM C125 Standard Terminology Relating to Concrete and Concrete Aggregates
• ASTM C1260 Standard Test Method for Potential Alkali Reactivity of Aggregates (Mortar-Bar Method)
• ASTM C1293 Standard Test Method for Determination of Length Change of Concrete Due to Alkali-Silica Reaction
• ASTM C150/C150M Standard Specification for Portland Cement
• ASTM C1567 Standard Test Method for Determining the Potential Alkali-Silica Reactivity of Combinations of Cementitious Materials and Aggregate (Accelerated Mortar-Bar Method)
• ASTM C294 Standard Descriptive Nonmenclature for Constituents of Concrete Aggregates
• ASTM C295 Standard Guide for Petrographic Examination of Aggregates for Concrete
• ASTM C311 Standard Test Methods for Sampling and Testing Fly Ash or Natural Pozzolans for Use in Portland-Cement Concrete
• ASTM C33/C33M Standard Specification for Concrete Aggregates
• ASTM C586 Standard Test Method for Potential Alkali Reactivity of Carbonate Rocks for Concrete Aggregates (Rock Cylinder Method)
• ASTM C595 Standard Specification for Blended Hydraulic Cements
• ASTM C618 Standard Specification for Fly Ash And Raw Or Calcined Natural Pozzolan For Use As A Mineral Admixture In Portland Cement Concrete
• ASTM C823/C823M Standard Practice for Examination and Sampling of Hardened Concrete in Constructions
• ASTM C856 Standard Practice for Petrographic Examination of Hardened Concrete
• ASTM C989 Standard Specification for Ground Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag for Use in Concrete and Mortars

ASTM C1778-16 history

• 2023 ASTM C1778-23 Standard Guide for Reducing the Risk of Deleterious Alkali-Aggregate Reaction in Concrete
• 2022 ASTM C1778-22 Standard Guide for Reducing the Risk of Deleterious Alkali-Aggregate Reaction in Concrete
• 2020 ASTM C1778-20 Standard Guide for Reducing the Risk of Deleterious Alkali-Aggregate Reaction in Concrete
• 2019 ASTM C1778-19b Standard Guide for Reducing the Risk of Deleterious Alkali-Aggregate Reaction in Concrete
• 2019 ASTM C1778-19a Standard Guide for Reducing the Risk of Deleterious Alkali-Aggregate Reaction in Concrete
• 2019 ASTM C1778-19 Standard Guide for Reducing the Risk of Deleterious Alkali-Aggregate Reaction in Concrete
• 2016 ASTM C1778-16 Standard Guide for Reducing the Risk of Deleterious Alkali-Aggregate Reaction in Concrete
• 2014 ASTM C1778-14 Standard Guide for Reducing the Risk of Deleterious Alkali-Aggregate Reaction in Concrete