Repeatability of Workability Test Methods of Self-Consolidating Concrete

In general, in the evaluation of a test method, the repeatability tests must be performed to establish upper and lower bounds for the precision of a test method. The repeatability is calculated as a standard deviation and relative error of test results. In order to evaluate the repeatability of the workability tests used in self-consolidating concrete (SCC) applications, an SCC mixture proportioned with 0.38 w/cm, Type MS cement, 480 kg/m(3) of binder, and crushed aggregate with MSA of 12.5 ram was used. The dosage rate of the HRWRA of the SCC was adjusted to secure two initial slump flow consistency levels of 630 +/- 10 mm and 700 +/- 10 mm for the repeatability tests. For each consistency level, the concrete was batched five times (for a total of 10 mixtures). Each test was repeated five times by the same operator in order to establish the single-operator precision values. Furthermore, five different operators were used to perform each of the workability tests in order to assess the multi-operator error that could occur during testing. Based on the relative errors obtained in the repeatability tests, relatively low error values were obtained for the slump flow, J-Ring flow, and L-box blocking ratio tests. Relative errors for recommended SCC workability test methods were also summarized.