Alkali-silica reaction of aggregates for concrete pavements in Chihuahua’s State, Mexico

Abstract

The concrete of pavements must resist the climatic conditions, heavy traffic, chemical agents or any other type of aggressive agent. A methodology for characterizing materials that would influence concrete durability was developed considering chemical and physical factors. This methodology allows the consideration of several factors like physiography, geology, and climate, among others that would be of great importance to prevent future durability problems of pavements. This methodology takes into account several tests and this paper presents the results of potential reactivity aggregates of the State of Chihuahua. The tests for evaluating the reactive siliceous aggregate and the potential alkali-silica reactivity were performed according to the: petrographic examination (ASTM C 295) and standard quick chemical test (ASTM C 289). 38% of the tested sites resulted innocuous, 48% potentially reactive and 13% reactive. It is discussed the benefit of applying a conscious methodology in order to obtain the best results with a representative quantity of tests.