Using Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity Test to Assess the Effect of Water-Cement Ratio on the Compressive Strength of Concrete

Abstract

This study aims to find the effect of water-cement ratio on the compressive strength of concrete by using ultrasonic pulse velocity test (UPVT). Over 230 standard cube specimens were used in this study, with dimensions of 150mm, and concrete cubes were cured in water at 20 °C. Also, the specimens used in the study were made of concrete with varied water-cement ratio contents from 0.48 to 0.59. The specimens were taken from Diyarbakir-Turkey concrete centers and tested at the structure and material science lab, civil engineering, faculty of engineering from Dicle University.  The UPV measurement and compressive strength tests were carried out at the concrete age of 28 days. Their UPV and compressive strength ranged between (3.89-4.66km/s) and (17.74-40.56MPa) respectively. The experimental results showed that although the UPV and the compressive strength of concrete are related, also, the UPV and compressive strength have a relation with the rate of the water-cement ratio of concrete.