Title:
The Hidden Meaning of Water-Cement Ratio
Author(s):
Dale P. Bentz and Pierre-Claude Aitcin
Publication:
Concrete International
Volume:
30
Issue:
5
Appears on pages(s):
51-54
Keywords:
capillary stress; compressive strength; fineness; water-cement ratio
DOI:
Date:
5/1/2008
Abstract:
Concrete mixtures are almost always characterized by their water-cement ratio w/c. Unfortunately, the w/c is an abstract number without any particular meaning and is inversely related to concrete strength: the lower w/c, the greater the concrete compressive strength. As demonstrated in this article, the w/c also has a hidden meaning that helps explain its relationship to compressive strength and makes this relationship easier to understand.