Prediction of dam concrete compressive and splitting tensile strength based on wet-screened concrete test results

The mechanical property characterization of dam concrete is a challenging task mainly due to the use of large aggregate sizes. The properties of dam concrete are often evaluated from wet-screened concrete tests using standard specimen sizes. A physically based relationship between dam concrete and wet-screened concrete strength properties is currently unavailable. A prediction methodology is proposed that can be used to obtain the compressive and the splitting tensile strength of dam concrete by taking into account the wet-screened strength results, the effect of the specimen dimensions, and the effect of the maximum size of aggregate. The predicted results are compared with test results available in the literature and with test results recently obtained during the construction of the Baixo Sabor dam. It is shown that the proposed prediction tool can be used to obtain accurate estimates of dam concrete strength.