Estimation of the Modulus of Elasticity for Dam Concrete

The modulus of elasticity of dam concrete is difficult to determine directly from tests, due to the necessity for large specimens and testing machines. In order to study the applicability of simple elastic models for predicting the modulus from standard size specimens, tests were conducted on prisms of 45 × 45 × 90 cm fabricated with dam concrete (maximum aggregate of 120 mm). The tests on standard 15 × 30 cm cylinders were made with the mortar and wet-screened components of this concrete. It is seen that the use of the data from these components together with estimated values of the modulus of the aggregates gives reasonable predictions of the moduli of the dam concrete. This has been verified for a range of ages, from 7 to 180 days.