Fresh and hardened concrete

To ensure the loading capacity and usability of the support structure, certain properties (called «target values») must be attained. These properties include strength, water tightness, frost resistance, de-icing salt resistance, chemical resistance and abrasion strength.

It is not normally possible to verify these target values in advance, so other properties of the fresh concrete (known as «control values») are specified. Control values are properties which can be modified directly during production, and which ultimately determine the properties of the hardened concrete, such as consistency, water content, fresh concrete density and air content. Independent monitoring of the fresh concrete carried out professionally in the production plant is instrumental to quality assurance. For hardened concrete, the specified requirements for strength and durability are tested.