RILEM TC 258-AAA Round Robin Test: Alkali release from aggregates and petrographic analysis. Critical review of the test method AAR-8

To create an international recommendation concerning the release of alkalis, test method AAR-8 was developed within the scope of RILEM TC 258-AAA activities. The first round robin test was performed using five aggregate types, and further investigation was conducted as RRT2, leading to the final version of the AAR-8 recommendation. Five aggregates with different mineralogies and origins were immersed in specific volumes of NaOH or KOH solutions with excess calcium hydroxide maintained 38 °C and 60 °C respectively. Samples of the immersion test solution were removed at intervals of 2, 6, 13, 26, and 52 weeks by pipetting and chemically analyzed for NaOH or KOH test solutions. The amount of alkali released was expressed in grams of Na2O, K2O, and Na2Oe per kilogram of the respective aggregate. The results obtained are presented. Based on the data, several changes to the original version of the test method are proposed.