Sulfate attack on concrete can either be of expansion-cracking type due to ettringite formation or of surface deterioration type due to acidic nature of sulfate solutions. The present test methods for determining sulfate resistance generally evaluate the expansive attack phenomenon. Since low C3A portland cements are not susceptible to this type of attack, new methods need to be developed to test the long-time resistance of these cements to the acidic type of sulfate attack. An attempt to develop a laboratory method involving immersion of small specimens of cement paste in a sulfate solution held at constant pH is described. Preliminary results are given for five different types of cements tested in accordance with the new method.

This paper deals with the behavior of an Israeli fat clay under the combined action of shrinkage due to drying and tensile stresses which develop as a result of controlled shrinkage. Since the behavior is known to be nonlinear, an appropriate theoretical background which permits design of apparatuses and tests is presented. Two apparatuses are described which allow for the measurement of stress and strain in a two-dimensional state of stressing. Results of preliminary tests are presented and analyzed.

A method for viscosity measurement of cement grouts is discussed in this paper and the results are presented in the form of formulas and curves. The cement used in the tests was Type II portland cement. It was found that the cement grouts with water/cement ratios of 0.42 to 0.44 have fluid characteristics of Bingham plastic type. The hydraulic grade line of grout in a tendon duct was estimated using laboratory viscosity data and was compared with a field test.

It is shown that an error in the calculated gas transmission rate of greater than 20 percent can result when using the standard equation presented in Method M of the American Society for Testing and Materials Test for Gas Transmission Rate of Plastic Film and Sheeting [D 1434–66 (1972)]. The magnitude of this error is shown to be a function of both cell void volume and pressure. Therefore, disagreements in results calculated using different cells and operating conditions can be explained. The exact solution of the equation is presented together with an approximation; the latter facilitates calculations and results in an error of less than one percent.

For the case of a two-dimensional strain field the usual concepts of direct and of shear strains are developed in terms of the principal strains and of the orientations of the elements in question. These expressions are used to form a Mohr's circle, which permits the transformation of strain from one axis of reference to another, irrespective of the magnitude of the strain, and leads to the evaluation of the principal strain components from the measurement of direct strain in three directions. A numerical example of application to the mechanics of metal cutting is given. The paper may be of interest to metal-forming engineers and to specialists working in areas involving the analysis of large plastic strains.