ASTM_F_2170_-_11.pdf

Designation:F217011Standard Test Method forDetermining Relative Humidity in Concrete Floor SlabsUsing in situ Probes1This standard is issued under the fixed designation F2170;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This test method covers the quantitative determinationof percent relative humidity in concrete slabs for field orlaboratory tests.1.2 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regardedas standard.The values given in parentheses are mathematicalconversions to SI units that are provided for information onlyand are not considered standard.1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.Specific warnings are given in Section 7,10.3.2,and 10.4.4.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2C511 Specification for Mixing Rooms,Moist Cabinets,Moist Rooms,and Water Storage Tanks Used in theTesting of Hydraulic Cements and ConcretesE104 Practice for Maintaining Constant Relative Humidityby Means of Aqueous SolutionsF710 Practice for Preparing Concrete Floors to ReceiveResilient Flooring3.Terminology3.1 Definitions:3.1.1 relative humidity,nratio of the amount of watervapor actually in the air compared to the amount of water vaporrequired for saturation at that particular temperature andpressure,expressed as a percentage.3.1.2 service temperature and relative humidity,naverageambient air temperature and relative humidity that typicallywill be found in a buildings occupied spaces during normaluse.4.Summary of Test Method4.1 This test method comprises two procedures for formingholes in concrete into which a relative humidity probe isplaced.Procedure A for hardened concrete involves drilling acylindrical hole in concrete with a rotary hammerdrill,thenplacing a hollow sleeve to line the hole.Procedure B is analternative procedure for fresh concrete,which involves form-ing a cylindrical hole in concrete by placing a hollow cylin-drical tube in the formwork,then placing and consolidatingconcrete around the tube.The liner or tube permits measure-ment of RH at a specific,well-defined depth in the concrete.4.2 Methods of probe calibration and factors affectingequilibration are described in Section 8.5.Significance and Use5.1 Moisture permeating from concrete floor slabs affectsthe performance of flooring systems such as resilient andtextile floor coverings and coatings.Manufacturers of suchsystems generally require moisture testing to be performedbefore installation on concrete.Internal relative humiditytesting is one such method.5.2 Excessive moisture permeating from floor slabs afterinstallation can cause floor covering system failures such asdebonding and deterioration of finish flooring and coatings andmicrobial growth.5.3 Moisture test results indicate the moisture condition ofthe slab only at the time of the test.6.Apparatus6.1 Hole Liner,made of plastic or non-corroding metal.Theliner shall have the shape of a hollow right circular cylinderand shall be between 0.37 to 0.75-in.(10 to 20 mm)outsidediameter.6.1.1 The liner shall have a solid sidewall that is open onlyat the bottom and at the top.Slots,holes,or other penetrationsin the sidewall of the liner are not permitted.Two or more1This test method is under the jurisdiction ofASTM Committee F06 on ResilientFloor Coverings and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee F06.40 onPractices.Current edition approved Aug.1,2011.Published September 2011.Originallyapproved in 2002.Last previous edition approved in 2009 as F2170-09.DOI:10.1520/F2170-11.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 deformable circumferential fins located around the exteriorcircumference near the bottom of the liner shall be provided tocreate a positive seal against the concrete.The liner shall be ofsufficient length to extend from the bottom diameter of the holeto the surface of the concrete.See Fig.1.NOTE1The purpose of the liner is to isolate the probe from thesidewall of the hole so that moisture only enters into the sensor from aspecific depth at the bottom of the hole.The specified diameter range willusually permit the hole to intersect a sufficient volume of cement paste toprovide adequate moisture interaction with the sensor for accuratemeasurement.Smaller diameter holes may intersect only a s