Dynamic behavior of porous concretes under drop weight impact testing

Porous concrete is used as a construction material in various applications mainly as a permeable cementitious material. However, its response under impact loading is generally not considered. Due to the high percentage of its intentional meso-size air pores, porous concrete has a moderate static strength compared to normal concrete while its dynamic performance is distinctive. Owing to its characteristic of forming multiple cracks, it fractures into small fragments when exposed to impact loading. Therefore, with the aim of designing a special type of concrete to be used in protective structures, porous concrete was investigated. In this study, the impact strengths of different types of porous concretes were analyzed in correlation with their mixture compositions and production technique. The dynamic experiments were performed using a drop weight impact test set-up while the measurements were taken through Laser Doppler velocimetry. According to the results obtained, the aggregate properties and compactive effort, which are coupled to porosity, are the main factors that affect the dynamic performance of porous concrete.