Air leakage characteristics in cracked concrete Original Research Article

In this paper a mathematical formulation for the air leakage rate through cracks in concrete is given. The formula works well as a good approximation for crack widths up to 1.30 mm and overpressures up to 0.80 MPa. The formula was found by means of systematic air leakage tests using unreinforced test specimens with one “defined single crack”. For thermodynamic formulation, isothermal changes in the gas state during the leakage through the crack was estimated and experimentally proved. By additional leakage tests using reinforced test specimens, practical usability of the leakage formula for reinforced panels with a “typical crack pattern” was checked.