This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles

for the
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

Designation: C174/C174M − 17 American Association State

Highway and Transportation Officials Standard
AASHTO No.: T 148

Standard Test Method for

Measuring Thickness of Concrete Elements Using Drilled
Concrete Cores1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation C174/C174M; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year
of original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.
A superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
This standard has been approved for use by agencies of the U.S. Department of Defense.

1. Scope* 2.2 AASHTO Standards:3

1.1 This test method covers the determination of the thick- AASHTO T148 Method of Test for Measuring Length of
ness of a concrete pavement, slab, or structural element using Drilled Concrete Cores
drilling cores. 3. Terminology
1.2 The values stated in either SI units or inch-pound units 3.1 Definitions:
are to be regarded separately as standard. Within the text, the 3.1.1 For definitions of terms used in this test method, refer
inch-pound units are shown in brackets. The values stated in to Terminology C125.
each system are not exact equivalents; therefore, each system
shall be used independently of the other. 4. Significance and Use
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the 4.1 This test method is used to determine the compliance of
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the concrete construction with design specifications and is com-
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro- monly used in determining the thickness of pavements and
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica- other slab construction. This test method requires that at least
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use. one end of the core be a finished or formed surface.
1.4 This international standard was developed in accor-
dance with internationally recognized principles on standard- 5. Apparatus
ization established in the Decision on Principles for the 5.1 The apparatus shall consist of a base plate with three
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recom- posts to support the core in a vertical direction, and top plate or
mendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical other means of establishing a plane that is parallel to and a
Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee. measured distance from the plane defined by the supporting
posts. The apparatus includes a measuring rod as described in
2. Referenced Documents 5.5 or other means to determine the length of axial elements of
2.1 ASTM Standards:2 the core. While the details of the mechanical design are not
C42/C42M Test Method for Obtaining and Testing Drilled prescribed, the apparatus shall conform to the requirements of
Cores and Sawed Beams of Concrete 5.2 – 5.6. An example of an apparatus is illustrated in Fig. 1.
C125 Terminology Relating to Concrete and Concrete Ag- 5.2 The base of the apparatus shall be so designed that the
gregates core will be held with its axis in a vertical position by three
C670 Practice for Preparing Precision and Bias Statements symmetrically placed supports bearing against the lower end of
for Test Methods for Construction Materials the core. These supports shall be short posts or studs of
hardened steel, and the ends that bear against the surface of the
core shall be rounded to a radius of not less than 6 mm [1⁄4 in.]
1
This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee C09 on and not more than 13 mm [1⁄2 in.].
Concrete and Concrete Aggregates and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee
C09.61 on Testing for Strength. 5.3 The apparatus shall provide for the accommodation of
Current edition approved May 1, 2017. Published July 2017. Originally approved cores of different nominal lengths over a range of at least 100
in 1942. Last previous edition approved in 2016 as C174/C174M – 16. DOI: to 250 mm [4 to 10 in.].
10.1520/C0174_C0174M-17.
2
For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or
3
contact ASTM Customer Service at [email protected]. For Annual Book of ASTM Available from American Association of State Highway and Transportation
Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on Officials (AASHTO), 444 N. Capitol St., NW, Suite 249, Washington, DC 20001,
the ASTM website. http://www.transportation.org.

*A Summary of Changes section appears at the end of this standard

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 C174/C174M − 17
of cylinders 150 mm [6 in.] in diameter or larger, or by more
than 0.02 mm [0.001 in.] in the diameter of any smaller
cylinder.
NOTE 1—To permit verification of different core length measurements,
multiple verification cylinders of different lengths may be used.

6. Test Specimens
6.1 Cores used for length measurement shall be obtained in
accordance with Test Method C42/C42M. The core shall be
drilled with the axis normal to the surface of the structure.
6.2 If a core drilled from a pavement or structure placed on
aggregate base course includes particles of the aggregate base
bonded to the bottom surface of the concrete, the bonded
particles shall be removed to expose the lower surface of the
concrete. If during the removal of bonded aggregate, the
concrete is broken so that the measurements obtained in 7.3 are
not representative of the original core length, the core shall not
be used for length measurement.
6.3 If the concrete is placed on an open-graded aggregate
base course, the mortar in the concrete may penetrate into the
base and surround some particles. Use sufficient force to
remove bonded particles but not such force as to fracture
particles substantially surrounded by mortar. If during the
removal of bonded aggregate the concrete is broken so that the
measurements obtained in 7.3 are not representative of the
FIG. 1 An Example of Suitable Measuring Apparatus original core length, the core shall not be used for length
measurement.
7. Procedure
5.4 The top plate or other means of measuring shall be so 7.1 Before any measurements of the core length are made,
designed that it will be possible to make a length measurement verify the apparatus with suitable gauges, as defined in 5.7, so
at the center of the upper end of the core, and at eight that errors caused by mechanical imperfections in the apparatus
additional points spaced at equal intervals along the circum- are known. If the difference between the length measured with
ference of a circle whose center point coincides with that of the the apparatus and the known length of the verification gauge
end area of the core and whose radius is not less than one half exceeds 0.25 mm [0.01 in.], apply suitable corrections to the
nor more than three fourths of the radius of the core. core length measurements.
5.5 The measuring rod or other device that makes contact 7.2 Place the core in the measuring apparatus with the flat
with the end surface of the core for measurement shall be end of the core, that is, the end that represents the upper surface
rounded to a radius of 3 mm [1⁄8 in.]. The scale on the of a pavement slab or a formed surface in the case of other
measuring rod shall be marked with clear, definite, accurately structures, placed down so as to bear against the three
spaced graduations. The spacing of the graduations shall not be hardened-steel supports. Place the core on the supports so that
greater than 1.0 mm or 0.10 in. The measuring rod shall be the central measuring position of the measuring apparatus is
used to measure the distance from the bottom of the top plate directly over the center of the upper end of the core.
to the top of the core (see Fig. 1). 7.3 Make nine measurements from the bottom of the top
5.6 The apparatus shall be stable and sufficiently rigid to plate or other established plane to the top of the core, one at the
maintain its shape and alignment without a distortion or central position and one each at eight additional positions
deflection of more than 0.25 mm [0.01 in.] during all normal spaced at equal intervals along the circumference of the circle
measuring operations. of measurement. Read each of these nine measurements to the
5.7 Verification Gauges—Suitable gauge blocks for verifi- nearest 1.0 mm [0.05 in.]. Average the nine measurements and
cation are right circular cylinders with flat ends and a diameter calculate the length of the core using this average and the
approximately equal to the diameter of cores intending to be known distance between the two established planes.
measured and a length in the range of the required measure- 7.4 If, in the course of the measuring operation, it is
ments (Note 1). To minimize uncertainty of measurement, the discovered that at one or more of the measuring points the
length of the cylinder at the perimeter shall be determined surface of the core is not representative of the general plane of
accurately to 0.05 mm [0.002 in.] using calibrated measuring the core end because of a small projection or depression, the
instruments. The flatness of the ends shall not depart from a core shall be rotated slightly about its axis and a complete set
plane by more than 0.02 mm [0.001 in.] in any 150 mm [6 in.] of nine measurements made with the core in the new position.

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 C174/C174M − 17
With cores from pavements placed over open-graded aggregate TABLE 1 Indexes of Precision
bases the foregoing provisions frequently cannot be met Nominal Specimen Standard Acceptable Difference Between
because of the great number of projections or voids on the Diameter Deviation Two ResultsA
Single-operator
bottom surface. Precision:
100 mm [4 in.] 0.4 mm [0.02 in.] 1.0 mm [0.04 in.]
8. Report 150 mm [6 in.] 0.7 mm [0.03 in.] 1.9 mm [0.07 in.]

8.1 Report the length of the core to the nearest 1.0 mm Mult-laboratory
Precision:
[0.05 in.]. 100 mm [4 in.] 0.9 mm [0.04 in.] 2.4 mm [0.09 in.]
150 mm [6 in.] 1.8 mm [0.07 in.] 4.9 mm [0.19 in.]
9. Precision and Bias A
These values represent the d2s limits described in Practice C670.
9.1 Precision—Single-operator and multilaboratory preci-
NOTE 1—An interlaboratory test program for determining the precision
sion indexes are based on the results of an interlaboratory study of core length by this test method for various end conditions is being
conducted by the NCHRP.4 Cores, representative of different studied by Subcommittee C09.61 and the results will be included in a later
concrete pavement test sections, either 100 mm [4 in.] or revision of this test method.
150 mm [6 in.] in nominal diameter with lengths ranging
from 100 mm [4 in.] to 300 mm [12 in.] were used for the were obtained by mathematical conversion of the reported SI
study. Testing was performed in accordance with AASHTO values and rounded to two decimal places.
T148 which uses the same apparatus and measurement proce-
dures as Test Method C174/C174M. Measurements were made 9.2 Bias—Because there are no reference cores suitable for
to the nearest 0.1 mm. The inch-pound values in Table 1 determining the bias of these procedures, no statement on bias
is being made.
10. Keywords
4
Azari, H., 2010, “Precision Estimates of AASHTO T148: Measuring Length of
Drilled Concrete Cores”; NCHRP Web-Only Document 165, http:// 10.1 concrete; core length measuring apparatus; cores;
onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_w165.pdf length measurement; thickness measurement

SUMMARY OF CHANGES

Committee C09 has identified the location of selected changes to this standard since the last issue
(C174/C174M – 16) that may impact the use of this standard. (Approved May 1, 2017.)

(1) Clarified description of markings on measuring rod (5.5).

(2) Corrected spelling of “gages” and use of multiple gauge
blocks (5.7).

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