Application of UTHSCSA-Image Tool (TM) to estimate concrete texture

Abstract

The texture of concrete blocks is very important and is often the decisive factor when choosing a product, particularly if the building specifications does not dispense with the high resistance of the blocks, but has the purpose of reducing costs with finishing, therefore preferring exposed blocks with a closer texture. Furthermore, a closer texture, especially for exteriors, may be the vital factor of the building's pathology. However, there is so far no standard to quantify the texture of a structural block. This article proposes to apply the freely available UTHSCSA-Image Tool (TM) program developed by the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio to evaluate the texture of masonry blocks. One aspect that should never be overlooked when studying masonry blocks is compressive strength. Therefore, this work also gets the compressive strength of the blocks with and without the addition of lime. The addition of small quantities of lime proved beneficial for both texture and compressive strength. However, increasing the amount of lime proved to be feasible only to improve texture.