The main technical parameters that are set when designing concrete products are the strength characteristics of concrete, its ability not to lose them under conditions of sudden changes in ambient temperature (frost resistance) and water resistance.
The strength of concrete is assessed by its compressive strength. Under normal standard hardening conditions adopted for construction (humid air at a temperature of 18-22 degrees), concrete acquires 80 percent of the standard strength only two weeks after setting. In accordance with the value of the compressive strength, measured in kgf/sq.cm, the standard defines concrete grades from M50 to M1000. In construction, concrete grades from M50 to M800 are used. High-strength concrete has a grade from M600 to M1000. If necessary, the value of the tensile strength of concrete during intermediate periods of hardening can be determined from experimental graphs of strength growth. Due to deviations of the measured data values from the normative ones for samples of one brand of concrete, it is customary to guarantee compliance with at least 95 percent of the results; only 5 percent is allowed for non-compliance, that is, non-compliance with the requirements. For this purpose, the concept of concrete class is adopted. Concrete classes are divided from B1 to B60. Special tables summarize the relationships between grades and classes of concrete, for example, class B20 concrete in terms of strength corresponds to the M250 concrete grade.
For concrete products that will be used in extreme cold conditions, the frost resistance of concrete is very important. It is assessed by the number of cycles of alternating freezing and thawing of standard samples, not allowing a decrease in compressive strength of more than 5 percent compared to samples of the same age. Concrete grades for frost resistance - from F50 to F500.
Concrete used in hydraulic structures is required to have increased water resistance, the parameters of which are certified according to the value of standard hydrostatic pressure. The waterproof grades of concrete are W2, W4, W6, W8 and W12.