A new approach to predict the indirect tensile strength of Portland cement concretes

The indirect tensile strength (ITS) of portland cement concrete (PCC) is commonly predicted using several existing empirical equations that relate this property to the compressive strength. Based on the compressible packing model (CPM), a new approach for predicting ITS of PCC was developed. The proposed approach is based on knowing the ITS of the cementitious paste and other parameters related to aggregate properties. Compared to existing models, the proposed approach showed the best predictability as the root mean square error between its predictions and experimental values for a wide range of concretes, having different sources of aggregates, types of cement and water to cement ratio, did not exceed 0.2MPa.