Designation: C825 – 06 (Reapproved 2011)

Standard Specification for

Precast Concrete Barriers1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation C825; 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.

1. Scope C150 Specification for Portland Cement

1.1 This specification covers precast concrete barriers, in- C173/C173M Test Method for Air Content of Freshly
tended to be used adjacent to a roadway or as a median, to Mixed Concrete by the Volumetric Method
redirect vehicles unintentionally leaving the roadway. C231 Test Method for Air Content of Freshly Mixed Con-
1.2 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded crete by the Pressure Method
as standard. The values given in parentheses are mathematical C260 Specification for Air-Entraining Admixtures for Con-
conversions to SI units that are provided for information only crete
and are not considered standard. C330 Specification for Lightweight Aggregates for Struc-
tural Concrete
2. Referenced Documents C494/C494M Specification for Chemical Admixtures for
2.1 ASTM Standards:2 Concrete
A82/A82M Specification for Steel Wire, Plain, for Concrete C595 Specification for Blended Hydraulic Cements
Reinforcement C618 Specification for Coal Fly Ash and Raw or Calcined
A185/A185M Specification for Steel Welded Wire Rein- Natural Pozzolan for Use in Concrete
forcement, Plain, for Concrete
3. Classification
A416/A416M Specification for Steel Strand, Uncoated
Seven-Wire for Prestressed Concrete 3.1 Precast concrete barriers manufactured in accordance
A421/A421M Specification for Uncoated Stress-Relieved with this specification shall be as shown in either Fig. 1or Fig.
Steel Wire for Prestressed Concrete 2.
A496/A496M Specification for Steel Wire, Deformed, for 4. Basis of Acceptance
Concrete Reinforcement
A497/A497M Specification for Steel Welded Wire Rein- 4.1 Precast barrier shall comply with all of the provisions of
forcement, Deformed, for Concrete this specification and shall be tested as prescribed in 8.3 and
A615/A615M Specification for Deformed and Plain 8.4.
Carbon-Steel Bars for Concrete Reinforcement 4.1.1 Acceptance as to Strength Properties—Concrete bar-
A996/A996M Specification for Rail-Steel and Axle-Steel rier shall be acceptable under the strength tests when the
Deformed Bars for Concrete Reinforcement sections have met the requirements of Section 8.
C31/C31M Practice for Making and Curing Concrete Test 4.1.2 Acceptance as to Dimensional Properties—Concrete
Specimens in the Field barrier shall meet the dimensional tolerances of Section 9.
C33 Specification for Concrete Aggregates 4.1.3 Acceptance as to End Result—The concrete barrier
C39/C39M Test Method for Compressive Strength of Cy- sections shall be finally acceptable to the purchaser at the
lindrical Concrete Specimens designated point of delivery with no significant cracking.
C42/C42M Test Method for Obtaining and Testing Drilled Significant cracking is defined as fractures or cracks passing
Cores and Sawed Beams of Concrete through the section or any continuous structural crack extend-
ing for a length of 12 in. (305 mm) or more, regardless of
position in the section.
1
This specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee C27 on Precast
Concrete Products and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee C27.20 on 5. Materials
Architectural and Structural Products.
Current edition approved May 1, 2011. Published June 2011. Originally 5.1 Cement—Portland cement shall conform to the require-
approved in 1979. Last previous edition approved in 2006 as C825 – 06. DOI: ments of Specification C150 or shall be portland blast-furnace
10.1520/C0825-06R11. slag cement or portland-pozzolan cement conforming to the
2
For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or
contact ASTM Customer Service at service@astm.org. For Annual Book of ASTM
requirements of Specification C595.
Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on
the ASTM website.

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 C825 – 06 (2011)
6.2 Concrete Strength—Concrete for barrier sections shall
have a design compressive strength of 4000 psi (28 MPa) in 28
days.
6.3 Air Entrainment—Unless otherwise specified by the
purchaser, all concrete shall have an air content of 51⁄2 6 1 %
as measured by Test Methods C173/C173M or C231.
6.4 Dimensions—Cross-sectional dimensions of the barrier
shall be as shown in Fig. 1. Unless otherwise specified by the
purchaser, the length of each barrier section shall be a
minimum of 10 ft (3 m).
6.5 Steel Reinforcement—Unless designated by the pur-
chaser, steel reinforcement shall be designed by the producer
and shall be sufficient to permit handling, delivery, and
placement of the sections without damage. The producer shall
provide steel reinforcement details to the purchaser. The design
FIG. 1 New Jersey Barrier cover of concrete over reinforcing steel shall be a minimum of
2 in. (50 mm). Unless prestressing is used, reinforcement shall
be assembled as a cage utilizing any combination of single or
multiple layers and mats containing sufficient longitudinal bars
or wire extending through the section to maintain the shape and
position of reinforcement within the form during placement of
the concrete. The exposure of the ends of longitudinal rein-
forcement in the barrier shall not be a cause for rejection.
NOTE 1—The purchaser or producer, or both, of the precast concrete
barrier specified herein is cautioned that he should design reinforcing for
the ends of barrier sections in accordance with the publication “Concrete
Median Barrier Research,” Vol, 2, Research Report, prepared by the
Southwest Research Institute for the Federal Highway Administration, to
prevent fracture at the joints.
6.6 Reinforcement Laps, Welds, and Splicing—All splices
shall be acceptable to the purchaser and shall develop the full
strength of the reinforcing.
6.7 Concrete Finish—Concrete finishing shall be at the
option of the producer and shall produce a finish comparable to
a steel form finish. The concrete finish and curing of all median
barrier sections shall be uniform for all sections included in the
contract lot.
FIG. 2 Type-F Barrier 6.8 Lifting Devices—Should the producer cast lifting de-
vices into the barrier sections, they shall not be on the side
surfaces.
5.2 Aggregates—Aggregates shall conform to Specification 6.9 Anchorage—Anchorage to prevent lateral movement of
C33 or C330. the barrier shall consist of dowels, keyway joints, or interlock-
5.3 Admixtures—Admixtures may be used with the ap- ing devices as may be specified by the purchaser.
proval of the purchaser. Air-entraining admixtures shall con- 7. Manufacture
form to Specification C260. Chemical admixtures shall con-
form to Specification C494/C494M. Fly ash or other 7.1 Mixture—The constituent materials shall be propor-
pozzolanic admixtures shall conform to Specification C618. tioned and thoroughly mixed to produce a uniform concrete
Admixtures containing chlorides shall not be used in the mixture of such quality so as to conform to the strength
manufacture of prestressed barrier sections. requirements of this specification.
7.2 Curing—The barrier section shall be subjected to any
5.4 Steel Reinforcement—Steel reinforcement shall consist
one of the following methods of curing, or combination
of wire fabric conforming to Specifications A185/A185M or
thereof. The sections shall be cured for a length of time
A497/A497M, or of wire conforming to Specifications A82/
sufficient to develop the specified concrete compressive
A82M, A421/A421M, or A496/A496M, or of strand conform-
strength as determined in accordance with Section 8.
ing to Specification A416/A416M, or of bars conforming to
7.2.1 Accelerated Curing—The sections may be cured with
Specifications A615/A615M or A996/A996M.
either low-pressure steam or radiant heat in a moist atmo-
sphere.
6. Design
7.2.2 Water Curing—The sections may be water-cured by
6.1 Precast concrete barrier shall be as defined in Section 3. covering with water-saturated material or by a system of

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 C825 – 06 (2011)
perforated pipes, mechanical sprinklers, porous hose, or by any MPa). No single core shall have a compressive strength less
other method that will keep the section moist. than 3000 psi (21 MPa). If the core tests fail on the daily
7.2.3 Membrane Curing—A sealing membrane may be production run, each barrier section may be individually cored
applied at a rate which will restrict the loss of water to not more for acceptance.
than 0.055 g/cm2 of surface in 72 h. The concrete at the time
of application shall be within 10°F (6°C) of the atmospheric 9. Permissible Dimensional Tolerances
temperature. All surfaces shall be kept moist prior to the 9.1 Cross-Sectional Dimensions—Cross-sectional dimen-
application of the compounds and shall be damp when the sions shall not vary from design dimensions by more than 1⁄4 in.
compound is applied. (6 mm). The vertical center line shall not be out of plumb by
7.2.4 Curing Options—Other methods of curing may be more than 1⁄4 in. (6 mm).
used, if approved by the purchaser. 9.2 Longitudinal Dimensions—Longitudinal dimensions
7.3 Forms—The forms used in the manufacture of barrier shall not vary from the design dimensions by more than 1⁄4 in.
sections shall be sufficiently rigid to maintain production (6 mm) per 10 ft (3 m) of barrier section and shall not exceed
3⁄4 in. (19 mm) per section.
within the permissible tolerances given in Section 9. All
casting surfaces shall be of smooth nonporous material. 9.3 Location of Anchoring Devices—Location of anchoring
holes shall be as specified by the purchaser.
8. Physical Requirements 9.4 Surface Straightness—When checked with a 10-ft (3-m)
straight edge, irregularities measuring more than 1⁄4 in. (6 mm)
8.1 Compression Test Specimens—The specimens required
shall be corrected as the purchaser may order or approve.
for the tests shall be furnished by the producer and shall be
9.5 Position of Reinforcement—Cover over reinforcement
made at random from different batches. Test specimens shall be
shall be not less than 2 in. (50 mm), except for longitudinal
identified with barrier sections. Two cylinders will be required
reinforcement at the end face of barrier sections.
for each 25 yd3(19 m3) with a minimum of 2 cylinders for each
day of production. Compression test specimens for satisfying 10. Inspection
the minimum specified concrete strength requirement shall be 10.1 The quality of materials, the process of manufacturing,
made in accordance with Practice C31/C31M except that and the finished median barrier shall be available for inspection
curing shall be in accordance with 8.2. by an inspector employed by the purchaser. If the manufacturer
8.2 Curing Compression Test Specimens—Test specimens is required to obtain the services of an independent testing
shall be cured in a similar manner to barrier sections if they are agency, the costs shall be the purchaser’s responsibility.
steam cured. If barrier sections are cured at normal ambient
temperatures, the specimens shall be cured in accordance with 11. Repairs
Practice C31/C31M. 11.1 Barrier sections may be repaired, if necessary, because
8.3 Compression Tests—Cylinders shall be tested in accor- of occasional imperfections in manufacture or damage during
dance with Test Method C39/C39M. The average compressive handling. They shall be acceptable if, in the opinion of the
strength of all cylinders tested for each day’s production shall purchaser, the repairs are sound, properly finished, and cured.
be equal to or greater than the specified design strength of the The repaired sections shall conform to the requirements of this
concrete. In no case shall any cylinder tested fall below 80 % specification. Repairs to correct imperfections in manufacture
of design strength. or damage during handling may be made only after authoriza-
8.4 Core Compression Tests—If the criteria of 8.3 are not tion by the purchaser.
met or as an alternative, the producer or purchaser may agree
to use cores taken from the barrier sections in accordance with 12. Rejection
Test Method C42/C42M. The number of tests required shall be 12.1 Barrier sections shall be subject to rejection for failure
as specified in 8.1. Test results shall conform to 8.3 except that to conform to any of the specification requirements. In addi-
if cores are used the average compressive ot1 strength of the tion, individual sections may be rejected due to defects that
test specimens shall be equal to or greater than 3400 psi (23 indicate inadequate proportioning, mixing, or molding.

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