Title:
Sulfate attack on concrete separating myths from reality
Author(s):
P. Kumar Mehta
Publication:
Concrete International
Volume:
22
Issue:
8
Appears on pages(s):
57-61
Keywords:
DOI:
Date:
8/1/2000
Abstract:
The controversies generated by contradictory expert testimonies in several lawsuits involving sulfate attack on concrete, and by the large numbers of recently published papers containing data on the subject, have caused considerable anxiety about sulfate attack mechanisms and the service life of concrete structures. Frequently, the physical attack by salt crystallization is being confused with the classical sulfate attack, which involves the chemical interaction between sulfate ions from an external source and the constituents of cement paste. In addition, there is also an internal sulfate attack – a chemical attack in which the source of sulfate ions resides in the concrete aggregates or cement. In recent literature, internal sulfate attack in steam-cured concrete products made with cements containing higher-than-normal sulfate content is being projected as something fundamentally different from the external sulfate attack. Some of the controversies about sulfate attack are addressed in this article, and. it is concluded that a holistic approach is necessary to separate the real causes of concrete deterioration from the imaginary ones.