Title: Efflorescence of Concrete Products for Interlocking Block Pavements

Author(s): H. Nhar, T. Watanabe, C. Hashimoto, and S. Nagao

Publication: Symposium Paper

Volume: 243

Issue:

Appears on pages(s): 19-34

Keywords: blast-furnace slag; efflorescence; fly ash; interlocking block pavement

DOI: 10.14359/18740

Date: 4/1/2007

Abstract:
Today, a number of engineering structures and building are being constructed to match environment and urban landscape. From an aesthetics point of view, occurrences of efflorescence on colored concrete, unfinished concrete and concrete products of these structures are critical problems. This research aimed to study and compare the efflorescence of concrete products that substituted cement with industrial by-products namely, fly ash, blast furnace slag and gypsum and normal concrete. Both concrete products and normal concrete were manufacture for paving application in form of interlocking blocks. In this paper, we use the term "non-cement" concrete to refer to the concrete not using industrial cement. A methodology is presented that enables a quantitative evaluation of the total, soluble and insoluble efflorescence and this methodology was used to analyze both non-cement concrete and normal concrete specimens. The results show that the insoluble efflorescence of non-cement concrete is less than that of normal concrete.