Title:
New Pre-saturation Method for Accelerated Sulfate Attack Testing of Concrete Specimens
Author(s):
Hocine Siad, Mohamed Lachemi, and Mustafa Sahmaran
Publication:
Symposium Paper
Volume:
349
Issue:
Appears on pages(s):
224-236
Keywords:
Concrete; Expansion; Microstructure; Pre-saturation; Sulfate attack; Sulfate profiles
DOI:
10.14359/51732749
Date:
4/22/2021
Abstract:
This paper studies the use of a new preconditioning process for an accelerated testing of concrete resistance against sulfate attack. For this reason, concrete specimens were subjected to a part by part pre-saturation method using a concentrated sulfate solution drained inside desiccators. This preconditioning technique was applied before exposing the specimens to different immersion conditions in 5% and 10% sulfate solutions, and to storing at high temperature and to wetting/drying cycles. Length change measurements and sulfate penetration profiles were performed on normal and high strength concretes. In addition, SEM-EDS analysis were used to investigate the type and amount of degradation products in the core layer of samples exposed to accelerated
testing. The new pre-saturation method highly accelerated the degradation of concrete samples exposed to different immersion conditions. The microstructural observations showed advanced depths and greater amounts of gypsum and ettringite within the degraded specimens subjected to the primary preconditioning stage. However, the real field observations were only achieved when combining the pre-saturation method and the immersion in 5% sulfate solution.
Related References:
1. ACI Committee 318, “Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete (ACI 318-99) and Commentary,” American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 1999, 353 pp.
2. Siad H, Kamali-Bernard S, Mesbah HA, Escadeillas G, Mouli M, Khelafi H. Characterization of the degradation of self-compacting concretes in sodium sulfate environment: Influence of different mineral admixtures. Construction and Building Materials. 2013 Oct 1;47:1188-200.
3. Hussein L, Amleh L, Siad H, Lachemi M. Effect of very severe sulfate environment on bonded composite concrete system. Construction and Building Materials. 2018 Dec 10;191:752-63.
4. Chabrelie A. Mechanisms of degradation of concrete by external sulfate ions under laboratory and field conditions. EPFL; 2010.
5. ASTM C1012-95a, “Standard Test Method for Length Change of Hydraulic-Cement Mortars Exposed to a Sulfate Solution,” ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 1995, 5 pp.
6. Nehdi M, Pardhan M, Koshowski S. Durability of self-consolidating concrete incorporating high-volume replacement composite cements. Cement and Concrete Research. 2004 Nov 1;34(11):2103-12.
7. Uysal M, Sumer M. Performance of self-compacting concrete containing different mineral admixtures. Construction and Building materials. 2011 Nov 1;25(11):4112-20.
8. Karakurt C, Topçu İB. Effect of blended cements produced with natural zeolite and industrial by-products on alkali-silica reaction and sulfate resistance of concrete. Construction and Building Materials. 2011 Apr 1;25(4):1789-95.
9. Chabrelie, A., “Mechanisms of Degradation of Concrete by External Sulfate Ions under Laboratory and Field Conditions,” PhD thesis, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland, 2010, 186 pp.
10. Siad H, Lachemi M, Bernard SK, Sahmaran M, Hossain A. Assessment of the long-term performance of SCC incorporating different mineral admixtures in a magnesium sulfate environment. Construction and Building Materials. 2015 Apr 1;80:141-54.
11. Mehta, P. K., “Evaluation of Sulfate Resisting Cements by a New Test Method,” ACI Journal Proceedings, V. 72, No. 10, Oct. 1975, pp. 573-575.
12. Bellmann F, Möser B, Stark J. Influence of sulfate solution concentration on the formation of gypsum in sulfate resistance test specimen. Cement and Concrete Research. 2006 Feb 1;36(2):358-63.
13. Assaad, V. F.; Jofriet, J. C.; Negi, S. C.; and Hayward, G. L., “Laboratory Tests of Sulphide and Sulfate Corrosion of Reinforced Concrete,” Proceedings of the Vth International Symposium on Concrete for a Sustainable Agriculture, El Escorial, Spain, 2005, pp. 179-190.
14. Damidot, D., and Glasser, F. P., “Thermodynamic Investigation of the CaO-Al2O3-CaSO4-H2O System at 50°C and 85°C,” Cement and Concrete Research, V. 22, No. 6, 1992, pp. 1179-1191. doi: 10.1016/0008-8846(92)90047-Y
15. Whittaker M, Black L. Current knowledge of external sulfate attack. Advances in Cement Research. 2015 Mar 10.
16. Siad H, Lachemi M, Sahmaran M, Hossain KM. Preconditioning method for accelerated testing of concrete under sulfate attack. ACI Materials Journal. 2016 Jul 1;113(4):493.
17. American Society for Testing and Materials. Standard specification for Portland cement. ASTM C150-12; 2012.
18. CAN/CSA A3000-08, “Cementitious Materials Compendium,” Canadian Standards Association, Rexdale, ON, Canada, 2008, 282 pp.
19. ASTM. (2015). “Standard specification for silica fume used in cementitious mixtures.” ASTM C 1240-15, West Conshohocken, PA.
20. ASTM C1202-12, “Standard Test Method for Electrical Indication of Concrete’s Ability to Resist Chloride Ion Penetration,” ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2012, 7 pp.
21. Neville, A. M., Properties of Concrete, third edition, Longman Scientific and Technical, Essex, UK, 1981, pp. 338-344.
22. Perruchot C, Chehimi MM, Vaulay M-J, Benzarti K. Characterisation of the surface thermodynamic properties of cement components by inverse gas chromatography at infinite dilution. Cement and Concrete Research. 2006;36(2):305-19.
23. Van Tittelboom K, De Belie N, Hooton RD. Test methods for resistance of concrete to sulfate attack–a critical review. InPerformance of Cement-Based Materials in Aggressive Aqueous Environments 2013 (pp. 251-288). Springer, Dordrecht.
24. Cohen, M. D., “Modeling of Expansive Cements,” Cement and Concrete Research, V. 13, No. 4, 1983, pp. 519-528. doi: 10.1016/0008-8846(83)90011-X
25. Divet, L., and Pavoine, A., “Delayed Ettringite Formation in Massive Concrete Structures: An Account of Some Studies of Degraded Bridges,” International RILEM TC-186 ISA, Switzerland, 2002, pp. 98-126.
26. El-Hachem R, Rozière E, Grondin F, Loukili A. Influence of sulfate solution concentration on the performance of cementitious materials during external sulfate attack. Concrete in aggressive aqueous environments-Performance, Testing, and Modeling. 2009:28-36.
27. Xiong C, Jiang L, Xu Y, Song Z, Chu H, Guo Q. Influences of exposure condition and sulfate salt type on deterioration of paste with and without fly ash. Construction and Building Materials. 2016 Jun 15;113:951-63.
28. Drimalas, T., “Laboratory and Field Evaluations of External Sulfate Attack,” PhD thesis, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 2007, 187 pp.