International Concrete Abstracts Portal

Corrosion of reinforcement is one of the major degradation mechanisms of reinforced concrete elements. The majority of studies published on concrete-steel corrosion have been conducted on unstressed specimens. Structural concrete, however, is subjected to substantial strain near the steel reinforcing bars that resist tensile loads, which results in a system of microcracks. Report presents the initial results of an investigation to determine the effect of applied load and microcracking on the rate of ingress of chloride on and corrosion of steel in concrete. Simply supported concrete beam specimens were loaded to give a maximum strain of about 600 æî on the tension face. Chloride ion ingress on cores taken from loaded specimens was monitored using energy-dispersive x-ray analysis techniques. Corrosion current and rate measurements using linear polarization electrochemical techniques were also obtained on the same loaded specimens. Variables investigated included two concrete types, two steel cover depths, three applied load levels, bonded and unbonded reinforcing steel, and the exposure to tension and compression beam faces to chloride solution. One concrete mixture was made with Type 10 portland cement, the other with 75 percent blast furnace slag, 22 percent Type 50 cement, and 3 percent silica fume. The rate of chloride ion ingress into reinforced concrete and hence the time for chloride ion to reach the reinforcing steel is shown to be dependent on applied load and the concrete quality. The dependence of corrosion process descriptors--passive layer formation, initiation period, and propagation period--on level of applied load is discussed.

Presents results of an investigation dealing with the long-term strength of silica fume concrete. Three series of concrete mixtures with and without silica fume were made with water-cementitious ratios from 0.25 to 0.40. The replacement level of portland cement with silica fume was kept constant at 10 percent. Test specimens were cast from each mixture to determine the compressive and flexural strengths of concrete at up to 3.5 years under both water-curing and air-drying conditions. The test specimens were also subjected to the determination of microstructure, carbonation, and weight changes with time. It is concluded that, under water-curing conditions, both the control and silica-fume concretes show gain in strength with age, with both concretes reaching similar strength levels after 3.5 years. However, continuous air-curing adversely affects the long-term compressive strength development of both types of concrete. This effect is considerably more marked for silica-fume concrete than for the control concrete, especially at w/c + sf of 0.30 and 0.40.

High-strength and ultra high-strength cast-in-place concretes tend to contain excessive unit volumes of cement when compared with normal concrete, and since the improvement of workability relies largely on the efficiency of the air-entraining and high-range water-reducing admixtures, the properties of workability (or consistency) are different from normal concrete. With high-strength concrete, it was found that the method of mixing concrete influenced flowability, strength properties, and pore structure; details of this influence are given.

Silica fume has an accelerating effect on the early hydration of portland cement. Also, silica fume reduces the retarding effect of lignosulfates. At standard curing conditions, the contribution to strength from the pozzolanic reaction takes place primarily at 5 to 7 days. As a result, existing equations for prediction of strength development based on pure portland cement are no longer valid for concrete with silica fume. Some new equations for concrete with various contents of silica fume are presented.

Heavy damage due to alkali-aggregate reaction has been observed in concrete structure in and along the sea. An accelerated test is performed on mortar to evaluate effectiveness of fly ash for controlling alkali-aggregate reaction in the marine environment. Mortar bars using Pyrex as aggregate and cements with 0.6 and 1.1% of equivalent sodium oxide are made. The alkali content in the mixture is adjusted by adding NaOH or NaCl. Specimens are stored in distilled water, NaCl solution, and under more than 95% of relative humidity. The controlling effect of fly ash and the effect of internal and intruded chloride ion in mortar on alkali-aggregate reaction is studied by measuring the expansion of mortar. Expansion of mortar depends on the type of cement and chemical reagents used for alkali adjustment, the amount of fly ash used and the exposure condition. Even with the same equivalent sodium oxide in the mixture, mortar using NaCl for alkali adjustment shows higher expansion than mortar using NaOH. The highest expansion is revealed for mortar cured in NaCl solution. The controlling effect of fly ash also depends on the type of cement and the exposure condition.