Title:
Tests for Oxidizable Sulfides in Aggregates: Applicability and Limitations
Author(s):
Mona El-Mosallamy and Medhat H. Shehata
Publication:
Materials Journal
Volume:
117
Issue:
2
Appears on pages(s):
229-240
Keywords:
durability; mortar bar; oxidation mortar bar; oxygen consumption; pyrrhotite; sulfide; sulfide-bearing aggregate
DOI:
10.14359/51722401
Date:
3/1/2020
Abstract:
This paper examines the applicability of a recently developed testing protocol to evaluate the potential of sulfide-bearing aggregate—mainly from Ontario—to oxidize and cause damage when used in concrete. The protocol consists of three sequential tests: total sulfur (St), the oxygen consumption test (OCT), and the oxidation mortar bar test (OMBT). The paper suggests modifications to the OCT, and the expansion criteria of OMBT based on testing aggregates with different total sulfur contents. For OCT, using crushing equipment with cast-iron working surface was found to contaminate the samples and give high values of oxygen consumption. The OMBT showed lower expansion values for carbonate aggregates compared to aggregates with silicate. Exposing siliceous aggregate—whether alkali-silica reactive or not—to the high pH and temperature encountered in the OMBT produces high expansion regardless of the oxidizable sulfide content. As such, new expansion criteria are suggested, which take into consideration the silicate nature of some aggregates.
Related References:
1. Bérard, J.; Roux, R.; and Durand, M., “Performance Of Concrete Containing A Variety Of Black Shale,” Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, V. 2, No. 1, 1975, pp. 58-65. doi: 10.1139/l75-006
2. Chinchon, J. S.; Ayora, C.; Aguado, A.; and Guirado, F., “Influence of Weathering of Iron Sulfides Contained in Aggregates on Concrete Durability,” Cement and Concrete Research, V. 25, No. 6, 1995, pp. 1264-1272. doi: 10.1016/0008-8846(95)00119-W
3. Lugg, A., and Probert, D., “‘Mundic’-Type Problems: A Building Material Catastrophe,” Construction and Building Materials, V. 10, No. 6, 1996, pp. 467-474. doi: 10.1016/0950-0618(95)00095-X
4. Rodrigues, A.; Duchesne, J.; Fournier, B.; Durand, B.; Rivard, P.; and Shehata, M., “Mineralogical and Chemical Assessment of Concrete Damaged by the Oxidation of Sulfide-Bearing Aggregates: Importance of Thaumasite Formation on Reaction Mechanisms,” Cement and Concrete Research, V. 42, No. 10, 2012, pp. 1336-1347. doi: 10.1016/j.cemconres.2012.06.008
5. Duchesne, J., and Fournier, B., “Deterioration of Concrete by the Oxidation of Sulfide Minerals in the Aggregate,” Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture, V. 7, No. 8, 2013, p. 922 doi: 10.17265/1934-7359/2013.08.003
6. Zhong, R., and Wille, K., “Deterioration of Residential Concrete Foundations: The Role of Pyrrhotite-Bearing Aggregate,” Cement and Concrete Composites, V. 94, 2018, pp. 53-61. doi: 10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2018.08.012
7. Bryant, L., “Geotechnical Problems with Pyritic Rock and Soil,” doctoral dissertation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 2003.
8. Monteny, J.; Vincke, E.; Beeldens, A.; De Belie, N.; Taerwe, L.; Van Gemert, D.; and Verstraete, W., “Chemical, Microbiological, and In Situ Test Methods for Biogenic Sulfuric Acid Corrosion of Concrete,” Cement and Concrete Research, V. 30, No. 4, 2000, pp. 623-634. doi: 10.1016/S0008-8846(00)00219-2
9. Orndorff, Z. W., “Evaluation of Sulfidic Materials in Virginia Highway Corridors,” doctoral dissertation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 2001.
10. Skanly, J. P.; Marchand, J.; and Odler, I., Sulfate Attack on Concrete, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2001.
11. Rodrigues, A.; Duchesne, J.; Fournier, B.; Durand, B.; Shehata, M. H.; and Rivard, P., “Evaluation Protocol for Concrete Aggregates Containing Iron Sulfide Minerals,” ACI Materials Journal, V. 113, No. 3, May-June 2016, p. 349 doi: 10.14359/51688828
12. Guirguis, B., and Shehata, M. H., “A New Screening Test to Evaluate the Presence of Oxidizable Sulfide Minerals in Coarse Aggregates,” Construction and Building Materials, V. 154, 2017, pp. 1096-1104. doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.07.198
13. Rodrigues, A.; Duchesne, J.; and Fournier, B., “Quantitative Assessment of the Oxidation Potential of Sulfide-Bearing Aggregates in Concrete Using an Oxygen Consumption Test,” Cement and Concrete Composites, V. 67, 2016, pp. 93-100. doi: 10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2016.01.003
14. Rodrigues, A.; Duchesne, J.; and Fournier, B., “A New Accelerated Mortar Bar Test to Assess the Potential Deleterious Effect of Sulfide-Bearing Aggregate in Concrete,” Cement and Concrete Research, V. 73, 2015, pp. 96-110. doi: 10.1016/j.cemconres.2015.02.012
15. Seaton S.G., “Study of Causes and Prevention of Staining and Pop-Outs in Cinder Concrete,” ACI Journal Proceedings, V. 44, No. 1, Jan. 1948, pp. 361-378.
16. Guirguis, B., “Test Methods for Evaluating the Oxidization Potential of Sulfide-Bearing Aggregates and Its Effects on Concrete Durability,” PhD dissertation, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada, 2017, 241 pp.
17. Guirguis, B.; Shehata, M. H.; Duchesne, J.; Fournier, B.; Durand, B.; and Rivard, P., “The Application of a New Oxidation Mortar Bar Test to Mixtures Containing Different Cementing Systems,” Construction and Building Materials, V. 173, 2018, pp. 775-785. doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.04.026
18. El-Mosallamy, M., and Shehata, M., “Effects of Sample Preparation on the Results of the Oxygen Consumption Test Used to Evaluate Oxidation Potential of Sulfide-Bearing Aggregate,” CSCE Conference, V. 555, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 2017, pp.1-10.
19. ASTM C490/C490M-11, “Standard Practice for Use of Apparatus for the Determination of Length Change of Hardened Cement Paste, Mortar, and Concrete,” ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2011.
20. CSA A23.2-25A-14, “Test Method for Detection of Alkali-Silica Reactive Aggregate by Accelerated Expansion of Mortar Bars,” Canadian Standards Association, Mississauga, ON, Canada, 2014.
21. Fernández-Jiménez, A., and Puertas, F., “The Alkali-Silica Reaction in Alkali-Activated Granulated Slag Mortars with Reactive Aggregate,” Cement and Concrete Research, V. 32, No. 7, 2002, pp. 1019-1024. doi: 10.1016/S0008-8846(01)00745-1
22. Yazıcı, H., “The Effect of Steel Micro-Fibers on ASR Expansion and Mechanical Properties of Mortars,” Construction and Building Materials, V. 30, 2012, pp. 607-615. doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2011.12.051
23. Arguin, J. P.; Pagé, P.; Barnes, S. J.; Girard, R.; and Duran, C., “An Integrated Model for Ilmenite, Al-Spinel, and Corundum Exsolutions in Titanomagnetite from Oxide-Rich Layers of the Lac Doré Complex (Québec, Canada),” Minerals (Basel), V. 8, No. 11, 2018, p. 476 doi: 10.3390/min8110476