Title:
Criteria for Concrete Mixtures Resistant to Chemical Sulfate Attack
Author(s):
Karthik H. Obla and Colin L. Lobo
Publication:
Symposium Paper
Volume:
317
Issue:
Appears on pages(s):
1-16
Keywords:
ACI 318, chemical sulfate attack, Code requirements, specifications, sulfate resistance
DOI:
10.14359/51700840
Date:
6/1/2017
Abstract:
This paper presents research on the sulfate resistance of concrete mixtures as it relates to ACI 318 Code requirements for sulfate resistance. The study evaluates the provisions of ACI 318 for various concrete mixtures containing sulfate resisting portland cements and supplementary cementitious materials with w/cm varying between 0.40 and 0.60. The sulfate resistance of concrete mixtures was evaluated using prolonged exposure in a concentrated sulfate solution in accordance with USBR Test 4908. The results on the concrete evaluation reveal that the ACI requirements are considerably conservative for most concrete mixtures that contain a sulfate resisting cementitious system with supplementary cementitious materials. Sulfate resisting portland cements did not perform as well in the associated exposure class defined in ACI 318. While a performance-based alternative to the requirement for a maximum w/cm was attempted, no clear criteria could be achieved. The paper proposes alternative criteria to those in ACI 318 for sulfate resistance based on the performance of concrete mixtures evaluated in this study.