ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL CONCRETE ABSTRACTS PORTAL

  • The International Concrete Abstracts Portal is an ACI led collaboration with leading technical organizations from within the international concrete industry and offers the most comprehensive collection of published concrete abstracts.

International Concrete Abstracts Portal

  


Title: Sulfate Resistance of Portland and Slag Cement Concretes Exposed to Sodium Sulfate for 38 Years

Author(s): Fatemeh Alapour and R. Douglas Hooton

Publication: Materials Journal

Volume: 114

Issue: 3

Appears on pages(s): 477-490

Keywords: concrete durability; ettringite; slag; sulfate attack

DOI: 10.14359/51689678

Date: 5/1/2017

Abstract:
In 1976, production of separately ground, pelletized blast-furnace slag started near Hamilton, ON, Canada, and a research program began in 1977 to study the effects of this slag cement on sulfate resistance of concrete. For this purpose, concrete cylinders were cast from eight batches using normal, moderate sulfateresistant and highly sulfate-resistant portland cement types as well as mixtures of high-C3A portland cement plus slag at a watercementitious materials ratio (w/cm) of 0.45 or 0.50. In the present study, samples were cut from concrete cylinders after 38 years of exposure to sodium sulfate solutions and thin sections were prepared for analysis using scanning electron microscopy. Microstructural details were investigated from the exposed surface to the center of each cylinder, and different phases were determined. Ettringite, thaumasite, gypsum, and layers of calcium carbonate were found to have formed in the samples. A 65% slag substitution of high-C3A portland cement was very effective in improving the performance of concrete exposed to sodium sulfate.