A comparative study on chloride diffusion in concrete exposed to different marine environment conditions

Abstract

Chloride penetration in concrete exposed to marine environment is a complicated process. In this paper, we present an experimental study on the chloride diffusion in concrete when it is subjected to marine stationary solution, splash, submerged, and pressured environments. The tests were carried out by using a “wash machine” type device to simulate various marine environment conditions. The specimens tested involve both noncarbonated and carbonated concrete specimens to examine the effect of carbonation on chloride penetration in concretes under these exposures. The experimentally obtained data indicates that the exposure condition has a great influence on the surface chloride concentration, chloride diffusion coefficient, and chloride binding capacity of concrete, which have a large impact on the chloride penetration in concretes. The study also found that carbonation can affect the influence of exposure conditions on chloride diffusion in concrete.