Abstract
Sulfate attack on concrete is considered to be one of the major durability issues. It results in major deterioration of concrete and ultimate failure of the concrete structural members. Mainly, sulfate attack is caused by the transport of sulfate ions from outside source into concrete. Sulfate attack usually manifests in the form of expansion and cracking of concrete. This study reports the strength and durability performances of cracked and uncracked plain and reinforced concrete specimens in sulfate environment induced by their exposure to various concentrations of sodium sulfate (Na<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub>) solution over a period of 120 days. A variety of specimens produced with a standard concrete mixture having w/c ratio of 0.47 were tested under aggressive sulfate environment. Physical testing including visual inspection and change in mass of the conditioned specimens was carried out at 7, 14, 28, 56, 90 and 120 days of exposure period to accelerated sulfate environment. Compressive strength of cylinder specimens and flexural strength of reinforced concrete prisms were also tested at the same ages. Test results showed that bitumen coating of concrete specimens enhanced their resistance to the deleterious effects of sulfate attack. It was further observed that the depth of efflorescence and change in mass of specimens was higher in the case of their exposure to higher concentrations of sulfate solution. The effect of exposure to sulfate solution was severe in the case of cracked specimens than the uncracked ones. The results of this study provide insight into the performance characteristics of concrete in sulfate environment.
Highlights
Sulfate attack on concrete is one of the major durability issues of concrete, globally, which is triggered by the entry of sulfate ions (SO4−2) in concrete through physical or chemical means [1, 2]
The extent of degradation due to sulfate attack depends on various factors such as the permeability of concrete, water to cement ratio of the mix, and concentration and distribution of sulfate ions in concrete [6,7,8,9]
Luaay, et al [12] investigated pre-cracking of reinforced concrete specimens, the sulfate resistance of composite concrete members wetting-drying cycles, and bitumen coating on sulfate made with one layer of normal strength concrete bonded resistance of concrete
Summary
Sulfate attack on concrete is one of the major durability issues of concrete, globally, which is triggered by the entry of sulfate ions (SO4−2) in concrete through physical or chemical means [1, 2]. Luaay, et al [12] investigated pre-cracking of reinforced concrete specimens, the sulfate resistance of composite concrete members wetting-drying cycles, and bitumen coating on sulfate made with one layer of normal strength concrete bonded resistance of concrete. Bacteria treated specimens the compressive strength 54 concrete cylinders of 150 mm exhibited excellent performance against both chemical diameter and 300 mm height were prepared according to and physical attack. Authors attributed this behavior to the ASTM C192. Reinforced concrete prisms were separated into three groups designated as 1) Cracked-uncoated, 2) Un-cracked-uncoated and 3) Un-cracked-coated Out of these specimens, 36 were cracked under a pre-measured load while the other 54 were kept un-cracked. Cracking load was measured as the load required initiating cracks in the given reinforced concrete beam
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