Experimental and numerical analysis of chloride transport in finite concrete under reverse water pressure

Abstract

This paper investigates chloride ion convection–diffusion transport in the finite RC structure under reverse water pressures. The chloride ion penetration in concrete is examined experimentally and theoretically. One-dimensional experiments are designed to reveal the characters of the time-varied behaviors of surface chloride ion concentration and the chloride ion penetration under different reverse water pressure in the concrete. A numerical solution of the chloride ion convection–diffusion penetration is also established by finite element method (i.e., FEM) via software entitled COMSOL Multiphysics. The K-C model is attempted to be used for the assess of the permeability of concrete. The results suggest that the reverse water pressure can weaken the accumulation of chloride ion on the concrete surface and effectively prevent the chloride ions from invading into the concrete. The results of this paper offer much-needed insights into this growing discussion in the field of assess of durability of finite marine RC structure.