INFLUENCE OF THE POROSITY ON THE 222RN EXHALATION RATE OF CONCRETE

Abstract

The composition of 23 concrete mixtures was varied in five separate series to evaluate the influence of porosity on the ²²²Rn exhalation rate. In each series, a range in porosities is obtained by varying (1) the amount of cement, (2) type of cement (Portland or blast furnace slag cement), (3) the amount of water at a fixed cement level, (4) addition of an air entraining agent, or (5) the amount of recycled aggregates. The porosities ranged from 1% to 16%. The ²²²Rn exhalation rate is normalized to the ²²⁶Ra activity concentration and expressed as the ²²²Rn release factor to eliminate the effect of differences in ²²⁶Ra activity concentrations among the various concrete mixtures. Since most ²²²Rn originates from the cement, a ²²²Rn release factor based on the amount of ²²⁶Ra introduced by the cements appeared to be more adequate. Although the methods to attain the porosities in the concrete mixtures differ widely, this cement-related factor corresponds well with the capillary porosity of the mixtures. Since the water-to-cement ratio of the fresh paste is a good indicator of the capillary porosity, this is the guiding factor in the fabrication of concretes low in ²²²Rn exhalation. The lower the water-to-cement ratio, the less capillary pore area will be available from which ²²²Rn can emanate from the mineral matrix into the pore system. The good correlation between the cement-based ²²²Rn release factor and literature data on the internal capillary pore area support the results of this study.