Reverse-seepage and saturation action anti-corrosion tech (RS-AAT) for corrosion resistance and self-healing of cracked concrete in seawater immersion

Abstract

Reverse-seepage and Saturation based Action Anti-corrosion Tech (RS-AAT) is a cutting-edge technology that saturates concrete materials and provides anti-hydraulic pressure to offer robust protection against chloride salt-induced corrosion. This study examined the crack repair capability and anti-chloride invasion effect of RS-AAT-treated concrete by experimental and numerical analyses. The results indicated that, under the effect of RS-AAT, the crack healing rate achieved the highest value of 12 % and the total chloride concentration dropped by the largest amount of 51.41 % after 120 days. Under 0.4 MPa water pressure, the surface chloride concentration decreased by the most of 69.42 % and the depth concentration curves of different crack widths approached a variance of 1. Moreover, the crack repair coefficients were introduced to improve the accuracy of numerically simulating the chloride ion migration process in cracked concrete. The findings unequivocally demonstrate that the use of RS-AAT could significantly inhibit chloride ion intrusion into the concrete's protective layer, of which effect was intensified with the increase of reverse osmosis water pressure. Such results provided invaluable insights into enhancing the durability and chloride ion resistance of marine-immersed concrete structures.