Time-Dependent and Stress-Dependent Chloride Diffusivity of Concrete Subjected to Sustained Compressive Loading

Abstract

This paper studies the chloride diffusivity of concrete subjected to long-term exposure in a simulated marine environment with sustained compressive loading for up to 224 days. A series of concrete prisms were loaded under five different compressive stress levels (0, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7fc) and were subjected to different numbers (4, 8, 12, and 16) of wet/dry seawater exposure cycles. At the end of each exposure period, the concrete specimens were analyzed to determine their chloride penetration profile, the apparent chloride diffusion coefficient Da of the concrete, and the surface chloride content Cs. It was found that the Da and Cs values are both time and stress dependent and that these two dependencies have complex interactions. The value of Da decreases with time due to the hydration of the cement matrix, whereas the value of Cs increases over time. The effects of compressive stress on the values of Da and Cs strongly depend upon the applied stress level, which has a threshold value at approximately 30% of the ultimate compressive strength. Below this threshold, the value Cs remains constant; after this threshold, Cs increases linearly as the applied stress increases. Below the threshold, the value of Da decreases marginally as the stress level increases. However, above the threshold, Da increases rapidly with the stress level as a result of microcracking. Through regression of the chloride penetration profiles, empirical models are proposed to quantify the dependence of Da and Cs on the exposure time and stress level. The validity of these models is evaluated through comparisons with test results.