Sulfate Attack on Concrete: Is it real or just a misinterpretation of damage done by biodeterioration?

2013 ◽  
Vol 1612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Emilio Rendon Diaz Miron ◽  
Montserrat Rendon Lara ◽  
Maria Eugenia Lara Magaña
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Interaction ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
External Source ◽  
Sulfate Attack ◽  
Salt Crystallization ◽  
Hardened Concrete ◽  
Sulfate Ions ◽  
Chemical Attack ◽  
Physical Attack ◽  
Large Numbers

ABSTRACTAt the present time, no material is known that is completely inert to chemical or biochemical action and immune to weathering damage. Concrete is no exception, but, under what might be considered normal exposure conditions, it has a very long life. Concrete made by the Romans from natural cement is in excellent condition after more than 2000 years of service. The controversies generated by contradictory expert testimonies in several lawsuits involving sulfate attack on concrete, and by the large numbers of recently published papers containing data on the subject, have caused considerable anxiety about sulfate attack mechanisms and the service life of concrete structures. Furthermore, frequently the physical attack by salt crystallization is being confused with the classical sulfate attack, which involves the chemical interaction between sulfate ions from an external source and the constituents of cement paste. In addition, there is also an internal sulfate attack –a chemical attack in which the source of sulfate ions resides in the concrete aggregates or cement–. Additionally, modern concrete as been affected by the products of microorganism metabolism, in particular sulfuric acid, this damage done to hardened concrete is known as concrete biodeterioration and also known as microbiologically induced corrosion of concrete (MICC). Being perhaps this biodeterioration the most important cause of concrete decay and perhaps the true explanation of sulfate attack on concrete. Some of the controversies about sulfate attack are addressed in this article, we have studied the case applying simple considerations concerning concrete composition and flouting at the same time some of the stricter observed paradigms in the cement and concrete industry. It is concluded that a holistic approach is necessary to separate the real causes of sulfate attack on concrete from the imaginary ones.

Development of Cementitious Materials with High Resistance to Sulfate Attack by a Combination of Emulsified Asphalt and Fly Ash

2012 ◽  
Vol 450-451 ◽  
pp. 8-13
Author(s):  
Guang Cheng Long ◽  
Zhe Li ◽  
Kun Lin Ma ◽  
You Jun Xie
Keyword(s):  
Fly Ash ◽  
High Resistance ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Chemical Interaction ◽  
Hydration Product ◽  
Cementitious Materials ◽  
Sulfate Attack ◽  
Sulfate Salt ◽  
Chemical Attack ◽  
Emulsified Asphalt

Attack of sulfate crystallization and chemical interaction between sulfate and hydration product is one of the most important factors responsible for degradation of cementitious materials. This study investigates the effects of emulsified asphalt and fly ash as well as their combination on resistance of mortar to physicochemical attack of sulfate in order to develop high performance cementitious materials with high resistance to sulfate attack. The partly-submerged experiment with 5% Na2SO4 solution is designed to simulate physicochemical attack of sulfate salt on sample. Results indicate that, compared with fly ash, addition of emulsified asphalt is more effective in improving the resistance of mortar sample to physical crystallization role and chemical attack of sulfate. Moreover, a combination of fly ash and emulsified asphalt can further enhance the resistance of cementitious materials to physicochemical attack of sulfate, which results from the improvement of microstructure, reduction of CH product and increase of ductility of sample.

scholarly journals Sulfate Attacks on Uncarbonated Fly Ash + Cement Pastes Partially Immersed in Na2SO4 Solution

Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 4920
Author(s):  
Zanqun Liu ◽  
Min Pei ◽  
Yuelin Li ◽  
Qiang Yuan
Keyword(s):  
Fly Ash ◽  
Cement Paste ◽  
Exposure Period ◽  
Sulfate Attack ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
Cement Pastes ◽  
Evaporation Zone ◽  
Chemical Attack ◽  
Physical Attack ◽  
Deterioration Mechanism

In this study, the sulfate attack on uncarbonated cement paste partially exposed to Na2SO4 solution was experimentally investigated and compared with that on carbonated specimens with the same exposure regime and uncarbonated specimens without exposure. N2 was used to protect specimens from carbonation throughout the sulfate exposure period. The effects of the water-to-cement (w/c) ratio and the fly ash as cement replacement on the sulfate attack were evaluated. Portland cement paste specimens with different w/c ratios of 0.35, 0.45, and 0.55 or fly ash replacement rates of 10%, 20%, and 30% were prepared. These specimens were partially immersed in 5% Na2SO4 solution for 50 d and 100 d exposure periods. The micro-analysis was conducted to evaluate the effect of the partial sulfate attack on the uncarbonated cement paste using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermo-gravimetric (TG) techniques. The results confirmed that, for uncarbonated cement paste, the chemical attack rather than the physical attack is the deterioration mechanism and is responsible for more severe damage in the evaporation zone (dry part) compared with the immersed zone (immersed part). When the effect of carbonation is well excluded, there is an optimal w/c ratio of 0.45 for minimizing the sulfate attack, while incorporating fly ash tends to reduce the sulfate attack resistance.

Study on Sulfate Resistance of Concrete with Compound Mineral Admixture

2011 ◽  
Vol 99-100 ◽  
pp. 420-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qian Rong Yang ◽  
Xiao Qian Wang ◽  
Hui Ji
Keyword(s):  
Blast Furnace ◽  
Fly Ash ◽  
Blast Furnace Slag ◽  
Steel Slag ◽  
Sulfate Attack ◽  
Mineral Admixture ◽  
Sulfate Resistance ◽  
Chemical Attack ◽  
Granulated Blast Furnace Slag ◽  
Furnace Slag

The strength, expansion and amount of scaling of concrete with compound mineral admixture (CMA) from steel slag, granulated blast furnace slag and fly ash were studied. The result shows that damage by crystallization press from sulfate attack when concrete was exposed to sulfate environments under wetting–drying alternation is much larger than that from sulfate chemical attack. Adding CMA to concrete could reduce the damage from expansion of concrete caused by sulfate chemical attack, but the resistance of concrete to damage by crystallization press from sulfate attack was remarkably reduced.

Study on the Durability of Concrete with Mineral Admixtures to Sulfate Attack by Wet-Dry Cycle Method

2011 ◽  
Vol 295-297 ◽  
pp. 165-169
Author(s):  
Guan Guo Liu ◽  
Jing Ming ◽  
Xiong Wen Zhang ◽  
Ai Bin Ma
Keyword(s):  
Compressive Strength ◽  
Fly Ash ◽  
Sulfate Attack ◽  
Mineral Admixture ◽  
Mineral Admixtures ◽  
Partial Replacement ◽  
Change Environment ◽  
Physical Mechanisms ◽  
Chemical Attack ◽  
Tidal Area

Sulfate attack is one of several chemical and physical mechanisms of concrete deterioration. In actual situation, concrete structures always suffer from the coupled effects of multifactor such as wet-dry cycle and sulfate attack when exposed to tidal area or groundwater level change environment. Partial replacement of cement with mineral admixture is one of the efficient methods for improving concrete resistance against sulfate attack. In this regard, the resistance of concrete with fly ash and slag to sulfate attack was investigated by wet-dry cycle method. The degree of sulfate attack on specimens after different cycles was observed using scanning electron microscopy. The results of compressive strength and percentage of compressive strength evolution factor at various cycling times show an increase in the sulfate resistance of concrete with 60% of fly ash and slag than that only with 40% fly ash. The microstructural study indicates that the primary cause of deterioration of concrete under wet-dry cycle condition is swelling of the sulfate crystal rather chemical attack.

scholarly journals Deterioration Regularity of Sodium Sulfate Solution Attack on Cemented Coal Gangue-Fly Ash Backfill under Drying-Wetting Cycles

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Shaojie Chen ◽  
Zhen Zhang ◽  
Dawei Yin ◽  
Junbiao Ma
Keyword(s):  
Fly Ash ◽  
Sodium Sulfate ◽  
Sulfate Solution ◽  
Coal Gangue ◽  
Salt Crystallization ◽  
Sodium Sulfate Solution ◽  
Sulfate Ion ◽  
Sulfate Ions ◽  
Ion Contents ◽  
The Masses

To research the properties of cemented coal gangue-fly ash backfill (CGFB) exposed to different concentrations of sodium sulfate solutions under drying-wetting cycles, the mass changes, uniaxial compressive strengths, sulfate ion contents at different depths, and microstructures of CGFB samples were measured in this study. The results show that the CGFB samples were damaged by salt crystallization in the dry state and attacked by the expansive products in the wet state. The sulfate ion contents in CGFB samples increased with the sulfate concentrations and drying-wetting cycles and decreased from the surface to the inside of the samples. The damage process of CGFB samples evolved from the surface to the inside. In the early stage of corrosion, sulfate ions adsorbed to the surface of CGFB samples and consumed nonhydrated particles to form acicular ettringite and other products that filled the material pores. For this stage, the driving force of sulfate ions to enter into the CGFB samples was the highest for the samples immersed in 15% sodium sulfate solution, and the masses and strengths increased the fastest. As the drying-wetting cycles continued, the nonhydrated particles inside the samples were nearly completely hydrated, and the samples were constantly damaged by salt crystallization and dissolution. The corrosion ions entered into the samples and consumed portlandite to produce a large amount of prismatic ettringite and aggravated the internal corrosion of CGFB samples. At the fifteenth drying-wetting cycle, the higher the salt concentration of the immersion solution was, the faster the masses and the strengths of CGFB samples decreased. Moreover, the surface spalling and failure of CGFB samples were more severe.

scholarly journals Deterioration Process of Concrete Exposed to Internal Sulfate Attack

Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weifeng Chen ◽  
Bei Huang ◽  
Yuexue Yuan ◽  
Min Deng
Keyword(s):  
Compressive Strength ◽  
Sulfate Attack ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
Scanning Calorimetry ◽  
Great Loss ◽  
Sulfate Ions ◽  
Coarse Aggregates ◽  
Deterioration Process ◽  
One Year ◽  
Internal Sulfate Attack

Damage to concrete structures with gypsum-contaminated aggregate occurs frequently. Aggregates in much of the southern part of China are contaminated with gypsum. Therefore, in this study, the effects of using different quantities of gypsum-contaminated aggregate on the expansion and compressive strength of concrete were investigated over a period of one year. Two groups of concrete were designed with the gypsum-contaminated aggregate containing different parts of fine and coarse aggregate, respectively. The SO3 contents were 0%, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 3%, 5%, and 7% by weight of aggregate. X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry (TG), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to analyze the change in mineral composition over time. The microstructure was also studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). The results showed that significant expansion and great loss in compressive strength did not occur in concrete if the content of SO3 lay below 1.5% and 3% in fine and coarse aggregates, respectively. The concentration of sulfate ions in concrete was not enough to form new a phase of gypsum. During the process of internal sulfate attack, the content of gypsum decreased and the content of ettringite increased. Ettringite was the main reason for the expansion damage of concrete. Additionally, the fracture mode of internal sulfate attack on concrete was the crack extension from gypsum to paste; finally, the aggregate separated from the paste.

Effect of Erosion Damage on Diffusion of Sulfate Ions in Concrete

2011 ◽  
Vol 243-249 ◽  
pp. 4683-4686 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao Sun ◽  
Jian Kang Chen
Keyword(s):  
Differential Equation ◽  
Diffusion Equation ◽  
Numerical Method ◽  
Nonlinear Diffusion ◽  
Damage Evolution ◽  
Sulfate Attack ◽  
Nonlinear Diffusion Equation ◽  
Second Law ◽  
Sulfate Ions ◽  
Erosion Damage

Based on Fick’s second law and the damage evolution due to sulfate attack, a new model is proposed to analyze the diffusion of sulfate ions in concrete. The relation between erosion damage and erosion time, as well as the concentration of sulfate ions is firstly investigated by virtue of the ultrasonic experimental results. Furthermore, the damage evolution is treated as the increase of porosity, and a new nonlinear differential equation on the diffusion of sulfate ions is established by substituting such an increasing porosity into Fick’s law. The nonlinear diffusion equation is then solved by numerical method. It is found that the erosion damage can significantly affect the diffusion of sulfate ions in concrete.

Study of Fine-Grained Composites Exposed to Sulfuric Acid and Sodium Sulfate

2016 ◽  
Vol 827 ◽  
pp. 275-278
Author(s):  
Martin Vyšvařil ◽  
Markéta Rovnaníková
Keyword(s):  
Waste Water ◽  
Sulfuric Acid ◽  
Sodium Sulfate ◽  
Sulfate Attack ◽  
Sewer Pipes ◽  
Sulfate Ions ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
One Year ◽  
Corrosion Of Steel ◽  
Loss Of Strength

The degradation of concrete due to ingress of sulfate ions from the environment plays an important role in the durability of concrete constructions, especially in sewage collection systems where concrete sewer pipes are exposed to sulfates from waste water and from biogenic activity of bacteria. During this process the pH of the surface of concrete sewer pipes is reduced and it may lead to the steel depassivation and results in the corrosion of steel reinforcement. Damage due to sulfate interaction can result in the cracking and softening, with loss of strength of concrete. This paper is focused on the sulfate attack on fine-grained concrete where the effect of one-year contact of 0.5% H2SO4, and 5% Na2SO4 on changes of pH and content of sulfates in 7 types of concrete has been analyzed. It was found that after one year of sulfate attack on concrete, significant growth of content of sulfates is observed in the lowermost layer of the samples. Samples treated by 5% Na2SO4 contain slightly more sulfates in the upper layers than samples treated by sulfuric acid. The reduction in pH of aqueous leaches occurred in all layers of the samples. However, even in the lower layers of the samples, the reduction of pH below 9.5 did not turn up (except for SRS sample), and thus the conditions for the depassivation of reinforcement were not met.

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