23/04/2021

CONCRETE DETERIORATION PROCESSES

THEME 3, LECTURE 2: Our biggest headaches:

• Reinforcement Corrosion (Carbonation and Chloride ion
DETERIORATION PROCESSES ingress)
• Sulfate attack
IN REINFORCED CONCRETE • Alkali Aggregate Reaction
STRUCTURES • High alumina cement conversion
• Freeze-thaw
PROFESSOR PETER ROBERY • Fire damage
Why…?

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CARBONATION CARBONATION - REACTION

• High pH of concrete protects rebar from corrosion by Reaction of Calcium Hydroxide with Carbon Dioxide
forming a passive film
• Carbon dioxide diffuses into concrete and reacts with the Ca(OH)2 ð Ca2+ + 2OH-
hydrated cement paste to produce calcium carbonate
• This removes OH- ions from the pore solution and CO2 + 2OH- ð CO32- + H2O
reduces the pH
Ca2+ + CO32- ð CaCO3
• Corrosion can begin when the carbonation front reaches
the depth of the bar and the pH protection is lost
Initial densification of the concrete, followed by breakdown of
the C-S-H gel itself

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CARBONATION – REACTION CARBONATION – REACTION

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CARBONATION CARBONATION

Rate of carbonation depends on: Rainfall Predict Rate of Carbonation:

1.5
relative humidity
x = (2Dc.t) 1/2
Relative Dc
1.0

permeability of concrete 0.5

0.0 x = carbonation depth (mm)

cement content 20 40 60 80 100 Dc = rate factor (mm2/yr)
Relative Humidity (%)
t = time (years)

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CARBONATION
CARBONATION Cover
mm
w/c 10 30 50 80
Other factors affecting Dc ratio

• Generally poor correlation with physical properties,

e.g. oxygen diffusion and water permeability 0.7 5 45 125 320
• Higher rates of carbonation with blended cements
(can be double)
0.5 15 135 375 960
• Best correlation with buffering capacity
• Concentration of Ca(OH)2
0.4 23 210 580 1490

Estimated time for carbonation to reach reinforcement (years)

(External concrete sheltered from rain)
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CHLORIDE-INDUCED CORROSION
CHLORIDE-INDUCED CORROSION
Measured Total Chloride Ion Content with Depth
0.8
• Chloride ions do not affect pH, but destroy the passive
Chloride ion (% by mass Cement)

0.7
film on embedded reinforcement caused by high pH
0.6
• Chloride sources include:
Reinforcing Bar

0.5
• Penetrating, from the environment, including deicing salts,
0.4
seawater, brackish water, etc.
0.3
• Cast into the concrete, from admixtures, contaminated
aggregates, brackish water, etc 0.2

• Corrosion can begin when the concrete surrounding the 0.1

bar exceeds a chloride ion threshold 0.0

0 20 40 60 80 100 120
• Chloride ions form complexes with cement hydration
Depth (mm)
products (just to confuse things!)
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FACTORS INFLUENCING CORROSION RISK CHLORIDE-INDUCED CORROSION

• Concrete quality (porosity) • Chlorides in hardened concrete are either:

• Cement content • fixed (i.e. chemically or physically bound to cement minerals and
• Cement type hydration products as chloroaluminate complexes)
• free (i.e. present as ions in the pore water of the concrete)
• Design detailing and construction
• Environmental loading factors • Corrosion risk depends on [Cl-free] ≤ 0.6
• Wet/dry cycles [OH-]
• Saline spray • In practice, we measure the acid-soluble [Cl-total] and express
• When the chloride was added (at mixing or in service)? this as a percentage of cementitious material ≤ 0.4%
• No absolute “threshold” exists for Cl- risk

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CORROSION INITIATION – CHLORIDE

STRUCTURES AT RISK FROM CHLORIDES Two-Phase Mechanism for Corrosion of Reinforcement
35

Chloride Carbonation
30

• Car parks
Structurally significant damage level
Relative level of corrosion damage

25

• Coastal/Marine facilities
2-3x faster
20
• Bridges/Highways Structures corrosion rate

• Industrial effluent containment

15

10
Significant cracking, accelerating ingress

5
Initial cracking, accelerating ingress Initiation of Corrosion
- Carbonated to bar depth
0 - Chloride ion >0.4%
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Time (Years)

to t1
Initiation stage Propagation stage
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CONSEQUENCES OF CORROSION CONSEQUENCES OF CORROSION

Cracking

Spalling

Delamination

Severe corrosion and spalling of a jetty

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CONSEQUENCES OF CORROSION CONSEQUENCES OF CORROSION

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CONSEQUENCES OF CORROSION CONSEQUENCES OF CORROSION

Failed prestressing wire

showing salt crystallisation
and corrosion

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CONCRETE DETERIORATION PROCESSES NEXT LECTURE

• Reinforcement Corrosion (Carbonation and Chloride ion • Theme 3, Lecture 3: Planning Investigations
ingress)

• Sulfate attack
• Alkali Aggregate Reaction
• High alumina cement conversion
• Freeze-thaw
• Fire damage

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