Selection of Suitable Aggregates for Long-term Stability of Concrete

콘크리트 장기 안정성을 위한 골재의 선택

Recently, there have been several cases of serious accidents on concrete structure resulting from rapid deterioration of concrete strength. On the view point of long term stability of concrete, deterioration of concrete strength is mostly due to chemical reaction between alkali and reactive aggregates (alkali-aggreagte reaction; AAR) in concrete rather than a problem of execution. For long-term stability of concrete, concrete aggregates must be carefully selected. Some of rocks used for concrete aggregates contain deleterious minerals reactive to alkali components in concrete. Most of AAR result from chemical reaction between alkali components and reactive silica minerals in aggregates (so called alkali-silica reaction; ASR). The silica minerals are as follows; quartz with seriously distorted lattice structure, volcanic glass, chalcedony, opal, cristobalite, tridymite, etc. ASR may cause expansion and cracks, further collapse in concrete structure, in a few years. In case of crushed aggregates, only a part of rock mass without reactive minerals must be produced in aggregates mine after thorough examination of the distribution of rocks with reactive minerals. In case of natural aggregates, the total content of reactive minerals must be calculated, if, the content is more than 20%, the rate should be lower by mixing other non-reactive crushed- or natural aggregates. If it is obliged to use concrete aggregates all containing deleterious minerals in a discrete area, they must be used with low alkali cement Even if it is low quality in the chemical properties, aggregates with suitable range in the physical properties can be utilized as the aggregate of other purposes.