• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.365-374
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• 2003

Various deleterious chemicals can be introduced to existing concrete structures from various external sources. The deterioration of concrete by seawater attack is involved in complex processes due to various elements contained in seawater. In the present study, attention was paid to the formation of secondary minerals and characteristics of mineralogical and micro-structural changes involved in concrete deterioration caused by the influence of major seawater composition. The characteristics of deterioration occurred in existing concrete structures was carefully observed and samples were collected at many locations of coastal areas in Busan-Kyungnam. The petrographic, XRD, SEM/EDAX analyses were conducted to determine chemical, mineralogical and micro-structural changes in the aggregate and cement paste of samples. The experimental concrete deteriorations were performed using various chloride solutions (NaCl, CaCl, $MgCl_2$ and $Na_2SO_4$ solution. The experimental results were compared with the observation results in order to determine the effect of major elements in seawater on the deterioration. The alkalies in seawater appear to accelerate alkali-silica reaction (ASR). The gel formed by ASR is alkali-calcium-silica gel which known to cause severe expansion and cracking in concrete. Carbonation causes the formation of abundant less-cementitious calcite and weaken the cement paste. Progressive carbonation significantly affects on the composition and stability of some secondary minerals. Abundant gypsum generally occurs in concretes subjected to significant carbonation, but thaumasite ({$Ca_6/[Si(OH)_6]_2{\cdot}24H_2O$}${\cdot}[(SO_4)_2]{\cdot}[(CO_3))2]$) occurs as ettringite-thaumasite solid solution in concretes subjected to less significant carbonation. Experimentally, ettringite can be transformed to trichloroaluminate or decomposed by chloride ingress under controlled pH conditions. Mg ions in seawater cause cement paste deterioration by forming non-cementitious brucite and magnesium silicate hydrate (MSH).

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.89-96
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• 2023

In this paper, a ferrosilicon by-product was evaluated to confirm the feasibility of recycling it as supplementary cementitious material of ordinary Portland cement in concrete. Three different levels of replacement ratio (10 %, 20 % and 30 % of total binder) were applied to find which is the most beneficial to be used as a binder. Ferrosilicon concrete was initially assessed at setting time and compressive strength. Durability was evaluated by the resistance to chloride penetration test(RCPT) and alkali-silica reaction(ASR) with a comparison to silica fume concrete due to their similarity in chemical composition. The porosimetry and X-ray diffraction analysis along with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy give information on the microstructural characteristics of the ferrosilicon concrete. It was found that 10 % ferrosilicon concrete has higher strength while 20 %, 30 % have lower strength than OPC concrete. However, chemical resistance to chloride attack is higher when replacement is increased. Compared to silica fume, the durability of ferrosilicon might be less efficient however, it is obviously beneficial than OPC. High SiO₂ content in ferrosilicon results in producing more C-S-H gel which could make denser pore structure. Most of the risk of alkali silica reaction to silicate binders through length change tests was less than 0.2 %, and both mortar using ferrosilicon and silica fume showed better resistance to alkali silica reaction as the substitution rate increased.Reuse of industrial waste rather than producing highly refined additives might reduce environmental load during manufacture and save costs.