DURABILITY OF CONCRETE

Dr Yehia Abdel-Zaher Ali

Associate Prof.
Structural Engg. Dept.
Faculty of Engg., Ain Shams University
Well made concrete is:
9 Naturally strong and durable material
9 DENSE
9 Reasonably WATERTIGHT
9 Able to resist changes in TEMPERATURE
9 Able to resist wear and tear from WEATHERING
9 Protect the steel in reinforced concrete
 Characteristics of Hardened Concrete

Properties

Short Long
term term

Comp. Tensile Fatigue

Creep Shrinkage Durability
strength strength strength

Shear Bond
Porosity Permeability
strength strength

Modulus Freez-thaw Abrasion

of elasticity resistance resistance

Sulfate Corrosion
resistance of rfs

Alkali-agg
Carbonation
reaction
 Durability

General
9Concrete is inherently a durable material
9Under adverse conditions, concrete is potentially
vulnerable to deleterious attacks such as frost, sulfate
attack, alkali-aggregate reaction, and corrosion of steel
9Each of these processes involves movement of water or
other fluids, transporting aggressive agents through the
pore structure of concrete
9Therefore, POROSITY and PERMEABILITY are important
properties which affect the durability of concrete
 Threat to durability

External agents Internal agents

Arising from the Arising from salts in
environment and the constituent
service conditions materials and the
interaction between the
constituent materials
 Attacks on durability

Physical Chemical Mechanical

9shrinkage 9Sulfates 9Mainly

9Differences 9Chlorides associated with
between the 9Acids abrasion
thermal 9Alkali-aggregate
properties reaction
9Action of frost 9Carbonation
9Corrosion
 Properties Affecting Durability

1. Permeability
9The property that “governs the rate of flow of a fluid into
a porous solid”
9For steady state flow, the coefficient of permeability (K)
is determined from Darcy’s expression:
dq ∆H * a
=K cm/sec
dt L* μ

dq/dt: the rate of fluid flow, µ: viscosity of the fluid,

ΔH: the pressure gradient, a: the surface area
L: the thickness of the solid
9The coefficient of permeability of a concrete to gases or
water vapor is much lower than the coefficient for liquid
water; therefore, tests for measurement of permeability
are generally carried out using water
9Typically, K ≅

moderate strength concrete 1×10-10 cm/sec

low strength concrete 30×10-10 cm/sec
9Permeability is not directly related to porosity but to the
connectivity of the pores

high permeability low permeability

 Factors affecting permeability

Constituent Concrete Curing

materials manufacture conditions

9C.C., w/c ratio, 9Mixing, placing, 9Period,

Aggregate, compaction temperature,
SCM, methodology
Admixtures,
 2. Sulfates attack
9Sulfates attack CH & AFm to produce calcium sulfate
and calcium sulfo-aluminate occupying a larger volume
and leading to expansion and disruption of hardened
concrete
Silicates hydrates

Sulfates + CH α Calcium sulfates

Sulfates + AFm α AFt (Ettringite) Larger size
C3A hydrates
Gypsum crystals at
fracture surface
 Protection
9 Adopting a low water/cement ratio
9 Following proper compaction
9 Ensure that the concrete is dense and is of low
permeability.
9 Using low tricalcium silicate cements, such as
sulfate resisting cement
 3. Corrosion of reinforcement
9Corrosion of steel in concrete is probably the most
serious durability problem of reinforced concrete
9The phenomenon itself is an electrochemical reaction
9In its simplest form, corrosion may be described as
current flow from anodic to cathodic sites in the
presence of oxygen and water
9This is represented by the following equations:

At Anode Fe α Fe + 2e -
2+

At Cathode 1/2 O2 + H2 O + 2e - α 2(OH) -

Corrosion may be due to:
1. The high alkalinity of the concrete pore solution can
be reduced over a long period of time by carbonation

depth of carbonation:

d ( mm ) = k t
Where: k is the carbonation coefficient (2 : 4)
t is the age in years
2. As the chloride ions increase the capability of the
concrete to carry an electrical current
If there are differences within the concrete such as
moisture content, chloride content, oxygen content, or
if dissimilar metals are in contact, electrical potential
differences will occur and a corrosion cell may be
established
129( cov er)1 .22
K.C.Clear equation, time = 0 .42
( w c)*cl
Units are: years for time, inch for cover and ppm for cl-
 Protection

9 Provide adequate concrete cover for steel in

reinforced concrete
9 Ensure a dense concrete with low permeability,
by reducing the water/cement ratio and
properly compacting the concrete
 4. Acids attack
9Portland-cement concrete is a highly alkaline material
and is not very resistant to attack by acids
9In damp conditions gases like sulpher dioxide and
carbon dioxide form acids, which can in turn dissolve
and remove part of the hydrated cement paste, leaving
a soft, weak mass
9If reach the reinforcing steel, corrosion results
9The severity of attack increases with the increase of
acidity
 5. Alkali-aggregate reactions
a. Alkali-silica reactions
Active silica (agg) + Alkalis (cem)
(Sodium oxide &
Potassium oxide)

alkali-silicate gel
expands, cracking and disrupting the
cement paste and map-cracking
 b. Alkali-carbonate reactions
Active carbonates (agg) + Alkalis (cem)
(Sodium oxide &
Potassium oxide)

Expanding products
cracking and disrupting the cement paste and map-cracking.
A distinguishing feature differentiating from alkali-silica
reaction is the lack of silica gel exudations at cracks
Alkali-silica reaction Alkali-carbonates reaction
 Protection
9 Use cement with low alkali cement
9 Avoid contact of external sources of moisture
with concrete
9 Use less porous aggregate
 6. Frost action
9It is “the freezing and thawing of the moisture in
materials and the resultant effects on these materials”
9For the normal strength concrete, entrained air of 4 to
8% by volume of concrete provides an effective
defense against frost damage
9The use of deicing chemicals on concrete surfaces
may also accelerate the damage and may lead to
pitting and scaling
9Good resistance to frost expansion can be obtained by
proper design and choice of materials
 7. Abrasion
9It is “wearing due to repeated rubbing and friction”
9Adequate abrasion resistance is important for
pavements and bridge decks from the standpoint of
safety
9There is no generally accepted criterion for evaluating
the abrasion resistance of conventional concrete
9High quality paste and strong aggregates are essential
to produce an abrasion resistant concrete
 8. Carbonation of concrete
9Acidic gases such as carbon dioxide react with
hydrated cement and concrete
9As a result of the reaction of carbon dioxide, the
alkalinity of concrete can be progressively reduced,
resulting in a pH value below 10
9This reduction in pH also leads to the eventual
breakdown of the other hydration products, such as
the aluminates, CSH gel, and sulfo-aluminates
9The process of carbonation takes place in stages:

CO2 diffusion Dissolution in

into pores pore solution

Reaction with the very Reducing pH and allowing

soluble alkali hydroxide more Ca(OH)2 into solution

Reaction of Ca(OH)2 with Finally, forming

CO2 forming Ca(HCO3)2 Ca.CO3

Ca.CO3 precipitates on the

wall & in crevices of pores
depth of carbonation:

d ( mm ) = k t
Where: k is the carbonation coefficient (2 : 4)
t is the age in years
 9. Fatigue
9Concrete fails under repeated loads at a load less than
its static strength due to progressive growth of internal
microcracks after a sufficient number of load repetitions
9At fatigue failure, concrete exhibits increased strains
and reduced modulus
9Very high strength concrete becomes more brittle and
could be vulnerable to fatigue loading
9Higher modulus of paste and aggregate reduces stress
concentrations at the interface, which would make HSC
less susceptible to fatigue loading