Influence of cracks and crack width on penetration depth of chlorides in concrete
Audenaert, K.; De Schutter, G.; Marsavina, L. (2009). Influence of cracks and crack width on penetration depth of chlorides in concrete. Eur. J. Environ. Civ. Eng. 13(5): 561-572
In: European Journal of Environmental and Civil Engineering. Taylor & Francis: London. ISSN 1964-8189; e-ISSN 2116-7214, more
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chloride penetration, crack, crack width. |
| Authors | | Top |
- Audenaert, K., more
- De Schutter, G., more
- Marsavina, L.
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| Abstract |
Chloride induced reinforcement corrosion is the main durability problem for concrete structures in a marine environment. If the chlorides reach the reinforcement steel, the latter will depassivate and start to corrode in presence of air and water. Since the corrosion products have a larger volume than the initial products, concrete stresses are induced, leading to spalling and degradation of the concrete structures. If cracks are present in concrete, the penetration of chlorides is much faster than in uncracked concrete. In this way, the corrosion process is initiated earlier and the service life is decreasing drastically. In order to investigate the effect of cracks on the chloride penetration, a testing program was carried out. Firstly, a method was developed to create cracks in concrete. Afterwards, chloride penetration tests with the non-steady state migration test described in NT BUILD 492 were carried out. From the penetration profiles, the influence of the crack width on the maximum penetration depth and the extent of the crack influencing zone were investigated. This leads to the conclusion that for increasing crack width, the maximum penetration depth is increasing and that the extent of the crack influencing zone is depending on the crack width. |
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