Assessment of mortar evolution in pig slurry by mechanical and ultrasonic measurements

This work presents the results obtained in a long-term experiment focused on the study of the evolution of cementitious materials immersed in pig slurry at real conditions. Cement mortars were made with four different cement types and immersed in pig slurry for 48 months. Furthermore, to separate pure hydration process from pig slurry effect, mortar samples were immersed in water for 12 months at laboratory conditions. Compressive strength, X-ray diffraction and ultrasonic measurements were made in all samples. Ultrasonic measurements were made from ultrasonic images obtained from automatic ultrasonic inspections. Use of ultrasonic images has allowed the extraction of information about the state of the studied materials. An empirical relationship between ultrasonic velocity and compressive strength has been obtained and the long-term effect of pig slurry on cementitious materials has been determined

Influencia de la estructura porosa de hormigones utilizados en ambientes marinos frente al transporte generado por gradiente de presión

En los ambientes marinos, donde los hormigones quedan expuestos al ingreso de los iones cloruro y sulfato fundamentalmente, la bibliografía, [1-4], recomienda que se utilicen cementos con bajo contenido en aluminatos (sulforresistentes) o cementos con adiciones minerales, cenizas volantes y humo de sílice principalmente. El objetivo principal de esta elección es intentar minimizar en lo posible las reacciones expansivas entre los iones del medio agresivo y la matriz de cemento. Sin embargo la protección más efectiva será sin duda la que impida la penetración de los agresivos. La entrada de cualquier agresivo en el hormigón viene determinada por la estructura porosa del mismo, y muy especialmente por la porosidad accesible conectada. Esta porosidad queda definida por la dosificación del hormigón y las características químicas del cemento. Los resultados obtenidos muestran claramente que los hormigones con humo de sílice son significativamente menos porosos y menos permeables. En el resto de dosificaciones estudiadas la porosidad es mayor, y es el radio de poro el factor que se presenta como más determinante para definir la permeabilidad del material

Characterization cement pastes degraded in lanoratory solutions and physiochemical parameters employed for modeling the process

Previously degradation studies carried out, over a number of different mortars by the research team, have shown that observed degradation does not exclusively depend on the solution equilibrium pH, nor the aggressive anions relative solubility. In our tests no reason was found that could allow us to explain, why same solubility anions with a lower pH are less aggressive than others. The aim of this paper is to study cement pastes behavior in aggressive environments. As observed in previous research, this cement pastes behaviors are not easily explained only taking into account only usual parameters, pH, solubility etc. Consequently the paper is about studying if solution physicochemical characteristics are more important in certain environments than specific pH values. The paper tries to obtain a degradation model, which starting from solution physicochemical parameters allows us to interpret the different behaviors shown by different composition cements. To that end, the rates of degradation of the solid phases were computed for each considered environment. Three cement have been studied: CEM I 42.5R/SR, CEM II/A-V 42.5R and CEM IV/B-(P-V) 32.5 N. The pastes have been exposed to five environments: sodium acetate/acetic acid 0.35 M, sodium sulfate solution 0.17 M, a solution representing natural water, saturated calcium hydroxide solution and laboratory environment. The attack mechanism was meant to be unidirectional, in order to achieve so; all sides of cylinders were sealed except from the attacked surface. The cylinders were taking out of the exposition environments after 2, 4, 7, 14, 30, 58 and 90 days. Both aggressive solution variations in solid phases and in different depths have been characterized. To each age and depth the calcium, magnesium and iron contents have been analyzed. Hydrated phases evolution studied, using thermal analysis, and crystalline compound changes, using X ray diffraction have been also analyzed. Sodium sulphate and water solutions stabilize an outer pH near to 8 in short time, however the stability of the most pH dependent phases is not the same. Although having similar pH and existing the possibility of forming a plaster layer near to the calcium leaching surface, this stability is greater than other sulphate solutions. Stability variations of solids formed by inverse diffusion, determine the rate of degradation

Comparison on the durability of different portland cements after five years exposure to sulfate and to sea water attack

Experimental research has been performed to relate specific cement characteristics to deterioration due to sulfate and sea water attack after five year exposure, and to study different test method suitability for sulfate and marine resistance. Sulfate resistance testing have been performed on mortar specimens made with fifteen cement types of statistically diverse chemical composition according to European standard EN 197-1, most of them with sulfate resistant properties according to Spanish regulations. Chemical and mechanical characteristics were studied to determine the variation in properties of selected cements. SO3 content, type and amount of additions, C3A, and C4AF content were used to examine relationships between these characteristics and the results of sulfate resistance. Mortar specimens testing using Na2SO4 as the aggressive medium according to ASTM 1012 (with w/c ratio adapted to prENV 196-X:1995) was performed using each type of cement; identical specimens were also stored in sea water, and in lime saturated water (blank condition), up to five year age. Additionally these cements were tested conforming ASTM 452 and Koch and Steinegger test. Recommended acceptance limits for sulfate resistance of cements concerning to each used test method were evaluated in order to explore their suitability. Relationships between cement characteristics, degradation, expansive products obtained by X-ray diffraction techniques and maximum expansion after applied storage treatments, were correlated at final age, to redefine cement characteristics for sulfate resistant and marine resistant Portland cemen

The influence of fly ash as substitute of cement in the durability of concrete

Limitation of transport capacity through the concrete is one of the key points in the improvement of the material’s durability. The use of fly ash as an admixture to concrete is widely extended; a general consensus has been established due to the pore size reduction produced by the ashes. Nevertheless, the importance of the micro-structural and composition changes in mechanical and durable properties is not well defined. In the present study the use of fly ash has been considered as substitute of cement in the design limits. The concrete mechanical properties and its porous structure were evaluated. The tests included porosimetry and water permeability tests. In order to characterize the hydration products and its evolution with time TG and DTA analysis were performed. This work studies the fly ash concrete hydration process, their influence in the porous distribution, and the mechanical and durable properties of the material

Caracterización microestructural de materiales base cemento mediante ensayos destructivos (Parte I)

El objetivo principal del presente trabajo ha sido la caracterización microestructural de materiales base cemento mediante la aplicación de ensayos destructivos, para obtener una descripción detallada de las características físicas y químicas de dichos materiales que sirva como base para la correlación con otras metodologías de evaluación, principalmente no destructivas. Este trabajo ha sido subdividido en dos partes. En esta primera parte del trabajo se presenta una descripción de las principales características microestructurales de los materiales base cemento que servirá como base teórica para la posterior caracterización de los materiales. Se presentan las principales características de la hidratación de los compuestos del clínker y las principales fases hidratadas presentes. Así mismo se describen las características de la microestructura porosa y los efectos particulares que genera la presencia de los áridos en los procesos de hidratación y de desarrollo de microestructura porosa en la zona interfacial árido-pasta. En una segunda parte se presenta el trabajo experimental desarrollado de caracterización microestructural

La influencia de las cenizas volantes como sustituto parcial del cemento Pórtland en la durabilidad del hormigón: propiedades físicas, difusión del ión cloruro y del dióxido de carbono

La durabilidad del hormigón, está influenciada por la capacidad de transporte de los fluidos en su red porosa. El uso de cenizas volantes en hormigón está extendido por el ahorro económico que supone y los cambios micro-estructurales motivados por la adición. Existe consenso en que las cenizas reducen el tamaño de poro. Aunque, los cambios de composición y micro-estructurales en la durabilidad del material no están completamente claros. En el XXIV Encuentro se presentó un estudio sobre cómo afectaban las cenizas a la permeabilidad y a la estructura porosa. Este trabajo complementa el anterior, extendiendo el estudio a los resultados de los ensayos de carbonatación y difusión de cloruros. Los resultados obtenidos ponen de manifiesto que las cenizas no modifican del mismo modo la carbonatación y la difusión de cloruros. La difusión de cloruros se ve más afectada por los cambios de la estructura porosa. Los iones carbonato interaccionan químicamente con la matriz por lo que su avance se ve afectado por los cambios en composición generados por la reacción puzolánica

Modelling of chloride transport in non-saturated concrete : from microscale to macroscale

A model for chloride transport in concrete is proposed. The model accounts for transport several transport mechanisms such as diffusion, advection, migration, etc. This work shows the chloride transport equations at the macroscopic scale in non-saturated concrete. The equations involve diffusion, migration, capillary suction, chloride combination and precipitation mechanisms. The material is assumed to be infinitely rigid, though the porosity can change under influence of chloride binding and precipitation. The involved microscopic and macroscopic properties of the materials are measured by standardized methods. The variables which must be imposed on the boundaries are temperature, relative humidity and chloride concentration. The output data of the model are the free, bound, precipitated and total chloride ion concentrations, as well as the pore solution content and the porosity. The proposed equations are solved by means of the finite element method (FEM) implemented in MATLAB (classical Galerkin formulation and the streamline upwind Petrov-Galerkin (SUPG) method to avoid spatial instabilities for advection dominated flows)

Avaliaçao variabilidade espacial na previsao da vida util segundo proposta probabilistica: caso de plataformas offshore no Brasil

Se apresentam no trabalho considerações sobre a influência da variabilidade da evolução na probabilidade de danos devido ao fator solicitação ambiental, bem como sobre a aplicabilidade do objeto de estudo como critério de decisão em sistemas de manutenção para estruturas offshore de concreto submetidas às condições impostas pelo ambiente marinho tropical. Duas plataformas offshore de concreto, construídas em 1976, foram selecionadas para a pesquisa. O plano experimental constou de campanha de ensaios in situ e de laboratório executados sobre testemunhos extraídos das plataformas. Perfis de cloretos foram determinados para distintas orientações e diferentes cotas sobre o nível do mar, além de terem sido determinadas características e propriedades do material relacionadas com a durabilidade. Os resultados obtidos indicam que existe importante influência na variabilidade espacial, tanto na intensidade como na freqüência da ação ambiental sobre as obras estudadas. Também se observou que os métodos probabilísticos analisados representam ferramenta para o estudo da influência da variabilidade espacial, aplicados ao caso da previsão da vida útil de estruturas marinhas. O modelo é indicado para ser utilizado como critério de decisão em sistemas de manutenção estrutural

Permeabilidad y porosidad en hormigones autocompactantes

Los hormigones autocompactantes (HAC) son relativamente novedosos. La principal diferencia respecto a los hormigones convencionales es su comportamiento en estado fresco. Hasta ahora, los estudios desarrollados se han centrado en obtener dosificaciones óptimas para que estos hormigones presenten comportamiento en estado fresco que permita caracterizarlos como autocompactantes, y con frecuencia para hormigones de resistencia alta. Los estudios relativos a la durabilidad de los HAC son escasos, especialmente en el caso de hormigones de resistencia moderada. Este trabajo presenta los resultados de los ensayos de permeabilidad de HAC de resistencia característica 30 MPa, con objeto de estudiar uno de los aspectos importantes de la durabilidad. En los hormigones obtenidos se han realizado ensayos de porosimetría por intrusión de mercurio, que permiten conocer el tamaño y distribución de poros, así como la porosidad total del hormigón. Además se ha realizado el ensayo de penetración de agua bajo presión. A partir de los resultados obtenidos se establecen las conclusiones relativas a los aspectos de durabilidad relacionados con la permeabilidad y la microestructura de la red porosa