摘要: |
Deterioration of concrete caused by sulfate attack is typically a long-term process
influenced by type and concentration of sulfate solution, exposure conditions, and
groundwater conditions. Depending on the severity of exposure, ACI 201.2R provides
prescriptive recommendations to mitigate deterioration from sulfate attack. However, the
requirements are often based on durability characteristics that are not representative of
modern concrete and may hinder the use of new and emerging cementitious materials.
To accept new cementitious materials combinations, ACI recommends performance
testing using ASTM C1012. However, ASTM C1012 requires measurements that may
last as long as 18 months for mixtures containing supplementary cementitious materials
(SCMs), which serves as a deterrent for adopting new cementitious materials. State
departments of transportation, such as New Mexico, that are experiencing a rapid
transition from using fly ash as the primary SCM to adopting a broad range of other SCMs
for use in concrete need to be able to evaluate new cementitious materials combinations
much more quickly. Consequently, new accelerated laboratory tests are needed that
accurately reflect long-term performance and durability for concrete exposed to sulfate
rich environments, while obtaining results within a reasonable timeframe.
This research project is intended to further the development of an accelerated acceptance
test for cementitious materials combinations exposed to sulfate rich environments. The
accelerated test proposed for this work will utilize a procedure to impregnate mortar bar
specimens with sulfate solution in a manner that can be easily adapted to test concrete
specimens. Preliminary testing has demonstrated that a vacuum method is effective for
impregnating specimens with sulfate solution to accelerate degradation and expansion
caused by sulfate attack. The goals of this project are to assess repeatability of the test
for mortar and concrete, the ability of the test to reliably identify acceptable combinations
of cementitious materials, and establishing correlations with ASTM C1012 results.
This research project starts with a comprehensive literature review to study sulfate attack
on concrete and mortar, the effects of SCMs on sulfate attack, and other accelerated test
methods being proposed to study sulfate attack. For the experimental work, two prototype
test setups for the accelerated test will be used to test concrete and mortar mixtures
proportioned with two cements and three SCMs that are being used in Region 6. Testing
according to ASTM C1012 will also be performed. Repeatability, reliability, and accuracy
of the accelerated test for identifying acceptable combinations of cementitious materials
will be assessed by comparing results from repeated tests and by comparing accelerated
test results with results obtained from ASTM C1012 testing. The implementation phase
of the project focuses on disseminating the results of the research in the final report for
the project, journal papers, conference papers, and presentations at conferences.
The New Mexico State University (NMSU) research team is led by the PI, Professor Craig
Newtson, who has more than 20 years of concrete related research experience, has had
projects totaling more than $2,400,000 in funding, and has published more than 85
research papers. |