Modeling Sulfate Attack in Modern Concrete for Building Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure

External sulfate attack is known to be the most widespread and common form of chemical degradation of concrete infrastructure and requires extensive rehabilitation within a few years of construction costing millions of dollars every year. Many experimental investigations have been performed previously to study the effect of sulfate attack and the resulting expansion. However, application of these experimental investigations to field concrete is difficult, because these experiments take years to perform. Thus, a reliable mechanistic model is crucial to understand the fundamental mechanism of the damaging process induced by the external sulfate penetration and can serve as a tool to develop a database for modern materials. The proposed work is intended to develop a reliable approach to a mechanistic fundamental analysis of the external sulfate attack and help engineers design concrete mixtures exposed to aggressive sulfate agents. To this purpose, the diffusion of the sulfate ions from the external environment and the subsequent binding with the hydrated or unhydrated components of the cement matrix will be modeled utilizing a diffusion-binding model. The swelling accompanied by the precipitation of the expansive agents and the subsequent crack initiating stresses will be analyzed using a mechanical model. Sensitivity analysis to various material constituent properties (porosity, permeability, cement type) and environmental exposure (sulfate ion concentration in the pore solution) will be investigated to allow engineers design economic and durable concrete mixtures with the available local materials.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • 17CTAM01

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $50000
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3551747106

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  Transportation Consortium of South-Central States (Tran-SET)

  Louisiana State University
  Baton Rouge, LA  United States  70803
• Project Managers:

  Karaman, Ibrahim

• Performing Organizations:

  Texas A&M University, College Station

  318 Jack K. Williams Administration Building
  College Station, TX  United States  77843
• Principal Investigators:

  Grasley, Zachary

• Start Date: 20170508
• Expected Completion Date: 20181108
• Actual Completion Date: 20181108
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Concrete; Degradation failures; Ettringite; Expansion; Infrastructure; Materials by chemical properties, composition & structure; Mechanics; Sulfates
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways; Materials; Pavements; Research;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01635003
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Consortium of South-Central States (Tran-SET)
• Contract Numbers: 69A3551747106
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: May 21 2017 9:54AM