Predicting chloride induced depassiviation and minimum concrete cover with different binders

Paper in proceeding, 2016

Corrosion of steel reinforcement represents the major cause affecting durability of reinforced concrete structures in road and marine environments. To assure durability, standards attempt to provide specifications for long-term performance by simple deemed-to-satisfy rules for approximate environmental classification. This paper presents results from a study of modelling of chloride ingress in concrete with fly ash and ground granulated blast-furnace slag. Chloride threshold values for corrosion initiation are discussed. A physical model, ClinConc, was employed to calculate the chloride ingress profiles after exposure under marine (submerged) and road environments for 100 years. The model was validated using field data after exposure in the Swedish seawater for about 20 years. The results show that the addition of mineral additions in general increases the resistance of concrete to chloride ingress and allows smaller concrete cover thicknesses. However, one critical parameter is the chloride threshold value. In consideration of both the chloride resistance and the alkalinity, which influence the critical chloride threshold value, the concrete with mineral additions still reveals sufficient margin to allow a significantly lower chloride threshold for initiation of corrosion of reinforcement steel in concrete.