Chloride diffusion models for Type I and fly ash cement concrete exposed to field and laboratory conditions

The exposure temperature significantly affects the diffusion of chloride ions in concrete, and, as such, it must be taken into consideration in the development of service-life prediction models for structures exposed to chloride-bearing environments. Most of the earlier studies have used cement paste to assess the effect of exposure temperature on chloride diffusion. In the reported study, chloride diffusion in Type I and fly ash (20% fly ash) cement concrete was evaluated under field and laboratory conditions. The laboratory concrete specimens were exposed to chloride solution maintained at four temperatures (22, 35, 50 and 60 °C) for 365 days. Beam specimens were exposed in the tidal zone of a marine exposure site, along the Arabian Gulf coast, for up to 10 years to study the chloride diffusion in the field specimens. The coefficient of chloride diffusion (D_a) in the concrete specimens exposed to 22 or 35 ᵒC in the laboratory was less than that in the concrete specimens exposed to 50 and 60 ᵒC. The D_a for Type I cement concrete specimens increased by 3.6 times as the temperature was increased from 22 to 60 ᵒC while this increase was 2.3 times for the fly ash cement concrete specimens for a similar increase in the temperature. The D_a decreased with the period of exposure in the field specimens. The values of activation energy that can be used for predicting the chloride diffusion for exposure temperature within the range of 22–60 °C were developed based on the laboratory data. In addition, mathematical models were developed relating the coefficient of chloride diffusion in the field and laboratory concrete specimens. The developed models can be utilized to ascertain chloride diffusion in field specimens, utilizing the laboratory values, and hence calculate the useful service-life of structures.