Electrochemical Study of the Corrosion Inhibitory Capacity of Calcined Attapulgite in Reinforced Concrete Medium

The durability of reinforced concrete structures is greatly influenced by the corrosion of the reinforcement. In addition to air pollution related to the repair of corroded structures, chloride ions are the main factors of corrosion of reinforced concrete structures. This study aims to valorize a clay inhibitor against reinforcement corrosion in reinforced concrete. This clay (Attapulgite) was incorporated into reinforced concretes at different percentages of substitution of calcined attapulgite (0%, 5% and 10%) to cement in the formulation. The corrosion inhibitory power of attapulgite is evaluated in reinforced concretes subjected to the action of chloride ions at different intervals in the NaCl solution (1 day, 21 days and 45 days) by electrochemical methods (zero current chronopotentiometry, polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy). This study showed that in the presence of chloride ions, the composition based on 10% attapulgite has an appreciable inhibitory effect with an average inhibitory efficiency of 82%.

Experimental Study of the Anti-Corrosion Performance of Montmorillonite K-10 on Rebar in HCl Environment: Application in Mortar for the Rehabilitation of Reinforced Concrete Degraded by Corrosion

This work first investigates the corrosion-inhibiting behavior of montmorillonite K-10 on reinforcing steel. The corrosion-inhibiting power of the clay (Montmorillonite) is determined in a medium HCl (C = 1N) using free corrosion potential monitoring, Tafel potentiodynamic polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results of this study showed a satisfactory corrosion-inhibiting efficiency of around 72.665% for the optimum content of 1%. This is due to the presence of a stable oxide layer that protects the metal against corrosion. To validate the concept of montmorillonite as a corrosion inhibitor in repair mortar, we now turn to the influence of montmorillonite on the mechanical properties of mortars in the hardened state. In this part, montmorillonite K-10 is added to the mortar by partial substitution of the cement by 5% and 10% of the cement mass. The aim of this study is to ensure that the addition of this clay to the mortar composition will not have a negative effect on its compressive and flexural strengths. The results of the compression and flexural tests showed that the presence of montmorillonite in the mortar improved flexural and compressive strengths for the different compositions studied.

Evaluation of the Inhibitory Gel Aloe vera against Corrosion of Reinforcement Concrete in NaCl Medium

Most reinforced concrete structures in seaside locations suffer from corrosion damage to the reinforcement, limiting their durability and necessitating costly repairs. To improve their performance and durability, we have investigated in this paper Aloe vera extracts as a green corrosion inhibitor for reinforcing steel in NaCl environments. Using electrochemical methods (zero-intensity chronopotentiometry, Tafel lines and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy), this experimental work investigated the effect of these Aloe vera (AV) extracts on corrosion inhibition of concrete reinforcing bar (HA, diameter 12mm) immersed in a 0.5M NaCl solution. The results show that Aloe vera extracts have an average corrosion-inhibiting efficacy of around 86% at an optimum concentration of 20%.

Comparative Evaluation of the Chemical Composition and Physical Properties of Reinforced Concrete Steel Bars Used in Construction in Senegal

This article presents, the study of a comparative evaluation of the chemical composition and physical properties, linear mass deviations, of four (04) types of steel used in the construction sector in Senegal. Type 1 (E1), Type 2 (E2) and Type 3 (E3) steels are produced by locally established companies and Type 4 (E4) witness bars are imported from the France. The chemical analyses of the different types of steel were carried out by combustion, infrared (IR) detection for carbon and sulfur, by reducing fusion for nitrogen and by optical emission spectrometer (SEO) for the rest of the elements. The composition was determined on bars with a diameter of 10 mm. Linear mass deviations were evaluated for steels with a diameter of 8 mm, 10 mm and 12 mm. The results of the chemical analyses showed that the limit value for the percentage of carbon was exceeded by 29.16% for the steel, type 3. For the other types (1, 2 and 4), the limit values set out in the French standard NF EN 10,080 are not exceeded. As regards the relative differences in mass, the results showed that for steels of local manufacture, all the samples of bars with diameters 10 and 12 mm and 33% of steels with diameters 8 mm do not comply with the standard. The results also indicate that the chemical composition and relative linear mass deviations of the steels, type 4 comply with the standard. Thus, locally manufactured steels are not always suitable for use in reinforced concrete constructions.

Study of Attapulgite as an Additive in Reinforced Concrete by Substitution of Cement and Its Effects on the Durability Properties of Hardened Concrete

The valorization of Senegalese attapulgite clay in concrete, as a solution against the exhaustion of the cement deposits was studied. In that purpose, attapulgite was first calcined at 800°C to make it reactive and added in concrete by substitution of Portland cement (CEM I 52.5N) at contents of 0, 5 and 10% by conserving a constant water/cement ratio value of 0.65. The effects of the partial replacement of cement by attapulgite on the physicochemical and mechanical properties of the concrete as well as on the steel-concrete bond were examined. For this purpose, the water porosity, the intrinsic permeability and the density of the clay-based concrete were evaluated. Compression, tensile and pull-out tests were carried out to determine the impact of clay on the Young modulus, the compressive and tensile strengths and the steel-concrete bond. This study was completed by a characterization of the pozzolanic reactivity of calcined attapulgite. All the results of these studies were compared with those of Portland cement as a reference. The substitution of cement by attapulgite up to 10% in concrete has only a small influence on its porosity and permeability and confers to the concrete gain in compressive strength of 11%. However, it caused a loss of steel-concrete bond of 10%.

Characterization of the Omni-Processor Sewage Sludge Ash for Reuse as Construction Material

Omni Processors(OP)are machines which use sludge as a fuel to generate electricity and clean water,but create ash at the same time.In the present study,fly ash and bottom ash are investigated as materials for potential reuse in the construction field.First,the granular size,density and Blaine finesse are determined.Then,the chemical composition and microstructure are obtained by means of X-ray fluorescence and Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy(SEM-EDS),respectively.Finally,ashes reactivity is determined by two chemical methods(modified Chapelle test,bound water content R3)and a mechanical method(pozzolanic activity index).The characterization results indicate two material types:fly ash similar to cement and bottom ash similar to fine sand.That’s why the mortars mechanical strength with fly ash 0%-30%is better than that with bottom ash at the same rate.Fly ash slightly decreases the mechanical strength of mortars while bottom ash induces a much more significant decrease.

Effects of Preparation’s Parameters on Stabilization of Sabodala Gold Mine Tailings: Comparison of Fresh and Weathered Materials

The Sabodala gold mine tailings were stabilised using geopolymerization technics in order to improve their mechanical properties in general for a reuse as building materials for local communities. The effect of several preparation parameters on the compressive and tensile strength of the stabilised tailings has been studied to define their optimums. For each formulation, all parameters are kept constant and only one is variable. The prepared samples are then tested for compressive and tensile strength to see how the variable parameter impact on these properties. The same work was carried out for the fresh tailings and for the weathered one to see whether they behave differently and if they need different treatment. The results show that for most of parameters, there is an optimal value on either side of which compressive and tensile strength decrease. Except for few parameters, the fresh and the weathered tailings have a similar behaviour with regards to trends of their mechanical properties with changing preparation conditions. In addition to the similarity of weathered and fresh tailings mechanical characteristics following their stabilization by geopolymerization, this work has proved the considerable effects of the preparation’s parameters.