Freeze-thaw Resistance of Concrete in Seawater

The effect of freeze-thaw cycles in seawater on the performance of concrete was studied in this paper. Concrete samples with different water binder ratio and different component were prepared,and were then put into fresh water and synthesized seawater. After the experiments of freeze-thaw cycles,the mass loss,relative dynamic elastic modulus (RDEM) and compressive strength of each sample were tested. The results obtained reveal that with the increase of the water binder ratio,the resistance ability of freeze-thaw impact in seawater of concrete decrease dramatically. When the concrete contain 15% fly ash and 20% slag,its resistance ability to the freeze-thaw impact in seawater is the optimal. Compared to the seawater corrosion,the impact of freeze-thaw cycles to the properties of concrete is severer.

Effects of Mixing Volume and Initial Particle Size Distribution of Fly Ash on Pore Solution of Cement Paste

The effects of fly ash with different mixing volume and different particle sizes on pore solution of cement-based materials were studied. The pore solution was extracted by squeezing at scheduled ages. The particle size distribution of fly ash was classified as smaller than 45 μm and 45～80 μm,and the mixing volume was classified as 10% and 20%. The concentrations of K+,Na+ and Ca2+ were measured using Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Spectrometer (ICP),and the pH was measured by acid-base titration. The results indicate that the concentrations of various ions were prompted at the initial time of the hydration. With further hydration,ion concentrations of K+ and Na+ raise again and finally stabilized,but there is a certain decline on Ca2+ later on. It also shows that fly ash exhibited great effect on the hydration of cement,it can lower the concentration of Ca2+ and pH of the pore solution,but raise the concentrations of K+ and Na+. More importantly,ion concentrations of K+,Na+ and Ca2+ reduced with smaller particle sizes of fly ash.

Research of Neural Network Based on Improved PSO Algorithm for Carbonation Depth Prediction of Concrete

Firstly,neural network based on improved particle swarm optimization (PSO)algorithm is introduced in this paper. Based on the data collected from projects in typical areas,the concrete carbonation depth is assessed with consideration of various factors such as unit cement consumption (C),unit water consumption (W),binder material content (B),water binder ratio (W/B ),concrete strength (MPa),rapid carbonization days (D),fly ash consumption of unit volume concrete(FA),fly ash percentage of total cementitious materials (FA%),expansion agent consumption of unit volume concrete(EA),expansion agent percentage of total cementitious materials (FA%).Gaining the data from project-experiment,a model is presented to calculate and forecast carbonation depth using neural network based on improved PSO algorithm. The calculation results indicate that this algorithm accord with the prediction carbonation depth of concrete accuracy requirements and has a better convergence and generalization,worth being popularized.

Effects of Curing Condition on the Carbonation of Shrinkage-compensated Concrete

Shrinkage-compensating concrete can enhance the permeability and strength. In addition,expansive admixture can densify concrete to advance the carbonation resistance ability. Due to special quality of ettringite,the relative humidity of curing environment has significant effect on the carbonation rate of concrete. This paper discusses the influence of environmental humidity on carbonation rate of shrinkage-compensating concrete. Four different curing conditions were set up,namely the natural environment (RH 60%),standard environment (RH 90%),early age water curing environment for 3 d and 7 d. After curing in these four environments for 28 d,an accelerated carbonation test was performed. Micro-hardness analysis was used to evaluate surface hardness,which depends on,to a great degree,the carbonation depth. TG-DSC analysis was used to study Ca(OH)2 content gradient in the surface layer of concrete in different environment. The results show that natural condition lead to a relatively worse carbonation degree,curing in water for 3 d is harmful to the carbonation resistance,while curing in water for 7 d lead to an equivalent carbonation degree with standard condition,which show the most improvement to carbonation resistance ability.

Performance of Sacrificial Anodes in Reinforced Concrete

The electrochemical performance of the anodes was measured in the reinforced concrete test block in artificial sea water. Their chemical composition,metallographic structure and surface morphology were analyzed. It was found that concrete mix proportion and the covering layer thickness had an impact on the performance of sacrificial anodes. The thermal-sprayed zinc alloy anodes had a more negative corrosion potential and larger galvanic current than metallurgy ones in the same conditions. They had similar chemical composition. But metallographic structure showed that the structure of thermal-sprayed zinc alloy anodes was a loose porous. This structure had the catalytic effect on the andes electrochemical reactions and made the anodes the electrochemical exchange current density increase and the corrosion potential move to negative direction.