Effect of Carbonation and Drying-Wetting Cycles on Chloride Diffusion Behavior of Coral Aggregate Seawater Concrete

Based on seawater immersion,drying-wetting cycles,carbonation and drying-wetting cycles for coral aggregate sea-water concrete(CASC)with different strength grades,the effect of carbonation and drying-wetting cycles on chloride diffusion be-havior of CASC is studied.The results show that the free surface chloride concentration(Cs),free chloride diffusion coefficient(Df)and time-dependent index(m)of CASC in the drying-wetting cycles is obviously higher than that in seawater immersion.The Df and m of CASC of carbonation and drying-wetting cycles is higher than that in the drying-wetting cycles.Carbonation increases the Df and m of CASC,which is against CASC to resist chloride corrosion.The corrosion possibility of CASC structures in different ex-posed areas is as follows:splash zone(carbonation and drying-wetting cycles)>tidal zone(drying-wetting cycles)>underwater zone(seawater immersion).Besides,the chloride diffusion rate of C65-CASC is 17.8%-63.4%higher than that of C65-ordinary aggre-gate concrete(OAC)in seawater immersion(underwater zone).Therefore,anti-corrosion measures should be adopted to improve the service life of CASC structure in the oceanic environment.

Chloride Ion Transmission Model under the Drying-wetting Cycles and Its Solution

The chloride ion transmission model considering diffusion and convection was established respectively for different zones in concrete by analyzing chloride ion transmission mechanism under the dryingwetting cycles. The finite difference method was adopted to solve the model. The equation of chloride ion transmission model in the convection and diffusion zone of concrete was discreted by the group explicit scheme with right single point （GER method） and the equation in diffusion zone was discreted by FTCS difference scheme. According to relative humidity characteristics in concrete under drying-wetting cycles, the seepage velocity equation was formulated based on Kelvin Equation and Darcy＇s Law. The time-variant equations of chloride ion concentration of concrete surface and the boundary surface of the convection and diffusion zone were established. Based on the software MATLAB the numerical calculation was carried out by using the model and basic material parameters from the experiments. The calculation of chloride ion concentration distribution in concrete is in good agreement with the drying-wetting cycles experiments. It can be shown that the chloride ion transmission model and the seepage velocity equation are reasonable and practical. Studies have shown that the chloride ion transmission in concrete considering convection and diffusion under the drying-wetting cycles is the better correlation with the actual situation than that only considering the diffusion.

Effect of drying-wetting cycles on pore characteristics and mechanical properties of enzyme-induced carbonate precipitation-reinforced sea sand

Enzyme-induced carbonate precipitation(EICP)is an emanating,eco-friendly and potentially sound technique that has presented promise in various geotechnical applications.However,the durability and microscopic characteristics of EICP-treated specimens against the impact of drying-wetting(D-W)cycles is under-explored yet.This study investigates the evolution of mechanical behavior and pore charac-teristics of EICP-treated sea sand subjected to D-W cycles.The uniaxial compressive strength(UCS)tests,synchrotron radiation micro-computed tomography(micro-CT),and three-dimensional(3D)recon-struction of CT images were performed to study the multiscale evolution characteristics of EICP-reinforced sea sand under the effect of D-W cycles.The potential correlations between microstructure characteristics and macro-mechanical property deterioration were investigated using gray relational analysis(GRA).Results showed that the UCS of EICP-treated specimens decreases by 63.7% after 15 D-W cycles.The proportion of mesopores gradually decreases whereas the proportion of macropores in-creases due to the exfoliated calcium carbonate with increasing number of D-W cycles.The micro-structure in EICP-reinforced sea sand was gradually disintegrated,resulting in increasing pore size and development of pore shape from ellipsoidal to columnar and branched.The gray relational degree suggested that the weight loss rate and UCS deterioration were attributed to the development of branched pores with a size of 100-1000 m m under the action of D-W cycles.Overall,the results in this study provide a useful guidancee for the long-term stability and evolution characteristics of EICP-reinforced sea sand under D-W weathering conditions.

Coupling Effect of Cryogenic Freeze-Thaw Cycles and Chloride Ion Erosion Effect in Pre-Cracked Reinforced Concrete

Chloride (Cl−) ion erosion effects can seriously impact the safety and service life of marine liquefied natural gas(LNG) storage tanks and other polar offshore structures. This study investigates the impact of different low-temperaturecycles (20°C, –80°C, and −160°C) and concrete specimen crack widths (0, 0.3, and 0.6 mm) on the Cl−ion diffusion performance through rapid erosion tests conducted on pre-cracked concrete. The results show thatthe minimum temperature and crack width of freeze-thaw cycles enhance the erosive effect of chloride ions. TheCl− ion concentration and growth rate increased with the increasing crack width. Based on the experimental modeland in accordance with Fick’s second law of diffusion, the Cl− ion diffusion equation was modified by introducingcorrection factors in consideration of the freeze-thaw temperature, crack width, and their coupling effect.The experimental and fitting results obtained from this model can provide excellent reference for practical engineeringapplications.

Intracellular chloride regulates the G_1/S cell cycle progression in gastric cancer cells

Recent studies show that ion channels/transporters play important roles in fundamental cellular functions. Several reports indicating the important roles of Cl- channels/transporters on cell proliferation suggest that the intracellular chloride concentration ([Cl-]i) regulated by them would be one of critical messengers. We investigated whether the [Cl-]i controls cell proliferation and cell cycle progression in human gastric cancer cells. Our studies indicated that furosemide, a blocker of Na+ /K+ /2Cl- cotransporter (NKCC), diminished cell growth by delaying the G1-S phase progression in gastric cancer cells with high expression and activity of NKCC. Furthermore, we found that the culture in the low Cl- medium (replacement of Cl- by NO3-) decreased the [Cl-]i and inhibited cell growth of gastric cancer cells and that this inhibition of cell growth was due to cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase caused by diminutionof CDK2 and phosphorylated Rb. The culture of cells in the low Cl- medium significantly increased expressions of p21 mRNA and protein. In addition, the low Cl- medium induced phosphorylation of mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs). Treatment with an inhibitor of p38 or JNK significantly suppressed p21 upregulation caused by culture in a low Cl- medium and rescued gastric cancer cells from the low Cl- -induced G1 cell cycle arrest. These findings revealed that the [Cl-]i affects the cell proliferation via activation of MAPKs through upregulation of p21 in gastric cancer cells. Our results suggest that the [Cl-]i regulates important cellular functions in gastric cancer cells, leading to the development of novel therapeutic strategies.

Determining representative elementary volume size of in-situ expansive soils subjected to drying-wetting cycles through field test

Cracks resulting from cyclic wetting and drying of expansive soils create discontinuities and anisotropy in the soil.The representative elementary volume(REV)defined by the continuous-media theory cannot be applied to cracked expansive soils that are considered discontinuous media.In this study,direct shear tests of three different scales(30 cm^(2),900 cm^(2),1963 cm^(2))and crack image analysis were carried out on undisturbed soil samples subjected to drying-wetting cycles in-situ.The REV size of expansive soil was investigated using the crack intensity factor(CIF)and soil cohesion.The results show that soil cohesion decreased with increasing sample area,and the development of secondary cracks further exacerbated the size effect of sample on cohesion of the soil.As shrinkage cracks developed,the REV size of the soil gradually increased and plateaued after 3−5 cycles.Under the same drying-wetting cycle conditions,the REV size determined using soil cohesion(REV-C)is 1.75 to 2.97 times the REV size determined using CIF(REV-CIF).Under the influence of shrinkage cracks,the average CIF is positively correlated with the REV size determined using different maximum permissible errors,with the coefficient of correlation greater than 0.9.A method for determining the REV-C based on crack image analysis is proposed,and the REV-C of expansive soil in the study area under different exposure times is given.

Performance of interface between TRC and existing concrete under a chloride dry-wet cycle environment

Textile-reinforced concrete(TRC)is suitable to repair and reinforce concrete structures in harsh environments.The performance of the interface between TRC and existing concrete is an important factor in determining the strengthening effect of TRC.In this paper,a double-sided shear test was performed to investigate the effects of the chloride dry-wet cycles on the average shear strength and slip at the interface between the TRC and existing concrete,also considering the existing concrete strength,bond length,textile layer and short-cut fiber arrangements.In addition,X-ray diffraction(XRD)technology was used to analyze the microscopic matter at the interface in the corrosive environment.The experimental results indicate that the interface performance between TRC and existing concrete would decrease with continued chloride dry-wet cycles.Compared with the specimen with a single layer of textile reinforcement,the specimens with two layers of textile with added PVA or AR-glass short-cut fibers could further improve the properties of the interface between the TRC layer and existing concrete.For the TRC with a single layer of textile,the average shear strength tended to decrease with increasing bond length.In addition,the strength grade of the existing concrete had a minor effect on the interface properties.

Effect of Freeze-Thaw Cycles on Chloride Transportation in Concrete: Prediction Model and Experiment

This research aims to investigate the effect of frost damage on chloride transportation mechanism in ordinary andfiber concrete with both theoretical and experimental methods.The proposed theoretical model takes into account the varying damage levels caused by concrete cover depth and freeze-thaw cycles,which are the two primary parameters affecting the expression of the chloride diffusion coefficient.In the experiment,three types of concrete were prepared:ordinary Portland concrete(OPC),polypropylenefiber concrete(PFC),and steelfiber concrete(SFC).These were then immersed in NaCl solution for 120 days after undergoing 10,25,and 50 freeze-thaw cycles.The damage coefficient of the tested concrete was determined by measuring the dynamic elas-tic modulus.The results indicated that the relative dynamic elasticity modulus of the specimens decreased with each freeze-thaw cycle,and the chloride diffusion coefficient of the specimens increased as the degree of frost degradation increased.Samples containing steel and polypropylenefibers exhibited greater resistance to cyclic water freezing compared to the controlled concrete withoutfibers.A model has been also developed that takes into account the damage caused by freezing-thawing cycles and the depth of the concrete,which can predict variations in free chloride concentration at different depths.The calculated values were in good agreement with the test results for depths between 10 to 30 mm.This new damage-induced diffusion model can helpfill the gap in research on the effects of freeze-thaw cycles on chloride diffusion.

Mechanical properties and disintegration behavior of EICP-reinforced sea sand subjected to drying-wetting cycles

Enzyme-induced carbonate precipitation(EICP)has emerged promising in various geotechnical applications,and has been presented as an alternative to the traditional cementitious materials-based ground improvement method.However,the study on mechanical properties and disintegration behavior of EICP-reinforced sea sand subjected to drying-wetting cycles are limited.This study investigated the mechanical properties and disintegration behavior of EICP-reinforced sea sand against the impact of drying-wetting(D-W)cycles.The uniaxial compressive strength(UCS)tests were performed to discuss the effect of drying-wetting cycles on the mechanical behavior of EICP-treated sea sand.The disintegration tests were conducted on EICP-treated sea sand to investigate the disintegration resistance of bio-cemented samples with various cementation levels.The microstructures of samples before and after disintegration were examined to disclose the disintegration mechanisms of EICP-reinforced sea sand.D-W cycles significantly affect the mechanical properties of EICP-reinforced sea sand,with UCS decreasing by 63.7%after undergoing 15 D-W cycles.The disintegration resistance index of specimens with a lower cementation level decreases significantly under the effect of D-W treatment.The higher disintegration resistance of specimens with higher cementation can be attributed to more crystals with better crystallinity formed in the contact point between sand particles within specimen.The crystals formed by soybean husk urease are mainly calcite and the crystallinity of spherical calcites would gradually change into larger rhombic calcite with further bio-grouting.The crystal with poor crystallinity is susceptible to the effect of D-W treatment,resulting in the obvious disintegration of EICP-reinforced sea sand.Overall,this study is expected to provide useful guidance on the long-term stability and drying-wetting disintegration mechanisms of EICP-reinforced sea sand.

Effect of drying-wetting cycles on the durability of calcareous sand reinforced by MICP and recycled shredded coconut coir(RSC)

Microbial-induced carbonate precipitation(MICP)technique has been adopted in geotechnical engineering widely.In this study,the effect of drying-wetting cycles on MICP-recycled shredded coconut coir(RSC)reinforced calcareous sand was studied,and the deterioration mechanism under drying-wetting cycles was revealed.Test results indicated that drying-wetting cycles exert an important influence on the durability of MICP-RSC reinforced specimens.With the increase of drying-wetting cycles N,the specimens demonstrated significant increase in mass loss rate and critical void ratio,decrease in maximum shear modulus,peak strength and toughness.Furthermore,an increase in the initial relative density reduced the deterioration of MICP-RSC reinforced specimens exposed to drying-wetting cycles.Higher initial relative density of the specimen correlates with an increased maximum shear modulus,peak stress and toughness,a decreased in permeability and critical void ratio.Microanalysis revealed that the generated calcium carbonate adhering to sand particles and RSC gradually dropped off with the increase of N,weakened cementation,and led to the deterioration of MICP-RSC reinforced specimens,which is consistent with the deterioration characteristics under drying-wetting cycles.

Degradation of bond between steel bar and freeze-thaw concrete after electrochemical chloride extraction

The effect of electrochemical chloride extraction （ECE） on bond strength between steel bar and freeze-thaw concrete contaminated by chloride was experimentally investigated for beam specimens with dimensions of 100 mm × 100 mm × 400 ram. During the experiment, 3% NaC1 （vs mass of cement, mass fraction） was mixed into concrete to simulate chloride contamination, and the specimens experienced 0, 25, 50, 75 freeze-thaw cycles before ECE. In the process of ECE, different current densities and durations were adopted. It is indicated that the bond strength between reinforcement and concrete decreases with the increase of freeze-thaw cycles; the more the current and the electric quantity of ECE are, the more the loss of bond strength is; and the largest loss is up to 58.7%. So, it is important to choose proper parameters of ECE for the reinforced concrete structures contaminated by chloride and subjected to freeze-thaw cycles.

Effect of carbonation-drying-wetting on durability of coral aggregate seawater concrete

Based on the drying-wetting cycles experiment and the carbonation-drying-wetting cycles experiment for coral aggregate seawater concrete(CASC)with different strength grades,the effects of carbonation-drying-wetting on the durability of CASC are studied with the surface state,mass loss rate,relative dynamic elastic modulus,ultrasonic wave velocity and cube compressive strength as indices.Results show that the mass loss rate of CASC increases gradually with the increase in cycle times in the drying-wetting and carbonation-drying-wetting cycles.The mass loss rate increases relatively slowly at the initial stage but it increases remarkably after 10 cycles.The relative dynamic elastic modulus and ultrasonic wave velocity decrease gradually with the increase in cycle times.After 6 cycles,the decrease rate of the relative dynamic elastic modulus and ultrasonic wave velocity of CASC tends to be flat and the surface is slightly damaged.Compared with the initial 28 d cube compressive strength,the cube compressive strength of CASC decreases by 8.8%to 11.0%.Drying-wetting cycles and carbonation can accelerate seawater erosion on CASC,and drying-wetting cycles result in salting-out and accelerate the destruction of concrete.Therefore,the carbonation-drying-wetting accelerates the destruction of CASC.

Chloride Ion Critical Content in Reinforced Concrete

Chloride ion critical content was studied under soaking and cycle of dry and wet conditions, with three electrochemical nondestructive measuring techniques, i e, half-cell potential, A C impedance, and time potential. The experimental results show that chloride ion critical content is primarily determined by the water cement ratio, while for the same concrete mixture the chloride ion critical content in soaking conditions is larger than that in a cycle of dry and wet conditions.

Chloride diffusivity in flexural cracked Portland cement concrete and fly ash concrete beams

In order to examine the effect of load-induced transverse cracks on the chloride penetration in flexural concrete beams, two different concretes, Portland cement concrete(PCC) and fly ash concrete(FAC), were tested with various crack widths. Total 14 reinforced concrete(RC) beams, ten of which were self-anchored in a three-point bending mode, were immersed into a 5% NaCl solution with the condition of dry-wet cycles. Then, the free chloride ion contents were determined by rapid chloride testing(RCT) method. Based on the proposed analytical models of chloride penetration in sound and cracked concrete subjected to dry-wet cycles, the apparent chloride diffusion coefficient and chloride diffusivity of concrete were discussed. It can be found that the performance of chloride diffusivity in both concretes will be improved with the increase of crack width, and that the influence of convection action will also be augmented. Based on the two samples obtained in sound concrete after 15 and 30 cycles, the time-exponent, m, for chloride diffusion coefficient was determined to be 0.58, 0.42, 0.62 and 0.77 for PCC1, PCC2, FAC1 and FAC2 specimens, respectively. Finally, two influencing factors of fly ash content and crack width on chloride diffusivity were obtained by regression analysis of test data, and it can be seen that factors kf and kw can be expressed with quadratic polynomial functions of fly ash content, f, and crack width, w, respectively.

The involvement of signaling activation of protein kinase C in gadolinium chloride-induced cell survival and cell cycle progression in NIH3T3 cells

In the present study, we investigated the activation of protein kinase C （PKC） family in mouse embryonic fibroblast NIH3T3 cells using gadolinium chloride as a representative lanthanide ion. With live cell imaging system and confocal laser scanning microscopy, we found that the treatment of 50 μM GdCI3 promoted cell survival under the condition of serum-starvation. Moreover, better cell attachment and cytoskeleton reorganization were also observed. Additionally, GdC13 treatment resulted in the phosphorylation of PKC family at different time points. Furthermore, bisindolylmaleimide （a PKCpan inhibitor） could efficiently reduce the level of phosphorylated PKCpan （βIISer660）, alleviating ERK activation induced by GdC13. This finding indicated that the PKC activation was involved in GdC13-induced MAPK/ERK signaling and thus might contribute to GdClβ-indueed cell cycle progression and cell survival.

Numerical Analysis of Moisture Influential Depth in Concrete During Drying-Wetting Cycles

The influential depth of moisture transport in a concrete surface subject to drying-wetting cycles was analyzed numerically. The moisture transport was described by a diffusion model with different diffusivities for drying and wetting. A finite difference scheme was developed to solve the partial differential equations The influential depth was then investigated numerically for initially saturated and unsaturated concretes exposed to drying-wetting actions in marine environments using an equilibrium time ratio concept. The equilibrium time ratio was calculated numerically for a saturated condition and the moisture influential depth is shown to be a linear function of the square root of the drying time. However, this equilibrium time ratio does not exist for an unsaturated condition and the moisture influential depth depends on the initial saturation as well as the drying-wetting time ratio. The results indicate that this model gives more realistic predictions of moisture transport of in situ structural concrete and its durability.

Ultrasonic testing and microscopic analysis on concrete under sulfate attack and cyclic environment

The damage process of concrete exposed to sodium sulfate attack and drying-wetting cycles was investigated. The water to binder(W/B) ratio and the concentration of sulfate solution were taken as variable parameters. Through the experiment, visual change, relative dynamic modulus of elasticity(RDME) and the surface damage layer thickness of concrete were measured.Furthermore, SEM and thermal analysis were used to investigate the changing of microstructure and corrosion products of concrete.The test results show that the ultrasonic velocity is related to the damage layer of concrete. It approves that an increase in damage layer thickness reduces the compactness and the ultrasonic velocity. The deterioration degree of concrete could be estimated effectively by measuring the surface damage layer and the RDME of concrete. It is also found that the content of gypsum in concrete is less than that of ettringite in test, and some gypsum is checked only after a certain corrosion extent. When the concrete is with high W/B ratio or exposed to high concentration of sulfate solution, the content of ettringite first increases and then decreases with corrosion time. However, the content of gypsum increases at a steady rate. The content of corrosion products does not correspond well with the observations of RDME change, and extensive amount of corrosion products can be formed before obvious damage occurs.

Comparative study on the efficiency and environmental impact of two methods of utilizing polyvinyl chloride waste based on life cycle assessments

Two processes of utilizing polyvinyl chloride （PVC） waste, an incineration process and a vacuum pyrolysis process, for energy conversion were compared to determine their efficiency and environmental perfor- mance. We carried out a life cycle assessment with each of the two processes to evaluate their environmental impact and defined the goals and limits of our remit. As well, we established an inventory of PVC waste from incineration and vacuum pyrolysis based on process analysis, data collection and calculations. The results show that electrical power output per unit mass of PVC waste in the incineration process was twice as high as that of the vacuum pyrolysis process. Incineration had a larger total environmental impact potential than vacuum pyrolysis. The total environmental impact potential of PVC waste from incineration was three times higher than that from vacuum pyrolysis. Incineration of PVC disposed 300 ng. 100 kgI of dioxins and vacuum pyrolysis 98.19 ng- 100 kgI of dioxins. As well, we analyzed the data for their uncertainty with results quantified in terms of three uncertainties： basic uncertainty, additional uncertainty, and computational uncertainty. The coefficients of variation of the data were less than 25% and the quality of the inventory data was acceptable with low uncertainty. Both PVC waste disposal processes were of similar quality and their results comparable. The results of our life cycle impact assessment （LCIA） showed considerable reliability of our methodology. Overall, the vacuum pyrolysis process has a number advantages and greater potential for development of PVC disposal than the incineration process.

铁尾矿混凝土力学性质及耐久性

这是一篇陶瓷及复合材料领域的论文。为了研究铁尾矿混凝土在受硫酸钠溶液干湿循环作用后的力学特性和耐久性,开展了受硫酸钠溶液侵蚀混凝土的抗压实验、抗氯离子侵蚀实验、抗冻实验和水化特性实验,分析不同铁尾矿掺量、干湿循环次数、溶液浓度对混凝土力学性质和耐久性的影响。结果表明:在铁尾矿掺量为30%、干湿循环次数为60次和硫酸钠浓度为5%时,混凝土的质量损失率较小而抗压强度耐腐蚀系数较大。随着铁尾矿掺量的不断增大,混凝土的抗氯离子侵蚀性能、抗冻性能越好,水化反应放热量不断减小。

受冻融作用钢筋混凝土电化学除氯模型研究

氯盐侵蚀与冻融循环作用下,钢筋混凝土结构遭受严重的耐久性损伤。电化学除氯能有效解决氯盐侵蚀产生的钢筋锈蚀问题,但在盐冻地区其除氯机理受混凝土冻融损伤的影响。对内掺氯盐的冻融损伤混凝土开展电化学除氯试验,基于相对动弹性模量建立混凝土冻融损伤度,研究冻融循环作用后钢筋混凝土电化学除氯机理,建立冻融损伤混凝土电化学除氯效率评价模型。研究结果表明,相较于普通混凝土,冻融环境下粉煤灰混凝土冻融损伤度更大,平均除氯效率更低。随冻融次数和粉煤灰掺量增加,混凝土冻融损伤度增大。随冻融损伤度和除氯时间的增加,混凝土平均除氯效率增加。冻融损伤混凝土平均除氯效率相较于未遭受冻融损伤混凝土,达到钝化目标所需时间更短。基于混凝土损伤度建立了冻融损伤混凝土电化学除氯模型,试验值与模型拟合良好。