Civil Engineering and Architecture Vol. 9(6), pp. 1846 - 1853
DOI: 10.13189/cea.2021.090617
Reprint (PDF) (999Kb)

Effect of Initial Cracking and Bitumen Coating on Performance of Concrete in Sulfate Environment

Roz-Ud-Din Nassar ^1,*, Taqdees Aysha ², Safeer Abbas ³, Danish Saeed ^4
1 Department of Civil and Infrastructure Engineering, American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK), Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
² Concrete Technology L.L.C, Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
³ Department of Civil Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology Lahore, Pakistan
⁴ Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology (KFUEIT), Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan

ABSTRACT

Sulfate attack on concrete is considered to be one of the major durability issues. It results in major deterioration of concrete and ultimate failure of the concrete structural members. Mainly, sulfate attack is caused by the transport of sulfate ions from outside source into concrete. Sulfate attack usually manifests in the form of expansion and cracking of concrete. This study reports the strength and durability performances of cracked and uncracked plain and reinforced concrete specimens in sulfate environment induced by their exposure to various concentrations of sodium sulfate (Na₂SO₄) solution over a period of 120 days. A variety of specimens produced with a standard concrete mixture having w/c ratio of 0.47 were tested under aggressive sulfate environment. Physical testing including visual inspection and change in mass of the conditioned specimens was carried out at 7, 14, 28, 56, 90 and 120 days of exposure period to accelerated sulfate environment. Compressive strength of cylinder specimens and flexural strength of reinforced concrete prisms were also tested at the same ages. Test results showed that bitumen coating of concrete specimens enhanced their resistance to the deleterious effects of sulfate attack. It was further observed that the depth of efflorescence and change in mass of specimens was higher in the case of their exposure to higher concentrations of sulfate solution. The effect of exposure to sulfate solution was severe in the case of cracked specimens than the uncracked ones. The results of this study provide insight into the performance characteristics of concrete in sulfate environment.

KEYWORDS
Sulfate Attack, Bitumen Coating, Mechanical Properties, Durability, Cracked Specimen

Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Roz-Ud-Din Nassar , Taqdees Aysha , Safeer Abbas , Danish Saeed , "Effect of Initial Cracking and Bitumen Coating on Performance of Concrete in Sulfate Environment," Civil Engineering and Architecture, Vol. 9, No. 6, pp. 1846 - 1853, 2021. DOI: 10.13189/cea.2021.090617.

(b). APA Format:
Roz-Ud-Din Nassar , Taqdees Aysha , Safeer Abbas , Danish Saeed (2021). Effect of Initial Cracking and Bitumen Coating on Performance of Concrete in Sulfate Environment. Civil Engineering and Architecture, 9(6), 1846 - 1853. DOI: 10.13189/cea.2021.090617.