Effect of Salinity on Concrete Properties

Abstract

The attack of sulphate for concrete is one of the structural problems facing concrete works and has aroused the interest of researchers after the impact of this problem has appeared on many of the facilities. There are two sources of sulfur salts that attack the concrete which are external and internal, the external ones are found in the ground and surface water or the soil surrounding the concrete, the interior is within the structures of internal materials in concrete, such as aggregates, cement, water and additives. The presence of sulphate salts at high rates negatively affects the hardened cement paste due to the formation of additional quantities of Ettrengite where a large volume increase in the hardened cement paste leads to internal stresses causing cracks in the concrete mass affecting the resistance. The performance of concrete exposed to the attack of sulfur is divided into several different phenomena, such as concrete properties, absorption, and permeability. In the current investigation study, the impact of “saltwater” and “freshwater” on the characteristics of concrete (compressive strength, splitting tensile strength and flexural strength) are examined. Concrete cubes, prisms and cylinders were cast with normal concrete mix design were estimated. Different proportions of salt like (0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50) grams/liter of water were examined. The concrete cubes, prisms, and cylinders were cured for 3, 7, 14 and 28 days with different salt proportions.