Experimental investigation and numerical modeling of chloride penetration and calcium dissolution in saturated concrete

Chloride penetration and calcium dissolution have been investigated for a saturated concrete after exposure to a 0.5 mol/L NaCl solution for a period of up to 3150 days. Simultaneous ion transport model (SiTraM) that allows the transport of chloride and calcium ions to be simultaneously simulated in a hydrated cement system has been used to verify the experimental results. Self-compacting concrete (SCC) with a water to cement ratio of 0.3 resulted in a limited chloride penetration depth while the calcium dissolution was also reduced within the near surface zone. Increased unit water content for normal concrete resulted in higher chloride penetration depth and larger dissolution front of Ca(OH)2 regardless of having the same water to cement ratio. It was revealed that the SiTraM can predict the profiles of chloride and calcium for self-compacting concrete. It was also found that the primary factor to control chloride penetration front and the dissolution front of Ca(OH)2 was the pore structure characteristic of concrete.