Effect of silages on concrete and process of its corrosion in the course of time

Abstract

Abstract Silages are important juicy bulky feedstuff, that has irreplaceable role in nutrition of farm animals – cattle, pigs and horses. The silages are made of a fresh plant mass (e.g. corn, alfalfa, rape, clover or grass), that is in a chopped form in an exactly given way ensiled, i.e. in a tamped or pressed form without access of air subjected to a fermentation process. Within this process acid juices are created and enter into a construction of containers aimed for the ensilage process. These containers are mainly from a reinforced concrete. Influence of the silage on the concrete is a difficult process and it depends on several factors. From the point of view of durability/resistance to the silage effect, a concrete composition is a significant factor, the other factors are silage properties as well as time of a contact of the concrete with the silage. In this paper we describe findings on a state of 3 concrete compositions, which were repeatedly subjected to a corn silage for 3 years. In a 1-year interval, an effect of the silages on physico-mechanical properties of the concrete (e.g. strength, absorptivity, porosity) was observed. The highest resistance to effect of the silages in the course of time was proven for the concrete with a higher content of Portland cement.