Corrosion Performance of Nano-TiO2-Modified Concrete under a Dry–Wet Sulfate Environment

Abstract

This study compared the effects of the sulfate dry–wet cycle on the properties of ordinary concrete and nano-TiO2-modified concrete, including the mass loss rate, ultrasonic wave velocity, compressive strength, and XRD characteristics. In addition, a series of compression simulations carried out using the PFC2D software are also presented for comparison. The results show the following: (1) with an increase in dry–wet cycles, the damage to the concrete gradually increased, and adding nano-TiO2 into ordinary concrete can improve the material’s sulfate resistance; (2) after 50 sulfate dry–wet cycles, the mass loss rate of ordinary concrete was –3.744%, while that of nano-TiO2-modified concrete was −1.363%; (3) the compressive strength of ordinary concrete was reduced from 41.53 to 25.12 MPa (a reduction of 39.51%), but the compressive strength of nano-TiO2-modified concrete was reduced from 49.91 to 32.12 MPa (a reduction of 35.64%); (4) after a sulfate dry–wet cycle, the nano-TiO2-modified concrete surface produced white crystalline products, considered to be ettringite based on the XRD analysis; (5) when considering the peak stress and strain of the concrete samples, the numerical results agreed well with the test results, indicating the reliability of the method.