Prevention of steel reinforcement corrosion in alkali-activated slag cement concrete mixed with seawater

Abstract

Concretes mixed with seawater are characterised by enhanced performances, but action of chlorides and sulfates ensures the risk of reinforcement corrosion. Application of high consistency fresh concretes ensures changes in hardened concrete structure that causes the problem of steel reinforcement passive state ensuring. Thus mixing of plasticized concretes by seawater actualizes the search for means of steel corrosion prevention. Alkali-activated slag cements (further, AASC’s) reduce effect of ions Cl− and SO42− on steel reinforcement in concrete due to their exchange for ions OH− in the structure of zeolite-like alkaline hydroaluminosilicates. Complex additive «portland cement - calcium aluminate cement - clinoptilolite» was proposed to enhance the protective properties of AASC concretes to steel reinforcement. The results of DTA, X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, microprobe analysis show that complex additive ensures to prevent steel reinforcement corrosion in AASC concrete mixed with seawater due to binding Cl− and SO42− ions in Kuzel’s salt in AASC hydration products and exchange of these aggressive ions with OH− ions in the structure of clinoptilolite. This effect of complex additive confirmed by surface state and the absence of mass loss of steel rebars embedded in plasticized AASC fine concrete mixed with seawater after 90 d of hardening.