Modelling chloride diffusion in concrete with carbonated surface layer

Abstract

Due to the demand for carbon neutrality, concrete carbonation has been reconsidered as an interesting topic because of its potential for capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. Concrete carbonation can significantly modify the chemical and microstructure properties of concrete and thus will have important effects on chloride diffusion. This paper presents a chloride diffusion model in which the concrete cover is divided into three different zones, each with their own defined porosity and chloride binding isotherm. The first is the fully carbonated concrete near the surface, where the porosity and chloride binding isotherm can be obtained from the experimental data of fully carbonated concrete. The second is the uncarbonated concrete near the reinforcement, where the porosity and chloride binding isotherm can be obtained from the experimental data of normal concrete. The third is the transition zone between the fully carbonated and uncarbonated concretes, where the porosity and chloride binding isotherm can be assumed to vary continuously from the carbonated concrete to uncarbonated concrete. To validate the present model, a comparison of the present model with published experimental results is provided, which demonstrates the importance of considering different zones in the chloride diffusion model when the concrete has a carbonated layer near the surface.