Influence of lithium hydroxide on alkali–silica reaction

Alkali–silica reaction: Current understanding of the reaction mechanisms and the knowledge gaps

“…Mo and co-workers [151] hypothesized that the smaller ionic radius and higher charge density of lithium (compared to Na or K) was responsible for the latter phenomenon, but none of these studies could explain why the reaction product with lithium was less expansive. Later work by Leeman and co-workers [163] and Bulteel and co-workers [152] supports the hypotheses that lithium may reduce the solubility and dissolution rate of silica.…”

Alkali–silica reaction: Kinetics of chemistry of pore solution and calcium hydroxide content in cementitious system

“…However, contradictory results have been reported on the effect of alkali ions on the rate of ASR reaction. Several researchers [10,37,38] found that Na + ions increased the dissolution rate of silica (which consequently increases the rate of ASR reaction). In contrast, other researchers [8,39] reported that the system containing K + ions appears to be reacting faster than the one containing Na + ions.…”

“…In addition, the contents of Ca(OH) 2 and the expansions of mortar bars were also quantified to investigate the relationship between Cement and Concrete Research 71 (2015) [36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45] these parameters and the change in the chemistry of pore solution obtained from samples undergoing ASR. Specifically, the effects of following parameters on the chemistry of pore solution and the content of calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH) 2 ) are described: (a) length of curing time (up to 130 days), (b) temperature (23°C, 38°C, and 55°C), and (c) presence of reactive or non-reactive aggregates.…”

Experimental study and empirical modeling of lithium nitrate for alkali-silica reactivity

“…The amount of lithium salts required to inhibit the ASRrelated damages in fresh concrete is a function of the equivalent alkali [sodium oxide (Na 2 O eq )] available in the cementitious materials and the amount of cementitious materials used per cubic yard (or cubic meter) of concrete [12,5]. As reported in this study, the appropriate dosages of lithium salt to inhibit ASR expansion were mostly based on the Accelerated Mortar Bar Test (AMBT).…”

“…The efficacy of lithium in suppressing alkali-silica reactivity depends on the nature of aggregate [8,22,34,10,19], form of lithium [8,22,6,34,23], and the use of supplementary cementitious materials and the total amount of alkalis present in concrete [6,10,34,5,23]. Among the lithium admixtures utilized in concrete, lithium nitrate is the most commonly used, because it is safe, environmentally benign, and easy to handle [30,46,1,12].…”