The Effect on Concrete Resistivity of Sulfate Content in Water

Abstract

Sulfate attack on concrete has been studied worldwide for more than 60 years. However, the mechanisms of attack are still not entirely understood, and deterioration of concrete from sulfates still occurs. The source of the sulfates may be either external or internal. External sources are the naturally occurring sulfates in the environment or those sulfates that are the product of industrial processes or various human activities (e.g. fertilizers often release sulfates into the soil and groundwater). Internal sources of sulfates may include the sulfates introduced in the cements from which concrete is made. The purpose of this study is to find out the amount of sulfates that concrete can withstand in the water. Standards tests have been developed to evaluate the resistance of concretes to sulfate attack. Some, but not all of these tests, take into account the mechanisms of sulfate attack so far discovered in research work. The tests range from those that monitor changes in the strength of concrete specimens after set periods of immersion in known compositions sulfate solutions, to those that use x- ray diffraction to examine concrete specimens for expansive products (e.g. ettringite and thaumasite) that have resulted from sulfate attack.