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Title Leaching of concrete : the leaching process and its effects
Author/s Tomas Ekström
Department/s Building Materials
Full-text Available as PDF
Defence date 2003-06-05
Defence time 10:15
Defence place Hörsalen, Kårhuset, John Erikssons väg 3, Lund Institute of Technology
Opponent Professor Doug Hooton
Publication/Series Report TVBM 1020
Publishing year 2003
Pages 296
Document type Dissertation
Language English
Publisher Div of Building Materials LTH, Lund university
Popular science abstract Swedish Avhandlingen presenterar en experimentell studie av urlakning av betong orsakat av vatten som tränger igenom betongen, eller av diffusion av joner till vatten på uppströmssidan. Urlakningsförloppet och dess effekter modelleras med finita-element-metoden.
Abstract English The present report presents an experimental study of leaching of concrete caused by water percolating through the concrete, or by diffusion from concrete to external water in contact. An apparatus was designed and constructed in which de-ionised water could be forced, by external pressure, through a number of concrete specimens of differing characteristics. It was found that, whereas the initial water flow was normally low and uniform, most specimens showed a rapid increase in water flow after a certain period of time. This was probably due to formation of certain distinct percolation channels. The solid material around these channels was leached, the concrete becoming disintegrated, and almost no continuous cementitious material being left to maintain strength and tightness of the concrete. The chemical composition of the percolated water was analysed, making it possible to calculate the amount of leaching and consequently to theoretically assess the increase in porosity and reduction of strength Changes in the structure of concrete caused by leaching were also investigated experimentally by measurements of porosity, pore size distribution and strength. ESEM-EDX-studies were made in order to find out the morphology of leached concrete. Results from all these experimental studies are presented in the report. A theoretical model of the leaching process and its effects on the material and on the structural stability of real structures was developed. The model is applied to the experimental data.
Subject Technology and Engineering
Keywords water permeability., material technology, concrete dams, byggnadsteknik, building construction, leaching, materiallära, materialteknik
ISBN/ISSN/Other ISSN: 0348-7911
ISBN: 91-628-5720-7
ISRN: LUTVDG/TVBM--03/1020--SE(1-296)

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